Page 49 of Mortis

I stared down at him. My mouth opened, but nothing came out. For perhaps the first time in decades, my mind was completely silent. Even the Beast had nothing to say.

“We can even sort you out with a job at Adler & Sons if you’d like,” Maurice continued. “And there’s always Arlo or Teddy’s old room at my house. You can stay there until you’re back on your feet.”

There seemed to be no limit to the man’s kindness.

Maurice turned towards his grandson. “That alright with you, Teds?”

Teddy looked between us. His expression gave nothing away. Not anger. Not happiness. Just a thoughtful mask he seemed to wear when he was trying to untangle something inside his own mind.

My heartbeat echoed through my chest. For one irrational moment, I thought everyone in the room must surely hear it. Even poor Mr Cartwright, who, despite no longer having a soul, I feared would grow jealous of the life force hammering away behind my ribs.

What if Teddy said no?

What if this was where my brief glimpse of kindness ended?

He had already saved my life. He’d fed me and entrusted me with the souls of the dead. He owed me nothing else. Yet after only half a day in his company, I already found myself wanting to stay.

Teddy fascinated me. He stood his ground before creatures who could kill him with little effort, yet seemed deeply uncomfortable around ordinary people. He preferred the company of the dead to the living. The quiet rhythm of the embalming room to crowded conversations. He found comfort in silence where others found discomfort.

Yet for all his awkwardness, his love for Maurice and Arlo was unmistakable.

Quiet. Steady. Unquestioning.

And somehow . . . that same kindness had reached me.

Was this where it ended?

“That’s fine with me,” Teddy said at last.

Something inside my chest loosened. My entire body suddenly felt lighter than air.

“But he’ll stay with us.”

“Ooh!” Arlo clapped excitedly, bouncing on the heels of his boots. “A new roomie! Finally, someone tall enough to reach the top shelf in the kitchen.”

“Are you sure, love?” Maurice asked. “There’s barely enough room for you and Arlo as it is.”

“It’s fine, Moz,” Arlo replied before Teddy had the chance.

He wandered over to the counters behind Teddy and effortlessly hoisted himself onto the worktop, settling there as though it were a perfectly acceptable place to sit. Judging by the lack of reaction from Teddy, it was something he did often.

“He slept in Teddy’s bed last night anyway,” Arlo said with a mischievous grin, waggling his eyebrows. “I’m sure they’ll figure something out.”

I raised my head to smile at Maurice. A gesture that came so easily after two weeks in the older man’s company. Teddy was carefully massaging a corpse’s arm to help the embalming fluid reach the fingertips, barely reacting to his grandad’s interruption.

“Is everything alright, Mr Adler?”

Maurice chuckled and opened the door wider. Leaning against the frame, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his suit trousers.

“How many times do I have to tell you?” he replied, shaking his head. “Call me Maurice.”

“Yes, Mr Adler.”

Maurice laughed harder, tipping his head back towards the ceiling. Once he’d collected himself, he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Could you give us a hand loading Mr McFarlane into the hearse?”

I glanced towards Teddy for confirmation.

“All good here,” he mumbled without looking up from his work.