Chapter 11
I woke up the next morning filled with regret. Instead of getting out of bed and facing the ghost, who had been suspiciously quiet, I hid beneath the sanctuary of my quilt and gathered my thoughts.
Drinking at home would ruin my relationship with the pack.
The alternative wasn’t much better. It wouldn’t be long before they noticed a personality change.
Getting snappy, talking to myself, sleep deprivation.
They’d never seen the Gravewalker side of me—not the dark part.
I’d kept that tucked away, never speaking of the ghosts harassing me while they laughed over drinks.
Why burden them with complaints? They couldn’t see or hear the problem, so they’d never understand it.
As much as I wanted to show them every side of me, I also didn’t want to disclose that a ghost was living in the house.
People always pretended it wouldn’t bother them, but it was like telling someone a spider was somewhere in their room.
No big deal at first, but late at night, those pervasive thoughts would keep them awake.
Eventually, they’d grow resentful and hang out with me less.
This was the beginning of the end.
I pulled the quilt down. Darcy was lounging in the blue chaise by the door, her knees drawn up and arms around them, which hid half her face. But she was quietly watching.
“I didn’t know you were also a Shifter,” she said.
To my astonishment, she sounded apologetic, but I waited to see where this intro was going.
“I’m sorry about yesterday,” she continued in the same sullen manner.
“That conversation you had with Tak bummed me out. I wish someone loved me like that.” She put her feet on the floor.
“All I want is a friend, Virgil. I never wanted to make your life miserable. If you took the time to get to know me, you’d like me.
Please. I’m only asking for a friend. This existence is so lonely, and I miss laughing.
I miss connecting and having someone to talk to. ”
After sitting up, I adjusted my black bikini briefs. “Stay away from my wolf.”
“Animals can’t see me. Well, except cats.”
“I’m a crossbreed, so my wolf can see ghosts.”
“Describe him.”
“White with turquoise eyes.”
This was the moment of my surrender. Darcy seemed receptive to rules, so if we were going to live together, I had to consider how this could work. It might be the only opportune time I’d get to lay the groundwork and get her to agree.
“Stay away from Eden.”
Her eyebrows popped up. “Which one is she?”
“Tall, dark, and dangerous. Her animal’s a tiger, and I don’t know if she’ll be able to see you or not. Doubtful, since she’s not a house cat, but let’s not take the chance.”
“Shifters never notice me, but okay.” Darcy stood and looked as if I’d fluffed her spirit in the dryer. “What else?”
“At meals, I need you to zip it. That’s our bonding time, and I can’t hear everyone’s conversations if you’re dancing on the table and telling me about your favorite snack.
If I ignore them because I’m listening to you, how do you think that makes me look?
I also don’t want them knowing you’re here. ”
“Why not?”
“Because it creeps people out. Which leads me to the next rule.”
“Oh, I know this one. No going into anyone’s room.”
“And on that note, bathrooms included. Don’t get nosy and poke your head in there. The human body is a beautiful thing, but so is privacy. That includes showering, bathing, changing clothes, masturbating—”
“Ew.”
“—sex, phone calls, private conversations, oiling up their body…”
“Now you’re grossing me out. I don’t wanna watch anyone oil anything.”
“It’s wrong,” I explained. “This is my family, and I don’t want you treating them like a form of entertainment. Got it?”
Darcy’s eyebrows drew together, and she finally nodded. “No bedrooms, no bathrooms, no listening in on private conversations, and no talking at the table. Stay away from your wolf and the tiger. See? I’m good at remembering things.”
Only time would tell.
“Can I at least join you in the dining room and listen? I love hearing stories and watching the way everyone interacts. I promise not to get on the table or talk.”
I rubbed my face. “That’s fine.”
“What else?” she asked, rocking back on her heels.
“Let’s start with those conditions and see how much you remember.” After a yawn and a full body stretch, I gathered clean clothes and opened my door. “I’m taking a shower, so find something to occupy your time that doesn’t involve—”
“Spying on people. Take your time,” she sang, exuding happiness through every pore of her corporeal being. “I’ll see you downstairs later. Maybe.”
While showering, I realized rules could be effective with this ghost. She might even get bored and move elsewhere. I needed to clarify when it was appropriate for us to have conversations so she wasn’t interrupting my time with packmates. This girl needed boundaries.
Fates. It’s like having a puppy, and I’m not good with responsibility. Did I just adopt a pet ghost?
I put on my white linen shorts and a retro ringer tee. It had red trim and a sunset logo. Usually, I wore jeans and a nice T-shirt whenever we went out, but around the house, I liked fun outfits.
After grabbing my sneakers and heading into the hallway, I noticed Cleo’s door was closed. She always left it wide open when she went downstairs to eat breakfast. This wasn’t like her.
I knocked. “Hey, munchkin. You awake?”
Darcy appeared next to me. “You should check on her. I didn’t hear her come out this morning. Don’t worry, she’s not dead. I would’ve seen her ghost. Well, probably.”
Irritated, I knocked again before opening the door. The hall lights worked on a timer. Lucian set them so they were dimmer at night but bright during the day. The light shone into the room, and I spotted her in bed, her back to the door.
“Who’s hungry?”
“Not me,” she replied without any inflection in her voice.
I drew closer and bounced the mattress obnoxiously. “That’s what you get for watching TV all night, lazybones.”
Darcy leaned over her. “She looks flushed.”
Cleo’s cheek was hot to the touch.
“Hey, are you okay?”
She curled up into a ball. “I don’t feel good. Can I sleep in?”
Panicked, I jogged to Salem’s room but found it empty.
“What’s wrong?” Darcy whooshed beside me to keep up. “Do immortals get sick? I don’t remember. Maybe I was human and that’s why I don’t know.”
I bumped into Montana in the downstairs hallway. “Where’s Salem?” When he pointed toward the kitchen, I burst onto the scene. “Salem?”
He glanced up from the table and wiped his beard. “Something wrong?”
Not wanting to alarm everyone in the middle of breakfast for what might be something as innocuous as a stomachache, I crooked my finger and dipped into the kitchen. Salem never complained or asked questions when you needed him.
He waltzed in, looking dapper with a fresh beard trim and a white Henley. “Is this important, or can it wait until after breakfast?”
I gripped his arm and led him to the stairs. “Something’s wrong with Cleo.”
“What do you mean?”
Once upstairs, I answered. “She’s got a fever, Doc. What if she caught a virus at the store? One of those superbugs that’s always spreading among humans?”
He raised his hand while swiftly heading to her room. “Let’s not speculate until I have a look. I’m sure it’s nothing but overexertion. She’s always running around at night, and cutting your sleep hours does a number on your immune system.”
When we reached her bedroom, Salem shut me out in the hallway.
My wolf anxiously paced beneath my skin just as I paced the floor. He knew how to make her laugh and desperately wanted out to comfort her.
“Ruh-roh.” Darcy widened her eyes as she looked behind me.
Casually, Tak headed toward us. His brawny physique and angled eyebrows were as intimidating as his scarred shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
“Cleo slept in.”
“I’ve warned her that staying awake all night will affect her studies.”
“She has a fever.”
He cocked his head. “Are you sure? Probably too many blankets.” He glanced up at a vent in the ceiling. “You should check the airflow. We might have a block.”
“There’s no block. I’m always freezing.”
He hiked up his trousers. “Humans don’t visit our store, so she couldn’t have caught anything.”
Salem opened the door and spoke quietly. “I’ll have to run some tests.”
Tak shouldered past him. “Cleo?” He flipped on the light. When he neared the bed, he stopped in his tracks. Then he sat on the edge of the mattress and softened his voice. “Cleo?”
She rolled onto her back, and beneath the harsh light, her cheeks looked inflamed. “Huh?”
“You’re going through your first change. That’s why you don’t feel like yourself. It starts with a fever. Your body’s preparing for your animal to emerge.”
My heart did a quickstep.
“What?” She sounded woozy.
He felt her forehead. “Alphas can sense when a Shifter’s going through their first change. I don’t need the fever to tell me what I already know.”
She scooted to a sitting position, her hair disheveled. “Does… does that mean I’m a Shifter? No joke?”
Tak nodded. “You’re a Shifter.”
“I was so worried my gifts might’ve canceled out and I’d be nothing.”
He put his hand on her shoulder. “You’re not nothing. Even if you were a human, it wouldn’t matter. You’re pack now. Do you understand?”
She nodded. “I don’t feel good.”
Salem knocked on the doorjamb to get their attention. “I have something that’ll help with the fever.”
Tak shook his head. “Fever is good. It’s calling her animal out. We don’t want this to go on for days.”
“Days?” she asked, a tiny wrinkle forming between her brows.
I remembered how excited we were as kids to go through our first change, but nothing prepared us for the emotional turmoil—the terror and uncertainty of facing something we’d never experienced.
I wandered farther in. “You’ll be over it before you know it. I’ll make cookies!”
A smile touched her lips. “I’d rather have Bear’s.”
“Done. We’ll have a party afterward. This is a big deal!”