Ghostbound (Portland Ivy Book 1)

by J. E. Cluney

  I smiled and caught Mr Cowan’s eyes as she rattled off all her toys names and even how she came about some of them. At the end she gave an impressed nod of approval at her collection.

  “Millie, do you think it’s time to go see Mom?” Mr Cowan said after a few moments.

  “I do miss her,” Millie climbed to her feet with Teddy still in her arms.

  “We can go see her now if you want,” Mr Cowan suggested as he handed me the baggie.

  “Where do we have to go?” Millie nuzzled her teddy bear.

  “We have to leave this place, this world, and go to where Mom is.”

  “Where is that?” Millie frowned, and I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. Everyone feared the unknown. Where did they all go next? I couldn’t answer that.

  “To a good place, where we can have picnics and go to the beach and see Grandma and Granddad again,” Mr Cowan smiled.

  “I haven’t seen them for so long,” Millie grinned. “Grandma makes the best brownies.”

  “She certainly does,” he chuckled.

  “How do we get there?” Millie looked to me questioningly.

  “Ivy will do a special ritual that will open up the door for us,” Mr Cowan said. I felt the flicker of panic inside my gut. What if it didn’t work and there was another reason they were stuck here? How would it happen if it did work, would they just dissipate or explode or implode or…

  Damn, just stop. I mentally smacked my head. This was not the time to go crazy over the what ifs.

  “Okay, can Teddy come?” Millie hugged the bear tightly.

  “Of course,” he nodded.

  “It was amazing to meet you both, I’ll miss you Millie,” I knelt down. Millie stepped over and wrapped her arms around me, Teddy bouncing against my back as she did so.

  “I’ll miss you too. Thanks for catching the bad guy,” she sighed into my shoulder.

  “That’s okay,” I squeezed her small frame, my throat tightening. I had to say my goodbyes though.

  “Maybe you can come visit us sometime,” Millie pulled back with an excited grin.

  “Definitely,” I nodded. Best to just go with it.

  “Thank you as well, Ivy. For everything,” Mr Cowan nodded as Millie stepped back beside him.

  “Don’t mention it,” I shook my head.

  I gave them both one last smile as I held the baggie up and imagined the flames bursting forth.

  The baggie exploded into flames and Millie’s eyes widened in amazement. Even Mr Cowan looked surprised.

  I was shocked.

  I could actually see it. A quiver in the air behind them, the soft glow flooding forth.

  Mr Cowan took Millie’s hand and turned to it, reassuring her and pointing through the strange doorway.

  “Mommy!” Millie cried out, and the pair stepped through the light.

  It vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and I was left with the remnants of the baggie and the feeling of relief and being settled.

  Millie had been released.

  I’d kept my promise. I’d set her free.

  I sat in my car, my mind still accepting what I’d just seen. So there was some kind of afterlife. There had to be with what I’d witnessed.

  I pulled out my phone, opening my contacts and scrolling to Maria’s name. She still hadn’t called back or responded to my texts. Maybe she was too preoccupied with her mom.

  I shot her a quick text instead of calling to inform her of the good news.

  The next thing I knew I was calling Alex. He picked up on the second ring.

  “You know we’re meant to sleep in the daytime right?” he yawned.

  I glanced out at the sunrise on the horizon, casting rays of orange and yellow across the sky.

  “Yeah, I just wanted to talk to someone. I took Millie to her home and reunited her with her dad.”

  “He was still around? Maybe it wasn’t Deon holding him here,” Alex sounded slightly more awake.

  “Yeah, I had guessed he wouldn’t move on without Millie.”

  “Did they? Move on?” Alex yawned again.

  “Yeah, I set Millie’s hair on fire and this white portal door thingy appeared. Millie saw her mom through it, then they disappeared,” I said in excitement. I don’t know why this excited me. Maybe it was because I’d always wondered what came next.

  “So there is some kind of afterlife,” Alex murmured.

  “Yeah, isn’t that amazing?” I breathed.

  “I guess so, although I wonder if it’s the same for vampires?” Alex mused.

  “I don’t know, but I thought it was pretty interesting.”

  “It definitely is,” Alex agreed.

  “Any luck with the Elemental?” I suddenly remembered.

  “I’m still tracking her down. She’s a witch apparently, and a hard one to find,” Alex sighed.

  “Wait, a witch?”

  “Yeah, elementals can be of any species as long as there is some magical or supernatural blood in their lines. Including humans, like you, if there was once a cross in your lineage.”

  “Wow, that’s… cool.” Lame. That was the only word I’d mustered, cool. How boring and uncool.

  “Just like how you can have a vampire witch or werewolf witch. Witches are more human than they’d like to admit and are one of the few creatures who can be turned,” Alex explained.

  “Wait, so werewolves can be made?” I frowned. I’d always wondered that.

  “In rare instances, yes. Bites can’t turn you, but as with vampires, a careful blood transfusion must be made. It must be run by the Alpha’s and the Council as it’s a very rare thing to do. Same with making vampires. We can only sire two vampires in our entire lifetime. Any more and the Council will destroy them and possibly us,” Alex continued.

  “Wait, does that mean you’ve technically sired one? Would they class me as one?”

  “You’d be my second, and no, I don’t think they’d count you,” Alex mumbled.

  “Second? You have a son or daughter?” I gaped.

  “We call them prodigies,” Alex sighed.

  “But you already have one?” I tried to imagine Alex with a ‘prodigy’ as he called it.

  “Yes.” Was the blunt reply.

  “Well, what’s their name?” I practically begged. This was something I would never have guessed about him, and it intrigued me to no end.

  “I’m going to bed, don’t ask me about it again, please,” Alex breathed.

  The phone clicked off and I frowned.

  Touchy much. But why? Had they died maybe?

  I’d have to ask Danny at work. Maybe he knew.

  I slumped back in my chair, feeling strangely tired. Not that I could sleep, but maybe I should just relax. Head home, have a glass of wine to celebrate the day.

  I started up my car, a smile dancing on my lips as I drove home.

  I texted Rosaline as I sipped my glass of orange juice. I’d opted for juice instead of wine once I’d gotten home. I’d picked up Axle using my spare key to Maurice’s apartment. I didn’t want to wake her but Axle was keen to come home. I’d swing by once it was a bit later and thank her properly. I’d sent her a text which she’d find when she woke up to alert her that I’d picked him up so she wouldn’t worry he’d escaped.

  Axle was lying on the couch beside me as he snored softly, not having gotten enough sleep apparently.

  My message to Rosaline was a short outline of my interesting night. I’d asked Gene at the cabin if I could talk freely with Rosaline as friends, and he said now that they’d caught those doing harm to the pack that I no longer had to keep it secret.

  Rosaline replied, informing me that the children were being returned to their packs. All of them were within an eight-hour drive. Christian and Renae had been reunited, but she still had to serve her punishment. Rose didn’t elaborate on what that was, and I dare not ask.

  Derek had been questioned by Heather, which was apparently a rather scary thing, and they’d gotten information out
of him of all the current shifters involved. There were only two others apart from those we’d caught already, and Lachlan and a few others were out collecting them for punishment.

  There were apparently other children tucked away in another house, but Derek gave them up and Rosaline promised to inform me as soon as the children were recovered.

  Gene was determined to shut the whole thing down.

  Once it was all sorted, Derek was to be executed by the pack for his crimes.

  I asked carefully about Percy, not sure what Rosaline would know as she wasn’t overly close with him. She said he was doing okay from what she could tell when she’d seen him at an early morning gathering about all this.

  My chest tightened as I thought about him, of the hurt and distrustful looks he’d given me. Could I even hope to fix that?

  My phone dinged with a message from Maria, apologizing for her quietness and also expressing her joy at Deon’s death, and Millie and her father’s release from this world.

  She didn’t say why she’d gone silent and unreachable, and I didn’t pry.

  A knock on the door made me scowl. I just wanted to relax for a while.

  I huffed as I set my glass down and strode over to the door, intent to send off whoever it was. Unless it was Maurice, but she didn’t normally wake until later on in the morning. But as I opened the door, my words caught in my throat.

  “I think we need to have a proper talk,” Percy gave me a sheepish look. He still looked hurt, but it was nowhere near the expression he’d had last night.

  “Aren’t you tired?” I asked as I held the door open for him.

  “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep though,” he murmured as he stepped inside.

  “Yeah, well, join the club,” I said sarcastically.

  He shot me a look before following me inside to the couches.

  Axle wagged his tail in acknowledgement before closing his eyes again.

  “I was… hurt, when I found out the truth. I just couldn’t understand why you wouldn’t just tell me,” Percy blurted out.

  “I don’t even know what I am, Percy, trying to explain it to someone, someone who hates vampires with a passion I might add, is not an easy thing,” I said as I sat on the couch beside Axle and folded my legs up under me.

  “I know,” Percy sighed as he sat down on the other couch across from me.

  “You know?” I raised my eyebrow as I reached for my glass of juice.

  “I mean, I see now why you withheld it from me,” Percy clasped his hands together as his foot bounced on my white shaggy rug. He’d been polite enough to leave his shoes at the door, but I was trying to discern if it was restlessness or nervousness making him bounce his leg.

  “It didn’t seem something worth mentioning at first, and then things happened, and I couldn’t bring myself to tell you, I was afraid of exactly this happening,” I waved at him as I sipped my morning juice.

  “Yeah, well, I would’ve found out eventually,” Percy managed a weak smile.

  “In case you’re wondering, I’m not some weird vampire thing. When the vampire tried to turn me, it failed. I don’t crave blood, you’ve seen yourself that sunlight isn’t an issue.” I decided not to mention the vampire was Alex. That would not go over well at all. That would be a whole other fish to fry there.

  “I kinda figured that out myself. I spoke to Gene too. He helps you see reason when you’re angry and hurt,” he said as he seemed to inspect a scratch on the back of his hand a little too closely.

  “Yeah, he’s a great man. I can see why he’s the Alpha.”

  “He made me realize why you would’ve kept it to yourself. It’s not an easy thing to believe let alone understand.”

  I nodded. It had been difficult for me when I’d first appeared back, not alive, at the office.

  “I also didn’t want to be upset with you. I like you, Ivy. You cared enough to help me and then went above and beyond to bring me home and help find who was selling out our pack. I know it helped you as well, but still,” he smiled. “Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. I’ve told you that,” I scowled.

  “Because I would’ve done the same in your position,” he mimicked me and I smiled.

  A silence settled over us as we both avoided each others eyes for a moment.

  “So, what now?” I drew in a sharp breath as I set my now empty glass back down on the coffee table.

  “Well, for starters, you had me utterly terrified there. I had no idea what was happening to you when you started fading away on us.” Percy chewed his lip as he spoke.

  “I didn’t have any idea either.”

  “What did happen?” Percy murmured, and I caught his eyes, the distress evident.

  “I was pulled into another realm. Me being dead, part dead or whatever the hell it is, meant that when my elemental abilities were sparked, I was pulled to this institute thing. I don’t quite understand it really; Alex is hunting down an Elemental for me to get answers from. I was able to come back though,” I explained.

  “I’ve heard of them, quite rare creatures. I’ve never met one. Well, not until you I guess,” he gave me a lopsided smile.

  “Yeah, well, I had no idea at all what an elemental was,” I rolled my eyes.

  “It was pretty badass though, how you set that vamp on fire,” he smirked.

  “Yeah, it was,” I chuckled.

  “So, do you age then?” Percy’s smile faltered.

  “I don’t know. Gene said he can get me in contact with the Fae, that they may know something about what I am.”

  “The Fae are extremely powerful, magical beings,” he nodded.

  “Another thing I’d never even heard about,” I sighed.

  “Surely your work means you met many of our kind, supes and magical creatures?” he asked.

  “Some, I met a goblin once,” I shrugged.

  Percy made a distasteful face and I laughed.

  “What’s wrong with them?”

  “Well, for starters, that green tinge to their skin, that pointed nose and those ears,” Percy recoiled.

  “So, you’re saying they’re too ugly for you?” I muffled my squeak of laughter.

  “Not just that, they’re dark creatures. Liars and users of dark magic sometimes. Dark magic is a big no-no in our world. Gets you punished or executed, Goblins are common culprits,” he murmured, as if he could be heard.

  “The goblin we met, he just had some money owed to him and wanted it taken care of in a legal manner. And he used potions from a local witch to make himself look human,” I raised a questioning eyebrow at Percy.

  “Oh, well, maybe not everything I hear is true,” he defended himself.

  “Have you even met a goblin?” I mused.

  “Well, no, but I don’t want to.” He turned up his nose like a child.

  My face broke out into a grin as I laughed, and he couldn’t help but join in with my contagious laughter.

  This felt good, talking with him, fixing things.

  Hearing that deliciously smooth laugh of his.

  We settled after a few moments, and Percy moved to join me on my couch on my other side. Axle opened one lazy eye to watch him carefully.

  “So, do you think we could, well, maybe, if you want to…”

  “Spit it out already,” I nudged him gently.

  “Would you still go to dinner with me and forgive me for acting like an ass?” he managed to say.

  “You really still want to, despite my…” I bit my lip, not sure how to finish that sentence.

  “Yes, I do. You’re a sweet woman, kind and caring, I owe you for my life too,” he added with a mischievous smile.

  “That is true,” I nodded as I moved to rest my head against his chest.

  He was so warm, something all werewolves were known for. Hotheads, and not just in the anger aspect.

  “Besides, from our night we had, you can still… do things,” he whispered near my ear, sending tingles through my body.

 
; “I can be as solid as I want at will,” I breathed.

  “You know how weird that sounds right?” he grinned down at me.

  “Yep, but I don’t care.”

  “You are an intriguing woman, Ivy. And I can’t wait to learn all there is to know about you,” his husky voice made me shudder as he pulled me to sit on his lap.

  “And lucky you, we have all day to waste until that dinner,” I said slyly as I claimed his mouth.

  His hands wrapped around my back, clutching onto me as he deepened our kiss and moaned.

  I could think of one fun way to pass the time. A way we could certainly get to know each other even more.

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