Page 9 of Jacinth

I settled for hitting him until he released me entirely and I could stand on my own two feet. With as much dignity as I could muster, I tugged my clothes roughly into place and blew an errant strand of hair from my face.

“Can someone please explain to me what just happened?” Shrill. I was not a shrill person. I cleared my throat and glowered at my twin, who appeared to be finding great entertainment in the proceedings.

“Your one true love rescued your ass from a case of the vapors,” Birdie informed me with a smirk.

“Not one, actually. Umm, I think you’ll find both my brothers are also your mates.”

Things got a bit hazy at that point, and I’m not too proud to admit I almost pulled a repeat performance on the mental checkout thing.I would not become hysterical. I just had to deal with the fact that my little pass-out routine had robbed me of precious minutes on my only day to live, and I was now finding out that the ridiculously good-looking, crazy man and his smoking hot brother, plus one more—and unless he swam at the shallow end of the gene pool, he would be equally blessed—were my... my...

Come on, Jace, be a big girl. Say the word... M... M... Mates.

Holey ghouley.

The snapping of a single hand clap came from Birdie. Damn it, she was doing my take control thing!

“The sensible thing to do here would be to take some time to get to know each other. Don’t you think, Jace?” she said brightly.

This was a trap. I knew it.

I was left to either follow her advice, thus proving the power of the hand clap, or refuse and hurt this guy’s feelings. And possibly not get laid before I lost my body again. Shit. I was serious this morning. Could I be with someone this good-looking? What if my pussy got performance anxiety? What if he had, like, one of those perfect dicks that turns you to stone? Like a medusa dick?

No,I thought firmly. If I got to choose the way I went out, I wanted to return to the cemetery and tell Gladys I had no regrets because I died from a penis-related injury.

Decision made, I smirked at my twin and took the guy’s hand. “Hey... What’s your name again?”

“You don’t know my name?” A little furrow formed between his brows.

“Well, I will once you tell me. Then I’ll know what to scream later, right?”

The shudder that passed through my sister was so visceral I felt it from two feet away. I grinned and stepped off before my mind did a complete 360.

“Wait. I should probably check this first. Would you compare your dick to any kind of monster?”

Birdie gagged. The guy... Skyler! Yes! I remembered, go me. Seriously, I was rocking this day. Oh sheet, he just said something. I smiled politely and nodded, hoping he wouldn’t realize I’d completely lost my own conversation.

He cocked his head, and it was so cute, he looked like a puppy. Or some other cute thing.

“Jace. Come back to us. You can’t just check out like that when you’re alive, remember?” Nerd. Of course Birdie would call me out.

“I’m right here. Seriously. I was just...” I tried to find something to save me from this situation and landed on an odd van across the street. “Wondering about the van. Looks kinda creepy, right?”

As we all watched, a man in a priest getup exited the vehicle and crossed toward us. Damn, he must be looking for friends. Birdie grabbed my arm before I could bolt. Dude seemed like a major creep.

“Hello, I’m Father Dare.”

I snorted and covered my laugh with a hand.

“Do you find the deceased in the Silver Springs cemetery troublesome? My mission in this town is to bring peace, as I have to many others.”

A shiver worked its way up my spine. The guy looked pleasant enough, but I was getting alarm bells. What was he talking about?

“I will be working my way through the lost entities over the next few weeks, helping them cross over. Helping them find peace. I have just received council approval and am seeking the support of locals to identify those in need of assistance to... cross over.”

He was doing the verbal equivalent of tiptoeing around, trying not to cause concern, but I could have sworn he just said he would...

“Do you mean to tell me you are going to perform a mass exorcism of all spirits in the Silver Springs cemetery?” Birdie asked.

Well... shit.

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