In the aftermath of Andrew’s death and the showdown that had ensued with Larry, Affairs of the Dead was closed for the time being, and I was enjoying the mini vacation even though it meant our competitors were using our reprieve to steal our clients away. I was okay with that though. I’d had enough of ghosts for a while. Except the one I was bound to, of course.
I sat on my bed with Micah, enjoying what I could see of his shirtless body around the bandage. His hair was rumpled, and he had that “just woke up” look, which was more than a little sexy to me. He took my hand and gave it a tight squeeze. Even though the bedroom door was closed, we could hear the gunshots from the video game Ethan was playing. He was also shouting and swearing.
“Ethan seems to be doing a little better,” Micah said.
“He has good days and not-so-good days,” I said, lacing my fingers with his. “Like me.”
“Have you been able to convince him to go see his family?”
“Nope,” I said. “I talked to them though.”
The news coverage of this whole ordeal had been enough to turn anyone’s head upside down, and Ethan’s face had been a heavy presence during the newscasts even though it was in conjunction with Larry being inside his body. I could only imagine what Ethan’s family and friends had thought when they saw that. I had tried to talk him into going with me to see them and explaining everything, but he said he wasn’t ready to face his old life again.
Therefore, I drove to upstate New York without him and spent a very long afternoon talking to his flabbergasted parents, who had an understandably hard time accepting what their son had become and what someone else had done while in his body. But in the end, they understood enough that they still wanted to see Ethan, and I promised them that once Ethan got a better hold on his new reality, he would visit. I just didn’t think that would happen any time soon.
I was happy to see that he didn’t spend every day in the fetal position on the couch. The video game system I’d bought him seemed to greatly help with that. Ghost or not, he was still a college-aged boy after all.
“Feels almost surreal that the investigation is finally over,” Micah said. “Even more surreal that Andrew is dead.”
“Yeah,” I said softly.
Andrew’s funeral had been last week, and it had been a huge event, or so I had heard. I’d told Micah about Cecelia’s showing up and slapping me, and he’d agreed that I shouldn’t go to the funeral. He couldn’t go because he was in recovery, so we’d stayed in. Afterward, Ilyse had come over to check in and tell us how it had gone. Despite knowing her husband was a philandering jerk, Cecilia had pulled out all the stops when it came to his funeral. Probably for the sake of appearances.
“We’re not out of the woods yet, what with the whole world knowing I’m a reanimator bound to a ghost and slowly dying of the Rot, but I’m going to try not to think about it too much so I don’t lose my mind.”
Ilyse had been coming over every other day to draw ghost energy off me and had told me that the Rot had spread. It was hard to not think about that, but I was doing my best. I didn’t feel sick yet, but it was only a matter of time.
“Hey,” Micah said, refocusing my attention on him. “I would do anything to save you, you know that, right?”
I smiled at him. Micah had the ability to make me smile no matter what.
“Well, you can start by getting healed up so you can take me on a real date,” I said. “I hope you didn’t think partnering with you on a murder investigation counted.”
He laughed. “I didn’t, don’t worry.” He tugged my hand, so I came closer and he slid his hand through my hair to cup the back of my neck. “Our first date will be one you’ll never forget.”
A thrill went through me. Micah pulled me even closer and kissed me thoroughly enough to make it hard to speak for a few moments after. I laid my head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around me, sighing into my hair.
“This is a perfect moment,” I said. “Despite my Rot, your injuries, and the ghost in my living room screaming at Call of Duty.” Micah chuckled. “I want it to last as long as it possibly can.”
“Me too,” he said.
We stayed like that for a while, so long that Micah dozed off, but I remained cuddled against him, listening to the sound of his breathing. I never knew how much I wanted and needed moments like this until I actually had them. It was a wonderfully mind-blowing revelation.
“Selene?”
Sometime later I heard Ethan’s hesitant voice at the bedroom door. I was prepared to ignore him and make him think we were sleeping, but he called again.
“Selene, someone is, um…at the door.” The tone of his voice was odd enough to make me wonder if it was that horde of dead witches we feared were going to swoop down on us. I gently extricated myself from Micah’s arms without waking him up and tiptoed to the door. Ethan had a weird look on his face.
“Did you see who it was?” I asked as he followed me out to the living room.
“Didn’t look,” he said, stopping near the couch. “But he was saying things…”
I frowned as I looked from Ethan to the front door, then walked over and opened it. And almost slammed it closed when I saw who was standing there. As it was, my body went rigid, and I felt like I had turned into a block of ice. All because my unexpected guest was the ghost of Andrew McNabb.
“Selene,” he said, giving me a slow smile. He was dressed in a fabulous suit, his hair was neatly gelled, and he stood in front of me looking very much like a dapper gentleman who was just paying me a visit. But the fact that he looked extremely pale and was outlined in a white glow gave him away as not just a gentleman but a ghost. I had to work to make my jaw close so I could attempt speech.
“A-Andrew,” I finally said. His smile never wavered. Why had I never anticipated that Andrew McNabb of all people would have unfinished business that would cause his ghost to rise, and said unfinished business would have to do with me?
“You look beautiful, as always,” Andrew said, looking me up and down. Yeah, my shorts, tank top, and tousled hair were about to get me on the cover of a magazine. Even in death, his lascivious look didn’t fail.
“Why are you here?” I whispered, though I really didn’t want to know the answer.
“Why do ghosts rise, Selene?” Andrew asked smoothly.
“Unfinished business,” I replied, swallowing past the dryness in my throat. It suddenly felt like I had been choking down sand from the hottest part of the Sahara on the hottest day. “So, you’re here to kill me. Or try to. You’re Larry part two.”
It would be just my luck to have a ghost out for my blood now. Andrew laughed though, a real hearty laugh, and I stood there watching him, utterly bewildered and very much wishing this conversation wasn’t happening.
“No, my darling Selene,” Andrew said when he finally stopped laughing. “My unfinished business isn’t that I want you dead. It’s that I want you.”
“What?” There went my jaw again, dropping open.
“You can never tell what will keep a ghost around, right?” he said. “And I don’t need any help to figure out what my unfinished business is. I want you, and don’t think I’m going to let the fact that I’m a ghost stop me.”
“But if you get me, you’ll fade,” I said. “So I think you’re in a pickle, Andrew.”
“No,” he whispered. “You called me here, my beautiful Selene. You were the light I saw that drew me into this world. Even now, you shine so brightly I can hardly look away. I will stay by your side no matter what. Nothing in this world or the next can move me. I can feel it.”
A sick and shocking realization dawned on me.
“If a ghost rises while I’m around, it will be drawn to me and I will anchor it here,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. That was what Micah had told me from what he’d read in Ilyse’s book. I had seen Andrew’s body not long after he’d been killed, and now here he was, looking at me like I was the most precious thing in the world to him.
“The world is still mine,” Andrew said, smiling. “So I think I’ll go reclaim it, starting with Affairs of the Dead. But I’ll be seeing you soon, Selene.” He walked away, shoving his hands into his pockets and whistling like he was out for a leisurely stroll.
I closed the door, then stared at it for a few moments before I turned to Ethan, who had witnessed the entire exchange. His face seemed to have the same expression mine did. I took a few wooden steps forward, stopped, gathered myself, and walked over to the sofa, dropping myself onto it. I was in utter and complete shock. Andrew was a ghost, he wanted me, and since his ghost had risen around me, I wouldn’t be able to necromancer circle him away. Ethan tentatively sat down next to me, eyes fixed on me as though he was waiting for my reaction to know how he should react.
“How…how are you going to deal with that?” Ethan asked.
I said nothing, just spent a few moments staring at the paused game on the screen. I spied a second controller hooked up, so I picked it up, then pressed the button to un-pause it.
“Show me how to play this,” I said. “Yelling and cursing at it seems to have helped you these last few days. I want in.”
~ About the Author ~
A.J. Locke is originally from Trinidad & Tobago but has resided in New York City for over ten years. She knew early on that she wanted to be a writer, penned her first novel at fourteen, and hasn’t stopped since. Creating is her passion, and other than writing she enjoys drawing, painting, graphic design, and any other creative whim that may take her.
Discover more about A.J. Locke here
Blog:
http://iqurae.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @maqueripe
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4969315-a-j-locke
~ More Fantasy from Etopia Press ~
Blood of Isis
by Elizabeth Otto
Passion isn’t the only thing that burns…
When a designer drug rocks the small town of New Brighton and makes junkies spontaneously combust, Paramedic Jayda Swenson suspects the worst. The super-methamphetamine her husband created before his death has resurfaced. She’s worked hard to create a safe, tidy life and put her meth-ravaged past—and her secrets—behind her. But when tourists start disappearing and charred body remains crop up, Jayda learns the hard way that this drug doesn’t just fry people’s minds—it also fuels demons.
Sexy new medic Ben Tierney is a demon-hunter in disguise, but his demon-busting powers don’t work so well anymore…until he realizes Jayda’s touch can refuel the energy he’s lost—a touch she’s not so willing to dish out. Now Jayda finds herself wedged between an ancient demon that knows her past and her secret, and Ben, who has plenty of secrets of his own. He’s willing to help—for a price—but Jayda’s not sure if it’s a price she’s willing to pay…
Buy
Blood of Isis
here
http://www.amazon.com/Blood-of-Isis-ebook/dp/B00C7CB7GA/
Awakening the Fire
Guardian Witch Book One
by Ally Shields
Arianna Calin has sworn to keep the peace in Riverdale. Most of the Otherworlders prefer to haunt the Olde Town district--partying at vampire strip clubs, dining in elegant supper clubs, and inhabiting the cliffside caverns along the Mississippi. Being a cop is a tough job, but someone's gotta do it, and Ari's got her derringer, a sharp stiletto, and a few handy charms against things that hunt in the night. She's also a fire witch--a pedigree that comes in handy, since her partner's only human.
When a virtual reality drug hits the streets, people start to die, and an elusive pack of werewolves threatens the status quo. Ari and Ryan are drawn into a web of murder and evil that will lead sworn enemies to a confrontation. While the city simmers around them, Ari struggles to prevent an all-out supernatural war...
Buy
Awakening the Fire
here
http://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Fire-Guardian-Witch-ebook/dp/B0099ZDHO8/
Fire Within
Guardian Witch Book Two
by Ally Shields
A hidden evil stalks the city…
Ari Calin refuses to believe her human friend Eddie murdered a vampire—in spite of his confession. Her human partner Ryan thinks the case is a slam dunk, even though there’s no weapon and no witnesses, but Ari’s not about to let her friend take the rap without finding out more.
When Ari attends a charity event on the arm of a handsome werewolf, she finds someone she never expected to see again—Andreas De Luca, the charismatic vampire she used to date. When their eyes meet across the room, memories come rushing back. His kiss, his touch, a savage death…and a terrifying magical bond. A reconnection is the last thing she wants. Only by staying away and forgetting Andreas can she hope to avoid the Legend of Ramora.
But when vampires keep dying, one thing becomes clear: Riverdale has a serial killer on its hands, and Andreas could be next. Ari begins to fear there’s more to it, though. Something truly evil is stalking the city, waiting to take control…
Buy
Fire Within
here
http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Within-Guardian-Witch-ebook/dp/B00BQN1YUU/
When the Moon is Gibbous and Waxing
by Angela Parson Myers
Unspeakable evil rises with the moon…
Graduate student Natalie Beres can’t remember who attacked her that autumn night under the full moon. She can’t remember anything between leaving her lab in a secluded building at the south end of campus and arriving at her apartment in the wee hours of the morning. Covered in blood. Not her own. Other than the loss of memory, she’s completely unharmed.
She can’t say the same for the men who attacked her. The grisly campus murders force Natalie to dig deeper into what happened that night, to force herself to remember. But what she learns about herself is horrifying. When the police officer investigating the murders tries to get close, Natalie is caught between her attraction to him and her fear of discovery. But worse, can she avoid being found by the young man with a similar problem who’s on his way from the West coast to find her…leaving a trail of shredded corpses along the way…?