by C. C. Wood
Also by C.C. Wood
Bitten
Bite Me
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Bewitched, Bothered, and Bitten
One Little Bite
Love Bites
Bite the Bullet
Blood & Bone
Forevermore
Blood & Bone
Girl Next Door
Friends with Benefits
Frenemies
Drive Me Crazy
Girl Next Door - The Complete Series
NSFW
In Love With Lucy
Earning Yancy
Tempting Tanya
The Wraith Files
Don't Wake the Dead
The Dead Come Calling
The Dead Come Calling
The Wraith Files, Case #65
by
C.C. Wood
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
Copyright © Crystal W. Wilson 2016
EPUB Edition
Cover by
Jena Brignola, Bibliophile Productions
Editing by
Tania Marinaro, Libros Evolution
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Epilogue
Contact C.C.
About C.C.
Titles by C.C. Wood
Dedication
To Nikki R.
Our random conversation on Facebook became the spark for this series…and maybe a couple more. Thank you for letting me ramble about story ideas and reading the questionable results.
Prologue
He always hunted at night. The darkness was his accomplice, providing him with a cloak of invisibility while allowing him to see all that he desired.
He watched from the shadows as she pulled her car into the driveway. He’d been awaiting her return for weeks, the frustration building into nearly a fever pitch. He’d almost given in to temptation a few nights ago, desperate for release.
Now, she was back and the wait was over. He was glad that he hadn’t given in to his craving. Her surrender would be all the sweeter after he fueled her fear, building it until the terror overwhelmed her.
The hunt would begin…soon.
Chapter
Exhaustion dragged at my limbs as I climbed out of my car. The last six weeks had been hectic but fun. It seemed fitting that I would be arriving home just in time for my birthday, which was tomorrow.
My life had certainly changed, but for the better. Though he didn’t like to call himself my boss, Malachi Flemming proved himself to be an easy employer. Stony and Blaine, his partners in filming the paranormal investigations show The Wraith Files, were also surprisingly effortless to work with. In the past month and a half, I’d slipped seamlessly into the group. For the first time in my life, I felt like I fit, that there was a place in this world made especially for me.
Since I left Kenna, Texas, I’d filmed in five different locations, spending a little over a week in each town. As much as I loved my new job, it was a major adjustment.
In the years since I’d graduated college, I rarely traveled other than the occasional trips to Galveston with my best friend, Jonelle. I’d always considered myself a homebody.
After the last few weeks, I’d come to realize that I wasn’t. Not really. I’d been stuck in a rut, staying at home out of habit rather than preference.
The longer I traveled with the guys, the clearer it became to me that I loved it. While I wasn’t keen on the late nights and early mornings, I did enjoy visiting new places and meeting new people. It was a freeing experience. Everyone I met had been warm and welcoming and it was an experience that I wanted to continue to repeat.
I hadn’t realized how constricting my life in Kenna was until I interacted with people who didn’t know me as the “peculiar Thorne girl”. Without that label hovering over me, I was finally able to enjoy socializing with other people.
It felt blissfully normal, and it was something I’d craved my entire life.
I hauled my bags out of the back of the car and wheeled them to the front door. That was the only thing that sucked about being on the road for weeks at a time—dragging most of my wardrobe with me. I had also bought several outfits along the way because I’d quickly realized that I was on camera, being watched by hundreds of thousands of people. While I didn’t dress up, I also didn’t want to look slovenly. The baggy t-shirts I tended to wear didn’t film well and made me appear less like a grown woman and more like a sloppy kid.
Grunting as I lifted the bags up the steps, I unlocked the door, looking forward to a hot shower, comfy pajamas, and falling into my bed. At the moment, sleep was the only birthday present I wanted.
I was surprised that Teri wasn’t on me the moment I opened the door, eager to pepper me with questions about what I’d been doing and where I’d been.
Before I could bring my bags inside, the lights flipped on.
“Surprise!”
I yelped, stumbling back a step. My living room was full of people. Considering I’d almost been killed in that living room two months ago, I was proud that I hadn’t screamed like a lunatic.
I quickly realized that I recognized everyone in the room and straightened.
“Happy Birthday!” Jonelle cried, moving forward to grab me in a tight hug.
“But my birthday isn’t until tomorrow,” I replied inanely.
“Well, I guess we’ll have to have another party then, too,” she quipped.
Now that the shock was wearing off, I grinned. “No, I think one party is more than enough.”
Releasing me, Jonelle stepped back. “One party is never enough. It’s just like potato chips. After the first one, you need one more. Then another. Then another. The next thing you know, you’ve eaten the whole damn bag and your pants are too tight.”
Her silly analogy made me laugh. I looked around the room, noticing my parents were there. I was surprised to see Mal, Blaine, and Stony standing behind them. Even my neighbor, Preston, was in attendance. Teri was hovering near him, likely hoping for a quick grope. I just hoped th
at Preston wouldn’t freak out when my spectral roommate grabbed a handful of his ass, something that she had a tendency to do when there was a cute guy in the house. Still, through all her crazy antics, I was glad to have her. The fact that this house was haunted was the only reason I’d been able to afford to buy it.
“A surprise party, huh?” I asked Jonelle.
She shrugged. “I wanted to do something fun for your birthday. You only turn twenty-eight once.” After a short pause, she continued, “Well, you’re only going to turn twenty-eight once. I plan to celebrate my twenty-eighth birthday for a few years.”
I laughed. “Okay then. You can be twenty-eight for the next four years, but then you need to move on.”
“Please, I do what I want,” she scoffed. My parents approached us then and Jonelle stepped back. “I’ve got to put the finishing touches on dinner.”
“You cooked? What are we having?”
“Pizza. Delivered,” she replied, grinning at me as she headed into the kitchen.
“Hey, sweetheart,” my father said, wrapping me up in a hug. “Long time no see.”
Once he released me, my mother embraced me as well. “It’s good to see you, Zoe.”
Still shocked over the fact that my mother deigned to hug me, I stammered, “Y-you, too.”
“We’ll talk more later. I want to help Jonelle with the food,” my mother stated. “Come on, Jimmy.”
I watched, bemused, as my mother followed Jonelle’s path into the kitchen, dragging my father with her. Though it was likely the cowardly thing to do, I didn’t follow. When Sarah Thorne put her mind to something, there was no stopping her. She would descend on the kitchen and insist on ordering the pizzas herself. I had to chuckle to myself. It didn’t matter if Jonelle was making the meal herself or having it delivered, my mother would have insisted on taking over. It was her way.
I walked over to Mal, Stony, Blaine, and Preston.
“How did you guys get here before I did?” I asked.
“We took a direct flight,” Stony bragged. “We’ve been here for nearly two hours.”
Mal sighed at Stony’s words. “Ignore him.” He gave me a light hug. “Happy birthday.”
“But my birthday isn’t until tomorrow,” I murmured.
Mal released me and stepped back. “Yeah, but you never even mentioned it to us.” It sounded almost like an accusation.
I shrugged. “I’ve never been big on birthdays.”
Stony, Blaine, and Preston each gave me a hug.
I was surprised that my neighbor had come. He had always been nice enough, but never overly friendly. He would wave, say hello, and smile when he saw me, yet we hadn’t spoken more than ten words to each other since I moved in next door to him. His sidearm hug had shocked me even more. Other than a handshake the first time we met, Preston hadn’t touched me again until tonight.
Two hours later, the party was in full swing. My earlier fatigue had disappeared after pizza and a few bottles of hard cider. The cake was delicious, red velvet with rich, cream cheese frosting. My mother knew it was my favorite and I was touched that she took the time to make it.
After cake, Jonelle insisted that I open presents, which I hadn’t expected at all. Blaine gave me a vintage Ghostbusters t-shirt, which made me laugh because we’d spent several nights over the last couple of months watching and re-watching the movies from the 80’s. Stony’s gift topped it, however. I unwrapped an adorable wooden sign that read, ‘Beware of Horny Ghost’.
“You should hang that on the front door,” he suggested as I laughed so hard that I snorted.
My parents gave me gift cards to my favorite stores and Jonelle had bought me a scrap of stretchy fabric in deep plum.
At the confused look on my face, she rolled her eyes and explained, “It’s a dress.”
Shooting her a dry look, I replied, “Are you sure it’s not a leg warmer? There’s not enough fabric to make an entire dress.”
She only shook her head. “It stretches. Believe me, it covers everything and it won’t wrinkle if you pack it.”
I didn’t respond to that because there was no way I was taking that dress anywhere but to the back of my closet. Jonelle had been after me for years to spruce myself up, but I balked. It seemed she was upping her game.
“Thank you for my present,” I told her primly.
Her responding smile was pure evil. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll have the opportunity to wear it soon.”
I ignored her comment and picked up the last present on the table. The tag on the small box merely said, ‘From Mal, To Zoe. Best Wishes.’
With careful fingers, I picked the blue ribbon tied around the sleek grey box until the bow loosened and I could remove it. Then my breath caught in my throat when I lifted the lid.
Nestled within, on a bed of black velvet, was a shimmering silver owl with glittering ruby eyes. The detail work on the pendant was exquisite. The bird looked as if it were ready to spread its wings and take flight.
“Mal, it’s gorgeous,” I whispered. I removed the necklace from the box and immediately knew that it wasn’t silver, but white gold. The gleam of the precious metal gave it away.
“Why an owl?” I asked, holding the pendant in the palm of my hand and watching the way the lights reflected off the feathers.
“Owls represent wisdom in some cultures. The Celts believed that an owl would guide the dead to and through the Underworld. I thought the rubies were perfect since they’re your birthstone.”
It wasn’t the sort of gift an employer bought for an employee. It felt like more than a simple birthday present between friends…like a statement. Only I didn’t know what the statement declared.
“It’s incredible,” I said quietly. I tried to put the necklace around my neck, but my shaking fingers wouldn’t work the clasp properly.
Mal came over and took the pendant from my hands and carefully draped it over my collarbones. His fingers were warm as they slid beneath my hair, sweeping the length from beneath the necklace so that the cool metal lay against my skin.
Turning to face him, I stated, “Thank you for such a beautiful and thoughtful gift, Malachi.”
His eyes gleamed when I used his full name. I didn’t understand why I’d said it, only that the moment seemed to require some sort of formality.
“You’re welcome, Zoe.”
I touched the pendant where it lay against my chest and knew I would wear it every day for the rest of my life.
Chapter
The next morning I woke up much later than usual. Weeks of burning the candle at both ends had caught up to me. Not to mention the hard cider I’d drunk last night.
It was just before noon when my eyes finally cracked open. For the first time in over a month, I actually felt rested.
Stretching and yawning, I rolled over and came face-to-face with my resident ghost, Teri.
“Aaaah!” I yelped, jerking back.
“Good morning, lover,” she purred.
“Jesus Christ, are you trying to kill me?” I asked. “What happened to our agreement that you wouldn’t do stuff like this?”
“Our agreement was nullified after you abandoned me. Granted, I would have done the same if three hot men had asked me to travel around the country with them. I still think you deserve to be punished for leaving me behind though.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not as if I had a choice, Teri. You’re kinda stuck here.”
“Don’t remind me,” she grumbled, getting off the bed. Planting her hands on her hips, she looked down at me. “Girl, you’ve slept nearly twelve hours. It’s time to get your ass out of bed and tell me all about your trip. If you saw any good-looking male spirits, don’t spare me the details. I want to know everything.”
Groaning, I rubbed my eyes and sat up. “Fine. I’m going to take a shower. You go push the button on the coffee maker.”
I preferred to prep my coffee maker the night before so that I didn’t have to do much more than press a button the next mo
rning. Before coffee, pushing a button was difficult enough. When I had a regular job, I set the timer, but now that I kept odd hours, I didn’t always get up at the same time each morning.
“At your service,” Teri replied sarcastically.
“If you want to hear about the ghost of a firefighter I met a few weeks ago, you’ll do it.”
Teri had a weakness for firefighters. Hence her obsession with Preston, my neighbor. He was employed at the fire department in Weatherford.
“Fine,” she retorted, sinking through the floor of my bedroom.
I hated when she did that. Though Teri could interact with objects and people, even pick them up and move them around, she could also move through things when she wanted. As the years passed, her ability to interact with solid matter improved, but occasionally she would do something that reminded me without a doubt that she was a non-corporeal being. It was disconcerting.
I was just about to get into the shower when Teri’s head popped up from the floor.
“For God’s sake!” I yelled. “Don’t do stuff like that.”
Teri eyeballed me for a moment. “Girl, you need to take a weedwhacker to your lady garden. It’s overgrown.”
Wrapping a towel around my naked body, I glared at her. “Gee, thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Just sayin’. No man will want to get in there without a machete. It’s like the Congo.”
“I haven’t been gone so long that you’ve forgotten what privacy is, Teri!”
“I used to work in a strip club. You don’t have anything I haven’t seen before. Many, many times.”
I glared at her.
“Besides, how’s a man supposed to find anything in there?”
“What man?” I asked.
Teri lifted her eyebrows. “Please, you and Hunkypants are constantly two heartbeats away from jumping each other. If nothing else, you should keep that trimmed and tight in the event that you finally get laid.”
