“Let me answer,” Gretchen interjected, “since I understand spirits more than you do.”
I gawked at her. How did that make any sense at all? But her serious look made me shut my mouth as she continued, “It appears something is wrong with Alexander. He did show up, but only for a very short time, and he couldn’t communicate.”
Her eyebrows drew together as if in thought. How could she be, when she presently lied through her teeth? “From what I heard from Tess, and from what I witnessed tonight, I would believe it is residue of his energy. Though, part of me believes there’s more to it.”
I watched her explain that bit of nonsense, but she wasn’t looking at me, her focus remained on Wayde, making me realize why she’d withheld the truth. We couldn’t rule out the possibility that someone in this room had cast the spell, and did we really want to confront them now?
Not likely.
Wayde leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, his gaze intent on me. “So, you found out nothing?”
“I wouldn’t say nothing,” I replied, hating how uncomfortable I felt under his stare. “I would say exactly what Gretchen said; there seems to be more to it. There has to be a reason he showed up like he did and couldn’t talk, but what that reason is, I have no idea.”
At the memory of Alexander’s state, my heartstrings tugged a sweet little song to help, but not enough to change my mind or to forget what Dane had done. I’d been screwed over by Dane once—Amelia was Dane’s wife and Alexander his father-in-law, which automatically put them on the do-not-help list.
With that thought firmly cemented in my mind, I added, “I did as you asked and found Alexander. I told you what I know—or don’t know, I should say—and what you do from here is your problem.” Wayde’s lips parted and I raised my hand, cutting him off. “I’ve upheld my part of the promise, so tell me how to locate Kipp. I’m getting the hell outta here.”
Amelia’s eyes widened, cheeks flushed bright red, and she shook her head. “But…but….” She glanced at Wayde and Dane frantically before she looked at me again. “If dad showed up at all it means he’s stuck and hasn’t found peace. We can’t leave him like this.”
“You can’t, but I certainly can.”
Hell, I had enough of my own pain to deal with, I didn’t need to take on hers, too. Besides, her dipshit husband had caused my agony. “Might I remind you, that your husband was adamant I not open myself up to ghosts, or care about them. But now I should, because it’s one of yours. When it’s convenient for you, it’s all right.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Dane’s eyes narrowed into thin slits. “Do not talk to my wife in that tone.”
I glared in return, unmoved by his wrath. “Tell me how to get to Kipp and I don’t have to talk to her at all.” Screw him and what he wanted. They couldn’t have it both ways and not have me notice the error in their judgment. “Problem solved.”
“We still need you,” Wayde stated.
“Get bent,” I bit off.
Wayde’s eyes burned with a hot emotion I suspected should frighten me, but had no effect at all. Then slowly, the side of his mouth arched. “We’ll offer you another trade if you stay. As Gretchen said, if there is more going on with Alexander, then we need to investigate the matter further, but you,” he said the latter like he ate dirt, “have gotten more knowledge from the one encounter than any of us have for days. Who’s to say if you seek him out again, you won’t get more?”
“Sorry to break it to you,” I retorted, pointing out an obvious fact. “But I got the feeling he blew all his energy with that one visit. I doubt he’d come back to me tonight.”
“Tomorrow he might,” Wayde offered.
“Good for you for figuring that one out.” I sighed, exasperated. “Problem is, I’m not sticking around until tomorrow to find out. I don’t need anything else from you, so give me what you promised.”
Wayde inhaled a long breath, stretched out his legs in the chaise, and clasped his hands in his lap. “What will you do once you find your ghost? He’s trapped between two worlds, is he not?”
My gaze skipped to Gretchen and she regarded Wayde with interest, the glow from the fireplace casting an orange hue on her cheek. Her curious look didn’t sit well in my stomach. “What do you mean, trapped?”
Wayde smiled, not warm and friendly, but more like a cat about to pounce on a mouse. He slowly stood from the chaise and approached me. “Gretchen told me you wonder how Kipp’s a ghost when he’s not dead.”
Oh yeah, he planned to exploit me in any way he could, and I sure-as-shit didn’t appreciate being cornered. When he settled in front of me, I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin. “Your point?”
Wayde’s measured expression deepened and it sure felt like entrapment. “My point is…” He leaned into my face and his eyes became cold. “Your ghost has a trapped soul. He’s stuck between two worlds, unable to reconnect to his body.”
I rolled my eyes since now the trapped business made sense. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t already heard. Gretchen suspected the same thing and told me as much already. “So?”
His eyes turned wickedly dark, sending a wave of unease right down to the tips of my toes. “What would you do for a spell that reconnected his soul with his body, which in turn, let your ghost live again?”
Time halted.
I finally blinked. “Excuse me?”
Wayde leaned away from my face, folding his arms. His expression looked so spiteful, I wanted to spit on his shoes. “When Gretchen informed me of your situation, I did some research and discovered a spell. One that is as old as the Animus itself. It will force Kipp’s soul to reconnect.” His eyebrows rose, head tilted. “From what I’ve heard, his body is healed and healthy, which means there’s no reason he won’t awaken.”
I searched Wayde’s eyes for any hit of trickery, but dammit, I couldn’t find any. Not like that reassured me. I didn’t trust anything about this man. I jerked my head to Gretchen. “Is that true?”
“I…” She worried her bottom lip, staring at Wayde, and after a long moment, she turned to me. “To be honest, I’m not sure. I haven’t heard of such a spell.”
Exactly why I trusted Gretchen; she didn’t feed me bullshit.
“But as I told you,” she continued. “The Animus is where you need to be to get the answers you’re after. If any spell existed to hold such a power to force a ghost back into its mortal body, it would be contained here.”
Well, fuck!
I looked at Wayde. “Where is this spell?”
He strode over to couch, sitting in next to Amelia. “Our history—magical and spiritual—is contained in a book we call the Lux.”
Glancing around the large snazzy room, I didn’t see a book of any sort. Maybe I wished I could see it so it’d be easier to believe in. Without the visual, trusting such a spell existed was impossible.
Before I could state as much, Wayde continued, “The Lux is protected and hidden, since the spells and history within have profound power. In the wrong hands, those spells could be dangerous.”
His statement proved Wayde’s desperation, because I doubted he wanted to share the knowledge of the Lux’s existence with me, and I suspected the secret nature of the book was more about control than danger. Even now, it seemed Wayde would rather I leave than help me, but they needed me, didn’t they? And dammit all to hell, I needed that spell.
Wayde had it right—finding Kipp didn’t bring me any closer to solving his problem. Until now, I only wanted discover why he left, but what would happen once Kipp came back?
From all I had learned, there were solid reasons why Kipp hadn’t returned to his body. The Hannah Reid case—which felt like a lifetime ago—caused him to accept his ghostly state to help solve her murder. Then, he became stuck between two worlds because he didn’t belong as a ghost.
While I had it in me to say to hell with it all, not only did I need to find Kipp, but I needed a way to fix him. The Animus held those answers.
On a sigh, I ran my hands over my face and tears threatened to rise. When had life become so fucked up that these were the decisions I had to make? Stay and get involved with solving Alexander’s murder—which could very well have been committed by someone in this room, even if that seemed unlikely since they were trying to solve his murder—or leave and possibly lose Kipp forever? “Tess,” Gretchen whispered.
Lowering my hands, I looked at her sad eyes and clearly, she understood the torment running through me. But only one thing truly mattered above all else; to put an end to this and to regain some sort of normalcy in my life, I had to take action.
Even if I didn’t want to give in to Wayde’s tactics, what choice did I have? “Fine, I’ll stay, but—”
Amelia pounced off the couch and, in a second, had me in her arms, squeezing me in a death grip. “Thank you, Tess. Thank you.” She sobbed into my neck.
Dane turned away from the fireplace, and for a split second, I could’ve sworn a softer edge registered along his face. But how could that be? The man held no soul and only thought of his own agenda.
I stepped away from Amelia and didn’t give her a hug. I didn’t want anything from these people, except for the spell to save Kipp. “Before I do anything, I have two conditions.”
Wayde’s eyes narrowed. “Which are?”
“First, teach me how to go into the Netherworld. Until I see that it works, I’m not wholeheartedly agreeing to anything. How can I trust the spells hold the power you claim?”
“I can agree to that request.” Wayde pushed off the couch and settled in next to Amelia. “The other?”
“Bind the promise that you’ll give me the spell to help Kipp.”
“Impossible.” Wayde snorted. “How will we set out the parameters? You could say you will stay and help, but that doesn’t mean you won’t leave tomorrow and I’ll be bound to give you the spell. You also can’t say you’ll stay until you solve Alexander’s murder, since you don’t know if you can.”
He had a point, so I reconsidered. “Well, I’m not doing this without a way to trust your word.”
Wayde’s gaze lifted to the ceiling for only a moment before he glanced at me again and that somewhat scary smile returned. “I could promise the power does exist to reconnect your ghost with his body, and I possess that knowledge. Would that suffice?”
I looked at Gretchen and she nodded. Truth be told, I did understand Wayde’s hesitation in promising anything else to me. In his position, I wouldn’t have either. “Yes, that’ll do.”
“Good.” He took the last two steps to reach me as Dane sidled up to him, wrapping Amelia in a hug from behind. “Now then, as to the other condition, are you prepared to stop being blind to the world around you?”
My breath caught at his dark smile and I couldn’t find my voice when he said, “Are you ready to have everything you know, everything you believe in, turned upside down?”
Chapter Seven
I followed Wayde and Gretchen down the dark wood wainscoted hallway, and as I passed the formal dining room, furnished with all the fancy fixings, I grumbled to myself. I did not belong in this rich, historic house. I missed Memphis, and my little condominium.
On a sigh, I headed past the doorway leading to the kitchen, and the scent of banana bread reminded me I hadn’t eaten in hours. Hell, I hadn’t eaten much lately, and my slightly baggy jeans were evidence enough I needed to take better care of myself. But with all that had happened, food hadn’t been much of a priority.
Besides, what troubled me more was Wayde’s statement. I suspected he might have been onto something. The day I saw my first ghost was the day I, more or less, shut down. But how could I not? Up until I met Kipp, I did my best to ignore the ghosts trying to get my attention.
With each step along the creaky hardwood floor, and with memories of Kipp on my mind, urgency overtook me to talk to someone else. Especially since I assumed things were about to get buck-ass wild, and the time to make a call would vanish.
After Wayde disappeared into a room on the left and Gretchen nearly followed, I called, “Be there in a minute; gotta call the boys before they start to worry.”
Gretchen glanced over her shoulder, eyebrows raised. “I imagine they are worried.”
Without waiting for my response, she entered the room, leaving me alone in the hallway. I understood; she didn’t need my confirmation that Kipp’s fellow cops were concerned about me. Max hadn’t been thrilled at my leaving Memphis, especially considering he wasn’t coming with me. Of course, I hadn’t expected this trouble when I had refused his babysitting.
I heaved a long sigh, and reached into my pocket. After I took out my cell phone, I scrolled through my contacts and found a person I wished could magically appear in front of me, and then I hit the call button.
The phone rang twice before a low voice said, “Zach.”
I smiled at the familiarity of Zach’s voice, leaning my shoulder against the wall. “Hey, it’s me.”
“Hi, you.”
The obvious happiness in his voice warmed me. Our friendship had developed under insane circumstances, since he was Kipp’s partner, but regardless, I loved Zach and I knew he loved me back.
“How’s Louisiana?” he asked.
I snorted. “Stir-shit-crazy.”
His pause was long and slightly awkward. “Crazy, how?”
I sympathized with the tension radiating off his voice. No one wanted more trouble, especially me. “Well, from what I’ve seen, the Animus is real and they can help me with Kipp, but…”
There, I began explaining the insanity I now found myself in. I didn’t leave a single detail out, nor did I downplay the weirdness with Alexander. Odd in part only a short time ago, no one but my best friend, Caley, knew about my gifts. I wouldn’t have dared shared these happenings before, in fear of total humiliation. Now, considering all Zach and I had been through, the events passed easily from my mouth.
When I finished, Zach paused again before he cleared his throat. “You have no idea who killed Alexander? Or if this person is in the house with you?”
Only confirming how normal ghost-talk was now, since Zach didn’t even fumble, going right into cop mode. “Yeah, well, it’s not an ideal situation.”
He laughed, unamused. “Ideal?”
I rubbed at my tired eyes, then lowered my hand and admitted, “Okay, it downright blows. Is that better?”
“Much.” His long exhale crackled through the phone line before his voice firmed. “Do you think you’re in any danger?”
I nibbled my lip, staring at the abstract art on the wall that, for the life of me, I couldn’t make out—was it a tree, bush…maybe a person. “I hope not. Is that a good answer?”
“No. It isn’t,” he grumbled, and after a short pause, he continued, “But you’re right—it doesn’t sound like anyone there has a motive to kill someone they loved and respected.”
A squeal suddenly erupted before Zach’s curse echoed in the phone followed by a loud scuffle. Then Caley snapped, “What are you doing? A killer could be there. Oh, my God, Tess, get your ass home—”
I clicked the end button and powered off my phone. Not to say I didn’t want to talk to Caley, I did miss her, but the conversation would be long and annoying. I would have to defend my reasons for staying in White Castle, which I doubted she’d understand. Caley had never been one to see my side of things. She would focus on the possible danger, and nothing else. Zach would calm her down, which he seemed to have mastered since they started dating. Besides, I had another important conversation to deal with, and Caley would be relentless with non-stop calling until I answered.
I shoved my cell phone back into my pocket and hurried through the doorway into the sitting room. First, I spotted the large bookshelf at the back of the room, then I wrinkled my nose at the scent of mothballs in the air. But I instantly shoved away the grossness, because the sight of the books made me wonder if this wouldn’t be so hard after all.
Glancing at Gret
chen, who sat in one of the wingback wooden chairs in the corner of the room, I gestured toward the books. She shook her head with flat eyes, indicating nothing came that easily.
Figures!
On a huff, I strode forward and dropped onto the hard-as-rock antique couch beneath the large window. I crossed my legs and watched as Wayde left his place by the oak desk and approached the bookshelf. He clearly knew what he wanted to find since he didn’t hesitate in taking a book off the shelf.
Holding onto a brown leather book, he turned to me with the same dark twinkle in his eyes. He opened the cover and flipped a few pages. After he found whatever he looked for, his eyes rose to mine again, and then he handed me the book and pointed to a picture of a woman. “Her.”
I glanced at the page and stared at a young woman, who looked around my age of twenty-five, and by her pretty lace dress and cloche hat, appeared to be from the 1920s. Her hair was blonde, even though I only took guesses since the picture was black and white. She didn’t smile in the photo, and in fact, looked grumpy as hell with deep frown lines around her mouth. When staring at the picture got me nowhere, I finally looked up at Wayde. “Who is this, and why should I care?”
“She’s you.”
I couldn’t even find it within myself to roll my eyes. If he started talking about reincarnation, I would flatten him. I might believe in witchcraft and demons. I also had no doubt this world had many more surprises. But I wouldn’t go any deeper than I’d already gone. I had enough on my plate without filling my brain with more crazy-ass knowledge. “This is not me.”
“Not you,” Wayde said with slow precision. “But that is Nettie Glasgow. Her talents matched your own.”
I blinked, processed, and blinked again.
Could that be true?
Looking at the picture again, I studied Nettie. After meeting Dane, it had been a relief to meet someone who had supernatural gifts. It did make me feel not as alone in the world, even if I wanted to castrate Dane. But hearing that someone held the exact gifts I did…Yeah, it warmed that piece of detachment I felt from others. “Nettie had the same abilities I do?”
Mystically Bound (Frostbite, Book Three) Page 4