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“We have two more, Stella Walker next please.”
Jinx doesn’t reply, just chants Stella’s name just as she had Lucien’s. We all hold our breath as we eye the crystal moving, until it stops on the Grimstead Sanitorium.
“And the last name, Iris Quinn.”
This time the crystal doesn’t swing as long, it stops on top of where this shop is.
“So, is this Iris one that has passed?” Jinx asks.
The three of us nod in unison.
“Seems that she may be your guardian angel.”
Honestly, that wasn’t what I was expecting. Wolf? Sure. Stella? Maybe. Iris? I had figured she moved on, even after Jayce’s library encounter. She’d seemed hesitant and weak.
What’s keeping them all here?
“Okay, can I be blunt?” she asks. We all nod wearily, unsure where this is about to go.
“Of course,” I agree when she doesn’t go on but she doesn’t seem to hear, instead her eyes turn faraway as she freezes.
“Well, that answers what I was about to ask. It seems you’ve stirred up the dead, my friends,” she accuses lightly. There’s no malice there, just curiosity. “And old ones at that. I knew the name Wolf sounded familiar. Once I smelled the smoke and heard him talking I knew who he was.”
“It was accidental,” I admit. “We did the ghost tour and…”
“You look like his lost lover, the same lover who is guarding you,” she agrees. “I’d be looking into my family tree if I were you. But that aside. I feel there’s more you need from me than just some simple scrying.”
“We don’t think Iris is our only attachment,” I admit. The guys’ eyes widen at me but I ignore them for now. “The other night, smoke filled our apartment and we had to crawl out. It physically caused us pain like we were breathing real smoke.”
She frowns at the news. “That shouldn’t be possible for a haunting at all.”
“It happened,” Eli agrees. “When Jayce came back to the apartment he opened the door and bam, it was gone.”
“That’s why we’re looking into things, these ghosts are strong,” I tell her. We all freeze and wait. I just know this is the moment she throws us out and tells us we’re crazy.
“With it starting on Halloween, I’d normally guess that to be the source, but I think it is you that’s the source. Something is connecting you to these ghosts and they’re using you, Raven, as an energy source.”
That hurt. The thought of Lucien using me just to be strong was something I hadn’t considered and it felt like a punch to the gut. Hell, even Iris didn’t fit that bill.
But Stella might.
“I don’t think Lucien or Iris would do that,” I defend weakly. Jayce reaches out the moment he hears the slight waver in my tone. It’s silly to be this invested in ghosts I barely know, but somehow, they’ve gotten under my skin.
A blast of wind goes through the shop, the wind chimes all going off at once. Jinx laughs freely as she watches and nods.
“You’re right on that. Iris is telling me the same thing. She’s also conveying that she’s moved on,” she explains.
“Wait,” Eli cuts in. “Then how is she here?”
“Guardian angels come in all forms,” she answers easily. “She’s not really a ghost anymore.”
“Does she know how to help Lucien move on?” Jayce asks. My heart stops at the question and the mere idea of losing him forever breaks my heart into pieces.
“That’s something she cannot help with. I’ve done enough of these to know it’s up to the individual alone,” Jinx says soothingly. “He will when he’s ready.”
“Okay,” Jayce frowns. “Then what do we do?”
“Well, I do have some charms that are meant for protection. Put them on yourselves and in your home and it should keep bad intentions at bay. Though, that also depends on how strong the spirits are.”
