Page 20 of Purrfectly Haunted

I grab his hand. “Hey, take me somewhere you feel safe. I don’t care about the damn castle.”

Ewan nods and leads the way.

“A cemetery, really?” I say with a chuckle.

Ewan blushes. “There are no ghosts in cemeteries, most of the time. People rarely die or get murdered here, and the spirits avoid them. I think they don’t like to be reminded of death.”

“Makes sense. I wouldn't either.”

And I have to admit the moss-covered tombstones, the yellowing trees, and the green grass are quite nice.

“I come here to escape them when I feel overwhelmed,” he admits.

“Fine by me. Come sit by our dear friend...” I read the name on an old tombstone, “Richard Mackenzie.”

Ewan makes a face, and I laugh.

We walk a little farther away and sit under a tree to drink our takeaway coffees. It's no surprise that Ewan ordered a monstrous drink with outrageous flavours and too much sugar. I started to notice he has a sweet tooth.

Today, we’re wearing our normal clothes and left our ExorSquad overalls at the hostel. Ewan looks good in his Edinburgh University hoodie and sweat pants. To be fair, I think he’d look good in anything. He’s like a giant teddy bear, you just want to wrap yourself around him.

“I bet girls are all over you,” I say out of the blue.

Ewan gapes at me. “Wh—what?”

“You’re a big guy with a kind heart. But I think they really like the big part.”

Now I’m just teasing. I saw his cock in the showers, and even though he was soft, I could tell that he was quite proportionate.

“I—it’s—I don’t...” he stammers, and I burst out laughing. He’s too easy to tease.

I wait, hoping he'll give me a clue about his sexual orientation, but he just stays silent and stares at his feet.

I sigh and turn my face to the sun. “Winter will come in the blink of an eye.”

Ewan hums. “But first, autumn. Edinburgh looks beautiful during autumn.”

“Too bad, I won’t be here to see it.” I sigh.

“Where do you live? London, right?”

“Yeah. I grew up in London. My father was the Japanese ambassador, and he fell in love with my English mother. But lately I’ve been all over the UK. I visit friends and follow jobs. All summer I was working on a farm in Wales, but with winter approaching, they didn’t need me anymore, so I had to improvise and found the ExorSquad job offer online.”

Ewan nods thoughtfully. “So when this is all over, you’re moving on?”

I smile at him. “Well, we make a great team, don’t we? Maybe ExorSquad could keep us working jobs together for a while longer.”

He looks happy at that, and we spend the rest of the afternoon talking and enjoying the sunshine in the cemetery.

When midnight comes, we’re ready for our next ghost hunt. Earlier today, Shirley showed us which key opens the library—an old brass thing probably older than my grandmother.

Tonight, our plan is simple: Ewan does the talking, and I am his knight in shining armour—or should I say crumpled overalls? He’s the one with the gift, and I am the muscle. Even if it makes no sense whatsoever when you see us side by side.

The library is eerily quiet when we enter, not a pipe banging or a floorboard groaning.

“Wow,” Ewan whispers by my side, and I have to admit, wow indeed.

The library looks like one from a movie. It's two stories high, with shelves that reach up to the ceiling. Just like the key, the room is from another time entirely. The only modern touches are the couches and chairs at the centre of the library where guests can sit to read. Two tall windows let in natural sunlight during the day and offer a prime view over Edinburgh’s castle.