Ascension by Bailey Bradford (desktop ebook reader txt) 📕

years and years of the afterlife to learn that thinking about what you could have done different only makes you crazy.”

Ro nibbled on his bottom lip again as he watched Sev and Laine. “I can’t help it. I’ve hurt them, and my dad. God help him, please.” Ro tilted his head up and closed his eyes. “If You’re up there, please, please help my dad. Help him through this.” Ro lowered his head again and turned his dark eyes on Conner. “I don’t think I’m everything in Dad’s world, but my brother and sister aren’t around much, and with Mom having passed away, I’m worried about him. Sev told me Mom went on. Do you know what’s after this?”

“No, and I don’t want to.” That would be like another death for him. “I think we stay here as long as we want to, maybe. Others go wherever there is to go other than here.” But there’d been that tug… Conner wasn’t going to think about that. “Where’d Stefan go?”

“I don’t know.” Ro looked at Sev and Laine. “Sev, can you hear me?”

“It takes practice—” Conner started, because it had taken him years to be able to reach a living human being. But Sev stood straighter and spun to look right at Ro.

“Ro?” Sev’s tears shone under the moonlight. Laine turned and his gaze landed on Ro as well. Sev moved a step forward then held out his hand. “Ro? What happened?”

Ro cocked his head and glanced at Conner, who surely didn’t know what to think, then at Sev. “Deer. I swerved, even though you, Laine and Dad always told me not to. I should have listened, but I was distracted.”

“Were you texting?” Laine asked, then his eyes about bugged out of his head. “How’d I hear you? Sev? Sev, how’d I hear him?” Laine clutched Sev’s shoulders and pulled Sev against him. “I don’t have psychic abilities.”

“No, you don’t.” Sev frowned, pulling up a deep line across his forehead. “But maybe Ro does.”

“Me?” Ro thumped his own chest. “I don’t.”

“I think you do,” Sev argued. “Laine can hear you. That isn’t him, that’s you. Conner had to work really hard to communicate with me. Even now, sometimes it’s a struggle for him. He’s great at making parts of himself corporeal, and at tormenting people, but you I can hear clearly.”

Ro went back to biting his lip and Conner’s dick thought that was a fine time to plump up. He was damned glad Sev and Laine couldn’t see him. They’d both want to wallop him.

“Laine, you can hear me?” Ro finally asked.

Laine’s expression was almost comical. Would have been, Conner thought, if he didn’t still have tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Yeah, kid, I can.” Laine let go of Sev then and held out his hand. The question was unspoken, but Ro understood it. He reached for Laine.

“Concentrate. Think about making your hand firm, dense, so he can feel it,” Conner advised.

Ro laid his hand in Laine’s, and at first Laine didn’t seem to notice. Then he gasped and curled his fingers around Ro’s.

“Oh.” Laine smiled tremulously and cupped the top of Ro’s hand with his other one. “Rogelio, I’m sorry you passed, but I’m glad of this, that we have this at least.”

“I said it didn’t help, but somehow, with Laine being able to hear you too, I can’t help but feel—” Sev stopped and muttered something Conner didn’t catch. “Well, shit. There’s no right way to say it, but I feel better now. It’s like you’re not gone at all. Except I won’t see you again.” Sev burst into tears again and Laine let go of Ro to embrace Sev while he cried.

“Come on, let’s give them some privacy.” Probably a weird thing for him to say, but Conner meant it. He took Ro’s hand. “Let me show you how this is done.” Conner whisked Ro away, leaving Sev and Laine to comfort one another.

Chapter Seven

The stoic way his dad took the news was worse even than if he’d have broken down. Ro tried to reach out to Roger, but there was some sort of barrier that seemed to be erected around him. Ro bounced right off it and collided with Conner. Conner frowned and tried to pass the barrier too but his hand ended up pressed flat against the air like it was touching a window or a wall.

Sev and Laine were with Roger, and Ro didn’t want to interrupt as they were explaining to him what had happened. It hurt Ro that his dad didn’t ask if he’d passed on.

“I think he’s in shock,” Conner said, tucking Ro to his side. “Maybe that’s why he seems so cold.”

Ro didn’t have anything to say to that. His dad had loved him, and his behavior now confused Ro. “I guess I’m being childish, wanting him to mourn. That’s horrible, but I feel like he doesn’t care at all.”

Conner jostled him slightly and scolded, “You know better. There’s only so much a person can take before they break, and I think your dad is at that point. I watched Roger and Alma raise you and your brother and sister. I know how much they both love their kids. This, with your dad, is his mind trying to keep him from shattering.”

“I shouldn’t—” Ro began.

“No, don’t go there. I told you it’s not going to do you a bit of good.” Conner made a gesture with one hand and Sev’s hair rippled. Sev slanted a look their way and Conner sent him a message, letting Sev know they were going to leave. “He’ll tell your dad, when the time is right.”

“I hope so,” Ro said, letting Conner whisk him out of the house. “I hate that Dad’s hurting so bad, I hate that he’s keeping me out. Do you think he’s doing it on purpose?”

“I don’t know. I never approached Roger or your mom since they seemed a little uncomfortable or maybe superstitious about me.” Conner had them in the