Hollow by Halle Karina

Author:Halle, Karina [Halle, Karina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
Amazon: B0CHDX1BMJ
Goodreads: 198628110
Published: 2023-09-28T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Kat

Brom is back.

He’s back and in my classroom, of all the places to show up.

How is this possible?

Crane meets my eyes, and in them, it’s more than obvious that he knows Brom, except he knows him as Abe. His expression is torn but then quickly melts into his teacher mask, chin raised, eyes turning a cool grey, though the curiosity in them can’t be quenched. He never looks so alive as he does when he can’t figure something out.

I look back at Brom, meeting his eyes now, and though they don’t seem to acknowledge the professor at all, I realize I can’t just stare at him open-mouthed like this, frozen in time.

“Brom?” I manage to say, my voice coming out high and squeaky.

He gets out of his seat, and my goodness, has he grown. Not just up—he’s still around six feet or so—but in terms of muscle. He’s really earning that moniker of Brom Bones now.

“Kat?” he says, and the sound of his voice brings relief flooding through me.

This is him.

This is him.

The entire class is watching as he strides toward me and envelops me in a huge hug, his arms wrapping around me with near bone-breaking strength. He smells like he always did, like bonfires on an autumn night, warm and cold at the same time. He smells like my childhood, my teenage years. He smells like a home I thought I’d lost.

“Oh God,” I whisper against him, burying my head in his chest, the scratchy wool of his coat harsh on my skin, tears threatening to come down my cheeks. “It’s really you.”

“You’ve changed,” he says, his large palm at the back of my head, cradling it. “You’re a woman now.”

I laugh, joy flowing through me like a river. None of this seems real.

“Is this a dream?” I ask.

He pulls back and grabs me by the shoulders, those black eyes skirting over my entire body, looking impressed, an impish smile on his face. “You look like a dream,” he says. “So maybe it is.”

I feel my cheeks go pink. “Brom, I have so many questions.”

“Ahem,” Crane says, clearing his throat loudly.

We both turn to face him and realize we’re not only holding up the whole class but that Sister Margaret is standing in the doorway, grinning at us. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her genuinely smile before, and the effect is disconcerting, like watching a cat try out a human expression for a change.

“May I?” Sister Margaret says to Crane, extending a hand into the classroom.

“Please,” Crane says imploringly, obviously wanting an explanation for all of this. Crane may not know that Brom has been missing, but he’s at least wondering how he came to be in his classroom all of a sudden.

Sister Margaret walks into the classroom and steps up on the platform in front of Crane’s desk. Her hood is down today, but she’s in the same long black cloak as the Sisters always are.

“Students,” she says, her voice bright and carrying across the room.

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