I focused on ignoring Stevie—since Ego already thought we were a bunch of weirdos always talking to ourselves or staring off into space—and said, “How are you this morning, Scotty?”
He rolled his eyes, dismissing Ego, and smiled at me. “Good. I’m hungry. What kind of eggs would you like, Skylar?”
“Scrambled?” I asked, hopefully.
“With cheese,” he said—proving how well he paid attention—and nodded. “Chance, over easy?”
“That would be great. Are you sure you don’t want some help?”
“Nope. I’m fine. You guys hang out.”
I had a feeling that more than wanting to make breakfast, Scotty just didn’t want to be at the table with Ego. I couldn’t understand why my cousin was still flirting with Scotty like some sort of prima donna. He obviously wasn’t falling for it, and honestly, it was getting a little more uncomfortable every time Ego laid it on so thick.
“He didn’t ask me what I want,” Ego hissed, loud enough for Scotty to hear, and staring at the younger man at the stove, looking amused.
Scotty’s back stiffened, and he mumbled, “You get what you get.”
Ego let out a bark of laughter.
“Anyway,” I said, drawing his attention. “How’s everything going?”
His nose scrunched up like he was confused. Understandable since we talked daily at his new house. “Fine.”
I searched his face, searching for signs that something was bothering him—outside of the fact that I knew he was being haunted on a regular basis. Nothing too scary, but still…
“What?”
I shrugged. It sounded like he’d been keeping well away from those he could see as he tinkered with his new music, so I couldn’t say that any of us had heard him working on something out of his normal wheelhouse. He’d think we had the place bugged—which I guess it sort of was since the dead tended to transmit the things they saw and heard back to us. I decided to leave it alone for now, but be more observant and attentive, and changed the subject.
About the time we finished up eating—Ego had his eggs over easy like Chance did, and Scotty and I enjoyed scrambled—Elyse came in with her peasant skirt swirling color and her bracelets and necklaces jingling like bells.
“Good morning, all.”
“Morning, Mom,” Chance said, standing and kissing his mom on the cheek.
“Are you hungry?” Scotty asked from where he was standing at the counter, eating his breakfast.
“No, dear. Thank you. My Mr. made us yogurt parfaits for breakfast after sunrise yoga.”
She gave me the stink-eye. I hadn’t joined her for yoga since the dreamwalking began. At first, it was because I wasn’t sure how tired I’d be after being awake part of the night in my sleep, but I’d come to discover I woke up feeling well-rested and refreshed. Now, with Kingston and Jetty fencing in the mornings, I sure didn’t want to miss that. Especially if they were going to add this martial arts stuff and move around half-naked.
I smiled sheepishly. She placed her hands on her hips. “Will you be joining me at all this morning, Skylar? It’s been a while since we had one of our”—she side-eyed Ego—“talks.”
Ugh. Another thing I’d been lax on, studying magic under Elyse. I’d been so gung-ho to learn all things magical when I first found out ghosts, psychics, and clairvoyants were real. I’d been so honored when Elyse had offered to teach me some witchy things. And we’d come far. I’d even ushered fire into existence when we’d needed it at the Hallowed Tree.
But…now I had Patchy. And my place was tethering King on his dreamwalks. I still didn’t really understand what that meant since it didn’t feel like I kept him locked to this side of the veil. If anything, I’d say that my only use was that I’d gained the familiar who brought forth the sword. No more, no less.
But that wasn’t nothing. It was everything. I had my own place amongst this group of spirits and heartbeaters, so did I really need to know more? I missed spending time with Elyse, but I saw her at family dinners, and it wasn’t like I wouldn’t practice yoga with her sometimes.
I noticed Ego looking back and forth between me and Elyse. Confusion settled across his brow again. He knew she was eccentric, and he’d been into her shop, Elyse’s Mystical Treasures, located in the B&B, so he knew it had crystals, tarot cards, spell books, and such, but he didn’t know she was the real deal.
My poor cousin. If we couldn’t tell him the truth here, I needed to do better by him. We were the only family either one of us really had—the only ones we actually counted—so I needed to get my head out of the stars and focus.
“Soon, Elyse. I promise. I need to focus on spending time over at Ego’s before he has to return to his real world, but after.”
My grin was met with narrowed eyes and a tight-lipped smile. Oh my, she wasn’t happy with me at all.
Chapter 3
