Chapter Nine

"Okay," I say under my breath, checking and re-checking that I have everything we might need. "I think I've got it all."

"You seem nervous," Ray says, putting her hands on her hips. "If you're nervous, I'm gonna start getting nervous and that smells like a recipe for disaster. So get your shit together, Casper."

I run my fingers through my hair. I have no idea how time moved so quickly. One moment I was enjoying being a couch potato while Zeke worked on edits and putting together a new video from the last haunting he took care of and the next moment he was packing me up into the car, preparing for our next adventure. "This is my first time too, you know! It's not like I've been bonded to a spark before!"

Gods, I'm so fucking nervous. What if I fuck all of this up and Ray hates her magic even more? What if we can't get the spirit to show itself? What if everything goes wrong?

"So we're two idiots figuring this out as we go along?"

I set the bag down on the ground, letting out a long breath and trying to get my stomach to settle and stop feeling like I'm going to upchuck dinner. "Yeah," I say softly, returning Ray's amused smile. "We really are. You good with that?"

"Hell yeah," she says with a grin. "What's the worst that could happen? Whoever's in there is already dead!"

"That's the spirit!" Zeke says, putting his hands on my shoulders from behind. "This story isn't a happy one. Apparently it's a teenage girl who's death got ruled a murder. Abusive step dad. Her mother moved away, too grief stricken to stick around and the guy did go to prison. Though it was so long ago that he's long dead now."

"Well fuck," Page breathes out, tying her hair into a braid before tossing it over her shoulder and out of the way. "You think she'll go easy on us?"

"Nope," Zeke tells us right away. "I can feel how uneasy this place is. She's pissed."

"Oh goodie," Page says, clapping her hands excitedly. "The last time we had a ghost that was pissed I got to watch it throw random shit at you. I hope Ray gets to see that for her first haunt!"

"Why do I have to be the target? You're the one with vampire healing!"

"I'm too pretty for them to ever target me."

Zeke puffs out his bottom lip. I wrap my arm around his waist, squeezing him tight. "It's okay, Zeke, I think you're pretty."

Ray makes a gagging noise and I flip her off, my stomach warming at the ease with which we've started teasing each other. I've come to know teasing as a sort of love language between myself and my cousins and it makes me happy that Ray seems to feel the same way.

"Let's head inside and set everything up," Zeke says before pressing a kiss to my temple. I pick up my bag, following behind.

The moment we set through the back door, the air around us is noticeably chiller. I blow out a breath, watching it puff with mist. Fuck. Okay. If I didn't already know this place was haunted, our foggy breaths would be an obvious tell.

Page is in the lead, taking us through the house until we find an open space in what I assume used to be a dining room. There's a set of stairs that leads up to the second floor in the corner and two doorways, one leading to the kitchen and the other leading to what used to be a sitting room in the front of the house, or maybe a living room.

Page carefully lays a blanket onto the floor for Ray and I. "You two sit here and try to work out your magic. Zeke and I are gonna set up the cameras and stuff."

Ray and I make ourselves comfortable on the floor. Before I can even begin to pull things from my bag, Ray startles, going completely stiff beside me.

"What?"

"She's here," Ray breathes out, her eyes widening. She reaches over, grabbing my hand and I can suddenly see her as well, Ray using her magic to bridge the gap between me and this ghost. Holy shit. She's doing it! Ray is using her magic, using me as her conduit. I'm so fucking proud of her, the emotions welling up inside of me so overwhelming I'm worried I might actually burst into tears.

I don't even have time to congratulate my spark on using her magic without even having to think about it because the ghost is getting angry with our presence.

"How dare you come here!"

The ghost is tall and lanky, a teenager who hasn't been able to properly grow into her limbs yet. Her hair is long and blond, flowing around her head. She screams and I can hear Zeke grunt in the kitchen.

"Oh fuck! It's fine! Everything's fine," Page calls to us, her voice borderline hysterical.

I look over, watching as Zeke literally flies across the doorway. It's almost comical if it wasn"t my mate being tossed to and from like a ragdoll!"Hi," Ray says softly, sitting up a little straighter. "I'm not here to hurt you, I promise."

The ghost huffs in annoyance. "Right. That's what they all say. In the end, everyone hurts me."

"I won't. I pinky promise."

The ghost tilts her head slightly and it's an unnerving sight, going just a little further than should be possible. Finally she nods, swooping down from her place in the air to sit on the blanket across from us. I hear Zeke hit another wall with a thud.

"He's fine! I'm blocking his impacts. Keep focused, you two!"

I turn back to Ray and the ghost, doing my best to stay focused on the task at hand. Now that the ghost is this close, goosebumps raise across my body. Not only is the air so cold that it burns my skin, but there's an ache about it, like my heart is literally breaking just for being in her presence.

"What's your name?"

"Lou."

"Can you talk to me about what happened?"

Lou's form flickers, her body twitching in agitation. That might not be the best question to ask an angry teenager but fuck it, we're getting to the bottom of this one way or another.

"He hurt me."

"Who did?"

"My stepfather," she growls out, things flying across the room and slamming into the wall. Glass shatters around us but now that I'm staring at this girl, I don't feel fear. I understand her rage, it's deserved. "He never laid a hand on me, but was always hitting my mother. He was awful. I tried to stop him and he pushed me down the stairs to get me out of the way."

Ray hums in understanding. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

The twitching stops and Lou's form becomes solid once more. She stares at Ray for a long time. "Really?"

"Yeah. That must have been really hard, Lou. I'm so sorry."

"Oh," Lou breathes out, suddenly looking completely and utterly lost. "I've been so angry for so long. I'm not sure I can be anything else."

Her words are soft, barely audible. In the background, I hear Zeke hit another wall, still flying across the kitchen with Page using her vampire super speed to cushion him over and over.

"That's okay," Ray says softly. "But you have to try." Lou looks like she's about to argue but Ray keeps going, cutting her off. "That man is dead, Lou. He got what he deserved. He went to prison and now he's gone. Now it's time that you get what you deserve because he isn't worth another second of your time."

"What do I deserve?"

Ray raises her hand, waving at something behind Lou. My eyes dart up, staring in awe as another form becomes visible. I squeeze Ray's hand, silently supporting her, letting her use me as her catalyst even if she doesn't realize she's even doing it.

"Peace."

Lou's eyes widen before she's turning around, darting from her place on the blanket and over to the man standing behind her. She throws her arms around him and he catches her. "Daddy?"

"I'm here, sweetheart. I think it's finally time that we moved on. Don't you?"

Lou holds on tight, both of them slowly floating down until their feet are touching the floor. Their forms become solid. "How are you here?"

"I couldn't leave you," he says softly, running his fingers through the back of her long hair. "And thanks to them, I was finally able to reach out to you. They helped bridge the gap."

Lou looks over her shoulder at us, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you." Ray gives her a nod. "I'm ready, Daddy. Let's go."

Lou's father takes her hand and they both walk away, their forms shimmering with the most brilliant golden color before they're disappearing into the afterlife. Another thud comes from the kitchen, signaling that Zeke has hit the floor. Better than the wall again, I suppose.

"You okay?"

My breath is stolen as I'm practically tackled. Ray grabs hold of me, hugging me so tight I can't breathe, but that's okay, I don't mind. I wrap my arms around her, holding her as she lets out a silent sob against my shoulder.

"Thank you," she finally says, her voice just barely above a whisper. "I was able to help them. I helped that girl finally find peace. This is important."

"Yeah," I breathe out. "You did so well, Ray. I'm so proud of you."

She pulls back, doing her best to wipe her face and get the running eyeliner off her cheeks. "I couldn't have done this without you. The moment I grabbed your hand, everything just kinda fell into place. I could reach out to them and tug them together."

"As you practice it'll come even easier to you."

"I'm gonna give that spark whisperer a call. Nash, you said his name was? I don't think I need a full lesson or anything but talking this out with him will probably be good."

My chest blooms bright with affection. I'm so fucking proud of Ray. I'm so happy she's finally embracing herself. I'm so happy tonight went so well and we ended up with a happy ending for Lou and her father.

"I think that sounds great."

A groan sounds behind me and my stomach drops, remembering my mate was just tossed through the wringer quite literally. He's leaning against the doorframe, holding his arm against his chest.

"Fuck, Zeke. Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, totally fine. Don't worry about me. I've had much worse."

"That does not reassure me like you think it does," I say right away, quickly leaving my seat and walking over to him, looking him over. He's got a few scuffs, some bruises, and a scrape that's bleeding a little bit at his elbow, but otherwise looks okay. I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Gods, you were amazing, babe," Page gushes, pulling Ray into her arms and swinging her around in a circle. "Mastered this whole thing on the first try. I think we need to celebrate!"

Zeke hums. "Can we celebrate after I've gotten some rest. I'm gonna be so fucking sore tomorrow."

"Party pooper."

A growl rumbles through my chest and I glare over at Page. "He said he needs rest. Fuck off."

As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I throw a hand over it. Oh my gods. I cannot believe I just said that!

"Well," Zeke says with a grin, putting his hands on my shoulders. "My mate has spoken."

"Wow," Ray breathes out, giving me a pleased look. "I didn't think you had it in you, Casper. Good for you."

"I-I. That wasn't. Oh my gods. Fuck. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Page tells me quickly. "Sometimes instincts make us say things. I'm happy to lay off. Especially with all that going on," she explains, waving a hand in my general direction. Does she mean the fact that we're newly mated? Yeah, that must be it. I'm glad they seem to understand I didn't mean anything by the comment other than being overprotective of my mate.

"Let's get our shit and get out of here. Hotel or drive back home?"

I look at the wince on my mate's face and make the decision for him. "Hotel. Zeke needs to rest before we head back home."

Under her breathe I hear Page say, "fuck yeah, hotel sex."

Ray snorts, shoving her elbow into her mate's stomach. "Shut the fuck up."

They giggle together as they gather everything up. I put my arm around Zeke, letting him lean against me as I lead him back outside and to the car. "Okay, now that it's just you and me, how are you actually feeling?"

"I'll be fine by the morning, baby, I promise."

I hum, my stomach flipping delightfully at the pet name. "I'll take good care of you. Promise."

It takes about a half hour to pack everything up and find our way into our hotel room. It's dead this time of night so we thankfully don't run into anyone in the lobby or hallway.

Once we're in our room, I push Zeke into sitting at the end of the bed. I carefully remove his shoes, and then his sweater, and then his jeans. He gives me the softest smile as I do. I would do a lot of things to keep that smile on his face.

I pull the sheets back, helping him scooch back and cover him with the comforter. "There we go," I murmur, kissing the middle of his forehead. "Now rest."

"You're so good to me," Zeke murmurs through a wide yawn. "So good to a monster."

My brows furrow. I want to question the comment but he's already completely dead to the world. Instead, I get into the bed with him, snuggling against his side.

I'm not sure how long I'm asleep or what exactly wakes me. I open my eyes, blinking and trying to gain my bearings. I swear I see something move in the corner of my peripherals.

I sit up, my entire body going frozen as I see someone, or maybe something, in the corner of our room. I try to put my hand on Zeke in order to shake him awake but find the bed beside me empty. My stomach swoops with something close to fear, wondering what the hell is going on."What the fuck?"

The thing is what I can only describe as a phantom. It's like a black sheet flickering in the wind, with two arms and a very clear face. As it gets closer, it tilts its head to the side and the gestures are so like Zeke that my breath is stolen.

Oh.

Oh my gods.

"Zeke?"

Instead of answering, the phantom flies over to the empty space beside me on the bed. I watch with wide eyes as the phantom seems to sink itself onto the bed, slowly morphing from a flickering phantom to Zeke, corporeal once more.

"Zeke?" I ask again.

Zeke's eyes flick open, blinking a few times. He looks over at me and his eyes look frantic, like he's terrified of my reaction. Reaching forward, my heart breaks as he flinches. I continue on, touching his cheek softly.

"Wow," I breathe out, unable to find the words to say what I'm feeling. Was that scary? Yes, but that's mostly because I didn't know what the hell I was looking at. Now that I know that was Zeke's true banshee form, I can appreciate just how magnificent it was.

Finding understanding and acceptance in my eyes, Zeke makes a broken noise. He rushes forward, burying himself in my arms.