Page 112 of Ghostly Touches

“I’ll hold out for as long as need be. We can’t be caught by them, Jonah.”

I let out my breath in relief. “Good, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure you’re comfortable while we deal with this. How do you feel now?”

“Fine.”

Her answer is too quick, and we both know it. I grab her hand again.

“What can I do for you?” I search her face, needing some direction. I don’t know how to care for someone, but if she just tells me, I can do it. Squeezing my hand, she smiles at me.

“Just hold me often.”

I squeeze her hand back. “I can do that.”

Her smile widens. “I know you can. I trust you.”

My heart expands in my chest swiftly as it fills with warmth. “I won’t let you down, Willow. Not again.”

“So, have you come up with an idea yet?”

I roll my eyes. “We’ve been talking this whole time. I haven’t had time to think of one yet.”

Her answering grin is wide. “Well,Icame up with one. You ready to go?”

“You did? Right now?” I blink in surprise. “And you want to go now? The nurse said—”

Willow waves me off before I can finish. “I feel fine. Let’s get out of here before the Ghosts find us.”

I stand and help her out of bed.

“Lead the way, beautiful, and I’ll follow.”

* * *

I’m impressedby how efficient Willow is. Using her powers, she calls upon a few spirits lingering in the area and has them help us find clothes in abandoned houses and even uses one to pickpocket from a man walking down the street.

“How do you do that?” I ask her curiously when she looks through the wallet. We take the cash, and the spirit returns the wallet with the owner being none the wiser.

She shrugs. “It takes a little bit of work, but it’s kind of like Dr. Frankenstein jolting his creature to life. Give a spirit enough power, and it can have a physical state for a moment or two.”

I shake my head in amazement. She flags down a taxi in the middle of town and simply says, “Take us as far as you can west, please.”

With a grunt, the taxi driver pulls away from the curb.

“Where are we headed?” I ask her.

“To my mother’s.”

I lean back in my seat with a sigh. It’s been alongday, and it’s hitting me now. But there’s no way we can stop. Not when we’ve just started to run.

“Do you really think she can help?”

“She’s a necromancer through and through,” Willow says with a frown. “I don’t think she can do anything for us honestly, but I think she knows someone who might.”

“And who’s that?”

Willow just shrugs. “You’ll see,ifthis all pans out.”

I notice the way she reaches up and touches her chest lightly as she talks. Worry starts to eat at me. Can the separation from the others already be bothering her? If so, we’re going to have a big problem on our hands. I grab her hand that’s busy rubbing the ache and hold it in my lap.

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