madly.
“Don’t start. I know that room service was ordered for you two,” she said.
“Nobody brought us any food,” Puff argued.
Jazz paced back and forth in front of the fireplace. She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn’t notice the outline of a grinning face sketched in the fireplace flames. The fiery mouth opened and a forked and charred tongue flicked in her direction.
“I don’t care what Mrs. Babbington says. This is not your everyday normal hotel hosting a so-called supernatural weekend complete with a fog machine and sound effects. There’s something odd going on around here,” she said, stealing his snifter and sipping the potent liqueur. He held up his hand and without looking she settled it back in his palm. “So why can’t I feel anything here?”
“Maybe it’s not a curse. It could just be a very old house with a colorful background,” he said, willing to offer up suggestions even though he knew she could also choose to ignore them at the drop of a broom. “Or even some ghosts from its beginning. If the stones were brought over from Europe you know there could be some dark history there.”
“So why can’t I feel anything? It doesn’t even feel like a dead zone.” She shook her head. She walked over to the wall and placed her palm against the surface. She studied the wallpaper. This time it shifted into dark colors like a lava flow. Before she could react the wall covering returned to its Victorian splendor.
Jazz turned back then froze. “Wait a minute.” She gestured to the small table that held a delicate crystal vase. “This rosebud was red when we arrived.” She picked up the vase that held a dead bloom with black and brittle petals. One petal drifted to the table surface and immediately turned to ash. In the blink of an eye even that was gone.
Nick cocked an eyebrow. “Looks like our romantic weekend is turning into more mystery than paranormal.”
“Just call me Nancy Drew.” She went into the bedroom and opened up the old-fashioned armoire. She quickly changed from her dress to a pair of charcoal gray skinny jeans and cobalt knit top. She paused and stared at the armoire’s wood front after she closed it. “I should take pictures of the rooms. When we arrived the furniture in here was cherry. Now it’s mahogany.” She pulled out her cell and snapped pictures of the furniture. She frowned as she glanced at the images. “They’re blurry.” She held her phone up to show her vampire partner.
“Then there’s magick somewhere around here. It’s never worked well with technology. Be grateful it’s not Samhain. Who knows what would show up then.” Nick leaned against the bedroom doorjamb, enjoying the view as she changed her clothes. “Shouldn’t you be considering something more comfortable for bed? I vote for sheer and skimpy unless you’d rather go for au natural .” He was nothing if not hopeful.
Jazz shot him the look. She sat on the bed and leaned back against the plumped up pillows. “I want to take a look around after the others have gone to bed. Considering it’s going on midnight, I should be safe.”
“ We will take a look around,” he corrected her. He stilled as he glanced toward the free standing full length mirror. The reflective surface suddenly rippled. A blood and gore covered face drifted up from the foggy surface, its mouth rounded in a silent scream.
“What the—?” Jazz shot upright and raised a hand that flared with her magick in case the face escaped the mirror. Just as quickly, the horrendous image was gone and the mirror returned to normal. If she could call a haunted mirror normal.
Nick glared at the mirror. “Talk about a mood breaker.”
Jazz gulped. “No kidding.” She climbed off the bed and headed for the wall. “It might be something that Maggie deals with, but not me.” She took a deep breath and used her fingertips to turn the wood-framed mirror around to face the wall. “No reason for me to
“Don’t start. I know that room service was ordered for you two,” she said.
“Nobody brought us any food,” Puff argued.
Jazz paced back and forth in front of the fireplace. She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn’t notice the outline of a grinning face sketched in the fireplace flames. The fiery mouth opened and a forked and charred tongue flicked in her direction.
“I don’t care what Mrs. Babbington says. This is not your everyday normal hotel hosting a so-called supernatural weekend complete with a fog machine and sound effects. There’s something odd going on around here,” she said, stealing his snifter and sipping the potent liqueur. He held up his hand and without looking she settled it back in his palm. “So why can’t I feel anything here?”
“Maybe it’s not a curse. It could just be a very old house with a colorful background,” he said, willing to offer up suggestions even though he knew she could also choose to ignore them at the drop of a broom. “Or even some ghosts from its beginning. If the stones were brought over from Europe you know there could be some dark history there.”
“So why can’t I feel anything? It doesn’t even feel like a dead zone.” She shook her head. She walked over to the wall and placed her palm against the surface. She studied the wallpaper. This time it shifted into dark colors like a lava flow. Before she could react the wall covering returned to its Victorian splendor.
Jazz turned back then froze. “Wait a minute.” She gestured to the small table that held a delicate crystal vase. “This rosebud was red when we arrived.” She picked up the vase that held a dead bloom with black and brittle petals. One petal drifted to the table surface and immediately turned to ash. In the blink of an eye even that was gone.
Nick cocked an eyebrow. “Looks like our romantic weekend is turning into more mystery than paranormal.”
“Just call me Nancy Drew.” She went into the bedroom and opened up the old-fashioned armoire. She quickly changed from her dress to a pair of charcoal gray skinny jeans and cobalt knit top. She paused and stared at the armoire’s wood front after she closed it. “I should take pictures of the rooms. When we arrived the furniture in here was cherry. Now it’s mahogany.” She pulled out her cell and snapped pictures of the furniture. She frowned as she glanced at the images. “They’re blurry.” She held her phone up to show her vampire partner.
“Then there’s magick somewhere around here. It’s never worked well with technology. Be grateful it’s not Samhain. Who knows what would show up then.” Nick leaned against the bedroom doorjamb, enjoying the view as she changed her clothes. “Shouldn’t you be considering something more comfortable for bed? I vote for sheer and skimpy unless you’d rather go for au natural .” He was nothing if not hopeful.
Jazz shot him the look. She sat on the bed and leaned back against the plumped up pillows. “I want to take a look around after the others have gone to bed. Considering it’s going on midnight, I should be safe.”
“ We will take a look around,” he corrected her. He stilled as he glanced toward the free standing full length mirror. The reflective surface suddenly rippled. A blood and gore covered face drifted up from the foggy surface, its mouth rounded in a silent scream.
“What the—?” Jazz shot upright and raised a hand that flared with her magick in case the face escaped the mirror. Just as quickly, the horrendous image was gone and the mirror returned to normal. If she could call a haunted mirror normal.
Nick glared at the mirror. “Talk about a mood breaker.”
Jazz gulped. “No kidding.” She climbed off the bed and headed for the wall. “It might be something that Maggie deals with, but not me.” She took a deep breath and used her fingertips to turn the wood-framed mirror around to face the wall. “No reason for me to
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