“Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“I’m missing something.”
We both turn to Cash, who watches us intently.
“If she opens herself up and crawls into the mind of a spirit, there’s a good chance she won’t walk back out again,” I inform him. “Millie is a powerful psychic.”
“I’m a witch, too,” she says proudly.
“Does everyone in the family have these,”—he waves his hand in the air—“gifts?”
“Just the sisters,” I reply. “Daphne is the youngest, and she’s psychometric. She touches objects and sees the past through them.”
“Fascinating,” he says.
“Honestly, I’m shocked he hasn’t run away screaming yet,” Millie says to me. “Or called the cops.”
“He is the cops,” I say with a shrug. “FBI profiler.”
“A profiler?” She stands and walks to him. “So, you’re a psychiatrist?
“I am,” he confirms.
“May I?”
“Sure.”
She takes his hand, looks deeply into his eyes, and after about fifteen seconds, leans in to give him a gentle hug.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He hugs her in return and smiles when she pulls away. “I’m not running, Millie. I’m confused, intrigued, and completely entranced by your sister. I’m worried, as well. And, frankly, I want to hurt anyone that would even dare to try and hurt her.”
“Really like him,” Millie says to me with a grin. “If you don’t scoop him up, I will.”
“He’s not meant for you.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “No, he’s not.”
“So, what now?” Cash asks. “What do we do now?”
“There’s nothing to do yet,” I reply. “I freaked out a bit because this is all new, but we don’t have anything to act on.”
“Two women are dead,” he reminds us. “We have to call the authorities and get an investigation underway. I have contacts here, I can call—”
“But we don’t know the circumstances,” Millie says, interrupting him. “They might have been in an accident together. They might have died of natural causes. They could have died years ago and are just now reaching out—though that doesn’t make sense with you talking to the one girl the other night.”
“We wait,” I add, nodding. “And in the meantime, I’ll just have two creepy girls following me around. Oh, and one more thing. They didn’t die of natural causes, that much is clear.”
No, the torture marks on their skin weren’t anything normal.
They were killed; after they were put through inexplicable horrors.
“Was that your first sage cleansing?” I ask after Millie leaves for the night. She stayed and helped me sweep my apartment for anything that made its way inside. It should also tone down the resident spirits for a while.
“It was,” Cash says. He leans on my kitchen counter, watching as I tidy up, trying to keep my hands busy for a little while longer.
He’s ridiculously handsome. Hot, even. Tall and broad with muscles and tanned skin. His lower front teeth are just a little crooked, which only makes his smile more interesting.
But I could get lost in those green eyes.
“What are you thinking?” he asks.
“That you should probably go. I’ve kept you here for far too long.”
His eyes narrow on my face. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“So, I know I joked around earlier about sex on the first date, but I’m not getting naked with you tonight. Sorry to disappoint.”
“Funny.” He chuckles and reaches out to drag his knuckles down my cheek. “I’ll sleep on the couch. I don’t want to leave you alone tonight. What if they haunt your dreams?”
“Sleep’s always been my safe place.” I can’t hold back from wrapping my arms around his middle and hugging him. “I appreciate you thinking of it, but I’ve never had sleeping issues, thank goodness.”
“Well, that’s something, then.” He kisses the top of my head. “But I’m still staying. We’ve already established that, although this is new, it’s strong. And if you think I won’t be here to protect you, you still have a lot to learn about me.”
“I don’t think you can protect me against this,” I whisper into his chest. “But having you here is soothing, so, thank you. You don’t have to sleep on the couch. I have a guest bedroom. I don’t get many visitors, but I have it anyway.”
“I’ll take it,” he says. “Where’s your room?”
“Second door on the right.”
“Come on.”
He takes my hand and leads me to my bedroom. He turns down the bed and then faces me. “I’ll go make you some hot tea. Your sister pointed out the one I should use.”
“She’s helpful.”
“You get ready for bed, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Cash.” He stops in the doorway and turns back to me. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
I can hear him puttering around in my kitchen as I change into yoga shorts and a loose tank top, then pad into the bathroom to brush my teeth and my long, dark hair. I wash my face, and just as I walk out of the bathroom, Cash walks into the bedroom with two steaming cups of tea.
“Thank you again,” I say as I sit on the bed and accept a mug. “I’m glad you made yourself a cup. I was going to suggest it. It’ll protect you, too.”
“Am I in danger?”
I frown. “I don’t think so. I know that nothing here can hurt you. Or would want to. Trust me, I wouldn’t live here if that were the case. But, just in case, the tea can’t hurt.”
He nods and sits in the rocking chair across from the bed, watching me. His brow lifts when we hear footsteps in the living room.
“That’s normal,” I say with a grin. “It’ll calm down in a few minutes.”
“Do you just live your life in fear, every single day?” he asks, surprising me. I think back to the three of us huddled under the stairs of the god-awful house we grew up in.
“For a long time, we did. The three of us. Our childhood wasn’t fantastic, Cash, and only half of that was due to our gifts and not understanding them. The other half was our parents.”
“You mentioned them earlier.”
“My father died when I was thirteen.” I take a sip of tea and guard my mind, reinforcing my personal shields and grounding myself. He’s been truly gone for a long time, but I don’t want to take any chances. “I’m pretty sure my mother killed him, but I can’t be sure.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I wish I were.” I shrug a shoulder. “He haunted the three of us for a decade. He’s the only spirit that’s ever followed me. Before this week. He was a bastard when he was living, punishing us for the smallest things. He took a lot of joy in inflicting pain.”
“Fucking hell, Brielle.”
“And it didn’t stop after he died. So, yes, our childhood was full of fear. Then, once the three of us were all out of the house, Millie started studying with Miss Sophia, a very powerful witch, not far from our childhood home. She told her about our father, and Miss Sophia was finally able to create a spell to get rid of him forever. Without her help, I’m sure he’d still be around.”