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“I do,” she insisted, pouting at him.
“It’s adorable.”
“It is not,” she said, putting her hands on her hips and attempting to look stern. Though that was well and truly undermined by the effect his closeness was having on her. Really, all she wanted was to press her body against his and let him kiss her. Maybe Jared’s magic had taken hold of her again, that could explain why she was suddenly thinking with parts a lot lower down than her brain. Stupid men, distracting her with their sexiness.
“Oh, it is Macey.” He cupped her cheek in his h
and in a surprisingly gentle gesture, before leaning down and pressing a swift kiss to her lips. He pulled back, his eyes meeting hers, and while she could see the desire burning within them, she knew he wouldn’t go any further right now. He’d decided on the next step, and she suspected that nothing she could say or do would change that.
“Let me just break this sexual tension by saying that we should really leave if we want to see Malan today,” Jared said and Macey was tempted to strangle him. Not just because he mentioned sexual tension. Also because he was right.
“How do we get there?” she asked, stepping out of the circle and rummaging through the clothes Flint must have brought with him. What did someone wear when they went to visit a ghost? Black? Or would that be too morbid?
“The Staran, if they let us leave,” Cam explained, looking a little doubtful. If it hadn’t let him leave earlier, it might not now. But this time, it was important.
Macey put on a black hoodie over her top - just to be on the safe side - and slipped on her boots. “I’m ready. Shall we go?”
She strode out of the room, the guys’ chuckles following her. She didn’t quite understand what they found so funny, but they were guys, so she didn’t even try to. They rarely made sense; it had been the same thing underwater. The number of times she had struggled to grasp why her brothers did things... no, she didn’t want to think about her brothers. They were either victims, or evil bastards, and somehow nobody could tell her which option was correct. Maybe the dead guy could tell them. Malan.
She waited by the door until the three men joined her. Flint was wearing a big backpack. When he saw her questioning glance, he shrugged. “Malan likes gifts, and he likely won’t talk if we don’t bring him anything.”
“Are you all ready? We might run into trouble,” Cam said. Jared grinned and opened his jacket wide, exposing a row of throwing stars attached to the lining. Flint produced a silver lighter from his breast pocket and flicked it on, smiling at the flame.
“Why do you need a lighter?” Macey asked, and he winked.
“Because it looks cool.”
She rolled her eyes and turned to Cam. “Do I need anything? And if you ask if I have a trident, I’m going to kill you, slowly.”
“I wasn’t going to ask that... But I’m sure you’d look hot with it,” he smirked and left the house, disappearing into the mists.
She followed, flanked by the other two guys. The fog was thick, almost touchable. Macey had never seen anything like it before - if she ignored the night of her kidnapping. It was unnatural, no, it was supernatural.
“It’s just a two-minute walk to the Staran,” Cam called from in front of her, but it came as a whisper, the mist swallowing every sound. Following his voice, she walked slowly, careful not to trip. She couldn’t even see her feet, but it felt like she was walking on gravel.
“How about a stopover on Earth?” Jared shouted. “Malan likes those Belgian waffles, we should probably get him some.”
“I want some too!” Flint chimed in. Macey noticed how hungry she was. Waffles sounded like a great idea. Much more appealing than walking through this strange mist.
She bumped into Cam with a yelp. Why couldn’t he have warned her that he stopped walking? That wasn’t an unreasonable request in this weather, was it?
“We’re here,” he explained, taking her hand.
She looked around, but all she could see was fog. This spot wasn’t any less misty than the last couple hundred yards.
“How do you know?” she asked and he sighed.
“I don’t know. Jared’s been asking me for years, but I... just know. Same as Flint. We can always feel where the doorways to the Staran are. And this one here is a good one. That’s probably why they built the house here.”
She frowned. “They? Isn’t it your house?”
“Oh no, it’s been here for millenia. No idea who built it originally. It changes over time, and sometimes new rooms appear when we need them. Our entertainment room only appeared two years ago, but I guess the game consoles weren’t as good before that.”
“So your house is magical?”
“I guess.” He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal, while Macey was having trouble getting her head around it. A house that added new rooms. Maybe she could ask it for a hot tub? Or a painting studio? She’d always loved to paint, even though the techniques underwater were very different from those humans used.
“You need to hold onto me and don’t let go no matter what happens,” Cam explained. “Flint will take Jared.”
