Page 9 of Bad Medicine

“What will this mean?” Joeasked. “He can’t force you or the wolves to stay out of Jakeston. Can he?”

“It means war,” I said. “Theywere secure in their places, the two packs. But now Adam has taken in Lennonand he’s coming after Jared and his wolves. He is going to make me kill him.”Funny how I really didn’t feel an ounce of surprise. Something else settledinside me, though. Relief. For so long I’d wanted to end him for killing myfather, but something had kept me from trying—and not just the fact that I’dbeen hobbled and probably couldn’t have killed him anyway. Not then. Nowthough…

“What are you going to do?” Joeasked.

My smile was grim. “I’m goingto kill him.”

“I’ll be right beside you whenyou do.”

“Joe…”

“I’ll be right beside you whenyou do,” he repeated.

I wasn’t sure what I was goingto do with Joe. He’d end up getting himself killed trying to fight nonhumans. Isighed. He really did love to fight. I just wished he would stick to fightinghumans. “I haven’t seen Zach for a couple of days,” I said, dropping thesubject of Adam Thorne. “Jared told me he’d taken a cabin in the Shadowfieldwoods?”

Zach didn’t need to stay at my placeanymore, which was why he hadn’t burst into my bedroom to help me fight aninvisible—to him—angel. He’d gotten stronger every day since he’d been freedfrom the vampires, and he’d slowly released himself from my care. I had toadmit I missed him.

Joe cleared his throat. “Yeah.He’s staying there,” he mumbled.

I frowned. “Joe. What aren’tyou telling me?”

He shrugged his big shoulders,ran a hand over his smooth skull, then nervously drummed his fingers on hisleg. “He’s staying away from people right now.”

Immediately, guilt came runningto nip at my heels. “He’s finally withdrawing,” I realized. “Somebody shouldhave told me.”

“No one wanted to bother youwith more worries,” he said. “Especially not Zach. You’re dealing with enoughshit as it is.”

I should’ve known something wasgoing on with him. I should have checked on him. I’d believed the problemscaused by Frederick Axton’s death were not going to affect him after all. Thathe wouldn’t have to deal with the awful withdrawals that came if a vampireslave happened to survive his master’s death.

“Dammit,” I whispered.“Dammit.”

Then I cried out and slammed onmy brakes, yanking the steering wheel hard to the right to avoid hitting awoman who’d run across the street and right in front of my car. I nearly hit aparked truck, and behind me, a driver hit his horn hard and veered around me.

“Kait,” Joe said, as Ifrantically looked for the woman I’d nearly hit. “What the hell?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t see…”Then I caught sight of the woman again, running down the middle of the street,and understood why Joe hadn’t seen her. “Fucking ghosts,” I muttered. I took acouple of deep breaths, then pulled back out onto the street.

When I drove up beside her, Ilet my window down, though that wouldn’t have been necessary to speak to her.“Get in,” I told her.

For a second, she only staredin at me in disbelief, her mouth open. “You can see me?” she cried.

Once again, impatient driverswere beginning to pile up behind me. “Get in,” I said again, and when shedisappeared, I didn’t have to look to know she was now in my back seat. I spedaway, then glanced at Joe, who was reasonably certain that I’d lost my senses. “SorryI nearly put you through the windshield,” I told him.

“Good ghost or one that’s goingto start punching you through the seat any minute?”

“She’s not an angel,” I saiddryly. “I’ve got this one covered.”

“Can you help me?” the spiritasked. “If you can see me, you can help me, can’t you?”

“Yes,” I assured her. “We’llfigure out why you’re stuck here and help you cross over.”

“Iknowwhy I’m stuckhere,” she said. “Unlike some people, I know I died, and I know why I’m stillroaming this shitty place.”

I lifted an eyebrow but didn’tinterrupt.

“What you need to do,” shesaid, “is find out if my afterlife is a punishment waiting to happen. The angelhanging around my grave wouldn’t tell me anything. I’m not going if you can’treassure me that I won’t end up in hell when I leave.”

I didn’t tell her that therewas indeed something holding her here, and when that thing was solved, shewouldn’t have a choice in the matter. She would blink out like a faultylightbulb.