“Right, so we never had a seventh until…until you asked me the last night you were here.” We stared at each other for a few long minutes and Malek swallowed hard. “You’re the seventh grave. I buried you.” I palmed my chest. “I told you I’d keep you. Therefore…you were never supposed to leave. You’remine.”
Dare I say his eyes are getting glassy? I’m not gonna call him out on it…he’ll try to hide it, and fuck no. “What are you sayin’, lass?”
“That I don’t want there to be any confusion. Ever. That if we need an officiallabelon this poison…this is me putting it on. If you drink it…so do I, Malek Byrne.” I leaned in and kissed him, hanging on his lower lip and pressing my head against his. “You’re my seventh grave. And my coffin is big enough for two.”
“Marry me, then.”
My open mouth paused in front of his. My turn to look dumbfounded and stupid.“What?”
“Marry. Me. And don’t throw sass. It was perfect fucking English.”
I scoffed, laughing because…well…I really don’t know what else to do. We haven’t even known each other six whole months. Never spent a holiday together. Barely started showing our colors, even though they lack pigment to begin with. But…we’ve also been through hell already. Tried time apart that nearly broke us both, and…as insane as it is…it also makes perfect sense. This is my person. The other half of my black soul. The missing thing that makes all those flawed, invisible parts of me…fit. I’ve always known who I was, and I’ve learned how to love myself. But, I’ve grown to love the version of me a lot more, now that I’ve found out who I am when I’m next tohim. That’s the best me.
“Ask me nicely, Dexter.”
His eyes widened and the pad of his thumb traced my mouth. “You serious?”
I flopped back onto the pillows, crossing my arms. “Areyou?!”
Malek’s crooked smirk curled up one side of his mouth, and the ointment on his tattoo shined in the dim light as he slipped out of the coffin and walked into the bedroom. What the hell? Now, I’m pissed. That didnotgo how I thought it would go. Here I was trying to embrace the soft side that I’m still trying to figure out, and he fucking goes and—
“Remember the first job you ever let me go on with you?” My head snapped around, finding him standing next to the coffin…that defined vee of muscle disappearing under the waistline of his black sweats.What was the question?
“Simon’s. Yeah.”
“You remember how we got paid?”Stop looking at his crotch…stop it. I bit down on my lip.
“Yeah. Dia—” I choked on my air, and suddenly…I think the bus with my realization just plowed me in the face. “…Diamonds…”
“I took mine the night I left. With every intention of givin’ it back.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny black velvet box. I think I’m gonna pass out. I sat up and faced him, breaking into a sweat when he lowered his knee to the floor.
“Oh, my God…oh, fuck.”
That box clicked open, and there it sat. Sparkling in what little light was in the living room. A coffin-shaped diamond, flanked with two small stones on a simple white gold band. One green…one orange. It’s a fucking Irish flag.
Don’t weep, don’t weep, don’t weep…
“I’ll never credit me luck on this flag again, love. Not with you. You are my luck, Seven Grey.Andme never got so lucky, as the day I called ‘ye mine.” He blew a harsh breath and flicked his hair over his brow, and I think I’m gonna lose it…any second. “Geez, my knee hurts…”
“Malek!”
He snorted a laugh and scooted closer, grabbing my hand. “Will ‘ye marry me, Viper?” He didn’t give me a chance to answer before slipping the ring on my finger.
“That’s nice enough. Foryou.”
“That a yes, then?”
“Absolutely.”
I braced my hands on his shoulders, leaning forward until I toppled out of the coffin and we hit the floor, my body landing better than I thought it would on top of him. He broke into giggles, and I planted a hard kiss to that mouth.
What is this life?
And to think it all started with a funeral home, a family business, a weird little girl on a kindergarten mat, a misunderstood Irish-American murderer…and a few bodies.
…My name is Seven Grey…
…and I’m so fucking glad I hang out with dead people.
