I blinked, shaking my head at that oddity, then I turned to the ghost, who happened to be a young man, early thirties, and cute to boot.
Angling my flashlight toward him, I noticed he had messy ash brown hair and was tall. In fact, quite a bit taller than Caley, since he towered over her. He had wide shoulders in his black leather jacket, thick thighs clad in dark blue jeans, and a very pouty mouth. He even had a playful glint in his chocolate brown eyes. “Do you plan on talking or just standing there staring at me?” At his grin, I rolled my eyes and added, “And you would be…?”
“Jake Hunt—dead four years, motorcycle accident.” He gave me a once-over in a slow sweep that didn’t resemble an examining stare, but a more personal look. “You are interesting, aren’t you?”
I frowned. “Interesting, how?”
“Not only sexy, but clearly gifted, too.” His smile became devilish. “Very interesting you are, darlin’.”
I gaped at him. “Are you seriously flirting with me?”
He winked. “Trying to.”
“A ghost is flirting with you,” Caley grumbled with a look of absolute revulsion. “God, that is so disgusting.”
Now I glared at her. “You do realize what you just said, right?”
“Oh, I don’t mean you and Kipp.” She flicked her hand dismissing me, looking everywhere but at me. “You know that’s different.”
“No, it really isn’t.” But why argue semantics? I focused on Jake, who continued to give me a heated look, which made my cheeks warm. Even if I loved another ghost, who was a helluva lot sexier than the one before me now, I couldn’t deny his appeal. “What can I do for you?”
A very sexy smile crossed his face. “What would you like to do for me?”
“Good grief.” As if I needed another ghost after my tail, since one had already seduced me and made me fall in love with him. “Trust me, Jake, I’m not in the mood. If you want my help, you better get to it quickly before I send you away.”
He folded his arms, a little of the heat fading from his eyes. “Don’t need any help. I’ve been exploring the past years and I’m content doing that. I was walking and saw you, and well,” his gaze did another slow slide over me, “you look different than the others, so I was curious.”
“That’s it?” I retorted, staring him down, not believing that for a second. “You want nothing from me? You were simply curious?”
He leaned down and, in an instant, his eyes once again smoldered. “Never said I wouldn’t want you, sweetheart.”
My cheeks burned hotter. Sure, I shouldn’t be reacting to his charm, but I wasn’t dead—just in love—and well, this ghost had mastered the art of seduction. “Okay, great. We’re kinda busy at the moment, so it was great meeting you, but you better be on your way.”
Jake looked at Alexander with a firm nod, then to me, he said, “The pleasure in meeting you was all mine, beautiful.” With an incline of his head, he gave me his charismatic smile before he strode away toward the forest.
I watched him and his fluid stride until he faded into the dark night, totally shocked. “Oh my god, he wanted nothing.” I looked at Caley. “Seriously, he just came and talked to us then left. And he was nice about it.”
Most ghosts that didn’t want my help were crotchety, exactly as the old gentleman had been at the swamp and always seemed to think I had some evil plan to force them away.
Oddly enough, the interaction with Jake was almost refreshing. To not be needed, pulled into some mystery I didn’t want any part of and simply talked to without some motive behind it felt…nice.
Caley snorted, flicking her locks over her shoulder. “Clearly, he was very nice to you. Your cheeks are bright red.”
I parted my lips to defend myself, but before I got a word out, Gretchen interjected, “I’m ready.”
Glancing over my shoulder, and with the help of my flashlight, I spotted her a few feet away. Her two fists clenched around something in her hands. With a full cringe of my body, I glimpsed sideways at Caley. “Here we go.”
Even in the dark night, her skin looked pale and her eyebrows were furrowed. “Let’s get this over with before I change my mind.”
Gretchen finally reached us, settling in front of Caley, and held out a hand to her. When I angled my flashlight down toward her palm, I noticed a locket with black ribbon. “What’s that?”
My best friend took a step forward, examining the necklace with suspicion. “Yes, what is that?”
Gretchen chuckled softly, probably at the horror crossing Caley’s face. “You need to wear this. The lilies in the locket will protect you. Alexander won’t be able to cause you any harm or do any mischief—.”
Without letting Gretchen finish, Caley grabbed the necklace and slid it over her head. After which, she lifted the golden locket and gave it a hard look. “This shit is weird.” She raised her head and the incredulity in her eyes had deepened. “It will honestly keep me safe?”
Gretchen nodded. “It will.”
While I trusted Gretchen and her magic, I understood why Caley didn’t. If I hadn’t seen Gretchen’s spells work with my very own eyes, I doubted I’d feel as confident as I did now. “I know it’s hard to believe, but she’s telling the truth.”
Caley shook her head in disbelief, dropping the necklace to settle against her chest. “All right, whatever. Okay, is that it?”
“You also need to burn this.” Gretchen opened her other hand to a small white sachet. “It’s dried amaranth flowers, dittany of Crete, and Wormwood.”
Caley’s nose scrunched. “And this will…?”
“It’s Calling up the Dead Incense,” Gretchen replied, giving her hand a shake for Caley to accept her offering. “Which will allow Alexander the right to take over.”
“You know…” Caley said, taking the pillow and then looking at it with my flashlight lighting up her hand. “It’s frightening that simple ingredients have the power to do this stuff.” She looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Like seriously, frightening.”
I might have agreed with her, but those ingredients had saved my butt. “It’s all for the greater-good. Does that make you feel better?”
“No.”
I laughed, totally understanding Caley’s hesitation. Soon enough, she’d see for herself that witchcraft was real. But seeing the tension in Caley’s posture and how she couldn’t stand still, moving back and forth along the grass, I thought it best to move along. To Gretchen, I asked, “Is that all she has to do?”
Gretchen backed away from Caley, settling in next to Alexander and giving him a little smile. While she couldn’t see him, she could sense the change of energy in the area and clearly, she figured it out without my input. “She needs to welcome him in by saying: I call upon the spirit of Alexander Stone. What once was one, is now two. I welcome thee.”
I bit my lip and my muscles tensed. Lord, I felt horrible for putting Caley in this position and she was right—after this night, I would kiss her ass for a very long time. “Not so bad, right?”
“I still hate you,” Caley grumbled.
Glancing at Alexander next to her, who had been waiting patiently standing by the tall grass that waved in the breeze, I asked, “Are you ready?”
He nodded.
I inhaled and wet my lips, noticing the crickets signing around us. Maybe I’d been so drawn into the moment I hadn’t heard them until now, or perhaps they’d gotten louder. “Do we need to stand back or anything?”
Caley cursed. “Tess Jennings, you are seriously making me my doubt my sanity at the moment.”
Gretchen smiled, shaking her head. “We’re fine right here.” She reached into her pocket and took out a lighter, offering it to Caley. “Just place the sachet on the ground and light it. Wait a minute for the smoke to rise and then say the chant three times.”
Caley released the most exasperated breath I’d ever heard come from her mouth, and when she looked at me, I saw the fear in her eyes and the slight tremble of her bottom lip.
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I stepped forward, gripped her arm and squeezed tight. “You’ll be fine. Gretchen would never allow this if it wasn’t safe, and to be honest, I’m hoping I’ll get what I need in one conversation and then you’ll wake up. Bingo, bango, fineto.”
Caley’s head lowered down to the sachet a moment before she gave me a weak nod. “Okay.” After harsh breath, she knelt, placed the incense on the ground, staring at it for a long while. She raised her gaze to the black sky. “I am out of my goddamn mind.”
Without another word and with a full-out quake of her fingers, she lit the incense and the smoke drifted up from below. Staying on her knees, she said in a shaky voice, “I call upon the spirit of Alexander Stone. What once was one, is now two. I welcome thee.”
I held my breath while she recited it again. On the third time, I exhaled as Alexander’s odd ghostly form shimmered with bright colors—blues, greens, pinks, almost spending off sparks into the night.
Caley’s gaze caught mine and I smiled gently, hoping to reassure her. I’d never had suggested this either if I thought she was in any danger and I hoped, in my face, she witnessed that strength.
Before my eyes, the weird lights flickered around her now, as did Alexander’s body and Caley’s eyes widened. Her mouth parted on a loud gasp and those lights became brighter, causing me to squint. The crickets around us had gone quiet and silence settled in.
A huge rush of wind blew the hair back from my face, and the lights became so intense I covered my eyes. I peeked through my fingers, noticing Gretchen staring at Caley, meaning she couldn’t see what I could.
It actually pleased me Caley couldn’t see this because I suspected it might scare her, because damn, it scared me. I forced myself to look back, since poor Caley was the one going through it and I stared at her knees. The light seemed centered on her torso, but it lit up the grass around her in a bluish glow.
The light got increasingly brighter before the wind picked up, then the light vanished. Caley’s even loader gasps filling the dark night around me. I quickly lowered my hand and found her with her hands on her knees, drawing in deep breaths.
I looked at Gretchen and she was studying Caley with a tilt to her head, then she shrugged at me. I turned to my best friend, who remained on her knees with her head bowed to the grass below. “Caley?”
Her gaze lifted and in that split second, I knew my friend no longer controlled her body. In her blue eyes, softness resided there. It was a very rare thing to see Caley look as gentle as she did now. “Alexander?”
“Hello.”
“Oh, shit,” I exclaimed, raising my free hand to my mouth and whispered, “It worked.”
Gretchen stepped in front of Alexander, gazing down at him. “Alexander?”
He stood, looking slightly uncomfortable. I suspected that meant he was getting used to Caley’s slender body instead of the older, manly one he once owned. “This feels much better.”
I blinked away from my shock, not liking the sound of that. “Well, don’t go getting used to it. You’re out of there once we’re done.”
He smiled at me with a smile I’d never seen from Caley—wisdom etched into her features. “I’m aware of that. I promise not to take advantage.”
I couldn’t fight back the near hysterical laughter that rose at hearing Caley talk like…that. Older. Proper. Without snark. Just all types of wrong. But it also settled a slight worry I had that I wouldn’t notice the difference.
Seeing Caley right now made me fully aware this was not my best friend. “Well, good.” The crickets from the swamp sang again as asked Gretchen, “What’s the plan now?” Perhaps I hadn’t totally believed this would work, because now, I wasn’t sure what to ask of him.
“Might we go inside?”
At Caley’s oddly soft voice, I jerked my head to Alexander. “Huh?”
He gestured toward the house and Caley’s eyes looked pained. “I’ve been stuck at this swamp since my death. My strength only remains because of the magnetic fields located here. I’ve tapped into that power to be able to remain and not be forced into the Netherworld. I’d quite enjoy a change of scenery.”
“Oh, of course,” I replied in total agreement, but a thought rose. “So, that’s what the spell was? It didn’t just send you away; it trapped you in the Netherworld?”
He nodded, taking a step toward me and the beam of my flashlight landed on the locket on Caley’s chest. “If the spell had succeeded and I didn’t tap into the magnetic fields to break that hold, I would’ve been lost there forever.”
“Well, I’m glad the spell failed,” was my only reply.
“As am I,” Alexander agreed.
Chapter Eighteen
With Gretchen leading the way, I followed in behind Alexander, even noticing Caley’s walk looked different. She always had a seductive strut, but now she looked slightly clunky.
Truth be told, I liked seeing the little differences to remind me I preferred my best friend just the way she was, and if anything, not to waste time to ensure Alexander got out quickly.
At the front door of the house, Gretchen entered with Alexander in tow, and the second I stepped over the threshold, I stopped dead in my tracks. Wayde and Dane stood in the foyer by the staircase, their eyes glued on us.
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest and I couldn’t move, and apparently, neither could Alexander or Gretchen. There we all stood, in the center of the large foyer, surrounded by soft yellow painted walls and the comforting scent of Amelia’s baking, not saying a word.
After an incredibly long staring contest, Wayde pointed at Caley. “Why is she here?”
Oh, crud…I hadn’t thought up a reasonable explanation for why Caley would be there. But part of me wanted to sigh in relief he saw Caley and didn’t suspect any trickery. Before I could come up with something, Alexander said, “Would you let your best friend stay in this house without you?”
Okay, I had to give it to Alexander because he actually sounded exactly like Caley. Not only her clipped voice, but that was totally something she would’ve said. “Um…she’s a bit protective.”
Dane’s eyebrows rose, and well, I could understand that well enough. Caley hadn’t been any part of the whole demonic business, so why would she be now? I quickly changed the subject to avoid him looking too deep into it. “Alexander didn’t show up tonight. I have nothing new to tell you.”
Gretchen added, “We’ll go out later again to see, but there is no sense sitting out there and waiting for him to show up.”
“I disagree,” Wayde spat.
Gretchen frowned, taking a step toward him. “I won’t exhaust Tess. She’s been at this all day.”
Wayde’s lips parted to no doubt offer some stupid retort, but Dane cut in, “She’s right. If we push Tess, it’ll do us no good. She’ll be better to us if she stays sharp.” His gaze swept to Caley and he stared so intently, with a furrow to his brow, I worried. “Besides, having her friend here doesn’t matter as long as Tess continues to look into this.”
I paused at the measured look in his eye. Did he know? I had no clue how this all worked. I wasn’t a medium in the sense I got feelings off ghosts; no, they just told me how they felt. I wondered if Dane could tell a ghost was now in Caley’s body and more to the point, that Alexander had joined her.
While deep down, even though I hated Dane, I couldn’t bring myself to believe he had any involvement in Alexander’s death. Truthfully, I didn’t believe anyone in this house did. I hoped I was right, since if the killer knew what we were doing now, we’d be fucked sideways.
Not wanting to dive into that any further, or feel too scrutinized I’d mess up, I changed the subject to get the attention off us. “By the way, did you know you have quite a few ghosts here at the house?”
Wayde’s stare met mine dead-on, his gaze intently focused. “What ghosts?”
Under his stare, I really did hate how much he unnerved me, but I amounted that to being a little afraid he’d find out about Alexande
r. “I helped a woman from the Glasgow family cross last night. There’s a cranky older man, and a younger one, too.”
Dane frowned at me. “If ghosts are bothering you, I told you that you have the power—”
Before I had the chance to confirm I had been ordering them away, Wayde stated, “You’re not here to help other ghosts. You are to help solve Alexander’s death. You have the power to force ghosts to keep their distance, so use it. Am I understood?”
I snorted, considering I planned on doing that anyway. “Yeah, got it.”
“Did you speak to my father?”
Leaning a little to the side, I noticed Amelia standing in the doorway of the kitchen with flour on her hands. “Sorry, no.”
Something close to irritation crossed her features—which I understood, she wanted answers—but she controlled it as she said, “I’ve made some fresh bread for sandwiches if you and Gretchen would…” She had been walking toward me, but when she took in Caley, she stopped. “Oh, your friend has returned.”
I wanted to exhale in relief that Amelia wasn’t a medium and couldn’t sense ghosts. For whatever reason, I suspected that if she could, she would’ve known her father was with us because of their bond.
Looking to the second half of that bond, I found Alexander staring at his daughter with such sorrow in his face that I elbowed him. At his low grunt—that sounded entirely masculine—I smiled at Amelia. “Thanks for the sandwiches. I’ll come down in a bit to get them.” Maybe Amelia cooked because she needed something to do, but I didn’t mind; her food was delicious.
Without another word, I grabbed Alexander’s hand and dragged him with me, brushing past Wayde at the staircase. I rushed up the stairs, taking two at a time, and Gretchen followed.
At the bedroom door, I whisked it open and hurried in. Once Gretchen and Alexander entered, I closed the door with a slam and turned to them. “Oh. My. God. I think Dane knows.”
Mystically Bound (Frostbite, Book Three) Page 12