Grave Possession (Wraith 3)

by Lawson, Angel

  “You didn’t abandon me. I’m the one who couldn’t get the courage to send them to you. To let you know how I felt and what I was dealing with.”

  Connor pulled off the highway and down a road that lead to the beach. I rolled down the window and inhaled the cool, salty air. It wasn’t quite running away, but it would do. “You look like a dog,” he laughed.

  The air slapped my cheeks and I felt awake for the first time in days. He stopped the car and I got out before he’d even cut the engine. I walked toward the sound of the water. “You coming?” I called.

  “Yeah.” He jogged toward me and held something out with one hand. His other held a camping lantern. “In case it gets dark.” He placed the lantern on the ground. “Put this on,” he said, gently pulling a stocking cap over my head. He tucked my ears beneath the fabric.

  “Thanks.” I shoved my hands in my pockets, the bitter cold numbing my fingertips. Connor linked his arm with mine and pulled me to the side, away from the coast. “I want to see the water,” I said.

  “This first.” I followed him, my feet sinking into the sand-covered road. Up ahead I saw the cinderblock walls lined down the street. “Hurricane,” he said. I realized why we were here. Or where he’d brought us. Mother Nature may have torn down these buildings, but in her wake she left the perfect tagging playground. Except there was no color – just grey and white designs against the wall.

  “What’s this?”

  “It’s called reverse graffiti or clean tagging. You remove the dirty and grime from the wall and the clean spots show the artwork.”

  A series of faces lined the walls, all familiar, all dead. Hazel’s wide eyes peered out from the graying cement, as well as the guy with the memory loss and Kelsey. White birds flew across the top of the wall.

  “You’re so good at this,” I said.

  “Everyone needs a superpower.”

  I ran my hand across the bumpy surface. “It’s so different. Where did you learn about this?”

  “My counselor at the program. I told him I wasn’t willing to give up tagging. That it was too important to me, even if it was illegal. He did some research and came up with this compromise. It’s not considered vandalism. But I have permission to be here anyway. I’m doing this as part of a project for school.”

  “So, you aren’t breaking probation with this.”

  “Nope. I told you I wasn’t going down that road again. I promise.”

  With more hesitation than I’d like, he leaned down and kissed me, pressing his mouth against mine. His lips were cold, but they warmed against my own. He tightened his fingers in my belt loops, pulling me close, parted his lips and kissed me deeper. Electricity crackled between us, ebbing and flowing down my limbs. Dazed, I pressed my hand to his chest. “Has it always been that way?”

  Connor rubbed his lips and shook his head. “Sort of. Kissing you has always been, well, really hot. Like,” he ducked his head, “you rock me, Jane. Hard. No other girl even comes close. Ever will, but…”

  “But what?”

  “But there’s something different now.”

  I nodded. “It’s really intense.”

  “Very.”

  “I can feel you inside. Deep. Like the minute we touch you become…”

  “Part of you,” he finished. “But it’s not just me. It’s like I’m fighting for space in there.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  He gripped my hand. “I’m not fighting for your heart. I’m fighting for space. Misha is right, those spirits have attached themselves to you and they don’t want to share.”

  “Like parasites, she said.”

  “Exactly.”

  I failed an attempt to fight a massive shudder. “That’s disgusting.”

  Connor wrapped his arms around me and pressed his nose against mine. I finally realized what had caused the dark hole inside of me. It wasn’t Charlotte, like I’d thought. The evil ate at me from the inside out. “I told you before I’m not into sharing. And your heart is mine. It always has been. We’ll fix this.”

  “If we don’t?”

  The wind coming off the water cut across our cheeks, stinging like a whip. Tightening his grip, Connor said, “We will.”

  *

  “Why me?” I asked on the way back to Connor’s dorm to see Tony.

  “You’re strong.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It makes total sense,” he said. “They need someone strong to feed off of so they have enough power for whatever they have planned. When they attach to you they’re very small – tiny threads of spirit. Ultimately, they must want to be more than that. Bigger.”

  “What do you think we’re dealing with here, because the ghosts are giving me a bunch of mumbo jumbo I can’t figure out?”

  “Maybe Tony will have an idea – or some of the others in the group.”

  With no other plan, we agreed to go back to the dorm and find Tony. He’d left his door open, so Connor knocked lightly before walking in. “Hey, man,” Connor said. “What’s going on?”

  “Just getting some work done. I’m on a tight deadline.”

  Connor closed the door while Tony sorted through a huge stack of large canvases leaning against his desk. His hands were covered in paint and his jeans had streaks down them from wiping his brush. He picked out three and laid them on his bed.

  “You’ve been busy,” I said. “Getting ready for the show?”

  “It’s next week. I’ve got so much to do.”

  Tony rubbed his face but it did nothing to remove the dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he needed to sleep for a couple of days. I approached the bed and took in the paintings one by one. They weren’t all complete, one nothing more than a sketch, but I got the idea. One in particular caught my eye.

  “That’s Hazel,” I said, pointing to one of a little girl in a dated nightgown. Connor shifted uneasily on his feet.

  “I had the vision of her a couple days ago,” Tony remarked.

  Painting number two was a flock of birds, formed from spilled ink. “I’ve seen this before,” I said, touching the inky, wet birds. “In a dream or, well, alternate reality, I guess. I’m not sure where it is, but Evan showed me these birds.”

  “What about this one?” Connor asked, pointing to the sketch. A long-barreled gun held by two hands was front and center.

  “Bang bang,” I said, cocking my hand like Kelsey had that day.

  Connor winced.

  “Okay, so, the clues are sort of obvious. We’ve got two dead girls, crows, harbingers of death and a gun. Can a ghost use a gun?” I asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Connor said.

  “It’s obvious, yet makes no sense.”

  “But all three are tied to you right?” Tony asked me.

  “Yes, I guess so.”

  He sat down on his desk chair. “Okay, well what else do they have in common, besides you and death?”

  Connor narrowed his eyes in thought. He said, “Hazel and Kelsey both have ties to this dorm.”

  “Right,” I nodded. “Hazel lives here. And Kelsey dated Tom.”

  “Kelsey?” Tony asked. “Amber’s roommate?”

  “Yeah, she’s one of the ghosts I’ve seen.”

  “The police found her body, right?”

  “Yes. Tom said they’d broken up by then, but Amber is convinced she was still seeing someone.”

  “Unless he’s lying,” Tony added.

  “So Hazel, Kelsey, you two, and me all have ties back to this dorm.”

  “And the dead guy with amnesia.”

  “And him.”

  “And…” Connor trailed off, locking his eyes with mine. “You know, us.”

  I had a strong flashback to the night we got together, one floor above this one. “Right. Us.”

  “Didn’t Nina say something about a psychic hot zone or something?” Connor pressed.

  “Hotspot. She said that together we were likely a hotspot. But maybe it�
�s not just us.”

  “Hotspot?” Tony asked. “What are you talking about?” It was obvious that he’d gotten confused, but for me and Connor, reality quickly set in.

  “Whatever it is,” Connor said. “I think we’re sitting in it.”

  Chapter 21

  “I think we need some better history on this building,” I said. “I searched it on the computer and there were some strange things that happened when it was a hotel. Spontaneous combustion… things like that.”

  “Maybe we can ask my dad,” Tony offered. “He’s worked here for a while and lived in Savannah since he was a teenager.”

  Connor nodded and said, “Good idea.”

  “I’ll call him and meet you guys in your room a little later? I’m going to work on this a little more.” He gestured to the artwork on the bed.

  “Just text me,” I said.

  Tony had already started working on an incomplete painting before we closed the door. The obsessive nature of an artist wasn’t something I was unfamiliar with. It was something that Connor actually struggled with himself. He’d slipped out of his parent’s house more than once to go tagging in the middle of the night when an idea struck him. He’d been arrested twice.

  Connor’s room was empty when we got upstairs. Tom off somewhere. “He’s either at the gym or the studio,” he said, sitting on the bed. He grabbed my hips and guided me so I sat on his lap. He looped my arms around his neck.

  “The pieces are clicking into place,” I said, locking my fingers.

  “Looks like it. When we get all the information, maybe we can stop whatever is going on.” He pushed my hair over my shoulder and ran a finger down the studs in my ear. “Did I ever tell you I like your hair like this?”

  “No.”

  “I like your hair like this.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Can I ask you something about Evan? From last night?”

  “I don’t want to talk about Evan.”

  A small line creased between his eyes and he said, “Give me a minute, okay?”

  “Okay,” I said, toning down my defensiveness.

  “You didn’t get your energy hit from him. How do you feel?”

  “Shaky. Empty. Like there’s a dead spot in my chest.”

  The bed creaked as Connor reached up and tugged down the zipper on my hoodie, revealing the scoop-neck shirt I wore underneath. He ran his fingers over the thin chain holding the raven pendent. “What are you doing?” I asked, although I had an idea.

  “Trying to make it better. The less dangerous way.” His lips met the skin on my chest, leaving a trail of hot kisses. I twisted my fingers in his hair, tugging his face to mine. His kiss was hard and I opened my mouth to his, tasting his tongue. Warmth spread through my body, filling the emptiness with fire.

  I sat back and said, “You really think this is less dangerous?”

  That lazy grin appeared and he gripped my waist. “Definitely.”

  Shifting on his lap, I strained to get closer. “It does feel good.” I gasped when his fingers pushed up my jacket and his skin touched my lower back. Heady intoxication coursed through my limbs. The feeling was dangerous, but Connor was right. It wasn’t deadly.

  “I want you to feel good,” he said between kisses. “I want to be enough.”

  I stopped him, pressing his face between my palms. “What does that mean?”

  Mixed with the desire in Connor’s eyes, was a pain so intense it shot through my heart like a stake. In the most unwavering voice he declared, “I love you, Jane. So much. I’m scared for you. Us. I want you. I want to protect you. I want to be with you forever.”

  “Connor…”

  “Let me say this, because something’s coming and I don’t know if we’ll make it out the other side. Or how we’ll be if we make it out the other side. Please don’t work against me like you did with Charlotte. I think I’ve proven I’m not that person anymore. My head is clear. I’m ready for this battle.”

  “I know,” I said, stroking the side of his face with the back of my hand. “I’m not going to work against you. I need you.” The pain simmered a little, replaced by a spark of hope. “You’re the best thing in my life. The only clear thing I have. Jeannie and Nina both see you in my aura and you’re the only thing that ever makes sense. That ties me to reality. I’m the one clouded in death and destruction. I just don’t want to hurt you again.”

  “Don’t doubt me. Or us. That’s how the evil wins.”

  Connor kissed me again, long and lingering. But my mind wandered even as my body responded. What he’d just said clicked in my brain. I jerked away and rubbed my lips.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yes. No. Yes.” I stammered. “I think I know what’s feeding this thing and what it wants. I think I’ve figured one thing out.”

  “What?”

  I grasped his hand, but my phone chimed at the same time there was a loud pounding on the door. Connor eased me off his lap at the same time I checked the text from Tony.

  We’re here.

  Smoothing my hair and zipping my hoodie midway up my stomach, Connor opened the door, revealing Tony and his dad on the other side. My jaw dropped.

  “Oh shit,” Connor said, glancing back at me.

  Oh. Shit.

  *

  Tony and his father stood in the doorway, peering in at me and Connor. Well, not just Tony and his father, but Tony and Mr. Williams, the maintenance worker from my bathroom.

  My haunted bathroom.

  “You’re related?” I blurted after an inappropriate amount of silence.

  “You’ve met?” Tony asked, walking into the room. Mr. Williams followed. I studied the two, going over their features, looking for similarities. It was pretty obvious. There was also a glint of something else familiar. Like a sense of déjà vu.

  “At my dorm,” I said. “Briefly. I had no idea you two were related.”

  “Nice to meet you again.” He offered his hand to Connor. “I missed the last gathering at Nina’s. I’d planned on speaking with you then.”

  “Did you know the bathroom was haunted?” I asked.

  Mr. Williams had on his work uniform, blue shirt and pants. Grease smears covered his sleeves. He looked tired, obviously having just finished a long day of work. I never would have made the connection to Tony. Sure, he was attractive and had the same brown skin. His dark hair was cropped instead of in dreads. I tried to get a feeling for being around another gifted person, or three, but nothing seemed different.

  “I knew. Someone has to clean up that psychic mess.”

  “Did you know about me?”

  “I had a suspicion,” he said. “You kept showing up in there. No one else noticed those puddles but you. Then you were in here when the heater broke and turned this place into a sauna. That was supernatural also. I should have known there was a greater source. You wouldn’t believe how often machinery breaks down because of a mystical force.”

  “That often?” Connor asked.

  Tony cracked an uneasy smile. “Half of dad’s job is fixing the mess left behind by ghosts or difficult spirits.”

  “True, but that’s not why I knew you were special.”

  “No?” I frowned. “How then?”

  His eyes shifted to the space under my neck and pointed. “Your necklace. You wear it all the time.”

  My hand reached up to my neck and felt the cool metal of the charm. “This? What about it?”

  He took a step forward and I shifted, pressing into Connor. “Where did you get it?”

  “It was a gift.”

  “Do you mind telling me who gave it to you?”

  “Dad, what are you talking about?” Tony interrupted.

  “I got it from my neighbor. She gave it to me before I left for school. I helped her last year with a family problem.”

  “With a spirit?”

  I nodded. “Yes. A family member.”

  Mr. Williams face crumbled and fat tears welled in his eyes. Tony
gripped his arm. “Dad?”

  “Did she pass over?”

  “Yes,” I whispered, searching his face. Once again, I saw familiar signs I’d overlooked. “Finally. After she saved my life.”

  He took another step forward and pulled me into a tight embrace. So tight he almost squeezed the air out of me.

  “Jane?” Connor asked, totally confused.

  “Tonya,” I affirmed. “Mr. Williams’ sister. You’re Darius.”

  Connor’s attention snapped toward me. “Wait… who?”

  Darius released me and my fingers found and latched onto Connor for support. I took a deep breath and said, “Ms. Frances’ son.”

  *

  “I gave that charm to Tonya for her birthday,” Darius said. “The year she died.”

  He sat in an overstuffed armchair in the dorm lounge. Connor and I shared a couch across from him. Tony… well, Tony decided not to join us. Turns out Tony never knew he had a grandmother in Atlanta. Or an aunt who died as a child. One he was named after.

  “Should you go after him?” I asked, worried about his mental state. He’d been pretty upset to find out about his family that way.

  “It’s always better to let Tony let off some steam when he’s angry. I’ll find him soon.”

  “I hope he takes it okay. I can only think how hard this is on you and him. Your mother had a difficult time with it, but we became close. Ms. Frances gave me the necklace when I left for school. She lives next door to my parents.” I struggled to unhook the clasp. Connor’s fingers brushed against mine and he unclasped it for me. I gave it to Darius.

  “So, that’s how you met,” he said, rubbing his thumb over the charm. “How is she?”

  “Good, but lonely. She worries about you. Honestly, I think she assumed you were dead.”

  “She probably wishes I was dead.”

  “Why would you say that?” Connor asked.

  “Tonya died because of me. I sent her off to the store that day because I was too busy messing around with Peter. That guy – that sick guy in the neighborhood – killed her, but I’m the one who let her go.” Wet lines tracked down his face from his tears. He wiped them off with the back of his hand.