Jade's Spirit (Blue Collar Boyfriends Book 2) (20 page)

Warming with pride, he told her what he desired of her.

Chapter 17

The moment Draonius cut her free, the physical plane tossed Mercy like a sloop in a raging storm. Icy wind sought to tear her essence apart. She hadn’t arms to steady herself or even a mouth to scream with.

Terror flooded her.

You must will yourself toward Jade’s warmth,
he had said.
She will call to you like a siren if only you stop to listen.

Oh, Draonius, I pray you are right!

She attempted to stop fighting the physical plane so she could be still and listen, but how did one relax when about to be ripped apart by invisible, unrelenting hands? It was agony!

How shall I ever survive this?

Recalling Draonius’s human image and the safe warmth of his embrace, she found deep within herself the strength to trust her wispy essence to the torrent. The moment she determined to succeed or lose herself trying, Jade’s familiar vibration sang to her.

She struggled toward it, though moving through the physical plane was like swimming in a whirlpool. No matter how hard she strained for the beacon of Jade’s mind, the physical plane did what it would with her. Finally, trembling with weakness, she groaned with desperation and lunged for the safe harbor in the storm.

She made it! But there was no time to celebrate her victory. Draonius was counting on her. She had work to do.

She sank her tendrils deep into the melodic warmth of Jade’s consciousness. The storm gave way to warm solace.

The journey through the physical plane had left her so drained that at first, all she could manage was to tremble against the semi-familiar environment of Jade’s sleeping mind. But before long, she began steering Jade’s dreams the only way she knew how, by recalling her own human life.

Draonius needed her to feed and feed well and then return to him and give him every emotion and sensation she swallowed down, like a mother bird with her young. She had just the right memory planned.

She could think of nothing more powerful than the burst of sensual awareness accompanying the birth of her womanhood. It had been in a dream, but oh, it had felt so real. It would feel real again tonight, thanks to Jade’s pliable mind.

* * * *

Between Emmett’s news about finding nothing out of the ordinary at her house and the steamiest close-mouthed kiss she’d ever received, Jade’s thoughts raced and her body burned. She couldn’t get to sleep.

She tossed and turned, thinking about Mr. Shadow and the big, winged thing in her kitchen. Nick didn’t think they were the same, and she agreed.

Mr. Shadow had never threatened her. He freaked her out because he was a ghost, but she sensed despair from him. She almost pitied him, especially after seeing his face in her bathroom mirror. He’d looked just as startled to see her as she’d been to see him. He certainly didn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d get his kicks from scaring her.

The thing that had attacked her and Emmett, on the other hand, had been pure evil. Hadn’t it? Now that she thought about it, neither of them had been hurt beyond her tiny cuts. Given her fall and Emmett being squeezed in that thing’s clawed arms, it could have been a lot worse.

Maybe they were the same. Maybe they weren’t. But that begged the question, where had he-it-they gone? Why hadn’t the guys found anything tonight?

Not to mention, how long was she going to have to stay with Emmett? Not that it was a hardship or anything, but he was bound to get sick of her sooner or later. And she only had a couple days’ worth of clothes. What if one of the libraries she’d applied at called her for an interview? She hadn’t packed anything nice enough to wear. And she didn’t have her phone charger. It was next to Grandma Nina’s perfume bottles on the dresser.

What was she going to tell Grandma Nina? She’d talked to her on the phone for a few minutes today and hadn’t breathed a word of what had happened. Her grandmother had enough to worry about without hearing her house was haunted. She probably wouldn’t believe it anyway.

A yawn hijacked her body. Her racing thoughts finally gave way to sleep. But it wasn’t the restful, dream-free sleep she’d enjoyed the last few nights. It was a sleep as deep as quicksand, and it sucked her down into a place where her thoughts seemed only half hers.

Not again!

She tried to rouse herself, but couldn’t. The dream started, and it locked her in its clutches.

She was lying in a narrow bed in a room that felt somehow familiar. White paneling tinted blue with moonlight slanted above her, and pale, flowered wallpaper covered the walls. A doily-laden dressing table stood across the room on spindly legs that looked ill equipped to support the weight of the porcelain pitcher and washing bowl atop it. There were two doors in the room, side by side on the same wall. One was paneled and painted white. The other looked black, but in daylight she knew the paint would be watering-can green. The green door was smaller and tucked under an eave so one upper corner was cut at an angle. It was the pair of doors that made her realize where she was. Grandpa Earl’s study.

She’d always thought it odd that her grandfather had built bookshelves over the closet door. She’d asked him how he would get in if he wanted to. He’d replied, “Well, it’s empty, honey, so I don’t think I’ll ever need to open it. I’d rather have the space for my books.”

So this was what the room had looked like once upon a time.

A feeling of foreboding stole over her. It was almost as if she expected to be violated in this dream place. But as soon as the thought formed, it flitted away, replaced by anxious excitement that didn’t belong to her.

The grimoire Draonius had told her about was safe behind a loose board in her closet. And before hiding it away, she’d found the spell of prosperity he’d promised her would be inside. The ingredients for the spell would be easy to acquire, and he’d suggested she had the power within herself to work the magic. If he spoke true, her family would thrive this winter despite the trials her father’s God likely had planned for them.
She
would be their savior this year.

Bitter humor curved her lips as she remembered the proverb,
God helps those who help themselves
.

Now she owed Draonius a kiss. Would he come for it tonight?

She ought to dread it. She was promised, after all, to dear Joshua. But that did not stop her from eagerly anticipating the novel experience.

A kiss from the handsome, worldly Draonius would be an adventure like none other. And it wouldn’t be wrong, because it would be in her dream. Joshua would be none the wiser. And it certainly wouldn’t change how she felt about him. She would always adore Joshua.

But she would enjoy kissing Draonius.

No. I only want to kiss Emmett.

A sense of being smothered came over her, like in the dream she’d had that last night in the turret bedroom. She fought it, but it was too strong. It felt like suffocating in wet soil. Blackness closed around her, obliterating her sight. But she could still hear, and what she heard next made her blood run cold.

“There you are, my little witch.” It was a man’s voice, and it sounded disturbingly familiar. “I see you found the grimoire. You know what that means.”

“Yes, Draonius. I owe you a kiss.”
And I’ll give you more if you want it, my handsome demon.

No! Those aren’t my thoughts! Get out of my head!

“I always claim that which I am owed.”

“Then claim me.”

The smothering grew thicker. Sensation ceased to exist. All was silent and dark, but she had a terrible feeling her dream was continuing without her.

* * * *

The scents of bacon and coffee lured Jade out of bed after a restless night of sleep. Actually, restless wasn’t the right word. Disturbing was more like it.

Though she didn’t remember the details, she knew she’d dreamt last night, and it wasn’t just her wet panties that told her so. It was the feeling that she needed to get into the shower as quickly as possible and scrub herself clean.

She’d felt the same way several mornings ago, after the last night she’d slept in Grandma Nina’s bed. Probably just her subconscious trying to deal with everything that happened yesterday.

Gathering up her things, she went downstairs and took an extra long, extra hot shower before following the murmur of male voices into the kitchen.

“I don’t want her going back there,” Emmett was saying.

“I know. I get that,” Nick said. “But I’m telling you, this thing might not be wrapped up in a matter of days. My stuff detected zilch last night. Not even weak signals. Nothing, man. Everything I’ve got on the house says it’s safe.”

She wasn’t sure she was ready to believe that, and Emmett looked like he felt the same way. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, but brightened when he saw her.

“Hey, babe. Sleep well?” He got up and gave her a peck on the cheek.

“No, not really,” she answered without elaborating. She squeezed his arm affectionately and went to the coffee pot to pour herself a mug.

Emmett’s carafe was one of those stainless-steel insulated ones, not the glass kind. Even so, she shivered involuntarily. Would pouring a cup of coffee always remind her of yesterday morning?

“I don’t want to go back,” she said, almost to herself.

Emmett was pulling a plate out of the cabinet for her. He put it on the table and came to surround her with his arms. “Then you won’t. Not until you’re ready.” His cheek rested on her head, and from Nick’s grim expression where he sat at the table, she could guess Emmett was glaring at his friend.

She felt guilty for causing trouble between them.

“I can give you another day,” Nick said, “but I’ve got to get back by tomorrow. I’ve got a final.”

“But it’s August,” she said. “You have classes in the summer?”

Nick nodded and downed the rest of his coffee. “I’m doing summer term. I’m getting married in November and want my last semester to be super light.” Getting up to put his dishes in the dishwasher, he added, “After summer term, I only have seven credits left and then I’m legit. That’s like one heavy course and one light one in the fall. Should be a piece of cake.”

“Congratulations,” she said. What did Nick’s fiancée think about him studying demonology? Probably not the time to ask. She pushed out of Emmett’s arms to scoop the last of the eggs out of the frying pan and onto her plate.

“Thanks,” Nick said to Jade. To Emmett he said, “It’s a stumper, for sure. I mean, we could try again tonight, but I’ve got to hit the road by like four AM so I can get back and have an hour or two to study before my exam.

“I could also hit the local library today and look at property records. Might tell us if anyone’s died in the house or if a witch lived there at some point. You’d be surprised how often that’s the case in some of these older homes. You get a history where there might have been someone séancing with the demon world, giving them like a portal to our side, and wham, haunted house from then on.”

She stared at her plate, suddenly not very hungry. Nick’s words brought her dream last night back to mind, but she couldn’t remember why. Had she dreamt about her grandmother’s house? About someone dying? She felt dogged by a sense of something important being right in front of her and yet woefully out of reach.

She poked at her eggs unenthusiastically and finally settled on munching a piece of crispy bacon.

“You okay, babe?” Emmett must have picked up on her mood.

Shaking herself, she forced a smile and said, “Yeah, just bad dreams last night.”
I think.
She wished she could remember. Then again, maybe it was better that she didn’t.

“That’s understandable,” Nick said. “After what you two saw yesterday, and then not knowing whether it might happen again.” He surprised her by patting her knee. The gesture gave her some comfort. “I’m sorry I didn’t find anything. Really. I mean, it’s good news, but kind of not, because it might leave you feeling like I don’t believe you. Well, I do. You know that, right? Both of you?”

She nodded. Nick was a good guy. She looked forward to getting to know him better.

Emmett said, “Yeah, man. I know. Thanks.”

“I can help you, today,” she told Nick. “I know my way around a library pretty well. But would you mind if we stopped at Senior First so I can visit Grandma Nina before we go?”

“No problem. Maybe I’ll drop you off and run over to say hey to my dad. He works in Wilmington, not far from the old-folks’ home.”

They spent the next few minutes chatting about Nick’s parents and her degree, and then Emmett had to leave to drive the sweeper for the day. He warned her and Nick there would be guys coming and going for the lawn service and told them not to lock the door leading from the kitchen into the shop.

When she and Nick left Senior First and headed to the library, she felt good about having something to do. Closet nerd that she was, she actually looked forward to the research project. Maybe they’d find something to explain Mr. Shadow and...Bat-man.