Shadow rubbed his back, and it was immediately easier to inhale again. “I do, I’m sorry. I just worry so much everything inside of me hurts.”
Gray took a big gulp of air. “Then you know how I feel. I’ll do anything to keep you with me.”
Shadow didn’t answer, but entwined their fingers once more, even though Gray’s was clammy.
“Oh, wow. Is that it?” Elliot rushed past them and pointed to a shape looming on the reddish horizon.
Gray licked his lips and sped up toward the two-story building that stood on the background of a small lake that glistened in the dying light. His heart beat faster yet somehow felt heavier, as if it filled with more blood each time it pumped.
When they finally stepped onto an unkempt lawn, the house was right in front of them, just like any other building. It was a late-Victorian structure, with grayed siding barely visible from underneath a thick layer of vines. There was a roofing above the entrance, and wonky windows that no longer had any glass. Tattered, rag-like curtains hung in some of the openings, but with no wind whatsoever, they were as still as the tall, bare trees growing on either side of the building.
Elliot walked closer in long strides, his one eye manic when he looked back at Knight. “Oh, my God! This is so exciting. You think the ghost is very old? It would be so insane to talk to a ghost from the eighteenth century or earlier.”
Knight shrugged. “Dunno, but that dead owner knew how to drive, so I’m betting you might consult him on the work of Madonna or something,” he said, pointing to an old, rusty car parked in the tall grass.
Elliot’s shoulders sagged. “Maybe the car belonged to someone who came here in the eighties…” He turned toward them, prolonging the dramatic pause, “and never got out.”
Shadow gasped and pulled on Gray’s hand. It was so cute that Gray smiled despite the grim situation. “Don’t worry. If there’s a ghost, Knight will kill it.”
“I want to see it first,” Elliot said and ran to the door with the tails of his old-fashioned clothes floating through the air.
Shadow’s gait stiffened, and he wouldn’t stop scanning their surroundings, but they’d already wasted too much time searching for the house, so there was no room for stalling. Gray could just imagine the relief of offering the ruby to Shadow. As long as they stayed together, even the upcoming doom Baal was cooking up wasn’t as frightening.
“Come. Let’s do this while it’s still bright,” Gray said and pulled Shadow behind him.
Elliot had already opened the door, looking oddly appropriate in his old-timey outfit. He peeked into the old house and tapped the floor with his cane. It gave a dry, potent sound that assured Gray going in should be relatively safe.
Knight was right behind Elliot, but his boyfriend was still the one eager to lead the way into the dusty innards of the house. Like acid in the stomach, plants and moss consumed the wood and remaining furniture. The vines growing over the windows blocked some of the already-sparse light, but they could use flashlights if necessary.
Every step caused the floor to squeak and made more dust float in the air, but Elliot trod on when even Gray was apprehensive. Maybe he wasn’t brave but careless?
A tingle trailed up Gray’s spine when he entered the foyer that smelled of mold and leaves.
The house looked as if it had been left untouched since the owner’s death. Shoes littered the shelves nearby, and a couple of coats hung on the wall to their left. As they slowly moved to the middle of the large hall, Gray spotted shapes of furniture in the adjacent living room. Nothing was out of place. Nothing stolen. No sign of beer cans, used condoms, or rude graffiti on the walls.
The place was abandoned in the purest sense of the word.
“Creeptastic,” Knight said, putting Gray’s thoughts into one expression.
Gray rubbed Shadow’s hand with his thumb. He was starting to feel better about this whole thing. So far so good—nothing happened, but they needed to remain vigilant.
“Can you smell the ruby?” Gray asked, watching Elliot stick his head into the kitchen before moving toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
Shadow frowned and pointed to the ceiling. “It’s very faint, but I can sense that it’s in the house. Magpie wasn’t lying.”
His words were like a soft, warm blanket over Gray’s tense shoulders. “Here? Above us?”
Elliot poked the first few steps with the cane and started climbing the stairs without waiting for an answer. The moment he shifted his weight and made the wood squeak, the temperature dropped, as if someone had poured icy water over Gray’s head.
With his heart thumping rapidly and goosebumps erupting all over his body, he looked up to see a tall, pale figure at the very top of the staircase.