To Stop a Shadow

by Carrie Pulkinen

  He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “I wouldn’t change a single thing about you. You’re perfect.”

  She was the farthest thing from perfect she could imagine, and the sooner he realized her flaws, the better. “I’m bossy.”

  He looked her square in the eyes. “You have leadership skills.”

  “I talk too much.”

  “You’re friendly.”

  “I make decisions for you without consulting you first.”

  He chuckled. “But you always make the right ones.”

  “My butt is way too big.”

  He slid his hand down to her ass and gave it a squeeze. “Are you kidding? I love your curves. Don’t worry, okay? I don’t want you to change.”

  Warmth spread through her chest at the sincerity in his eyes. “Okay.”

  “Stay the night with me? We can put the finishing touches on the house tomorrow and have a proper date afterward.”

  “That sounds fantastic. But until you stop having these sleep attacks, I’m doing the driving.”

  He grinned and lowered her to the bed. “Yes, ma’am.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Trent put his empty Chinese take-out container on the coffee table and draped his arm across Tina’s shoulders. Their plan to finish the house together the day after the party was derailed when Logan needed his help closing a deal. Then, when he saw the pile of paperwork on his desk, he had to focus on his real job and put playing house with Tina on the back burner for the week. It irked him that he hadn’t been able to progress their relationship past the sleeping together stage, but Tina seemed fine with the slow pace.

  Still, she deserved more than he’d been giving her. “Now that you’re finally willing to date me, it seems unfair I haven’t had the chance to take you on a proper date.”

  She poked him with her chopsticks. “You have been working late a lot. I was beginning to wonder if that redhead hadn’t caught your eye after all.”

  “Like that could happen. I only have eyes for you, sweetheart. I am sorry, though. I had to get caught up after missing so much last week.”

  “I understand. At least we got in a couple of sleep-overs.”

  His chest tightened as the image of Tina naked in his bed flashed through his mind. She’d been so patient, coming over to his temporary home at Logan’s late in the evenings, leaving early in the mornings so he could go to work. But she needed to know he wanted her for more than sex. “Those were nice. I still want to take you out, though. Wine you and dine you.”

  “And sixty-nine me?” She set her food on the table and crawled into his lap.

  Blood rushed to his groin. He definitely wasn’t complaining about the sex. “I think that can be arranged.”

  “I can’t wait.” She straddled his pelvis and sat on his knees. “And don’t worry about taking me out. I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve spent in this house with you. Even when we were pretending to just be friends.”

  “So have I.”

  “Don’t let my stunningly glamorous appearance fool you into thinking I’m high maintenance. I happen to find sitting on the couch, eating take-out, while the fake fire flickers on the television quite romantic.”

  He rested his hands on her hips and slid them up and down her delicate curves. He’d never get enough of this woman. “Too bad we can’t light a real fire. Make love on the rug in front of the heat of the crackling flames.”

  “We can if you want to clean out the fireplace when we’re done. We have to leave the house pristine to show it.”

  He chuckled. “No, thanks. We’ll stick with the fake one. When’s the crew going to be here?”

  She slid off his lap and glanced at the clock. “Any minute now. We’d better clean this up.” She grabbed the trash from the table and carried it into the kitchen.

  He followed behind, admiring the way her hips swayed as she walked. Her long, dark hair hung loose down her back, and her jeans hugged her round bottom, forming a perfect heart shape with her waist. How did he get so lucky?

  The doorbell rang, and he tore his gaze away from Tina’s magnificent backside to open the door. Allison stood between Logan and a tall man with sandy-blond hair. “Hi, Trent, have you met Gage?” she said.

  “No.” He stepped aside so they could enter and shook Gage’s hand as he passed. “Don’t you usually do your ghost busting with a bigger group?”

  “Usually,” Allison said. “But Gage is the main one we need for this.”

  Gage dropped a black duffle bag on the couch. “I’m a one-man show when it comes to tech. Where’s Tina?”

  “Here I am.” She pranced into the living room and threw her arms around Gage’s neck. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in forever.”

  Trent clenched his jaw and mentally reminded himself Tina’s friendliness was one of the things that attracted him to her in the first place. No need to be jealous…but did the guy have to be so good-looking? He could see why Logan was bothered by him at first.

  Gage chuckled. “I’ve been good. How about you?”

  Tina stepped away from Gage and slid her arms around Trent’s waist, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Never better.”

  Allison patted Trent on the cheek. “I’m so happy you two have finally figured out you belong together.”

  Gage shook his head. “If I’d have known everyone would be coupled off, I’d have brought a date myself. How about a heads up next time?” He winked at Allison and started pulling gear from his bag.

  Trent looked at Logan. “What’s the plan?”

  “I’m going to take some readings around the entire house,” Gage answered. “Get a baseline measurement. Then I’ll head upstairs and see if I can’t stir some shit up.”

  “What do you need us to do?” Tina said.

  Gage shrugged. “Nothing much. I’ve got some ideas of what the problem might be, based on what Allison told me. Now it’s time to find out if I’m right.”

  Trent looked at Tina. “You mean we could’ve gone on a real date after all?”

  Allison settled into a chair. “We’ll need you later. You’ll come up when it’s my turn to go in. The ghosts seem to be attracted to Tina.”

  “I can’t say I blame them.” He led Tina to the couch, and they watched as Gage roamed around the first floor with a light-up device in his hand. Trent turned to Allison. “What’s he doing?”

  “That’s a Mel Meter. It measures electromagnetic fields and temperature fluctuations. When spirits manifest, sometimes they create changes in the atmosphere, and that device can detect them.”

  Tina laced her fingers through his and squeezed his hand. He didn’t need to be a psychic to understand all this ghost talk made her nervous.

  “God, Allie, I had no idea being a psychic was so scientific.”

  “What I do isn’t scientific at all. That’s why I work with a team.”

  Gage stopped in the foyer. “I’ve gotten nothing downstairs. You said you’ve never had any activity down here?”

  “Not really.” Aside from the first time he came in the house, he felt completely safe in the entire home, excluding that damn third floor.

  “All right. I’m going to head up to where all the activity is. If you don’t hear from me in half an hour, I’m probably dead.”

  “Not funny, Gage,” Tina said.

  Gage laughed and walked through the foyer toward the staircase. The meter in his hand made a high-pitched chirping sound just as the coat rack tipped sideways. Gage jumped out of the way a split second before it could crash down on top of him.

  Tina pulled her knees to her chest and clutched Trent’s arm. “Was that a ghost?”

  He wrapped his arm around her and rubbed her shoulder. “It’s an old house. The floor is probably uneven. It’s happened to me before.” He wasn’t sure what to believe when it came to that damn hunk of wood, but he didn’t want to upset Tina anymore.

  “I don’t know.” Gage turned the coat rack upright and ran his meter all
around it. “I did get a quick EMF spike right before it happened. Then again, in a house this old, a loose floorboard could have the same effect. Anyway, I’m heading upstairs.”

  “Be careful.” Tina’s brow knit with worry.

  “I’m sure it’s nothing.” Trent kissed her forehead.

  “You’re right. It’s probably nothing.”

  As Gage trotted up the stairs, Allison padded toward the coat rack. “I thought all the furniture here was new staging furniture. This coat rack feels old.”

  “It is.” Tina followed her into the foyer. “We couldn’t bring ourselves to get rid of it. It’s kind of creepy looking, but it grows on you after a while.”

  Logan raised his eyebrows at Trent and mouthed the word we.

  Trent chuckled and shook his head. Even when they were pretending to be friends, they were already making decisions together like a couple. He stood and made his way into the foyer with the women.

  Allison closed her eyes and rested her hands on the wood. She swayed a little from side to side and inhaled deeply, furrowing her brow. When she opened her eyes, she looked at Trent and tilted her head to the side. “That’s weird.”

  “What is?”

  “This coat rack is very old. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been here since the house was built. There’s a lot of energy stored in the wood, but most of it feels like you.”

  “Me? I haven’t spent more than ten days total in this house.” A sinking feeling formed in his stomach. “Is it possessed? Is it draining my energy?”

  Allison laughed. “Furniture can’t get possessed. There could be a spirit attached to it, but it wouldn’t be draining your energy and storing it in the wood. Maybe it’s because you’re related to everyone who’s ever lived here. You probably have similar energies.”

  Gage shuffled down the stairs and stopped on the bottom step. “Did I miss something?”

  “Not a thing.” Logan joined them in the foyer.

  “Damn.” Gage shrugged. “Are you sure you saw ghosts up there, Allison? Because I’m not picking up anything. Sure, it’s creepy, but that’s nothing a fresh coat of paint and a new rug won’t fix.”

  “I saw them,” Allison said. “So did Tina and Logan.”

  Trent glanced at Logan. “You saw them too?”

  “Briefly.”

  Gage started back up the stairs. “Come on up and see if you can draw them out, because I’m getting nothing on my own.”

  * * *

  Tina held tight to Trent’s hand as they climbed the steps and came to a stop on the third-floor landing. Her palms were slick with sweat, and she released his hand to wipe them on her jeans. Why was she so scared of this damn room?

  She never should have asked Allison to check it out. If her friend hadn’t confirmed ghosts did indeed occupy the space, Tina could’ve sold the house and gotten on with her life. But now that she knew for a fact there were ghosts here, she didn’t care to ever step foot inside that room again.

  Gage motioned for them to enter, and they all filed in. Tina clutched Trent’s hand and stayed as close to the door as she possibly could. Trent flashed her a smile and wrapped his arm around her, but his eyes held an uneasiness that made her own fears worsen.

  Allison wandered to the center of the room, her gaze grazing each wall before landing on Tina. “Do you see them?”

  Tina shook her head. “No, and I don’t want to.”

  “I don’t see them either. Come, help me call to them.” Allison reached out her hand, and Tina’s stomach dropped to her knees. Her best friend actually wanted her to summon a ghost?

  Trent squeezed her shoulders. “Go on. I’ll be right here.”

  She swallowed the sour taste from her mouth and shuffled toward Allison. What the hell was she about to do? She didn’t know the first thing about channeling spirits, and the last time she’d watched Allison do it, a ghost had thrown an antique vase at her head. “Is this safe?”

  Allison put on her therapist smile—reassuring, but a tiny bit fake at the same time. “If it’s not, we’ll stop.”

  “Is Trent safe? Last time…” He’d said he’d twisted his ankle, but now she knew his narcolepsy had made him collapse. Could the ghosts have triggered it?

  “Logan will stay with Trent.”

  “Okay.” She took Allison’s hands and stared at the wall where she’d seen the ghost.

  Allison took a deep breath and lifted her chin. “If there are any spirits in this room, please show yourselves to us.”

  Tina kept her gaze trained on the wall while Allison did her deep breathing thing, trying to summon the spirits. Something flashed in her field of vision. A brief image of the handless woman raising her stump to her. Then nothing.

  Allison exhaled a hard breath and released Tina’s hands. “Did you get anything, Gage?”

  He shook the device. “Nothing.” It made a blipping sound. “Well, wait.” He swung the meter around until the chirps grew louder. As he walked toward Trent, the sound grew louder and faster, the lights flashing alternating patterns of red and green. He lowered the device to the floor, and Tina could’ve sworn a dark mass billowed toward him from the corner.

  She squeezed her eyes shut and looked again, but it was gone. The meter stopped beeping. The lights no longer flashed. Gage bumped the heel of his hand against the device and shook his head. “That was weird. I have a theory, though. Anyone want to hear it?”

  “I think we should get out of this room.” Tina grabbed Trent’s hand and pulled him down the stairs. Whatever happened in that room was happening to Trent, and she didn’t want him anywhere near it ever again. She’d finally found a man she wanted to be with, and she wasn’t about to lose him to a ghost.

  The rest of the group followed them down, and they gathered in the living room again. Gage paced in front of the fireplace as they all settled onto the sofa.

  “Here’s my theory, and you can do what you want with it; it’s just a theory.” Gage stopped pacing and plopped into a chair. “First let’s talk about the ghosts in the attic. They only show themselves when Tina and Trent are around, right?”

  “That’s right,” Allison said.

  “So, if Tina and Trent aren’t around, they aren’t going to bother anyone. And if you’re planning to sell the house anyway, your problem is solved. They aren’t going to show themselves to anyone else, and you two won’t be here much longer.”

  Trent smiled. “I like the sound of that.”

  Allison huffed. “I don’t like leaving them trapped up there, but if they refuse to talk to me, there isn’t much I can do to help them.”

  Tina bit her lip and looked from Gage to Allison. It seemed too easy. “You’re sure they won’t bother the new owners?”

  “I don’t think they will,” Allison said.

  “That’s good news.” Trent patted Tina’s knee and left his hand resting on her thigh.

  His touch comforted her, but the thought of him selling the house still didn’t settle well with her. “As long as Trent owns the house…before he sells it…when we’re here, are we in danger?”

  Gage shook his head. “Not from the ghosts. They seem to be trapped in the third floor, so as long as you stay away from that room, they shouldn’t bother you. Am I right, Allison?”

  “It seems that way.”

  “You said, ‘Not from the ghosts.’” Logan leaned his elbows on his knees. “Is there something here that’s not safe?”

  “This is where my theory comes in.” Gage shifted forward in his seat. “I did some research on shadow entities, and I think your dreams could be one of two things. First, like Allison suggested, you two have a strong psychic connection. Add to that the physical connection she didn’t tell me about, and I agree with her that the shared dream could be just that. A dream.”

  “It’s not uncommon for two people who are so connected and are sharing a stressful situation to have similar dreams,” Allison said.

  “If that’s the case,” Gage added, “once y
ou sell this house and get rid of the stress, your shadow monster should stop bringing you nightmares.”

  That, Tina could handle. A shared dream due to the stress of trying to get the house on the market so quickly made sense. Plus, the rocky start to their relationship probably only added to the pressure they were both feeling. If she could relegate the shadow nightmare to once every few months like it had been most of her life, she’d be satisfied. “I like that theory.”

  Trent furrowed his brow. “And if that’s not it?”

  “You could be dealing with a nonhuman entity that’s attached to this house and, more specifically, the family residing here.”

  Tina’s stomach dropped. “A nonhuman entity? You mean, like a demon?”

  “Demon. Shadow being. Spirit. Whatever you want to call it. I prefer the term entity because it covers everything.”

  “But no one lives here.” She gripped Trent’s hand. “How can it be attached to the family if the owner is dead?”

  Gage raised his eyebrows. “The owner was dead. Now the owner is Trent, and isn’t he related to the previous owner?”

  “He was my uncle.”

  “No.” Tina shot to her feet. “No, no, no. There’s no demon attached to Trent or to this house. It’s the first thing you said. It’s stress.” It had to be. Accepting the ghosts was hard enough. She wasn’t about to let herself believe she’d been hanging out with a demon the past few weeks.

  His eyes tight with worry, Trent reached for her hand and pulled her back to the sofa. “Let him finish, sweetheart.”

  “Anyway,” Gage continued, “I found a shadow entity in my research that can trap spirits. Kind of like a soul collector of sorts. That would explain why your attic is full of ghosts who won’t leave, and it would explain that spike on the meter that only happened around Trent.”