The smell of Jack began to fade, and the spirit of the woman flickered much like the lights had been doing. The entire event reminded me of when I’d been younger, and televisions had antennas that needed to be adjusted to prevent the screen from flickering.
Interference.
The word popped into my head.
Something or someone was interfering with my spirit reception.
As the realization hit me, so did something else. It struck me in the upper chest, stealing my breath for a second. It was long enough to make me drop the candleholder and the candle, causing hot wax to splash over my sandal-covered foot.
The bite of pain caused me to step back as one hand went to my upper chest and the other flew out in an attempt to steady myself. My fingers connected with the cool stone. My skin warmed almost instantly.
It was then that a prickle of awareness moved through me, leading to a pressure building from the inside.
At first, it scared me because I’d never experienced it before. When it burst free from me, it shattered the oppressive feeling that had been pushing in on me.
With a deep breath, I hurried toward the door the female spirit was so insistent I get to. My hand was nearly to the handle when the door opened of its own accord.
Honestly, I’d seen far stranger things in my life to worry about who or what had opened it. I was just thankful someone did. The instant I cleared the threshold, the heavy door slammed shut behind me, shutting out the feeling of dread.
I leaned against the door, taking a bit to catch my breath and let my nerves settle. Then, remembering that Burgess was still out there somewhere, running through the corridors, all alone, I made a move to open the door.
The smell of Jack filled the air around me with so much gusto that for a minute, it was as if I’d been drenched in Jack cologne. What felt like arms wrapped around me, tugging me back from the door before holding me against something I couldn’t see. Something that strangely felt a lot like Jack.
I tried to twist around but whatever it was held me locked in place. “Jack?”
Relief that wasn’t my own slid over me, and I realized then that whatever was holding me was the source.
“Jack, is that you?”
One rap on the door was the answer I got. That would have been nice if it wasn’t for the fact something was holding me, and if Jack was knocking on the door, who in the hell had their invisible arms around me?
Whoever it was began to shake slightly. When I realized they were laughing, I groaned. That had to be Jack. Unless Austin had suddenly dropped dead, took on his ghostly form, and learned to hold people all in the short span he’d been deceased.
Highly unlikely.
“Jack, is that you knocking?” I asked.
A single rap on the door came in a response.
The conversation we’d had where he’d joked about knocking on various things to confuse Dana came to mind. “How do I know that it’s really you, and not some dark force pretending to be you?”
A series of taps began and at first, they sounded random. It wasn’t until I found myself humming along to them that I realized what they were. The beat to the Prince song I’d been singing in the bathroom six weeks ago.
Unable to help myself, I teared up as I smiled wide. “Jack!”
A single knock came next.
“I don’t understand,” I said. “Where have you been? Why can’t I see or hear you now? What in the heck was the source of the creepy voice? Most importantly, is Burgess okay?”
There was no reply. I realized then I’d asked way too many questions in a row and most weren’t ones that were easy to answer with knocks.
“Is Burgess safe?” I asked, trying again.
One knock sounded.
I touched my upper chest, nodding as I did. “Good. Are you okay?”
Another single knock came.
Tears of joy started. “Is Dana safe?”
Another single knock followed.
“Is Bram?”
One knock was the reply.
Relieved, I let out a long breath and then wiped my cheeks. “Good.”
I stepped farther back into the newest vault, realizing how dark it was. It made me miss the candle, burns and all, even more. When I spotted the light switch, I reached out and flipped it. Just like the other vaults, there was a delay from the time the switch was flipped to when the lights actually flickered on. And just like the others, the overhead lighting was questionable at best.
I took a few more seconds to collect myself before speaking again. “Should I try to find my way back to Dana and Bram now?”
This time there were two loud pounds on the door, startling me to the point I jumped slightly.
“All righty then. That would be a no,” I said with a shaky laugh. “Should I stay here for now?”
A single knock was the response.
I trusted Jack, and if he thought I should stay put, that’s what I planned to do. I just wished he’d tell me face-to-face, not fist-to-door.
Chapter Eighteen
Bram
“I’m telling you that Dana is still down here and still totally fine,” said Elis as the elevator door opened. “Not sure why you’re worried about her. I’m concerned for him. But at last check, she’d not staked the big guy yet, so I’m calling this father-and-daughter bonding experiment a win.”
“It would have been better if she staked you,” said a familiar male voice.
Dana groaned. “I swear my husband and Elis argue like toddlers. I can see why Maria put them in her version of a time-out. I’m tempted to call and ask her to do it again.”
Just then, Elis and another male entered the main library room.
The newcomer had sandy-blond hair and smelled greatly of wolf because he was one. There was also the faint odor of fried foods coming from him, but Bram strongly suspected that was due to the fact he owned and operated a bar and grill.
He flashed a wide smile as he spotted Dana. The way he looked at her said she was his world—as it should be. Anything less and Bram would have killed him.
“Legs, sorry the meeting ran later than expected,” said Jeffrey Farkas as he came straight for his mate. He got to Dana and put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them tenderly before bending and kissing her cheek. “I got home, and you weren’t there. I was worried.”
Dana patted one of his hands on her shoulder and craned her neck back to see him better from her seated position. “So, you drove all the way out here?”
“Damn straight,” returned Jeffrey, his attention falling to Bram. “I was worried.”
“You could have called my cell,” Dana said, annoyance in her voice.
She was new to the world of the supernatural. Explaining to her how it was all or nothing between a mated pair would be wasted breath. Bram understood, though he’d not ever been mated himself. He’d seen others go through it. He knew Jeffrey could no more shut off his concern for Dana than he could convince his heart to stop beating. It was automatic.
“I tried,” answered Jeffrey. “It kept going straight to voicemail.”
Elis grunted. “Reception down here is shit.”
Jeffrey kept rubbing Dana’s shoulders. “How was it? Did you and Marcy find what she was looking for?”
Stiffening, Dana pulled her hand from Bram’s. “Um, well, I might have gotten sidetracked.”
“So I see,” Jeffrey said, nodding his head toward the journal on the table. “What’s that?”
“One of my mother’s many journals,” Bram contributed.
Dana’s stomach grumbled. “Ugh. I’m hungry, again. Do you have bacon?”
Elis laughed. “Yes. The chef is gone for the night now, but I can throw some together if you want.”
“And strawberries,” said Dana. “Oh, and jalapenos.”
“You want strawberries and jalapenos with your bacon?” Elis’s face scrunched and his lip curled.
“I do,” Dana said, standing slowly and then stretching. “I
have to pee again. My input and output ratio is seriously skewed lately.”
Elis grinned more. “Are you pregnant?”
Bram tensed.
Jeffrey outright froze in midmotion, looking totally and completely guilty.
“Pfft.” Dana waved a hand dismissively. “No way. I can’t even keep a house plant alive. Crotch goblins are a no-go.”
“Crotch what?” asked Elis, laughing more. “And are you sure you’re not expecting? That combination sounds like a food craving to me.”
Jeffrey tried but failed to get Elis’s attention, shaking his head no in a dramatic fashion.
As Elis looked to the man, Dana did as well, both catching him in the act.
Dana paled. “Something you want to share with the group, husband?”
Gulping, Jeffrey backed up. “Nope. Oh, would you look at the time? I should be going.”
“I live with you,” Dana said. “That means I’m headed where you’re headed.”
Jeffrey’s gaze whipped to Elis. “How about we have a sleepover? I could hang with you and we could do manly sleepover things.”
“Uh, no,” said Elis. “Never happening. Why are you so afraid of your mate all of a sudden?”
“You were there when she staked a master vampire without lifting a finger,” said Jeffrey. “She’s lethal enough when provoked. Add in the pregnancy hormones and I’m sleeping with one eye open, girding my loins.”
Bram rose from his seat, already guessing what was about to happen next.
Dana spun and faced her mate fully. “Pregnancy hormones?”
“Did I say that?” asked Jeffrey, trying but failing to look innocent.
“Yes. You said it.” Elis smiled from ear to ear, clearly loving seeing Jeffrey in the hotseat.
Dana lunged at Jeffrey and Bram caught her gently.
“Let go of me. I have to rip something off him,” said Dana, wiggling to be free.
Bram chuckled. “As much as I’d like knowing he lacked a certain part of himself, you need to calm yourself. Most of us have sensed the pregnancy on you for weeks now.”
“What?” she asked, some of the anger leaking from her voice.
“You heard me,” returned Bram. “As much as you think you’re not one for motherhood, Fate clearly has other plans in store for you.”
She stopped trying to get free and turned to face him. Shock mixed with disbelief coated her face.
Bram cupped her face and kissed her forehead. “All will be well, Dana. And look at it this way: you will be present for your child. Already you’ll be winning over the type of parent I was.”
He’d wanted to lighten the mood.
When she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, her cheek finding his chest, his breath caught.
The next he knew, he returned the embrace, holding his daughter close.
“I’m pregnant?” she asked, her voice suddenly small.
“You are.” Bram kept holding her.
Jeffrey eased closer. “Legs, you all right?”
“I’m going to be a horrible mother,” she said.
“I highly doubt that.” Bram rubbed her back. “You were raised by two very strong women. They showed you what it was like to be loved. They taught you right from wrong and look how you turned out.”
She eased back slightly, looking up at him. “I can kill a master vampire with a stake and not even touch it.”
Bram grinned. “I know. Wonderful, isn’t it?”
Her pending tears broke into a fit of giggles, which seemed so out of place for her that Bram found himself joining in with a chuckle.
Jeffrey took hold of her shoulders and she went to him quickly, wrapping her arms around him. He held her tightly against him, rocking her body. “I love you.”
She buried her face in his neck. “I can’t believe we’re having a baby.”
“You had to know it was a possibility,” said Elis. “You do know how they’re made, right? I mean, I get Bram wasn’t around for the talk but still.”
Dana laughed a bit more. “Leave me alone, Van Helsing. I enjoy my little piece of property in the state of denial.”
Elis stepped back, lifting his arms and placing his palms up as if to indicate his intentions were honorable and that he meant no harm. The man was a trained demon killer. He was far from innocent or harmless. “How about I go see about making you that bacon, strawberry, and jalapeno monstrosity the baby is craving?”
She nodded. “Okay. Let me check with Marcy to see if she’s hungry.”
“Go on up,” said Bram. “I’ll check on Marcy and see if she’d like anything to eat.”
“You sure?” Dana glanced in the direction Marcy had last been in. “Weird. I haven’t noticed her singing or talking to Burgess or random birds.”
“Or ghosts,” Jeffrey added, earning him a nod from Dana.
“Right. Or dead people,” said Dana.
Bram tipped his head, listening for the sound of Marcy. He expected to hear pages rustling in a distant corner of the main library. When silence greeted him, worry crept into his mind.
“Legs, you know how she gets,” said Jeffrey, taking Dana’s hand in his. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “She has the attention span of a two-year-old after they ate a bag of sugar.”
“Accurate,” said Dana with a laugh.
“I bet she found some of the books on witchcraft and is nose deep in them,” Elis interjected.
“There are books on witchcraft down here?” asked Dana.
Bram nodded.
“Great. We’ll never get her out of here. Someone needs to feed me, and I need to go find that over-the-top vintage bathroom again. I straight up peed in a dragon-shaped toilet before, and there was a pull-chain thing to flush. Cool.” Dana winked at Jeffrey.
Jeffrey stole a chaste kiss and laughed. “I have no idea what that means but can I just comment on how classy my girl is?”
Dana yawned.
Jeffrey watched her carefully. “You’re tired, Legs. How about I take you home and fix you something to eat there? Then you can get some sleep. It’s late.”
“If Marcy found the books about magik, she’s going to want to hang out here longer,” said Dana.
“Leave your keys,” offered Jeffrey, as if that solved everything. “She can take your car home and I can make arrangements with Brett to get it in the morning.”
Dana jerked to the side. “Hell no. That woman cannot drive. She’s a menace with a car, let alone one that isn’t an automatic. She’s not allowed to drive my baby.”
Bram grinned. “I’ll see to it she gets home.”
Dana hesitated. “Thanks, but I brought her. I should be the one who takes her home.”
Jeffrey kissed her cheek. “Legs, let your dad handle it. He’ll take good care of her if for no other reason than he wouldn’t want to be on your bad side.”
Dana expelled a long, slow breath, clearly weighing her options. She then stared directly at Bram. “Swear that you’ll get her safely back to the Proctor House?”
“I do,” said Bram.
“Okay, but if she’s uneasy at all, get Austin. She trusts him fully, or call me,” said Dana before launching into more instructions on the proper care and maintenance of her friend.
Jeffrey chuckled. “Legs, Marcy isn’t a pet. Bram will be fine with her. In fact, from what I’ve been hearing about him, he does just fine with the ladies.”
Bram cringed.
Dana closed her eyes fast and shook her head. “I do not want to hear about my dad’s prowess.”
Try as he might, Bram couldn’t stop a smile from spreading over his face.
She called us dad, said the demon, sounding as giddy as Bram over the matter.
“Austin is hoping we can bottle whatever it is your father has because he’s normally very smooth and suave when it comes to the opposite sex,” Elis blurted, earning him a threatening look from Bram. He either didn’t notice or didn’t care, because he kept going.
“He’s got no shortage of female company. Although for the last month I haven’t noticed him with any. Come to think of it, I don’t even recall the last time he asked me to arrange a feed and—”
“Finish that sentence and I’ll throw up on you,” Dana said, looking over at Elis.
“That’s far nicer than what I’m planning to do if he finishes it,” warned Bram.
Jeffrey crossed his arms over his chest. “Let me get this straight. A month ago, he stopped being a tomcat that you’re aware of?”
Bram glared at Elis.
The man had the nerve to pretend he didn’t see the threatening look. “Yes. That’s right.”
A calculated smile slid over Jeffrey’s face. Bram had half a mind to knock the expression clean off him. “Coincidentally, Marcy came to Grimm Cove about a month ago, right?”
“Almost a month on the nose, why?” asked Dana before a nervous laugh escaped her. “Stop. You’re making it sound like my dad and my best friend are mates.”
A pin drop could have been heard in the deafening silence that settled over the room.
Dana shook her head. “No way.”
Jeffrey moved up behind her and rubbed her upper arms. “Legs, let’s get you home, something in your belly, and then to bed.”
“But, Jeffrey, you just hinted at Marcy being his mate and you want me to let it be?” she asked, disbelief in her voice.
“I do,” responded Jeffrey. “Besides, you have more pressing matters to think about.”
“Such as?” she asked.
He kissed her ear. “Such as having my little one. I hope it’s a boy. If it’s a girl, I’m screwed. You’re a hellion and your grandmother is worse. Need I bring up the fountain incident? The women in your family are basically nothing but trouble.”
The color drained from her face as she permitted Jeffrey to lead her from the main library.
Elis hesitated before taking a step toward the door. “You can be pissy with me all you want later. Right now, go find Marcy and spend some time with her. Let me know if she wants anything to eat. No offense, but the idea of you in the kitchen unsupervised is as scary as Marcy being allowed behind the wheel of a car.”
Spellcasting with a Chance of Spirits: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Romance Novel (Grimm Cove Book 3) Page 19