The Ghost Hunter

by Lori Brighton

  Camile lifted her gaze. “No, I didn’t know. I mean…I laid out cards the other night and…well…I thought…maybe.”

  Ashley should have been mad. She should have been crying. Why wasn’t she crying? Instead, she felt this odd numbing buzz in her brain. Of course Camile knew about her dad. It seemed everyone knew but Ashley.

  “Ash,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, but I worried I was reading the cards wrong.”

  Ashley nodded. “It’s okay.”

  “How’d you find out?” Camile asked.

  “Devon hinted, Cristian admitted.”

  Camile jumped to her feet, her movements quick and agitated. “They knew and just now told you?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Ashley murmured. And it didn’t. Truth was, deep down, she’d known all along her father was dead.

  A brown sparrow landed a few feet from them, tilting his head right and left as if wondering over their conversation.

  “He’s in that vault,” Ashley said. “That vault in my basement where the demon is. My father’s spirit is the only thing holding him contained.”

  “They want to destroy the vault,” Camile rushed out. “That’s their plan.”

  Ashley nodded, not in the least surprised. Of course they did, what was their choice? The sparrow flitted from plant to plant looking for food. Such a simple life. Rest, eat, procreate. Why couldn’t life be that simple? Then again, it could have been simple for her if she’d married Matt.

  Camile leaned forward, resting her hand on Ashley’s arm. “Which means, Ashley, they could destroy your father’s spirit as well.”

  Cold realty pierced her soul. “No.”

  Camile took her lip between her teeth. She didn’t agree or disagree, she didn’t need to. The truth was written all over her face.

  “No.” Ashley jumped from the chair and pushed through the gate. Anger burned through her body, spurring her forward. He’d taken her ghosts. He wouldn’t destroy what was left of her father. She wouldn’t let him.

  “Ashley! Ashley, come back!” Camile’s footsteps thudded behind her, but Ashley didn’t slow. Camile would not talk her into being rational. Screw rational.

  “Ashley.” Camile grasped Ashley’s hand. “Slow down. Please. We just need to think things through.”

  She was tired of thinking things through. Time to take action. Ashley jerked her hand away and continued up the trail. “There’s nothing to think about. I won’t let my dad’s spirit be destroyed.” Determination had her heart racing, or was that fear? Either way, she wasn’t going to stop until she gave Cristian a piece of her mind.

  Camile held up her hands, palms out in surrender. “Okay, that’s fine. We’ll…we’ll figure something else out instead.”

  Ashley pushed aside low hanging birch branches, not slowing, but Camile kept pace beside her. She didn’t have a plan, but it didn’t matter. Adrenaline kept her moving.

  Camile slipped her hand into Ashley’s, her touch warm and comforting. “I promise, Ash, we’ll figure something out.”

  Ashley’s feet faltered. She felt ridiculously close to tears and she wasn’t sure why. She’d made few friends throughout her life and Camile’s loyalty humbled her. She didn’t have a mother or father to talk to. She had no close friends. But she had Camile. When all was said and done, she was better off here than she’d been back home, wasn’t she?

  “Camile, I just wanted to—”

  “Did you hear that?” Camile interrupted.

  Ashley frowned, tilting her head to the left, then the right, attempting to catch that allusive noise. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Insects chirped amongst the field to the west of them. A few birds squawked as they flew overhead. “What?”

  “Shhh.” Camile’s fingers bit painfully into Ashley’s arm.

  Annoyed, Ashley was just about to shake off her hold when a low growl vibrated from the beech trees just beside them. They froze. “What was that?”

  Camile’s eyes were wide, her breath coming out in harsh pants. “A dog…or…something.”

  Or something. Dear God, Ashley knew what that meant. Something was tracking them, something otherworldly. Camile wouldn’t be hyperventilating if it was just a dog. A shiver of unease whispered over her skin.

  “We’re fine,” Camile continued. “They have a safety perimeter around the town, remember?”

  “Yeah, tell that to Jean,” Ashley muttered.

  Leaves rattled from somewhere behind them. Camile’s hold tightened, practically cutting off the blood supply to Ashley’s arm. “Probably just the wind,” Ashley whispered, for some reason too afraid to speak louder.

  A branch snapped.

  Ashley’s heart leapt into her throat.

  “What should we do?” Camile squeaked.

  “Run?” Ashley said the first thing that came to mind.

  But Camile was trembling so hard, Ashley doubted she’d be able to walk, let alone run. “Won’t that only entice it to chase us?”

  Okay, so she had a point. “It’s…it’s probably just a cat.” Ashley reached out, palm up. Her hand was shaking, but she hoped Camile didn’t notice. “Here kitty, kitty.”

  A low rumble vibrated through the air. Unless it was a Tiger, it was definitely no cat.

  “So what do we do now?” Camile whispered.

  Ashley wanted to laugh and at the same time cry. What do we do? As if she had any idea! “Shhhh.” She squeezed Camile’s hand. “Face it and walk backward very, very slowly.”

  A completely lame plan, but her back was up against a wall. Camile nodded, looking at her as if she’d just uncovered the mystery of the Sphinx. Her belief in Ashley’s abilities was humbling. She had no idea what the hell she was doing.

  They turned, still clutching hands. In the shadows of the trees they saw… nothing. Leaves. Branches. Shadows. No monsters. Ashley paused, frowning. Maybe it was just a mutt, or a fox. Or maybe their already crazed minds had imagined the growl.

  “I don’t see anything,” Camile whispered.

  Neither did Ashley, so why did instinct still scream for her to flee? “Yeah, but we should go, just to be sure.” Camile nodded her agreement. “Okay, move back.” They stepped back, the grass crunching under their feet sounded unusually loud. “Keep going.”

  The leaves rattled again, definitely not the wind and definitely not something small.

  “Oh God,” Camile whimpered.

  “It’s all right, just keep walking.” But it wasn’t all right. Ashley couldn’t seem to catch her breath. Her body was trembling, making her feet trip over themselves and she knew she was as close to panicking as Camile. The urge to run overwhelmed her, but her body couldn’t seem to comply.

  A branch snapped.

  They froze.

  Then silence.

  Neither of them spoke for one long moment. Suddenly, the branches parted. Brilliant green eyes peered at them from above a long, black snout. The animal’s lips lifted, baring huge, white teeth.

  “A dog?” Camile said, her voice high-pitched with fear.

  But he was almost as tall as they were and there was certainly something more about this beast; an intelligence combined with an animalistic need that shone in his brilliant eyes. “That’s no dog. It’s too big. Shit, that’s a freaking wolf.”

  Camile shook her head. “We don’t have wolves here.”

  Frantically, Ashley searched the area for a weapon. “You do now.”

  “No, it’s impossible.”

  At the same moment their gazes met and the truth flashed between them.

  “Werewolf,” Ashley whispered.

  Camile nodded. Ashley’s limbs went numb. She forced her body to stay still, forced her suddenly dry mouth to work. “What do you know about werewolves?”

  Camile was shaking so hard her teeth were chattering. “Not much.”

  “Great.”

  Sweat slipped down between Ashley’s shoulder blades. The wolf inched forward, his massive paws silent as they settled on
the path. The low rumble of his growl vibrated through the air, those eerie eyes piercing them, holding them captive.

  “I thought they only came out on a full moon,” Camile said.

  Ashley’s gaze slipped from the wolf to the horizon. “Yeah, nice big, full moon rising right now.”

  “Hell,” Camile cursed.

  Every step back, every breath, even the entire world seemed to be moving in slow motion. But Ashley’s mind spun, attempting to make sense of the situation, frantic to come up with a plan that didn’t involve walking home backwards and praying not to die. “Okay, stay calm. What else is there? What do you know? Anything.”

  “Full moon, silver bullets…”

  “And here I am fresh out of silver bullets,” Ashley whispered.

  He bounded toward them. Camile screamed. He landed softly, only ten feet away and immediately lifted his lips into a snarl. Up close he was even larger than she’d realized. On all fours, he was almost as tall as them.

  “He’s huge,” Camile whimpered. “We can’t fight him and you know we can’t outrun it.”

  Ashley could hear the finality in her voice. Camile expected to die. The werewolf hunkered down low, but his eyes…his eyes were pinned on Ashley. An oddly strange calming sensation swept through her body as realization dawned. He wanted her. Only her. Not Camile, but her.

  He hunkered back onto his hunches, as if preparing to jump.

  Ashley jerked her hand from Camile’s. “Run. Go without me.”

  “Are you mad?”

  Camile didn’t understand and Ashley didn’t have time to explain the situation. Damn it, why couldn’t she just listen to her? Ashley pushed at her friend, sending Camile stumbling off balance. “Run. Now, go.”

  Camile regained her footing and glared at Ashley. “I’m not leaving you.”

  Frantic for her to understand, Ashley dared to take her attention from the wolf. “It’s our only chance, Camile. We can’t both outrun him. His eyes are locked on me. He wants me. You have a chance. Go!”

  Camile shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. “No.”

  The wolf growled.

  “Damn it!” With all her strength, Ashley shoved her hands into Camile’s shoulders.

  The woman flew backwards into a patch of wildflowers. The wolf leapt straight at Ashley. She knew he was coming. She knew he wanted her, but that didn’t prevent the scream from slipping from her lips. His paws hit her chest. Like someone had thrown a boulder at her, she flew through the air and landed with a thud to her back.

  The wind burst from her lungs. She couldn’t catch her breath. Gasping for air, she stared into those eerie green eyes. Heavy paws settled on her shoulders, crushing her. She couldn’t move. Ashley bit her lip, refusing to whimper. His snout rested only inches from her face, the black hairs moving back and forth with each breath he took. His spittle, warm and wet, dripped onto her neck, sliding down her collarbone. The pressure was so great, that only a thin trail of air could slip down her throat.

  She couldn’t look away, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything but stare into his shimmering green eyes. Would he kill her? Or would he turn her into one of his kind? She wasn’t sure which would be worse.

  “Ashley!”

  Vaguely she was aware of someone calling her name, but her body and mind had grown oddly numb, as if she was merely watching the events unfold. This is how it would end. It was over. Like Jean, she’d be mauled to death by a werewolf.

  His mouth opened and she stared down the dark cavern of his throat. She closed her eyes and waited. A soft whack rent the air. The pressure on her chest suddenly disappeared. Ashley opened her eyes and sucked in a great breath of clean air. The wolf had stepped to the side and was stumbling as if caught off balance.

  “There ye go, ye bloody bastard!” Cristian stood next to her, sword in hand.

  Ashley didn’t question how he’d found her, or why he’d come. She merely thanked God that he had. The wolf leapt at him. Cristian raised his sword high, swinging it wide. The blade and wolf clashed together with a sickening thud. The wolf yelped. Cristian stumbled back from the impact.

  “Ashley!” Camile rushed to her side, slipping her arms underneath her and helping Ashley to her feet.

  Thrown off balance by her weight, they fell backward. Weeds and wildflowers poked Ashley in the back and face. She rolled off Camile. The witch was prime meat sprawled across the grass, but the werewolf didn’t go for her. Instead, he jerked his huge, furry head toward Ashley, only supporting her conclusion. He wanted her. From the corner of her eye she could see Camile scrambling through the weeds. Cristian was still on the trail. Ashley was alone. And she told herself it was good that she was alone, it was good that they were safe. She would die alone, but honorably.

  Ashley stared directly into the beast’s snarling face and dared him. “Do it.”

  Suddenly, Camile burst through the brush, a patch of weeds clutched in her fisted hands. Frantic, Ashley reached out, trying to snag her shirt as the woman raced by. “Camile, no!”

  “Come on you nasty beast!”

  Ashley’s mouth fell open. She’d thrown herself at the wolf for Camile’s sake and instead of escaping, the woman had been picking flowers? The wolf jerked his head toward Camile. She stumbled to a halt, her breathing heavy.

  “Camile,” Cristian warned. “Back away.”

  A deep rumble, sounding suspiciously like laughter, swept from the wolf’s mouth. He inched closer to the women, his lips lifting higher. With a cry, Camile burst forward and shoved the bouquet into the wolf’s mouth.

  The animal’s green eyes widened. He staggered back, crouching low and gagging like a house cat with a hair ball. He looked so ridiculous with the purple blooms dangling from his mouth, a clump of soggy vegetation, that Ashley had the insane desire to laugh.

  “What the hell did you do?” Cristian asked, suddenly appearing beside them.

  Camile took in gulp of air, her hands resting on her knees. “Wolfsbane. There’s a reason why it’s called Wolfsbane. I remembered that it’s supposed to repel werewolves.”

  “A flower? A damn flower?”

  Camile nodded, her face bright with success.

  Ashley’s gaze returned to the wolf. The animal had fallen to it’s side, a pathetic excuse for a killing machine now. Brought down by a weed. “You know, I’ve heard some really, really odd things since coming here, but that has to be the oddest.”

  “Are we done playing?” Cristian asked. He seemed annoyed, although why, Ashley wasn’t sure. Was he angry because he hadn’t been the one to save the day? Was he that arrogant? Probably.

  Ashley glared up at the man. “Nice time to show up.”

  “Well, allow me to finish.” He lifted his sword, the blade flashing in the moonlight. With his hard gaze still pinned to them, he swiped the sword down toward the wolf’s neck.

  Camile screeched. Ashley gasped. They both turned away from the bloody sight. “Oh God.” Ashley felt sick. She pressed her hand to her roiling belly. Talk about ruining a good mood. Camile slipped her arm around Ashley’s waist and helped her to her feet.

  “He was after you,” Camile said softly, probably trying to change the subject away from the headless animal only feet from them.

  “I know,” Ashley replied.

  “Which means?” Camile asked.

  Ashley started to respond, to say she hadn’t the slightest idea, when Cristian moved closer. His face was dour, that sword in his hands dripping dark blood to the silver grass.

  The sword disappeared from Cristian’s hand. “It means we have to act now.” Cristian started down the path toward the pub.

  Ashley scampered after him. “I won’t see my father destroyed.”

  “Ye won’t have to, if we release them both at the same time.”

  Dare she trust him? But as quickly as her excitement came, it faded. Even if her father was released, it wouldn’t be the kind of reunion she’d dreamt of. Her father was in that vault, but it was on
ly his spirit, not him. She’d never have the chance to see her father again. Unless…

  Her heart slammed erratically against her ribcage as her gaze slid to Camile. Her friend was frowning as they walked side by side, following Cristian. Camile had brought Devon back from the dead, she could bring Ashley’s dad back as well.

  “I don’t know,” Camile said as the pub came into view. “I think we need more time, we need to gather more people.”

  Cristian released a frustrated sigh and stopping, faced them. “We don’t have time. You want to know why that werewolf attacked ye?” He looked directly at Ashley. “Because the underworld has realized how powerful ye are. They’ve put a bounty on yer head.”

  Chapter 32

  “Rose is outside. Half the town is binding the house with pure energy, the other half is fighting off any unwanted visitors that might try to break through,” Devon explained.

  The man had been unchained for they needed his help, but Cristian could tell he was nervous about his newfound freedom. Cristian frowned, pacing the small basement. So many on their side, but would they be enough? If Devon turned, they’d be down another man. The town was undisciplined, hadn’t fought in years.

  But it didn’t matter much. He wouldn’t be here to witness their battle. If the demon escaped, that would mean he was dead. It would mean Ashley was unprotected.

  He paused near the door, the symbol burned there by his own hands. If he died, most likely Ashley would as well. No, he wouldn’t die. He would not let his father win. No longer was he merely fighting for himself and humanity, but now he was fighting for something altogether unfamiliar and he feared he knew exactly what that feeling was…love.

  He balked and spun around on his heel. Love. Who the fuck would have thought he’d had it in him? Of course angels were capable of love, but it was a different kind of love. A love for all. A love for the world, for peace, for justice. But this… Shite, this was totally different and it was definitely frowned upon.

  He sensed Ashley’s presence before he saw her. A whisper of awareness that swept over him, almost like a warm breeze. He turned. She stood at the top of the steps with Camile at her side. For one long moment he and Ashley merely stared at one another, emotion flashing between them…confusion, weariness and something more… dare he hope affection?