Page 27 of If I Stopped Haunting You

Neil ground his teeth, eyes blazing as he glared at her. “What are we, in kindergarten?”

“I dare you to go down into the cellar.”

They all froze, turning to Skinner.

“That’s a bit far, Pen,” Laszlo chided.

Neil laughed, unmoved. “That’s it? You want me to go down to the cellar.”

She shrugged. “Neil Storm doesn’t seem to think it’s too far.” Skinner waved to the castle around them, cheeks flushed as her eyes met Neil’s. “Besides, if the castle isn’t haunted, where’s the harm in it?”

“Really,” he slurred, standing, “I don’t mind. It’s just a cellar. What can go wrong?”

“Said every doomed character in a horror novel ever,” Laszlo said.

They all stood and followed Neil down the hall toward the front foyer. They walked past more creepy paintings, eerily realistic stone busts, and tattered tapestries hidden in corners he hadn’t yet noticed, feet trampling over worn-down carpets before circling around the backside of the staircase with the portrait of the woman in black.

His attention snapped to her as the others moved past, and he thought, for a moment, that shesmiled. Fuck, no more whiskey for him tonight. He quickened his pace, rounding the corner to join the others. There was a strange sense of unease flitting about him as he hurried down the hall, a sense of being watched from the darkness, and Neil wasnota fan.

Skinner licked her lips anxiously and waved her hand at the door. “Well, this is it.”

It was a simple door, although difficult to see if you didn’t already know it was there. Made of the same wood of the stairs, it blended into the side boards, only a small brass handle making it clear there was anything hidden beneath the staircase.

Neil searched the others’ expressions, noting their concern. Everyone, that is, except for Skinner. Her eyes were lit up, her bottom lip clamped between her teeth. She looked almostexcited. Eager to see him go down. Eager to see him hurt.

He thought of the stories these people would tell, about how Neil Storm had chickened out at the last second on a haunted writing retreat, how he’d run away screaming from this door. How much pleasure would she get out of seeing him back down yet again? Swallowing, he stared at the brass handle before wrapping his fingers around it, the metal cool against his skin.

“Here goes nothing,” he whispered before pulling it open.

Chapter 9

PEN

“Wait!”

Pen reached forward and covered his hand with hers. His pinky wrapped around hers as if out of instinct. She stared down at their joined hands, remembering the moment in the ruins, being crushed against the fence… Why did she keep thinking of that? Why the fuck was she so goddamn hung up on a fake almost kiss when Storm felt as little for her as she felt for him: a whole lot ofnothing.

She glanced from their hands to his face, cheeks heating as she failed to banish the thoughts. God, she was a terrible liar. If he saw it, if heasked,she wasn’t so sure she could lie to his face.

“You really don’t need to do this,” she said as she tugged her hand free.

Neil Storm looked down at her, emerald eyes serious, pupils dilated. He was buzzed, cheeks colored pink, weight shifting awkwardly as he tried to straighten. He seemed unsteady, because who in their right mind would say,Why, yes, I will indeed go into the cellar of this haunted castle!

Pen recalled Fanny’s earlier warnings, something about death or peril lingering at the back of her mind. God, this was foolish. She was being petty, and it wasn’t worth risking someone else’s life if there was indeed some dark spirit waiting in the shadows of this cellar to kill them all.

He frowned down at her and this close, her hip brushing his, her fingers inches from tangling with his, she thought again of earlier, the heat of him so close, his breath on her lips as he leaned forward and pressed her into the fence. Pen had the sudden, strange urge to drag him down to her level.

“Yes,” he said, pulling back and shaking out his hand as if it hurt. “I do.”

“I’ll go with you.” Pen clamped her mouth shut with wide eyes. Damn it, she was being foolish.

His eyes snapped to hers, then to the cellar door, already partially ajar. Darkness lay beyond, and the longer she stared at it, the sicker she felt. He looked at her questioningly, waiting for her to back out.

“Let’s just go back to the study,” Laszlo urged, tugging on Pen’s arm.

His eyes flicked between Neil and Pen, widening a fraction as if telling her,Please don’t do this again. But this wasn’t the same. This wasn’t another convention, and Pen was a hell of a lot more focused and calmer than when she was on that panel.

“I’m going down there,” Neil said, taking a step toward the stairs. He looked pointedly at Pen. “You dared me, and I agreed to it, so let’s just get this over with, okay? No need to make a big scene.”