by Deanna Chase
“I’m all moved in, it’s just…let me come get you, and I’ll tell you about it.” After Kat’s affirming response, I snapped the phone closed. “I need to go,” I told Pyper.
“Go where?” She stood up. “You can’t leave now. You look like you’re going to pass out.” She gently pushed me back into the chair.
“My friend is here. I can’t just leave her standing outside.” The motion of standing and sitting back down turned my stomach. Please don’t let me ralph right here.
“I’ll go get her.” She left before I could protest. How would Pyper find her? They hadn’t met, and Pyper didn’t even know Kat’s name.
A familiar energy drew my attention to the door as Kane walked in. He rummaged through the desk and pulled out a bag of mint chocolate cookies. “Pyper said you needed sugar and to make sure you stay put.”
I took a cookie, bit into it and shrugged in agreement. Where else would I go? Surely not to my new apartment. Panic bubbled in my chest. I couldn’t stay there. I’d never get any rest. Would Kane let me out of my lease? The queasiness returned as I thought of staying in Kat’s spare room for another night. Maybe I’d get lucky, and Dan would be out with the guys.
Kane offered me a soda from a small refrigerator.
“Thanks.” Clutching the can with one hand, I tried to open it with the other. Unfortunately my fingers shook too badly. I couldn’t even grab the tab to pop it.
“I got it.” Kane took the can. When he set it back on the desk it had a straw poking out the top. “Drink.”
“Thanks.” I took a long sip.
Kane grabbed a chair and sat next to me. His gaze shifted to my still-trembling hand. Balling it up in defiance, I pressed it into my thigh. I wasn’t this weak, damn it.
He reached over and covered my hand with his, sending a thick layer of protection through my weakened defenses. At first it felt like a cloak, shrouding me, but then it turned into more of an energy meld.
Whoa. That never happens. I could consciously take in others’ emotions if I wanted to, but it takes effort. Was he aware of the effect he had? Could he control it, or was it just happening? Warmth spread from his touch through my limbs, steadying my twitching muscles.
Heat prickled my neck under his watchful gaze. I tried to pull from his grasp, but his fingers tightened on mine. “Thanks, but I’m okay now,” I murmured.
He raised one eyebrow. “You look like you’re going to fall over any minute. I’m hanging on just in case.”
“I’m not going to pass out,” I said in a steady voice, drawing my hand from his. As our hands parted, the shivers started. Wrapping my arms around my middle, I glided my hands up and down my bare arms, trying to generate heat.
“Here.” Kane stood, grabbed a sweatshirt from behind the desk and handed it to me. “Use this.”
“Thanks.” I pulled it over my head and was rewarded with a trace of his fresh, rain-scented cologne.
“We’re here,” Pyper called from the doorway.
“Jade!” Kat ran to my side. “Are you okay? Pyper told me what happened.” She took my hand in both of hers. “Use me,” she whispered.
“Only if you calm down.”
Her panic swirled around me like a windstorm before she managed to rein her emotions back in. I squeezed her hand to let her know I appreciated the offer, but didn’t tap her energy. Irrationally, I didn’t want to taint what I’d just experienced with Kane.
Kat had been around the last time I’d been stupid enough to compromise my energy. When we were roommates, our neighbor had witnessed a shooting and had been so distraught she’d stopped talking. I’d thought if I could ease her burden by siphoning her distress, she might be able to help the police investigation. It had worked. Too well.
While she helped the police nail down a suspect I spent a week in bed, recovering. For the first few days the only way I could get up was if Kat was touching me, lending me her strength. It had been her idea for me to try and take it. She’d said, “If you can take the bad stuff, why can’t you take the good?” Since I didn’t think I could get worse, I’d tried it and used her emotional strength to heal. Still, I’d had to take it from her. It didn’t just happen like it did with Kane.
“You need to lie down,” Kat said.
“I’m all right.” I looked her in the eye. “Besides, I’m not too keen on going up to my apartment right now.”
“Then you’ll come home with me.” Kat stood, tugging on my arm.
I pulled back and shook my head. “No. Thank you, but in my condition I don’t think I can stomach Dan.” Her boyfriend—my ex—and the reason I’d found my own apartment.
It was quite the shock to move to New Orleans and find that not only had Dan moved here as well, but he was also dating my best friend. I’d been more hurt by the fact that Kat had been afraid to tell me than I was that the two were dating. Dan and I had made such a mess of our relationship; there really was no hope of reconciliation on either of our parts. As for the two of them dating? I understood. The three of us had been inseparable in high school. It wasn’t unreasonable to think they might make a connection. Of course, since Kat had left Boise right after our college graduation, I hadn’t expected it to happen from two thousand miles away.
Kat sighed. “Jade—”
I cut her off. “No, Kat. I told you before I get sick to my stomach when he’s around.”
She studied me for a long moment. I knew she was thinking it was all in my head. I’d thought so too, at first, but lately it was getting worse. Either way, I didn’t want to be in the same room with him. She pulled out her phone. “Okay, let me see what I can do.” After walking to the far side of the office, she dialed.
My heart swelled. Finally, she’d heard me about Dan.
Kat snapped her phone shut. “Okay, he’s on his way.”
“What? Dan’s coming here?” I stood up, ready to bolt from the room.
“No. Why would I call him? You know this is so not his thing. I called my friend, Ian. He hunts ghosts.”
I hadn’t known what I was expecting, but the person who showed up definitely wasn’t it. A man in his early thirties, looking as if he’d stepped out of a skateboarding magazine, strode up to me.
“Hi, Jade.” He waved.
“Ian? I didn’t realize it was you who was coming.”
His lips quirked into a lopsided, sexy little smile and pale blue eyes searched my face as he reached for my hand. I’d met Ian once before, shortly after I’d gotten to New Orleans. He’d been at one of Kat’s dinner gatherings. Grimacing in embarrassment, I realized I’d monopolized most of our hour-long chat. I hadn’t even remembered his name.
“Nice to see you again.” He paused and tilted his head toward a marquee on my building. It read, Hundreds of beautiful women and three ugly ones. “You live above a strip bar?”
I glanced at Kane’s club, Wicked, and shrugged. “The price was right.”
“Interesting marketing tactic.” He laughed.
Kat appeared beside me and handed over a pair of flip-flops she’d purchased from the corner store. “I’m off to get some food. Want anything?”
After Ian and I placed our orders, I gestured for him to follow me. My plastic shoes clattered on the brick pathway as we entered my wisteria-perfumed courtyard. Humidity hung in the air, finally warding off my chills. I shed the sweatshirt as I sat at a wrought-iron table. “Thank you for coming so quickly. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important.”
He shook his head. “Nope, perfect timing. You saved me from some rather dull reports, actually.”
“Reports? Ghost hunting reports?” Visions of a school lab, with Willow and Buffy fighting demons, filled my head.
“Oh, no. Research reports. I’m an assistant to a meteorologist at the University. I type up his reports and help out when needed.”
Nothing about his appearance—tousled sandy blond hair, wire-rimmed glasses and torn-up Converse—said professional. But his easy smile and the warm inner gl
ow radiating from him put me at ease. “So, ghost hunting is a hobby of yours?”
“Sort of. More like an obsession. Tell me, what can I do for you?”
What did I want him to do for me? Validation? Expulsion of my ghost? “Well, I don’t know. What do you normally do?”
“There isn’t a lot of ‘normal’ about it.” His smile widened. “However, why don’t you tell me what prompted Kat to call me, and we can go from there?”
I took a calming breath and told him about the Honey Dust and the black shadow.
“Honey Dust?” His eyebrows rose with the question.
“It’s an edible skin powder.” I averted my eyes. When I dared a glance he was writing in a note pad, his lips turned up in a sly smile. I bent my head, hoping my face wasn’t as flushed as it felt.
He put down his pen and took a long swig from a can of Coke. “Ah, that is exactly what I needed,” he said with a sigh. “Long night last night, you know.”
“Oh?”
He started writing again. “Yeah, the video tape jammed, and we had to stop in the middle to fix it. Then, of course, we had to start all over. But the mood was shot, so we didn’t really get much action.”
I stared at him, my brow pinched in confusion.
He chuckled, then sobered as I frowned. “I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just I get that look a lot. I meant I was out late on an investigation. The best time for measuring paranormal activity is at night between nine p.m. and six a.m. We had some equipment issues.”
“Obviously, I know nothing about what you do.”
“No problem. I always forget not everyone lives, eats and sleeps ghosts twenty-four-seven. Let’s get to it, shall we?”
I nodded, urging him on.
“I’ll need to inspect your apartment, but I’d like to bring my team, John and Riley. We each use different equipment to measure activity, so it’s better if I can get both of them here.”
I nodded again, and he took out his phone and dialed. Five minutes later, the other two men were on their way.
“Okay, where will you be while we do our thing?” Ian asked.
“Why?”
“After we take some baseline measurements, I’d like to get you back up there to see if there’s any activity related to you. Sometimes spirits are attracted by certain energies.”
Of course they were. I wondered how I’d gone this long without one attaching itself to me. “I guess I’ll be here.”
“Perfect. As soon as my guys get here I’ll get right to work. Are you staying at Kat’s tonight?”
Was I? “I guess so. Staying at my place doesn’t seem like a great idea.” I bit my lip to keep from scowling.
Ian shrugged. “I haven’t ever seen a ghost do more than just spook someone, so you could probably stay at your place. We’ll be here late, though. Collecting data can take a while to get conclusive results.”
“Only spooking, huh? That’s good to hear.” Too bad I wasn’t like most people. With my energy I’d end up possessed.
After Kat returned, the three of us ate our po’boy sandwiches and chatted about nothing ghost-related. I’d almost forgotten why Ian was there until his phone buzzed and he had to go meet his fellow ghost hunters.
I handed him my apartment key. “Just come get me when you’re ready.”
“Will do.” Ian took a few strides before I stopped him.
“Wait, don’t you have a fee or something for this?”
“Um, yeah. I do, but let’s see where this goes first. Consider this a free consultation. If we need to proceed, then we can discuss it.”
“That’s awfully nice of you.” I smiled.
“Ah-ha! There it is. I wondered if I’d get a genuine smile out of you. Looks good.” He winked. “Consider it the friend rate. Later, Kat.”
She waved. We watched as he left the courtyard, his phone pressed to his ear. The side door to the building banged shut.
“He’s hot! Is that the ghost hunter?” Pyper asked as she joined us.
I nodded. “He is pretty yummy, isn’t he? In a schoolboy kind of way.”
“Schoolboy.” She snorted. “Thinking of sneaking off behind the bleachers?”
I laughed. “That’s a thought.” Then I finally noticed her electric-blue hot pants and deep-cut halter top. “What are you wearing?”
Her features transformed into a sexy pout. “What? You don’t like my stripper outfit?”
Kat started coughing mid-sip, and Pyper laughed.
“You strip at the club, too?” I asked.
“Actually, I used to, and now only when necessary. We’re short-handed tonight. ”
After the initial shock of Pyper’s announcement wore off, the three of us stayed in the courtyard chatting for the next few hours until Ian called me for my part in the investigation. Kat had convinced me to stay at her place. I wasn’t happy about it, but my choices were limited. And if I didn’t get to sleep soon I really would pass out.
Dragging my feet up the third flight of stairs, I tried to be reasonable. Three other people were in my tiny, almost empty apartment. What’s the worst that could happen?
I knocked on the closed door, unsure if I should just walk in. In seconds, Ian appeared.
“Ready, Jade? All we’re going to do is take some measurements. But first I need you to say a protection spell.”
“A spell?” I frowned. I didn’t practice, and for good reason.
“More like a prayer. It’s just standard procedure.”
“All right.” A prayer spell wasn’t going to kill me. They were harmless.
Ian smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Just repeat after me.”
I nodded.
“Gods of the afterlife, we are here as mere observers. We ask for your guidance to walk with you in our quest for knowledge. We seek to do no harm and ask for protection from those whom would seek to harm us.”
I repeated Ian’s words and then asked, “Ready?”
“Yep. Okay, so I want you to walk slowly around the room while we take measurements. Don’t speak unless I ask you to.”
I circled my apartment, while Ian followed holding some kind of electronic meter. The two other guys were busy manning their own equipment. One held a palm-sized video recorder and the other juggled three different cameras.
I had no idea how accurate any of their readings would be. Ghost hunting wasn’t in my knowledge base. But I did have a weapon they didn’t know about. Deciding it was best to be in the know, I let my guards down and took in the lingering emotions. Ian’s excitement tingled up my spine.
“You really enjoy this, don’t you?” I asked.
“Everyone has a passion. Now, don’t talk. We’re taking measurements.”
I mouthed ‘sorry’ and zeroed in on the camera guy’s boredom and the videographer’s impatience. Seems Ian’s helpers didn’t share his passion. Blocking the three of them, I concentrated on any other emotional imprint. Nothing. I kept my senses open. When we neared the bathroom, trepidation slowed my steps. Ian nudged me. I had no choice but to suck it up.
The Honey Dust still covered the floor, and the sweet honeysuckle scent brought the afternoon’s events right back. I almost felt the mini tornado swirling around me. But as I stood there taking it in, nothing penetrated my emotional energy. It just felt peaceful.
Ian steered me to the center of the living area and asked me to say something.
“Hello?” I called.
Silence.
“Are you here?”
After a moment, Ian nodded. I tried again. “If you’re here, give us a sign.”
We tried a few more rounds of calling the ghost out, but nothing happened. With my part finished, I asked Ian to leave the key with Pyper, and left to find Kat.
I found a note on the empty table in the courtyard. Kat was waiting for me in the club. What? That’s the last place I’d expect her to be.
As I rounded the corner I spotted a bride-to-be dressed in a short, black sequined dress and a white
veil, surrounded by a group of women decked out with condoms and penis pops. The group moved as one to the front of the entrance. Is it normal for a woman to have her bachelorette party in a strip club? Huh.
I moved to join the back of the line, trying to avoid a crowd of men moving toward the party girls.
Someone grabbed my arm, startling me.
“Hey!” I cried out.
“You don’t need to wait in line,” Kane said. Was it weird my insides turned gooey every time I heard him talk? “Your friend’s inside at the bar.”
“Thanks.” I smiled up at him. As I walked through the door I turned back to wave and caught him watching me. My insides were warm and mushy…until emotional energy slammed into my gut, knocking the wind out of me.
I would have fallen if the wall hadn’t been directly behind me.
Gasping for air, I envisioned a glass silo then mentally put myself in it. The pain in my gut lessened enough for me to breathe, but didn’t fully vanish.
The biggest problem with being an empath is I couldn’t effectively block out others’ emotions in a highly charged atmosphere. And this place was charged. Usually an individual person’s energy has a distinct imprint. I could feel his or her energy and knew the specific owner, much in the same way I could pinpoint the sound of a voice to a particular person. But in situations like this, it was a shouting match of emotional energy. Only, I felt the pain in my stomach, not my ears.
With so much energy surrounding me I couldn’t focus. If I didn’t merge my senses with someone else, I’d collapse…soon. With emotional chaos making my head spin, I reached out blindly. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong person.
My stomach rolled as rage crawled up my spine, wrapping around my neck as if to strangle me. Gagging, I pulled my energy back and placed my mental image safely back into my glass silo. Jesus! Nothing short of evil resided in that body. On the outside he looked completely normal: an average, balding, thin man sitting in the corner, rolling an unlit cigarette between his fingers. I made a mental note to somehow warn Pyper and the staff to stay away from that one. Sometimes my gift comes in handy, and other times it’s downright unnerving. In this case, it was definitely both.