Damien crossed his arms. “There could be consequences we haven’t even considered.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked. “There are plenty of psychics or mediums who do this type of stuff everyday.”

“They are not you, Tessa. They were born with the ability to communicate with the dead. You died and came back, that’s the only reason you see ghosts. Your situation is unnatural.”

I raised an eye brow at him. “What does that mean?”

“You survived death. You are not supposed to be here. If you starting messing between death and living, the higher ups might not take kindly to it.”

“I thought it was only lower downs I had to worry about,” I snapped back. My place was in hell, it was something that I thought about all the time. It was hard not to.

He did the most unexpected thing, he smiled. It was something he rarely did, but when it happened it was beautiful and it took my breath away.

“My point is until we can sort out your current predicament, maybe it would be best not to do anything that would bring attention to you.”

I bit my lip as I thought about what he said. I sighed. His reasoning made sense but my emotions were stronger than that. He was talking about not helping a friend, a friend who had come back to help me. I couldn’t just do nothing.

“You’re going to do it, aren’t you?” he asked. Did he know me so well that he knew what I was going to do before I even made the decision?

“I have to. This is for Parker.”

“You know this might blow up in your face. I know you’re heart is in the right place but that doesn’t mean Joey will believe you. First, there are people who don’t believe in the afterlife, and some don’t believe in the ability of the living to communicate with the dead.”

Could I risk it? He could laugh in my face. I had never even considered doing anything like this before. Granted I had never been in this type of situation before.

I was still deep in thought, trying to weight up the pros and cons but knowing that I would do it for Parker. I had not known him long, but our connection had been deep. He deserved that much.

“And what if he tells people and ridicules you?”

I hated how he fixated on the worst case scenario, even if it held some truth.

“Are you prepared for the whispers and gossip?” he added, his focus on my features I was trying to mask from my inner nervousness.

I didn’t answer. I knew how it felt when people whispered and gossiped behind my back. The situation had forced a move to a new town where I could start over.

At that moment, Parker materialized in my room. He smiled at me. A warm smile that made me return it despite the angst I was feeling. He had always been so nice to me. Even when he had been able to see Damien, he could have avoided me. That’s what most people would have done. But he hadn’t.

Who he was, was in all the little things he had done for me. It had been more than anyone else. Our short friendship had harnessed a deeper connection than others had over years.

“You seem to be getting better at holding your form,” I murmured, noting how more solid his ghost form was looking.

“It takes some getting used to,” he muttered, showing his frustration.

“What did I miss?” He looked between Damien and I, taking note of the undercurrent of tension.

“Do you have a message you want me to give to Joey?” I asked, making it clear to Damien that despite all his warnings, I was going to go through with it.

I feared I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t. It would be a regret I would take through the rest of my life, long or short.

“You’d do that for me?” he asked, surprised. Then he took in Damien’s displeased look.

“I take it you’re not on board with this.”

“No,” Damien answered. “We have no idea what the repercussions will be and I don’t think it’s worth the risk.”

Parker swallowed. I could tell he wanted it so badly but he was trying to weigh up if it was worth it if I had to face consequences for it.

“I want this more than anything but I won’t jeopardize Tessa to get it.” His statement was sweet but there was no way I was not going to do it. I had made up my mind, Damien’s protest was just white noise at this point.

“I will do it,” I declared, not looking in the direction of the glaring demon.

“Are you sure?” Parker looked between Damien and I again.

“It will be fine. What’s the point of being able to see ghosts if I can’t relay a message for you. It’s the least I can do.” Emotion I wasn’t prepared for resurfaced. “I couldn’t save you.”

Parker shook his head. “I don’t think you could have. It was my time.”

When my time had come, Damien had saved me. It didn’t seem fair now.

“Think about what you want to say and we can work on it.”

“You’re really going to do this for me?” His eyes lit up and I knew I was doing the right thing even if one of the possibilities Damien had warned me of did happen. It would be worth helping him.

I nodded. “Yes.”

Damien shook his head. “This is not going to end well,” he muttered, under his breath.

I slid off the bed and walked over to Damien. “We have talked about it and I’ve made my choice so…just…stop.”

He was making things worse.

“I don’t know Joey very well but I just have a feeling that he needs this just as much as Parker does,” I said, trying to get him to see where I was coming from.

“And what next? His mother, aunt, and it’s a never ending list.” He threw his hands up in the air, a flicker of fire in his gaze warned of his increasing anger.

I reached out to touch his arm. “I know you’re just concerned but I need you to let it go.”

Our eyes held. His eyes returned to normal.

“I know you’re just trying to keep me safe but I’ve made my mind up. I’m not going to change it no matter what you say. Do you understand?”

“Do I get to tell you I told you so if this all blows up?” he asked softly.

I shook my head. “No.”

He smiled. A moment between the two of us, despite the ghost watching.

“You should do that more often,” I found myself saying as I gazed at him.

“What?”

“Smile.”

His eyes were hypnotic and I could have stood there for far longer staring deep into his eyes.

Parker cleared his throat and we were reminded that we weren’t alone.

“While you two work on his bon voyage message I’m going to try do some research,” Damien said.

My hand gripped his arm. “Are you sure it’s safe to leave us?”

“Unless I can come up with a way to save you, you’re a sitting duck. I’m not strong enough to stop the Reaper Tessa.”

I nodded, even if the fear made me want to hold him tight so he couldn’t leave. He couldn’t save me, but his presence made me feel like I had a fighting chance and when he was gone I felt like easy target.

His focus went to my hand still on his arm before his eyes lifted back to mine. “I will be back soon.”

I dropped my hand and linked it with my other one. Each time he left me it unsettled me, like I was missing something important. It made me feel on edge until he returned.

“It’s just…” I didn’t know how to put into words what I was feeling.

Our eyes held.

“I know...” His words lingered in my heart and I felt what he didn’t say.

In that moment, we were the only two people in the world.

“I won’t be long,” he assured me.

I gave a brief nod.

For a second our eyes met and then he was gone, and I was left staring into emptiness.