Ghostly Seas

by Lily Harper Hart

  Rowan snickered at his serious expression. “Oh, so you don’t want me to wear my big ‘I can predict your death with my camera’ sign. That’s probably a good idea.”

  “Ha, ha.” Quinn poked her side. “I’m serious. I don’t want you volunteering your secret to just anybody. You’re safe right now, despite what’s going on with your father. I want things to stay that way. That means you keep your secret to yourself, especially on this trip.”

  “Because you believe these people are all charlatans,” Rowan mused.

  “Because I believe that you’re the most important thing in the world to me and I want to cover our bases,” he corrected. “It’s not that I think you’ll recklessly spread your secret. It’s just ... it’s going to seem like you have something in common with all these people. That’s simply not the truth.”

  “Because you think they’re all liars.”

  “Maybe not all of them,” he hedged. “The bulk of them, though, I think are unlikely to be telling the truth.”

  Rowan wanted to argue the point with him, but she understood what he was saying. He was approaching her from a position of worry. He loved her enough that her safety was his primary concern. That was a miraculous thing to her even months after they professed their love.

  “I’ll be careful,” she promised, making up her mind on the spot. She spent years hiding her secret. That wasn’t suddenly going to change because The Bounding Storm was hosting a paranormal cruise. She wasn’t that stupid. “No one will figure out what I can do. You have my word.”

  “Good.” He pressed his lips to her neck. “Now, let’s go back to talking about the castles. What kind of castle would you want us to live in?”

  Rowan giggled at the silly conversation. “I’m thinking Scottish instead of Disney. That’s just me, though. I prefer ambiance over cartoons.”

  “I’m right there with you, sweetie. A Scottish castle it is.”

  2

  Two

  “Wow.”

  Harper’s succinct reaction to boarding The Bounding Storm made Jared smile as he put his hand on the small of her back and prodded her toward guest check-in the next afternoon.

  “Come on,” he said, his lips curving. “Once we find our room and get settled, I’m thinking there has to be a coconut drink in your future.”

  Harper’s grin only widened. “Yeah. I just ... this ship is amazing.” She spun around so she could take it all in. “I mean ... really, really amazing.”

  “You’re amazing.” Lust stole over Jared’s handsome face as he leaned closer to her and pressed a kiss to her mouth.

  Zander, who had been trailing behind them, took the opportunity to push between them. “None of that.” He wrinkled his nose at the annoyed look on Jared’s face. “I’m not spending this entire trip watching you two fawn over each other. It’s not going to happen.”

  Jared groaned. “Then I’ll get you a blindfold.”

  “Or you could simply stop being romantic idiots.”

  “No way.” Jared, who was used to arguing with Zander on a daily basis, refused to back down. “This is our first vacation together.”

  Zander was having none of it. “It is not. You went to that hotel where your friend’s stepmother was killing people. You went to that asylum island together. Oh, and we went up to Shadow Lake and picked mushrooms. Those were all technically vacations.”

  The look Jared shot Zander was withering. “None of those count as vacations.”

  “Especially the asylum,” Harper interjected. “We almost died there.”

  “And it was creepy and there was nothing romantic about it,” Jared added. “I might be willing to give you Shadow Lake, but that turned into a murder investigation, too. As for the trip to the Harsens Island hotel ... that was kind of a mixed bag.”

  “It was a vacation,” Zander insisted.

  “We ended up fighting for our lives.”

  “It was still a vacation.” Zander wasn’t the type to cede an argument ... ever. “You had breakfast in bed. I know because Harper Skyped me from bed and I saw the trays.”

  “And we’re done talking about this,” Harper muttered when Jared’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “Come on.” She tugged on her fiancé’s arm. “Let’s check in and get our room. After that, I want to explore.”

  Jared looked torn, as if he was having a hard time deciding if he wanted to rip Zander apart or return to being romantic. Finally, he slipped an arm around Harper’s shoulders and smiled indulgently at her. “Room and then exploring. Whatever you want.”

  “Ugh.” Zander made a face. “What about what I want?”

  Jared glowered at him. “I knew it was going to be a mistake for us to make this trip together without Shawn. You’re going to be a pain the entire time, aren’t you?”

  Zander’s lip curled into a sneer. “Oh, you have no idea. You’d better prepare yourself.”

  That was exactly what Jared was afraid of.

  THE BACKDROP IN THE Bounding Storm’s lobby featured the inside of a haunted ghost ship. It was dark, dreary, and atmospheric ... and Rowan absolutely loved it. She was having a field day taking photos of the paranormal enthusiasts serving as guests this trip.

  She loved their energy and the fact that they weren’t apologetic for believing in “out there” things. People asked her how many ghosts she’d seen on the ship, which part of the ship was supposed to be the most haunted, and whether or not she’d ever seen haunted mermaids reaching up from the water at night.

  She absolutely loved the cruise and they hadn’t even set sail yet.

  Quinn found her there after completing his initial sweep of the deck. He thought she might be bored of taking posed photos, but he was proven wrong when he heard her laughter from across the room. She sounded absolutely delighted, so he leaned against a wall and watched her for a bit.

  He had no idea who the man standing in front of the backdrop was. He wore dark blue chinos and a polo shirt. He had a mask in his hand — if Quinn had to guess, it was the one from the Halloween movies, but he couldn’t be sure — and he was making exaggerated hand movements so he looked menacing in the photo. Quinn could do nothing but shake his head as he watched his girlfriend work her magic.

  He was so lost in thought — and love, for that matter — he almost didn’t notice the trio of people leaving the desk until they were almost on top of him. The tall blonde between the two men looked exasperated, but it was nothing compared to the dark looks on the two men’s faces as they headed toward the elevator together.

  “I don’t see why you insisted on rooms at the opposite end of the hallway, Jared,” the darker of the two men complained, his tone whiny. “Now I’m going to have to walk a mile if I want to see Harper.”

  “That’s why I insisted on the distance,” the other man said, his hand on the blonde’s back. “There’s no need for you to constantly be in our room, Zander. If you and Harper want to run all over the ship together, that’s fine. I think there should be rules about who is allowed in whose room while we’re here, though.”

  “Oh, I do, too,” the first man said, annoyance evident. “For example, you’re not allowed in my room at all because I don’t want to catch your killjoy cooties.”

  “I’m fine with that,” the man referred to as Jared drawled. “You’re banned from our room, too.”

  “Ugh.” The blonde slapped her hand to her head. “This is going to be a really long trip, isn’t it? Here I thought we were going to have sun and fun. Now I think it’s going to be all drama and theatrics.”

  “It’s going to be fine.” Jared was calm as he slowed his pace in front of the backdrop. “In fact ... let’s get our photo taken.”

  The woman followed his gaze, surprised. “You want to get your photo taken with me?”

  Jared nodded. “Yeah. I think it will be fun.”

  “And me, too, right?” Zander pressed. “You want me to be in the photo with you, don’t you, Jared?”

  Quinn’s lips curved at th
e scowl on Jared’s face. That was obviously the last thing Jared wanted.

  “If we get a group photo, will you give us a full hour in our room before you go all Zander and bother us?” Jared challenged.

  “I don’t know what ‘going all Zander’ is, but one would think you’d want to embrace something like that because I’m a delightful person.”

  Jared didn’t back down. “One hour.”

  “Fine.” Zander’s eyes flashed. “I want to be the center of attention in the photo, though.”

  “Of course you do.”

  THE SHIP SET SAIL AT THE scheduled time, which to Quinn’s way of thinking was a modern miracle. The guests for this particular cruise weren’t exactly the timely sort. Of course, he felt bad for thinking something so judgmental after the fact. Just because the entire ship was filled with ghost hunters and those who believed in paranormal phenomena didn’t mean they were crazy. Of all people, he should realize that the world wasn’t always black and white ... especially since his girlfriend saw death omens in photographs.

  Speaking of the woman in question, Quinn tracked her down once they were safely at sea. He wasn’t surprised to find her at the tiki bar on the deck. She was safely tucked away in the corner, enjoying the shade and an iced tea as she connected her camera to her laptop.

  “Hey, Ro.” Quinn dropped a kiss on the top of her head before sliding into the chair across from her. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  “You can’t have been looking too hard,” she teased, amused despite herself. “I’ve been in the lobby and on the deck. I haven’t wandered anywhere else.”

  “I saw you in the lobby.”

  “I know you saw me in the lobby.” Her smile didn’t fade. “You watched me for a good thirty minutes. It was a little intense.”

  “Maybe I just like watching the way you work,” Quinn suggested. “Have you ever considered that?”

  “I think you stopped by because you were worried that the ghost hunters would get me to spill the beans about a certain secret.”

  “You told me you have no intention of spilling the beans. I believe you.”

  Rowan chuckled, the sound low and throaty. “I meant it. I’m not going to say a word about what I can do. I don’t think it would be appropriate ... or smart. You don’t have to worry about that.”

  “I’m glad.” He pursed his lips as he regarded her. “I’m not trying to be bossy, by the way. I’m simply trying to protect you.”

  “I know that.” Rowan sincerely meant it. “You don’t have to worry about me on this one. I’m having a good time because the guests are fun. That doesn’t mean I’m going to lose my head and blurt out random and interesting facts about my life.”

  “I know.” Quinn felt awful for pressing her on the issue. “I simply wanted to make sure.”

  “I’m fine.” Rowan held his gaze for a bit before turning to her computer. “Besides, what are the odds that something will go wrong on a ship full of ghost hunters? I think that would be a little too coincidental. I’m guessing the only thing we’re going to have to worry about is our ghost hunters trying to conjure real – and possibly fake – ghosts, which falls under your purview.”

  “Huh.” Quinn stroked his chin as he examined the statement. “I hadn’t even considered that.” He felt like a dolt. “You’re right, though. Everyone is going to try to scare everyone else. It will be part of the show.”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Well, crap.” He slowly got to his feet. “I think I should increase patrols on the decks overnight. I need to make a few calls. Are you going to be okay while I’m gone?”

  Rowan chuckled. “I think I’ll manage to survive.”

  “That’s what I want to hear.” He smacked a loud kiss against her lips. “I’ll make sure you do better than survive later. We can thrive together.”

  “Good plan.”

  THE ROOM WAS BASICALLY WHAT Harper expected. She looked up photographs on the internet before leaving Michigan. It was small — as far as she could tell, most cruise ship rooms were tiny — but there was more than enough room for Jared and her to get comfortable.

  “I basically stacked our toiletries together in the bathroom,” she announced as she wandered into the main room, grinning when she found Jared spread out on the bed with a come-hither look on his face. “I figure it doesn’t matter if we mix a few things up when packing to go home because we’re going to the same place.”

  He nodded. “Forever. We’re going to the same place forever.”

  “We are,” Harper agreed, moving toward the bed. “I’m glad you came on this trip. I don’t know if I’ve told you that yet — and if I forget later, it’s not on purpose — but I’m so glad we decided to do this together.”

  Jared’s grin only widened. “I am, too. Now ... come here and give me a kiss.”

  Harper didn’t immediately acquiesce. “I know you’re worried that Zander is going to be a pill.”

  “Zander is always a pill.”

  “But you’re worried he’s going to be even worse now compared to how he usually is,” Harper pressed. “He doesn’t mean to be annoying. It would’ve been better if Shawn could’ve come with him. When we first made arrangements for this trip it was supposed to be a thing for just him and me and now that you’re here his nose is probably going to be out of joint.”

  Jared let loose an exasperated sigh as he rolled to his back. “Heart, it’s fine.” He dragged a hand through his dark hair. “I’m used to Zander and his antics. I can handle him. What I don’t want is to spend our entire vacation worrying about him … or talking about him, for that matter.”

  Harper pressed her lips together and nodded.

  Jared held out his hand again. “Come and play a game with me,” he ordered, waggling his eyebrows. “I promise it’s a game you’re going to like.”

  “Well, if you insist.” Harper took a tentative step toward her future husband, her back going rigid when she heard the door open behind her. Out of instinct, she swiveled quickly, and wasn’t surprised to find Zander walking through the opening. “Uh-oh.”

  Jared’s reaction was much darker. “How did you get a key to our room?”

  Unbothered by Jared’s tone, Zander merely shrugged. “I went to the front desk and pretended to be you,” he replied simply. “The girl there remembered me — probably because I’m so handsome — and she had no idea which one of us Harper was with so she gave me an extra key when I requested it. Don’t worry, though. I promise to only use it for good … or in emergencies … or if I feel the humidity is going to do terrible things to my hair.”

  Jared’s gaze darkened. “We’re kind of busy. You need to come back later.”

  Zander immediately started shaking his head. “Oh, no. You said an hour. It’s been an hour and a half. Your time for romance has passed. It’s time to hit the deck and get drinks.”

  “But ... .” Jared spared a glance for Harper and recognized the way her eyes lit up at the mention of drinks. They had time for romance later. He’d promised her an adventure, and it was something he was determined to follow through on. “Fine.” He managed to keep his smile in place, although it took effort. “Let’s head to the deck and get drinks. I could use something to relax me.”

  “You definitely could,” Zander agreed. “Perhaps we’ll find a drink that manages to dislodge that stick in your ... .”

  “Zander!” Harper’s sea-blue eyes went wide as she shook her head in warning. “No fighting. This is supposed to be fun. I don’t want to deal with the fighting.”

  “There won’t be any fighting,” Jared promised, getting to his feet. “We’re getting drinks. There’s nothing to fight about when coconut drinks are involved.”

  Zander’s smile was wide. “We finally found something we agree on.”

  “It’s a vacation miracle.”

  ROWAN WAS ONLY PARTIALLY focused on her work so she barely noticed the images as they flew across the screen. It was only when the upload was finished and
she started trashing blurry images that she noticed a rather obvious problem.

  The omen was there. The symbol that promised incoming death. It was visible in a crowd shot, which meant anyone in the photograph could be in mortal peril.

  Calmly, Rowan clicked to the next snapshot. This was hardly the first time the omen had shown up on a group photograph. The key now was to find an individual photograph that featured the omen. If that wasn’t possible, hopefully she could find a photograph with no more than two or three people in it so she could track down the unfortunate soul who had death knocking at his or her door.

  Rowan moved to the next photo and her eyebrows hopped. The omen was there, and this time there were only two figures in the snapshot. “How lucky is that?” she murmured, flipping to the next photo. There was a chance she snapped the two people in their own photos, so she wanted to be sure.

  Instead, she found an entirely different couple staring back at her ... and they also had the omen loitering over their shoulders.

  Panic washing through her, Rowan methodically scanned through the photos, a low noise emanating from her chest when she realized the omen was present for at least a hundred people. She’d honestly lost count by the time she made it to the end.

  “Hey, sweetie.” Quinn was all smiles when he returned and kissed her cheek. “I was thinking we would eat in the main dining room tonight. They have crab legs — and themed cakes — and it’s supposed to be a beautiful night. How does that sound?”

  Rowan didn’t respond, instead staring at her computer screen as the sick feeling of dread filled her stomach.

  “Ro?”

  How could there possibly be that many omens? Rowan’s mind was aflutter with what that could mean.

  Officially concerned, Quinn lowered himself so he was at eye level with Rowan. “Hey, what’s going on with you?” Fear gripped him by the throat when he realized how pale she was. “Baby, what is it? Tell me what’s wrong.” His fingers were gentle as he pushed her auburn hair away from her face. “Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together.”