Beyond the Broken Angel

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

— watching over you —

May 23rd, 1939

"I DON'T THINK I can let you go," Will said as he cradled Giselle's cheek in his hand, kissing her forehead and nose before meeting her lips with his. "I really don't want to let you go."

Giselle smiled softly. "I'm sure it won't be long. For the last few months it's only kept me for a week or two at a time. That's not so bad, is it?"

"It's torture," Will grumbled before kissing her lips again.

"Will," Giselle playfully whined, gently pulling her suitcase he had been holding from his grasp. "I need to leave."

"But it's not fair, you've barely been here."

"I've been here for almost a month, honey," Giselle pointed out. "That's a good chunk of time."

"Well it wasn't enough," Will said, frowning. "I don't want you to go."

Giselle sighed. "I don't want to, either. But I have to."

Will dropped his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes. "Take care of yourself," he told her. "I mean it, don't do anything reckless or dangerous. I need you to stay safe."

Giselle breathed out a laugh. "So I can't go skydiving or bull riding? "

"None of that. Just stay at your great aunt's house and never leave—and keep all of the windows and doors locked."

"Will, that robbery was a one-time thing. And they even caught the guy. I'll be fine. Quit worrying."

Will shook his head. "The only time I can stop worrying is when you are by my side." He wound an arm around her waist, pulling her chest to chest with him.

"Well, I can promise you that I'll be perfectly fine when I'm not by your side," Giselle told him. "And I'll be extra careful, okay?"

Will didn't get to answer, because Selene suddenly came trotting through the forest from Dare Manor with a suitcase of her own in hand.

Giselle frowned, looking down at the suitcase and then back up to Selene. "What are you doing here? Surely the tree didn't . . ."

"Oh, but it did," Selene replied. "Weird, isn't it?"

Giselle felt Will's body tense against hers. "Do you think this means something?" he asked, his worry ringing clear in his voice. "It's never called you both at the same time before."

Giselle looked up at him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "I'm sure it's nothing, honey."

But when she finally left Will and 1939 behind and traveled with Selene to 2019, she soon found out that it wasn't nothing.

They met with a crestfallen Hester at the house, who told them news about Jo, and how she was at the hospital in recovery after recently having a heart attack the night prior.

They tagged along with Hester as she went to the hospital to visit, meeting up with Ajay and his grandmother in the waiting room.

"Hey," Ajay said as Giselle neared him. He stood up from his seat next to his grandmother. "I didn't think I'd see you here. I thought you were still, uh, in America."

"I just got back," Giselle told him, glancing over to Anandi as she spoke to Selene and Hester next to them. "And I have news," she whispered to Ajay, holding up her hand in excitement.

"Why are you holding up your hand like that?" Ajay asked, clueless. "I already know that you're engaged. You told me weeks ago."

"Yeah, but what does an engagement entail?"