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Cary Beacroft

D amn, and damn again , I thought as I rushed the cute twink to the emergency room. I probably shouldn’t have moved him, but damn, I knew his likely concussion would need to be seen to quickly, and waiting for an ambulance this time of day wasn’t a good option. Besides, I could get him to the hospital faster. At least he was conscious enough to get back into the car without my having to carry him. Although, he didn’t look like he weighed much.

I should’ve been prepared. It wasn’t like I didn’t know Cordelia Manor was haunted, or that the main spirit was a hateful son of a bitch, but damn, it’d been a hotel for decades. Who’d have thought the damned spirit was still a vengeful twat when so many people had come and gone.

I hadn’t anticipated a lot of things. I hadn’t anticipated the new owner would take my breath away, or make my feel so… weird inside. I was on the verge of inviting myself in and pouring us both a drink when the attack occurred.

I guessed I should have considered the circumstances. Fuck! I thought to myself as I rushed toward the little hospital. I’d called ahead to let them know I was coming, so luckily, a couple of nurses were waiting for me as I pulled the car around the circle drive. “He’s in the back,” I said as I jumped out of the car.

“Cary, what happened?” Amelia asked.

I told her as she and some guy I didn’t know lifted him out of the car. Amelia knew me, knew my real job, but this other guy, well, I had to be careful how I explained things in front of him. “I’m not sure. He was going into Cordelia Manor’s front entrance one minute and got thrown back the next.”

Amelia’s eyes grew wide. “This is—” I nodded before she finished. “And they threw him out of the house?”

I nodded again. “Shit, that’s fucked-up,” she said as she and the guy placed him on a gurney. As soon as they secured the straps, she said, “Kevin, take him in and get started on vitals. I’ll be in with Mr. Beacroft in just one moment.”

The guy nodded and did as he was told. “New guy?” I asked after he’d disappeared through the doorway.

“No, not really, but he usually works nights. So, for real, this was a ghost attack?” Amelia’s eyes shone brightly at the thought. She’d joined our coven a few years ago, and although she had absolutely no natural magic, she was eager and always dependable.

“Yes, it was the evil entity. I had to banish him before he could do more damage.”

“Damn, so this is because of the inheritance?”

“I guess, but I’m not one hundred percent certain. I’ll go back after I’m done here.”

“Well, for your sake, we need to say he fell, because if I write down ghost attack—”

I chuckled. “You can write what you want. I’m sure he’ll have his own story anyway. What do I need to do?” I asked before Amelia went off on a tangent. The woman ran the ER here in Cordelia’s hospital, but had always been interested in the occult. Speaking of which, I needed to get back to the manor to find out what was really going on and what needed to happen to keep the twink safe because, for damn sure, had I not been there, this would’ve ended a hell of a lot worse than it did.