Demonically Tempted (Frostbite) (21 page)

My morning had been spent with Anna as I filled her in on what happened to her sister. I didn’t have to go to her home, and no one asked me to—except for Lizbeth herself—but after what I’d seen I thought she deserved closure.

The result turned out better than I could’ve expected. A weight clearly lifted off her shoulders in learning what
really
happened to her sister.

It surprised me the whole demon talk didn’t scare her. I assumed she must’ve already expected it had been something like that. More so, that when she saw Lizbeth’s smile on the night she died that she knew then what she was dealing with. She just didn’t want to say it aloud.

After which, I spent the rest of the day helping the soldier’s at Veteran’s Plaza as I promised. It wasn’t a difficult task. One wanted to see his wife once more so I did some research and took him to her new house. Another wanted to see the grave of his mother. And it all went pretty much like that. Simple requests that didn’t take long, but since there were so many of them it kept me busy for the day.

To say I was left emotionally drained was an understatement. My insides, as well as my heart, were bruised. After a quick bite, I’d go to the hospital to be with Kipp until I could figure out how to get him back.

With the to-do-list down to zero, I had some serious thinking to do. And Max agreed that I could take some time off to figure out this mess, which I was thankful for.

I grabbed an apple off the counter and just as I took my first bite, a knock came at my door. I wasn’t expecting company so I hurried to answer it. I opened it and was stunned to see Gretchen.

“I’ve come because you need me,” she said.

I finished chewing my apple, then swallowed. “How did you know that?”

“Call it a gut feeling.” She gestured toward my living room. “May I come in?”

“Oh, sorry.” I blinked away my shock, opened the door wider, and stepped aside to let her pass.

She took a seat on my couch, then gave that charming smile. “Since you’re still here, and it’s you, I’m assuming everything went well with the demon.”

I sat in next to her, placed my apple down on the coffee table, and nodded. “It was a bit rough for a moment, but yes, I sent him away. You’re the reason for that, so thank you.”

“The spells are strong.” Confidence radiated off her voice. “I had no doubt if you believed in them they’d protect you.” She cocked her head, examining me. “Tell me then why I’m having dreams that you need something from me.”

“You dream of things?” I scrunched up my nose, not sure I liked that. “Of me?”

“I’m a bit psychic and do have some premonitions.” She fiddled with her cotton black skirt and settled it over her thighs. “I’m not nearly as talented as some others as I know, but mine always come to me in dreams.” Her gaze lifted to mine. “And you’ve been making me dream a lot lately. So what’s going on?”

Weird, but seriously everything around me was weird, so why doubt her? “You know
my
ghost?” At her nod, I continued, “Well, it turns out he wasn’t exactly deceased, but in a coma.”

Her eyebrows rose. “That explains why his energy was the way it was. How intriguing.” Curiosity flashed over her features. “Is he dying?”

I frowned at her choice of words. Instead, of issuing her a firm lashing for even suggesting such a thing, I said, “No.” I hesitated, then followed up with. “Not yet anyway. They have him on a ventilator.”

“I’m glad to hear that his body’s still with you.” Her nod was confident, as if her questions had finally settled. “I heard from Dane he’s no longer stayed in this world in spirit form. I’m assuming this is why then.”

“First off, if you mention the name Dane again, I will beat you.”

She laughed, telling me she knew about what took place, either because Dane had told her or because she dreamed it. I didn’t much care. “Dane means well. He’s sensitive over these issues because of me.”

“You?”

Her inhale was long before she blew it out. “He watched me go through a very trying time when I allowed myself to become emotionally attached to ghosts.”

I hadn’t realized that when Dane spoke of this in the airport, he was talking about Gretchen. “You loved a ghost?”

“Not exactly. I let them in like you do and became attached.
That
can become draining on one’s soul. And it’s the reason I’m no longer as involved.” Her look became measured. “So, while you’re angry at him, Dane is merely trying to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

She patted my leg, offered a sweet smile, not that it made me hate Dane any less. “We who hold the gift are special, and he wants to protect us, even if he goes about it in the wrong way.”

“Oh,” was all I could say. At least it explained Dane’s behavior, but it still didn’t mean I liked it, or him. I pushed the thoughts aside and focused on Kipp’s situation.

If anyone had the answers, I believed Gretchen would. Time to tick them off the list until something actually made sense. “The demon said something to me about Kipp being stuck in the Netherworld.”

The thought still made me sick to my stomach, but it sure made a whole lot of sense too. It’d be a solid reason for why he hadn’t returned. “Is that possible?”

“No. I told you not to believe it. They always lie. They’ll take your thoughts and work them to their advantage.”

Can’t say that wasn’t a relief, but yet, it just produced more questions. Why was he staying away, then? If he knew he had the chance to live, why wasn’t he taking it?

Frustration tightened my muscles. “Okay, explain this then, if Kipp wasn’t dead, how was he a ghost?”

“It could be for many reasons.” She tapped her lip, pondering before she answered, “But I’d imagine it was because of his duty to the Reid case. Kipp might have neared death the night he was shot, which pulled on his soul, but he wasn’t ready to go.”

I remembered Dane explaining my situation much like that, but I’d been sucked back into my body. Kipp clearly hadn’t. I leaned in to watch her intently as she went on, “He might have separated from his body to solve the case.”

“And then he couldn’t cross over not because of me, but because he wasn’t actually dead, right?”

She nodded, and I liked that theory a whole lot better than thinking I held him back. “It’s plausible that because he’d been detached from his body for a long enough amount of time before the doctors at the hospital forced him to stay alive, it kept him out. As in, he got stuck.” She lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers. “I do have a theory, though, that might be the answer to this.”

At her pause, I waved her on and she continued, “Now hearing of all this, it seems possible that his return to his body might not have been a choice, but something that just happened. He might have discovered his body at the hospital, and seeing it pulled him back in.”

Would make sense, but I didn’t believe it. “I’d agree with you, but it so happens that a ghost here in Memphis sensed him in the Netherworld, which means he hasn’t joined his body.”

“Did she now?” At my nod, she peeked at her hands thoughtful and finally said, “Then, I’m afraid I’m not sure why he’d be there. If he still has the ability to maintain his ghostly state, he can choose to return.”

Wasn’t that a truth I didn’t want to hear?

“Which makes this all the more confusing.” I dropped my head into my hands and rubbed my face before looking at her. “I need to find him, Gretchen. Figure out what’s going on with him, and why he’s not coming back.”

Her eyes searched mine. “I know you believe that he’s left because of you, but in my dreams I’m seeing otherwise.”

“What are you seeing?” I whispered.

“I’m afraid I can’t give you a clear answer, but I see confusion, determination, and a strong desire to help.”

Holly had said the same thing about him being determined. But for what? And to help who? Himself?

If he was stuck there, then that would fit, but he wasn’t. “Yes, well, Kipp is a determined guy. When he sets his mind to something, he goes for it.” Hadn’t he proved that many times, including his method to get me to notice him in the first place.

Again, she merely stared at me, thoughtful. “One thing that should settle you to know is that he doesn’t want to leave you.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

“Because he’s not with us now,” she replied, and I couldn’t quite see how that was a good thing. “From what I sensed from him, and even now in my dreams, if he wanted to leave you forever, he’d find a way to get them to take him off life support. And yet, he hasn’t, has he?

“When something doesn’t make sense it’s for reasons that we cannot fathom. So, keep that hope with you. There must be a logical reason for why he’s gone.”

My heart pitter-pattered at the thought. I hadn’t considered that, but she was right. His behavior didn’t show his desire to leave.

In actuality, his actions made no sense at all. And that only unsettled me. I needed a clear action to guide me. But until I had answers, I couldn’t think the worse.

“Okay, you’re right. But let’s say he does return, can he…err…get back into his body and live again?”

Gretchen shrugged. “To be honest, I’ve never encountered this before so I’d have to research it.”

“Never?”

“It’s not usual that a soul separates from a body that’s still living. In fact, I’ve never even heard of it taking place.”

While I agreed at how unusual that sounded, only one thing mattered. “But it’s possible?”

“Anything’s possible with the right tools.” She grinned, and patted my leg. “And it so happens I possess those tools.”

“Good.” I sighed, relieved that as crazy as all this was, there was the possibility to save him. The thought was so tempting to get lost in, but I needed to stay focused on the now instead of what could be in my future.

“First thing first then, we need to find out what he’s doing. I’m not sure if it’s possible to make contact with him, but I’ve seen things in the past few days I couldn’t imagine believing in so there must be a way.”

A glint hit her gaze and a slow smile spread across her face. “You mean you want to go into Netherworld and pull him out?”

I blinked. “Is that an option?”

She folded her arms, and examined me once again. “There are many ramifications for you to go into the spirit world. You do realize this?”

“I don’t care what will happen, all I know is, I need to get to him. I can’t sit around and do nothing.”

Her scrutiny of me only deepened. “Are you ready to have your entire world turned upside down?”

Tears welled, my chin quivered, and I could do nothing to stop it. “I think that’s already happened. I want my life back.” I brushed the moisture off my cheeks. “You said it yourself, I get to choose my path and this is what I want. Whatever is ahead of me, all I know is, I don’t want to take another step without him.”

“Well, then, Tess Jennings,” she said softly. “Let’s make sure that you don’t have to. Dane might think he is right, but I for one, understand where you’re coming from.” Those knowledgeable eyes of hers flared with strength. “But first I’ve been instructed to bring you somewhere.”

I was so caught up in her offer to help that it took a second to comprehend the latter part. “Where on earth do I need to go?”

She smiled. “It’s time for you to meet the
others
.”

Cripe’s sakes what am I getting myself into now?

Stay tuned for Tess Jennings next adventure in…

MYSTICALLY BOUND

Frostbite, Book Three

Coming Fall 2012

COMING SUMMER 2013 (trade paperback)

WEREWOLVES BE DAMNED

Magic & Mayhem Book One

About the Author

Stacey Kennedy’s novels are lighthearted fantasy with heart-squeezing, thigh-clenching romance, and they even give you a good chuckle every now and again. But within the stories you’ll also find fast-paced action, life-threatening moments and a big bad villain who needs to be destroyed. Her urban fantasy/paranormal and erotic romance series have hit Amazon Kindle and All Romance eBooks bestseller lists.

Stacey welcomes comments from readers. You can find her at www.staceykennedy.com.