226 AN IMMORTAL LIFE

Lise covered Anne’s body with a blanket and watched how the old woman breathed heavily, her breathing turned shallow with every second that passed.

After that, Lise turned off the light, as she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her to find Zuri leaning her frame against the wall behind her.

Her white hair was tied above her head. It had grown longer than the first time she saw her.

“How is she?” Zuri asked curtly, she looked at the closed door as if she could see Anne through it. “Is she sleeping now?”

“Yes, she is sleeping and no, she is not okay,” Lise said and then walked toward the back garden, where Anne would love to plant all kinds of flower plants there. Zuri followed silently. She was just a step behind her. “Why don’t you go see her?”

Zuri didn’t answer that immediately, but then she murmured. “I am not good at dealing with a dying person.”

Yes, Zuri could sense that. She was dying. Anne had been sick for a week now and she was barely able to walk through the door to see her.

The best thing she could do was to wait for anyone who visited her to come out and tell her that she was all right.

But she knew that Anne’s health had been deteriorating. She could sense it through the closed door. How raggedly she was breathing, but to bring herself to see her in person, Zuri couldn’t prepare herself for that.

.....

historical

Dying.

Zuri had seen many deaths and people when they were dying, but to see someone, who was close to you, experience that was entirely something else for Zuri.

She was a supernatural creature, thus her lifespan was so different from normal human beings. She would look like she was right now even after a hundred years from now. Nothing significant would happen to her appearance or her well being.

But for humans... their time was so short and Zuri still couldn’t wrap her head around how Anne could be in her current condition when she just met her a few weeks before.

She was in denial that there would be enough time for her to let her go, because her time was up.

Zuri was used to the fact that death came unexpectedly and she didn’t need to prepare for that. Everyone who died around her disappeared without her being able to say goodbye.

But this time, it was different. Death came very slowly and announced itself, asking them to prepare themselves, which left Zuri at a loss as to what she had to do or what she had to feel. She was not used to this feeling or situation.

“She asked for you,” Lise told her, as she sat down on a bench and Zuri sat next to her. “And I told her that Chaos is keeping you busy, so she has Chaos to blame for your lack of visits.”

Zuri smiled a little at that lame attempt to make her feel better, she knew that Lise wouldn’t say that to Anne.

“I will see her later,” Zuri mumbled the same thing that she had been saying for the past few days.

Lise only nodded, she said nothing else and then glanced at the young girl briefly. She thought of her as the little sister she never had and somehow felt connected to her, as she knew why she hated to be touched by anyone else. It was something that no one could understand.

Lise had to make peace with herself to be able to stand Gael and to see him in a different light. Their daughter and the long years of separation helped her a lot with it, also his efforts to make amends for what he had done.

“How does it feel to have a long life?” Lise asked, she lifted her head and then looked at the night sky. The moon was full in shape tonight and it shone warmly.

“I am just seventeen yeas old. You have lived longer than me,” Zuri pointed out the truth and Lise laughed.

“Right,” she chuckled. She was twenty eight years old now and actually felt like she had grown so old. Time actually seemed to slip between her fingers. “How will it feel like to be seventeen years old for another hundred years?” she rephrased her question.

“I don’t know, I have not yet reached that point. You should ask Knox and Chaos about that.”

“Hm...” Lise mumbled. “I wonder what it feels like to be an immortal.”

“Gael is not an immortal,” Zuri said. “You wish to outlive him?”

Lise laughed again. “I don’t know, but it will be something worth seeing him growing into an old man.”

Gael was indeed a supernatural creature, but he was not immortal. He was way different from humans, but a little bit odd for a non human being to not have this immortal life.

“I really want to see him go through it.” Zuri smiled along with Lise.

For a moment, they enjoyed the silence and comfort the cold night brought to them, the breeze of cold wind that brushed their skins.

And even though the world outside was tumultuous and was clamorous, the McKeltars ensured this manor was the safest place for them, this was their perfect sanctuary among the riots out there.

“I think I need to go,” Lise said, as she stood up and smiled softly at Chaos, who was walking toward them.

Zuri didn’t need to look over to know that he was there. She had felt his presence even before Lise did.

“Why don’t you go and see Anne?” Chaos asked her, he stood in front of Zuri, his tall body towered above her and she looked so small, while fiddling with the zipper of her jacket.

“I will,” Zuri mumbled, her head hung low, but she flinched when Chaos extended his hand to lift her chin. She fought the urge to swat his hand away from her.

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*Read my new book: KISSED BY THE DARK ALPHA*

Alpha Micah Donovan’s second chance mate.