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I laughed and left her bedroom.

But once I was alone in the hallway, my smile slowly faded. Because no matter how funny Willow made the situation, one question still wouldn’t leave me alone.

Had I really spent the night with Caspian?

Or was I missing him so badly that my mind had finally started giving me the life I wanted?

I had just told myself I was giving that house one more strange incident.

Well, there it was.

“Okay,” I murmured. “Tomorrow, I’m making an appointment to talk to someone.”

And I meant it.

Did I really think I was losing my mind?

Not really.

I was still functioning, still working, still taking care of my child, and still had enough sense to know something about all of this wasn’t normal. But I was also a nurse, which meant I knew better than to diagnose myself based on nothing but vibes and a disrespectful mattress. If stress, grief, lack of sleep, hormones, migraines, or anything else could make a person see, smell, or feel things that weren’t there, I wanted to rule that shit out. Because if a doctor told me I was perfectly fine, then the problem wasn’t me; it was that damn house.

I finally opened my eyes.

The room was empty; the scent of Caspian’s cologne wasn’t.

Chapter sixteen

Caspian

That little dream Lakelyn thought she had?

Nah, baby.

That was all me.

Three nights earlier, I’d finally gotten tired of watching Lakelyn sleep beside a man she couldn’t see. I could brush my hand against her back, make the mattress dip, let her feel the warmth of my presence, but that shit wasn’t enough, especially after spending night after night watching her curl up on my side of the bed, hugging one of my pillows like she could bring me back just by holding on tight enough.

I wanted my woman.

I wanted to hold her, kiss her, and hear her say my name while looking directly into my face… and I knew exactly who might be able to help me.

Miss Veda.

That old woman was something else. Miss Veda could get on my damn nerves, but when I needed her, she always came through.

Usually with a smart-ass remark and a reminder that being dead hadn’t made me any more patient.

That night, I needed her to come through again. I just hoped she could do it without making me listen to a bunch of shit first.

I concentrated on her, blocking out everything else before calling her name. There wasn’t a phone to pick up or a number to dial. I just had to hold that connection long enough for her to hear me.

“Miss Veda.”

A few minutes later, she appeared near my bedroom window, her spirit looking just as irritated as she probably did sitting somewhere in her living room.

“Caspian Black. What the hell you want at this time of the night?”

I smiled. “How you doing, Miss Veda?”