Page 53 of Captivating Magic

“What the fuck?” His eyes widened in horror and met Lo’s. “Why is she blinking in and out that way? And why are there two of her?”

To an outsider, it had to seem bizarre that she was tied to the bed but also standing by the door. Wilder couldn’t know one was her possessed body and the other her spirit.

“Blinking in and out? What do you mean?” Ebba asked.

The rest of them shared a confused look. To them, she appeared solid.

“It’s like you’re here, but not. Ghostly,” Wilder explained, stepping closer to her and touching her shoulder. “You’re solid now. What the hell’s happening?”

“Fascinating,” Damian murmured, studying her with new eyes.

“Thanks, Doctor Spock, but that’s a real problem,” Castor said.

Lo’s stomach dropped. “How?”

“It indicates a time disturbance. Like a computer glitch before the hard drive crashes. It’s bizarre only he can see?—”

Flinging her arms out wide, Ebba gasped. Her eyes grew opaque an instant before her head dropped back.

Lo swore and dove for her, but Wilder reached her first, catching her before she fell.

Behind them, Spencer thrashed and released a cry as Ebba called out, “Save me, Wilder! I love you, my wild boy.”

The blow was crushing, and Lo sucked in a breath. His heart rate increased, and the thudding against his chest wall became painful.

“How…?” Wilder swallowed, and the haunted eyes he turned on Lo added to the betrayal he felt.

“When did you and Ebba…?” He didn’t really want to know, did he? Surely, that path led to heartbreak. The little voice in his head sneered in derision. It wasn’t as if his heart hadn’t just been trampled to death.

“What?No!Christ, have you lost your last fucking brain cell?” his brother shook his head. “Ebba and I have never been an item. There’s never been anyone for her butyou, you idiot.”

“Then why did she say she loved you?” Lo demanded, growing angrier by the second. But not at Ebba or his brother. At himself for his instantaneous lack of faith in the two of them. And had she and Wilder hooked up, there wasn’t a damned thing he could’ve said about it. Until recently, he’d been married and didn’t realize he’d buried his feelings for Ebba when he was nineteen.

“I have no idea. Abbie was the only person who called me ‘wild boy.’” Wilder’s voice cracked, and he looked away to hide his anguish.

“Do you think Ebba’s channeling her?” Castor asked.

“It’s possible,” Clutch said. “She’s got one foot in the spirit world. But why would Abigail need saving if she’s crossed?”

“Perhaps you should ask Death the next time you see her,” Lo suggested. “Also, you and I are having a conversation as soon as Ebba wakes. I want to know what the fuck is up with that glowing globe you gave me.”

Guilt flashed in his friend’s eyes.

Waiting be damned!

He grabbed Clutch by the shirtfront.

“What did you do?” Laszlo shook him, praying he had the self-control not to pummel him after he heard the answer. “What is that thing, and why give me something so dangerous?”

“It absorbs renegade souls,” Damian said with a meaningful look at Clutch. “Those spheres are rare. Four exist in the entire world.” He shrugged a shoulder at Lo’s accusing glare. “I recalled where I’d seen it before. What I’d like to know is how one came to be in your possession, Mr. Adams? Those soul transporters aren’t meant for Reaper’s assistants.”

“I’m not an assistant. I’m a Reaper,” Clutch confessed. Expression apologetic, he met Lo’s disbelieving stare. “Five months ago, I replaced the one who failed to collect Ebba. I didn’t know what she meant to you, Lo, but either way, I’m here to finish the job.”

Laszlo growled low in his throat. “You can fuck all the way off. You’re not taking her.”

“I tried to make this easy, but you’re being stubborn. She’s mortal and has been on this plane too long. It creates ripple effects, man.”

“I don’t give a shit if the earth blows apart.” Lo released him with a hard shove. “She’s staying with me.”

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