Page 82 of Possessed By Shadows

Chapter 26

Micah was jelly in bed. I cleaned up, and wiped him down, then made him choke down half a sandwich. He grumbled at me as I tucked him into the blankets.

“What was that? Your ass needs more?” I teased.

“Jerk,” he said. “Stay with me.”

I leaned down to kiss his forehead. “I won’t be gone long.” How did I make him understand?

“I should go with you.”

“You should stay here and sleep.” I huffed out a long breath and kissed his lips. “Be safe. It helps my focus to know you’re safe.”

“Even when you’re not?”

I’d never been safe, had I? Not even in many years serving in the military. Denial was more than a river in Egypt, but could only shield me for so long. “Embrace it or let it use me. I’m hoping to find some control.”

He sighed and pointed to the shelf. “Box.”

“What box?” I crawled over and found a box with a bracelet on it that seemed to be plugged in. It looked like one of those step tracker things. I unhooked it and held it up. “This?”

“Yes.”

“I’m supposed to wear this?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then…” I put it on, the silicon band fitting snugly on my wrist. “Sleep. I’ll be back in a bit.”

He breathed out a long sigh. “I love you.” The words sounded pained.

“I love you, too.” I stared down at him, thinking how amazing and beautiful he was.

“Come back to me. Don’t let it keep you.”

Of course, he would know my plans. No one understood me as well as Micah, and no one saw through me as easily either. I gave him a strained smile and had to work to swallow back tears for a minute because I wasn’t certain I could comply. Like in reality, if I offered myself up to save my brother, would I be allowed back into this life? Or would it take me over completely? Use me until there was nothing left of my mortal strength to keep me alive? “I’ll do my best.”

He closed his eyes and swallowed. I leaned over him and kissed him again, lingering for a few seconds on his lips. “Amazing memories, right? Something to focus on? Maybe bring me back?”

He nodded, but didn’t look at me. Tears formed along his lashes. I wiped them away and ran a hand through his hair before getting up to dress and prepare. I packed a bag. Not clothes or anything mundane like that, but flashlights, some protein bars, the first aid kit, and a digital audio recorder. What else did I need to talk to ghosts? Especially if I was the only one who could hear them?

I looked at the bracelet with the stone that was supposed to help meclearmyself of the supernatural, but didn’t put it on. If I made it through this in one piece, I’d really work hard on controlling how much the spirits could manipulate me. If that was what it was.

“Take care of daddy,” I instructed Jet who perched on the futon. He blinked yellow eyes at me as I made my way out the door. The whole plan was a bit nuts. If I told anyone other than Micah, I’d probably end up in the psych ward again. Not much good to Lukas there, was I?

Outside, night had fallen, the garden a blaze of the solar lights and decorations. I sat down on the bench beneath the tree, thinking I’d try here first. There were cameras mounted outside the house that monitored the garden. They’d caught me vanishing into nothing before. Unexplained. Taken by the black-eyed child who was some sort of demon from the desert across the ocean. I belonged to it. It had made that clear when I’d tried to bargain for Micah’s return. Would it help again? Did it have a reason to? Would it even come if I called?

I sat back, leaning against the tree, and tried to relax, will it to come, or leave myself open to it. Patience was not really a strength of mine. The fidgeting came first, tapping a foot, flexing my fingers, trying tosensesome sort of change. Nothing.

Did I have the patience to wait hours? Probably not.

What other options did I have? The police weren’t helping. Most people who knew Lukas seemed to think him gone without a trace was normal. The ghost from the school and the video made me believe otherwise. Who was the guy? It was one of those moments I wished I’d spent my military years doing tech training instead of weapons and languages. Hot lot of nothing those skills did now.

I wondered at the girl ghost’s words. He wasn’t on the other side. Not dead? I hoped not. But as time stretched, I suspected that would change. How did I find a living man when I talked to ghosts?

The garden remained still and silent. I really hoped Micah was asleep. I hated the idea of leaving him, but got up and made my way out, tired of waiting. I thought briefly of going to Lukas’s apartment, but Sky would be sleeping, and none of us had ever really experienced activity there.

Maybe it had transferred to the new house? That face in the attic? The noises my father heard? Would it talk to me? Could it find Lukas?