Accidentally…Over? (Accidentally Yours #5)(15)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

No. This can’t be happening.

That is absolutely right! Which is why as soon as you’re able to drive, you’re going to see Doctora Hernandez.

It wouldn’t be the first time Ashli’s dreams and wild imagination had seeped into her reality. The night before the tragic accident that took her parents’ lives, she’d dreamt of a giant fuel truck crashing into them. It was why she’d sat on the left side of the car in the backseat. It was also why she’d lived.

But that’s where things became so mixed up in her head. Ashli knew it wasn’t possible. Premonitions were something only found in books or movies, yet she still blamed herself for her parents’ death. If she’d just told them about the dream, maybe things would have ended differently. But she hadn’t. And it was for no other reason than she would have felt stupid. Her pride had cost her the lives of those she loved. That’s when she began having dark, horrible thoughts about wanting to die. No, she didn’t mean suicide. She simply wished to trade places. She wished that she could convince Death to take her instead of them. She obsessed over the thought for months, the words Take me instead of them. Take me instead of them repeated in the background of her mind, like a skipping record that relentlessly tormented her day and night. Then, one day, she heard a reply. She’d been setting up the café for the day and stopped to watch the sunrise. It had been one of those rare mornings where the ocean seemed more like a lake—serene, quiet, and calm. And as the sun burst over the horizon, she recalled everything turning to brilliant shades of orange and pink. That’s when she heard the voice of her parents. “He is coming for you,” they said. Oddly, it hadn’t sounded like a warning, but more like a promise of salvation. Ashli knew she needed help.

Over time, Dr. Hernandez, the local psychiatrist, got Ashli to see things more logically. The “premonition” had been nothing more than a coincidence, and Ashli couldn’t blame herself for dismissing it as such. But she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d cheated death, and she began having wild dreams. The man wanting her. Death hunting her. Sometimes, she even saw her parents—they yelled at her for visiting them. Regardless, she still liked seeing them.

But this? This was no dream. Death was real. Even now, she smelled his scent in the air and felt his energy buzzing about the room.

What was she going to do?

You’re not afraid of Death, Ashli. No, she really wasn’t. In fact, she’d grown irritated by this game.

Ashli watched the nurse leave and then blurted out, “I know you’re there. I can smell you.” She closed her eyes and tried to keep her nerves steady, expecting to hear that seductive, masculine voice that had such an effect on her.

Silence.

Her eyes snapped open and searched the room. “Cat got your tongue, huh? Okay, well, I just want you to know that I think you are a sick bastard. And I can’t wait to get home so I can get in one more good smack. But this time, I’m aiming for your balls. If you have any.”

“Sanctum infernum, woman,” said that oh-so-deep, alluring voice. Despite the anticipation, his timbre still sent goose bumps charging over her skin. And his smell. It was far more scrumptious than any holiday muffin she’d ever had. Why did Death insist on having the sublime voice and scent of an angel of seduction? Seemed so unfair.

“What did I ever do to you?” he added with shock.

Oh, cute. Death is playing the “oh, my pride is so wounded” game. “Do you really need me to answer—”

The nurse appeared in the doorway. “You called, señorita?”

“Uh… no. I was just… singing.” To prove her point, she moved her feet like windshield wipers beneath the white sheet. “La cucaracha. La cucaracha… ya no puedo caminar.” Oh, God. I have lost my mind.

The nurse cocked a brow and reached for the door. “The doctor will be right in.”

The moment the door shut, a deep chuckle radiated from the corner, next to the green plastic molded chair placed there for visitors.

“What’s so funny?” she asked. I can’t believe I’m talking to Death.

“Nothing,” he said all too innocently. “I was simply enjoying your choice of music.”

Ugh! “It was the first song that popped into my head—hey, can we quit the chitchat and get this over with?”

Silence.

“What?” she barked. “What are you waiting for?”

The voice emanated from the space immediately to her side. “I do not know what you mean,” he said.

Infuriating! Death was playing with her. “Do it already. Okay!” She closed her eyes and braced for the inevitable.

“What in the devil’s name are you talking about, woman?”

She opened one eye and then snapped it shut again. “Waiting for you to take me.”

“Mmmm…” he said. “As much as I’d enjoy that, because you are a very lovely woman, I do not believe this is the appropriate place. That bed is much too small for a man of my size.”

Wha—wha—what? She sat up to berate him, but her brain pulsed with a crippling ache. She grabbed the sides of her head instead.

“Lie back down,” the voice commanded. She felt two warm—no, they were actually kind of hot and tingly—hands, one on the front of her chest and the other on the back of her neck. The sensation was elating.

Death touched her and she… liked it? Yeah, she did. She liked his smell and his voice, too. It was almost impossible to explain because she’d never experienced anything like it; being next to him felt like being…

Home.

What’s wrong with me?

Maybe she secretly longed for death. Yes! That had to be it. My soul must be ready to cross over.

He removed his hands, and she instantly felt the loss. She wanted him to touch her again.

“Okay,” she whispered. “I’m ready. I didn’t think dying would be so easy, but I have to admit, you really do make it nice. Must be that voice.”

“What the sanctum infernum are you speaking about?” he said, his voice gruff.

“Hey, I was just starting to feel okay with this. Stop being such an ass, and kill me already. Especially if you’re going to start speaking Latin. It’s such an annoying language. Makes you sound like a wannabe wizard.”

She felt a small pain on her hand. “Did you just… flick me?” she asked.

“Yes. Yes, I did. And the next time you speak to me that way, human, I will be flicking your bare ass with the palm of my extremely large, extremely powerful hand.”