The moment I enter the office, I step behind Lou, hoping she’ll feel my presence like a warm hug. Dirk joins us, pressing his body to hers. But her focus is entirely on the scene before us.
A half circle of identical wraiths float in the air around a black wooden desk. The entire room is sophisticated but dark. Rows of black books line every wall to the ceiling. Thick black curtains hang in front of the room’s only window, which doesn’t seem to show the outdoors. It’s all black too.
At the desk sits another wraith, this one larger than the rest. The only discernible difference between him and the others is his size and a sparkling black star-shaped pendant clipped to the front of his cloak.
The manager.
Ghostly dark hands are half-tucked into the wide sleeves of his cloak, but he removes them, setting his palms flat on his desk when our full group is inside the room. “Whaaat bringgss yyyyyou here, Keeperrrr?
The ethereal hiss of his voice causes my wolf to growl. I choke it back, masking it under a cough as Dirk glances up at me with a quizzical expression. He slips a hand around my waist, his otherhand moving to Lou’s hip. The touch comforts me, and my wolf settles.
Arkan steps slightly forward of our group. “Jezbelah, we have a problem in town. Two monsters have been stricken with, well,” he waves a hand through the air, “I’m not sure what. Doc Slade has examined both patients, but they are simply catatonic. At first, they…” His voice trails off as the manager, Jezbelah, turns from him and glances at the wraith to his left.
All the wraiths start murmuring under their breath, looking at one another. Ultimately, they return their gazes to the manager.
Arkan plants his hand on his hip. “What am I missing?”
The manager stands, easily towering over the other wraiths. “We have ssssssensed a dark presenccccce in the foresssst around the motel, but have been unable to traaaack it downnnn. However, if whaaaat yyyyou are sayinnnng is corr?—”
“It is,” Slade says. “I’ve examined the victims myself. I’ve never seen anything like this in all my centuries as a healer.”
“—ect,” Jezbelah finishes his word, ignoring Slade, “thennnn I thinnnnk we knoooow what weeee’ve been ssssensing.” He slips both hands back into his sleeves. “Yyyou have a revenannnnt on your handssss.”
Lou steps out of our embrace before I can stop her, stalking across the office. She plants her hands on the manager’s desk and leans over it, her body stiff.
“What the fuck is a revenant?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
LOU
Istare up into a hooded face with no visible features, willing answers to spill from the wraith’s mouth. “I’ve seen him twice,” I continue. “Right after he hurt Amatheia and Bellami.”
“Marrrrked,” the wraith grits out. “Iffff you can seeee himmm, you are marrrrked by the rrrrrevenant.”
And here we are again. Somehow I’m the center of this dark magic bullshit despite not having an ounce of magic in my veins. Somehow, this is my fault. My shoulders stiffen.
The manager rounds the desk and stands next to me, removing his hands from his wide sleeves. He’s huge like this, probably twelve feet tall. He has to curl in half to bring his face to my level.
“Mayyyy I touch your foreheaaaaad?”
I nod, gulping around a knot in my throat. “I’m gonna need some answers, though, please. What’s a revenant? What does it mean to be marked? Why couldn’t my niece, Morgan, heal the victims if she’s a black witch?”
He reaches forward and places the tip of his thumb between my brows. For a long moment, I don’t breathe; I don’t think; all I can focus on is the scattered drumbeat of my heart. It feels likeit’ll explode out of my chest. My friends, my males, stand frozen across the room.
The wraith sighs and straightens, floating backward a foot or two before he addresses our group. “Revenantssss are not evillll by nature. Typically, theyyyy are protectorssss of wayward, lossst souls. But the warlock Wesssllley’s magic bounnnnd Leighton heeeere in pain. Louanna was marrrked by Leighton in his finnnnal moments. Onnnnly sheee will seeeee him.”
Of fucking course.
Of. Fucking. Course!
“How do we unbind him?” I snip.
“Releassseeee him with the same black magic that bound him…”
Relief fills me. “Okay, so we get Morgan.” I turn to the group. “Maybe Vikand can help us research how to do th?—”
“Nooot Morgannnn Hectorrrr,” the wraith interrupts. “Sheeee issss a goood blaaaack witch… Sheeee isss a healllerrrr. Heeee musssst beee releasssed. Not heeealllled.”
