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Kit squirmed a little.
“Can you not take the olive branch being offered, Stephanie? The White Witch and I will protect you until we have dealt with Justin. In return, we ask you to leave when he is gone. I believe that is a fair offer.”
“But this is my home. If I walk away from here, I have nothing. Even worse, Maggie gave me the money for this. Do I disrespect her by deserting her gift? What you require is not so simple,” Stephanie replied.
That was going to be a problem. Kit recognised the stubborn set of Stephanie’s jaw. She meant what she said. Her friend had helped her buy the inn, and Stephanie had no intention of wasting her friends’ money or generosity. But he couldn’t and wouldn’t allow her to stay. Was Stephanie drawing battle lines?
“You understand that every moment spent here puts you and the world in danger? While I mean what I say by protecting you from Justin, once he is dealt with, you have to leave,” Kit ventured.
“And I won’t waste Maggie’s money by walking away. If I sold this and regained her money to buy another inn, that might be possible, but this was on the market for years before I bought it. So we’ve a problem,” Stephanie replied.
“While Justin is out there, you will remain safe. But once he’s gone, the gloves will come off,” Kit warned, his eyes narrowing.
“So be it,” Stephanie muttered and held his gaze.
Kit marvelled at how brave she was with him. Fearless, she confronted him head-on. Maybe Stephanie had guessed he wasn’t a genuine threat to her. After all, she’d seen a man’s darkness once, and Kit was most certainly not evil.
No, Kit realised, she was rather comfortable challenging him, even though they barely knew each other. Stephanie subconsciously recognised Kit’s aversion to harming women or innocents…
Well, blast it. That did not work in his favour when it came to moving her on, and somehow, he knew she’d guessed that!
Stephanie
She observed Kit carefully. He didn’t realise his thoughts could be read clearly on his face. And he was obviously torn between wanting her to leave and keeping her safe. Kit also couldn’t decide on how high a terror level to submit her to. That gave Stephanie a leg up because she sensed that deep down, Kit was lonely, but his sense of duty was overwhelming.
The next day, Stephanie lay in bed, considering what Kit had told her the night before. Kit’s story had been so sad. From his ancestors battling evil and gaining gifts from God to his parent’s death and his brother taking the earldom at too early an age. It certainly gave her a lot to think about. Stephanie watched as Kit sent her a dour look and then disappeared and hid a snicker.
She’d never been one to read paranormal stories, and horror movies and books frightened her. But she’d always believed there was more to the world. This was being proven true, and now Stephanie faced a ghost and a sentient building.
Stephanie was still having trouble wrapping her head around The White Witch. She understood the basic premise that emotions and events can soak into a building, and it might keep memories in the aspect of residual hauntings. But for a building to be alive and think for itself… that was way beyond her limited understanding.
Still, it was an intriguing prospect. Stephanie enjoyed watching ghost programmes, but what she was experiencing was far more than anything she’d seen on TV. Those programmes never mentioned ghosts that might become solid and fade away. Nor did they mention buildings which thought and acted for themselves. And they certainly didn’t mention human spiritsthat had a penchant for revenge and killing humans. This was a level surpassing insane, and Stephanie wondered if she needed to see a doctor.
Her phone rang, and she picked it up to see Cole’s name.
“Hello angel, how’s things?” Cole asked cheerfully. However, his tone was insincere. Stephanie sensed the grief in his voice.
“I think Justin’s death has sent me crazy. No, forget I said that. How’s things at your end?” Stephanie replied, not willing to dump her woes on Cole.
“What do you mean, nuts?” Cole demanded.
“Oh, I’m going bonkers being here alone.” She paused. “Memories are creeping in, you know. But I’m keeping busy,” Stephanie answered.
“Do you need me?” Cole offered immediately. In the background, Stephanie heard a female huff, and her eyebrows went up. Cole would have used speakerphone if a friend had been present.
“No, honest, I’m okay. I think it was the shock of hearing Justin had died.”
“If you’re sure…” He didn’t sound convinced.
For a few moments, words nearly fell from her lips, explaining what she’d experienced, but Stephanie bit down on them. Cole would think she was crazy! Justin turning into a Human Killer would mean zilch to Cole.
“I will do. Time to move forward and stop looking back,” Stephanie said, forcing positivity into her voice.
Cole’s silence made her believe he hadn’t bought her confidence, and then he laughed. “Exactly honey, move forward and don’t look back. The past is only ever about teaching us painful reminders of mistakes we committed. The future is the hope. As soon as I’ve got some time, I’ll pop over and visit. For now, keep believing in yourself because you’re an amazing person.”
“I love you,” Stephanie whispered, and an icy chill hit her back.
“Love you too,” Cole said.
