Witching Hour Read Online Free PDF

moonlight gleamed through the smeared glass, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to venture over.
    Pain tumbled through her gut as she forced herself to move, each step taking her closer to the old glass pane. She stopped just shy of reaching it, fingering the small latch holding it closed. It rattled beneath her touch, but didn’t budge when she tried to push it open. A volley of questions ran through her mind as she went to one knee to get a better look. The tarnished brass was smeared with dirt, but intact.
    She frowned, examining the closure more closely. But even with the light centered on the metal, she couldn’t see any marks suggesting it’d been replaced. Not even the wood looked cracked.
    “How the hell do you break a latch and not have any evidence of it?”
    The answer lingered unspoken in the dark room, the silence broken only by the pounding of her pulse in her head. Her brother hadn’t simply fallen out of the window. It’d opened of its own accord.
    “No. Something opened it.”
    Her words sounded loud in the room, the truth in them making the air feel heavy until it took all her concentration just to breathe. She pushed to her feet, staring out the window when a cold breeze rustled past her neck.
    Jordan spun around, scanning the room, searching for the source of the cool air. A flicker of light on the table with the book caught her attention, and she walked over to it, when an explosion of white enveloped the room. She stumbled backwards, falling onto her ass when her foot caught on a box. She hit hard, choking on a billow of dust as pain flared through her pelvis. She cursed, squinting against the glare when her flashlight winked out, and everything went black, temporarily blinding her.
    Energy prickled the hairs on her arms, sending another wave of gooseflesh skittering along her skin. Her breath lodged in her chest as she rolled to her feet, shaking her flashlight. The hollow sound of the batteries shuffling inside was her only answer.
    “Did you drain my batteries so you could communicate?” She inched forward, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the moonlight again. “What are you trying to tell me? Are you still here?”
    She moved to the middle of the room, listening for any indication she wasn’t alone when a hiss sounded behind her. She turned, tripping backwards as the apparition of a woman hovered mere inches away, its ghostly form blurring into the surroundings. An intense scowl curved pale lips as it stared at her, hair billowing backwards, eyes flashing red. Jordan took a few steadying breaths, wondering what to ask the spirit when its head tilted back, and a shrill shriek shattered the silence. The noise sent a stinging pain through her head, and Jordan covered her ears, moving toward the stairs again. The ghost sneered, disappearing in a ball of light.
    Jordan tried to steady her breathing as she darted forward, nearly falling as her equilibrium shifted, slamming her against the wall. She shook the feeling off before grabbing the book and turning back to the far door. She took two steps when the ghost reappeared, a swirling white mist curling toward the floor. It pointed a long, bony finger at her, muttering words she didn’t understand.
    A burning sensation crept along the back of Jordan’s neck, building into a searing pain. She reached for her belt, removing a bottle as she strode toward the spirit. The woman hissed again, muttering more words, growing larger as her form rose into the air. Jordan stopped a few feet away, one hand holding the book as the other popped the lid off the bottle.
    “I don’t know who you are, but I’m just here to gather evidence.”
    An eerie laugh echoed through the room as a cruel smile twisted the ghost’s lips. “Mine.”
    The mist shot toward her, wrapping around her legs and pulling her onto her ass. Her breath knocked out of her as her back and head hit the floor, sending black dots fluttering across her vision. More heat flared along