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CHAPTER 21
“Absolutely not.”
Damian crossed his arms and glared at the two females on the other side of the table in the inn’s breakfast room. Last night his mate had simply introduced him to the woman sitting next to her as Jessica. She had waited until this morning to let him know that Jessica was also known as Mystic Madam, clairvoyant and ghost hunter. He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised. Jessica dressed for the part, draping her slender body in multicolored layers of floating chiffon, wildly patterned scarves, and rows of jangling chains and charm bracelets.
He wanted to believe she was a fake, and yet until Wendy’s incident he’d been convinced that ghosts did not exist. And if ghosts did exist, it was certainly within the realm of possibility that there could be genuine ghost hunters as well.
“Don’t you want to get your restaurant back?” Wendy asked softly, putting a persuasive hand on his arm.
He did, actually. He missed it far more than he’d expected, and even though his mate was worth any price, he did sometimes wish he could have both. It would also be nice to have their own space. The inn was very comfortable and Alison and Will had been great hosts, but it wasn’t their own place.
“Yes, but it’s too dangerous.”
“No, it’s not. Jessica knows what she’s doing. She’s done hundreds of these types of investigations, haven’t you?”
“Well, perhaps not hundreds,” Jessica said softly, “but a lot.”
“And you’ll be right there with us. Really it was just a foolish combination of circumstances last time. No one’s ever been hurt before.”
With his mate’s pleading eyes on his face, he found himself weakening.
“If I should agree to this foolishness, what’s your plan?”
“You know I think there are two ghosts, and Jessica agrees it’s a possibility. We think the nice ghost is the woman who was murdered and the bad ghost is her husband.”
“But didn’t he disappear?” he asked, then shook his head. Why was he even debating this?
“Yes, but he could have been drawn back here after he died,” Jessica said calmly. “That may even be what triggered the recent events, aside from the anniversary.”
“I didn’t realize ghosts were such dedicated timekeepers.”
Wendy frowned at his cynical tone, but Jessica shrugged a small shoulder, making her jewelry chime.
“It’s not time so much as events. Even if you don’t have a calendar, you can tell when spring is coming or summer is ending. The events of their death have the same type of effect. Which means it’s also the perfect time to encourage them to move on.”
“What if they don’t want to go?”
Jessica gave him a serene smile.
“Some methods of encouragement are more forceful than others.”
He had to admit that he was impressed by her confidence.
“I suppose I could take Jessica to the restaurant,” he said reluctantly. As long as he arranged for Nakor to watch over Wendy.
“I have to be there too, Damian.”
“Out of the question,” he snapped.
“Wendy is right. The fact that one of them manifested enough to touch her means that a bond was created between them. If that bond is strong enough, it could draw the spirit to her no matter where she was located.”
He gave her an appalled glance.
“It might follow her?”
“It is unlikely, but the possibility exists.”
So his two choices were to allow his mate into a situation which had proven dangerous in the past, or live in dread of it happening in a different location.
