Eternally Devoted (Frostbite 4)

“Who cares,” I bit off as I strode toward the far wa

ll, wanting to kiss the cement floor for not squeaking under my feet. Little blessings got me through the rough stuff. “If you find any kind of book, tell me.”

I heard Max’s curse, meaning he felt foolish searching for something he didn’t even know what he was looking for. I couldn’t blame him. Magical spells, hunting a murderer who didn’t even live in Memphis, and always facing more danger than we got out of brought a world of frustration.

Dane, Amelia, and Gretchen went off to the right toward a bunch of boxes. Kipp and Alexander remained at my side as I headed toward a large, wooden trunk against the old stone wall. The rocks above the trunk looked stained with rust and the floor around it looked a darker shade of gray than the rest.

Terrific!

I’d have to open a chest that probably had blankets and other gross items covered in mold. Although, as I drew in another breath, I couldn’t smell any mold in the room. The stronger pungent smell stole the muskiness in the air I’d smelled when I first entered the basement.

Once I reached the trunk, I leaned down and noticed it was locked. Anything locked meant Wayde wanted to keep people out of it, and that made hope rise. I glanced over my shoulder to Gretchen, knowing better than to make that mistake again. “There’s no magic on this chest, right?”

Gretchen stopped her examination of one of the boxes she had opened and looked at me as she rubbed her nose. “I still sense the high energy, even more so down here. But there’s no spell on the trunk I can feel.”

Another blessing.

I glanced at Max, who rummaged through the milk crates. When he stood, clearly not finding the Lux, I asked, “Max, can you pick a lock?”

Not a second later, and perhaps bored of the milk crates, he hurried to my side. He squatted down in front of the trunk and gazed over the lock. Then he stood and kicked it with a strength I didn’t know Max possessed in his body. The lock smashed under his force, and then he smiled at me. “It’s unlocked.”

“Look at your ninja moves,” I mused.

Bending at my waist, I reached for the latch. I slid the cool pieces of metal away from the hook, sending the lock clattering to the cement floor. Then I opened the latch and with a wince, well aware I was about to find something gross, and pushed open the trunk’s top.

I wrinkled my nose, not to inhale the dust flying around me, and I swiped at the air to clear it. Once the dust settled, I glanced into the trunk. What I discovered was so unexpected, I could only gasp in honest-to-god surprise, and perhaps sheer horror, too.

Stumbling backward, I went right through Kipp, sending shivers biting across my flesh. With a loud yelp, I smacked into Max's chest, and he groaned, taking the brunt of my weight.

“What’s wrong?” Kipp demanded.

“Oh, God. Oh, God.” I pointed to the trunk, refusing to look at it again. “Look.” In a matter of five seconds, everybody—living and ghost—approached the trunk and peered inside. That’s when I managed, “Skeleton.”

Chapter Five

If I could’ve avoided looking in the trunk for the rest of my life, I would’ve called that a good night. Of course, avoiding the bones wasn’t an option. I glanced around quickly, my heart hammering, and cursed all the dark corners in the room as the basement suddenly looked much spookier.

Wayde had a dark secret past, indeed.

Had I known his secret was a skeleton in his basement, I was damned sure I wouldn’t have entered his house. What frightened me most of all was a murder would be something he’d be desperate to keep hidden. Now, in his basement, where the skeleton was located, I wondered to what extremes he would go to ensure no one found out his crime.

With a grumble and hoping to hell he didn’t place explosives in the basement to silence us—which my frightened mind told me was totally plausible—I leaned forward again toward the trunk.

First, I spotted either paint or old blood staining the sides. I surely hoped it was paint. The skeleton lay undisturbed; its bones looking much like a body curled up on its side, as if sleeping.

“Who is that?” I gasped.

When silence fell upon me, I glanced up and Kipp gave me a look that I should know better. “It’s bones, Tess.”

“Right. Bones.” I sighed away the fear and slight disgust of seeing a pile of bones, somewhat annoyed that my rational part of brain had clearly been turned off. But I cut myself a break. I hadn’t suspected in the least I’d discover bones in the trunk. I had expected to find old sheets covered in mold, not the evidence of another murder.

Looking over my shoulder at the old and rickety stairs, a creepy feeling of being watched made icy shivers run up my spine. However, I also noticed everyone else around me remained silent. When I looked away from all the scary bits in the basement, I discovered Amelia staring at me curiously.

After a long awkward pause, she asked, “Who are you talking to?”

Dammit! My current meltdown made my brain stutter and forget important things like not acknowledging Kipp. “Myself,” I snapped to rectify my error. “Geesh. I’m freaked out, okay?”

Instead of a nod, which was what I expected, she smiled gently. Somehow, that smile unnerved me. It seemed all too wise, indicating I’d been entirely too obvious. She finally glanced away from me, meaning she was only glad to have her suspicions confirmed, and she looked into the trunk. “I have no clue who that is.”