Haunted Hearts Read online

  “What’s up?” He didn’t want anyone intruding on their time right now. He had plans for that dress, the first and foremost being to remove it.

  “Apparently your Halloween story has gone viral. My boss is being bombarded with requests for my ‘ghost busting’ services. He says I need to make a decision about my career.” She sighed. “I’ll have to talk to him.”

  Her tone said that talking to her boss was not high on Ari’s list of preferred activities. “What will you tell him?”

  She bit her lip. “I don’t know.” Glancing through the text again and clicking an included link, she read one of the requests aloud. “‘Dr. Fairchild, please help me. My boyfriend died two years ago and his spirit is holding me captive. I can barely eat or sleep. I’ve tried a shaman and a priest and no one can help me. You’re my last hope. Sincerely, Piper in Seattle.’”

  Nick draped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “You don’t have to do it, you know.”

  “I know.” She slipped her phone into her purse. A moment ticked by. She looked back at him and inclined her head, a tiny smile at the edge of that gorgeous mouth. “Ever been to Seattle?”

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  Some Like it Haunted: Spiritwalker

  Tanith Davenport

  Excerpt

  “Tamar?”

  Adjusting her headset, Tamar Steele shifted the microphone closer to her mouth as another chair flew across the room in front of her.

  “It’s all right. I’m on it.”

  There was the sound of breaking glass above her as a light bulb shattered. Tamar moved forward to avoid the falling shards, holding her torch out in front of her.

  She’s here. I can feel her.

  Her back was starting to ache. Through the darkness she could see a spirit beginning to form, long white robes and flowing hair framing a thin figure and pointed face. Terrified eyes fixed on hers.

  “Tamar.” Hana’s voice crackled in her ear. “You need to get out of there. This is getting too dangerous. Jason’s worried.”

  “Tell Jason to calm down. I know what I’m doing.”

  A newspaper shot across the floor, scattering pages everywhere. Tamar took another step towards the spirit girl, holding up her hand, focussing on the energy she could feel around her.

  “Matt, I need your help here.”

  She felt a light tug on her hair and knew Matt, her spirit guide, had been listening.

  “Listen to me,” she said firmly, holding the girl’s stare. “I can help you.”

  Fear. Panic. A name. Emily—her name is Emily. Died sometime in the 1920s.

  “Let me help you, Emily.”

  A sudden rush forward and the girl was right in front of her, arms outstretched, mouth open, gasping for breath. Automatically Tamar caught her wrists, keeping the reaching fingers away from her face as she saw Matt’s blond head manifesting behind the girl.

  “We can help you,” she repeated, then Matt’s arms were wrapping around the girl from behind, his face close to hers as he whispered soothing words into her ear.

  The girl froze, then collapsed back against him, her arms falling.

  “I don’t want to be here! I don’t know why I’m here.”

  “It’s all right.” Tamar’s gaze met Matt’s over the girl’s shoulder. “We can send you home.”

  She concentrated. “Light. Bring light.”

  A glowing white light slowly formed between them, growing until the girl was engulfed. A small smile formed on her face before, in a bright flash, she was gone.

  “We’re done here, Hana.”

  “Okay. Asher’s on her way.”

  Already Tamar heard the heavy footsteps of their newest team member coming down the stairs into the cellar. A strong smell of sweet smoke entered the room, closely followed by a short girl with rose-pink hair in a bob, her tattooed arms emerging from her T-shirt.

  “Hey, Tamar.”

  “Hey, Asher.” Tamar gestured to the space in front of her. “Let’s get the room cleansed and we can get out of here.”

  “No problem.” Asher moved forwards, holding the burning incense out in front of her. “Another satisfied customer upstairs.”

  “Glad to hear it—”

  Tamar’s voice broke off as her headset was filled with an ear-splitting scream.

  “Fuck!” Asher gasped. “What was that?”

  Struggling to regain her composure, her heart pounding, Tamar focussed hard on the room, stretching her energy field outwards, trying to find something…

  There was nothing.

  Whatever it had been, it had come and gone.

  * * * *

  As she arrived upstairs she was met by Jason, his blond hair mussed as though he had been running his fingers through it, an expression on his face somewhere between concern and resignation. He handed over a box and a steaming cup.

  “Here. Tramadol and hot chocolate. I think you need it.”

  “You’re not wrong.” Tamar shifted her shoulders, feeling the familiar pain along her spine. “It’s killing me.”

  “You need to get back to the doctor. It’s getting worse.”

  “I’m seeing my physio next week. I’ll get him to crack it a bit.” Tamar swallowed two pills, chasing them with hot chocolate. “Did we get anything on camera when it screamed?”

  “Hana’s checking now.” Jason gestured across the room to where Hana was seated in front of a computer, running through footage of their evening. Standing beside her was the owner of the house, Paul Martin, who had booked them only a week previously. He was watching the screen with visible discomfort.

  Tamar joined them. “What did we get, Hana?”

  “Nothing much for the first hour,” Hana commented, pointing to the screen, which was showing an image of the gardens. “Nothing but those idiots who decided to fuck around.”

  Tamar grimaced as she remembered. Having apparently seen the vans labelled TINTAGEL PARANORMAL in the street, a group of teenagers had crept up on them and shouted “Bollocks!” over the wall.

  “Anything at the end?”

  “We got the girl appearing and disappearing, but we didn’t get who screamed.”

  “Oh well.”

  “Do you think it’ll come back?” Paul asked, tugging nervously at his collar. He had stressed from the beginning that it was his family, not him, who believed in ghosts, but it looked as though he had changed his mind.

  “The young girl shouldn’t. We sent her to the light.” Tamar glanced up at him, hiding a smile at his worried face. “If you have any more problems, call us and we’ll come straight away.”

  A look of relief crossed Paul’s face, and Tamar turned back to the screen, this time allowing herself a smile. Another satisfied customer indeed.

  * * * *

  Not for the first time, Tamar wondered when her job description had extended from paranormal investigator and web designer to include technician to idiot computer users.

  At the other side of the room Hana was on the phone, her bookings spreadsheet open on her computer screen.

  “I’m happy to buzz you in, Asher, but if you’d rung the doorbell it would have been a lot quicker… Well, it didn’t ring up here… Uh, Asher, when you pressed it, did the light turn on and off?”

  Tamar shook her head as she looked at the PC in front of her. Asher had complained just before leaving yesterday that her keyboard wasn’t responding. Knowing Asher’s past experience with the office PCs, Tamar had a good idea that it was probably her fault.

  ‘Do you want a cup of coffee?’ Splosh.

  ‘What does this switch do?’ BANG!

  ‘I don’t know why it’s not working. I only clicked on a link.’

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  About the Author

  Bronwyn Forest is a lover of all things romance and has been writing since she was a child. She’s particularly enamoured of tall, dark, brooding heroes, but also appreciates variety. She identifies with sassy heroines and likes all her characters to be multidimensional.

  When she’s not writing, Bronwyn loves being in nature (yes, a tree hugger!), practicing yoga, watching old movies and eating chocolate.

  Bronwyn loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website details and author profile page at https://www.totallybound.com