Chapter Six

I passed Dorian’s bedroom and stared in astonishment. They were both chuckling like hyenas while Dorian helped unpack Lauren’s things. I had never seen Dorian in a full blown laugh, his cheeks stretching wide while a deep rumble of laughter sounded from his full lips. Sure he had laughed around me, but it was more at my own expense rather than finding humor with me. An, “I’m not laughing with you, I’m laughing at you” sort of thing. A nasty pang of jealously stuck in my gut, causing my upper lip to curl up in a sneer as I glared at the blonde intruder. I got my inner green monster under control and headed to the kitchen to slip on my boots. I glanced down to appraise what I was wearing: black yoga pants and a long sleeve gray t-shirt. Deciding that the pants might not be thick enough to chase away the coolness of the night, I hurried to my room and changed into jeans. As I slipped past Dorian’s room, I did a walk by peek. Dorian’s head snapped up and settled in my direction but I didn’t stop my escape.

I needed time by myself, without a giggling vampire Barbie and infatuated angel of Death and I knew just the place. I grabbed my coat and closed the front door behind me quietly. The stairway squeaked under my weight. I liked to walk and the temperature outside wasn’t as cold as I expected. Slipping on my jacket, I stuffed my hands in my pockets and headed for the one place that had become peaceful for me.

* * *

Flora’s cemetery sat on the edge of town. It wasn’t very big but what it lacked in size it made up for in charm. I know how strange that sounds, that a graveyard would be charming, but I no longer found the resting place of the dead frightening. There was something very calming about the hallowed ground. A three foot stone wall encompassed the area and a tall wrought iron arch with a hinged double gate welcomed grievers. Thick oak trees with curvy bare branches shared the area with tombstones and mausoleums.

As I walked down the worn thin path, I closed my eyes and reached my senses out. Dorian told me with more practice I wouldn’t have to concentrate on sensing death, it would become a sixth sense of sorts. Though I was accepting what I am, the idea of always being able to detectdeath was a bit disconcerting. Imagine if you found out your neighbor, the one who always waves and makes small talk, had actually killed someone. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. I knew Aiden killed a lot of people and I didn’t want a constant reminder of sensing it from him.

Death has a distinct feel and smell to it. It is the coldest cold I’ve ever felt. It penetrates to the bone, and then come the emotions. The spirits’ feelings smack me in the face and make it hard breathe sometimes, especially if they are trying to get my attention. And the smell? It would be disgusting to most, but it doesn’t faze me. It is the stench of rotting fruit, sweet yet sour too.

A tug of cold emotion came from in front of me. I slowly opened my eyes to find at least ten transparent bodies lingering with watchful eyes. The first time I came to the Flora cemetery, the spirits had been shy, scared almost. They knew what I was and that I could send them to the realm of the dead if I saw fit. After coming back a few times, the ghosts were starting to trust me.

“Where’s your sidekick?” Eddie asked appearing right in front of my face. I jumped back in surprise, holding my heart as it jittered rapidly from the shock.

“Son of a...” I took a moment to catch my breath. “You scared the living hell outta me.” I took another ragged breath. “Dorian is at the apartment.”

“Does he know you’re out here by yourself?” Eddie chided.

“I’m a grown ass woman, Eddie. I don’t need permission to go somewhere.” I walked around him and up the path. “I wanted to thank you,” I told him when he floated to catch up to me. “For alerting Dorian about my attack.”

“Just doing my job.” Eddie’s pale shoulders rose and fell in a shrug.

I glanced over at him. “Well thank you for doing your job.”

“I also kinda like you and don’t want anything bad to happen,” Eddie admitted and I smiled. The ghost was in his early forties with shaggy brown hair and matching muddy eyes. He died in the seventies and was forever doomed to wear bell-bottom jeans and a blue t-shirt that read Volvo across the front.

“So have you seen any other rogues around?” It suddenly dawned on me that one could be watching me right now. But this time I didn’t feel helpless like I did at my shop. My magic may be waning but I was surrounded by a horde of spirits and could use them to defend myself if I had to.

“No,” Eddie replied. “But I’m sure they’ll be more. Rogues don’t back down easily. The Veil will find out the rogue they sent failed and they’ll send more to kill you. When they’re hired for a job they don’t stop until they accomplish it.”

I walked over to a small, concrete bench and sat while the curious ghosts floated toward me. I smiled as they cautiously came closer, their eyes inquisitive. Seeing them in the period of clothing they had died in was like time traveling. What better way to learn about history than from someone who had lived it? I had no clue why I was so afraid to embrace my spirit walker side. It was pretty awesome. So what if I lost my physical magic? I could control and sense spirits and that was ten times cooler than conjuring stuff.

“Who wants to play hide-n-seek?”

“You cheat at hide-n-seek,” Eddie complained and the other ghosts nodded their translucent heads.

“How do I cheat?” I stood up and placed a hand on my hip.

“You command us to show ourselves,” another spirit answered. He was completely naked which led me to believe he either died when he was a werewolf or been caught with someone’s wife in a compromising position. Poor guy.

“Okay, okay,” I said holding up my hands in surrender. “I promise not to order you to show yourselves.” I smiled. “Ready, set, hide.” And just like that the ten ghosts standing before me vanished with the steady breeze blowing through the cemetery.

I crept around the base of a large oak, bracing my hands on the rough bark as I closed my eyes and tried to detect where the spirits hid. My eyes snapped open and a smile lifted my lips. Six feet to my left, behind a tombstone that had the name MORRISON engraved on it, a ghost lingered.

“Ready or not here I come,” I called out. I just hoped no one wandered into the cemetery this late at night. It wouldn’t look good that it appeared I was talking and playing a game by myself. I could almost hear the whispers of the townsfolk now, “There goes crazy Gwen Sparks. I hear she prowls the graveyard at night to play with ghosts.”

I inched forward, the sensation of death getting stronger the closer I got to the tombstone. A rush of icy coldness raced across my back, and I whirled around to search out the apparition making a run for it. Float for it? They were keeping themselves hidden though so I rushed forward, reaching out a hand and tagging the ghost behind the MORRISON tombstone. The spirit appeared beneath my grasp, a woman in her late twenties with a side pony and eighties garb.

“Got you, Maureen,” I exclaimed with a smile before turning and running after the fleeing ghost. “No changing spots,” I called out. “That’s cheating.” A phantom laugh carried on the wind and taunted my ears. I recognized that laugh—Eddie.

I raced through the cemetery, dodging the protruding stones as I ran after Eddie. In my pursuit I ran straight through a cold spot. Cringing, I turned around and gave an apologetic smile to the spirit who had been hiding there. The naked ghost slowly pieced himself back together, the air coming together to form his body again.

“Sorry,” I told him.

The spirit looked down at himself like he was making sure all of his bits and pieces were there. Looking up, he smiled and said, “That’s the most action I’ve had in ten years.”

“Awesome,” I deadpanned. Making ghosts frisky was on my do-not list. Yuk! Ignoring the amazed naked man, I turned and began walking at a brisk pace. I lost track of Eddie and now needed to sense him again. I tagged four more ghosts on my walk, their transparent bodies forming as soon as I made touched them.

The crunch of footsteps behind me had me pausing. Looking over my shoulder, I scanned the area but no one was approaching. Swinging all the way around, my eyes tracked the darkened landscape. Gravel being shuffled under someone’s feet sounded to my left and I turned my body in that direction. I latched onto the spirits around me, connecting with their energy and ordering them to my side. Multiple translucent bodies floated forward, circling around me like phantom soldiers.

“Someone is here,” I whispered to my team of ghosts. I didn’t like taking away their rights and controlling them, but if it meant saving my life then I would do it. Their bodies hovered stoically as they waited for my command. The buzz of my magic still ran beneath my skin, though not very strong. I concentrated on it and forced it to my hands. I would use what little I had left while I still had it. It might not faze the rogues but I could use it to throw objects at them, and I was pretty sure getting smacked upside the head with a granite tombstone would stop their attack on me. Or at least I hoped it would.

“I see you’re finally taking precautions,” Dorian said, stepping from out behind a tree with vampire Barbie. My body sagged from its tense position and I glared at Dorian. A thought occurred to me and, I’m a tad embarrassed to say, it brought a smile to my face. Ignoring both of them, I channeled the connection to the spirits and began whispering my orders. One by one they floated away from me and toward Dorian and Lauren. The vampire couldn’t see the spirits but Dorian could. Everyone could see ghost if they chose to show themselves, but these guys were staying hidden from Lauren. Dorian’s right eyebrow arched, peeking over the rim of his sunglasses.

Lauren was flung back, landing hard onto the ground. The ghost lingered around her, waiting for her to regain her footing. She snapped up in a blur, her blond hair whipping wildly around her head as she searched for the threat.

“What the hell was that?” she snarled, reaching beneath her pant leg and extracting a silver dagger.