Page 54 of When Bones Whisper
The ghost’s eyes widened dramatically, and when she looked over Charlotte’s shoulder, her mouth parted wider than should be natural in a silent scream.
Less than a second later, the ghost vanished, and Charlotte spun on her heel, spotting the demon staring at her in the reflection of the window, standing just inches from her with a sadistic, toothy grin.
The candle tumbled from her grasp as a scream tore from her throat and she ran into the bedroom. Closing the door, she lit every candle and closed the drapes.
A wave of nausea rose in her stomach, and the withdrawals from the magic and Nathaniel’s blood drained the little energy she had left. At the least, the pain in her joints had gone back to its normal thrum of aching and tightness. For a moment, she wondered if she had hallucinated his hands kneading the tension from her muscles. Because why would a man, who wanted nothing more than to kill her, ease her suffering?
A sudden rush of voices flooded her mind along with a tightness clutching her chest, as if someone had wrapped their hands around her racing heart. The room twisted, its edges blurring until only fleeting glimpses of color remained. The veil between worlds flickered momentarily, immersing her in the stench of decay before pulling her back to her own world.
She screamed, her fingers throbbing against her temples as a blinding pain erupted through her skull.
Join us.
The word was spoken in several fractured voices. Ghosts flickered in and out of her view. The sound of the window unlatching on its own sent shooting pains into her chest.
No.
Not the window.
With a howl of the wind, the drapes swayed, revealing the tall arched window and the demon’s reflection in it.
Stop!
She jumped up and pulled them closed, but the voices in her head only grew louder.
Jump. Before it’s too late.
“Before what’s too late?” Charlotte spluttered, tears pouring from the corners of her eyes as she fought against an unnatural wind.
“Ouch!” Something hot stabbed her in the hip. She jumped, wincing, and lifted the skirt of her nightgown to reveal the bite, which had covered her entire hip and waist in a purple and gray hue. Blisters surrounded the area, a couple of them oozing yellow pus. Grimacing, she pressed her fingers against the mushy skin and hissed out a breath.
The spirits consumed her thoughts until she couldn’t grasp anything but threads of her fractured inner monologue.
Duke’s yowl sliced through the air. His paws barely touched the ground as he sprinted across the room, stopping under the window. With pointed ears and a wagging tail, he crouched lower to the ground.
The wind stopped, the voices lifting and the heaviness of the room quickly dissolved, as if nothing untoward had happened.
With trembling lips, Charlotte peeked at the reflection in the glass, a loud exhale rattling from her mouth. The demon was gone.
“You really are my familiar, aren’t you?” she asked, leaning forward so she could run her fingers over his sleek body. He turned, his yellow eyes closing softly when he looked at her. “Are you a spirit?” He climbed into her lap, paws batting her dark curls. She ran her finger over the glossy, black fur on his stomach and smiled. “You’re definitely not a demon,” she continued. “Or if you are, you are the cutest demon there has ever been.”
His soft meow calmed her racing heart, and everything suddenly felt brighter. She brought him to her face, pressing her cheek against his comforting, warm body. “Don’t leave me again.”
Long, deep purrs vibrated through his chest and into her face.
Minutes passed in silence as she held Duke, her only friend in the entire world. Every so often, he would drag his paw over her stomach and hip. He wasn’t the only one worried about the bite. If she told a doctor, they would use hot metal on the wound or bleed her out. Neither of which she wanted to do considering the last time she had an infection, the cure left her bedridden for weeks.
If only she could get her hands on her grimoires, which should have been easy considering they werehers. Nathaniel wouldn’t let her practice from them on her own. Which was ridiculous, and if she wasn’t so afraid of what he might do to her, she would find him and give him a piece of her mind.
I crave your death.
Those same words kept ensnaring her mind in an endless loop of thorny vines. Katherine was right. Being alone with him was a terrible idea. Especially when she couldn’t get the thought of his hands on her body out of her head.
In a sudden leap, Duke darted across the floor, paws patting over something unseen by Charlotte. She jolted, torn from her dangerous thoughts of the vampire.
“What is it you have there?”
The points of his ears curled inward, his body crouching back and tail flicking. With a groan, she leaned forward to seeunder him, but his loud hiss stopped her from moving any closer. He’d never hissed at her like that, not with his fangs showing.
