His brother’s face sobered. “Dyl. I didn’t mean to—”
“Forget it. Water under the bridge, little brother.”
Avery narrowed his eyes. “You told Annie. Everything.”
Dylan sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “She’s about as hard to keep a secret from as you are.” He gave Avery a punch in the arm. “At least she allowed me to actually tell her. She didn’t go spying inside my head.”
“You were so angry I didn’t see any other viable alternatives. Besides, I doubt you offered the information willingly to Annie. More likely she pulled some of her psychologist bullshit and all but read you like an open book.” Avery toed at the deck of the boat. “That girl’s something else.” He punched Dylan back. “You’ve definitely got your work cut out for you.” He moved back a bit when Temperance and Annie joined them. “All right. One last check of the supplies then it should be late enough to start.”
Annie rubbed her arms with her hands as she stared at the dark shadow floating in the middle of the bay. “So how do we get there if you’ve already put the anchor down?”
Dylan motioned toward the rear. “There’s a small pontoon boat hanging off the stern. We can use that Zodiac. That way, the main boat isn’t so close it might attract attention. We’ll land on the far side and make our way to those old tunnels, unless you want to check out the main prison first.”
“Let’s see how it plays out once we get there.” Avery nodded at Annie. “You up for this?”
“Of course. What’s weird is that I think I’m more nervous about being caught by some kind of security than the ghost.”
Dylan gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I spent ten years carrying out highly covert missions. I think I can sneak us onto an island without it resulting in jail time.” He turned to Avery. “Just don’t set fire to the entire place. I know how burn happy you get around evil spirits.”
Avery held up his hands. “It’s not my fault that’s the one way to cleanse a place.”
“Just try to be selective.”
His brother gave him an annoying smile and moved off, talking with Temperance in a low, murmuring voice. Annie moved in beside him, still rubbing her arms as if she was cold. He grabbed a hoodie off the deck and gently dragged it over her head and down her body. Like all his clothes, they dwarfed her. But there was something inherently sexy seeing her dressed in his stuff. It was a sight he could easily get used to.
Annie pulled at the neckline, inhaling as if his scent soothed her. “I’m sure Tempie could loan me something.”
He shook his head. “It looks good on you.”
He stepped closer, easing her into his arms. She moved willingly, snugging her hands around his back as her cheek rested on his chest. Her heart thundered against his, reminding him of how much he had to lose.
He dropped a kiss on her head, smoothing his hands down her back. “Promise me you’ll stay close to Avery. He may be an ass, but he knows his shit, and I know he wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
“Nor would Tempie.”
“Then you’ll agree to stay with both of them.”
She pulled away, a deep vee marring her brow. “You’re making it sound as if you don’t plan on making it back.”
“Of course I will it’s just…promise me that if things go for shit in there, you’ll keep your ass glued to my brother. I’m not about to let anything happen to you, or anyone else.”
Annie nodded, though he could tell she wasn’t convinced. He let it go, gathering a couple of bags as he lowered the Zodiac into the water. It took less than twenty minutes to navigate across the short expanse of water and scramble onto the shore. A quartered moon peeked above the distant horizon, shimmering light along the water.
Avery planted a couple of units on the ground a few hundred meters away, clicking a button until a green glow illuminated on the front. “These should boost the energy in this section and hopefully attract the spirit to this location if it’s here. But we won’t have long.”
Dylan frowned. “Why on earth would you want to attract it?”
“Because it’s only a matter of time before it shows up regardless. Being on the water may have confused it, but now that we’re here…on its soil…it’ll know. And I’d much rather have it manifest away from the direction we’re heading.”
Dylan reluctantly nodded, motioning them to stay close as he climbed up the steep slope. Nothing moved as he crouched down, watching for a few minutes before continuing. He headed for the tunnels they’d seen on the photos, constantly searching for any sign of security. Though they’d searched a dozen sites, nothing had confirmed whether the island had nightly guards. And he really didn’t want to have to knock some poor guy out just for doing his job.
He bit back a curse, darting across some grass when a loud hiss crackled through the air. He turned just as the ghost exploded out of the ground, knocking him on his ass. Dylan rolled with the force, gaining his feet as he faced the spirit. Red eyes glowed in a sallow face, a dim reflection of the image they’d seen in the photos. Deep lines transected his face, crinkling in anger as he bellowed, pointing his hands at Dylan.
A burning sensation scorched his body, and he twisted away as the full force of the entity’s power slammed into him, tossing him several feet across the lawn. He hit hard, knocking the air from his lungs as flickers of light danced behind closed eyes. Annie screamed in the distance, giving him something to focus on. He rolled onto his hands and knees, only to fly backward when it hit him again.
Pain radiated through his head, dimming his surroundings. Dirt bit into his skin as he tried to pry open his eyes. A blur of skin darted past him, before a shower of crystals rained on his face, followed by splashes of water. He sputtered, twisting away only to have a set of hands hold him down.
“Don’t move, Dylan. You’ll break the circle.”
He blinked, finally focusing on Temperance’s face. She huddled over him, making scratching sounds in the dirt beside him as she muttered under her breath. A silver amulet swung from a chain around her neck, the constant swaying making him dizzy.
He grunted, levering onto his elbow. “So much for distracting them with those pods.”
“Ghost hunting isn’t an exact science.” She pressed on his shoulders again. “I said, stay still.”
I can’t just lie here. Annie—”
“Is with Avery. He grabbed her as soon as the ghost appeared. She’s safe. Trust me.”
“All the more reason to join them.”
“You won’t be much good if you can’t even stand up.” Her expression softened. “I’ve never seen anyone get struck that hard before. God, you looked like a rag doll.”
“Felt like one, too, but I’m fine. Nothing some tape and a cast or two won’t fix.” He winked at her, hoping he sounded sarcastic, though with the pain pulsing through every limb, he might have hit close to the truth.
Temperance shook her head but helped him, balancing some of his weight in order to keep him inside her ring of protection.
He nodded at the entrance to the underground cells. “Think we can get inside before it attacks me again?”
“As crazy as this might sound, I really don’t think it’s you he’s after. He just needed to get you out of the way.”
“Well, he picked the wrong guy. It’ll take more than a tackle or two to get me ‘out of the way’.” He turned to look at her. “Thanks.”
“You can owe me. Ready?”
He nodded, grabbing hold of her hand as he headed for the entrance. He stumbled a couple of times when the scenery flip-flopped, quickly catching his stride as Temperance ran beside him, occasionally tossing out handfuls of salt. They crested the small structure just as a hiss of fire erupted from deeper inside.
Dylan shielded his face against the searing heat then darted forward. Avery’s voice rose above the sound of bricks breaking against a wall, as he yelled at Annie to hurry. Dylan’s heart rose to his throat. He couldn’t lose her. Not when he’d finally found some semblance of peace. He dodged around a corner, skidding to a halt at the scene before him. Avery had his back to a small metal grate, tucked into one of the walls as Annie levered a screwdriver against the edge, trying to pry it off. The ghost hovered in front of them, air swirling around its body as it hurdled bits of debris at the couple.
Temperance snagged his arm, stopping him from barreling forward. “You can’t fight it like you would a man.”
“Then tell me how to kill it!”
“Maybe we can snare it…circle it with salt and holy water. Give us time to find those victim’s bones.”
Dylan nodded, taking the bottle of holy water she gave him. He took a step forward when Annie succeeded, pulling the grate free. It clattered to the stone floor, a shrill tone reverberating through the room as a blast of cold air gusted around them. The spirit howled then disappeared, winking out as if it’d never even been there. Dylan stared at the charred rock, wondering what was happening when the space beyond the open grate glowed red.
“Shit!” Avery reached into the wall, grunting as he picked out a few items then grabbed Annie and hauled her across the floor, stopping at Dylan’s side. He shoved her behind his brother, shaking his head as he glanced back at the small opening. “I thought there’d be a room, or some caskets, some kind of barrier between us and the final resting place. I was wrong. That’s it. That’s the tomb. There must be seven or eight corpses in there.” He held up a knife and a whip. “I’m hoping our friend used these to kill his victims. Even though we can’t see it, they’ll still have traces of blood on them. That’s how he’s staying here. He’s feeding off of their blood. I only hope we can bind him back to that damn picture.”
Temperance moved forward, holding one of Avery’s hand’s still. “What the fuck is that on your hand?”
“Burn marks I assume.” He waved her concern off. “It’s a small price to pay if we can end this. But that thing is just sitting there, guarding his kill like a damn lion. We’ll have to lure him away if we have any hopes of destroying him. He’s too powerful in here.”
Annie pushed out from behind Dylan. “Did you say it feeds off of its victims’ blood?”
Avery nodded, furrowing his brow when his eyes widened and he grabbed Annie’s hand, turning it over. “Your finger! God, I’m an idiot.”
Dylan looked from Avery over to Annie and back. “What finger? Why are you an idiot?”
Avery pointed to a slice along Annie’s finger. “Annie cut herself at the house before you two released the spirit. I never thought anything of it, but some of her blood must have gotten on that frame. When the glass shattered, it marked her as his victim.”
Temperance stomped her foot. “That’s why he’s coming after you. He needs you to keep him here. Once all traces of blood are gone, he’ll vanish, unless he gets a new supply. And those corpses must be pretty damn dry by now.”
Dylan growled. “Then let’s help the son of a bitch along.” He took the knife and whip from his brother. “If I get his attention, how long will it take you to bind him?”
Avery ducked when a piece of wood flew at their heads. “We need something to wrap around the picture that belongs to him.”
Dylan smiled. “Like the whip?”
“A bit large but it’ll do. Then we’ll have to set fire to the bones and burn the picture and the whip after Annie says the words to seal him inside the photo again.”
Dylan turned to Annie, cupping her face. “Can you do that?”
She grinned, snatching the whip from him. “It’ll be my pleasure. But how are you going to get his attention? It’s me he wants. I should—”
He silenced her with a firm finger. “Not for long.”
Dylan took the knife, sliding it along the palm of his hand. Fiery pain laced up his arm, but he ignored it, smearing the blood along the blade. “Now, I’m his new pet. I’ll lure him outside. Hold him off for as long as I can. Just don’t take too long.”
“Blood hell, Dylan!” Avery grunted something under his breath but nodded. “Annie will have to go with you. She needs to see him in order to bind him. Temperance and I will start salting the bodies and preparing the fire as soon as he’s gone.”
“Then get moving, little brother, ‘cause I’m done being patient.”
Dylan ran for the exit, diving through the small doorway when the ghost appeared in front of it, black mist billowing out from the ground. He rolled across the hard dirt, kicking up a swirl of dust as he backed away, brandishing the knife in front of him. The ghost whirled on him, bellowing in rage as it expanded in size, looming above him like an ominous thundercloud.
Dylan bared his teeth, challenging it. “Come on, McCallister. You want my blood? You’re going to have to take it.”
The ghost threw its head back, howling to the rising moon. Dylan watched it writhe in anger as he emptied a vial of silver shavings into his pocket before stuffing the knife in, turning it over so the particles stuck to the layer of blood. He kept it hidden, waiting for the ghost to make its move when the hairs on his nape tingled. He dodged to his left as the spirit materialized behind him, its long fingers scratching at Dylan’s neck. Pain flashed across his skin as one nail dug into his flesh, dropping him onto his knees. He braced himself, withdrawing the knife, keeping it close to his body. He glanced over his shoulder as the ghost laughed, transforming into a more solid form. It held out its arms, grinning sickly as it took in its new shape.
Its gaze met his, its lips lifting into a snarl. “Die!”