Page 30 of Ghostly Touches

“Pull the hood over your face, and it will muffle sounds and protect your eyes from the light,” he tells her.

Willow does as she is told while I stare up at Viktor, speechless.

Is Viktor beingkind?

He ignores my attention and moves to lift her from the floor. I move quicker, determined to be the one to carry Willow to safety. The moment her weight is in my arms, a different one is lifted from my chest. A warmth erupts inside of me. Starting in the middle of my chest, it spreads slowly and fully like lava through my body. Everything inside me settles, and a strange peace, unlike any I’ve ever experienced, steals over me. Instinctually, I pull her closer to me. I hear Willow's soft gasp under the cloak, and I wonder if she feels the same thing.

“Lead the way out of here, mage,” Viktor commands, and Bernard immediately moves to do as he is told.

Once back upstairs, we skirt around the feeble old mage and head towards the front door. Viktor yanks it open, and I carry Willow out into the night. We’re silent as we walk up the gravel drive. I’m vibrating hard in this new pattern that started the moment my eyes landed on the necromancer once again. Should I be worried that Willow can feel it? Maybe. Right now however, I don’t care. She’s here, safe and sound. I’ll worry about everything else later.

I glance down at her face, but it’s covered, just like mine. I want to see her, to make sure she’s really here in my arms. The desire to beg for her forgiveness sits on the tip of my tongue. My guilt doesn’t feel resolved, as it should now that I have her. If anything, I only feel worse. There has to be a way to let Willow know we’re sorry.

We’re halfway between the house and the brick wall when I sense another. Viktor must have sensed the newcomer too because he pulls his sword from its sheath and whirls around to face whoever is behind us. I turn, pulling Willow closer to my chest. The peace of having her in my arms settles further into my body as I bring her closer. This feels right. Like she belongs right here in my arms. The idea is absurd, but it’s hard to argue with logic when I canfeelhow right this is.

Behind us stands Jonah. He’s breathing hard as if he’s been running hard. He probably has been if Theo’s been chasing him around. A strange grumble comes from his throat. His tail whips behind him back and forth in agitation, and even in the dark I can see his large teeth as he bares them at us. He tenses and then leaps the short distance between us. He slams into me as I brace myself as best I can with Willow in my arms, and I’m thrown backwards.

With a speed and agility that we’ve yet to witness from the cursed man, Jonah rips Willow from my arms before I hit the ground and leaps almost fifty yards away, narrowly missing Viktor’s sword as it slices through the air. The second Willow is out of my arms, the monster inside me erupts. The snarl that rips past my lips should’ve scared me, but I only welcome it. I’m on my feet in an instant, and my own sword is ready in my hand. Jonah stares at us for just a moment before looking down at Willow in his arms. The hood has fallen off her head, and I can see her wide eyes. The sound of her frantic gasps only enrages me further.

“Put her down, and I’ll let you live a while longer,” Viktor offers.

Jonah looks at him and back down at Willow. Then he moves. But not in any way we expect him to. He leans down andkissesWillow fully on the mouth.

Chapter11

JONAH

Idon’t know why I kiss Willow. All I know is that I have to. And I’ve never been happier to seize an opportunity than I am right now.

Kissing Willow is like stepping into the sun after being blanketed in eternal darkness. It’s a breath of clean air after being surrounded by a pile of rotting corpses. My heart expands twice its normal size, and the euphoria that sets in causes my body to tremble.

This kiss is better than any drug I’ve ever experienced.

I’ve needed this since we left her house a week ago. I neededWillowever since she reached into this horrific body and sawme. The real me. Laid bare for her and for the others to see. She saw me, literally speaking to my soul, and it was as if I found the other half of me that I didn’t know was missing.

I pull away, knowing that now’s not the time to dwell on this incredible moment. Willow’s soft chuckle would have made me grin, but I can’t in this form, so I bare my teeth and hope she’s not frightened. I look up to catch the utter repulsion on Viktor’s face. Kwil is standing still in shock, but I know under that hood he is probably wearing the same expression.

Before both Ghosts can snap out of their repulsed stupor, I turn with Willow in my arms and head for the brick wall as fast as I can. I leap it with no problem. When my feet touch the ground, I take off on the road I’d followed Kwil down. There are woods to my left. I slip into them to avoid being seen.

“Jonah, where are we going?” she asks breathlessly.

It’s not like I can answer her. This form doesn’t have vocal cords, at least not ones that allow me to speak. But even if I could answer her, I honestly have no idea where I’m taking her. I just know I have to keep her out of reach of the Ghosts and that damn book. I can feel its power crawling over her. It’s the same magic that has me trapped in this horrible creature’s body. Whatever curse Willow’s picked up from touching that book of spells, it’s not good. Maybe, since I can feel its power, I can work out what it has done to her. I push the thought aside for the moment as I dart through the trees.

“We have to go back. The Ghosts are just trying to help,” Willow says, her voice strained.

I look down at her and note the dark circles under her eyes and the way her dark skin seems to lack the luster it once had. Beads of sweat gather on her forehead, and her eyes are glazed over in pain. What did those people do to her in there?

I shake my head in protest at her request to go back.

“They’re the good guys. It’s okay, Jonah,” Willow says with a sigh as she places her face against the rough texture of the skin on my chest.

Again, I shake my head.

Maybe typical Ghosts could be considered the good guys, but Theodon, Viktor, and Kwil are far from that. How do I make her understand that these men are dangerous? I know Viktor’s been plotting to kill me. I can see it in the way he looks at me when the others aren’t paying attention. Whenever the others aren’t around, he takes whatever is bothering him out on me. And he doesn’t pull his punches when he’s angry. There’s something dark brewing in Viktor that scares the shit out of me. And Theodon? I know he sees that darkness, too. It’s in the way he watches Viktor. He knows that his ‘brother’ is a ticking time bomb. Then there is Kwil. He hides under that hood constantly, but I have a sinking suspicion that he’s just a monster pretending to be a man. I’ve seen how he acts. I’ve seen the way he lets the monster take over. When that happens, there’s no man left under that hood.

I can’t let them near Willow.

The urgency I feel to keep her safe is unlike me. Usually, I only consider myself when it comes to life threatening situations. I’ve always been a loner, keeping to myself unless I feel like getting into trouble. I should be worrying about how I’m going to get that book back and how I’m going to find a hiding place for it. The thought of touching it again makes my skin crawl, but I can’t let anyone else get to it.

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