Epilogue
KIERAN
Nine months later
“…Icompletely understand your concern, but I assure you, the ghosts are harmless. In fact, they’re very friendly.” I try to sound calm and reassuring.
“I can’t stay here with ghosts. I just can’t.” The woman I’m speaking to, on the other hand, is in full-blown aggressive mode.
“I can help you find other accommodation locally, but unfortunately, since we did make sure you were aware that this is a haunted building when you made your reservation, I’m unable to offer you a refund.”
“But I can’t stay here with ghosts.”
“Excuse me, madam.”
Oh no. I give Freddie my best “get lost” glare, but he’s too intent on the woman to notice it. Or he’s ignoring me. I’m not sure which.
She gives him an up-and-down glance and smiles. Obviously she doesn’t realize he’s a ghost, and Freddie is a good-looking dead man with keen style. Even if it is “retro.”
“Yes?”
“I can’t help but wonder why you made a reservation at a haunted hotel if you don’t like ghosts?”
She tosses her hair coquettishly, and I really, really want to tell her she’s flirting with a ghost.
“The house is beautiful, and I’ve always wanted to stay here. I assumed that once I made my aversion known, management would take care of the issue.”
Take care of the issue? Can we say “entitled”?
“The ghosts live here, Ms. Taylor. This is their home. If you’re uncomfortable staying in their home with them, then we can find you other accommodation.”
“If you can’t accommodate my needs, I expect a full refund,” she counters.
Freddie sniffs and murmurs to me in an aside, “How crass.”
She overhears him, and her face goes an alarming shade of purple. “How dare you!”
“Madam, you’re asking Kieran to evict me to suit your whims. That alone is terribly rude. To haggle over money also?” He flicks invisible lint from his sleeve. “How unbelievably vulgar.”
Ms. Taylor doesn’t appear to have heard the last part. Her face drained of all color when she realized Freddie is a ghost. I take her arm and lead her into the living room.
“Why don’t you sit and have some water while I find you somewhere to stay?” There’s a fancy B&B in town that might suit her, and since it’s a Wednesday, they probably have a room.
She goes without a murmur, her eyes fixed on Freddie disbelievingly.
I pull him back into reception with me. “Could you please try not to make this whole situation worse?”
He blinks at me in offense. “I would never.”
It’s not worth arguing with him over. “Did you need something?”
“Oh, yes! I came to tell you Connor’s back.”
I can’t stop a grin from breaking over my face.
It’s been three weeks since I’ve seen Con—not the longest we’ve been apart, but still too long for my liking.
While he’s still officially based out of the Collective compound in California, he’s been spending his time between assignments here in Illinois, trying to help Gabe find the gateway the soul-eater came through fifty years ago.
The Collective’s council agrees with Gabe’s assessment that there’s something unusual about the fact they can’t find it.
I don’t really understand, but it means I get to see Connor, and that’s good enough for me.
There’s only so much that can be achieved with video sex, messages, and phone calls.
And more and more lately, I’ve wanted to see him.
I miss him when he’s not around, and I take him into account whenever I make plans.
He does the same, which is why his and Gabe’s brothers spent two weeks here this summer.
“Where is he?”
“He went to Gabe’s cottage,” Freddie informs me. “Norval has come back with him.”
“Thanks, Freddie. Leave Ms. Taylor alone,” I warn as I go into the office.
Josh looks up. “What’s the verdict?”
I roll my eyes. “She thought we’d kick the ghosts out for her. I need to find her a room somewhere.”
He snorts, then tilts his head and studies me. “You’re not smiling like that because of Ms. Taylor.”
The grin breaks out again as I pick up the phone. “Connor’s back.”
Immediately, Josh snatches the phone from my hand. “I’ll do this. You go see him.”
I hesitate. “Are you sure?” I’m already backing toward the door, and he laughs and waves me off.
“Go!”
It’s a gorgeous day outside, with birds singing, bees buzzing, and children’s laughter ringing through the air. Turning the dorms into family accommodation was an inspired idea, and they’ve already turned a bigger profit than the dorms did in three years. The owners are thrilled.
But as pretty as the day is, I don’t linger, making it down to Gabe’s cottage in record time. Unfortunately, I’m accosted by Norval before I can knock.
“There you are, Kieran! I need a word, please.”
I glance at the door. So close. “Can it wait?”
He shakes his head. “I’m afraid not.”
I’ve learned the hard way not to ignore the ghosts when they have something important to tell me, so I bite back a sigh and give him my full attention. “What’s wrong?”
He clears his throat and folds his hands over his middle. “It’s come to my attention that as Connor’s uncle, it’s my responsibility to ensure you’re not playing with his feelings.”
What? I stare at him. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“You and Connor have been keeping company for some time now, and—”
The door opens behind me. “I thought I heard voices. What’s going on out here?” Connor asks, eyeing us.
“Just chatting,” I reply, abandoning the weird conversation to kiss him. “Mmm. Missed you.”
He wraps me up in his arms and squeezes. “Do you have time to talk?” His tone is solemn, and my gut freezes.
“Uh, sure. Is something…?”
Con shakes his head and tugs me inside. “It’s fine. It’s not bad.”
Gabe looks up from the kitchen island, where he’s making sandwiches. “It’s really not,” he says. “Want one?”
“Sure. Thanks. Let me help.” I take two steps toward him but am stopped by Connor’s grip on my hand. Chuckling, I glance over my shoulder at him. “I need that hand, Con.”
He pulls, reeling me back in. “It’s been weeks since I’ve touched you. I’m not ready to let go yet.”
My heart melts. He doesn’t often say sweet stuff like that, but when he does, it’s always spontaneous, genuine, and enough to slay me.
“On that note, I’m going to eat my lunch in the garden,” Gabe announces, grabbing one of the sandwiches. “Please don’t have sex on my couch.”
“We don’t have time,” I say automatically, then feel my face get hot. “Not that we would anyway,” I rush to assure him. It’s a lie. Connor totally talked me into it a few months back. I couldn’t look Gabe in the eye for days.
He shakes his head, chuckling as he leaves.
“We could make time,” Connor says thoughtfully, but I twist free of him and go get the sandwiches.
“No. I have to get back to work. But I’m all yours tonight.
Do you want to wait for me, or are you going to head into town this afternoon?
” Since that first time he stayed with me, we’ve established a routine.
He always makes time to visit with Gabe, usually during the day while I’m working, but he stays with me.
Sometimes it’s just for a few days—or one day—but a few times, I’ve had him for a few weeks. “How long can you stay?” I add.
He takes the plate of sandwiches and deposits it on the coffee table, then pulls me down to sit on the couch with him.
“That’s what I need to talk to you about.
The council is concerned that neither Gabe nor I have been able to find any trace of the rogue gateway.
Even if it was tiny and long since closed, we should have found it by now. ”
I nod. “Okay.” I can’t pretend to understand the ins and outs of how Connor’s abilities work, but I know this gateway has been driving him nuts.
“They instituted a records search for the area, and it turns out there’s been some hinky stuff going on.
Small events, seemingly unrelated, often many years apart, but too many for an area that didn’t have any unguarded gateways.
They’re not counting yours as unguarded, since it was monitored the whole time,” he tacks on when I open my mouth to ask.
I can’t help smiling at the way he knew what I wanted to say.
“So they think the rogue gateway must be connected to these events?”
It’s his turn to nod. “And they’re concerned. We also had a very in-depth conversation about Skye and Josh.”
I sit up straighter. “What do you mean?” He told me months back that the Collective had expressed interest in recruiting them, but neither took them up on it.
They want to understand their abilities better, but they’re not keen to leave the estate and their jobs here.
I tried to be encouraging but was super relieved they stayed.
Connor glances away, then back. “I know I mentioned they’re both gifted, but… they’re really strong, Kieran. Like once-or-twice-in-a-generation strong, and that’s without consistent training. If they’d been born into Collective families, they’d be forces beyond reckoning by now.”
“The Collective can’t… conscript them, can they? Force them to join?” I clench my teeth, prepared to throw down. I’m not sure how to win against an organization of demon hunters, but I can try.
“No.” Con shakes his head. “What we do is voluntary. You can’t force someone to use their innate talent. Well, you could probably blackmail them, but the Collective, for all its sins, doesn’t do that.”
“Okay.” I sigh in relief. “Okay, so what…?”
“The council is worried about the coincidences stacking up here. What are the chances that Emma would choose this place to summon her demon, a psychic sanctuary that’s somehow so close to a rogue gateway?
And then Skye was born and grew up just minutes away?
And Josh came here too? The odds of a medium and a conduit as strong as they are even being born in the same country, let alone state, are so slim they’re almost meaningless, and yet that not only happened, but they now work together.
At the same psychic sanctuary that’s within fifty miles of a gateway we can’t find. ”
I try to swallow past the huge lump in my throat. “This is starting to sound a lot like a sci-fi action movie.”
He chuckles, but his eyes are serious. “It could be nothing. It likely is nothing. But the council wants me to focus on finding this gateway and training Josh and Skye. That way, if it’s not nothing, we’ll be prepared.”
“Prepared for what?” I really don’t like the sound of this.
Connor shrugs. “I’ve got no idea.”
How reassuring.
But wait… “Does this mean you’re sticking around for a while?”
“Yeah. Uh, actually, I’ve… been assigned to stay. My primary assignment for the next twelve months is training and reconnaissance. There might also be some fieldwork if I’m really needed, but… so, yeah.” He stops rambling.
“You’re staying. Here. For twelve months.” Hope blooms inside me.
He clears his throat. “Yes. Is, uh, I was thinking… You can say no. But since I have to look for a place to stay, I thought maybe we could… look together?”
Hope crashes and catches fire. “Oh. You…” I stop, confused. “I don’t think I follow. Are you asking me to help you house hunt, or are you suggesting we move in together?”
“Only if you want to,” he rushes to assure me.
“Live together, I mean. I’m not the best roommate in the world, and I know it’s not always easy having Uncle Norval around.
” With Connor at my place so often, Norval’s made himself at home too.
I’m actually not sure how often he visits when Connor’s away, since I can’t see or hear him so far from the estate.
“Of course we’ll live together. But what’s wrong with my house?” I thought he loved it. He always talks about how good the vibes are.
Connor starts to laugh. “Nothing,” he says. “I just spent the last two days convincing myself it would be fine if you didn’t want me to move in, so I guess my brain is set on house hunting. But if you’re okay with me moving in—”
“More than okay. Thrilled.”
“—then I’ll move in.” He grins, then lunges at me. In three seconds, I’m lying under him, pressed against the length of his body. “Wanna fuck on the couch?”
“Can I watch?” Carter asks, and I shriek and flail upright, knocking Connor to the floor.
“Carter! What are you doing here?” I snap my head around to glare at Connor. “Did you know he was here?”
He rubs his elbow and shakes his head, scowling at the ghost. “Dude, why are you cockblocking me?”
“It’s cockblocking by proxy,” Carter informs us. “Gabe sent me to make sure you weren’t having sex on the couch. But if you let me watch, I won’t tell him.”
“Oh my god,” I mutter. “No, you can’t watch. Go tell Gabe we’re not having sex.”
Carter grumbles about never being able to learn new things while he walks out through the wall, and I look over at my now laughing boyfriend.
“Are you sure you want to stay in this… this… den of insanity?” I can’t think of anything else to call it.
Connor climbs back onto the couch and kisses me. “Even if I didn’t want to, I love you enough to do it anyway.”
I smile and kiss him back. I get it, because that’s how much I love him too.