Page 75 of Ghostly Touches

“Jonah?”

His eyes search my face for another moment before he lets out a heavy sigh of relief, his facial expression smoothing out.

“There you are, babe. Are you alright?”

I look around me. I’m back in my motel room. The bed is messed up, and a lamp is knocked over and… There’s only one bed?

“Where am I?”

“You’re in my swanky hotel room. Can’t you tell?” he says with a grin as he turns and gestures around the room.

“H-how did I get here?”

Jonah’s grin doesn’t last long. He guides me to the bed and sits me down. I notice he’s only wearing sweatpants.Where’d his shirt go?

“The book called to you again. You tried breaking into the room, and when I let you in, you tried to get to the damn thing.”

That was the book calling to me? I heard it before, but this time it was different. It was louder and more insistent. Jonah sits down on the bed beside me, regarding me with concern. I reach my hands up and run them over my thick braid, smoothing down the frizz I’m sure has accumulated from the heat outside and the shaking.

“I’m sorry. I tried to muffle its calling, but I think you’re bound to hear it no matter what I do.”

Why is he apologizing? It’s not his fault.

“How can you hear it, but not the others?” Absentmindedly, I stare around the room.

“I don’t know, but I’ve been wondering about that. My guess is that the book is putting off a weird frequency when it calls to you. Since I’m not fully human, I can pick up on it.”

Jonah bumps my shoulder with his. When I look over, he gives me a small smile.

“Are you okay?” His question is spoken softly as his eyes trail over my face.

I laugh. It sounds a bit hysterical, but it’s better than breaking down into tears.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

My eyes drift down to the collar around his neck. Jonah notices where my attention has shifted. He reaches up to touch the leather collar and grins.

“You know, back in my day, in the circles that I ran in, when someone wore a collar it was a sign of ownership.”

When I laugh this time, it’s genuine. “I don’t think that’s changed.”

“Well, since you presented it to meandput it on me, I think that means I’m yours. I don’t mind being owned. I’ll be your badass pet from here on out.” His wide and eager grin, paired with his floppy blonde curls and dimpling cheeks, makes him look far from being abadass. Even with horns and a tail.

I chuckle. “More like my super adorable, affectionate puppy.”

Jonah laughs, which causes the bed to shake. When it dies down, I ask,“How areyoudoing?”

Jonah reaches out to take my hand. When he does, our fingers weave together. Because of our situation, the contact eases tension I didn’t realize was brewing under my skin. It should feel weird holding the hand of a stranger. Meaningless sex is one thing. Holding hands? It’s way too intimate for me. Still, I don’t pull away.

“I’m alright. I can’t complain when I’m mostly me again and I’m out of that cave,” he admits as he reaches up to touch the horns on his head. “Any situation, even this one, is better than that.”

His tail swings around and wraps itself around my waist. It's heavy but not uncomfortable. We both stare down at it.

“I swear I don’t have any control over that thing,” Jonah mutters as we look up at the same time to meet each other's gaze. My hand drops down to the tail. It’s similar to smooth tree bark, like that of a birch. Textured, but not rough. Jonah shivers. I stop and look up. Giving me a sheepish smile, he grips my hand tighter.

“You’re playing with fire, my Seductress…” he says softly.

“Seductress?”

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