Page 7 of Cold Sacrifice

Like everyone else in the room, I gaped.

Richard Slaymaker was a powerful ghost—and an alpha, apparently.

“You offered to help me cross over in return for getting the singing sisters to shut the hell up.” He smiled. “Obviously, I don’t need help crossing over. I want something else in return.”

My mouth was dry. “What do you want?”

“I want to hang out, have cases shared with me, maybe even help you solve them. I want to be your invisible detective. And,” he added, “I can help keep the spirits from taking over the space.”

Honestly, I couldn’t see a downside.

“Deal,” I said, and just like that, I got an office ghost.

Chapter Two

Seeing the pen writing itself across a paper was too much for the Nolans. They yanked open the office door, hysterical, and bolted.

“They’ll return another time,” Richard Slaymaker said.

I lifted an eyebrow. “How do you know?”

“Because they don’t have a ghost. They have a demon. And he can do a lot more damage to them than a ghost can.”

“Dammit.” I headed for the door just as Max hurried into the room.

“Um, did you threaten to behead the Nolans?”

Joe laughed, but it was a bit shaky. He’d seen a lot, but the ghosts still had the ability to freak him out a little. “There’s a ghost in the room,” he told Max. “It picked up a pen and wrote its name on the paper. We all saw it.”

Max came to the desk and peered down at the name. “Richard Slaymaker,” he said. “Why’d he choose that name?”

Richard shrugged. “Because I liked it. And I’d appreciate your bald vampire not calling me it.”

“He says because he liked it,” I told Max, and then looked at Joe. “He doesn’t like you referring to him as it. He’s a boy, Joe.”

Richard laughed. “I’ve never been a boy, Kait Silver.”

“Richard wants to join the team,” I told Max, and then I gave Richard a pointed look. “On a temporary basis. We’ll see how things work out before anything more permanent is decided.”

“If he can pick up a pen,” Max said, full of skepticism, “he should be able to make me feel him.” He held out his hand.

Richard frowned and didn’t move.

“Um,” Max said. “I’m waiting?”

“Well all right, then,” Richard said, and before I could open my mouth to warn him to play nice, he slammed his “body” against Max. He wrapped his arms around him, and for a few seconds, I literally couldn’t see Max.

Richard was that…solid.

“Hey,” I yelled, when Max squeaked.

Joe, unable to see the ghost, rushed to Max and pulled him into his arms. That movement seemed to dislodge Richard, who was abruptly once more behind my desk.

He was smiling.

Max was not. He turned around in Joe’s arms but pressed himself back against Joe, his face paler than usual. Joe glared grimly at me, because he couldn’t see the ghost.

“What the hell did he do, Kait?” he asked, tightening his arms around the silent Max. “I won’t have him hurting Max. Tell that to the sonofabitch.”