I thought about that. Yes, I did know. There were times when I dreamt of Mr. Sexy and suddenly Kane was there, as real in my dreams as he was in life. Heat inched up my neck, reaching my face as the intimate scenes flooded back. Then the emotions. The implications of what he felt for me were a lot to process. I decided to not think about it at all until I had time to examine what it meant. I cleared my throat. “Yes, I felt you.” My voice seemed far away, a little detached.
He nodded. “I thought you did. Pyper knew in much the same way.”
I blanched.
He caught my look and laughed. “It’s not like that. It never has been.” Taking two steps, he reached my side and took my hand. “I know I’ve violated your trust, but please believe me when I say there is no one else.”
Tears welled in the back of my eyes, and I did my best to blink them back. I didn’t know what to say. Yesterday I would have been thrilled to hear Kane say I was his one and only. Now I didn’t know what I wanted.
I shifted, pulling my hand out of his. The love I’d felt the night before was now shadowed in pain. My rejection was hurting him just as much as he’d hurt me, Overwhelmed, I steered the conversation back to the dreams. “So what did Pyper do to stop you from invading her dreams?”
Kane sat back on his heels and ran a hand through his hair. “There are a few precautions one can take to keep others out of their head, but it wasn’t necessary for her to do that. I worked harder on keeping my distance. It usually only happens when something intense is going on or my defenses are down. Once we started working so closely together, the dreamwalking began. I just strengthened my defenses, and it stopped.” He sighed and in a husky voice said, “This time my defenses have been blown away. Everything I’ve done to try to stop the dreamwalking with you has failed. I’m sorry, Jade.” With his shoulders hunched, he looked miserable.
Fighting the urge to reach out to him, I asked. “How long?” As he lifted his face, I clarified. “How long have you been fighting it?”
He grimaced then said a little sheepishly, “A few days.”
The dreams had been going on quite a bit longer than that.
“I know it doesn’t mean much, but I really am sorry. I know it’s an awful thing to do. I just…” His face turned a rather dark shade of maroon. “It’s just, I enjoyed your dreams…unless he was starring.”
“Jesus, Kane,” I said. Irritated and embarrassed, I got up and moved to stare at the rain.
“It was driving me crazy.” He followed me.
“I told you to sit in that chair or leave.”
Ignoring my statement, he stepped in front of me, locked his eyes on mine and stared. Golden glints sparkled from rich chocolate irises.
He reached out and stroked my cheek. I clasped my hand over his, wanting to stop the motion, but Kane took it as an invitation and leaned in. Just as his lips met mine, lightening flashed and a loud crack sounded, jolting us apart. Another bolt struck, illuminating a dark shadow darting up the walls. It circled us then hovered over my computer.
It grew larger, glowed red and flew at me as if to attack. I screamed in terror as my insides ripped apart, just as they had in my dream the night before. Falling to my knees, I clutched my stomach, gasping for breath.
The apparition disappeared just as the tray with my glass beads rose in the air. “No!” I shouted as I watched them tumble out and rise toward the ceiling, hovering high above our heads. Kane knelt next to me, his arms covering my shoulders and head protectively.
“Get off,” I huffed, pushing him away. Jumping up, I took a deep breath and said in my most commanding voice, “You put those beads down right this moment. I won’t stand for your scare tactics. How dare you treat me this way!” My voice echoed off the walls, slightly muffled by the thunderous storm. The beads rotated, inched higher then fell.
“Gently!” I yelled. Just before they would have crashed, all of them came to a sudden stop, less than an inch from the floor, and tumbled softly.
I stood in the center of the room, my chest heaving. The next thing I knew, Kane grabbed my hand and tugged me out the door.
“Where are we going?” I gasped, trying to clear my head.
“Out of here,” Kane said, his voice muffled.
He was right in front of me but I couldn’t focus. His lips moved, but I had trouble hearing him. “What did you say?”
“I said, you need to be somewhere safe. Let’s go.”
Too tired to protest, I weakly muttered something about clothes.
Kane positioned me outside the door. Through a distorted hazy consciousness, I watched him open my drawers and throw some garments in a bag. In seconds he returned and picked me up. That’s the last thing I remember.
***
A chatter of voices pulled me from my slumber. Disoriented, I sat up and through blurry eyes, I spotted rich, heavy velvet drapes. Pyper’s apartment. Again. I needed to get out of this habit. The silver crescent moon shone through the window. How long had I been here?
“No, she isn’t going back up there tonight,” Kane said.
“Isn’t that up to her?” Ian said.
“Not when she’s passed out.”
“I’m up,” I said from the doorway, leaning against the jamb to steady myself.
“Honey, are you okay?” Pyper rushed toward me, led me over to the couch and gently pushed me down. “I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into the kitchen.
Ian and Kane both turned toward me.
“Go where?” I asked
“Nowhere,” Kane said.
Ignoring him, I turned to Ian. “Where do you want me to go?”
Ian frowned. “I know you’re wiped out, but if you have any energy at all, the best thing to do—if we want more clues—is to go back up to the apartment. I need another reading with you.” He glanced in Kane’s direction. Reluctance penetrated my awareness when he added, “and Kane too.”
“No,” Kane said.
Pyper appeared with hot tea and a few cookies. “Here, honey, this should help.”
“Thanks.” I took a bite, sipped my tea and looked over at Kane. “I can speak for myself.”
“Of course you can,” he said. “But I’m still not going to let you go back up there.” His voice was tender now, losing some of the authoritative edge he’d used with Ian.
With a faint smile, I asked, “Let?”
He shrugged as he raised his hands, palms up. He glanced at Pyper, found no help, and then sat on the sofa.
“Anyone care to fill me in on the details I’ve missed?” I glanced around at each of them.
Kane spoke up. “You haven’t missed much. You passed out. I brought you here and called Pyper, who then called Ian. Ian’s been here for about an hour. We’ve been discussing a course of action to rid you of your ghost.”
“An hour?” How long had I been asleep?
“You’ve been here for about three hours.” Pyper patted my hand. “We didn’t think you’d suffered any physical damage, judging by what Kane said, so we let you sleep. Does it hurt anywhere?” She peered at me, checking for nonexistent bruises, I guessed.
I smiled at her mothering. “I’m fine. Just feel like my insides have been ripped to shreds, is all.”
“Really?” Ian’s eyes went wide. “Did it happen upstairs?”
I nodded.
“Can you tell me exactly what happened?” He dug around in his canvas bag and pulled out a notepad.
“Do we have to do this right now?” Kane sounded impatient. He slid toward me on the sofa and brushed the hair out of my eyes. “You don’t have to do this now, you know.”
I caught Ian watching me. He was also doing a fair job of suppressing the jealousy that had bubbled up when Kane touched me. With a grim smile at Kane, I said, “I know, but somehow I think I need to get this out.”
He let out a long breath then acknowledged my statement with a nod.
“Kane told you what we saw?” I asked.
“Yes, but I’d like to
hear it from your perspective.” Ian made small fast circles with his ballpoint pen, trying to get the ink to flow.
“Okay.” I launched into my version of the events. Ian scribbled intently as I recounted the haunting. When I got to the part when the shadow disappeared, I paused. “I felt like something in my gut shattered like the red image. Not like a stomachache or anything like that. More like my soul was being torn into individual little pieces. It happened just like that in my dream last night, too.”
Ian took in a sharp breath.
Kane clasped his hand over mine. “Damn it, Jade. The ghost is haunting your dreams. You aren’t just dreaming about him.”
“Right, I told you that this morning.”
“No, you said you were dreaming about him.”
“No, you interpreted it that way.”
“Jade—”
“Can you two work that out later?” Pyper said.
Kane sighed and leaned back. “Fine.”
Ian finished scribbling some notes then looked up, focusing for a second on my hand clasped in Kane’s. “This is very unusual, especially considering the sexual content.”
“I thought you said ghosts haunting dreams weren’t unheard of,” I said.
Ian leaned forward. “They aren’t, but I’ve never heard of someone being attacked in one. That, plus the intimate nature, makes me uneasy.”
Ian’s troubled expression unsettled me more than his words. “So what do we do now?”
“I have a few ideas, but I’d need to get you back up there—”
Kane let out an audible grunt, cutting Ian off.
“—when you think she’s up to it,” Ian finished, eyeing Kane.
“It’s not up to him to decide.” Feeling smothered, I lowered my voice. “Look, Kane, I know you want to protect me, but this is something I have to deal with. I have a feeling the longer it goes on, the worse it’s going to get. I need to do what I can, even if I have to endure more encounters with the ghost. Plus, he invaded my dream at your house last night. I’m not so sure location matters anymore. If Ian thinks he can help, I need to trust him.”
Kane searched my eyes for a moment, kissed my hand and said, “Okay.”
A tiny bit of weight lifted from my heart. I squeezed his hand before letting go.
“All right then. I’ve already got my equipment set up, and John is monitoring the readings. Let’s go.” Ian tilted his head toward me as he moved toward the door. “I’ll have her back as soon as possible. I know she needs to rest, but I don’t want to miss the chance of getting a reading so close to the event.”
I stood, trying to shake the dizzy feeling, and followed him. When I glanced back, I found Kane on my heels.
“I’m going also.”
“I don’t think…” Ian paused when Kane’s face darkened.
“Don’t think what?” I asked.
“I’d rather get a reading with just you. It’s more scientific,” Ian said. Kane’s irritation poked at me as Ian continued. “From what I’ve heard, this ghost is really only interacting with Jade. I don’t want to introduce any other elements until I get a clean reading with her.”
“But you said earlier you wanted a reading with both of us,” Kane countered.
“Yes, but Jade first, then you,” Ian said.
Kane continued to look unconvinced.
I sighed and waved at Pyper, “A little help here?”
“Come on, Kane, I’ll entertain you while they’re up there.” Pyper grabbed his arm and led him to the couch.
I strode out the door with Ian close on my heels. When I got to the stairwell of my own apartment, I stopped dead in my tracks and stumbled forward as Ian barged into me. He reached out a strong arm and grabbed me around the middle just before my head bashed into the railing.
“Oh, sorry, Jade!” Ian turned me toward him. “Why did you stop?”
I gave him a weak smile. “Just nervous.” Nervous was putting it mildly. My knees started shaking, and my heart felt like it would beat right out of my chest. I took a few deep breaths and grabbed on to the railing.
Ian took my arm and patted my hand. “It’s all right. Really, I’ve seen a fair number of odd paranormal occurrences. I know what to do if something happens.” He lifted my chin and looked straight in my eyes. “I won’t let anything happen to you. It’ll be all right. I promise.”
I nodded and let him tug me up the stairs. We stopped just outside my door.
“Now when we go in, don’t say anything until I ask you to. I’m going to walk you around the room then onto the balcony while I take readings. Okay?”
I nodded my agreement and followed him inside.
The investigation was set up in much the same manner it had been during the first recording. Candles burned in a circle around the room. A video camera was set up just to the right of the door, along with an old-fashioned tape recorder. John had two cameras around his neck, a 35mm and a digital camera. He had told me digitals were the preferred choice, but ghosts were known to mess with electronics, causing them to fail. Just like last time. The 35mm was the camera that caught my ghost image.
Ian steered me to the middle of the room, holding my arm, keeping me close. He cleared his throat and began to speak. “Lord in heaven, please protect us, your children, from harm and possession. We only seek knowledge and not destruction. Amen.” He smiled “Ready?”
I gave him a small nod.
“Dear earthbound spirit of apartment three-A. We are here seeking only information and do not wish you harm. If you so choose, please allow us to communicate with you.”
John handed Ian a small electronic device. Holding it under candlelight, he scribbled a reading in a notebook. He took my hand and walked me slowly around the room, focusing on the electronic readings. The continuous click of the camera cut through the silence as John snapped photo after photo. The conditions with the candlelight were dim. I wondered how he’d get any decently lit pictures without a flash.
After the third circle I started to get dizzy and was relieved when Ian led me to the balcony. “Stay out here for a minute. I want to get some more readings, and then I’ll have you come back in.”
I sat down in my chair to wait.
Ian stepped back inside and let out a loud yelp. I scrambled to my feet and poked my head in the window.
Ian grabbed my shoulder. “Get in here!”
A queasy feeling rolled through my stomach as I scanned the room. I saw nothing out of the ordinary. It looked just as it had, except for the expressions on the two men’s faces.
I stepped in, confused. Ian held up a hand, gesturing for me to wait. John stood in the corner using the 35mm camera, clicking over and over again in rapid succession. He paused to reload and then nodded at Ian.
Ian, standing just to my left, put a hand on my arm and whispered, “Talk to him.”
I took a shaky breath, let it out slowly and opened my mouth. No words came out.
Ian, seeing my struggle, asked, “Have you spoken to him before?”
‘Yes.”
“If you gave him a name or title, use it now.”
“Damn,” I muttered under my breath. “Oookay. Hello, Mr. Sexy.”
John chuckled quietly from across the room. I shot him a dirty look, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was still busy snapping away. Click, click. Click, click.
I focused on talking to my ghost. “It’s been an eventful day, has it not? You must have used a lot of energy picking up all of my beads. Thank you, by the way, for setting them down gently.” The candles flickered a few times then burned bright again.
I glanced at Ian. He nodded his head enthusiastically, encouraging me to continue.
“Thank you for the acknowledgment. I assume that was you, flickering the candles?” The candles flickered again, a few of them blowing out entirely. “Yes, I know you’re there. I wish I knew your real name.” The flame on the candle closest to my bed went out.
“Yes, I know it’s you in my dreams.” I s
topped at a loss for words. My skin started to warm, and something soft wrapped around my shoulders. Even though I was sure the gesture was meant as a loving one, hair stood up on the back of my neck. “Is that you? Did you wrap a blanket over my shoulders?” My knees started to tremble and, not trusting myself to stand any longer, I sat on my couch.
“Keep going,” Ian said softly.
I closed my eyes and concentrated. “I wish I knew who you were and why you’re here. I get the feeling you don’t know you’re a ghost.” The warmth slid from my shoulders. I shivered. Unwilling to give up, I asked, “What happened to you? Can you tell us? There’s a recording device over by the door. If you stand close to it, we might hear you. Please, we want to help.”
“Jesus!” John jumped suddenly from his spot near the recorder and scooted closer to Ian.
“What the hell—” Ian started, but was cut off by the door opening suddenly, with Kane striding in.
“You’ve got to get down to Pyper’s apartment,” Kane announced, grabbing Ian’s arm.
“What? No. We’re just getting going here.” Ian glared at Kane. “It’s best if you leave.”
Ian’s face contorted in pain as Kane gripped harder. “No. Pyper’s in trouble. You need to go, now.”
“In trouble? What happened?” I demanded. Not waiting for an answer, I ran out the door, took the stairs two at a time and was on the ground floor before I realized no one was following me.
13
A minute later I burst through the apartment door and found Pyper sprawled out on the floor. Falling to my knees by her side, I placed my palm on her chest. My hand rose as she took in a breath. The dread in my gut eased slightly.
“Thank God. Pyper? Can you hear me?” She didn’t move as I smoothed her hair back from her closed eyes. Her skin burned. I ran for a cold wet cloth. Once I started to mop her brow, her eyes flickered open.
“There you are,” I said. “Welcome back.”
“Jade.” Her eyes filled with tears. “Is he still here?”
“Who? Kane?” My voice was low and I hoped calming, though my heart was beating hard enough to leap right out of my chest.
Forbidden Lovers Boxed Set Page 14