“Yes,” he answers gruffly. “Instead of harmless playing, she started wandering off in the middle of the night. We’d wake up to the sound of the door opening and find her outside in the backyard with her stuffed animals. Or down the gravel drive in the middle of the day when we’d been looking for her everywhere. She just keeps saying that Abigail is trying to keep her safe, but we’re worried that one of these days she’s going to walk off, and we won’t be able to find her.”
“Have you ever noticed anything that felt negative in nature?” Fate asks suddenly.
I peer at her at the same time Thad does. I’d give anything for Knox’s ability right now. Something is going on with her, but I’ll have to wait until the family is gone to ask.
“Around the time Tricia started wandering off, we started hearing random footsteps upstairs when all of us were down here. Doors slamming shut. We’ve had dishes fly off the table and shatter against the wall when we turn our backs. Lately, Tricia refuses to go into her room. She said Abigail has told her not to because the ‘bad man’ is in there,” Paula stammers.
Just then, we hear the pounding of little footsteps on the stairs, followed swiftly by doors slamming shut.
Paula jumps up as a little girl carrying a floppy-eared bunny hurries into the room.
“Mommy, Abigail says we should go now. The bad man isn’t happy that these people are here.”
Paula and Frank share a look and then glance back at us. Fate stands up and walks over to Tricia before crouching down in front of the little girl. “Hi, Tricia. My name is Fate. That’s a cute bunny you have there. What’s her name?”
“Her name is BunBun.”
“That’s pretty. Does Abigail have a bunny too?”
“No. She said she lost hers a long time ago, but it looked a lot like BunBun.”
“Is Abigail here now, Tricia?”
“She’s waiting at the top of the stairs, keeping an eye on the bad man for you. She says she knows who you are and that you’ll help her.”
Fate peeks over her shoulder, eyeing Thad and me before turning back to the little girl.
“Abigail’s right, Tricia. We’re here to help. Why don’t you go wait on the porch while these guys behind me talk with your mom and dad.”
“Okay,” the little girl agrees before walking toward the door. Just before pushing it open, she turns back to Fate. “Abigail says she has to go away now, but that she’ll always remember me. Will you tell her I’ll miss her and to be safe?”
“I can definitely do that,” Fate whispers.
The little girl nods her head and walks out the door. Fate stands up and makes her way back over to the side of the sofa next to us.
“Don’t worry,” I reassure the nervous parents, “we’ll take care of the problem, and hopefully you’ll be able to get back to normal life.”
“Thank you. We’re going to the park. Just text me when you guys are done,” he says, nervously looking at the ceiling. He grabs his wife’s hand, pulling her behind him as he snags her purse off the entry table and heads out the door without a backward glance.
“Fate,” Thad says before grabbing her hand, “what’s going on?”
Fate takes another look around the room. Her brows are furrowed, and I notice goosebumps break out along her arms.
“I don’t know. There’s something strange happening here, but I just can’t sort out what it is I’m feeling. I’m a little out of practice, guys.”
Thad’s big hand engulfs hers, his thumb rubbing back and forth.
Just as I’m about to suggest that we go grab our gear, a small ghostly figure appears in the doorway. Thad and I jump up, and Fate takes a step back toward us. We’re in a line, looking at the figure standing a few feet away, her long hair nearly down to her waist with a big bow sitting on the top of her head. Her dress is tattered and stained with dirt and blood, pieces of the material missing in random places. Judging by the style, I’d guess she was alive some time in the late 1800s.
“You’re from the Gateway,” her little disembodied voice says.
“You must be Abigail,” Fate says quietly.
“Yes. And you are Fate, the one the Gateway chose as its own.”
“Yes. But how do you know that?”
“We all know who you are. You’ve been gone a very long time.”
“I have, but I’m back now.”
“I know. Everyone knows. Some are more happy about it than others.”
“Others like the bad man?”
“Yes. And there are lots more like him. They know you’re here now, and they’re coming for you.”
“Why are you warning me?”
“Because I don’t like to see people get hurt the way I was hurt,” Abigail states simply.
“Is that why you stayed with Tricia?”
“Yes. I didn’t want the bad man to hurt her, so I’d lead her out of the house whenever he was around.”
The room is quiet at the admission that the ghost of a little girl would protect her living counterpart. We don’t see much good in this line of work, and it makes me want to step in and do whatever I can for this little girl who died much too young.
“Abigail, would you like us to help you?” I ask gently. “Maybe make it so you can see your family and friends that are waiting for you on the other side?”
Fate’s eyes are on me, and I wish I knew what she was thinking.
“I’d like that very much, but you have to make sure the bad man crosses over too. I can’t leave here until I know he’s gone and Tricia’s safe.”
“Where is he?” Thad asks.
“He’s in Tricia’s room. Up the stairs, the only door on the right.”
Thad and I share a quick look, both stepping away from Fate. My twin acknowledges what both of us are thinking.
She’s not coming up there with us. The guys will have our asses.
Who’s going to tell her?
You tell her, bro.
Hell no. You do it, dipshit.
Rock, paper, scissors?
Fine. On three.
One, two, three…
I push through a mental image of a rock. Thad sends paper, then immediately does a silent celebratory dance.
Fuck!
My eyes swing over and lock with hers.
“Sweets, I need you to listen to me, okay?” I whisper.
She nods.
“Stay here with Abigail. No matter what, do not come upstairs, got it?”
Her eyes narrow, but she nods again.
“Fate, I need you to say that you promise to stay right here. I’m not falling for that innocent look,” I insist. “You forget...Thad is my twin.”
The side of her pouty pink lips tilts up, and I’ve never wanted to kiss someone as badly as I want to kiss her right now, but we have business to attend to first.
“I promise to stay here,” she vows.
I wrap my large hand around her neck, pulling her to me, and kiss her forehead, desperate for any connection.
“Good. We’ll be back in just a minute.”
Thad and I head over to the stairs and look up.
“You go first, and I’ll cover you,” I tell my twin.
He glances over his shoulder to where Fate is standing. When he turns back, he tilts his head all the way to the left until an audible crack is heard, then repeats the motion on the other side.
“She’s not going to freak out, brother. Give our girl some credit.”
A large Gurkha blade appears in his hands. It’s long and slightly curved but wicked in battle. My hand lights up from the bright white orb that appears.
A gasp behind us draws our attention, and I see Fate’s wide eyes as she takes in my twin’s weapon and my palm. It’s not fear or worry in those gray depths, but appreciation and pride. Thad releases a breath at the sight and takes the first step up the staircase.
“Told you,” I quip.
“Shut up, wankstain.”
We hit the hallway outside the bedrooms and make our way a few
feet down to the only door on the right hand side.
“On three?” he asks.
“On three,” I confirm.
“One,” he whispers.
“Two.”
His hand grabs the doorknob.
“Three!” he shouts.
Throwing open the door, we burst into the room and stand back to back.
“You see him?” I ask.
“No. You?”
“No.”
The room is icy cold, the window frosted over with little snowflake imprints covering the panes. In the middle of June. A blast of cold air whips around us, our hair flying in the current.
“Where the fuck is he?” Thad shouts over the noise.
Before I can answer, the cold stops and rushes past us and out of the room.
“Fuck! He’s headed for Fate,” I yell, a lead weight sinking in my stomach.
We rush through the door and run back down the stairs to find Abigail cowering against the wall outside the living room.
Walking up next to her, we stand in the doorway, and see the aggressive spirit behind Fate. His arm is around her throat with the talon-like claw of his opposite hand digging into her neck. The fact that I can see her swallow through the transparency of his arm does nothing to calm the whirling anger and fear in my gut.
The motion has his grip tightening ever so slightly, and a small drip of blood runs down the creamy expanse of her neck. My eyes meet hers, but instead of the fear I expect to see, she looks as steady as ever...but a lot pissed off.
What fresh hell is this? Thad urgently sends over through our connection. How is he touching her right now?
I have no fucking idea, bro.
“Now, here’s what’s going to happen,” Bad Man says.
“Yeah, you’re going to let her go, and we’re going to send your ass to the fiery depths of the other side where you belong,” I growl.
The dickhead smirks. Seeing the wall behind him through his creepy as fuck face does nothing to detract from the sinister feeling he’s projecting. “Oh, I don’t think so. You’re going to go back and tell your little crew that their days of ruling over us are over. The queen is coming with me.”
“Are you fucking mental?” Thad asks the demented apparition.
“Like you two douchebags can stop me. Without your queen at full power, you two are as dangerous as a couple of toddlers with diapers full of shit.”
“That is oddly specific,” Fate notes.
“Shut the fuck up!” Bad Man snarls, though Fate just smirks.
Thad and I take a step forward, but he catches it. A blast of icy air throws us back against the wall in the hallway.
Scrambling to get up, Thad moans and clutches his shoulder. A trickle of warmth makes its way down my forehead. Fucking for real right now? I wipe the blood out of my eye and rush back to the living room doorway.
The sight in front of me has me pausing, Thad coming up beside me.
“What the ever-loving fuck?” Thad murmurs.
Fate is standing in the middle of the room, her gray eyes alight with ghosted flames. Her long, brown hair is swirling through the air, and Bad Man is kneeling in front of her, terror etched on his face. A rope made of what could only be described as electricity is wound around his body, tying his arms to his sides.
“Never touch what’s mine,” Fate fumes, her voice low and full of menace.
The sound has a slight echoing chime to it, sending a shiver through my body, and I see my twin shiver next to me. I’d be lying if I said something about her possessiveness doesn’t turn me right the fuck on.
Suddenly, I see her standing in front of me, but not here...somewhere else. Sometime else. She’s wearing a fancy black dress that trails on the floor behind her, and she’s berating a spirit that’s kneeling on the ground at her feet for giving us shit. Thad’s next to me and we share a look, rubbing the bulges in our pants in perfect unison, grinning wildly at our hot as hell woman.
The memory evaporates as quickly as it came, and I find myself wishing for more of those little snippets from our past lives. Every hint of familiarity seems to fill up an empty space inside my soul.
Bad Man whimpers, cowering in front of her, bringing me back to the present. Completely unconcerned with him, her eyes lock onto us and flare again at the damage she can see. The rope tightens around the man at her feet, and he cries out in pain.
“We’re okay, sweets.”
She considers that a second, the flames in her eyes diminishing ever so slightly, and the rope on the pissant in front of us loosens a bit. Obviously, whatever she sees in my eyes is enough to calm her rage. Looking at the apparition kneeling in front of her, she tilts her head slightly, considering something.
“Oh, Thaddie Poo, wanna take care of this piece of shit for me?” Fate sing-songs in a malevolent voice. The melodious chime from the encounter with Barbie was obviously her playful voice. This one is just creepy as fuck.
“Uh…” is my twin’s reply. Master linguist, he is not. Pretty sure he’s standing there with a hard on he can’t hide, drooling over the sexy as fuck, completely badass woman in front of us.
“What he means to say is...yes, sweets. He’ll take care of this shithead for you.”
Thad’s brain finally catches up with his dick, and he steps forward. Clearing his throat, and running a hand over the bulge in his jeans, he huskily spits out, “I got this, woman.”
His Gurkha reappears and begins to glow as he slowly approaches Bad Man.
“What was that about toddlers with shitty diapers?” he retorts, stopping a couple feet away from the ghost that is now trembling in fear. The blade’s red flames flare brightly. Heat emanates off it, but it’s harmless to us. Spirits are another story. I feel it’s power inside me, the other half of my own. The opposite of my pure light.
Thad eyes Fate. Her normally gray eyes are still shrouded in ghosted flames while she locks eyes with my twin. She nods, and that’s all the permission he needs.
He swings the blade right through Bad Man’s midsection.
The apparition screeches loudly while his entire ghostly body is engulfed in flames that don’t burn anything but the piece of shit spirit. We all stare while he slowly vanishes in a cloud of black smoke.
“It’s safe now, Abigail,” Fate says quietly, her hair slowly falling to once again rest against her back.
The little girl apparition pops her head around the archway leading into the room and releases a pent up breath, walking right up to Fate.
“Thank you, Queen. I can finally rest now that I know he’s not going to hurt anyone.”
With that, her little ghostly arms wrap around Fate’s legs in the biggest ghostly hug I’ve ever seen. Fate just smiles and runs her hand through the ghost’s long hair.
“Old me might not have liked being called Queen, but new me is kind of liking the sound of it.”
We all chuckle slightly, the air in the room growing lighter with each passing second.
“Levi, I think you can help Abigail now,” she murmurs.
I reach my hand out, my palm glowing with soft white light. “Abigail. Are you ready?”
“Yes, I am,” she says, walking up to me but pausing a foot away. “Tell Tricia that I’ll miss her very much.”
“Of course. She told us to tell you she’ll miss you too and to stay safe.”
She takes another step closer to my hand and eyes me seriously for a second.
In a voice so low only I can hear, she says, “Take care of our queen.”
“I will. I’d give my life for hers,” I vow.
She studies me for a minute before she places her tiny hand in mine.
“Bye, Levi,” she says, and then she’s gone in a wisp of white smoke.
My hand drops down to my side. There’s a peace inside me when I can send one of the deserving to meet with the spirits waiting for them on the other side. I look up, and my eyes lock on Fate’s. They’re once again the gray I’ve grown so fond of. God, she’
s fucking beautiful.
Her eyes sparkle with all sorts of things I can only hope to rediscover one day. She takes a few steps, stopping with only inches to spare between us, and my forehead drops to hers while my hands find her hips.
“I thought we were going to lose you again,” I whisper.
“You’ll never lose me, Levi. I’m here to stay.”
“I sure as fuck hope so, sweets. I’m not sure what I’d do if anything happened to you.”
“Here’s to hoping we don’t have to find out,” she says as she goes up on her tiptoes and lightly touches her lips to mine.
I stand there, frozen in place. Her lips are softer than I imagined and feel like heaven against my own. Her hands snake up my chest, her touch waking me up and sending me into action. My hand comes up and wraps around the back of her neck, pulling her face into mine. I kiss her like she’s my last breath of air, running my tongue along her lower lip, begging her to open up for me.
It’s like coming home. The warmth of her mouth and the touch of her tongue on mine as her body leans into me. My hands slide down to her ass, pulling her against me, eliminating even the tiniest space between us like my body wants to become one with hers. I groan through the kiss, all of our important parts suddenly lining up.
She pulls back, and I try not to mourn the loss of her taste. Then I realize Thad has come up behind her, pinning her between us, and the fire in my blood soars with the three-way contact. Our connection, already strong, comes alive. Suddenly, their thoughts are inside my head.
God, she’s so fucking hot.
I can’t lose this, can’t lose them, again.
I shut the connection down before I’m overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment. She tilts her head over her shoulder, kissing my twin the same way I was just kissing her, while my mouth finds her ear, licking it and trailing kisses down her neck. I grind my erection into the softness of her and a low moan escapes her mouth. I wish like hell we were anywhere but here so I could take advantage of what I know we all want.
But we’re not. We’re in our client’s house, and the guys are probably having mini heart attacks since I forgot to check in when we arrived.
Dammit! Being the responsible twin really has its disadvantages sometimes. I pull away from Fate slowly, the sight of her playing tongue twister with my twin sending more heat through my blood.
A Fate Unknown: A PNR, Why Choose Novel (The Ghost Girl Series Book 1) Page 18