Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Bran looked up as I entered the kitchen. “He asleep yet?”
I nodded. “Yeah, he fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.” I glanced at the clock. It was nearing ten-thirty. I felt like I’d been up for hours. “I feel bad for him.”
“I do too,” Bran said. He was sitting at the table, a cup of coffee and his notebook by his side. “He’s still in love with you,” he added.
I froze. I knew it, and I shouldn’t be surprised that Bran knew it. “Yeah, I think so.”
“How do you feel?” he asked, motioning for me to sit down. “Please, be honest. We can handle this so much better if you’re just honest.”
“I will always care for him, you already knew that. I don’t know what I feel, Bran. I still find him attractive. But you and I made a commitment, and we have a strong bond and I love you.” I met his gaze. “I love you more than you probably realize.”
“I love you, too. At one point, I was ready to accept being part of a thruple. I’m not interested in Faron physically, but I’ve grown fond of him.
And I enjoyed getting to know him over the past year, as a friend.
Now, things will be different. There’s nothing for him with his Pack.
Not now. They’ll never look at him with respect again.
” Bran sounded slightly bitter. “Way to turn your back on someone when he’s down. ”
“I know,” I said. “The Packs can be cruel. A lot of their rules are archaic. He can’t go back. I wonder, will he want to stay in the area? He knows a lot of people around town, and it’s going to be hard on him, seeing them look at him with pity. Or disdain.”
Bran hesitated, then let out a long breath. “Do you want…”
I knew what he was asking. “I’m not ready to think about that. I’m not ready to commit to anything, except to continue being your wife. Let’s just see where things go. One day at a time. Just remember, you’re my husband and I love you.” I stood, draping my arms around his neck. “Kiss me.”
And he did.
* * *
At one PM, I pulled into the turnout next to where Lucretia had died.
I slowly stepped out of my car, looking around.
Daisy was pulling in right behind me, but I could already feel that someone had died here.
The aura of death hung heavy, imprinted on the land.
A tree, apparently the one Lucretia had run into, stood there, a massive gash from the car imprinted across its trunk.
“Hey,” Daisy said, tramping her way through the snow to my side.
“How’s Faron? I feel so bad for him. And just to reiterate, there’s absolutely no question about his innocence.
I do want to talk to him but it’s purely to see if we can figure out what her state of mind was.
I’m thinking that what I saw—those prints—might have been some sort of psychic attachment.
I know there are some creatures that focus on shifters. ”
“Faron’s going to have to process this for a long time, I think,” I said. “Can you imagine what’s going to happen when word gets around that he’s no longer king? You know it will, and anybody who ever had a beef with him is going to be out in spades, trying to rub his nose in it.”
“I know. I’m going to do my best to make sure nobody comes after him until he’s had time to deal with this. If anybody understands how ruthless some shifters can be to others, it’s me. I’m glad he’s staying with you for now.”
She walked me over to the tree. “Here’s where the car hit the tree. I was wondering if you could… Can you tell me if her ghost is still around the area? I thought if we could contact her spirit, we might find out exactly what happened.”
I frowned. “I can try,” I said, looking around. A moment later, I caught sight of a vaporous mist near the tree. “She might be. I’m not certain, though something is here. I’ll have to go into a trance and see what I can find.”
Looking around, I sought for some place where I could sit without soaking myself in the snow. “I need a place to sit down.”
Frowning, Daisy turned back to her patrol car. “I have just the thing. Give me a moment.” She headed over to it, just as the snow began to fall. “I hear we’re in for a deep freeze coming down out of Canada.”
“Lovely,” I said, focusing on the mist. It rose off the ground, staying near the tree.
There was a quality to spirits who appeared as a misty form—a vaporous density that regular fog and mist didn’t have.
There was also a sentience present, and whoever this was, they were watching me.
A shiver raced down my spine—we weren’t safe here, that much I knew.
I began to back up and called out to Daisy, who was carrying a folding chair over for me. “Stay where you are.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, stopping.
“Whatever’s here, it’s—”
The mist suddenly moved, barreling toward me.
I jumped out of the way, barely escaping a collision.
As the mist passed by me, anger oozed out of it.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t friendly. I kept my eye on it, backing away slowly.
It stopped again, and even though it was a pillar of mist, I could swear it turned to face me again.
“What the hell is going on?” Daisy asked.
“Can you see it?” I asked.
“No—what am I looking for?”
“A pillar of mist—it’s right over there,” I said, pointing.
“I can’t see anything there except the snow and trees,” Daisy said, her voice rising. “What do you think it is?”
“I’m not sure, but it doesn’t like me. It charged me and I feel like it’s looking for an opening to attack.”
If this was actually the spirit of Lucretia, a side of her was emerging that I hadn’t encountered during life.
She had known that Faron and I been an item.
Had she hidden that she was upset about our history, even though, in the end, she had ended up his wife?
Lucretia had seemed absolutely happy during the dinners we had with them.
Had she been covering up a deeper resentment?
Or was this something else other than her spirit?
Some creature that had perhaps lured her off the road into the tree?
I couldn’t be sure — not just yet.
“I don’t know how to deal with spirits,” Daisy said. “I’ll take any advice you have.”
“I think we should get the hell out of here. I don’t have any of my tools with me, and—not knowing what this is—I don’t trust myself to take it on.” I began to back away again, holding out my hands to ward it off. “Whatever you are, whoever you are, we don’t want any trouble.”
The mist stayed where it was, but I could feel it seething, and I had no desire to turn my back on it. Daisy followed suit, until we were back to our cars. I kept an eye on the foggy creature, praying that it wouldn’t decide to come charging after us again.
“I wish I could see it,” Daisy said. “I can’t, though. Do you think it’s Lucretia? What’s your opinion?”
“I have no idea,” I said. “I can’t imagine that’s Lucretia’s spirit. If it is, she wasn’t like that, at least to my face, when she was alive.”
“What the hell do we do? I’d rather not just leave that spirit out here. What if somebody else decides to walk by?” Daisy slowly replaced her gun in her holster. “I suppose that would have done any good?” she asked, glancing at me as she did so.
I shook my head. “Weapons like guns or even daggers or swords—unless they’re magical, they won’t give you any protection against spirits.
I’m going to have to consult Grams, I think.
Meanwhile, why don’t you take a look in your files and see if anything else has ever happened in this spot?
Has anybody else died here? Or nearby? I know that’s a tall order but —”
“I’ll go back to my office and look through my files. I’ll come over to talk to Faron after I’ve looked into it. Do you mind if I show up around 4 PM?.”
“That’s fine. We’ll see you then.”
Daisy waited till I was safely in my car, then hopped into hers. We pulled out simultaneously, and when we both safely back on the road, we took off.
* * *
On the way home, I put in a call to Grams. “Hey, I need your advice. Can I come over?”
“Of course, I’m planning on being home all day. Is something wrong?”
“I think so, and I need your advice on what to do about it.” As I headed for Grams, I breathed a sigh of relief.
My great-grandmother was one of the smartest woman I knew, and she had resources at her fingertips that I didn’t.
I had been learning more magic from her, and we were just starting into the study of demonology.
If I was going to carry on the tradition of my father, and his father before him, I had to learn how to take on astral nasties and creatures from the demonic realm.
It occurred to me, as I headed down the road, that I had better learn quickly because if I couldn’t even take on a ghost, I was going to be in big trouble.