Chain of Lust (Spirit World 2)

Maddie shrugged off her blazer. She wore a thin, short-sleeved white blouse underneath it. And a white cotton bra beneath her shirt. Nice. He made a cursory calculation. C cup, perhaps? Breasts that size would fit perfectly in the palm of his hands. Not too small. Not too big. Just right. Jean-Luc felt his mouth begin to water.

Damn, temptation.

He took her right arm and examined her cut. There was a narrow gash just above her elbow line. It wasn’t as bad as he had thought and it hadn’t bled much. Her blouse and jacket were blood stained. She looked dismayed when she realised this.

“Man. These are new,” she complained.

“If you run them under hot water, you might get the stain out.”

“I’ll do that when I get home.”

“You can do it here,” Jean-Luc ventured. “Take a bath and I’ll have someone launder your clothes.”

Maddie cringed. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

It appeared she didn’t trust him. “Wait here.” He went to the bathroom to get a fresh washcloth. He cleaned her cut and placed his palm on it. He summoned his power and healed her. She gawked at him when she saw the cut was gone.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“You’re welcome.”

Somebody knocked on the door. A man brought a cart filled with their order. Jean-Luc gave him a tip and sent him out. He found the steaming tea and carried a cup to her.

Maddie looked happy with the tea. She sipped it with delight. The brew seemed to soothe her fraying nerves. “Thank you, again.”

“How did you end up wrestling with those zacrahs?” Jean-Luc was curious.

“Zacrahs?”

“Poltergeists. We call the lesser spirits zacrahs.”

“Is that so?” She sipped her tea some more. “I went for a job interview. But as soon as I got off in Dan Ryan, they followed me and ruined everything.”

“I take that you didn’t get the job?”

“What do you think? I hope the doc didn’t get hurt, though. Those poltergeists dropped a frame on his head.”

Jean-Luc cringed. “A doctor?”

“Dermatologist. I’d applied for a receptionist position.”

He studied her closely. She would be more than qualified as eye candy for an expensive physician’s private practice. “And you would have gotten the job had they not ruined it for you?”

“That was a bummer. Usually, things don’t get out of hand like this. They’ve never attacked me before.”

“Have you always got harassed?”

Maddie sighed. “Lately. Since I’ve lived on my own.”

“Oh? And before?”

“I lived with my aunt. My parents got divorced when I was five and I ended up with Aunt Liv for some reason. My aunt was rather eccentric. She knew how to ward bad spirits. But she passed away last summer and I discovered I’m not that good at making amulets.”

“I see.” Jean-Luc sat at the end of the sofa. “I might have a solution to your problem.”

She perked up. “Oh?”

“Make a pact with me. Be mine and I’ll protect you from every soul that bodes ill wishes against you.”