by Kay Maree
Swiping her thumb across the screen, she saw a message from her good friend, Victoria. “Miss you. Dinner tonight at Scruples?”
Gina quickly typed out a reply. “Sounds good. I can be there by six thirty.”
“Awesome,” came Tori’s quick response. “Damien will be joining us. Hope that’s okay?”
“Of course, it’s okay. See you then.” Gina hadn’t seen Tori and Damien since their wedding a few months ago. It would be nice to catch up with the newlyweds.
Tossing the phone onto the bed, Gina strode to the closet to pick out something to wear.
Thoughts of Colton plagued her every step. She couldn’t shake the memory of his lips moving beneath hers, his hard, throbbing—
Peanut’s sudden barking jerked her back to the present.
Gina hurried from the room and into the kitchen, pushing the back door open wider. “Come on, boy.”
The dog continued to bark at the side gate, signaling that someone had to be in the drive.
Leaving the door ajar, she moved into the living room and peered through the peephole.
“Mother? I didn’t hear you pull up,” Gina announced, unlocking and opening the door.
Lani sent her daughter a warm smile and stepped inside. “I brought you some strawberries, fresh from the garden.”
Gina gave her mother a kiss on the cheek, accepted the gift, and closed the door. “You didn’t have to bring these over here. I would have picked them up.”
Her mother softly smiled. “It’s all right. I needed to get out of the house for a minute anyway.”
Moving toward the kitchen, Gina murmured. “Dad being an A-hole again?”
“Gina,” her mother gently scolded. “You shouldn’t say things like that about your father. But yes, he is being crotchety today. He came home from work, prowling the house like a caged lion.”
Gina opened the fridge and set the strawberries inside. “Maybe he got a visit from the same person that visited me last night.”
Her mother looked at her strangely. “What does that mean?”
With a sigh, Gina closed the refrigerator door. “Do you remember a few years back when I told you about the girl in my room that disappeared after scaring me to death?”
“The spirit you saw,” Lani confirmed. “Yes, I remember.”
“Well, I saw another one last night.”
Lani’s eyes lit with curiosity. “Was it the same girl?”
Gina shook her head, leaned her hip against the counter for support, and filled her mother in on Colton’s appearance. She intentionally left out the part about her molesting him in her sleep.
“It is a gift that you have, my daughter. A gift that I have often longed for myself.”
Studying her mother’s face, Gina asked, “How can you say it’s a gift to see ghosts? I’d rather not ever run across one again. Especially in the middle of the night. I just want to live a normal life. Not a life filled with the unknown and spirits haunting me.”
“You possess the White Buffalo totem, Gina. The spirits you encounter in your life need help with something. They are lost. You hold the power to help them, to free them from what is holding them here.”
Gina raised an eyebrow. “If that’s true, then what happened to the girl I saw before? I didn’t do anything to help her, other than scare her away with my screaming.”
“Perhaps she moved on to find another who could assist her. Someone more accepting of her presence.”
With a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, Gina leaned harder against the counter. “So, for the rest of my life, I’m to be visited by spirits who are trapped, unable to get the hell where they’re supposed to be going? Great. Just great.”
Lani reached up and cupped her daughter’s cheek. “You’re special, Gina. Don’t think of it as a burden. Think of it as the gift that it is meant to be.”
Gina hugged her mother’s neck, glancing at the clock hanging on the wall in front of her. “I have to get in the shower. I’m meeting Tori for dinner at Scruples in an hour.”
Pulling back, Lani squeezed her daughter’s hands. “I’ll go and let you get ready. Remember what I said. Spirits who come to you seeking assistance are nothing to fear. You hold the power to help them. Use the gift that Yo He Waah gave you, and use it wisely.”
“You don’t have to go, Mom,” Gina assured her, attempting to change the subject. “You are welcome to stay here or come to dinner with me.”
Her mother sent her a gentle smile. “I must get back anyhow. I have to go to the market on my way home. I just wanted to stop by and drop off the strawberries.”
“If you’re sure?”
Lani turned toward the living room. “I’m sure. I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
Gina followed her mother to the door, kissing her once more before she left.
Locking the door, Gina trailed back to the kitchen to call Peanut inside, her gaze scanning the backyard for signs of her midnight visitor. But nothing moved on the wind save for the trees.
It was going to be a long night.
Chapter Seven
Colton prowled along the murky banks of Black Creek, fighting like hell to silence the insistent screaming inside his head.
He gritted his teeth, resisting the nausea that rolled through him. Even though he could never actually empty the contents of his ghostly stomach any more than he could stop the screams.
In fact, the only time his mind experienced relief was after he saved a life.
Colton would never understand how he managed to find the energy it took to drag someone from a burning building, an overturned car, or other accident. He only knew that he could.
Nothing else had ever stopped the tormented screams but saving a life. Until he’d met Gina Collins. Not once had he heard the voices while in Gina’s presence.
He’d lain in her bed last night, feeling her hands touch his skin, her breath on his face. He’d inhaled her sweet scent in wonder. It was the first time he’d smelled anything other than smoke since his death. No other voices could be heard but Gina’s.
Colton glanced down in disbelief as his shaft rose to life inside his pants. That made twice he’d had an erection within twenty-four hours.
I’m a spirit, Colton thought without humor. How in bloody hell do I have an erection?
He considered returning to Gina’s home but quickly discarded the idea. The last thing he needed to do was grow an attachment to her or ruin her life by haunting her.
Yet the longer he stood there, thinking about her, the more desperate to see her he became.
Closing his eyes, he willed himself back to her house.
Colton stilled as she suddenly stepped outside, locked the door behind her, and strolled to her car.
His dead heart skipped a beat as he took in her attire. She wore a short white skirt that showed off her tanned legs and a pink flowy top.
Oblivious to his presence, she slid behind the wheel of her car and started the engine.
Colton willed himself into the back seat, unable to bear watching her leave. He’d sit back there all night if that’s what it took to be near her.
Her scent floated around inside the car, alluring in its sweetness.
He could only stare at her face in the rearview mirror and breathe her in. She was the most intoxicating female he’d ever encountered.
She reached up and turned on the stereo, scanning the different stations before stopping on an old Rick Springfield song.
Colton’s lips twitched. He hadn’t heard that song since before his death.
Gina backed out of the drive and drove slowly along her street until reaching the main road.
She obviously hadn’t sensed his presence in the car, else she would have never done what he knew she was about to do.
Turning up the music, Gina tapped her fingers against the steering wheel and belted out the next line of “Jessie’s Girl.”
> It was all Colton could do not to laugh. Yet the longer he listened to her sing, the more he realized she had a voice as beautiful as the rest of her.
She sang the entire rest of the song, word for word, thumping her fingers on the wheel to the beat.
Colton hadn’t enjoyed himself this much for as long as he could remember.
A couple minutes later, Gina turned off the main road and pulled into a parking space in front of Scruples.
She switched off the car, opened the door, and got out.
Colton followed, staying close as she strode up the steps and entered the nice establishment. He wondered why he’d never eaten there when he’d been alive.
The hostess looked up from behind a small counter as the door closed behind Gina. “Good evening, miss. Will you be dining alone?”
“I’m meeting friends,” Gina pointed out with a smile. She glanced around, apparently searching for her dinner dates. “There they are.”
With a nod, the hostess returned her smile. “Enjoy your evening.”
“Thank you.” Gina turned toward her right and made a beeline for a pretty blonde across the room, sitting with a dark-haired man whose gaze seemed to look right through Gina and straight at Colton.
Come to think of it, the blonde’s eyes were locked on to Colton as well.
Colton faltered, slowing his steps until he stopped in the center of the room.
They saw him. The couple at the table could see him.
The dark-haired gentleman slowly got to his feet, greeted Gina, and then skirted the table to saunter in Colton’s direction.
“Outside,” the stranger demanded in a low tone as he strode past Colton.
Colton turned and followed, more curious than anything as to how the man knew he was there.
“You can see me?” Colton rushed out the second the dark-haired gentleman exited the restaurant and stopped on the sidewalk.
The stranger didn’t answer. Instead, he jerked his chin toward the corner of the building.
Without question, Colton trailed behind him to the back of the establishment.
“Who are you and why are you following Gina?” the stranger hissed immediately in Colton’s face.
Colton instantly realized the stranger wasn’t human. He had no idea how he knew—he only knew that he did.
Instead of answering him, Colton threw back a question of his own. “What are you?”
The stranger’s lips peeled back over his fangs. He gripped Colton by the shirt, yanking him in close. “Your worst nightmare.”
“You’re a vampire,” Colton breathed in awe. “I thought vampires were a myth.”
The stranger narrowed his eyes. “Do I look like a fucking myth to you?”
That pissed Colton off. He jerked free of the vampire’s hold, but didn’t back up an inch. “What does it matter to you why I’m here?”
“Cherokee happens to be a friend of mine,” the vampire snarled, his fangs right back in Colton’s face. “She might not know you’re there, but I do,” he emphasized with a shove. “And I have no problem sending you back to hell where you came from.”
The blonde that had been seated next to Mr. Fang Face suddenly stepped around the corner. “What the hell is going on here, Damien?”
Damien kept his gaze locked on Colton. “Just warning Casper here to stay away from Gina.”
The pretty blonde cocked her head to the side. “Have you bothered asking him why he’s following her in the first place?”
The one known as Damien folded his arms over his chest. “I was getting to that.”
“Mmm-hmm,” the blonde muttered sarcastically. “Sure you were.”
She then turned to face Colton. “I apologize for my husband’s behavior. He’s very overprotective at times. I, on the other hand, will allow you to explain yourself before ripping into you. So, start talking.”
Colton could only stare, slack mouthed. “You’re like him.” He nodded in Damien’s direction.
“I have fangs, yes. But that’s where the similarities end,” she finished, sending her husband a wink.
Colton decided he liked Gina’s friend. “May I ask who you are?”
“I’m Victoria,” she immediately answered. “But most everyone calls me Tori. And that giant of a nightmare ready to rip out your intestines is my husband, Damien.”
Glancing toward Damien, Colton briefly nodded before returning his attention to Tori. “My name is Colton Baines. I mean Gina no harm. You have my word. She—”
“Your word means nothing to us,” Damien interrupted, his eyes glowing in the darkness.
Tori’s hands went to her hips, and she sent her husband an exasperated look. “Would you let him finish, love? I’m kind of curious to see what he has to say.”
Colton blew out an exasperated sigh. “I originally met Gina via telephone. I’d called the 911 line a few months back about a house fire.”
Tori touched him on the arm. “Wait a minute. That was you? You called 911 and told them about seeing a blonde leaving the house with a dark-haired gentleman?”
“How did you know about that?” Colton inquired, more than a little surprised.
Damien answered for her. “Because she was the blonde you saw leaving that house, asshole. Why would you call 911 about a house fire if you’re a ghost?”
Colton had had just about enough of Damien’s mouth. He stepped in close to the vampire’s face. “Because, that’s what I do, moron. I save lives. Being dead doesn’t change who you are inside. You should know that, vampire. The only difference between you and me is you need blood to survive, and I don’t. We’re both dead.”
“He’s not here to hurt Cherokee,” Tori informed Damien, pushing her hands between the two of them. “Let’s not make a problem where one doesn’t exist.”
Relaxing his stance, Colton sent Tori an apologetic look. “I’m sorry about that. And you’re right. I’m not here to hurt your friend. I honestly can’t tell you why I am here. I only know that Gina’s the one person who has been able to see me, aside from you two. And I need to find out why.”
Holding up a hand when Tori would have spoken, Colton asked, “Why did you refer to Gina as Cherokee?”
“It’s a nickname I gave her back in grade school. She has quite a bit of Cherokee blood in her veins. And it smells divine, let me tell you. I never realized how divine until recently.”
Colton sent her a blank look.
Tori laughed. “Don’t mind me. I’m recently turned. All blood smells like ambrosia to me. Cherokee’s maybe a little sweeter than most, but you get the idea.”
“Speaking of,” Damien whispered, his gaze glued to the sidewalk. “She just stepped outside.”
Chapter Eight
Gina wandered out onto the sidewalk in search of Victoria and Damien.
Damien had excused himself immediately after Gina’s arrival, citing he’d left his wallet in the car.
A few minutes later, Victoria had gone to check on him, only neither had returned.
Turning left, Gina trailed off toward the back of the building. She could have sworn she heard voices coming from behind the restaurant.
She turned the corner in time to see Tori enfolded in Damien’s arms, kissing him as if her life depended on it.
Gina cleared her throat, her lips twitching in humor. “I hate to interrupt such a touching moment, but the waitress is ready to take our order.”
The two lovebirds broke apart as if caught making out in their parents’ car.
Tori spoke first. “This is what you get for accepting a dinner invitation from a pair of newlyweds. Let’s go eat.”
Turning toward the sidewalk, Gina glanced back at Damien before focusing her attention on the pretty blonde walking alongside her. “How is married life, or do I even need to ask?”
Tori grinned. “We are obvious, I know. But wow, it’s amazing, Cherokee. Definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
<
br /> Gina’s heart swelled with happiness for her friend. She knew all too well the kind of life Tori had endured before meeting Damien. “You deserve it, you know.”
“Deserve what?”
Opening the restaurant door, Gina stood back to allow Tori to enter first. “A good life. It was way past time you found someone deserving of you.”
Tori stopped, a strange light entering her eyes. “Thank you. It means a lot to hear you say that.”
Damien sidled up next to Gina and gripped the door above her head. “Ladies first.”
Gina relinquished her hold on the door and followed Tori to their table.
The waitress appeared the moment they returned to their seats. “Are you guys ready to order?”
Tori and Damien ordered steak, rare, with a salad and baked potato.
“I’ll have the same thing they’re having,” Gina announced. “Only, make my steak medium. I’ll also have a Bloody Mary.”
Damien leaned back in his seat. “My favorite drink. I’ll have one as well.”
“Me too,” Tori piped in with a wink.
Gina took a sip of the water sitting in front of her. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner. I really needed to get out.”
“Is everything all right?” The question came from Victoria.
Gina glanced away before meeting Tori’s gaze. “I’m fine, really. I’ve just been working a lot.”
Apparently, Tori wasn’t buying her vague explanation. “Spill it, Cherokee.”
Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Gina shrugged. “I’ve just had some strange experiences lately. And it’s causing weird dreams.”
The waitress showed with the salads and their drinks. “Can I get you anything else?”
“We’re good, thank you.” Gina sent her a grateful smile.
Damien picked up his drink. “What did you mean by strange experiences?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Gina muttered, taking a sip of her delicious Bloody Mary.
“Try me.”
Thinking it odd that Damien would be interested in the details of her life, Gina glanced at Tori, only to find her watching her intently as well.