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1
SAMANTHA
“Soyou really do this for aliving?Andother humans like to watch you do it?”
R’orn, the bigKindredwarrior who was assigned to beSam’sProtectorrolled his eyes—which happened to be golden and inhumanly gorgeous—not that it made him any less annoying.
“Yesand yes,”Samsaid shortly and shot him an irritated glare.Honestly,whyhad she been saddled with this big jerk during one of the most important ghost hunts of her life?Ohright—because herAuntLunahad a bad feeling about her safety and wanted her to be protected.
AuntLunawas slightly eccentric.Sheread tarot cards for a living, dyed her hair blue and purple, and always wore flowing gowns that were exclusively either black or white.Shehad a petSphinxcat namedBertrandwho had his own wardrobe of hand-knitted sweaters—a necessity since he was completely hairless.Butshe also happened to be married to aKindredwarrior who was a member of theHighCouncil.
“UncleBruin” asSamhad been asked to call him, was aBeastKindredand he believed in herAuntLuna’sgift of discernment completely.Sohe was more than willing to ask that aKindredwarrior should be assigned to protect her niece.
Samappreciated her aunt’s concern, but she was used to looking out for herself.Whileit was true that she’d had a few creepy encounters with fans lately—(one guy had followed her for several blocks shouting “Hey,GhostGirl!Hey, c’mere—I’llshow you a ghost!”)—and she’d been getting some disturbing comments on her latest videos, that didn’t mean she was actually indanger.Peoplewere crazy sometimes, that was all.Itwas better just to ignore them and move on—at least inSam’sopinion.
ButAuntLunahad beensoconcerned.
“Mydear,Isee trouble for you in the near future,” she had insisted whenSamprotested that she was fine and didn’t need a bodyguard. “Please—just accept theProtectoryour uncle is assigning to you for a little while.”
Samloved herAuntLuna—she had practically raised her and her sister,Hanna, after their parents died—so she had reluctantly agreed.Butshe never would have said yes if she’d known what a jerk her newProtectorwas going to be!SheandR’ornhad butted heads right from the start.
R’ornwas aWulvenKindred—which meant he had some kind of beast or animal inside him.Atleast, that was whatSamthoughtit meant.Shewould have been inclined to like him—she has a thing for scary animals as her current pet, a tarantula calledSirPedro, could attest.She’dhad a wolf-dog for a while and even a ball python named “Chompers.”Butso farR’ornhad never let her see his “other half” and he was such a jerk she’d never asked him to reveal it.
Samsighed.Sheshould have known this would be a problem—right from the start, they hadn’t gotten along.He’dshaken her hand politely enough and sworn to protect her with his life—that part had been kind of nice, actually.He’dgotten down on one knee almost like he was going to propose.Sam’sheart had started thumping when he took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes.
“Samantha,Iswear to you myOath—Ishall stay by your side and brave any danger to keep you safe,” he had rumbled in that inhumanly deep voice of his. “Mybody will be your shield and my lips shall keep your secrets.Nota drop of your blood will be shed unless all of mine is first spilled out upon the ground.ThisIvow and mayIdie a thousand deaths if my words prove false.”
Withhis shaggy brown hair that shaded to gold at the ends and those golden eyes, not to mention the tattoos on his muscular arms—which were bare since he’d been wearing a vest with no shirt—he’d seemed to be just her type.Samhad been halfway in love with him—until she told him what she did for a living.Andthat was when things started going bad.
“Aghost hunter?Whatin theSevenHellsis a ghost hunter?” he’d growled, arching one thick eyebrow skeptically.
Samhad tried to explain that she went to haunted buildings and interacted with spirits…but unfortunately, things only got worse from there.R’orn, it seemed, was a confirmed skeptic who didn’t believe in any kind of life after death.Hedidn’t even believe in theGoddessthat all theKindredworshipped!Whichwas pretty much unheard of, since most of theKindredwere so devout.
“Whatdo youmeanyou don’t believe in theGoddess?”Samhad asked him. “Ithought all theKindredworshipped her.Don’tyou call her ‘TheMotherofAllLife?’”
“Somedo.”He’dshrugged, his broad shoulders rolling with the motion. “Notme.Neverseen any proof that she exists.”
“LotsofKindredhave, though,”Sampointed out.She’dread an article about that—manyKindredreported having some kind of contact with theGoddessthey worshipped.Oftenshe warned them of impending danger to them or a loved one or spoke to them in dreams or answered prayers.Suchpersonal interaction with their deity made them much more likely to believe in the spiritual realm.Itwas one reason that herAuntLuna’sKindredhusband was so willing to believe in her gift and assign aProtectorto her niece.
Justmy luck thatIget the oneKindredwho’s a non-believer,she thought sourly as she frowned atR’orn, who was watching her unpack her ghost hunting equipment from the back of her van.She’ddriven all the way up fromFlorida— where she lived—toMassachusetts.Hehad offered to give her a ride in his shuttle, but she had declined—mostly to avoid conversations like the one they were having right now.
Hervan was parked side-by-side with his sleekKindredshuttle, both of them under a huge old maple tree with gold and red and orange foliage spreading overhead.Therewas a distant smell of smoke in the air, as though someone was burning leaves and the sky was a clear autumnal blue.Theair was crisp and cold without being freezing andSamcould feel the tip of her nose tingling with the chilly weather.
Itwas, in short, absolutelygorgeous—she never got to experienceFallweather inFloridawhere the only two seasons were hot and hotter.Sheshould have been enjoying herself—not only did she get to experience this beautiful time of year but she was about to explore one of the most haunted houses in the entire country—TheBelgraveMansion.
Butit was all spoiled by the big idiot beside her.
“Sothis whole ‘talking to the dead’ thing you say you do,”R’ornsaid. “Dohumans really believe that shit?”
“By‘that shit’ do you mean do they believe in ghosts?”Saminquired, raising her eyebrow as she placed her spirit box carefully in her bag. “Becausethe answer is complicated—maybetoocomplicated for a guy with a brain that’s not big enough to comprehend the paranormal.”
Hefrowned.
“Hey—there’s no need to be insulting.Iwas just asking a question.”
Samblew out a breath in frustration.Seriously, couldn’tAuntLuna’shusband have found another, more agreeableKindredwarrior to watch out for her?Orat least one who didn’t sneer at the way she earned her living?
“Allright,” she said, trying to hold onto her temper. “Well, the answer to your ‘question’ is, likeIsaid,complicated.Statisticallyspeaking, about a third of humans believe in ghosts and spirits.Butthat’s because only about a third of us have any kind of sensitivity to supernatural phenomena.Evenfewer can actually communicate with the dead.”
