“Mr. Mallory.” The stagehand alerted our presence, then went off in the direction of the trapeze artists. A few eyes watched me as I stood before their leader. I noticed one of the trapeze ladies giving me the stink eye and the male an appreciated glance.
My head turned toward Jude, dressing in his ringleader suit with a big top hat on his dark hair. He looked jazzed, like he was ready to run around the room, like a commander ready to go off to battle. My tummy fluttered in response. There was dark liner under his eyes, making the blue in them pop. His jaw was sharp.
“Oh good, you’re here.”
He stopped pacing and walked up to me, hands cupping my jaw, and suddenly his lips clashed against mine.
I was stuck, frozen against his hard body. My eyes widened in shock. I didn’t know if I should push him away, but the more his unyielding mouth caressed mine, his tongue asking permission against the seam of my lips, the more I kissed him back. His touch lit my senses ablaze. Death kissed me and I never felt more alive. My eyes closed, and my hands went to the black lapels of his coat, pulling him closer. The need to feel more and take more consumed me. Strong hands moved down my neck, over my ribs, then gripped behind my thighs, lifting me up against him to wrap my legs around his body.
I didn’t know what the fuck was happening, but I couldn’t stop. His kiss was like a drug, and I couldn’t pull away from the sweet bliss running through my veins. He walked us somewhere, then closed a door behind him. I didn’t want to drag my lips away from his to look. Whatever he wanted from me, I was very willing right now. My mind felt numb, like he gave me a shot of Novacaine to my thoughts with every nip at my bottom lip.
“I think we’re good,” he whispered against my mouth and I nodded. I was good, absolutely good.
His hands eased from my body, and his kiss pulled away from me.
“I needed to talk to you without anyone knowing. I’m using my powers to keep them away from this room.”
Jude said what? My eyes flew open and burning hot fire coated my insides. He kissed me because he needed to talk to me privately?
“I’m sorry I kissed you to get us in here, but I don’t trust anyone right now. Some, if not all the ghosts in this realm, have abilities I didn’t give them. They can touch things, move them, even kill.”
Oh, I was livid as fuck right now. I felt used, and hurt. I enjoyed kissing him. I wanted more of what he had to give, and it was only an excuse to talk to me. The numbness, the sweet bliss inside my soul became cold and painful.
“How do you know this?” I managed not to have a bite to my voice, but Jude still grimaced. I’m sure despite trying not to appear affected by what just happened, my face didn’t listen.
“Madam Tully, the witch ghost in my basement, showed me, then warned me she wasn’t the only one who could do these things. Plus you said someone pushed you into the graveyard. It wasn’t me so it was someone else. And none of the ghosts at my home has said anything. The killer could be anyone . . . my crew or some other ghost with a vendetta.”
“How?” Too many emotions rolled through my head, and I was having trouble latching onto a single thought. This was all so confusing. I’d never met a soul who could make physical contact with me, until I met Jude and he revealed his power. I could always touch them, but now he was telling me they could touch me without his gift of helping them do so.
“I don’t know, but if a soul can touch you and disappear as they normally do, then we are screwed.” His tan fingers ran down his face in frustration. He was right, and I was afraid. A ghost with the ability to touch and then vanish made the perfect assassin. Music vibrated through the walls, and I looked at Jude cautiously.
“I have to go, but be careful.” His gaze dropped to my lips. I felt the hunger in that look that he wanted to kiss me again, but instead he turned to open the door and left for the stage.
Chapter Fourteen
Selene
I avoided the stares from the ghostly crew when I exited the room. Their side glares made me feel cheap, like they all thought I let him have his way with me in there, which only made the heat in my cheeks burn hotter. I would have let him take me in that room. I felt like an idiot falling for his stupid kiss the way I did. He was just so intense, and the sensations he stirred in me were something I’d never felt before.
“Don’t get attached.” One of Jude’s female performers blatantly glared at me while drawing a heart on her cleavage above her corset. She was gorgeous, and in her living days, would have been a heartbreaker for sure. Now she was only a shimmering ghost of her former self.
I didn’t need to say anything to her or any of the other performers. As I walked away, I thought about her voice, and Trixie’s killer. My gaze drifted back toward her hands looking for red nail polish but I only saw the shimmering blue coating of her whole body.
“He’s mine,” she mouthed and my instincts screamed danger. I’d be keeping an eye on that performer the whole time, just in case the red flags going off in my head were accurate. Jealousy could definitely be a motive, especially when the victims wanted to be near Jude.
I passed Draco as I went back to the seat before the stage.
“Jude says some of the dead can act without his powers now,” I warned him and he only nodded his head. Draco was big and strong. His long brown hair and beard gave him a casual appearance but he was a leader. Born thousands of years ago, he has lived through everything. The air around him vibrated with a confidence only an ex-immortal could have.
“Be careful.” His gruff voice reached me as I walked by to the only open seat in the place.
The lights dimmed as soon as I reached my seat, and I looked for Trixie. It had to be hard for her, seeing this whole production with performing ghosts able to touch and be almost alive for a night when she couldn’t.
At the first caw of the crow, my gaze darted back to the stage.
“What is life beyond death, if not the greatest adventure intoMystical.”
Lights lit up the stage as a woman is cut by a guillotine. Her body rose and her head looked around the room with a smile on her face. It was eerie, and many in the crowd gasped, some even screamed from terror. But everyone sat in their seats, waiting and uncompromisingly watching for what would happen next.
