“Ronald did this. He caused it. He broughtthe demons here for her. We didn’t do it.” The panicked voices ofthe ghosts became a noisy buzz as they all spoke over eachother.
“I came to say thank you,” I yelled, loudlyenough for them to hear me over their frantic chatter. “For helpingus.”
The ghosts overhead slowed, their bodies andfeatures becoming more distinct as they separated out of theirgroup. At the back, a couple dozen heads poked through the wallfrom the kitchen.
“Fucking ghosts,” Kobal muttered from besideme. He stepped closer, his chest brushing protectively against myarm as he surveyed the room with a look that said he would set iton fire if they made one wrong move toward any of our party.
“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Corson saidfrom behind me.
Erin, Vargas, and Hawk looked on as theghosts started to float down from above us. “What did she say?” oneof the heads from the kitchen asked.
Daisy floated into the room to hover beforeme. “She said thank you.”
I smiled at the young woman. “Especiallyyou.”
Daisy grinned at me before turning herattention to Kobal. Some of the others moved closer to float beforehim. Their heads twisted and turned as they studied him beforelooking at me.
“The rightful king of Hell and a WorldWalker, no one would have ever believed it possible,” Ethel said asshe floated closer.
I went to ask what a World Walker was again,but the ghost in the poodle skirt distracted me when she glidedcloser to Kobal. I recognized the lascivious look in her eyes asshe surveyed him. If she’d had a body, I would have knocked her onher ass. “He is rather… dangerous,” she murmured.
“You mean yummy,” another woman said to her;both ghosts exchanged a giggle.
Some of the male ghosts floated closer toErin and me. I took a step back when one of them started to riseabove me, his head craning from side to side as he tried to seedown my shirt.
“Back off!” Kobal snarled at him when herealized what the ghost was trying to do.
The ghost pouted as he turned toward him, buthis pout vanished and his gray color lightened when he took inKobal. None of the other males came toward me, and Corson steppedin front of Erin to glare at any who dared approach her.
“They’re all pervs,” Hawk muttered indisgust.
“Will you talk to the angels for us now thatwe helped you?” Pompadour asked.
“I already told you I can’t. I don’t knowhow,” I said, beginning to regret my decision to come back here inorder to thank them.
“You can figure it out,” he insisted.
“No, I can’t.”
“Suck it up, non-corporeals, you’re gonna behere for a while,” Corson sneered at them.
“Stop provoking them!” Erin hissed at himbefore smiling and waving to the ghosts. “Thanks all!”
Daisy floated closer to me. “Good luck,” shesaid. “You’ll be able to do this.”
“I hope so.” I stopped myself from tellingher I would see if there was something I could do to help her leavehere. If I made her that promise, we’d have a horde of ghostsfollowing us for the rest of our trip. I couldn’t make the promiseout loud, but I would do everything I could to help her move onfrom here.
“Let’s go,” Kobal said and nudged me towardthe door. “Thank you for helping her,” he said to the ghosts beforeclosing the door.
Corson’s eyes widened and Bale’s head shot upat Kobal’s expression of gratitude to the ghosts. Admittedly, I wasa little amazed too. I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard him thankanother. He didn’t look at his stunned friends as he bent to swingme into his arms. I smiled at him before draping my arms around hisneck and resting my head on his shoulder.
When I glanced behind me, the ghosts wereback at the windows watching us. Some of the women actually fannedthemselves. I turned my attention away from them as Kobal strodeacross the parking lot toward the truck. He kissed my forehead andopened the passenger side door of the pickup to slide me onto theseat.
“You drive,” he said to Bale before climbinginside, lifting me, and settling me onto his lap.
He cradled me against his chest while theothers climbed into the back of the truck. Hawk and Corson startedgoing through some of the bags before pulling out bandages andfirst-aid supplies. They handed them over to Erin as she knelt nextto Vargas.
“There will be more room for you in some ofthe other vehicles,” Kobal told them through the open window in themiddle of the truck.
