Page 46 of Tall, Dark and Haunted

And when I can no longer feel the weight of my mates’ arms around me—when I can no longer feel anything—I know that this is it. This is the end for us.

“At least we’ll be ghosts together,” I whisper.

“At least we’ll be ghosts together,” Red, Topher, and Davy echo.

“Vínculo co castelo,” Juniper shouts. Her voice is faint, and fainter still when she adds, “Pastreaza oamenii nostri in viata.”

Then, I feel it. Not my mates, or their touch. Not the ground beneath my feet. But the stone Red slipped into my hand. The stone Juniper gave me. The stone that is supposed to save us all.

Warmth seeps into my palm. It heats my fingers, travels up my wrist, swirls up my arms, and flows into my chest. I can feel it surrounding my heart, moving upwards toward my cheeks and down all the way to my toes. I know it’s about to pull me back into the world of the living, but what about my men?

I look wildly from Red to Topher to Davy. They’re still translucent, and I can’t feel them at all. And there is one fate far worse than die-dying or becoming ghosts.

What if I somehow survive while my mates die? What if I am forced to live out my life without them? Or worse yet, what if when I die, I don’t join them at Margam? What if my ghost ends up haunting Silver Springs—or worse, that cursed Venus fountain in London—for all eternity? What if I don’t become a ghost at all? What if I never see them again?

Tears spill down my cheeks. Warm tears. Tears that I can feel. Tears that tell me my worst fears are coming true.

“Do you feel that?” Red asks.

My heart leaps.

Red’s still transparent—all three of my men are—but he wouldn’t speak unless it was important. Unless…

That one moment feels like an eternity: Juniper continues to cast; the stone warms me through and through; and the coven chants over and over in a language I don’t understand. Except this time, instead of getting fainter, their words get louder and louder.

“Koltza!” the poacher cries.

My gaze snaps to him, and my heart nearly stops when I realize he’s free. Liam and Rossi are faded, barely visible as they try to grab his arms, only to have them go straight through the semi-translucent blue-tinted ghost.

“Koltza!” the poacher shouts again. He waves his arms, and I cringe, but no spell escapes.

And then… then it happens.

First Topher whispers, “Warm. I feel warm.”

Then Davy looks up at the sky, a smile lighting his cheeks.

And then Red lets out a whoop.

Relief washes over me. We’re still alive. We’re not ghosts! We now get to live that life that, moments ago, felt like a dream.

I feel my mates’ arms around me again, warm and hard, and definitely not ghostly. The ground beneath my feet becomes solid. Margam Castle and the abbey ruins fade until they are no longer there. And my mates and I are left standing on Main Street in Silver Springs.