Blackthorn Eternal Bind

Eternal Bind

Ellen backed against the window. Waves crashed black fury below. Her body shook violently. Gray eyes—Lorian's eyes—held no threat. Only ancient ache. Frost clung to the windows in 1905 etch. The manor held its breath.

"I don't remember much," he said softly. His voice echoed timeless. "I remember going into the shed. Eliza was there. She told me her sister was cheating on me. Eliza tried to kiss me. I backed off. Next I knew, I woke with dirt all around me. I dug out of the dirt. Well, kind of. I looked down and saw my grave. I did not understand at first. I walked out of the shed. People were looking for me. They called my name, but no one heard or saw me. I stayed in the shed for a long time."

He paced slowly. His ghost steps stayed silent. Chestnut waves caught a moon sliver. "I started wandering. The manor was abandoned. It sat empty for a few years. A couple moved in. I noticed sometimes they saw me and sometimes not. I learned I could make myself unseen. I practiced trying to have them see me. I guess I scared them. They moved out. People came and went. Then no one for a long time. An older woman moved in. I got better at making myself seem real. She saw me. To not scare her, I told her I was maintenance. I came with the house. I noticed I could pick things up and move them around when I wanted. So I started fixing the manor. I cannot leave the grounds. I told her to get supplies. I fixed the manor for free. She stayed here for years. No family. No friends. Just me and her."

Ellen gripped the windowsill. Tremors eased slightly. His words wove truth. Ghost. Cursed.

"One day she fell. I wanted to help. I learned I could touch her. It felt weird. I was a ghost. She was kind to me. She treated me like a son. She got me clothes. I think she knew but never said anything. One day I saw her, but I knew I was looking at her ghost. She died in the house in her sleep. She looked young again. She told me to go with her to pass over. She saw the light. I did not. She said she had a feeling I was a ghost. Her ghost told me to tell people who came that I was Luke, the maintenance guy. Try to evolve so I could look alive. The house sat for sale a long time. Then you came."

Gray eyes pierced deep. The storm softened. "When I saw you, something in me changed. I wanted to get to know you. You started looking into my past. My disappearance. I came to you in your dreams. I was all around you even when you did not see me. I started to fall for you."

Luke stepped closer. Ellen shook harder. His cold hand touched her cheek gently. Ice fire sparked. "I wanted to tell you. But I didn't know how without scaring you."

Frost melted slowly. Waves resumed their roar. Truth bound them eternal.