He gave me an odd look but said nothing. He rolled out his desk chair and offered it to me. I sat, noticing how clean his side of the room was. Connor’s room at home had been a disaster.
“Very tidy,” I said, eyeing his made bed.
“One of those program quirks, I guess. It’s funny, when I got home from the hospital I was even messier than before. I think just because I could be. But the wilderness program taught me a lot about responsibility and stuff.” He shrugged. “Makes it easier to have friends over without them seeing all your crap.”
I didn’t want to know what sort of friends he was impressing with a neat bed, so I let that comment pass. “So, yeah, other than some weird hotel deaths, I’m at a standstill with Hazel.”
“She’s not bothering anyone, so it can probably wait.”
“I don’t like to let these situations linger. I learned my lesson with that one. I’d rather figure it out and move on.”
“What do you suggest then?” He leaned his back against the wall, letting his long legs hang over the edge of the bed.
“Can we talk to the other guy? Maybe he knows something.”
“You think they’re in cahoots or something?” he asked.
“No, not cahoots. But Hazel is really young. Maybe this guy knows something she doesn’t understand.”
“Okay, we can try that. I usually see him at night – out front. Can you come back later? It will be quieter around here and since it’s cold not many people will be outside.”
“Sure.” A drawing across the room caught my eye and I stood up to study it. It was a charcoal with scary faces and gnashed teeth. Not the kind of artwork I’d want hanging over my bed every night.
“Tom made that – he’s into all this super-dark stuff. I don’t even know what it’s all about. Don’t want to either.”
“Is he an okay roommate?”
“He’s fine. Sort of quiet. He’s actually a sophomore. I’m not sure how he got stuck with a freshman.”
“Probably a punishment of some kind,” I laughed.
An amused grin crossed his lips. “What? Living with me is a punishment?”
My phone buzzed and I checked the messages and saw that Ava was ready for dinner. “I’ve got to go. What time do you want me to come back?”
“Eleven? Want me to walk you over?”
That seemed like a bad idea. Too much time alone. “No, um, do you care if I bring Ava back with me?”
“It’s your conversation. Fine by me.”
I walked to the door and rested a hand on the knob. “We’ll be back at 11.”
“I’ll see you then,” he said. He’d closed the distance between us and I couldn’t deny the fiery charge I felt. But I resisted it because I just can’t even go there. Not in my mind. Not with my body.
I left his room and listened to the door click behind me. I took a deep breath and walked away.
*
“You guys seem a little under-prepared,” Ava said, holding up the juju bag around her neck. We’re sitting around a picnic table on the grounds outside Connor’s dorm. She’s got on combat boots, black jeans and leather gloves. She also had a backpack filled with supplies, including the Shadow Bound book, “just in case.”
“I tried to explain to her it wouldn’t be like last time,” I told Connor, pointing to the container of salt.
“We’re just talking to him. Helping him. I doubt he has nefarious ideas.”
“Yeah, you thought that last time, too.” She narrowed her eyes accusingly at Connor. “How do you plan on getting this guy’s attention anyway?”
“We call him?” I suggested. “Hey, ghost dude…”
Connor rolled his eyes. “He’ll appear. I see him down here all the time.”
Ava looked skeptical. “Why are you down here all the time?” From the look of things, this was a smokers’ area.
He lifted his ridiculously broad shoulders. “I hang out down here with friends.”
“This is a co-ed dorm, right?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
Ava and I shared a look. Connor was impossible to get details out of. Always had been.
“Hold up,” he said, standing up. We followed his gaze and I spotted the ghost. A man in his 40s or so, wearing a brown suit. It looked dated, with a wide collar and baggy legs, like it was from the 70s or something.
“What?” Ava asked, her eyes searching the grounds. “Do you see him?”
“Over there,” I pointed. “That’s him, right?”
“Yeah,” Connor nodded.
“What do we do?” I asked.
“I’ll go over,” he said.
I frowned. “Alone? No. I’m going too.”
“Jane.”
“Connor.”
We stared hard at one another. I know I had on my angry-belligerent face, my “don’t mess with me,” face. He just looked worried.
Ava groaned and said, “You both go and I’ll wait here. Stop being morons.”
I led the way and Connor shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets. We approached the confused-looking man and Connor said, “Hey, man. What’s going on?”
“Um, nothing.”
“You look sort of lost.”
He frowned, thick lines creased his forehead. I noticed purplish bruising around his neck. “I’m looking for…”
“For what?” I prompted.
When he didn’t respond, Connor said, “We can help you. What do you remember?”
“Not much. I just was in my hotel room one minute and then… I’ve just been wandering around out here for a while. I can’t remember my room number.” He rubbed his forehead.
“Were you with someone?” I interjected.
“No. Well, I’m not sure. My memory is fuzzy.”
“Do you know your name? Where we are?” Connor pressed.
He shook his head.
Something I read popped into my mind and I said, “Um, Connor can I talk to you for a second?”
“Yeah,” he frowned, but said to the man, “Don’t go anywhere.”
We walked back over to Ava. She looked between us expectantly. “What’s going on?”
“Remember how I did some research on the motel and found all kinds of weird stuff?”
“Yeah.”
“There was this one guy who showed up with amnesia. Couldn’t remember anything, not his name or address. They had to take him to the hospital. The story implied that he had suffered head injury. Maybe that’s him and he just showed up here when you moved in.”
Connor rubbed his chin, making a scratchy sound with his scruffy beard. “I guess that’s possible. I mean, ghosts aren’t necessarily tied to the location.”
“No,” I agreed. “If anything they’re tied to us.”
“Look, guys,” Ava said, pointing to her phone. “I found him. Here’s his basic information. I think they were able to identify him after he died because they found his car and stuff.”
I picked up her phone and read the screen. Jeremy Stinson, from Macon. I handed the phone to Connor and let him read the material, too. “Ready to send this guy on his way?”
“I don’t think he’s much use to us and he’s been hanging around here long enough.”
He waved me off when I started to follow him. “I’ll do it. Really, I don’t mind.”
I opened my mouth to fight him, not just because that was how we rolled, but because I was missing an opportunity to get a ghostie hit. I hated wasting an opportunity, but I knew it was too big a risk. Ava probably wouldn’t notice, but Connor surely would.
Anyway, I’d been doing this alone for a long time now. It felt nice to have backup for once. Connor approached Jeremy and gave him the news. I sat next to Ava and she wrapped her arm around my shoulder. “You two make a good team, once you get past all the drama.”
Pulling her arm tighter, I nodded. “Everything is so complicated.”
“It’ll get better,” she promised.
We watched Connor talk to Jeremy and, after a
moment, the ghost shimmered into the night. I felt a sense of relief, like I always did when another ghost passed over.
*
After several caffeine-fueled all-nighters, Christmas break finally fell on the horizon. Amber asked if we wanted to stay and go to a party at the house we went to earlier in the year. Ava and I decided to hang back an extra day and go. It would be our last night of college freedom before going home.
The Christmas dinner had a potluck theme, which meant Ava and I had to figure out how to be creative. We didn’t have access to a kitchen, just the microwave in our room.
We arrived with two sort of-homemade chocolate pies and placed them on the table with the rest of the food. I had my coat half-off when I saw Connor leaning against the wall with a black stocking cap on his head. He wore a blue and white flannel shirt I’d given him before we broke up.
What the heck?
“Who invited him?” I whispered to Ava.
“Not me.”
“I invited him,” Amber said, walking up. Her long black hair was curled and she wore a black and white dress that revealed a lot of boob. A lot. “I saw him in the studio the other night and asked if he had anything to do.”
“Oh,” I said.
“I hope that’s okay. You said you guys weren’t dating anymore, but you obviously get along.”
“Yeah, no, we’re not. And it’s fine. I was just surprised.”
Amber walked off and put a hand on Connor’s arm. She led him off to the kitchen. “That was pretty low,” Ava said.
“Did you think so? Because I thought so.”
“Yeah, the tagging project was one thing, but I guess we know where Amber’s allegiance lies.”
“Herself,” I noted.
“Right.”
This time I ignored the terrible taste of the punch. It tasted strangely of mouthwash, but I downed a cup anyway. Feeling minty fresh, I spotted Tony in the living room. He waved me over and introduced me to another guy named Nate, and a girl, Lindy.
“This is Jane,” he said. “Freshman. Visual arts. She’s obsessed with crows.”
“You remembered!” I laughed. “I’m not obsessed.”
Tony rolled his eyes dramatically and said, “Tell us something else about you then.”
I thought for a moment. What could I say? That I’m in art school? Obviously nothing about what really defined me, the ghosts. I could tell them about Evan, and the creepy black shadows that have taken over our meeting space. That wouldn’t be awkward at all. The things that set me apart from everyone else was the kind of personal information I couldn’t easily share. “Not much to tell,” I shrugged. “I’m pretty boring.”
“That’s not true,” Connor said from across the room. Everyone turned to see him leaned against the wall, arms crossed, looking like the devil. At least two girls smiled and one made room on the couch for him to sit down. He approached the group and found a spot next to Nate. “Jane has an aunt who can read palms. She taught her how to do it.”
“Really?” Lindy asked me.
“Yeah,” I said, glaring at Connor. “I guess. I mean, she’s really talented at it. I just sort of know how to read the lines and stuff.”
“Can you read mine?” she asked, offering her hand.
“Um, sure.”
I took her thin, pale hand in mine and spread her fingers flat. I told her all the basics, pointing out her life and love lines. “This one implies you’ll travel a lot.”
“I’m going to Spain this summer,” she beamed. “What else?”
“Well, the shape of your hand suggests you have a ‘fire hand,’ which means you have a lot of energy and ambition.”
“Wow, that’s so cool,” Lindy said. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
Everyone else wanted their palms read, too, so I spent the next 30 minutes explaining the good fate they each would have. I didn’t have the heart to discuss short life lines or pain or impending heartache. They’d have to discover that on their own. Plus, I didn’t really have the gift Jeannie had, reading auras. The colors surrounding a person really told their story.
I finished the last person, leaving Connor and me alone on the couch. Everyone else had gone to fill their plates with the piles of the delicious food spread across the dining room table. “You set me up,” I said.
“You’re a special girl, Jane. I wanted everyone else to see it.”
I shook my head and started to walk away to join the others. Connor shouldn’t say things like that to me. He knew better. He followed me toward the dining room but, just as we entered, he laced his fingers with mine and pulled me to the side – into a small room off the kitchen.
“Connor, knock it off,” I said, removing my hand from his.
He pulled off his cap and ran his hand through his hair a couple of times before putting it back on again. His nervous habit. Watching him made me anxious.
“You’re not going to kiss me again, are you?”
“No,” he said. “Not unless you want me to.”
Damn.
I shook my head and tried to push past him out of the room. He stopped me.
“Do you remember the first time we really talked?” he asked.
“I remember. It was at a party like this. In the butler’s pantry.” God, that had been so long ago. I felt like a different person now. Evan had been my best friend – dead, but not trapped in a single realm. Charlotte hadn’t been murdered. We didn’t know about being Shadow Bound. We hadn’t even kissed. “I was so scared of you that night. Of people.”
Connor grinned faintly. “I was just afraid you were going to run away from me. Again.”
“I wanted to,” I confessed. “I was completely intimidated.”
“Ha!” he laughed, easy and genuine. “I already desperately wanted to be with you.”
“How could you know that?”
Connor took a step forward. “Back then you had this shell-shocked innocence about you, but your eyes held the spirit of a fighter. I wanted to know what was beneath the scared girl and the rumors.” He paused. “Plus, you’re a knock out.”
I shouldn’t be here with him. Talking like this. I had Louis. This whole situation felt very close to cheating.
He shook his head and continued. “Now you’re this strong woman.” His eyes roamed over my hair and he ran a finger over the piercings in my ear. “You’re not afraid of anything anymore. Not even the boogeymen no one else can see.”
“I’m not fearless.”
Connor scoffed. “Yeah, right. What are you afraid of?”
I forced myself to look at him. His crazy-beautiful blue eyes and that ridiculous scruffy chin. I stared at his chest because it was eye level and all I’d wanted to do for weeks was to touch it. I bit my lip and fought the tears building up in my eyes.
“What?” he asked again, this time seriously.
“You,” I said. “I’m afraid of you.”
He gave me a hard look. “You don’t have to be. Ever.”
The floodgates opened and drippy, traitorous tears ran down my face. I’d been holding it in for weeks, fighting against the pain of seeing him again – being near him. His face betrayed how crushed he was, but he tentatively wrapped his arms around me in that dreadful way someone does when they have no idea what else they should do.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered into my hair.
“No,” I sobbed into his chest. “I’m sorry. I let you down when you were the most vulnerable and that was seriously wrong.”
Connor pushed my hair back and looked into my eyes. I dropped my head, afraid to face him head on. “You did the right thing. I’m better for it. I was on a major downward spiral, Jane. Major. One step from completely fucking up my life. Your mom barely kept me out of jail.”
“You’re way too pretty for jail,” I sniffed.
I was being completely serious but it cut the tension and we both started cracking up. I laughed into his chest and some of the weight lifted from my shoulders. I extr
acted myself from his warm arms and, once we got the silliness out of our system, his expression turned serious again.
“I want a fresh start with you, Jane. Part of that means I’m done justifying myself to you,” he said in a serious voice. “I’ve changed and I’ll prove that in my own time. I’m also not going to pressure you or make you do something you don’t want to. If you want to be friends, I’m here. If you want something else, you’ll have to tell me.”
“Something else?”
“Anything other than friendship.” He wiped under my eyes with his thumb and smiled.
“Okay,” I nodded. He wanted me. He wanted more and I felt the familiar urge to succumb to him. Ironically, Connor stood before me, revealing himself, but I was the one living a life of secrets and lies.
“Are we good?” he asked.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Let’s go eat,” he said, waiting while I wiped my face again. We’re starting fresh, or at least he was. I didn’t know if I should be excited or freak out. Probably a little of both.
Chapter 12
“Wow, you look hot.”
I spun around, letting the silver sparkles of my dress catch in the light. “Thanks.”
Jeannie sat on the couch next to the Christmas tree, a thick book spread in her lap. She eyed my dress, my hair and exposed legs. Thank God she couldn’t see my underpants or I’d be busted big time. “Big plans?”
“Just getting into the holiday spirit.” I plopped on the cushion next to her and pulled my boots up to my knees, zipping them at the sides.
“I’m getting a lot of pinkish, red off your aura right now.”
“Yeah? My aura must be in the holiday spirit also.”
My aunt went back to her book for a minute and slowly flipped a page. I’d just stood back up when she said, “Do you have protection?”
“Uh, what?”
“Girl, I could feel the sex vibe rolling off you from upstairs. I know what you have planned and that’s fine. I’m definitely not one to judge on this topic, but it’s my duty as your family to make sure you’re ready for this.”
“Yes, we have protection. Your aura skills can’t tell I’m on the pill?” I snapped. I should have known she’d confront me about this.
Grave Possession (Wraith 3) Page 9
