“You fucking are.” He leans over and kisses me, and the rush that goes through me is almost alarming. If Mike wasn’t standing just feet from us, I actually might push Ethan into the closet, undo his pants, and drop to my knees. The sudden urge to make him come hits me hard, and I’m getting wet just thinking about it.
Then something clunks above us, jarring me back to reality. And the reality is that we’re standing on the threshold of a dusty room with what looks like black mold on the floorboards. This building is haunted and there’s a good chance a demon is lurking in the basement.
But let’s sneak away and have sex, right?
Ethan swallows hard and slowly untangles his arms from my middle, making me think he’s feeling the sudden lust as well. If there’s one thing we’re good at, it’s getting down and dirty.
And hunting demons as a team.
Which is what we need to do now.
Yet, I’m still having trouble getting my feet to move.
“Should we check that out?” Mike asks after another moment goes by. This time, Ethan and I both step back, and I hold up my flashlight, shining it in the hall.
“Yeah. We need to find Steph and the boys and check in.” We start down the hall again, backtracking a bit so we can go up the stairwell. Right when we pass by the room that leads to the elevator shaft, something raps on the wall three times. We all whirl around, but only I’m able to see the pale shadow of the ghost in front of us. It’s a young man, dressed in 1980s workout clothes, and he stiffens when he sees me. Our eyes lock and he flickers out of view before disappearing altogether.
“What the hell was that?” Mike holds out his stake, brandishing it through the air like he’s slicing through an army of spirits.
“Another ghost,” I say. “He was surprised I could see him.” I close my eyes and hook one finger through Ethan’s hand, needing him to be my anchor as I try to get my mind to go into the spirit realm. I’ve done it before but only after a spell. It would be the best way to get to the bottom of this. These ghosts don’t have the energy to appear to me, but if I went to them, I could talk to them with no issue. I don’t have everything I used the first time I cast the spell, but I have enough.
“Keep walking,” Ethan says, and we make it to the base of the stairs before the two brothers come running down, nearly knocking Mike to the ground.
“It took her!” Ben shouts, face stricken. “We didn’t see it and then—then she was gone!”
“Whoa, slow down,” Ethan says calmly and moves the boys to the center of the hall. “What happened.”
“There was a noise—” Ben starts.
“—and a growl,” Zach goes on. “But the EMF didn’t go up. She told us to stay and then…then…something grabbed her.”
“Tell me everything you saw,” Ethan goes on, voice steady.
“We didn’t see much,” Zach says, looking at his brother. “Gray hands. That’s it. It pulled her into a hole in the wall.”
“Take us.” Ethan motions for the boys to lead the way. After a second of hesitation, they both set their faces and jog up the stairs. They go into the wrong room three times before we find the one they were in. Stephanie’s flashlight and knife are on the ground, right in front of a three-foot-tall hole that had been cut in the drywall to access pipes.
Ethan crouches down and looks inside. “It just takes you to the room behind it.”
“On it,” I say and rush out of the room. The feeling of dread is creeping up on me, slowly making its way through my whole body. I push my mental shields back up and it goes away. Holding my right hand out in front of me, I summon a small flicker of fire, holding it in my palm. It lights up the room brighter than my flashlight and is a hell of a lot more effective when it comes to killing, well, anything.
This room is empty and is in the process of being gutted as well. The wall opposite me has been taken down to the studs, as are the next few beyond that. Whatever took Stephanie could have slipped between them, disappearing to God knows where.
“Fuck,” I grumble and turn, closing my hand just in time to see Ethan and the others come in. “She could be anywhere.”
“We’re going to have to split up,” Ethan says. “Mike, come with me. Anora, go with the boys.”
“That still could take too long,” I say and bite my bottom lip, looking at the three hunters. “This building is huge. I know a way I could find her faster.” My eyes lock with Ethan’s. “The spirits know what’s going on. I think they’re trying to scare us away for our own safety.”
Ethan holds my gaze, considering my words for a second. “What do you have in mind?”
“I need to go into the spirit world. Then I can talk to them and find out exactly what’s going on.”
Ethan, knowing exactly what I mean, stiffens. “That’s dangerous.”
“Not if I’m quick, and I don’t think we have much time. I couldn’t figure out why this thing was giving me such dread, but it’s because they dread it. They’re dead and they’re still afraid of it.”
“What are you talking about?” Mike asks, narrowing his eyes. I’m really tired of these hunters not trusting anyone but their own kind.
“Spirits can’t always manifest on our plane,” Ethan quickly explains and starts pouring salt in a circle on the floor. “But if you go to their plane, it’s easier to communicate.”
“And you can do that?”
“I can’t.” Ethan looks at me, and my heart flutters all over again. “But she can.”
Ben shuffles forward. “Are you like a medium or something?”
“Or something,” I say and move to the center of the circle. I have a white candle in my purse but no lavender or sandalwood, which when burned together can summon spirits. I set the candle down on the floor in front of me and suddenly get hit with a memory.
“I’ll be right here the whole time,” Aunt Estelle tells me. We’re sitting outside in my parents’ backyard and I know that Aunt Estelle has just come into town for a quick visit. Harry and I are turning ten tomorrow and she wanted to bring us our presents in person this year. “Do you remember what to say?”
“Yes. Spirituum revelare,” I repeat, struggling with the pronunciation a bit. “Right?”
“Right, my dear.” She reaches out and holds my hand. “Close your eyes. Concentrate.”
Inhaling, my own eyes widen, and I replay the memory in my mind. Never mind the fact that I was older in that memory than any others, I know what Aunt Estelle was teaching me, and I know what I need to do now.
I close my eyes, place one hand on the floor, connecting my mind with the spirits in the building, and whisper, “Spirituum revelare.”
All at once, I’m surrounded by gray mist. Slowly, I stand, knowing my body is still on the floor, sitting unmoving. “Hello?” I call out, unable to see Ethan or the hunters on this plane. “Can anyone hear me?”
I wait a beat before going into the hall. I’m all turned around up here, but I think the elevator shaft is in the middle of the building. I’m close to it, and if I can move closer, I might be able to get someone’s attention.