Page 30 of Christmas Spirits

“I’ll help you through it.” He tugged my hand, urging me to stand. “Go!”

Leaping to my feet, I moved closer to the table with the bowl and other various ingredients Rhys had set up for the ritual. Looking over them all, my gut clenched with uncertainty. I didn’t have a clue what I was supposed to do here.

“You need to tap into your magic. It’s who you are. Don’t fight it. Let it go,” he instructed. “Relax yourself to open up to it.”

With an evil spirit loose in the shop and my boyfriend and friend battling for our lives, how was I supposed to justrelaxmyself? It was impossible.

“Do it!”

I forced myself to close my eyes. Drawing in a few shaky breaths through my nose and out my mouth, I thought back to the night before, when my vision had changed and the glowing colors had appeared. I had just been touched by the spirit, some of my life’s energy drained… Maybe in my exhaustion and weakness, I’d been able to let my walls down so my power could expand? At least a little.

Was that why the poltergeist had let me go then? Because it had sensed the necromancer part of me coming to the surface? In that moment, I’d sworn I’d felt the bones trembling, too.

And the similarities between the start of the ritual and my first attempt at channeling were undeniable. Had my grandmother recognized the signs back then and known what I was? Had that been why she’d stopped me so fast and never pushed me to channel again?

Could Rhys be right?

“Katherine…”

My head snapped up at the familiar female’s voice. As my gaze fell upon the short, plump woman with a floral spring dress, apron, and graying hair, I almost fell over.

“Gr…Grandma?” My voice broke at the sight of her in spirit form. After all this time of not being able to see her, there she was. Right there on the other side of the table, staring at me. I couldn’t believe it. She looked exactly as I remembered her, down to the rosebud shaped mouth and lines around her eyes and mouth. Around her ghostly form, a pale-yellow light pulsed.

Her aura.

I glanced down at Rhys, who was staring at me intently. His glow ebbed duller by the second, telling me his time was running short. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see Laurence’s surrounding aura was a dark blue, while Arianna’s was fiery pink in color.

Oh my God…

It was true.

I looked back at my grandmother. There was so much I wanted to say to her. So many questions I had. Years’ worth. But my words stayed frozen in my throat.

“I know, my dear.” Her smile was sad but one of relief all the same. “I know you’re scared. But you need to listen to me. There isn’t much time.”

I nodded meekly.

“This is who you are. Who you’ve always been,” she said, her tone calm despite the chaos still raging around us. “You’re stronger than your mother. And me. You always have been. You just have to allow yourself to be you.”

“Put your hands in the bowl!” Rhys shouted. “Into the mixture!”

I hesitated.

Grandmother Abigail pointed to the mud-like stuff in the large vessel. “Listen to him, dear. You can do this. I’ll be here the whole time.”

Doing as Rhys said, I sank my fingers into the muck. Instantly, something took hold of me. Sparking energy traveled up my hands and along my arms. Coldness radiated over my skin, and my entire body trembled. Wind began to surge and whip around the room again as the power rose.

“No matter what, don’t take them out!” Rhys commanded against the growing noise.

Gradually, the mixture in the bowl shifted, building on top of one another and rising out, forming two legs.

“That’s it, Katherine. Steady now.” My grandmother’s voice kept me stationary, even though I was shaking so much, my teeth were chattering. The body gained more form and mass before me. A torso, a chest, two arms… I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing—what I wasdoing—but it was happening.

Glass shattered, and I gasped, seeing a dark tendril flash nearby and knock over another store display—this time with blown glass ornaments for sale. Immediately, a frigid air blast rushed past me, making the spirit recoil.

“Don’t worry! We got your back,” Arianna shouted from somewhere behind me.

When I peered back up at the body, the head was in place and more distinct features were forming. I could make out eyes now and a mouth. Stringy long hair and a dimpled chin.

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