Page 106 of The Ghost and the Graveyard (Knight Games 1)
This was exactly what Prudence had warned me about. Rick was weakening, and it could have dire consequences. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "If the Monk's Hill witch came back, could she do this?"
"Yes," he said. The tiny word was loaded with emotion.
"She's dead," Marcus said. "The Monk's Hill witch is dead, and you will never find another."
I balled my hands into fists and shot Marcus my sharpest stare. "Then let's go awaken the witch, Rick."
His eyes snapped to mine in surprise. "Are you sure?"
"Oh, absolutely. There is nothing I'd like better than to have the power to kick this vampire's ass."
"No," Marcus barked. "It's impossible!" He struggled against Rick's arm without success.
The good thing about having a mental connection with someone is that you feel the person smile before their expression actually changes. Rick smiled from the inside out and filled my brain with memories. I saw our first kiss and our second first kiss, along with the day we got married the first time. It was overwhelming and heartwarming all at once.
Even though I couldn't say for sure that I loved Rick in this life, I wanted to love him. I wanted to know if this supernova erupting in my chest was the product of the memories fed into my brain or my actual feelings. But more than anything, I wanted to become who I was supposed to be. Ready or not, becoming the witch was the only way to save Michelle and end Marcus.
rsonal Crisis Intervention
Hot soapy water cures a multitude of ailments. Wine, the rest of them. I soaked in the bathtub, sipping Pinot noir since I'd polished off all the Shiraz, and tried to clear my mind. An image cut through the darkness. A thought. A dream. Maybe a memory.
Rick, in a bar, upside down. Wait, no, I was upside down, my red hair dragging on the floor below me. A grunge band rocked out in the background, and I was having trouble keeping my hockey jersey tucked into my pants in my inverted position.
The human pyramid suspending me chanted my name, Sam, Sam, Sam. I raised a shot of tequila to my lips, tossed it back and swallowed. The hot liquor coursed up to my stomach, the heat radiating to my toes.
"Whoa-oh-oooh," a man's voice said from behind me. I felt myself begin to tip, but it was hard to tell if it was gravity or the alcohol making my head swim. It was gravity. My human suspension system toppled like a deck of cards, arms and legs and bar stools flying. I reached out, prepared to handspring off the sticky mess of a bar floor to safety. I didn't have to. I landed in the cradle of Rick's arms. A cheer rose up from the bar behind us as the patrons realized they wouldn't need to call an ambulance after all.
"Upside-down shots?" Rick asked, eyebrow raised.
"It's the newest thing. You should try it."
He flashed his quirky half smile. "I think I'll pass. Looks dangerous."
"So do you." His eyes had bled to black, and he was staring at me like he was hungry. "Will you always be waiting to catch me when I fall?" I raised my hand to run my nails through the sides of his hair.
His eyes searched mine. "Always." Slowly, his lips lowered. I'd take care of that hunger.
"Take me home," I whispered into his kiss.
I startled awake in the tub, the vision passing like a thick fog. One word rattled like an echo through my brain. "Always."
* * * * *
Sufficiently pruney, I dressed and descended to the kitchen. I hadn't eaten since an early lunch and prayed that Logan hadn't trashed dinner even though I deserved as much.
Logan waited exactly where I'd left him, the roast covered on the stove. "I kept it warm for you," he said.
My heart melted, and I let it show in my smile. No sense letting it go to waste. I'd think more clearly on a full stomach. I needed all of the clarity I could get. "Thank you." I fixed myself a plate. "This looks too good to eat in here. Dining room?"
Logan agreed and followed me to the table.
"I'm sorry I was so hard on you earlier. This is great, Logan. Of all the ghosts I know, you are the best cook."
"I'm the only ghost you know."
"Not true. I know Prudence. But regardless, of all the people I know, you are the best cook. Whoever you were in life, you could cook."
"I wish I knew if that were true," Logan said.
