“That’s the puppy,” I said aloud, mostly to calm my own nerves. My lynx paced inside his inner sanctum ready to hunt anyone and everyone who might mean us harm. Though, Eran was off that list since meeting his mate. I couldn’t explain it but he smelled different even though they hadn’t claimed each other when I smelled him.
“Unmated alphas might eat kittens. Mated alphas would get eaten by their mates if they tried,”my lynx rattled off into my thoughts.
“This isn’t the place he’s looking for,” someone said from outside. “He smells ghosts but not the lady he’s sniffing out.”
Maybe they were already on the hunt for Sharon Claudis. Pami disappeared and I turned toward Bernard. He pulled me into his arms and I did my best not to cry because my sister was dead. Only my hormones didn’t like that. So, I cried anyway. Why couldn’t she just go peacefully into the Other World and figure her shit out?
“Because in some fucked up way she loves you,” Bernard whispered, picking up my thoughts over our mating link. “She doesn’t want our kid to die.”
“That’s because she believes she has to be reborn through our family lineage,” I sobbed into his chest. “She doesn’t want her route cut off.”
“If she is ever reborn as our kid, she’s never allowed to date. I’ll build a vestal virgin temple or a convent or something,” Bernard said, and somehow, I managed to laugh through my tears. He smelled serious but I couldn’t help myself.
Chapter 18
Vatten
Canton Valley Farm
Gooseberry led us in circles around the farm. Each circular path grew larger until I figured out, he was spiraling, not circling, as he sought out Pami. At least, I figured we were looking for Pami by the sounds of it. Who else would’ve left the bodies like that?
“We don’t know enough to know what’s going on!”my dog reminded me, wagging his tail until I had to fight off the vibration that threatened to tear through my body. This was official business and may have been one of the most important jobs I had ever been on. If a presence was bad enough to disturb a puppy, it was more than worth looking into it.
I also had to fight off the urge to hold Eran’s hand while I worked. I wanted more than anything to entwine our fingers and pull him close, but ghost hunting was serious business. His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Jade asking for an update. There wasn’t really an update to give, though. We were following Gooseberry around until he----
A snarl broke free from the puppy’s throat. Yep. He was going to eat someone.
“The old well?” Canton asked, squatting down to remove the cover. Gooseberry grabbed his sleeve and yanked. Canton managed to stay on his feet, his thighs straining at his pants from the effort but rabbit shifters usually had strong legs.
“Don’t do that,” I said.
“Is that your translation or your advice?” Canton asked me.
“Both. If Gooseberry is this positive that someone is down there….” I said, but my dog chose that moment to break out into a scream and shift down into his form. He stretched out on his belly near Gooseberry and crawled toward the cover of the old well and sniffed. Most of what we smelled was to be expected. It smelled like earth and old water. Not water you’d want to drink straight away, but water, nonetheless. Also… I cocked my head to one side and then the other. Blood?
“He smells blood,” Eran said a second later and I was more grateful than ever that we had a wide-open mating link. “New-ish. Can ghosts eat people? Can ghost bears eat people?”
“I--- Er…” Canton looked at Philip who shrugged.
“Don’t ask me. I’m a bear but I’m not a ghost,” Philip said, adjusting his hat. “Isn’t that new kid down at The Cuddle Club a ghost hunter?”
“On hiatus for his mental health,” Canton said.
Wings flapped above us and I stared up to see a black-winged man circling. Before the claiming vows, I probably would’ve screamed my head off about being under attack, but knew enough to know that harpies were a part of the GGB community.
“Wasn’t Pami,” the man said, landing and staring down at the board that covered the old well.
“What happens if we fill the well in and there’s a ghost down there?” Philip cut to the chase.
“I’m a harpy, not a ghost hunter,” the harpy said.
“Zee,” Canton said. “Do you have an opinion on what would happen?”
“Wait, why are we sure it’s not Pami?” Eran cut into the conversation as the sun started dipping low in the sky. “I mean, she tried to kill Bree back in London.”
“Because Bernard called Conner to come look at Nashen after they found her ghostly ass standing in their living room,” Zee crossed his arms.
“So it’s probably the bitch,” Evie said, walking up. “Dewie and the bobcat shifter show defensive wounds. The shebear doesn’t. Either she was caught by surprise or—”
