To save her ghost-hunting career, psychic Kayde Foster must confront an evil and darkly attractive entity that has taken up residence in her uncle's business.
***
Kayde prides herself on being fearless. Ghosts? Crumbling buildings? Scary legends? No...
He just left me here! In some kind of side dimension or something, and I was having an existential crisis. Was I dreaming? Was this real? There was no way that other worlds truly existed. I mean, I knew there was the realm of the living and the dead, but...
Where the hell am I?
Panic set in. My heartbeat roared in my ears and every inch of my scalp felt hot to the touch. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to steady my breathing, and peeked through my multicolored tresses.
The room was stunning. That much I knew. The four-poster bed looked like some kind of luxurious testament to the turn of the century, and the carpets were so intricately woven that it took my breath away. People didn't make this kind of stuff anymore—which made this all the more bizarre. From the curtains to the rich mahogany floorboards, this place was old and incredibly beautiful. Layers of dust coated the candelabra on either side of the bed; cobwebs draped from the ceiling. This place was its own little time capsule away from the world.
Was this his home?
Curiosity got the best of me, melting away the panic. I was expecting a dark cave, some bats, and maybe a few monsters chained up somewhere. The Shadow seemed like the type to house horrors. He was a true monster, and here I was, poking around his things...
I pulled my hand back from the silk comforters on his bed. Being here in a private space like this felt like a violation, but he literally ate people, for fuck's sake, so why should I care?
Not to mention he thought I was going to kill him. He was damn wrong about that.
I mean, I could kind of understand me being here if he truly believed that, but there was no way I was capable of trapping him. Firstly, I didn't know how, and secondly, I didn't want to. I would have to have a reason to do those things. Something told me that perhaps the Shadow was neurotic and didn't trust anyone.
I could understand that somewhat, but I could trust my family. I didn't believe him that Chris summoned him. That was very dark magic, and from what I knew, he wasn't a warlock or a psychic like me.
I bit my lip and ran my fingers over the comforter. Sleeping in something like this must feel like a little slice of heaven. Right when I was about to squeeze a pillow, somebody knocked on the door. The Shadow's voice whispered in my mind. Everything you experience here, every person you will meet, has either been created by me or kept for their value.
That meant people were here?
Or monsters.
I thought about hiding under the enormous bed, but before I could move, the door slammed open and something came fluttering in with a chitter.
