Prelude to a Witch, Amanda Lee [ebook reader web txt] 📗

the rear door. I was about twenty feet from the inn when I glanced over my shoulder, my gaze instinctively going to the windowed laundry room ... and my heart lodged in my throat.

The ghosts — what else was I supposed to call them? — were back, hovering in the glass. Their reflections were dark, their eyes bright with hatred, and the glass appeared to ripple as they stared at me.

“Who are you?” I asked. “What do you want?”

The reflections didn’t answer. Perhaps they couldn’t.

“If you have something to tell me, now would be the time,” I groused. “I mean ... if you’re going to keep showing up, there must be a reason. You need to tell me if you expect me to help ... or do something else.”

Still nothing.

“I could smite you if that’s what you prefer,” I offered.

The reflections began to dissolve and were gone within seconds. This time I was certain I’d seen them. Were they following me? Was it something else?

I checked the windows three more times before reaching the tree line. The shapes didn’t return, so I forced them out of my mind as I traipsed through the woods in search of Landon, Chief Terry and Hannah. I found them within a few minutes.

Hannah stood in the center of the clearing, staring down at the spot where Paisley’s body was found. Chief Terry and Landon were positioned outside the circle, and Landon’s gaze immediately sought out mine when he heard me.

“Is your father okay?”

I nodded as I moved closer to him. “He is. He was confused ... but now he’s not.”

“Hannah is getting a feel for the area.” He studied my face. “You’re pale.” He pressed his hand to my forehead. “Like ... really, really pale.”

“I’m fine,” I reassured him, flashing a look toward Hannah and cringing when I realized she was staring at us. “It’s just hot out.”

Landon waited a moment longer and then nodded. It was obvious he didn’t believe my “hot” excuse, but he knew better than to question me in front of Hannah. “What’s your plan for the day?”

“I have work to do at the office.”

“Keep the doors locked when you’re in there.”

“Brian wouldn’t be stupid enough to come there in the middle of the day,” I scoffed.

“Keep the doors locked,” he said. “I installed that security system for a reason.”

“Fine.” I didn’t bother to hide my eye roll. “I’ll probably spend some time in Hypnotic too. Well, that is if Clove isn’t being annoying. She’s seriously driving me nuts these days.”

“Have some sympathy for her. She’s uncomfortable with the changes in her body. It doesn’t help that you guys keep freaking her out by telling her she’ll never lose the baby weight. That just makes her eat more.”

“She won’t lose the weight if she keeps eating the way she does.”

“Does that matter?”

“Wouldn’t you be upset if I didn’t take off the baby weight after I popped out our first kid?”

He chuckled at the way I’d phrased it. “I would not. I’m the sort of man who loves a person and not a body type.”

“Oh, whatever.”

“It’s true. You need to leave Clove alone.”

“Fine.” I shifted my gaze back to the tree that had the rune on it yesterday. Hannah was staring at it now, likely trying to pretend she couldn’t hear us. “I should probably head to town.” I tugged on Landon’s shirt sleeve. “Do you want to walk me to the lot?”

He answered without hesitation. “Absolutely. Terry, can you stick with Hannah? I’ll be right back after I walk Bay to her car.”

Chief Terry was well aware what we were really doing and nodded. “No problem. It’s smart to walk her back when there’s a killer on the loose.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Landon linked his fingers with mine as we headed back, waiting until we emerged from the woods to ask the obvious question. “What is it?”

“I saw those ghost things in the window of the Dragonfly,” I whispered. “They were watching me when I headed out to meet you guys.”

“And?”

“I tried to communicate with them. They didn’t respond. Then they disappeared. They’re gone now.”

“What do you think they are?”

“I don’t know, but I think they’re connected to what happened to Paisley.”

“Obviously.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not keen on you running around on your own when these things are out there.”

“I don’t see that we have much choice,” I said. “You cannot spend all your time checking in with a civilian. Hannah is already suspicious.”

“I don’t know that she’s suspicious,” he hedged. “She is curious. She finds our entire relationship odd.”

“Which means your relationship with her was nothing like what we share.”

“I believe I already told you that.” He stroked his hand down the back of my head and then tilted it to meet his insistent gaze. “We flirted and ... did other things. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, but what I felt for her wasn’t even a shadow against what I feel for you.”

“I’m not being insecure,” I reassured him. “I know you love me. But I don’t understand how you could have fallen for her in the first place. She’s boring. Other than the hair, we have nothing in common.”

“Well, believe it or not, baby, the only type I had before I fell in love with you was beautiful blondes. In that respect, you are my type.”

My cheeks colored. “I’m not beautiful. I’m ... cute.”

“You’re beautiful. You don’t want to argue with me about that. You’re right about Hannah, though. She does not believe in the paranormal. She’ll be looking for an explanation on everything that happens between now and then ... human explanations.”

“That’s a pretty tall order in the Winchester house.”

“I guess it’s good she can’t see ghosts staring back at us from the windows.”

I blew out a sigh. “I can’t be around her. I need to use my magic to dig.”

“You’re only telling me that because you think it means keeping a safe distance from me, too. I’ll figure