Ghost Light

I yawned.  I had no intention of getting out of my comfy chair.

“Go on up,” I said.  “I’m staying here tonight.”

“You can’t be serious,” she said.  “If you sleep there, you’ll get a stiff neck.”

Before I could answer, someone tapped on our office door.

“If that’s a client, I’m not here,” I said.

“Right, and that’s so convincing with you sitting there in plain sight,” she muttered.

Jinx sauntered over to the door and peeked out the window.  She smiled and opened the door for Ceff who stood illuminated by lamplight.

Ceff was in human form, though the large, not-so-human, dark green irises that encompassed his eyes were evident in my second sight.  Except for the eyes, Ceff looked like a human male in his early thirties, one who just walked off the cover of GQ magazine.  He stood in the doorway wearing an unbuttoned dress shirt and low-slung jeans.  Lamplight played across a strong jaw pebbled with a five o’clock shadow.  My eyes flicked down to where he stood on the brick sidewalk and I smiled.  As usual, Ceff was barefoot.

“Is Ivy here?” Ceff asked.

“She’s inside,” Jinx said.  She stepped aside and pointed to where I reclined behind my desk.  “I haven’t been able to get her butt out of that chair.  Maybe you can talk some sense into her.”

Ceff quirked an eyebrow at me and a grin touched his lips.  Crap.  I’d been caught enjoying the view.

I fumbled with my chair, trying to push myself to my feet.  I got as far as planting my boots on the floor before a head-rush made me stop.  I tried to blink away the wave of dizziness, but the entire room tilted and spun.  I swallowed hard as bile rose in my throat.

Standing had been a mistake.

I rested my elbows on the arms of the chair and let my head drop into my hands.  I’d have stuck my head between my legs to keep the room from spinning, but bending any farther forward wasn’t an option.  The wound in my side was already screaming in protest.

Ceff rushed over to where I sat slumped in my chair.  I sucked air through clenched teeth and tried to ignore the coffee churning in my stomach.  I may not be able to stand, but I’d sure as hell try not to throw up.

“Here,” Ceff said.

His voice was rough like he’d been crying recently, but when I lifted my head his eyes were full of concern not grief.  He’d pulled the sleeve of his shirt over his hand and lifted a glass from my desk.  I watched the glass fill with water and the water cooler burped air from across the room, making Jinx jump.  Ceff was using his kelpie magic to draw the water to him.  Jinx shook her head and went back to straightening papers on her desk.

I smiled and accepted the glass of water.

“Thanks,” I said.

I sipped the water, hiding behind the glass.  What do you say to the man you care about, when you’ve just killed his ex-wife?

“Looks like I missed the party,” he said.  “Sorry I’m late.”

“Your loss,” I said flashing Ceff a wry smile.  “There was music and dancing on tables.”

I waggled my eyebrows and Ceff barked a laugh not unlike a seal.  I’d managed to bring a smile to his face.  I smiled in return, wondering what to say next.  I shifted in my seat, trying to find a comfortable position.

“Don’t let her fool you,” Jinx said from across the room.  She paused in tidying up her desk long enough to point a fountain pen my way.  Pesky eavesdropper.  “She hasn’t moved since she fell into that chair this morning.”

“We shall have to remedy that situation,” Ceff said.

He leaned in close, eyes flashing green.  My heart raced and Ceff quirked his lips.

“T-t-there’s no way I’m making it up those stairs,” I said, breathless.  “I can barely walk.”

“No need,” he said.

Ceff scooped me into his arms so fast I didn’t have time to draw a weapon.  It was funny that stabbing him was my first reaction to being carried.  I froze, holding my breath, every muscle locked in place.

“Hey, you two, get a room,” Jinx said.

“That is precisely my plan,” Ceff said.  He leaned his lips close to my ear and whispered.  “Don’t worry, I won’t touch your skin and risk a vision.”

His breath grazed my ear and warmth spread through my body.  At a loss for words, I blinked in reply.  Ceff chuckled and carried me across the room.

The last thing I saw as we left the office was Jinx flashing me two thumbs up.

Chapter 27

Ceff helped me get settled onto my bed.  It took nearly every pillow and cushion in the apartment to prop me up into a comfortable position, but I had to admit it was better than my office chair.  I pushed myself up a bit further onto the pillows with my one good hand and winced.  My head pounded with the effort and I sucked air through my teeth as gauze, now stiff with dried blood, peeled away from the wound at my side.

I’d need to change the bandage soon, but first I had to tackle the sensitive topic of killing my boyfriend’s ex.  I fidgeted with the blankets and sighed.  My life was seriously messed up.