How to Kill a Ghost (8 page)

“Mooommm,” he moaned.

“I’m serious, Jake. No tales of me being a ghost. It’s simply not true. Got it?”

My son gave a heaving sigh as if it pained him that I underestimated his intelligence. I did my best to look as sure and stern as possible. “Now, stay here a little bit because I want to talk to him, okay? I’ll call you when we’re ready. Do you have everything?”

“Yes.” He moaned again, and I slipped out.
Beeps
and
booms
started up from his game as soon as I cleared the doorway.

I strode back into the living room, nervous and clutching my hands together. I sat on the chair across from Mason. “Would you like something to drink? A beer or some ice tea?”

“No, thanks. Why are you so nervous, Libby? Is there something you want to say?”

Mason never beat around the bush. I sighed. “I want you to keep Jake longer than the weekend.”

“What?” His mouth dropped open.

I rushed ahead. “I don’t know for how long, but I need you to keep him. Maybe…” I couldn’t bring myself to say forever. Not now. I might not ever see either of them again, but the words and the explanation wouldn’t come, even though I’d tried again and again to tell Jake. I had hugged and kissed him. He had complained and said he was only going to his dad’s for a little while. I had agreed. All along I knew. Maybe Jake knew too because eventually he had asked if I would be okay without him, and he had made Monica promise to take care of me while he was gone. My heart had swelled all the more for my little monkey.

“Libby?” Mason called, distracting me from my thoughts.

I started and looked at him. I had prepared a lie. “I have a condition that needs treatment. It’s risky, and I don’t want to worry about Jake while I’m recovering.” In a sense, I spoke the truth. Somewhere out there my body was hurt. The procedure involved getting my spirit back inside. The risk came in never finding myself before the connection severed, and who knew how long I had left to figure it out.

Mason surged to his feet, his face a mask of anger. “Is it contagious?”

This time my jaw dropped. “Are you kidding?”

He refused to back down from the insult. “I have a right to know, Libby. For myself and our son.”

I took my time standing. “You’re more worried about yourself than Jake.”

“I’m a human being! Of course I’m worried. Besides, if you die, I have to explain it to Jake and be here for him when he finds out.”

He had a point, even if his words were more selfish than anything. I couldn’t assert that I wouldn’t die. Technically, I was already dead. “I’m not going to tell you the details of my…condition. You don’t have to worry. It’s not contagious.”

He settled down.

“If you need to contact me, call Monica. She will know how to reach me.”

His anger rose again, and he approached me. “I don’t want to discuss this with Monica. Give me your new number.”

I took a step back. “I don’t have one right now.”

He stared. “I’m starting to wonder if it was a good idea for you to have Jake in the first place.”

“You will not question my parenting skills! I’m a good mother!”

He swept his arm out to the side. “Look at this place. It hasn’t been painted in years.”

“If it hasn’t it’s because you never did anything while you were here,” I countered.

To my surprise he grabbed my wrist and jerked me closer to him. His eyes widened and he let go to back up. I didn’t love him anymore, but despite that, his reaction hurt my feelings. I hid it as best I could.

“Touching you is weird.” He seemed more perplexed than anything, his pallor ashen.

“I said I’m sick, Mason. I suppose you didn’t believe me.” I choked the words out around the lump in my throat.

He nodded, saying nothing for a few moments. With his head bowed and hands shoved into his pockets, he paced the room. At last, he looked at me. “Jake will be fine, but don’t die, Libby.”

My heart softened. “I’ll do my best. Thank you.”

With minimal incident, I bundled Jake out the door with his dad while I battled my rage at whoever attacked me and caused me to be in this state. If I let out the ghostly wail that was bubbling inside me, it would call to every night creature in existence.

“Ian.”

I called him once. Then I strode to the window to look out. I had waited until the sun had gone down and then later when I thought he’d already finished with his feeding. After speaking with Monica about letting Jake go—or rather sobbing dry-eyed in her lap—I had sent her home. I wanted to be alone tonight, alone until Ian came.

The curtain stirred from my hand, but I saw nothing outside. Nor did I hear a door open and close. Ian was so stealthy one might think he could pass through walls as easily as I could. I moved away from the window and turned. There he stood in the middle of my living room, handsome, silent, and dangerous.

The amulet sat in my dresser drawer. I had no intention of wearing it until after I talked to him. I didn’t want to hurt him. “You’re okay,” I said, not knowing where to start.

“Of course.”

“But you and Tevin were fighting so hard. Is he…?”

“He has not died.”

I nodded, twisting my hands together. Ian turned his head toward the open doorway and then back to me. “You were in pain earlier, and you are still hurting. Your son is not here.”

I blinked several times but remembered I didn’t need to brush away tears. Still, they fell, invisible. I had been in pain but not in danger. If I were in danger, Ian would have come, even in daylight as he had done before. He knew when I was in trouble. The knowledge made my heart ache for him almost as much as it ached for Jake.

“I sent Jake to stay with his dad for a while.”

Ian registered surprise. I had spoken to him about Mason. He started to respond, but I cut him off.

“Never mind about that right now. I made my decision. I’m going to be okay. I hope.” I cleared my throat and picked up the diary. “I wanted to give this to you. I don’t know if it can help you or if it will make things worse, but you can decide.”

He eyed the book without moving. I imagined Nessa’s scent might be on it. I had no sense of smell in my spirit form. I waited for him to approach, but he didn’t move a muscle.

“Did you kill her, Ian, in self-defense?”

“No.”

“Did—”

“Tevin killed her in my home and left her to frame me. It was more of an annoyance than anything.”

I gasped.

“I thought you cared about Nessa, the original one. That’s why I brought you this diary, but if a human is just an annoyance—”

“Liberty.”

I snapped my teeth together. The curtains blew in the breeze he created as he zipped across the room to take the diary and then moved to sit on the couch.

“Sit down, Liberty.”

I glared at him. He patted the cushions beside him, and I conceded. He took my hand in his, and our fingers laced together. I longed to really feel him. When he opened the book to read, I sat in silence for a while. Just as sure as I sensed darkness and evil in Tevin, I sensed intense pain and regret in Ian. Not a shred of emotion flickered in his gaze as he read. I had been wrong assuming he didn’t care.

When he raised his head, he shut his eyes. “Tevin knows a vampire in trouble with the law means nothing. That is why I said it was an annoyance—to him and to me. I valued Vanessa’s life because she was related to Nessa. I did not say what her death means.”

“I’m so sorry.” I squeezed his hand, and he held on.

“Thank you for this. I am glad to know Nessa knew happiness before she passed. However, she never came back completely, did she?”

“No.”

“I cannot take back what happened, Liberty.”

“I know, but you wish you could. I can tell.”

He didn’t answer.

“Ian, what’s going to happen with Tevin?”

“I will handle him.”

“How? You said yourself you’re evenly matched, and that fight at the police station… No one believes it was a gas explosion.”

“The police do. That is what is important.”

“You didn’t erase their memories though. They’re still looking for you.”

He nodded. “I cannot handle it that way, but I will resolve this situation.”

“How?” I worried my bottom lip. He leaned down and kissed me. I wanted to feel my heart flutter over him and butterflies knotting my stomach muscles. For now, my head said I adored him and he made me want to always be with him.

“You do not have to worry.”

“I
am
worried.” I drew my courage together and told him what I had been putting off. “Isabelle made me an amulet for protection.”

He stiffened. Well, stiffened more than usual.

“She said it can’t tell the difference between vampires. It keeps them away. When I’m with you, I’ll take it off and—”

“No, you will wear it always.”

“Ian, you’re still insisting we can’t be together? I don’t know how long I have and—”

“I would rather you could not come near me than to lose you to Tevin’s revenge. Promise you will wear the amulet at all times.”

“I can’t make that promise.”

“Liberty!” His expression darkened. “Where is it?”

I sighed and willed myself to my room to retrieve it. I had to stay solid to carry it back with me, and I showed him from the doorway. Just holding it up for him to see seemed to repel Ian. He stood and zipped to the opposite side of my living room as far as he could go. My chest constricted, and I hid the amulet behind my back as if that would help. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

I wanted to ask if it hurt, or did he feel some type of power pushing him back. Could he resist, and if he did, what damage would he suffer? I studied his face and found no fear, but I did see the remnants of pain. Shame washed over me. He’d asked where the thing was, not bring it so he could see. I returned the amulet to its resting place and rushed to Ian. Flattening hands on his chest, I checked to be sure there were no lasting effects.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

He straightened to his full height, and I detected annoyance. “We know it works now.”

I apologized again, and his rare half smile surfaced before fading. “You did that to punish me for pushing you away.”

“I didn’t, but you probably deserved it.” I chuckled, the moment passing. For the rest of the night, we spent time together, talking, enjoying each other. I began to imagine us doing this every night as we grew old, and then reality hit me. Ian would never grow old, and I didn’t have long. Those thoughts ruined the night for me. At some point, he grew alert and cocked his head to the side to listen to something I didn’t hear. I let him go without argument when he said he had to leave.

“We will discuss your son tomorrow night?” He stroked my face, and electricity danced between our touch.

I agreed and hoped we could be together just one more time.

“You must stay solid to wear the amulet,” Isabelle explained to me.

“That goes without saying. Whenever I forget I’m wearing an extra set of clothing and wink out, they fall on the ground. My secret has almost been revealed in the most embarrassing of ways.”

“This is no joking matter, Libby.”

She touched a finger to the dull gold coin with various symbols etched in its surface. The piece hung from a black string of cloth, and Isabelle had mentioned to me she had chanted for an hour before feeling the spell was solid and my protection assured. I examined the amulet and did get a sense of safety, but I wasn’t sure if that was all psychological. Of course, I had Ian’s reaction to know this wasn’t a toy.

“The protection is strong,” Isabelle continued. “I’m quite proud of myself actually. But the amulet probably won’t do anything if the vampire decides to banish you.”

I gaped at her. “H-How do you know about that?”

“Banishing?” She reached for a book she had brought with her to visit me. Some of the die-hard readers in town didn’t caress a volume as lovingly as Isabelle was doing now. “I learned about it in here. So, you already know? I wasn’t sure if I should tell you. I don’t want to frighten you, Libby.”

I stood up and moved to the counter. Without Jake here and me not needing to eat, I hadn’t dirtied any dishes. When Monica arrived, I had sent her away again on the excuse that I needed some time to wrap my head around the changes. Monica knew I had given Jake to Mason for longer than a weekend, but she had no idea I was at the point of going away permanently. I had used her enough. The time had come for her to be free. All of us would hurt for a while, but we would grow stronger and heal with time.

“Yes, I know about the banishing. Ian told me.”

Isabelle’s eyes widened.

“It was when he warned me never to allow anyone to find out my secret. He said there were those who could banish me to a place I couldn’t return from. Vampires more than anyone know the words to do it.”

“And witches,” Isabelle added.

I groaned.

“You don’t have to be afraid, Libby. I would never do that to you.”

“But if Tevin finds out, I’m lost.”

“We won’t let him near you.” She flipped through the pages of her book. “I’m worried I might have made a mistake. You’re too important for me to mess it up.”

I hesitated and then blurted the truth. “It works well.”

She looked at me. I explained Ian’s reaction and how he had seemed to be in pain. Isabelle grinned and clapped her hands together. I didn’t like how excited she was that I had hurt Ian, although that wasn’t entirely where her exuberance arose.

“Yes, the amulet gives off a sharp pain to the vampire. The closer he draws to the amulet the greater the agony, and it doesn’t matter which direction he approaches you. As long as the amulet is on your person, he can’t come near. Glamouring though with my skill level…”

“Don’t worry. I can’t be glamoured.”

She threatened to burst into the atmosphere like a rocket. “You’re kidding! Let me make some notes. Why didn’t I know that before?”

A whole new world had opened to Isabelle. From the looks of it, she might be able to grow where she hadn’t been blocked. I was happy for her on one hand and lonely on the other.