Demonically Tempted (Frostbite 2)

Dane cocked his head, and studied me. “Max told me you were in car accident, died, but were revived, and have held this gift ever since. Right?”

I nodded, unable to find my voice.

“What that means is you lived for even a split second in Netherworld. Your soul entered that realm, and at the time, you chose to stay there—”

That got me talking. “Are you suggesting that I wanted to die?”

“Maybe not before. Maybe not after. But at the time you did die, you accepted your death, which brought you into Netherworld.”

I glanced at Kipp, damn sure my eyes were huge. He merely nodded in agreement that this was right out there. “So how did I end up alive again, if I decided to die?”

“It’s all timing really. Whoever saved your life must have done so in the exact moment you made the decision to go into Netherworld, but you hadn’t been purified and their actions forced you back into your body. But seeing that you accepted it, wanted death, your soul took a part of that realm with you because you wanted it. It’s why you can do what you can do.”

Zach asked, “Are you saying that she’s present in not only our world, but the Netherworld, too?”

I nodded at him. “Good question.”

“It’s much like that. But you’re not dead so you are not actually there.” Dane ran a hand over his gelled hair. “In basic terms, it means that the process was started, but before it could be completed you’re soul returned to your body. It’s something that once you’ve gained, you cannot release.”

“Do you have a connection there, too?” I asked.

“No. I can only feel ghosts. I’m a medium. I tap into energy and am sensitive to it. You and I, are not the same.”

Why did that sound like an insult? I parted my lips to offer a rude response, when Kipp interjected, “Ask about me.”

I looked at him and his gaze was lit up. I understood. This could explain everything we’d wondered. With serious hesitation, but curiosity, I asked Dane, “How does it work for ghosts then, are they in this world or in both?”

“Ghosts are different than you. When they cross into the shadows, if they fight their death then they’ll return to this realm and finish what they need to do to settle their souls.”

My head hurt. “Are they still part of the Netherworld, though?”

“They will hold some connection and return whenever they want, but the process won’t begin for them unless they choose it. It’s why being a ghost is not preferred. Why stay in limbo? Forever stuck.”

“That must be the place I told you of,” Kipp said.

“Dark, but filled with spirits,” were his exact words. Sounded accurate. A long-time question I’d been dying to ask rose in my mind. “Do you know what happens after they pass through the Netherworld?”

“How would I know if I’ve never been there?”

“Don’t get snarky with me,” I snapped. “I’m asking because you know about the Netherworld, so I figured you’d know about everything else, too.”

“I don’t,” Dane replied, brisk tone. “I, unlike you, have met many other mediums and such. I’ve learned what I know from them and it’s information that is important. Beyond that I can only make guesses as to what happens in the Netherworld process.”

I rubbed my temple. “It only gets more confusing.”

Zach and Kipp laughed.

Dane didn’t. His gaze remained absorbed and steady. “It’s really quite simple. Netherworld is a place for souls to cleanse before they cross over to Heaven or to be punished. But if a person decides they aren’t ready to find their peace and move on, they’ll return as ghosts to finish what they need too.”

Simple—not. “Explain this then, all the ghosts I’ve met follow that line of thought. They only know what they need to so they can move on. But what if a ghost remembers everything about his life and doesn’t act like normal ghosts do?” I wouldn’t let this opportunity pass me by. Kipp wanted answers and I’d get them for him, no matter what my heart said.

Dane nodded, as if I confirmed his thoughts. “I’m feeling that in the ghost too.”

“The name is Kipp,” my lover said, through gritted teeth.

I glared at Dane. “Yes, really, can you do without the ghost business and just call him Kipp.”

“He’s a ghost. Not a person.”