Spooky Business (The Spectral Files #3) - S.E. Harmon Page 0,25

death?”

“Alex would never hurt me. At least, not physically.” He winced as if assailed by more memories and rubbed his head again. The bracelet on his wrist fell forward, and he looked at it as though he’d never seen it before. He frowned at the thin circle of silver, lightly touching the delicate cross inlaid in the links.

After a moment, he unclasped it and held it out to me. “I want you to have this.”

I couldn’t think of anything I wanted less. “I’m not big on jewelry.”

“Please. It doesn’t mean anything to you, but it does to me.”

I felt a little sorry for him, looking so forlorn with the bracelet dangling from his fingertips. It probably wouldn’t hurt for me to play along. Reluctantly, I held out my wrist. He fastened the clasp gently, the energy transferring between us buzzing like angry bees. The bracelet fell beneath my watch, the tiny links sparkling in the sun.

“It looks good on you,” he said, with a satisfied sigh.

“Joseph—”

“Joey,” he said warmly, reaching for my hand. His gaze was full of fondness that I knew was for his beloved Alex. “All my friends called me Joey.”

“Joey, then,” I said. “I can’t help you, if you don’t—”

Our hands touched, and suddenly the ride lit up like a Christmas tree, dazzlingly bright after the abject gloominess of the abandoned park. The canned carousel music began, loud and harsh in my ears. Joey laughed in delight as the ride started with a low, alarming groan and then began its slow circuit.

“I knew you were the key,” he said happily. “I knew we were meant to be together.”

I pulled back my hand circumspectly, staring at his excited face, even more uneasy than before. I decided not to address the whole you’re kind of dead thing and tried another tack. “I’m already involved with someone,” I said.

“So?”

“So, I’m not interested in anyone else.” At his blank stare, I added with a note of finality. “Ever.”

His chin jutted out stubbornly. “So you don’t like the way I look?”

“What? No, I just—”

“If you’re determined to have me in his form, then I can do that.” He frowned. “I’ve been watching at a distance. I’ve seen how you are with him. We could have that, too.”

I struggled to stay calm, but my heart began beating so rapidly, I could hear it in my ears. This was just a taste of my own medicine, a little of what Danny had to put up with. Now I knew what it felt like to have someone you loved threatened by something you couldn’t control.

“This isn’t about him,” I said carefully. I purposefully didn’t speak Danny’s name. “This is about us.”

“Us.” He sighed happily. “I knew you felt it, too.”

My jaw tightened. I wanted to correct him, but his attention was off Danny and that was most important. What did it matter if he was fixated on me?

“Thunder,” he cried, rubbing his horse’s nose. “All these years of sitting around has made you fat and slow. Let’s go!”

As our lazy circuit became a lot less lazy, the sounds of the old ride creaking and gears grinding had me gripping the bridle on the lion tightly. I looked around nervously, wondering if this ride, which hadn’t been maintained in almost forty years or more, could sustain speeds it was never built for. The smart money was on no.

I glanced over at Joey to tell him to slow it the hell down, and my heart went into overdrive again. Instead of the faded, plastic horse, there was a beautiful thoroughbred in its place, regal and majestic with dark and dangerous lines of beauty.

Welcome to level six of Jumanji, the You’re Probably Gonna Die edition.

Thunder snorted, sending a puff of heated air across my face as an elephant trumpeted nearby. If the animals were coming to life, then… my brain struggled to put two and two together. There was a sudden jostling between my thighs and a loud chuff.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly. Sometimes only the phrase “Oh shit” would do. This was definitely one of those times, so I muttered it repeatedly.

I didn’t need to open my eyes to realize the lion underneath me was no longer plastic. I could feel his sides expanding and contracting with each heavy breath. The feel of his fur beneath my fingertips was coarse and soft, all at the same time. He threw back his head and let out a mighty roar that made my ears ring. I didn’t speak