"I do. I swear your pups are loved and safe. Now, it's time for you to rest."
She stares lovingly at the pups for a long moment, and then stands and runs a hand down her cardigan. The air warms asshe glances at something over her shoulder. I don’t see what has caught her attention, but it doesn’t matter.
Whatever she is looking at, warms her skin with a golden glow.
“Take care of them, will you?”
“I promise.” The hair on my arms stands on end as Lizzy McAllison gives me a nod, and then fades into nothingness like morning mist.
The entire house seems to exhale.
Asher looks around. "Is she gone?"
"Yeah, she's gone."
Rowan meets my gaze. "Well, that was some cool ghost whispering, girlfriend."
It was.It was also sad, heartbreaking, and terrifying. It's hard to decide.
"You did good too, buddies." Asher scoops up both chihuahuas and hugs them to his chest. Then he looks at me, a haunting sadness in his eyes. "Can we go home now?"
"Yeah. Wait for us outside. We'll clean up this mess and meet you out front in a bit."
Orion sees Asher's distress, but I shake my head and stop him from asking. Asher lost his parents when he was a little boy. There are times when death circles, like now, when that little boy feels just as lost and sad as he did back then.
With Asher's footsteps growing fainter down the hall, I take in the destruction of Lizzy McAllison's ghost. "All right. Let's do this."
Silver light trails from Orion's fingers as he repairs the shattered windows. Rowan's shadows knit the splintered frames and damaged floorboards. And in a matter of minutes, Lizzy McAllison's bedroom looks as good as new.
"Score one for The Life and Death Brigade," Rowan says.
I nod. "Yeah, just another Tuesday night in Emberwood."
CHAPTER THREE
Sunlight filters through the workroom’s stained-glass windows, painting the floor in jewel tones. I lean against the edge of the counter, watching Mom sort through jars of dried herbs, her translucent fingers passing through glass before she remembers to concentrate.
"Calendula," she murmurs, and I pluck the jar from the shelf, setting it within easier reach.
"Thanks, baby." She doesn't look up, but warmth blooms in my chest. I’ve always loved helping her work, watching her, just sharing space with her.
“Rosemary.”
I hand her the dried bundle, and she continues her inventory, slotting her supplies into place.
As a kid, magic felt like fairy tales.
Now it seems like grasping at survival.
“I’ve been thinking it’s time for you to get to know some of the regular ghosts of Emberwood.” Mom points to a notepad on the pine harvest table. “I jotted down what you need to find them and introduce yourself.”
I shift over to pick up the yellow pad and scan the page. “King Louie?”
She breaks out into a wide smile. “If things haven’t changed entirely in my absence, you’ll find him in a back booth at the Velvet Groove. He’s a sweet old guy. Played piano for Sam Rivers back in the forties and fifties. I think it’s the music that keeps him stable.”
I like that. Like to hear that not all ghosts are trapped or vengeful spirits. “And Dana Coin?”
“She’s harmless. She’s stuck in a loop. You’ll find her pushing her shopping cart somewhere on a route from Pete’s Mercantile, over through the park at the town square, behind Francine’s B&B, and the Mindful Mat.”
