Night Terror by Gareth Vaughn

Author:Gareth Vaughn [Vaughn, Gareth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JMS Books LLC
Published: 2018-08-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

It was unpleasant, sickening. The skin was crisp and tattered, and Sean felt unsafe where he touched it, relieved when Dane snatched it from his fingertips and held it up to the gray winter light. He turned it this way and that, trying to find a body shape in the mess, but Sean already knew he wouldn’t. It was only part of a shed skin, crumpled up against itself. That was bad enough.

“Nice spot,” said Dane, and he sounded like he meant it.

“That’s not all of it,” said Sean, wiping his hands on each other, then on his pants, then back together again. Something uneasy crawled just under his skin. “But it’s all that’s here.”

“You can’t track it at all, Ned?” asked Dane, still trying to unfold the skin. It tore. “Shit.”

“No,” said Ned.

Sean realized if he concentrated hard, he could just make out the ghost’s irritation. He doubted Ned was trying to hide it, not from them, not when he probably assumed they couldn’t sense it, but this was making Sean nervous.

“The monster’s been in and out of here too many times to count. I stumbled on it because of the sheer concentration of trails.”

“Damn,” said Dane.

Sean pushed a little harder on Ned, tried to figure him out better. The ghost turned to him and frowned. Sean felt a jolt travel through him—Ned knew. But he said nothing, only closed himself off more, and then Sean felt nothing from him.

He opened his mouth to apologize, then shut it again. If Ned wasn’t going to say anything, he wouldn’t either. Maybe he could apologize later. Right now, Sean felt immensely tired.

“You want to take that with you?” he asked.

Dane blinked over at him.

“I want to get something to eat and rest a little if we’re going out again tonight.”

Dane grumbled but followed him back to the car, Ned disappearing somewhere along the way. He shoved the skin at Sean as he got in and the terrible feeling returned. He tossed the crinkly thing in the back seat.

“The hell?” asked Dane.

“I don’t like it,” said Sean as Dane turned them around and headed back to Bleu Falls. “It feels…wrong. Malicious.”

“Shit, you’re talking like a friggin’ witch now, too. Can you just forget about it?”

Anger surged through Sean.

“Forget about it? I’ve got offers from three witches Guilds and your despicable Order for being a fucking witch and you want me to forget about it? Sorry, Dane, not happening. I don’t even want to join an organization, and now I have to try to pick the one that’s least shitty. Meanwhile my boyfriend is the least supportive asshole I think I’ve ever had the misfortune to fuck.”

Dane slammed on the breaks and Sean’s heart jumped unpleasantly, expecting the car to hit ice and slide off the road, but all that happened was his seatbelt locked up and tightened against his chest. They sat there for long minutes, Sean trying to regulate his breathing.

“Can’t tell if I want to make you walk or fuck you in the back seat,” said Dane after a while.

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