Page 14 of Edge of Wonder

“I’m not hovering. I’m waiting for His Highness, the Ghost Hunter, to rejoin the land of the living. It’s practically midday!” She jabbed a finger into the air, punctuating her sentence and put-out mood. “You only gave me to the end of the week to resolve my unfinished business, and you’re sleeping through my time. Honestly, who sleeps this late?”

Good question.I never slept past dawn. In fact, I hardly ever slept at all, yet after one night in the Granger cottage, I felt rested; energized in a way I hadn’t felt in years. It must have been from the mattress, even though it had felt a little lumpy with straw sticking out in places. It certainly had nothing to do with the restless spirit currently judging me for oversleeping.

Sitting up, I scraped a hand through my hair and stretched my neck muscles. I was about to swing my feet swung over the edge of the bed, but Alice held up her hand.

“Watch out for the glass. It’s all over the floor. I think you knocked over the lantern during the night.”

Sure enough, there was shattered glass everywhere. I couldn’t remember breaking the lantern. I barely even remembered having a night terror. If one had occurred, it didn’t last, and I didn’t wake up from it. Which never happened. I studied Alice to see if she’d witnessed my troubled sleep, but her face was neutral.

“It’s fine. I must have bumped into it.” I grabbed my boots, tucked my feet inside, and then strode across the room to a water pitcher on a side table. The remnants of the lantern crunched beneath my weight, evidence my sleep hadn’t been as peaceful as I’d hoped. Though broken glass or not, it was still a vast improvement.

“What did you do last night? Did you hear anything?” I asked, weighing her reaction.

“No, not a thing. I haunted the attic until morning.” Her nose scrunched with annoyance. “I didn’t want to be labeled creepy. Though in my defense, that is one of the hallmarks of a ghost, and I shouldn’t be stigmatized for it.”

I lifted my brow. Alice’s gaze dropped to her nails. She played with her cuticles, acting as if she hadn’t given me a lecture, even though a slight smile curved her lips.

Devilish ghost.I hated to admit it, but Alice was cute first thing in the morning—well, make that midday since one of us was keeping count.

She pretended to groom her nails until the silence grew awkward and she made a sound in the back of her throat. “So, what’s the plan for today? How do we figure out my unfinished business? I know you’re an expert, but if it helps, I came up with a list of ideas. And I need to tell you about the painting—”

“We’re going into town.”

My interruption stunned her into silence. You could almost see her mind tripping over the word “we”, analyzing it with hope, then tossing it away.

Her voice cracked. “Don’t be cruel, Sebastian.”

“Cruel? How so?” I poured water into a basin and splashed some on my face.

“Don’t tease me with impossible things. You saidwe’regoing into town when you know for a fact I’m bound to this house. I can’t leave. I’m stuck here.”

I wiped the water from my jawline with a towel and slung it over my shoulder. “You’re right. Ghosts are physically bonded to the things they haunt. But here’s a little-known fact: ghosts don’t just haunt houses, they can also haunt people. And today, Alice, you’re going to be haunting me. Wherever I go, you go. And I’m going into town.”

There was that stunned silence again, but this time her mouth hung open in shock. If she’d been alive, I’d have taken pleasure in tapping it closed with my knuckle just to see her reaction.

Her mouth stayed open as I dug into my pack, searching for a change of clothes. Alice found her voice at the same time I found a clean shirt.

She screeched, the sound high-pitched and laced with a thrill that tugged at my lips. Alice leaped from the bed, flying toward me with such speed her aura blurred.

“Be careful. You’ll rupture my eardrums if you keep that up. And then I won’t be able to enjoy your sarcastic quips.”

She clamped a hand over her mouth, but her body nearly vibrated with the force of her anticipation. Speaking between her fingers, she asked, “You’re serious? I can really leave this house? How long does it last? How do we do it? Will it—?”

“Enough questions.” I laughed, unable to disguise the humor in my tone.Talk about a level of hero worship I could get used to.A simple spell and Alice would be wrapped around my finger. Almost literally. Why that pleased me so much, I wasn’t planning to explore.

Ghost hunters had rules, and the biggest rule of all was to never get emotionally attached to the ghosts. It only led to heartache, and nothing good could come from it.

Alice was just another spirit with a few days left of her tenure.

I shook the wrinkles from my change of clothes as if I were shaking her from my thoughts and then reached for the top button on my shirt. Alice’s gaze settled on my neckline, watching as my fingers twisted the button free. A second button followed the first.

Curiosity filled her eyes—her innocence on full display—a trait I found oddly appealing. A peculiar change from the types of women I surrounded myself with. The kind who didn’t get attached. Who understood the transactional nature of relationships and their necessary end.

Ghosts by nature were clingy, but even their time must come to a close. The one in front of me, however, was proving to be tricky. It was almost as if a human element remained. And that element was making me reckless.

“You’re hovering again, Alice.”

“Right!” Her hands flew into the air. “You probably want to get changed without me spying. Sorry. Those ghostly hallmarks are tough to crack.” She bit her lip, and her tantalizing gaze lingered as I continued to unbutton my shirt.

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