“That depends on where the rift takes you to.” Hasan crosses his arms and glares at the rift. He seems more annoyed he missed a chance to beat up a demon than anything else.
“Like the spirit world?”
Hasan looks at Jacques, who knows the most about the supernatural than all of us combined.
“It’s possible. The spirit world is probably one of the easier worlds to gain access to.”
I breathe in cool night air, trying to get a grip on everything. “All this talk about other worlds and rifts is making my head spin,” I confess.
“Mine too,” Thomas says, gently laying his hand on my abdomen. “It’s hard to believe, and I’m standing here with fucking wings stuck on my back.”
I chuckle. “It’s a lot to comprehend. I kind of want it explained, but I’m kind of too tired to think.”
“You should go back to bed.” Thomas brushes my hair back. “You had a shitty day.”
“Hah. You can say that again.”
“We’ll stay here and watch it,” Jacques tells me, picking up the canister of salt and shaking it to see how much is left. There’s not much, and I break out of Thomas’s embrace to give Jac the other canister of salt I brought out with me.
I grind my jaw, looking at the ornamental designs on Jacques’s wings. I need to come clean. In the off chance that stupid spell worked and I really brought my mother over the veil, I need to figure it out.
“If it’s not gone before sunrise, we’ll wake you.”
I nod at Jacques and quickly look at the others. I know they’re waiting to see who I ask to come inside with me, and while I’m not in the mood for sex, I’m always up for company. Having four boyfriends doesn’t feel weird to me anymore, but it’s still new and I’m still figuring things out.
“Jac?” I reach up and take a strand of my hair, subconsciously twisting it around my fingers. “Will you come with me?”
“Of course.” He gives the salt to Hasan and says something to him in a different language. Whatever was spoken makes Hasan chuckle and flick his eyes to me, giving me a wink.
“Do you want me to carry you?” Jacques asks, seeing me wince when I misstep. The yard is uneven and full of weeds. I honestly don’t know how people keep up with a big house, a full-time job, and yard work. Though I suppose most people who are able to do that don’t fight monsters on the side.
“No thanks,” I tell him, wanting to buy as much time as I can. I know I need to tell him about my mom, and deep down I know it can’t really be her. But I don’t want to hear it out loud yet. “The last time I asked you about ghosts you said you didn’t know much,” I start, looking ahead at the house. It’s a dark shape in the night and so much has happened here already.
“Correct. I don’t know much about them. Why are you interested in ghosts again?”
I turn my head back and look at the rift. “It could lead to the spirit world, right?”
“Right.”
“And a ghost could come out…on its own?”
“I suppose so.”
We walk a few paces in silence, getting closer to the house. “Can you invite a specific spirit out of the spirit world?”
“Yes,” he says, and steps onto the back porch, turning around and extending his hand. I take it, and the moment I feel his skin against mine, I relax. “You’re not still thinking about trying to contact a spirit, are you?”
“No,” I say honestly, and go into the house. “Because I already did.”
The door shuts behind Jacques and he stares at me, eyes narrowed slightly as they adjust to the kitchen lights. “What do you mean?”
“I tried a spell and—”
“Ace,” he exclaims, face twisting with anger. “I told you that was a bad idea!”
“I know but—”
“If your spell opened the rift and something got out, you could be in danger. Weallcould be in danger.”
