Page 40 of Demon and the Raven

“Because you’re here with me,” I replied honestly.

At that moment, sconces on either side of the door lit up, and the door opened to reveal Lynette Fornell in her Aurora Moon attire.

I did not agree with Diana Flint on much, but she was right that Lynette dressed like a Gothic vampire. But if you looked like Lynette, then you could. She was stunning, the black lace dress hugging her curves and accentuating her long, sculpted legs. The deep V framed lush breasts, and her long black curls contrasted strikingly with her smooth, pale skin. With her big blue eyes staring at Lorne, I wondered if perhaps he wasn’t speaking because he was overwhelmed by her beauty. I wouldn’t have blamed him.

“Ms. Fornell?”

She nodded quickly, and only then did I realize she was shaking.

His scowl surprised me. “We got a call that there was some kind of disturbance here. Are you in distress?”

“I think there was someone—a prowler, maybe—in the backyard by the pool. I called, and I think my neighbors did too.”

“Okay,” Lorne said, pulling his flashlight from his duty belt and flipping it on. “Go inside and lock the door while I check around out here.”

She turned to me then. “Will you come in and wait with me?”

“I should go with⁠—”

“That’s a good idea,” Lorne cut me off. “Wait with Ms. Fornell, and I’ll be right back.”

Before I could argue, he went left, stepping off the side of the porch and dropping the three feet or so onto the pavement, then disappearing from sight.

“Xander,” she said, and when I looked at her, I again noticed the shaking. “Aren’t you wondering why I’m dressed like this?”

“It’s none of my business.”

“I was supposed to have a séance tonight at the stroke of midnight. But I canceled it.”

“Why?”

“Could you come inside?”

I didn’t groan, which I was proud of myself for. I stepped into the foyer of the mansion and waited while she shut and locked the front door. The moment she was back beside me, she slipped her hand around my bicep.

“What is this?”

“I know we’re not friends, Xander, and I’ve never been anything but dismissive of you, but I also know that you’re probably the one person in town who won’t think I’m insane.”

“What’re you talking about?”

“There’s something in the house.”

“What do you mean?”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I think because of all the séances I’ve had here, all the spirits I’ve invited in, some got trapped here with me.”

But it didn’t work that way. Spirits crossed through the veil if they wanted to, if there was something to say, to reveal, but walls did not hold them. They stayed for the same reasons people did—out of loyalty, love, fear, or simply having no other choice.

“I think there’s something in the house that’s using me to call them here and is now preying on them.”

I listened without saying a word because I could tell she was scared. But I was also pretty certain that was the plot of a movie Amanda and I watched years ago. Just like how she now made Lorne watch police procedurals and then asked him what they got right or wrong, she did the same with me with anything paranormal. She was always so disappointed when I explained to her how things actually worked.

“It’s very recent,” Lynette said, “and I feel like it’s chasing them through the⁠—”

We both heard it then, padded footsteps at the end of the hall, as the lights went off.

Lynette gasped and turned into me, eyes closed tight, shivering hard. “It’s some kind of animal,” she whimpered. “Which makes no sense. I don’t speak to them.”