ALIENOR
I gape up into Norbert’s pale face, my mouth opening in a silent scream. Moonlight reflects in his eyes, making them shine like silver coins.
He walks across the room on stiff legs as though each step requires every ounce of concentration.
My insides tighten with cold shock.
Norbert is dead.
I saw him die.
Hell, I even buried his headless carcass beneath the compost pile.
So, why is he here in my bedroom?
He puckers his bluish lips. “Kiss me.”
I take another step toward the door, barely choking out the question, “What are you doing here?”
“Walking you home, of course,” he murmurs. “You promised me a kiss with tongues.”
Nausea slithers up my throat. “Norbert, I think you need a healer.”
His eyes narrow. “Why would you say that?”
Oh, shit. How much does he remember? That he’s dead because of me? That I brought him into a situation where a jealous monster decapitated him with his claws?
My lungs tighten, letting in the shallowest of breaths. If Norbert witnessed me dragging his body across the garden and covering up for the Boogie Man, only to make out with him the following day…
“You’ve got a bit of….” With a gulp, I make a vague gesture at my neck.
“A bit of what?” He cups his hand behind his ear.
Fuck!
He knows, and he’s here for revenge.
“L-listen.” I hold out both palms. “I’m sorry for what happened. I had no idea—”
“Why didn’t you inform the guild?” he asks.
“Guild?”
His features harden. “Necromancers revive their dead all the time. With the right enchantment, they could have put me back together as good as new.”
“What?” I whisper.
“I’ve been through the process twice already with no lingering side effects.”
My mouth opens and closes. “Wait. You were already…”
I can’t complete the sentence. Not with Norbert shuffling toward me like something out of a human zombie movie. Not with him scowling down into my face like I’ve screwed up the quality of his afterlife.
“Um… Why don’t you necromancers warn people?”
He closes the distance between us in the blink of an eye and wraps a thin arm around my back. His stubby little erection presses into my belly.
Every muscle in my body stiffens.