Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 272(@200wpm)___ 217(@250wpm)___ 181(@300wpm)
“It’s okay. I was…startled. We’re friends with Fox, so we’re kind of used to weird things sort of happening,” Gideon offered, even giving both men a small smile.
Ryder’s heart flopped in his chest. How could he not fall for this sweet man at his side? The witches scared him, and now he was trying to comfort them.
“Wonderful! Fox is fun. I’m hoping that we get to meet in person.” Sky leaned forward, a somewhat devilish smile tugging up the corners of his mouth. “Can I ask a weird question? Can I see your fangs?”
Ryder didn’t hesitate to lower his fangs in a flash and even throw in a warning hiss. Both witches jumped away, crowding close to each other.
“Holy shit!” Sky gasped.
Gideon poked him hard in the ribs. “Be nice!”
“They scared you first,” Ryder complained.
“And they didn’t mean to. It was an accident. Be nice. I’m fine.” As Gideon spoke, his arms snaked across Ryder’s waist and he snuggled his head into his chest, effectively sucking all the irritation out of his frame. How was he supposed to stay angry when Gideon held him like that? It was fighting dirty. His fangs instantly receded and all the tension humming through his muscles dissipated.
“Yep. Sorry about that,” Maddox said.
“So, um…Fox says you have a ghost problem,” Sky interjected, his voice high and thin as his eyes kept darting to Ryder as he talked to Gideon.
“Yes! My bad. I’m Gideon and this is my boyfriend, Ryder.” The bounce returned to Gideon’s voice as he drew out the word boyfriend. “I recently bought this trunk at a thrift store and when I got it home, all these strange things began happening. Lights turning on, things moving, knocking sounds, the trunk opening and closing on its own, and giggling.”
“Plus, Winter saw the ghost,” Ryder added.
“Winter? As in Winter Varik? You know him?” Awe vibrated in every word Skylar spoke.
Gideon shared a glance with Ryder. Yeah, they were letting Fox deal with his Varik status. They were not falling on that grenade for him. They were also not going to share that they were technically part of the Varik Clan as well.
“Yes, Winter Varik,” Gideon confirmed. “He’s a friend. He’s familiar with ghosts, so he came over to my place and confirmed that was what the problem was. Winter said it’s a little girl, and it seems like she wants to play, but that was all he could tell us. He doesn’t get rid of them.”
“Hmm…the trunk? How big is it? Do you know where it came from?”
“We got it at the thrift store on Plum Street,” Ryder grumbled. At least Sky was getting down to business, his tone turning serious.
“But we don’t know where it came from prior to that.” Gideon shifted beside him and pulled out his phone. After a few taps on the screen, he turned his phone to show a picture he’d taken of it.
“That’s nice. Vintage?” Sky murmured.
“It is! I love it. I used to have one just like it…years ago.”
“Really gorgeous.”
Maddox leaned close to peer over Sky’s shoulder at the picture. “Looks haunted. Probably easier to get rid of it.”
Sky stared at his friend as if he’d lost his mind. “It’s vintage. Besides, haunted things can be made unhaunted.” He handed the phone to Gideon and smiled. “It’s very nice. You said the thrift store on Plum?”
Gideon nodded. “It’s a big store on the corner. You can’t miss it.”
“I’ll have to check it out. I love searching for treasures and bargains.” Skylar fell silent for a second, his eyes locked on the surface as he seemed lost in thought. He picked up his drink and took a sip, only to wrinkle his nose at the water.
After a final glare at his friend, he turned his attention to Gideon. “So, here’s the deal. Option one is, obviously, get rid of the trunk. It is the easiest option for you and would not require me to come into your home. If that’s what you want to do, trust me, no hard feelings. No one wants an unknown witch in their sanctuary, and I’m sure vampires are even more cautious.”
Sky took another drink and glared at Maddox. His friend huffed and pulled the drink out of his hands. “Stop drinking it if you’re going to just glare at me. I’ll buy you another when you get me a beer.”
With a roll of his eyes, he was straight back to business. “Option two is that I come to your place and do what’s called a consult. I charge a flat two hundred and fifty dollars for that, nonrefundable. I’ll come, check out the trunk and the ghost. The consult can last anywhere from five minutes to five hours, depending on whether the ghost is cooperative. If the ghost doesn’t come out and I have to return another time, I won’t charge you again. After the consult, I’ll figure out a list of options for getting rid of the ghost. Most of the time, it’s pretty simple to get the ghost to move on and release the item. But occasionally, they can be stubborn.”