Page 19 of Real Fake Hauntings

“Good.” Hutton turned to Madeleine. “Stay here and call someone to come deal with it.”

“Yes, sir.”

He turned and stalked away.

“Text me if you think of anyone of interest,” I called after him.

A rude gesture was his answer.

I turned to Madeleine, hopeful she might be in a more talkative mood with her alpha gone, but she was busy on her phone, and her posture told me she was now in “job mode,” so there would be no small talk.

“What do you think?” Key asked as we made our way back.

I didn’t want to think about any of it right now, but she was probably asking about the pentagram, not the mate thing. “I think it’s a witch.”

Now, whether the witch meant these pentagrams as a prank or something a lot more sinister was what I needed to find out.

SEVEN

After grabbing take out for lunch, we went to the cemetery. Key was eager to get back to the Halloween Tour preparations, and I was eager to get back to the reassurance I always felt in Ian’s presence.

The private gate was half open, so we slipped inside and walked up to the house. In my arms, Fluffy yipped excitedly and strained toward the cemetery side of the property. I guessed Ian was over there.

“Water and food first, Fluffy,” I told her sternly. She gave me doleful eyes but appeared to agree. We took the dogs and the bags of food into the house through the kitchen door, and I left Key in charge of things while I went in search of Ian.

I found him supervising Shane and Alex as they worked on keeping a thick bundle of cables away from the main paths between the graves. A handful of spotlights and speakers had been stacked up by Ian’s side.

Ah, Ian.

I allowed myself a few moments to take in the sight of his back, all wide and strong, today covered by a black denim jacket, and the bubble of his butt, today covered by black jeans. Even his black boots were sexy. As usual, he had gathered his wavy long brown hair at the nape of his neck, producing the cutest ponytail. It made me want to flick it for hours. Then take off the hair band and run my fingers through his hair. Preferably while he kissed me senseless.

Ian and I had been dating for about four weeks, but he liked to tease, to keep his attention to moments when I least expected them. A peck here and there, a fast goodnight kiss, then a sudden kiss so deep it went all the way to my soul as if we were soul mates and he had all the right to live inside my chest.

No. No mating involved. Just two people figuring out their way as a normal, healthy couple would.

Ian chose that moment to glance over his shoulder, and I gave him the most awkward wave in my long history of awkward waves.

“Hi, Ian!” I greeted him brightly.

His mouth kicked up at the corner. “Hi, there.”

“I brought lunch.”

Never visit a shifter without bringing food.

“The kids will be happy,” he said. “They’re finishing setting up the cables for the lights.”

I went to stand by his side and surveyed the cemetery with satisfaction. In the light of day, it was a moody, beautiful place with old gravestones perched at different angles, the occasional small mausoleum and statue, and thick, droopy trees adding to the peaceful atmosphere.

The grounds were covered by thick grass, healthy from the rain we’d been having, and the strays had already marked a path among the tombstones.

“No jobs today?” I asked.

He shrugged lightly. “I cleared up most of our schedule until after Halloween.”

I grinned, sneaking up a glance at his impassive face. Officially, Ian had refused to get involved in any way with the tour. Clearly, that’s why he was standing here, supervising his strays like he insisted Shane and Alex weren’t his own tiny pack.

My gaze drifted down to his impressive torso, and I did a double take.

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