“What do you mean he comes out? Like to take a stroll around the neighborhood?”
“I’m not sure what he does when he leaves the house. No one sticks around to find out.”
I pondered all this, but had trouble imagining what she offered and said, “How do you know that he’s a bad ghost or man, I should say?” Seriously, had anything ever been so ridiculous? “What sort of feelings do you get off him?”
“Just wrongness. He hasn’t hurt any of us, yet.” She didn’t fail to add that. “But I wouldn’t put it past him.” That same fear sped across her face. “I had the feeling when I first encountered him that he would destroy me if I got in his way.”
“Sounds like someone I definitely want to meet.” I snorted softly.
Kipp grinned. “Ask numb-nuts if ghosts have the ability to hurt you?”
I smiled at my ghost, adoring that his concern was first and foremost for my safety. I glanced at Dane who appeared frustrated that he wasn’t hearing all of the conversation, but I could hardly care about him. “You said before that I could be in danger. What does that mean?”
“Exactly what you think it means.”
I gulped. “Could a ghost kill me?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking,” he said, as if he choose his words carefully. “But you’re more threatening to a ghost than you would be if you didn’t hold these gifts. They will know you have the knowledge to get rid of them—or suspect you do—and if they didn’t want that then you could imagine their reaction.”
Did he just answer my question or avoid it? “Yes, well, that’s shitty and all, but what would a ghost do to me in that situation?”
“They could trap your soul.”
I laughed, even if it did sound nervous. “Yeah, right.”
No hesitation crossed his features. “It’s why I said it’s important I come with you. Not only to see what you’re up against, but I need to teach you how to close yourself off. You complain they’re always intruding on you, but the truth is, you allow it.”
“I allow nothing of the sort,” I retorted.
“You do. You just don’t know it.” There was his knowing look again. “By allowing them to have so much control, you leave yourself defenseless. Meaning, a ghost could do whatever they wanted to if you let them—because you don’t realize the power you hold—and that includes stealing your soul. Trust me when I tell you, this would be far worse than death. Any dark spirit that entered your body would seek to destroy you as painfully as possible.”
“Ask him more about this, Tess,” Kipp said. “If you need protection, we have to know how to get it.”
“Fine.” I huffed, forcing myself to keep from glaring about Dane’s continuing assumption that I had no sense at all, but kept it close by just in case he deserved it. “What do I need to do?”
“You need to stop letting them in.”
I urged him on with a wave of my hand. “Which means, in English?”
“Since you refuse to listen to me about how to keep them out, and insist on seeing what I’m telling you is for your own good, we’ll need to go about it in a different way until I get you to see sense.”
He dug into his pocket and held out a gold medallion strung through a black ribbon. “Turn around.” He stepped forward. “I suspected I might need this for you and you’re only lucky I thought ahead.”
I caught a quick glimpse at the necklace. Engraved into the round medallion was a warrior of some type holding a sword out in front of him. I peeked sideways at Kipp, and he nodded, so I obliged.
Dane swept my hair over my shoulder, and his fingers skimmed along my neck. My eyes fluttered closed as energy swept through me. Whatever power he held or maybe because of our shared connection, affected me right down to my toes.
He wrapped the ribbon around my neck, tying it to sit like a choker against my skin. I reached up and ran my fingers over the warm metal. “What is it?”
“It’s the Archangel Michael.”
I spun around and laughed. “Some Archangel is going to protect me from spirits who wish me harm?”
“Who do you think fought off evil before we did?”
“Okay, first off…” I gulped. “I don’t fight anything evil, and second, are you seriously suggesting that you believe in the Archangels?”
“It’s not a matter of believe or not believe. I’ve seen the strength of these symbols, this magic—”