“This is the second time Fiona has nearly disappeared,” I said as I poured everyone a drink. “It’s never happened before, though.”

  “That’s not normal for ghosts, right?” Mia asked.

  Fiona shook her head, her face twisted into a weird expression.

  “What is it?” I asked, ignoring the wine I’d poured myself. “Is it happening again?”

  “No, but I’m feeling…pulled somewhere. Not like before, where the invisible hands tried to yank me away from this plane. I feel like I’m being called to somewhere in town. Does that make sense?”

  “Not really,” I said. “Do you know where?”

  “No. But I want to follow it.” She stood and hurried to the door, then turned back. “Well, come on. I can’t go anywhere without you.”

  I set my cup down and followed her. Mia and Rei came along, but they didn’t leave their cups. I didn’t blame them. It had been a long night.

  Fiona hurried down the stairs, silent and intent. It was almost like she was in a trance as she floated through town, passing bars filled with people and restaurants closed for the night. We passed late-night street musicians playing jazz and college kids going wild on Bourbon. But it wasn’t until we neared Talan’s estate that I realized where we were headed.

  I hurried up alongside Fiona, catching her attention.

  “Are you serious?” I asked.

  She nodded, her gaze intent. “It’s this direction that is calling to me. I feel it, Cora. I know it.”

  Shit. I hurried along beside her, hoping she would take a sharp left or right. Instead, she went right up to the guard house and tried to get onto the property. As before, she bounced off the protective charm.

  “Damn it!” She spun to face me, her face twisted in an expression of angry frustration as she whispered, “I have to get in there!”

  “Why?” Mia asked from beside me.

  “I don’t know.” She shook her head frantically, trying to keep her voice low. “I just know there are answers there.”

  The guards who stood at the edge of the property just stared at us, but I ignored them, my heart pounding. I had no idea what was going on, but the fact that Talan was involved…

  Yeah, it was going to be a problem.

  My gaze flicked to the guards. Could they hear what we were saying?

  From the blank looks on their faces, I thought not. Fiona had tried to be quiet.

  “Come on.” I grabbed Fiona’s arm and pulled her away. “We need to go discuss this somewhere else.”

  The others nodded, and we hurried back through town, leaving Talan’s estate behind. I shot one last look over my shoulder before turning the corner. The guards still stared after us, and I was certain they’d report this to Talan. They hadn’t heard what we’d said, but we’d certainly acted strange.

  The street we’d turned onto was still alive with nightlife, golden streetlamps illuminating the partiers who spilled out of tiny bars and coffee shops. It was one of the cuter streets in New Orleans—a far cry from the insanity that was Bourbon.

  My gaze snagged on a little coffee shop that was lit with a warm glow. I gesture toward it. “This way.”

  We headed toward the tiny building, which was delightfully called the Cozy Cup, and slipped inside the quirky interior. There were squashy armchairs everywhere, and a handwritten chalk sign advertising the cocktails that they served once evening hit. It was the smell of the coffee that got me, however.

  “Sit wherever you like!” the barista called out from behind the counter. “We’ll get your order at your table.”

  The tables were tiny little things positioned between clusters of comfy chairs. We found a spot in a quiet corner and huddled close together. A waitress appeared at our side within seconds, and we placed orders for coffee and cake. We might have some seriously dire stuff to discuss, but my stomach was rumbling.

  Before she could return with our drinks, Rei jumped to her feet. “I’ll be back in a few.”

  I frowned at her, but she was already out the door.

  “That was weird,” Mia said, then shrugged. “She’s always been a bit odd, though.”

  As much as I wanted to know what was up with Rei, we had bigger things to worry about. I looked at Fiona. “Why were you drawn to Talan’s estate?”

  “I don’t know.” Worry creased her brow. “I just felt drawn to it. Like, it pulled me so hard I couldn’t resist. It’s still pulling.”

  “Not as hard as the force pulling you away from this plane, though,” I said.

  Her face paled. “No. Nothing pulls that hard.” A shudder ran over her. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to fight it that time. They almost got me.”

  “They?” Mia asked.

  “I have no idea who,” Fiona said. “Might not even be real people. It just feels like hands—or a strong force—pulling me away. If it happens again, I think they might succeed.”

  “I’ve never heard of that happening to a ghost,” Mia said.

  “Me, neither.” Fiona frowned. “Maybe we need to ask others if it’s happening to them.”

  “Definitely,” I said. “But we also need to figure out what the hell this has to do with Talan.”

  “There’s something in his house,” Fiona said. “I feel it. The force that pulls at me comes from there.”

  “Well, shit.” I leaned back in the chair. “That’s bad.”

  “No kidding.” Mia nodded to the space behind me. “Coffee and cake are almost here.”

  I said nothing about Talan as the waitress delivered our food. Curls of steam rose from the coffee’s surface, so I took a giant bite of chocolate cake to settle my nerves. It tasted divine—an explosion of cocoa and sugar and butter that made me want to shove the whole thing in my mouth.

  I caught Fiona looking at the cake with longing and set down the fork. “It’s pretty dry.”

  “Sure, Jan.” She grinned. “Thanks, though.”

  I nodded. “So, we need to get into Talan’s house and investigate.”

  “What if he’s behind all this?” Mia asked.

  I frowned. I was mad as hell at him for lying to me about the mate thing, and he was definitely overbearing and ruthless—but this?

  It was too much.

  Right?

  “I don’t know if he would do something so terrible,” I said. But how did I know that? How could I know that? All we had between us was attraction and one wild kiss. And he had lied to me about the whole fated mate thing. That was kind of a huge deal. I barely knew him. “But the problem is coming from his basement.”

  “So we don’t know if he’s responsible, which means we can’t tell him exactly what’s going on,” Mia said.

  “And I can’t sneak in there,” Fiona said. “At least not without breaking through the protective charm that keeps the unseen out.”

  “That charm is going to be strong.” Mia frowned. “I don’t think it’s possible to break.”

  “So we have to find a way to get you invited in,” I said. “Then you need to be able to get away and snoop around.”

  Fiona nodded. “Yep. Sounds about right.”

  “So I’ve got to distract him.” A shiver of anticipation ran over me. Fear, too. Just a little bit. Until I knew more about him, it was only smart to be wary.

  The door to the cafe opened, and Rei hurried back inside. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair wild. She’d changed from her heels into running shoes, and she’d clearly raced through town to get back here.

  “Where were you?” Mia asked.

  Rei collapsed into a chair, panting slightly. She held up two bracelets. “I had to go get these.”

  “What are they?”

  “They’re a pair. They link life forces. Fiona might be a ghost, but she still has a life force, though it’s weaker than ours. Anyway, if she gets sucked away again, it will be harder for her get taken if someone else is wearing a bracelet that links their life force to hers.”

  I held out a hand for one of the bracelets. “Give it over.”

  “I haven’t told you the downside yet,” she said.

  I shrugged. “Don’t really care. She’s my friend.”

  The first real friend I’d ever had. Certainly, my best friend, even though we’d only known each other a short time.

  Fiona swallowed hard, her eyes glinting with unshed tears.

  “When the forces try to pull Fiona away from this plane, your life force will help bind her here,” Rei said. “But if they keep pulling or get stronger, they could eventually take you with her.”

  Made sense, and I wasn’t surprised to hear her say it. But I kept my hand extended and made a grabbing motion. “Hand it over.”

  She nodded and did as I asked, and I clipped the little leather and silver bracelet on. She put the matching one on Fiona, and it immediately turned transparent as it touched her skin.

  “I wish you could do this with dresses,” she said, her voice slightly teary through her laugh.

  “It takes way too much magic. But I’ll work on it,” Rei said. “You never know.”

  Fiona threw her arms around her and squeezed, then lunged for me and hugged so hard that she’d have crushed me if she hadn’t been a ghost.

  “Thank you,” she said. “You’re a million times better than I thought you were when you first showed up.”

  I laughed at the memory of her throwing books at me, but my heart squeezed at the predicament we were in. If I lost her…

  I didn’t even want to think about it.

  6

  Cora

  * * *

  The next morning, I woke early to get started on solving the Fiona problem. I’d been too exhausted last night, nearly staggering with exhaustion. Fiona had dragged me back to the house, and I’d collapsed in the bed. Balthazar had jumped onto my butt and curled up, and it was the last thing I remembered.

  But today was a new day, and I was going to save my friend.

  I showered quickly, then threw on jeans and a T-shirt and pulled my hair up. Fiona was waiting in the kitchen with Balthazar, who was once again curled up on top of the toaster. It was turned to the hottest setting and cooking away. He purred like mad.

  “Don’t tell me he got that toaster up here by himself,” I said.

  She shook her head. “He’s been having trouble with the uphill portion of the stairs, so I helped him.”

  “Good of you.” I’d never be able to eat toast again, but that was fine. Balthazar got far more joy out of that toaster than I ever would. “I’m headed out to figure out what the hell is going on. You’re coming, right?”

  “Wouldn’t miss it.” She hopped off the counter and followed me down the stairs and through the bookshop.

  The morning was unusually cool, and I took it as a good sign. “We’re going to figure this out,” I said, glad to hear that I sounded peppy.

  “But first you need coffee.”

  I looked at her. “Do I look that bad?”

  “I call it like I see it.”

  I grinned. I probably looked exhausted, since it had been a late night, but she wasn’t wrong. I did need coffee. As we crossed the street toward Mia’s cafe, Fiona faded until she was nearly invisible. She was still trying to maintain a low profile when we were out, primarily for my benefit. I didn’t need people to know about my power over the dead, and she was good enough to keep that in mind.

  Fortunately, there was no one in Mia’s place, so she reappeared when we entered.

  Mia grinned as she saw us, then turned to the coffee pot on the back counter and poured a go-cup of coffee.

  “Headed to the demon lord’s place?” she asked, passing the cup over the counter along with a bagel filled with cream cheese.

  “Yep.”

  I reached into my pocket for cash, and she scowled at me. “Don’t even think about it.”

  “You run a business!”

  “It’s a day-old bagel. I think I can afford to lose it.”

  I grinned. “Thanks, you’re the best.”

  I was still fairly broke, given that I hadn’t yet managed to get the shop up and running. I’d taken to coming by in the evening to help Mia clean up—mostly so we could hang out—but the positive result was that she gave me breakfast the next morning. I had a feeling she’d do it anyway, so I made it a point to get over here in the evenings to help out. It was a win-win for me, since I got to hang out with a friend.

  It was still weird to have them, and there was a huge part of me that wanted to hide away in my house and avoid people—old habits die hard—but I was working on becoming a more normal, well-rounded person.

  After saying goodbye, Fiona and I headed back outside. She faded once again, but I could feel her presence as we made our way toward the demon lord’s estate. I polished off the bagel in record time and downed the coffee. We were halfway there when a thought occurred to me.

  I looked at Fiona’s nearly invisible form. “What if this is affecting more ghosts than just you?”

  She frowned. “Good point. We should ask.”

  I nodded. “Let me find one.”

  “You can find us?”

  I shrugged. “Same way I can bring you with me places, I guess. My magic is weird.”

  “Well, get to it then.”

  I grinned, then focused on my power. It only took me a moment to get a read on someone in the old grocery store to our right.

  “There.” I pointed and turned toward the door.

  “This place? Really?” Fiona followed me into the quaint interior.

  It was tiny and cramped, but meticulously clean. The shelves were stocked with specialty items that made my mouth water—wine and fancy crackers, chocolates and cookies. But it was the cold case along the right wall that caught my eye. The assortment of cheeses was enough to make my head spin.

  “Wow,” Fiona whispered. “I stand corrected. This place is amazing.”

  I nodded to the young guy behind the counter. He had a magnificent hipster mustache and a pair of pale-yellow sunglasses that shielded his eyes. He gave me the chin tip that so many younger guys were fond of, and I turned into the stacks of delicacies to look for the ghost.

  I walked toward the back, where I was feeling the strongest signature, and ran my gaze over the goods on the shelf. If I ever had a decent amount of money, I’d be coming back here. Screw fancy clothes or electronics—this was where happiness lived.

  At the back of the shop was the freezer section—a magnificent array of small ice cream containers in every flavor I could imagine. I dragged my gaze away and looked at the far back corner of the shop.

  An empty chair sat there, completely out of place in the otherwise perfectly organized store.

  “They’re over there?” Fiona whispered at my side.

  “You can’t sense them?”

  “No. I’m just regular dead, not the kind that has death powers.”

  “Well, they’re over there. Not wanting to show themselves.” Not that it would stop me. I called upon my power, letting it rise to the surface. “Show yourself.”

  “No.” The grumpy voice came from the chair, but I still couldn’t see them.

  I could feel the ghost’s resistance and pushed harder with my power. “We aren’t going to bother you. We just have a few questions.”

  “Ugh. Fine.”

  I wasn’t sure if it was my power or the ghost’s willingness to show herself, but an old woman appeared in the chair, one leg propped over the other, a cigarette smoking lazily in her hand.

  She wore clothing from another decade—the eighties, I was pretty sure—and her fluffy, transparent hair had once been white. She had to have died some time in her nineties, and she somehow managed to look both grumpy and like a kindly grandmother.

  “You can’t smoke in here,” Fiona blurted.

  “Honey, I’m dead. I can do whatever I want.” She pointed her cigarette at Fiona. “You should try to remember that yourself.”

  “And what you want is to haunt this old grocery store?” Fiona asked.

  She nodded toward the front, where the young guy managed the counter. “Got to make sure my great-grandson keeps the place running how I like, now don’t I?”

  Ah, so she used to own the little shop. It now made sense why she was back here, smoking in the ice cream aisle.

  “Now, what was your question?” she asked. “I haven’t got all day. My break is almost over.”

  “Over the last two days, have you ever felt yourself being pulled away from this plane?” I asked.

  Fiona leaned forward, adding, “Like hands are grabbing you and trying to tear you away.”

  The woman frowned. “How do you know about that?”

  “It’s been happening to me,” Fiona said. “We’re wondering if it’s happening to others.”

  “Well, it is.” The old woman scowled. “Happened to Myrtle across the road, too.”

  “Myrtle?” I asked.

  “Ghost at the hair salon. Keeping an eye on her great niece.”

  I heaved out a frustrated sigh. At least three ghosts were affected, probably more. “Thank you for your help.”

  “You going to fix it?” she asked.

  “I’m going to try.”

  She nodded. “Good. I didn’t like it.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Fiona said. “It’s the worst.”

  For both of us. I still remembered the cold fear I'd experienced when I’d thought I was going to lose her. “Let’s get out of here. We need to figure this out ASAP.”

  Fiona nodded, then waved at the ghost and disappeared. I felt her presence as she followed me out of the grocery store, and we hurried toward the demon lord’s estate.

  We'd only gone two blocks when I felt the telltale prickle of someone watching me. My skin chilled, but my step didn't falter. I couldn't let them know I was onto them.

  But Fiona seemed to sense my unease and whispered, "Is anything wrong?"

  "I think we’re being followed. Can you check it out?"

  I felt her presence disappear and continued down the street. That was one of the major pros of having a ghost friend. She could look for a tail without anyone realizing it was happening.

 

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