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Kipp chuckled, running his finger down my shoulder. “Don’t look so worried, babe. You’ve been in, and gone through, worse.”
My breath caught in my throat from his icy embrace, and I waited for Amelia and Dane to head up the porch steps before I whispered to Kipp, “How is that supposed to reassure me?”
He hesitated, and then he shrugged. “Because it’s the only reassurance I could give.”
“Terrific,” I muttered. “And it sucked.”
At Kipp’s, once again, low chuckle, we followed in behind Dane, Amelia, Gretchen, and Alexander, while Zach and Max stayed in close behind me. To my happiness, the veranda didn’t fall on my head when I passed underneath it.
The home was exactly as Zach had described it. Furniture was scarce, and dust flew through the air under the beam of my flashlight. The foyer we stood in had what appeared to be a dining room to the left, without a table. And to the right was a creepy wallpapered living room with a stone fireplace.
It looked plucked right out of a horror flick.
I sent the beam of my flashlight up the large staircase that was just past the dining room, and the worn marks on the middle of the hardwood indicated this house had been well lived in. Staying perfectly still and holding my breath, I waited for the inevitable, since old houses always had one thing in common.
The seconds ticked by…
No one else joined us.
That’s when I realized something was very, very, odd. “Okay, what gives? Where are all the ghosts?”
Every head turned to me, nearly blinding me with flashlights, and Zach asked, “Are you expecting any?”
I pondered, and then shrugged. “Well, kind of.” I glanced into the empty living room with the fireplace, and then looked to Zach. “In a house this old, there has to be at least one ghost lingering around.” I drew in a breath, feeling the coldness from Kipp next to me, but didn’t sense anything else. “Yes, it’s weird.”
Gretchen stepped forward and her flashlight angled under her chin, making her fit right in with the spooky atmosphere. “None at all?
I hesitated, listened, and waited. Then I shook my head and said slowly, “None. At. All.”
Chapter Four
Gretchen used her flashlight to study the area, her brows drawn, and lips thinned in concentration. Of course, I wasn’t about to butt in and demand answers, considering she was a witch from a long line of witches, and Gretchen knew her magical stuff.
So, there I stood, looking between Kipp, who gave a shrug, and the others watching Gretchen.
After many more minutes of her humming and hawing, she finally looked to me with a frown and said, “That is weird.” She swept the beam of her light up to the ceiling, showing off gross brown stains, and then she said to me, “Maybe Wayde did a spell to ensure no ghosts are allowed entry.”
While I assumed she was probably right, since Wayde had already proved to be kick-ass with magic, considering if he had killed Alexander, he’d nearly trapped him in the Netherworld. If it weren’t for Alexander’s equal fierce magic, Wayde would’ve succeeded.
Although, I wasn’t entirely confident yet that Wayde did kill Alexander. The lingering question of why wasn’t something I could overlook. But I wondered how Kipp stood here now if what Gretchen suggested was true.
I concluded that Kipp wasn’t actually a ghost, since he wasn’t dead. We’d already learned normal ghost rules didn’t apply to him because of that. And Alexander possessed Caley’s body, so maybe that’s why he could enter, too.
Once I cleared those thoughts from my mind, something else stood out as important. “A spell exists that will keep ghosts out of your house?”
At her nod and smirk, I added, “When we get home to Memphis, you’re doing that spell on my condo. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.” Geesh, how many times had ghosts come into my bedroom, or bothered me when I didn’t want them to? Too damn many. I had no idea such a spell existed and knowing that it did made me blissfully happy, regardless of the spooky now.
“I can do that.” Gretchen snickered.
“Perfect. Thank you.” A sudden thought I hadn’t considered struck me hard in the chest and made me take another quick look around…just in case. When nothing jumped out at me or the house didn’t explode, I asked Gretchen, “Do you feel any other spells on the house?”
She looked at me as if I should know better. “I allowed you to come in here, didn’t I?” At my cringe that she took that as an insult, she added, “But no, I don’t sense any other spells.” Using her flashlight, she yet again, glanced up at the old ceiling marked with brown spots before she scanned the entire area we stood in. “There are high levels of energy.”
“I sense that, too,” Dane agreed. “But it doesn’t feel dangerous.”
I exhaled a loud breath. “Good.”
Max shook his head in clear disbelief. “I’m glad we’ve got that straightened out, since spells on houses is the utmost importance right now.” He gave me his stern I’m-your-boss look. “And furthermore, you should’ve asked that question before we entered the home.”
