shaky breaths. Exhaustion and stress drained her. The headache, caused by opening her eyes to the spirits, continued to throb at the back of her skull.
Am I alone in here? Do I want to know if I’m not?
She ran a hand through her wet hair and groaned. She wouldn’t be able to sleep in the cottage if it contained ghosts. The headache flared when she flexed the muscle behind her eyes, but she forced it to work, pushing it as hard as she could.
Her room was empty.
It was agonizing to hold the sight, but she didn’t relax it immediately. Instead, she turned to the window and looked through. The cemetery’s spirits were barely visible. A few had almost-defined forms, but most were shimmers of light among the mist. They filled the graveyard, but none came past the cottage garden’s wall.
Perhaps the dead have a sense of respect for the living too. Keira exhaled as she relaxed her vision, and the shapes disappeared. She slumped against the wall, letting her eyes close. She felt wrung out and sore, as if she could sleep for a lifetime.
The rain wasn’t as intense as it had been the night before but fell in a slow, steady drizzle. She hoped it would be clear the next day. She wasn’t sure she wanted to spend much more time trapped in the cottage and surrounded by the graveyard.
As the headache subsided, Keira stumbled toward the fire. The coals were close to dead but still retained some of their heat. She managed to revive the blaze, in spite of her questionable method of just shoving in whatever wood was close to hand.
Keira put the kettle on as she passed it, then began pulling off her soaked outfit. She was grateful she’d accepted Adage’s donation of clothes. A thick sweater was included, and she pulled it on, along with a pair of black jeans that were a few sizes too large.
As she draped the wet clothes over the chair to dry, a faint noise reached her through the rain’s patter. Keira fell still and held her breath as she listened. The sound repeated, almost inaudible but horribly persistent. It sounded like fingernails being dragged across wood.
Keira turned toward the door. Her pulse kicked up again as the sound came once more. Slowly, rolling her feet to muffle her footsteps, she crept toward the window and craned her neck to look through.
Night had fallen, and the black clouds blotted out every hint of moonlight. She didn’t think anyone was outside the door, but it was hard to be sure when the window’s light only touched part of her stoop.
Is it a ghost? Keira moved away from the window, sickened by the idea that whoever or whatever was outside could watch her without being observed in turn. I didn’t think they could touch physical objects.
The scratching noise came louder. Whatever it was, it wanted to come in.
Chapter Nine
Keira stared at the door handle. Her instincts told her not to open it. Whatever was outside might not be human, and even if it was, that didn’t mean it was friendly.
But the only alternative was to ignore it, and she didn’t think that would fly. It knew the building was occupied; the lights in the windows and smoke from the chimney were more than enough evidence. And if it truly wanted to come inside, invited or not…
The scratching came again, more insistent. Then it was followed by a new sound: a tiny, peeping cry. It was at odds with the scratching noise, but all at once familiar. The tension drained out of Keira. She exhaled a shaky laugh as she unlocked and opened the door.
For a second, she saw nothing outside except inky black. Then two large yellow eyes blinked into view, followed by twitching ears and the long, lithe body of a scrawny black cat. It gave Keira the briefest glance possible, then trotted past her, aimed toward the fire like a heat-seeking missile.
Keira grinned and shook her head as she closed the door against the rain and cold. “You frightened me, little guy. What are you doing outside in weather like this?”
The ears twitched at her voice, but the cat didn’t turn around. It stopped in front of the fire, watching the flickering flames, then lay down in the most absurd way Keira had ever seen. The head went down first, thumping into the carpet, and the shoulders and torso followed, then finally the hind legs. The cat flopped out to