Page 17 of Haunted Eclipse

I nodded. “Yeah, and thank you for that. It’s just…Sometimes I get soangrybecause he was stolen away from me. And it wasn’t an accident. I know I sound horrible, but the one comfort I have is that the stinking drunk who killed him, died inthe accident too. He didn’t get away with it and he didn’t get a slap on the wrists. Karma won out this time. I feel vindicated.”

“You feel what you feel. I would have been angry, too. I’m surprised you didn’t sue his insurance company.”

“I did,” I said, looking over at her. “I got a large settlement, which I tucked away for the future. I haven’t touched it since I bought a new car, given he totaled Dan’s and mine was on its last legs. But I didn’t tell anyone. On one hand, it feels like blood money. On the other, I know I may need it some day. So, it’s there, as a safety net. I think Dan would have approved.” I shook my head, biting my lip. “All right, let’s switch away from melancholy subjects. What do you want to watch?”

Crystal knew when I needed to stop. She shrugged. “I’m good with whatever.”

“I think there’s a Hitchcock marathon on Mysteries Unlocked,” I said, flipping to that.

Both Crystal and I had been obsessed with thrillers and mysteries when we were teens, and we’d discovered Alfred Hitchcock. Sure enough, the Mysteries Unlocked channel was running a movie-marathon, andRopewas on—what I considered Hitchcock’s best.

The movie was commonly thought to be filmed in one continuous shot, stopping only to change the film in the cameras. However, it was actually ten shots, edited so that it appeared to be one magical shot. Regardless, it was a fantastic movie based on a gruesome murder that had taken place in the early twenties, when a couple of arrogant college kids decided to try for the perfect murder, back in the early twenties.

As the movie sucked us in, I noticed the room was getting colder. Frowning, I paused the streaming service. “I’m going to check the thermostat. It’s feeling awfully cold in here.”

“I noticed that,” Crystal said. “I know it’s cold outside but I didn’t think the temperature was droppingthatfast.”

The thermostat was on the kitchen wall. As I headed toward it, I walked through an icy patch where the temperature felt about ten degrees cooler.

I froze, looking around. One of the signs of a haunting was a cold spot—a place in the home where the temperature dropped for no obvious reason. I stood there, looking around. Nothing obvious jumped out at me, but the hairs on my neck were standing up and I felt like I was being watched.

“Crystal! Come here,” I said. My voice seemed to reverberate against the walls.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, entering the kitchen, but her voice dropped away and she let out a gasp, pointing.

I turned, following her direction. There, against the other side of the wall, was a floating mist. It boiled up from the floor, swirling in loops. The mist was a pale green color—pretty, but there was something dark about it that made me uneasy.

“What’s that?” Crystal asked.

“I’m not sure,” I said, but I had the feeling that it was very much alive. Or at least, sentient. “Maybe a ghost?”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s something else, but it’s not just some fog that got lost and wandered into the house, I can tell you that.” My alarms were screeching loud and clear—whatever this was, it wasn’t friendly.

“Do you think it’s one of theUnliving?” Crystal asked.

According to the spirit shamans, there were several types of dead. Most spirits could be categorized under one of those types. But I truly believed that there were other forms of entities that straddled the spirit world and other worlds—and those weren’t necessarily under control of the spirit shamans.

I slowly walked toward the fog, hands out, trying to get a feel for what it was. My entire body felt electrified. I glanced over at Crystal, shaking my head. “Not good,” I mouthed.

The mist began to take form, solidifying into a column that reminded me of a coiled snake. In fact, it made me think of a king cobra, rising up, ready to strike. I stopped outside of what I hoped was its range. As I faced it down, a hiss came from the doorway and I glanced back to see Miss P., her back arched. She hissed again and turned to run out of the room.

“What are you?” I asked.

The mist swayed back and forth, just like a snake, then it opened its mouth. Ready to leap should it attack, I braced myself.

“What are you?” I put force behind my words.

Again, it didn’t answer, but let out a long hiss that felt like wind passing through my hair.

“I don’t trust it,” Crystal said, her gaze glued on the creature.

“Neither do I, and I’m done asking questions,” I said. “Watch it, I’ll be right back. Yell if something happens.”

I eased away from it, dashing out of the kitchen and back to my room. I grabbed my dagger, and found my crystal necklace that amplified my powers and draped it over my head. Then, stopping to find my Binding Powder, I hurried back to the kitchen.

As I entered the room, Crystal backed away. I opened the jar of powder and tapped out a handful, then—dagger in one hand, powder in the other, I approached the apparition.

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