The Departed Read Online Free PDF Page B

him when I first moved here.”
    His eyes narrowed as he watched me. “You met his ghost?”
    I nodded.
    “He’s the one who is haunting you? The one who wants to hurt you?”
    “No, God no. Sorry.”
    He visibly relaxed.
    “Ian doesn’t want to hurt me. It’s that witch Laria who killed him. She is haunting me.” I chewed on my fingernail. This was a train wreck. “I know this sounds crazy, but Laria wants revenge on me for helping Ian cross over to the light.”
    I knew it would be tough for anyone to understand, and Kade was doing his best to digest what I was saying, though I could see a kind of my-girlfriend-is-nuts expression flash across his face.
    “You think I’m crazy,” I said, before I could stop myself.
    “No,” he said, as he took my hand in his. “It’s just a lot to take in.”
    Tears burned behind my eyes, and I guess I didn’t realize just how exhausted I was until that moment. How tired I was of explaining myself to people I cared about, and having them look at me like I was crazy.
    His thumb teased the hairs at the base of my neck. “Riley, I believe you.”
    Those words meant everything. What I wouldn’t give to tell him that he was Ian in a past life, but it was hard to wrap your brain around the fact that you could be living at the same time your earthbound spirit was hanging out with your girlfriend. “There’s more…Laria is able to manipulate people to do what she wants. Basically she can shift into people—and take them over.”
    “You mean possession?” Even his tone was full of disbelief.
    “Yes.”
    His eyes went wide. “Are you saying the other night at the party…”
    “That’s exactly what I’m saying. She’s done some really twisted things, trust me.”
    He cussed under his breath. “How is that possible?”
    “It just is. Maybe there’s witchcraft involved. I don’t know. I mean, it’s hard to believe.”
    “So that’s why I saw you, but it wasn’t you?”
    I nodded.
    “Bloody hell…I thought I was losing my mind.”
    He wasn’t the only one. “I have to get rid of her. I thought breaking the curse would do that, but it’s only made things worse. It was Laria who pushed me down the stairs…or Randall, who was also a servant at the castle at the same time as Laria.”
    He went quiet on me. I could see him trying hard to process everything I’d said. His jaw tightened. “Is it possible to kill a ghost, because I’m this close to doing just that from what I’ve heard.”
    I smiled. “You and Shane both.”
    “Shane knows?”
    “So does Cait, Megan, and Cass. Laria kind of made herself known last night.” I didn’t get into details. Honestly, it was probably better if he didn’t know the extent of the haunting. “Oh, and there’s more.”
    His gaze searched mine.
    “When my mom died, I had a lot of guilt about the wreck and everything. When I woke up in the hospital, I was able to see spirits. I couldn’t see her, and that really confused me. I started cutting. It was a way to release the frustration I felt inside. I still cut, Kade. I don’t want to...”
    I could see his gaze shift to my arm, to the scratches there.
    “Those are from Laria.” I shifted my arm, showing him the scars on the inside of my elbow. “These are from me. I have some on my legs, too.”
    “People at school were talking about you cutting.”
    No surprise there, especially with Dana hanging pictures of a girl cutting on my locker for everyone to see.
    “I think there’s more people who cut than any of us realize.” He took a deep breath, then released it. “I want to help you, Riley. What can I do?”
    “Be my friend.”
    Once again I saw that strange look in his eyes. “I want to be more than friends. I mean, I can’t just be your friend.”
    “I have to end the curse, because I can’t go on like this. She’s threatening everyone I love, and I’ve already put my friends in harm’s way. I can’t ask you to put yourself even more at