GhostRealm

by Vera Sparks

  “Exactly, and you’ll need my nose to find any traces,” Percy kissed my cheek.

  “So I’ve got to just waste three hours,” I mumbled.

  “Ouch, that hurts,” Percy feigned the pain.

  I managed a smile at him. He really had been sweet to me over the past few weeks. We weren’t official, but it was an unspoken thing. Besides, he was definitely an animal in the bedroom. The way he ravished me with kisses, nibbling my skin and moving against me. Just the thought was heating me up. But now was not the time, and I banished the images from my head.

  “Percy, Ivy, would you like anything to drink?” Eva, a packmate who’d helped us with the whole shifter kidnappers ordeal, stood at our table. Her husband and she owned this bar.

  “I’ll take the usual, Ivy?” Percy turned to me.

  “Is the kitchen still open?” I asked, taking in Eva’s form. Her fiery red curls cascaded over her shoulders, standing out against the black top she wore that showed off her cleavage. She wore jeans, I doubted that was part of the dress code but it wouldn’t even surprise me, and a white waist apron. Her chocolate eyes were focused on me, and I realized I probably appeared to be checking her out.

  “Ivy?” Eva raised an eyebrow.

  “She said it’s open,” Percy reverberated.

  I hadn’t even heard her.

  “Can I just grab some hot fries?” I asked.

  “Of course. On the house too, we owe you,” Eva flashed a dazzling smile, and I inwardly pouted at her divine looks. But Percy paid her little attention apart from acknowledging her. The mark of a true gentleman.

  “You know, I never really spoke much to Eva or Scott,” I stated once Eva was out of earshot. I hoped, she was a ‘wolf after all.

  “Well, now’s as good a time as any to get to know them. They’re lovely people. You know they’re high school sweethearts?”

  “Huh, really?” I glanced past him over at Eva, who was standing at the bar laughing with Scott.

  “Yep, got married a few years back now, finally decided to make it official.”

  “I won’t lie, I’m hella jealous of her, she’s gorgeous,” I sighed.

  Percy laughed, the smooth, husky sound warming me inside.

  “Well, she’s a skilled she-wolf fighter. Heather trained her. Heather likes our pack females to be able to defend themselves if needed. And you know she would’ve heard you, right?”

  “What? No way, she’s all the way over there,” I hissed, but sure enough, as I leaned over Percy to look, she was grinning at me. She gave me a wave and the blood slowly seeped to my cheeks. Since it didn’t pump overly fast, you know.

  “Don’t worry, she’ll take it as a compliment,” Percy waved it off.

  “That’s so embarrassing,” I moaned. I couldn’t say anything without someone hearing it. Bloody werewolves. Vampires were just as bad.

  “Relax,” Percy chuckled as he squeezed my shoulder.

  “Ivy!”

  I was grateful for the distraction as I looked up to spy my childhood best friend, Rosaline, and her husband, Dylan.

  “Hey, how are you two going?” I asked.

  “We’re great, just stopping in for a drink and maybe a bite to eat. Dylan’s been working alllll day,” Rose rolled her eyes as she slid into the booth across from us. We’d lost contact for a fair few years, but when I ran into her around a month ago, we hit it right off again.

  “Still working on that old Chevy?” Percy asked as Dylan carefully squeezed in beside her.

  “Yeah, she’ll be good as new soon enough,” he nodded.

  “You’ll get a good return on that one, she’s a beast,” Percy smile.

  Ugh, men and their cars. Rosaline gave me a knowing look and rolled her eyes.

  “So how’s Ivy’s life been since we last talked, anything exciting?” Rosaline’s hazel eyes sparkled. She’d only recently found out about my semi dead state, and she was always asking questions.

  “Well…” my stomach dropped. Rose was as sweet as ever and only being friendly, but I’d been able to momentarily push Alena’s death to the back of my mind. “A work colleague was killed this evening,” I sighed.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Rose murmured as she reached out to hold my hand on the table. She gave it a reassuring squeeze, and I gave her a soft smile.

  Dylan and Percy went quiet for a few moments as I filled Rose in on what had happened, managing to fight off the tears this time. Having Percy holding me did help with that.

  “That’s terrible,” Rose said once I’d finished.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Dylan said quietly.

  “Yeah, well, we’ll figure it out. Alex will find who did this. We’re going to go check the scene out later, Percy is going to see if he can track a scent there,” I said.

  “Oh, that’s a good idea,” Rose nodded.

  “Be careful though, sadly vamps do out-power us,” Dylan stated unhappily.

  “We will,” I turned to smile at Percy.

  “Well, gorgeous, here’s your fries,” Eva grinned and winked at me as she set the bowl of hot fries between us all.

  I bit my lip as Percy chuckled.

  “Thanks, Eva,” I swallowed as I thanked her.

  “No problem, can I get you two anything?” Eva turned to Rosaline and Dylan.

  “I’ll take the house steak and what he’s got.” Dylan waved at Percy’s beer.

  “Double that order,” Rose said.

  “Got it, enjoy the fries,” Eva strode off, casting me one last devilish grin.

  Damn. I wasn’t going to live this down anytime soon.

  I reached out and plucked some fries from the bowl. Something warm and salty sounded good right now, not that I needed to eat. I could probably survive on nothing, as I barely ever got hungry. But I did have cravings.

  “So Rose, I never asked what you did for work,” I suddenly realized as Percy reached for my fries and gave a questioning look as he hesitated. I nodded. I wasn’t above sharing.

  “I work as a receptionist at a local building company, Gene hooked me up with the job.” Rose invited herself to a few of my fries, but I didn’t mind. They were free anyway.

  “Can I have some too?” Dylan cleared his throat.

  “You might as well, everyone else is,” I shrugged as I took another one.

  “Thanks.”

  “So Ivy, there’s been a rumor spreading through the pack about you. Rose told me it’s true. You’re really a ghost?” Dylan frowned as he popped the question.

  I glared at Percy who just shrugged.

  “So now I’m a talking point of the whole pack?” I nudged him to let him know I was unimpressed with this news. And the fact that he hadn’t bothered to tell me.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you, I mean, we all thought you smelled different at the gathering, it’s just not something we can pinpoint. Then a rumor spread that you were a ghost, or part ghost or something. It’s fascinating,” Dylan said, and his voice was sincerely amazed.

  I let out an exasperated sigh. Nothing I could do about this now. But I did wonder who’d spread the rumor. Only a few people, well, ‘wolves, had found out.

  Well, it was done. No point dwelling on it.

  “I didn’t tell you because I figured you might be a bit annoyed,” Percy rubbed his neck as he shot me a guilty look.

  “You figured right,” I muttered. Let it go, Ivy. It’s not like it’s big news. It was more that the whole pack now knew.

  “I figured it couldn’t hurt to tell him that it wasn’t just a rumor,” Rose pouted.

  “It’s fine, just weird that everyone is talking about it,” I scowled.

  “They’re not anymore, it was only the first few weeks since Renae got her kid back. People were intrigued, that’s all,” Dylan said. “It’s old news now though, and no one thinks any differently of you after you helped stop the shifter kidnapping ring and saved Percy.”

  I nodded, relieved and a bit proud of myself. I had played a part in en
ding the shifters’ kidnapping work, and I had saved Percy personally.

  Eva returned with the ordered meals and drinks, and I leaned into Percy as our two friends dug into their steaks and side of veggies.

  “You’re still not off the hook for not telling me,” I whispered into Percy’s ear.

  He sighed and downed the last of his beer.

  “I think we’ll head out for a bit and let you two enjoy your meal in peace,” Percy slid out of the booth before I could argue. He had a good point, my fries were gone, and they must be starving considering how fast they were eating. Or maybe it was just a ‘wolf thing.

  Percy led the way outside, and I followed. I ignored his reach for me childishly at first but then he just snatched my hand and gave me a mischievous grin.

  “What?” I raised an eyebrow at him as he kept smiling at me as we wandered away from the bar.

  “You’re adorable when you’re annoyed,” he stated.

  I scowled and tried to tug free, but he just pulled me close and whisked me up in the air.

  “You know I could just vanish on you, right?” I glared down at him despite wrapping my arms around his neck to steady myself. His hands on my waist were strong and comforting, and he held me just high enough off the ground so I couldn’t get away.

  “Yeah, but you won’t,” he growled.

  The look in his eyes ignited the fire inside me. Damn this bloody ‘wolf.

  His nostrils flared, and he grinned as he lowered me and claimed my mouth. I moaned as he kissed me, his tongue prying through my lips to explore.

  My body ached for him, to feel him, all of him.

  He drew back only to litter soft kisses down my neck.

  “People will see us,” I moaned softly.

  “Tell me, can you make others invisible?” he asked, his hot breath sending shivers down my body.

  Yes. I’d done it once before, under Maria’s guidance. She wanted to understand just what kind of powers I had and had called a witch friend to come by. Maria had then asked me to make her invisible along with myself. I could do that. It wasn’t like jumping; I didn’t fully enter the ghost realm, I just… disengaged from the living world. If that made any sense whatsoever. Stuck one foot in the ghost realm so to speak. We’d done it a few times, and there’d been no ill effects on Maria, and her witch friend had corroborated that we’d both vanished. Her friend had a certain kind of magic, an ability to check people over for illnesses or abnormalities inside them. It was why she was a professional nurse; she always picked up on things long before they became deadly.

  “Yes,” I finally answered, my body hot and needy.

  “Make us both invisible,” he groaned.

  I shuddered in anticipation, realizing what he wanted to do. Goddamn he was horny.

  The strange sensation of fading from view washed over me, and I knew he’d felt it too as he caught his breath.

  “Damn, you can feel it,” he murmured as he pulled back, his dark, hungry eyes locking onto mine.

  He carried me to the edge of the parking lot and propped me up against the first tree he came across.

  “No one can hear us either?” he quizzed as he pecked my lips softly.

  “No,” I said, anticipation coursing through me. This was definitely new to me.

  His grin said everything as he tugged my shirt over my head.

  “Good, cause I want you so fucking bad,” he moaned as he pushed up against me.

  The bulge in his pants thrilled me, and I wanted him. Craved him inside.

  “How bad? Show me,” I gasped as he undid my jeans and yanked them down.

  He claimed my mouth again, more aggressively than before. I could feel it now, the animal pushing through. Goddamn I loved it. I loved this.

  “You are mine,” he growled as he pulled back and hefted me high against the tree, our hips grinding against each other.

  “Make me,” I toyed.

  The flash in his eyes was the final straw. And I was beyond ecstatic.

  By the time we returned inside the bar, Rosaline and Dylan had left.

  “Damn, we must’ve been a while,” Percy murmured.

  “Just a bit,” I pursed my lips as I gave him a delicious look. We’d certainly had fun. “I’m going to go clean up.”

  “I’ll meet you at the bar,” Percy nodded.

  I made a beeline for the ladies' room, but the glances that came my way from the few remaining patrons told me that they knew. They could smell everything.

  Damn werewolves.

  I took my time cleaning and freshening up and getting my hair back in order in front of a mirror.

  When I returned, Percy was sitting at the bar chatting with Scott.

  I joined him and perched on the stool beside him.

  Scott nodded at me in acknowledgement as they continued their conversation about some car show coming up a few towns over. So Scott was another car guy.

  “Guess that explains why you two took so long.”

  I suppressed my scowl as I turned to Eva, who stood beside me as she leaned against the bar with a sly look on her face. I really did hate werewolves. I thought I’d cleaned up okay, but apparently not by the look she was giving me.

  “Hey, don’t be embarrassed, there are no secrets in a wolfpack,” she dismissed it with a flick of her hand as she perched on the stool beside me.

  “I guess you guys get used to it,” I sighed. It wouldn’t be so easy for me.

  “Kinda. We have to,” she nodded with a smirk. “But I’m telling you right now, every ‘wolf here knows you guys did the deed out there.”

  “No one saw?” I gave her a horrified look. Had someone seen us outside? I was positive we were invisible the whole time.

  “Oh God no, we don’t snoop,” Eva baulked at the suggestion. “And no one saw you, I promise.”

  “Right, good,” I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Yeah, sorry,” Percy gave me a sheepish smile. “You can’t hide anything from ‘wolves. We joke it’s why we’re so faithful to each other, we’d never get away with affairs.”

  This caused Scott to snigger, which earned him a displeased look from Eva. His smile dropped, and he turned away to focus on cleaning a glass.

  It was nice to finally see them in a normal setting. I’d only met them briefly during the whole shifter-kidnapping episode.

  “Ivy, you know you’re drop dead gorgeous, right?” Eva suddenly said as she planted a hand down on the bar, startling me.

  “Um, thanks,” I said in confusion.

  “I heard what you said earlier, you shouldn’t be jealous, I mean, look at who I married,” Eva raised an eyebrow at Scott, and the pained look he feigned made my heart melt. He was so adorable for someone who looked like a lumberjack. He was just a big teddy bear.

  Eva stuck her tongue out and Scott stepped closer to lean in and kiss her on the forehead.

  “She loves me even if I’m not the most handsome man here,” Scott stated as Eva gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. He gave Percy an obvious look. “Women love that Italian look.”

  “Not all women,” Eva drummed her fingers on the bench. “No offense.”

  “None taken,” Percy rolled his eyes but smiled to prove his words were true.

  “Anyways, Ivy, you’ve got so many things going for you. You look like the ‘girl next door’ type, the one all the men pine for. You’ve got a good job, your own place; you’ve got everything going for you. You even snagged this dork,” she waved at Percy who made a sound in protest.

  “Thanks, although you’re forgetting the fact I’m not quite alive, remember?” I reminded her.

  “So? You’ve got mad powers. Scott says you legit set a vampire on fire. With your hands,” Eva emphasized the last sentence.

  “An Elemental ghost woman, now that’s not something you hear about every day,” Scott said as he wiped a wine glass clean with his rag.

  “Own that shit, you’re badass,” Eva grinned, her red curls bouncing against her shoulders
. The red locks framed her generously sized chest, but I tried not to look and just checked them out from my peripheral vision.

  “I guess I should,” I agreed. I guess she was right. The abilities I had were unique. The power I possessed.

  “Can you just do it?” Scott blurted.

  “Do what?” I frowned.

  “Just, make fire?” he elaborated.

  I looked down at my hands. I had practiced a bit since then. It was interesting, this newfound ability. A part of me wanted to go back to Jasmine in the Institute of Elementals in the middle realm, but something about that place unnerved me.

  I imagined the small flicker of flames at the tip of my fingers and smiled as the fire burst to life.

  “Oh shit,” Scott muttered as he stared at my flaming fingertips in disbelief.

  “Damn,” Eva’s look mirrored his as she lowered her head to see the flickering flames more closely.

  “You never showed me that,” Percy murmured, but he didn’t sound upset. Instead, I could’ve sworn he sounded both amazed and proud.

  “Yeah, I practiced a little after it all happened. But I don’t want to do it too much. Fire can cause a lot of damage if not handled right,” I said as I let the flames die down to nothing.

  “That is true, we probably shouldn’t have done that in a bar. Full of alcohol. A wooden bar,” Percy gave me a half smile.

  “Crap, I didn’t think, ugh,” I lowered my head.

  “It’s my bar, I wanted to see it,” Scott shrugged in my defense. Chalk up one point for him in my good books.

  “It’s all fine, nothing happened, but that’s pretty awesome,” Eva grinned.

  “Shouldn’t you be serving?” Percy asked as he peered past me at the redhead.

  “Shouldn’t you be shoving your head up your ass?” she retorted sweetly and I couldn’t contain the giggles that bubbled up my throat.

  “Great, you made her laugh at me,” Percy pouted, but the tender look he gave me overrode it. I caught my breath at the look of adoration I saw in his dark eyes. The love.

  The realization hit me and I melted. He really did care about me.

  “Gene!” Eva lit up, and I turned to spy the alpha coming through the door.

  That’s right, I’d almost forgotten about the meeting with the Fae. And now I was suddenly nervous. Gene had said they were proud creatures. Snobby was what I understood from his words. But they may have the answer about what I was.