Page 5 of Ghostly Touches

“Don’t be alarmed. He is bound, so he cannot hurt you.” Kwil’s deep voice comes from behind me and snaps me out of my shock.

“Whatisit?” I demand and point to it unnecessarily.

“It is a Shadebroode,” a new voice says.

I turn my attention to the man standing beside the creature and instantly forget what we’re talking about. The man is so handsome it’s almost hard to look at him. His face is flawless. With a hard jawline, sharp cheekbones, a long, thin pointed nose, and a heavy brow, this man could pass as a god. His long auburn hair is pulled back on the sides of his head by braids that do not soften the hardness of his features. My eyes flicker over his face, and I gape when I notice the sharp points atop his ears and the tattoos that appear around his neck when the man moves.

Fae. An honest to god Fae is standing here in my house.

The elusive species tends to never travel outside their little sphere of the world unless absolutely necessary. With their self-appointed superiority, they don’t like to mingle with the common folk. So what the hell is one doing in my house?

I take in his attire and note that the white cloak he wears matches that of his partner, who still stands behind me. Like,rightbehind me. I can feel Kwil’s breath travel down my neck. A normal person would find this intimidating, but I’m definitely not normal. The close proximity of the hooded stranger elicits a sense of excitement that swirls around in my gut.

“A Shadebroode, huh?” I repeat only to give myself some time to compose myself. I move further into the room, making it a point not to get much closer to the monster. Its head tracks my movements. “Seems like a strange pet.”

An angry huff comes from near the couch in the middle of the room.

“She’s a fucking idiot. Clearly, it’s not a pet. This is a waste of our time!”

My eyes focus on the spirit standing beside the couch, which I can see from here, has a male body lying across it. Of the spirit, there’s not much to see. He’s wearing an identical cloak to the other two, with his hood up so his face is obscured, but I can tell, with his large shoulders and thick legs, that he’s clearly the biggest of the three.

“I’m not an idiot. I’m just stunned, asshole.”

The spirit whirls around to face me, going still with surprise.

“You can hear me?” he asks.

“Who’s the idiot now?” I counter. “If I couldn’t hear you, then I wouldn’t be able to correct you.”

“But these two can’t.” He waves his gloved hand in the two living men’s direction.

“Well, that’s because they’re not necromancers.”Duh. I roll my eyes, and he huffs.

“Who are you speaking to?” the Fae asks.

I give him a strange look.

“Your friend. I assume that’s why you brought him here… because he can’t pass over, right?” I hedge.

What I don’t say is that this guy is probably bothering the shit out of these two as he tries to gain their attention. It takes a while for a new spirit to figure out how to push an object over or draw attention to their presence. Apparently, it requires atonof concentration and patience. But while a new spirit, such as this one, can’t make a scene, they can still be a nuisance.

“You can see him? Speak to him—I mean, his spirit?” the Fae asks, surprise coloring his voice.

“Of course,” I frown. “I’m a necromancer. It’s kind of my job to speak to the dead and listen when they talk back. This would be a strange occupation if I couldn’t.”

I’m way more than a necromancer, but they don’t need to know that. No one does.

The Fae sighs. “We’re here because of Viktor, yes, but there is a bit more you need to understand. Before we begin, I would ask for the utmost discretion. Everything spoken and seen here tonight must remain between us.”

I glance at the old clock on the fireplace mantle.

“Then you better hurry up, I’m ninety percent certain I’m going to have uninvited guests showing up here to give me an earful.” Well,moreuninvited guests, I correct myself as I cross my arms over my chest. The Elders are probably preparing their speeches in their cars on the way over here.

My eyes drift to the monster tied up on the floor. I can’t wait to see the witches’ faces when they seethatthing in my family room. I’m sure they’ll think it’s a demon and try to cast whatever spell they can to send it to the Realm of the Dead. It’ll only cause more chaos since witches know nothing of demons and what spells would work on them. On top of that, since it’s not a demon, even if they had the right spell, it wouldn’t work.

Oh, the entertainment that would cause…

“Then we must hurry,” the Fae says. His eyes drift behind me. “Kwil, you may return to your postoutside.”

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