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“It’s easier to work without distractions.”

“And the young son who runs the place isn’t a distraction?”

I narrowed my eyes. There was no way he knew. How could he know?!

“The parents were quite shocked to see the exterminator they’d hired doing…unquestionably scandalous things with their son when they dropped by the other day after seeing ads for a new website.”

I swore internally. I should have thought about how this was going to circle back.

“Look…”

“You’re fired, Ryan.”

The phone bounced out of my hand as if alive and I juggled it in the air for a moment before catching it, pressing all sorts of buttons on the way.

The panic rose inside of me and the stacked bills I had to pay flashed before my eyes. Or was that the phone torch I turned on? “Listen, I’m handling the ghost problem, okay? It’s just in an unconventional way that takes a bit of time—”

“Oh, I know all about the son’s questionable lineage and ‘gifts,’” Gerald said, his voice carrying through the room because I’d put the call on speaker in my desperate fight against gravity. “The family spilled the whole sad history after some light coercion. They are most concerned that things have spiralled out of hand and have asked me to step in, so your services are no longer needed.”

I felt like my entire world had dropped out from under me.

Gerald knew what Owain was.

“Wait. Gerald, don’t you dare—” I said before a loud clang reverberated around me. A scream followed. Bloodcurdling.

“What is that?” Gerald asked loudly, but I couldn’t reply because the room was suddenly flooded with ghosts.

Owain was hot on their heels.

He pushed the door open and stood in the doorway like an avenging angel, hair mussed and eyes wide.

He rushed over to me, plucked the phone from my hands and put it to his ear.

“He’ll call you back,” he said before dropping the call.

The lights flickered twice before the entire house was engulfed in darkness so thick I saw nothing.

It was daytime.

“Owain…” I said, my first instinct to protect him. “Get over here. Stand behind me.”

The rumble started beneath our feet. Low and soft at first before picking up. The house shook on its foundations, vibrating like it’d collapse if anyone moved too fast.

“Ryan,” Owain said and his voice, while shaky, sounded determined. “I need you to hide.”

“What?”

“I don’t have time to explain. The ghosts will help you, but you need to go…”

There was a crash, followed by the sound of glass breaking, which made me flinch.

The light came back as the glass in the window flew out of its frame and shattered against the opposite wall. Owain ducked just in time to avoid it smashing into his head and I reacted before I could even think. I jumped toward him, scooping him up against my chest and holding him close.

“I’m not leaving you. Whatever this is—”

“Is mine to handle,” he said, pushing against my chest.

Another crash.