“What is?” Liam remained staring at the window.
“I don’t hear the furnace kicking on.”
“That is strange,” he said as he turned. His crystal blue eyes met hers, and for a split second, she felt the urge to go to his side, to take his hand in hers, but she refrained. “I’ll go down and take a look.”
“Are you sure? You don’t have to check right now. If you have things you need to do, I can wait.”
“No. It’s not a problem at all. Like I said, it’s part of my job. I help Phil keep this place up. Plus, it’s supposed to get pretty cold. It may be springtime, but it still gets cold here on the coast at night. I don’t want you going without any heat. I’ll be right back.”
Emily felt more chilled by the minute and decided it was a good idea to let him take a look. “Okay. I really appreciate it.”
“It’s not a problem,” Liam told her as he headed out of her front door and down the long, narrow hallway of the building.
Emily was now standing alone in her flat, yet she didn’t feel alone. A disturbing sensation pricked her skin. Sinister, unseen, cold eyes watched her. A chill shook her again as she closed her front door, its icy grip closing in, suffocating her. “Go away,” her voice wobbled. It gripped onto her soul tighter. “Leave me alone.” She felt the entity release her, allowing her to take a lung full of air. She could breathe freely. For now.
***
Liam ran down the steps to the basement, his heart raced, and his breathing erratic. His rational mind told him it was impossible. He had never met her before. And if he ever had, he was sure he would have remembered. He could never forget her face. He’d been seeing it in his dreams for years.
He clasped his hands and brought them up to his mouth. His thoughts raced. She was beyond beautiful. Liam had been around beautiful women his entire life, but Emily captivated him. The pull he felt toward her was a powerful tethering sensation. As if invisible strings were reaching out and trying desperately to connect. The moment she turned and noticed him walking down the stairs, Liam’s eyes caught hers, and his heart almost stopped.
She was average height, and he towered over her. He knew her head would fit comfortably on his chest under his chin in an embrace. The fantasy washed over him, bringing with it a rush of images from his dreams.
Everything about her was familiar to him. Freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks, while golden bronze ringlets fell loosely around her face and shoulders. A part of him knew how it would feel tangled in his hands. Her eyes were a warm brown, like dark wildflower honey. He wanted to fall into them and knew that in the right light, flecks of gold within them danced in the warm glow.
After taking a few moments to gather himself, he rubbed his hands through his hair. “One thing at a time,” he whispered. His thoughts raced, but he forced himself to focus on his current task at hand.
He walked to the furnace. The thing was ancient. Of course it was. Phil always preferred to repair things rather than replace them. Even when Liam insisted that an appliance needed to be replaced, Phil put up a fight. Liam always chalked up the man’s stubbornness to being old, stuck in his ways. The furnace wasn’t original to the house, but it might as well have been. He was sure they didn’t even make replacement parts for the thing anymore.
He noticed the pilot light was out. Of course he didn’t have anything to relight it with him. Liam turned toward the steps to head upstairs. As he rounded the corner, something caught his attention—a glimpse of a shadow. It happened so quickly, he couldn’t be sure exactly what it was. “Hello?” he called out. “Is anyone down here?” But who would be in the basement? The lower level apartment was unoccupied. It always had been. In fact, Liam had never been inside the apartment. Phil said it was too run down, and he was using it for storage.
Liam walked back to the furnace, a natural reaction he had fine-tuned in his line of work over the years. Never leave a stone unturned. But there was nothing there. No one was in sight, and he could see if anyone was down there with him as there was nowhere to hide. The wooden staircase was the only access to the basement.
An uneasiness came over him, the same foreboding feeling from a few minutes earlier when he stepped away from Emily’s window. It was a queasiness in his stomach that always warned him something was about to happen. He had lived in that house for years, and nothing unexplainable had ever taken place. Still, Liam couldn’t shake his instinct, alerting him that something was amiss. Not sure what to make of what he’d just experienced, Liam headed back upstairs to his flat and grabbed a butane lighter. On his way back to the basement, his thoughts, once again, drifted to Emily and the look of worry on her face.
He was certain her startled reaction was in response to more than just a chill in the air and wondered if she recognized him the way he recognized her. When Liam had turned away from the window, he noticed she was distracted and a little on edge. She jumped when he spoke, and her unease was evident. He had seen that look before but didn’t dare say anything. She was spooked, and the last thing Liam wanted to do was cause her any more alarm. He had to fight the instinct to run to her. The need to wrap his arms around her was overwhelming. He always had control over his emotions, but for whatever reason, the need to care for this woman’s well-being overtook him.
The warm feeling that rushed over him when he entered her flat took him by surprise. He had been inside a few times to make repairs for past occupants, with the most recent being when he repainted the walls after the previous tenant moved out. Liam took in the charming, homey feel of her flat. It was girlie, soft, and delicate, but sophisticated. Her sofa was a neutral cream tone, as was most of her furniture, but she accented the space with bits of color in soft shades that welcomed you in.
For a moment, Liam pictured himself lounging on her sofa, drinking a beer while having a conversation with her. He had no idea where that thought had come from. He blinked, pulling himself back to the present before he crossed her living room to examine her window.
Liam rounded the corner of the basement stairs once more, and the dreadful feeling from a few minutes ago had grown in intensity. He cautiously made his way toward the furnace. When he knelt to examine the pilot light, he gasped before falling back. His heart hammered, and he felt himself go pale. “What the fuck?” he whispered. Liam knew it had been out. How could it be lit now?
Liam rubbed his hands across his face and surveyed the basement again, making sure there was absolutely no one down there who could be fooling around. Crossing to the apartment door across from the furnace, he checked that the padlock was still there. It was locked from the outside, making it impossible for anyone to be hiding on the other side of the door.
Baffled, Liam wasn’t sure what to think. His mind moved a hundred miles a minute with potential theories. Needing to get to a place where he could think clearly, he hurried up the stairs to Emily’s flat. As he reached the top of the stairs, the furnace kicked on and heated, as if it were good as new.
Liam pulled in three long, deep breaths to steady himself before knocking on Emily’s door. When she opened the door, and her angelic face came in to view, he willed his heart to stop pounding.
“Hey, thanks! Whatever you did worked. The furnace just came on.”
“You’re welcome. It was just the pilot light. If anything else happens, let me know right away. No matter the time. Okay?”
“Okay.” Emily paused, her lips slightly parted as if she were going to say something.
“Well, it was good to meet you, Emily.” Liam wanted to reach out and touch her. Stroke her hair, caress her cheek. He tamped down the feeling. His senses were an erratic mess, and he needed to pull his head together.
“It was good to meet you too, Liam. Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything. I’ll be back in the morning to install those extra latches on the window. Ten o’clock okay?”
“Yes. That will be fine. I’ll be here. I’ll se
e you tomorrow.” Emily smiled, and Liam caught the gold flecks that he remembered from his dream shimmer in her brown eyes.
“Good. I’ll see you in the morning. Have a good night.” Liam watched as Emily closed her door. He stood in the hallway for a minute, collecting himself. Needing fresh air and to clear his head, he decided to walk to the hardware store.
Outside, he stood in the front of the old building and glanced up toward Emily’s window. It was still closed. A part of him hoped he would glimpse her peering out. But her curtains remained drawn. Only the soft glow of her lights shone through. Liam’s heart raced. The woman he’d dreamt about for years was real, and she was living in the flat below his. A moment later, his stomach twisted, a feeling of anxiousness overtook him. Something was going on. He was sure of it. He just needed to figure out what.
Three
Emily woke feeling more exhausted than she did when she had gone to bed. Her sleep had been inundated with vivid nightmares that woke her throughout the night. She had dealt with terrible dreams for as long as she could remember. But lately, they were more frequent, and she couldn’t put her finger as to what the cause may be. This morning, she wanted nothing more than to bury her aching head under the covers and sleep the day away. She whimpered softly to herself, knowing that was not going to be an option.
With her head pounding, she rolled to the side, and using only one eye to squint at her phone, she saw it was 7:30. That gave her a couple hours to get ready, put herself together, and nurse her headache. She had work to do on her new website for her photography business. Since she lived in a new city, she needed to update her site and social media pages to make her online presence known to the local community. Plus, Liam was supposed to be coming by to fix her living room window.
She needed to get up. But first, she snatched her phone from the nightstand to respond to her friend, Lexi. In typical Lexi style, she had sent Emily a text message first thing in the morning. The two of them had been friends for forever. They considered themselves sisters and texted with each other all day, every day. Only lately, it had been less frequent with Lexi being busier than usual at her job and Emily’s recent move.
Lexi: What’s up, woman? It’s Saturday. You have any plans today?
Emily: Not really. I may go for a walk later. Maybe find a coffee shop and get some work done. You?
A few moments passed, and Lexi responded with…
Lexi: Claire called in sick. Again. So I’m at the hotel covering for her.
Emily: Again? What’s up with her?
Lexi: No idea. I’m tired of it though. I need a change.
Emily: Move down here?
Lexi: I’ll work on it.
Emily: I gotta get ready. TTYL
Lexi’s response was a ridiculous amount of emojis of hearts, smiley, and kissy faces. Followed by XOXOXO’s, and I miss you.
Emily smiled before moving to the edge of the bed, where she gently stretched her neck and padded her way to the bathroom. She grabbed some Ibuprofen from the medicine cabinet, cupped her hands under the sinks faucet, and swallowed the medicine.
Emily looked in the mirror and was startled by her reflection. The circles under her eyes looked more like bruises than the typical light shadows she normally had after a bad night of sleep. Her complexion appeared sallow. It would be a makeup kind of day for sure.
The sound of floorboards creaking caught her attention. It sounded as if someone were walking. Peeking her head out into the hallway, she had a clear view of most of her apartment. No one was there. And she spotted the chain lock on her door still in place. It was probably Liam walking around upstairs. The building was old. Emily had read that the majority of the Victorian homes in San Francisco had been built in the mid-eighteen hundreds. The house was well over a hundred and fifty years old and bound to come with creaking and settling sounds.
Stepping into the shower, Emily stood under the spray of the hot water, letting it cascade over her. Her mind drifted to her new neighbor, Liam. She couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was when she met him last night. In the past, Emily had never been attracted to men with facial hair, but on Liam, she thought it was sexy as hell.
It had been years since Emily had dated, and she hoped that starting her new life in a new city would be the spark she needed to live a normal life. Her last boyfriend had been a disaster, and she swore off dating forever at the time. But after seeing Liam last night, dating kind of made its way back into the forefront of her mind. He was tall, incredibly gorgeous, kind of mysterious too. That was new for her. But maybe, she needed new and different. Hell, that was why she left Seattle in the first place. She wanted a change. The spontaneous pull she felt to move ignited a desire within her to live a life she had always wanted. To find peace and be happy. Maybe even find love.
She shook the thought from her head. What were the chances that Liam was even available? Knowing her luck, he probably had a gorgeous girlfriend. Emily had never thought of herself as being particularly attractive. The thought that someone like Liam could be attracted to her was far-fetched in her mind.
Maybe she would just let things play out and see what would come of it. If she had learned anything through her trials in life, it was never to get her hopes up. Staying neutral was safe, and if she got more than she thought she would, great! If not, no harm done. That was how she lived her life. Completely neutral.
Clearing the thoughts of Liam from her mind, Emily mulled over ideas for her website. It was early spring and considered to be the offseason still. There wasn’t much work for photographers just yet. Most people who were getting married that summer would have already hired their photographers. So, she decided that focusing on family photo sessions for the summer was her best bet. Next year she would have plenty of weddings to photograph.
With her head still under the running water, she felt the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stand up, and a cold breeze blew past her. She knew all of the windows in her flat were closed and could hear the faint hum of the furnace running through the vent. Perhaps the living room window blew open again? But she closed the bathroom door, so how could the breeze come through?
The air changed. Electricity swirled, prickling Emily’s skin with pins and needles. Goosebumps formed, inflaming her body with tiny, painfully hard lumps. Her breathing quickened, and her heart hammered against her ribs. Despite the cold blowing around her, her face flushed, and her ears rang. Afraid she might pass out, Emily pressed her back against the cold tile behind her.
Another bitter cold breeze blew through. This time, Emily could see her breath in the chilled air. She lifted her gaze and turned her head. Looking through the opaque, white shower curtain, a shadow stood near the door. Emily sucked in a breath of air, where it froze in her lungs. Unable to move, she stared at the form in front of her. It was hard to make out what it was exactly. It resembled a human form—one of a man with broad shoulders and much taller than her. Only it did not look natural. It pulsated, becoming more solid before fading and coming back into view—a void of darkness against the light in the room.
“Hello?” was all Emily could manage. Fear rose within her. She turned off the water, hoping the absence of the sound would clear her hearing. It did, but only barely. Her ears still rung from the fluctuating energy swirling around her, and a funhouse effect took over her equilibrium. Her balance was off, and her legs wobbled. She hesitantly reached for the shower curtain. Not wanting to look, but knowing she had to see what had invaded her space.
Gripping the edge of the curtain, she mustered all of her courage to pull it back. Only she didn’t have to. In an instant, whatever was in her bathroom lunged toward her, stopping inches away from the other side of the curtain. She could now clearly see the shadowy outline of a person. Complete blackness in the form of a man stood in front of her. Watching her on the other side of her shower.
The hair-raising scream that escaped her throat pierced her own ears. Shutting her eyes, she crouched into a p
rotective ball before another icy blast of air shot through her. She shivered uncontrollably now, from fear, the cold, and the sudden rush of adrenaline.
After a moment, she dared to look up. When there was no sight of the figure, she stood on shaky legs and once again reached for the shower curtain. Slowly pulling it open, she looked around and breathed a sigh of relief when it was evident nothing was standing in her bathroom.
Swallowing hard and stepping out of the shower, Emily grabbed a towel and dried herself. An unexpected knock at the door caused her to gasp and jump. With adrenaline still pulsing through her, it took a second for her to realize what she was hearing.
“Emily?” It sounded like Liam. She recognized his smooth tone. Why was he here so early? He said ten o’clock. It was just now eight, and she was in no condition to open the door at the moment. He must have heard her scream.
Another knock. “Emily? Are you in there?” He sounded worried.
Emily toweled off as quickly as she could manage. With her hands still shaking, she grabbed her plush, pink robe hanging on the hook on the bathroom door, and threw it on.
“I’m coming,” she said as she hurried down the hallway.
When she unlatched the chain and turned the deadbolt, she cracked the door open. Liam stood in sweats and a t-shirt, the concern on his face apparent. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I-I-I’m okay,” Emily answered, in a failed attempt at using a steady voice.
“Are you sure? Why did you scream?”
Emily felt the blood leave her face at the memory of what she had just seen. She gripped the doorknob so tight, her knuckles went white as she willed herself not to pass out. “I thought I saw something. That’s all.”
Liam stepped ever so slightly toward her and lowered his tone. “I don’t want to overstep my boundaries, but you’re shaking and pale. Did something happen? Can I come in?”
Protecting His Windflower (A Spirit Hunters Series Novel Book 1) Page 2