“No heartbeat,” Dayna said.
“Check,” Hudson grumbled.
“Was dead, now animated,” Dayna added.
“Oh, dear,” Harry muttered.
“Wants to eat people.”
Harry grinned. “Good news. I have no desire to eat anyone.” His stomach rumbled on cue. He rubbed it. “Although I do have a strong craving for a steak.”
“Bloody?” Rebecca asked. “Because that might count.”
I lurched to my feet and began pacing my apartment. “It doesn’t matter. Zombies aren’t a thing, so there’s no checklist.”
“Then explain him,” Liz demanded. “Because the last I checked, you didn’t have the power to reanimate the dead or bring them back from the other side.”
I halted, pinched the bridge of my nose, and squeezed my eyes closed. Deep in my veins, I could feel Harry but not his life force. I hadn’t performed a miracle.
“He’s still a ghost,” I said slowly. “He’s just the solid kind.”
Everyone looked between us. “Is he the permanent solid kind?” Hudson asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. It’s taking power and concentration to hold this form.” I sighed. “And I think it’s rooted in Donn’s power, not my own, which is temporary.”
Harry’s face fell. To be given a temporary solid form was a cruel gift.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “If I could make this permanent, I would.”
“Are you going to visit your wife?” Dayna asked.
Harry hung his head. “No, I won’t do that to her. She’s already grieved and has even been on a date. Seeing me, if onlyfor a short time, would set her back. I can’t do that to the woman I love.”
The door burst open, and Maggie rushed in, waving the house phone in her hand like a weapon. “It’s Robert. He needs you.”
I took the phone. “What’s wrong?” I inquired, knowing he wouldn’t call just to shoot the breeze.
“The town is under attack, Cora. I need you and whomever you have to come help. Now.” The line went dead before I could ask any probing questions. I guess it didn’t matter.
“White Castle is in trouble, and the sheriff needs us,” I told everyone.
Harry straightened his shoulders and lifted his head in the air. “And on this occasion, I can help.”
“You always help,” I pointed out.
“Did he explain what we’re dealing with?” Hudson asked.
“Nope.”
“Then we take who we can find now.”
I hesitated. “We need to leave some of us behind at Summer Grove House. This has my grandmother written all over it, and I don’t trust that she won’t attack my home while it’s vulnerable.”
“I’ll stay,” Dayna said. “I can bolster the wards.” True. She was an excellent ward caster.
“Sebastian is due back any minute, so I’ll come with you,” Rebecca said.
I paused and stared at the vampire princess. “But you don’t like leaving the house.”
