Protecting His Windflower (A Spirit Hunters Series Novel Book 1)

by Temperance Dawn

  “Yes,” Emily told him firmly.

  “I think we need to start with finding out your past. Who your birth parents were. It might help us understand what is going on if we know who they were. Are you okay with that?”

  “Yes. I don’t want anything to do with them, but I’m okay with trying to find out who they were.”

  “When we get back, I’m going to tell Trey and Luke about it, and we’ll start researching.”

  Emily gave him a nod. “Alright. Liam?”

  “Yes?”

  “What do we do now?”

  Liam smiled at her and moved his hand to the back of her neck, bringing her closer to him. “I’ll tell you what we do, babe. We’re going to try and just be as normal as possible. Yeah, we have some crazy shit going on, but we’re still human, and it’s quite obvious that we’re attracted to each other. So, we’re going to do what all newly dating couples do. We’re going to sit here for a while longer and make out like two crazy teenagers until I’m satisfied that I’ve memorized every inch of your beautiful mouth and lips. Then, we’ll walk back to the car. We’ll grab lunch for all of us then head back to the house. We’ll walk into your flat holding hands and give those two dipshits something to talk about behind our backs until they corner me and beg me to tell them how I convinced my hot new neighbor to go out with me.”

  “Wow. You have that all planned out, don’t you?”

  “Yep. And I expect you to give Lexi a call and tell her the news. Tell her I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to be scared away.”

  “I can do that. And, please, don’t call your friends names. They’re not dipshits.”

  Liam chuckled. “Don’t worry, baby. It’s all in good fun. You’re right. They are far from being dipshits. They’re friendly dipshits.”

  Emily burst out in a belly laugh that she couldn’t control. It felt good to let go and forget and just…be. Liam joined her in laughing. After a minute, when they both calmed down, Emily looked at him again and said, “Right. Friendly dipshits. Oh boy. I’ll never be able to look at them again without thinking that.”

  “Good,” Liam said, still grinning from ear to ear. “Take out your phone.”

  Without questioning why, she handed it to Liam when he held out his hand for it. He opened the camera app and put it on selfie mode. “Smile,” he said. Emily leaned close. They were now cheek to cheek, smiling and looking happy. Liam took the picture and sent the photo to himself before he handed it back to Emily. “Send that to Lexi. I’m assuming she’s at work and won’t be able to call you for a while. That will keep the wheels in her head turning all day until she can talk to you.”

  “That will. And it will drive her insane.”

  Liam laughed again. “I expected as much. I have a feeling me and her are going to get along really well.”

  “Yes. You two definitely will.” Emily sent the photo to her friend with only the caption of…

  Emily: Hey, Lex. Love you lots. Call you later.

  “And one last thing, Em.”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m probably overstepping my boundaries here, but it’s how I feel. I was serious when I said I don’t want you to stay in your flat. I want you safe in my flat with me. I’ll sleep on the couch. You can have the bedroom. But there’s no way I’m letting you stay alone in that house with all of this shit happening. Not until we get it under control.”

  “Liam Wesley, are you asking me to move in with you?”

  “Yep. At least temporarily. When this shit is over, we can talk more about living or sleeping arrangements.”

  “Sleeping arrangements?”

  “Oh yeah, babe. Sleeping arrangements.” He said again with a grin.

  Emily laughed, still in shock at Liam’s request that she stay with him. She felt more relief than apprehension that she wouldn’t have to go back to her flat. Liam obviously cared about her. He’d even offered to sleep on his couch and give her his bedroom to make her feel more comfortable. “Okay. I’ll stay with you until this blows over. Now, are you going to kiss me? Or are you going to keep stalling?”

  “I’m not stalling. I’m working up to the perfect moment.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah, really.”

  And with that, he closed in on her, his lips on hers. Heat seared through his hands and into her skin. Her blood pounded in her ears. The energy between them became magnetic—two polar opposites pulling, grasping for a thread to hang on to. Emily had no idea she could fall for a man so hard and fast. She went against every wall, every barrier she ever put up around herself, and let her energy collide with his, sealing the magnetic bond.

  Liam did exactly what he said he would. He took her lips gently, but after a while, Emily let his tongue in, and they dueled with each other, tasting and exploring until they were both breathless. Eventually, she felt Liam pull back, and he moved to her neck where he nibbled on the sensitive skin by her ear. “We should get going.” His breath was hot against her flesh and her skin pebbled with excitement.

  “Yeah. We probably should. We wouldn’t want to make too many people jealous,” she told him with a giggle as his kiss tickled her neck. “We have a little audience,” she continued and nodded to the side where there were some passerby’s averting their stares.

  “Good. I don’t care if they’re jealous. What are they gonna do? Have me arrested for making out with my girlfriend?”

  Emily laughed and Liam moved his mouth back to hers, placing feather-light kisses across her lips and cheek.

  Fifteen

  “T

  ell us what you found last night.” Liam stated as he placed a sandwich on a plate.

  Luke sat at the dining table, the small, wooden chair creaking under his muscular weight. “Nothing, man. It was completely quiet. We didn’t pick up anything on video or the recorders during the night.”

  “Strange that it was so quiet after all of the activity you two witnessed.” Trey sat next to Luke, and Emily was next to Liam settled across the table from them. They were all big men. Even sitting down, they took up much of the space in the dining area. Yet, Emily felt comfortable and at ease surrounded by them.

  The three friends talked about which cameras they planned on using that night during the full investigation. Emily listened in wonderment as Liam spoke with his teammates about the plans for the evening. Although she didn’t understand everything the three best friends discussed, she was amazed at how they could each guess what one another was about to say. They were all passionate about their work. Speaking with enthusiasm, each one gave deep thought to the ideas being tossed around. Emily was fascinated. She was a fly on the wall in her own apartment, and that didn’t bother her in the least.

  Emily was still lost in her thoughts when Liam grabbed her attention by placing his hand on hers.

  “I’m sorry. What?”

  “You really spaced out there,” he said as he leaned forward in his chair.

  Emily stared into his calm, blue eyes. “I’m sorry. Just daydreaming.”

  Liam scooted closer in his chair and whispered, “You get enough to eat?” He indicated to the half-eaten sandwich still sitting on her plate.

  Emily nodded. “I did. I’ll wrap it and take it upstairs and finish it later.” Trey and Luke had made their way back to the kitchen to clean their plates.

  “I’m about to tell the guys about what we discussed at the beach. Is that okay?”

  “Yes.” Emily squeezed Liam’s hand.

  He squeezed hers back and replied, “It’s going to be alright. Trust me?”

  “I do.”

  Trey and Luke were at the sink washing their plates when Liam suggested they go to the living room.

  Trey and Luke walked out of the kitchen. “We found your vacuum, Emily, and we cleaned up the shattered glass. I think we got it all,” Trey told her.

  “Yeah. We lifted the couch cushions and vacuumed under them too. But still, be careful. You probably want to vacuum a few more times
. Just to be safe,” Luke added.

  “Thanks, guys. You didn’t have to do all of that. I really appreciate it,”

  “Let’s go sit in the living room and talk.” Liam kept Emily’s hand in his as he stood up from the table and led her to the sofa. Trey and Luke followed behind them and settled in the two chairs across from Emily and Liam.

  “So, Emily and I talked today,” Liam began. “I told her about my reoccurring dream. Both of the beating and of her. She also knows about my past experiences with the paranormal while growing up.”

  Trey and Luke nodded in approval. After a beat, Liam continued.

  “Here’s the thing. Emily has been tormented her entire life by this haunting. It follows her. It’s not a possession, but it seems like some kind of an attachment.”

  Intrigued at Liam’s statement, both friends sat forward.

  “We didn’t get to tell you last night because of everything else that went down. We need to dig into Emily’s past. Maybe there are some possible clues as to why she’s been followed. But, Emily doesn’t know who her family is because she was abandoned at birth. Left at a fire station in Seattle. She was raised in foster care.”

  “What?” Trey said, surprised.

  “God. Emily. We’re so sorry.” Luke said.

  “It’s okay,” Emily said. “I’ve made peace with it. Like I told Liam, it used to bother me. But over the years, I decided that I didn’t want to go through life pissed off at people I didn’t even know.” Emily took a deep breath. “If Liam thinks finding out who they were can connect the dots and tell us why this haunting started, then I’m on board with it.”

  “Emily.” Trey stood from his chair and walked to the table where his laptop sat. “Were you ever told anything about the woman who dropped you off at the fire station? Anything at all? What she looked like maybe, or even a first name?” he asked as he took a seat and began typing away on his keyboard.

  “The only thing I was told was that my birth mother was a drug addict. They knew because when I was taken to the hospital, they found traces of drugs in my system. I had to go through withdrawals before I was healthy enough to go into foster care. I was never told what she looked like. Only that she handed me to a fireman and walked out.”

  “Okay,” Trey said and wrote down everything Emily had stated.

  Luke then spoke up, “Emily, do you know the fire station where you were left? That might help us.”

  Emily gave Luke the station number. She stayed quiet for a while. The two men busied themselves with typing away on their laptops. Liam sat with his arm around her waist and held her close. She felt safe. For the first time…ever.

  Liam whispered in her ear, “This is what they do. They are great at gathering information.”

  Emily smiled at him and nodded. Then, he cleared his throat, breaking the silence in the room. “Guys, I was thinking of having Emily join us tonight during the investigation.”

  Trey and Luke looked up with questions in their eyes.

  “I think it’s a good idea. There was no activity in this house before her arrival. Not that any of this is your fault.” Liam’s eyes hit hers, and she was thrown into a vision. Her hearing muffled, and a blurry image clouded her sight, just like the one she’d seen in the hallway the day before after she and Liam returned from their date. Emily’s breath caught. She blinked rapidly. Forcing the image from her head. Liam was back in front of her.”

  “You okay,” he asked her. His features dropped in concern, and she felt the pressure of his hand around her waist tighten.

  “Yes,” Emily breathed out. Her heart thundered, and she was sure Liam could see the movement of her arteries in her neck. His gaze shifted to the spot right under her ear momentarily, before coming back to her eyes.

  “I’m not saying any of this is your fault,” he told her. “You’ve been tormented your whole life, and we are going to find out why.”

  “I know. I’m fine. I wasn’t expecting you to suggest I investigate with you.” It was true, his statement had caught her off guard, but she would wait until they were alone to tell him what really caused the blood to pulsate through her body.

  Emily relaxed against Liam, and he continued. “It seems like things happen most often and are the strongest when she’s present,” he said as he looked to Trey and Luke. “So, having her with us might bring whatever this thing is out. Plus,” Liam brought his eyes back to Emily, “you’re a photographer and are comfortable with a camera. Maybe if you’re the one snapping pictures, we’ll capture something.”

  Luke nodded in approval, “I get it. That is a good idea.”

  Trey added, “I agree. But only if you’re one hundred percent okay with it.”

  Liam turned to Emily. “I know we haven’t discussed it yet. I just thought of it. If you’re okay with it, I think it’s a good idea. You’ll be with us the entire time. We are not going to leave you alone.”

  Emily nervously played with her hands in her lap while she toyed with Liam’s idea. Her first thought was that she didn’t want to be part of the investigation. Then she changed her mind when she considered how long she had been dealing with being haunted. A moment of determination struck her, and she once again reminded herself that she was done. Done being scared, done with always being on edge, done of pretending to be okay with the fact that she was not happy.

  “I’m one hundred percent on board with it. I want this to end. I don’t want to wonder from day to day what will happen, or what will follow me whenever I move. Or, when I’ll have another dream. I want it to end.”

  Liam brushed her cheek with his thumb. “Then, we will start tonight with getting to the bottom of it.”

  Trey and Luke had gone back to their research. Liam stood and took Emily’s hand. “Guys, we’re going to go upstairs and talk about how tonight will go. Let’s also get some rest before tonight. I’ll order dinner around 4:30. We’ll get started not long after sundown.”

  “Sounds good. We got it,” Luke replied.

  Once upstairs, Liam kept hold of her hand and gently turned her so her back was to the closed door. Emily reached her hands out and grasped his waist. He leaned down close to her. His breath warmed her skin as he spoke. “What happened downstairs?” his voice was low, etched with worry but still held a sexy undertone that sent tingles through her.

  “I had a vision,” Emily blurted out. “It was just like the one in the hallway yesterday. I think it’s you, but it’s not clear. You looked at me, and I instantly fell into it.”

  “I’m sorry,” Liam whispered.

  Emily’s brows knitted. She reached her hands up, one going to the back of his neck, the other rested on her cheek. “For what? For looking at me? Please don’t stop. No one has ever looked at me the way you do.”

  Liam stepped closer to her and bent his knees to keep his face near hers. “How do I look at you, Em?”

  “Like…” She thought for a moment, searching for the right words. “If I walked away, you would break into a million pieces.”

  “Good,” he told her firmly. “That’s exactly how I feel. I won’t stop looking at you. Now I know the warning signs. If I see your eyes go blank like that again, it means you’ve slipped into a vision. Do I have your permission to kiss your gorgeous lips to help bring you out of it?”

  Emily nodded. She couldn’t help the smile form as her skin turned hot from his words. “Yes. You have my permission.” Before she could get another word out, Liam’s mouth crashed onto hers. This time, he kissed her fiercely, as if he were claiming her as his own. Emily’s heart pounded in her ears as desired filled her, and her knees went weak. If not for Liam’s weight pressing her against the wall behind her, she was sure she’d collapse.

  His mouth left a trail of burning, moist kisses down her neck, where he settled his lips at her collar. “Liam?” He brought his mouth back up to hers and nibbled on her lower lip. “We should talk,” she told him with a gasp.

  He lifted his head, his eyes dark with desire, an
d his heavy breathing matched hers. “I’ve never…” Emily began, her eyes fell to the floor.

  “Emily, look at me.” Liam used his finger under her chin to direct her stare back at him. “You can tell me anything. I’ll never judge you.”

  “Things are moving quickly between us. I’m okay with that. I’ve never wanted to be with anyone as badly as I want to be with you. I just need to tell you. I’ve never…” Emily’s words trailed off again as her heart rate sped into overdrive. Liam brought his hand to her face and smoothed her hair back. “I’m a virgin,” she whispered and threw her head back against the door. Emily closed her eyes, not able to meet Liam’s gaze.

  She felt his lips brush her cheek gently and make their way to the corner of her mouth. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he told her.

  “It’s weird, I know,” she said in a long breath.

  “What?” Liam said, shocked.

  “Liam, I’m thirty-two years old and a virgin. It’s weird,” Emily stated.

  “No, baby. It’s anything but weird. Unusual, maybe. Weird? Not at all. You said you dated that dipshit phycologist, and I just assumed—”

  Emily held her hand up to stop him. “We dated for a few weeks. He was the first serious boyfriend, if you want to even call him that—”

  “I’m not calling him that,” Liam interrupted.

  Emily laughed before continuing, “He was the first guy I considered to have been a boyfriend. I never dated in high school. And in college, I went on a couple of dates but nothing ever serious. Every time I was interested in someone, all of the activity around me would pick up. So, I would just forget about it and go about my life. I never slept with the phycologist. I never wanted to. I’m not saving myself for marriage or anything. I just haven’t found the right person. Until…now.”

  Liam took her hand and led her to his sofa. He settled them both much like he had the night before, on their sides, with Emily’s back against the cushions. Her front pressed against his front, and her head cradled in his arm. “We’ll go as slow as you need to. I’m not going to pressure you. Just having you here in my arms feels like heaven.”