“What’s he saying?” Ethan asks, looking at a spot on the wall that’s not at all where the ghost is standing.
“Shush,” I tell him and focus my concentration on the ghost. “What do you want?” I repeat and realize I’m holding up one more mental shield. I keep myself so tightly guarded, being tense all the time feels natural. I shut my eyes and shove it down, and instantly, I’m hit with flashes of someone else’s memory.
Screams echo around me, and the smell of damp fall leaves fills my nostrils. Pain plagues my body, and it’s like I’m on fire. Letting out a yell, I jerk my hands from Ethan’s, doubling over from the pain. More memories flash before me like a strobe light, going so fast it’s hard to tell what’s happening.
Blood.
Hands. Dark hands. Pulling me down.
Kill her.
More blood.
“Anora.” Ethan’s arms wrap around me and he pulls me against his chest. Hunter barks and the blonde boy vanishes. The pain subsides a second later, but the feeling that I was being brutally murdered hangs heavily on me. I’m shaking, sucking in air so fast I don’t get any oxygen.
“Breathe,” Ethan soothes and brings me into his lap. We’re on the floor, crammed between the coffee table and the couch. Closing my eyes again, I rest my head on his firm chest. Ethan runs his fingers through my hair. “Is it gone?”
I nod, still too shaken up to speak. He holds me a little closer, combing his fingers through my hair again. A moment later, I open my eyes. Heart still racing, I direct my attention to Ethan’s tattoos, using admiring them as a distraction. They’re varying shades of black and gray, and the Lord’s Prayer is tattooed on his right bicep. Maybe that’s a hunter protection thing?
“I’m okay,” I breathe.
“Are you?”
I tip my head up, looking into his eyes. “Yeah. I felt myself get murdered and I think dragged through the woods, but I’m okay. Oh, and I heard a voice saying kill her.”
“And now you’re officially casting a protection spell.”
“I don’t think he wanted to hurt me.”
“You just said you heard the ghost saying to kill her, but it doesn’t want to hurt you?”
“Yes,” I say and take in another breath, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling. I start to feel more like myself again, and it’s making me aware of just how very close I am to Ethan. “The ghost, which looks like a teenage boy, by the way, didn’t say it. It was just this…this voice. I can’t really explain it.”
“It was like one of those memories you download?”
“Kind of.”
“A protection spell isn’t a bad idea, you know.” He rests one hand on my thigh and brings his face closer to mine. “I hate the thought of anything bad happening to you.”
“I do too,” I breathe, heart speeding up.
“There’s still so much about you I don’t know. It really would be a shame if you got ripped apart by demons before then.” His tongue darts out and wets his lips, and he drops his gaze. Reaching out, he goes to push my hair behind my shoulder, fingers trailing along my collarbone.
“Yeah…that…that would be a shame. There’s so much I want to do before I die.” I swallow hard as Ethan brings his other hand to the small of my back, pushing me closer to him. He’s going to kiss me, and suddenly, I’m nervous.
Because as much as I want to feel his lips press against mine, there’s still so much I don’t know about him as well.
“I’m going to keep you safe,” he says, deep voice rattling right through me, and in that moment, I believe him. He leans in, lips just mere inches from mine. A tingle of desire goes through me, warming my entire body.
Fuck, I want him, and I know he wants me too. Given everything that happened today—and everything that I know is going to happen—the thought of Ethan scooping me up and carrying me into my bedroom is doing bad things to my body. If his lips touch mine, I’m done for.
Ethan rests his forehead against mine and my body moves on its own accord, feeling his cock beneath me. I need to get off him before I start—dammit. I’m squirming, fighting against the urge to straddle him and rub against his erection.
Three seconds, and I’ll move.
Ethan cups my face with his large hands.
One…two…three…
I shudder when his thumb sweeps over my bottom lip. Please God—or