Page 114 of Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places
“Don’t tease me. I’ll punch you.”
“I’m not.” But he chuckled as he said it. “How about this?” He heaved himself into a sitting position, looking her right in the eyes. “Allow me to stand in as your unofficial big brother: I give you my blessing. I hope you two are very happy together.”
“Stopthat,” she said, utterly astonished because he’d meant it. His hazel eyes, tinged with a bleary drunken sheen, somehow burned with sincerity.
“And if he doesanythingless than make you happy, he’ll have to answer to me.”
Shit, he’d meant that too. “Cut it out! You’re going to make mecry.”
Suddenly, Xander’s gaze shifted to behind Lucky. She held her breath as she turned to look, knowing there’d be a specter but not what to expect.
A very light-skinned Black woman wearing a flowing soft pink gown sat on the chaise longue. She was absurdly beautiful—her face a picture-perfect portrait of serenity.
Xander said, “Hi, Brightly.”
Lucky almost hit him but settled on hissing, “You didn’t tell me your stepmom was Black.”
He gave her a puzzled look. “Because it doesn’t matter.”
“It matters tome. Youknowhow I feel about my people and the supernatural.”
Specter-Brightly laughed, drawing their attention with its delicate sound.
“Oh god,” Xander whispered, nearly gasping with pain.
“Xander,” Specter-Brightly called. “Let’s catch up in the orchard.”
“I’m afraid I’m too drunk to walk out there safely,” he said. “Forgive me.”
In the blink of an eye, Specter-Brightly joined them on the floor, sitting close to him. “That’s all right. How are you? I’ve missed you so much.” It peered at him closely as if it needed to commit his face to memory. He couldn’t bring himself to ignore it.
Something felt suspiciously different about this scene.
Lucky observed them, noting the way Specter-Brightly’s smiles came easily and eagerly, and its clear obliviousness to Xander’s torment.
But it wasn’t being mean. It wasn’t insulting him.
For every question Xander answered, Specter-Brightly lavished him with praise—telling him how proud it was, how much it believed in him, asking him if he was happy and to visit more often. It was possible those were his memories of her, but it also could’ve been Hennessee in the hybrid state. It might be stronger when paired with Xander. Their connection was much older.
“Xander.” Lucky spoke firmly as if she had his ear. “Tell it it’s not real.”
He turned to Lucky. “What?”
“Say it. You have to say it. Tell it it’s not real.”
Xander nodded, turning back to Specter-Brightly. “You’re not real.”
“Why would you say such a thing?” Specter-Brightly’s warm gaze glossed over Lucky.
“Ask something only Brightly would know. Something you haven’t thought about in a long time, butdon’tthink of the answer yet.”
“That’s a lot of instructions.” His face pinched with doubt. “Did you not hear theI’m drunkpart?”
Specter-Brightly asked, “Who’s your friend?”
Lucky raised an eyebrow. “Cut the shit, Hennessee. You know exactly who I am.”
Specter-Brightly blinked, face going slack but recovering quickly. “I like her. She’s cute andveryfunny. Where did you two meet again?”
