The deep need worried Emery. He couldn’t keep Paxton off his mind for more than five minutes at a time. Surely that had to be supernatural?
Emery tapped his fingertips against his lips, lost in thought. Maybe he was connected to Paxton somehow? Emery’s head snapped up, eyes wide. The books on magic and spiritual connections across the veil were put away, buried under a set of blankets and board games in an antique chest in the sitting room. The passage he was thinking of swam out of reach, murky from memory.
Grabbing his coffee cup and tipping the cold contents into the sink, Emery hurried out of the kitchen to seek answers. He knelt by the oak chest, thumbing open the brass latches. It took a minute to rifle through the blankets and games stored inside to unearth the books Emery placed at the bottom of the trunk. Emery slumped to sit on the plush, ornate rug and thumbed through Spiritual Connections with determination. First, he turned to the page on the ritual spell, the page number memorized by that point, bracketed by illustrations of stars in the margins that closely resembled the Victorian filigree design of the pocket watch Emery left in the kitchen.
Emery skimmed the spell, fingertips sweeping down the page. It mentioned nothing that warned about the lasting effects of the ritual. Pursing his lips to the side, Emery flipped to random pages, searching for any mentions of magic binding him to Paxton.
The specific passage Emery recalled scoffing at the first time he had read the books purchased from Madame Sophie’s Curiosities & Readings eluded him. Frustration prodded at the edges of his patience. Emery set Spiritual Connections aside and picked another at random with the hope he would stumble across the answer he needed.
Twenty minutes into the refresher course on magic and the spiritual realms, Emery found it in The Blessed Home: A Guide to Cleansing Your Home and Cleansing Your Space.
When linking auras to the planes for a ritual, take care that a piece of your magical energy returns to your physical self. Magic has an equal toll per the level of spell, but rituals can leave a caster giving more than their offering to anchor and charge the energies of spell magic. Group rituals often result in a deeper connection for each aura joined in the spell, granting the casters a tethered line of understanding and a higher plane of existence in addition to their mortal plane and physical forms. The popularity of group rituals has waxed and waned with the passing seasons of life, and at the height of popularity it was said by covens that the lingering link of a group ritual bound a coven closer together in sister and brotherhood. This is both a gift and a curse if the magic wielder does not understand the complexities of what magic will latch onto. For further theories, seek the section on Intentions & Connections.
He read and re-read the passage, frown deepening the second time around. It only left him more confused by the abstract wording. Emery sighed and wished whoever wrote spell books would use clearer language so Emery could glean a direct answer to his predicament.
If magic had a cost, then what was the price Emery and Paxton paid with the intimate sex spell they had done?
To be continued in telltale ghosts 2, coming October 2019!
Reviews + Newsletter
DID YOU ENJOY READING THIS BOOK?
I hope you enjoyed ALL HALLOWS EVE INTERLUDE, the first bonus story in the Telltale Ghosts series, and are excited for Emery and Paxton’s next big adventures together. If you did enjoy this book, I would deeply appreciate your help to spread the word about this series by leaving a review. Reviews are crucial for me as an indie author and help other readers find books they may enjoy as well, I am sincerely thankful for each one! Share with your friends and favorite book communities if you enjoyed this story.
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Acknowledgments
Special thanks to S and Gwen Martin for your wonderful help as betas and for loving these characters with all your hearts! Additional thanks to the most wonderful group of friends and writing buddies anyone could ask for! Thank you for encouraging me to chase this dream in the first place and for all of the support and love you shower me with, I wouldn’t be here at all without you!
About the Author
Mara Townsend is a bisexual indie author of LGBTQ+ romances. She loves to explore intimate relationship development of the feels-inducing variety to invoke the eternal just kiss plea from the reader, as well as crafting strong platonic friendships with heaps of heart and soul. Her stories showcase diverse representation, love stories with realistic emotions—never mindless fluff, a healthy dose of humor, and a side helping of her favorite tropes.
She hangs out in fan communities online and learned how to write the kind of stories that she’s passionate about through experimental character-driven fiction based in her favorite worlds. When not writing, she can be found soaking up sunshine at the beach, traveling the world to fill in her passport, perpetually collecting plants, and reading as many fake-dating romance books as she can find.
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CONTACT + FOLLOW
Email: [email protected]
Amazon: Mara Townsend
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Website: www.maratownsendauthor.com
Also by Mara Townsend
Telltale Ghosts, Mara’s debut series, will be releasing throughout 2019 and 2020 with free short stories and more titles coming soon. See below for release dates to look out for.
PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Telltale Ghosts Series
Matchmaking Beyond the Veil
All Hallows Eve Interlude
Telltale Ghosts Book 2 (fall 2019)
Telltale Ghosts Book 3
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Riling Up the Rival (free short)
Accidentally Married Musicians (working title, coming soon)
Plus more coming!
All Hallows Eve Interlude: Telltale Ghosts 1.5 Page 4
