He might not have seen the gruesome apparition stalking through the house, but I’d seen her with my own two eyes. She’d been real.
I squeezed his hand where it was enveloped in my larger one. He was here.Alive.
He flipped his hand over, linking our fingers, then his gaze tracked over my face, stopping to stare into my eyes. “Really?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah.”
He smiled shyly, which was new…and nice. Usually, he exuded such confidence that he intimidated me. Something in my stomach settled. Sky shifted his attention back to Gran. “So let me get caught up here. Are you insinuating that you’re a witch?”
She bowed her head. “I am, as are you.”
Sky snorted. “No, I’ve learned to do a couple of things that Elyse has shown me, but she’s?—”
Gran interrupted, “And she’s a mystic.” Gran shrugged. “I can see why she went with that since she only hears spirits but can’t normally see them. I mean, I personally can’t see them either unless I do a spell. I can sense evil, though.”
Sky stared at me, dumbfounded. “I can’t believe you never told me that your grandmother’s a witch.”
“How could I? It’s the first time she’s ever said it outright to me.” Switching my attention to her, I asked, “Why now? You’ve never admitted it before, so something must have changed.”
“You did, dear.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. The dream last night was no different than any other I’ve ever had.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Are you sure? Usually, you remember things of the past that are unsettled…unfinished. A nudge from the spirit realm that someone needs rest, for someone to remember them or what they’ve been through.
“But now, with the time you’ve spent at Willowhope Manor and all you’ve seen, you’ve been all the way”—she mimicked turning a key—“unlocked.”
Sky leaned across the table toward her with an expression of awe. “What does that mean?”
She stared into my eyes while answering him. “Now he can see not only behind, but also the here and now when he’s in the veil.”
“Do what now?” I asked. Alarm bells blared in my head.
“Last night, I followed you because your pops and I thought you were getting closer, and we were right. You were in someone’s actual living dream, my little prince. Which means, we have some work to do.”
Chapter
Thirteen
Skylar
Kingston’s grandmotherhad completely thrown him for a loop with her talk of him coming into his power. After her ominous,we have some work to do, she sent him to get dressed and then explained the difference between Elyse’s mysticism and what I had. Without everything else that she’d said this morning, I’d have been excited, but Kingston had gone white as a sheet, and his color hadn’t returned yet.
I glanced into the rearview mirror to where he sat hunched over in the backseat and mumbling to himself. His gran reached over and patted my leg. “He’ll be fine, Sky. He just needs to come to terms with this.”
“With what exactly?”
“With the fact that his dreams take him into the veil, just like they did his pops. I wasn’t sure if he’d ever have the same sight, and I really sort of hoped he wouldn’t since it can be such a burden. The flipside is his gift shouldn’t have manifested in its entirety without a partner, that special connection. That’s whereyou come in, dear. I won’t lie, I was worried at first since he’s never introduced us.” She sent her grandson a stink face.
Her words roused the gentle giant in my backseat. “So you expect Sky to, what? Work for me as my witchy guide?”
“Mhm, something like that.” The little grin she shot me had my cheeks flaming red. Apparently, Gran and I were on the same page.Partner for the win!How did she expect me to get that through to him, though? That was the real mystery, if you asked me.
As I turned into the long drive for Willowhope Manor, she clapped her hands. “Oh, it’ll be so nice to officially meet Mr. Harry. I’ve heard so much about him.”
I glanced in the mirror again, and Kingston’s dark gaze met mine this time, and he looked just as bewildered as me. “How do you know about Mr. Harry?” I blurted.
She clucked her tongue. “The ghosts at the pond have been talking about him for as long as I’ve been alive. Pops says I’ll be able to officially meet him now, which is quite a thrill. As you know, before your buddy Chance, Mr. Harry was quite tied to the manor itself. It must be wonderful for him to be able to wander around now.”
