"Spirits wander within." Quintus placed his palm on the wall, closing his eyes.
"Awesome. Just what we fucking need." Jake shook his head in frustration as he waited for Kai to reach the top. He looked to Quintus. "What the hell, man? Are you working as a psychic now?"
The vampire's eyes flashed open, a secretive smile curling on his lips. "There are many things you don't know about me, wolf."
"I heard them." Kai stepped past Jake, peering into the master bedroom. "Look at the furniture. It's … beautiful."
"It's a helluva bed, but I could skip all the religious artifacts. Dominique definitely played up the whole scary-as-hell house," Jake commented as he ran his fingers over the empty holy water receptacle, its tarnished bronze still managing to sparkle in the flickers of remaining daylight.
Kai glanced to the four poster bed, a large wooden rosary wound tightly around its post, the cross lying on a pillow. Her eyes were drawn to the high ceiling; the wooden planks were painted a teal hue. "I didn't know Dominique but I must say I find this home interesting and beautiful. I know it's a little … "
"Creepy," Jake said as he opened a closet door and peered upward, noting its tall ceiling. "Take this for example. It's unfinished. The ceiling. There's a hole up there."
Kai jolted as footsteps sounded from the hallway. She ran out of the bedroom only to find it empty. Her eyes widened as she heard the creaking of floorboards above. Instinctively she reached for the cord. As her fingertips brushed its frayed edges, Jake blocked her from touching it.
"No, Kai."
"What?" her eyes flared in anger. While she appreciated his help, she was hardly frail. "They're up there."
"Who's up there?" Jake asked.
"I don't know … I think … " The children. Kai bit her lip, trying to formulate her thoughts. She'd never been psychic but she'd sensed them, heard them. "Whoever is here. I think they're spirits."
"Don't take this the wrong way, because I've seen you go all lethal as hell on me with your beast. But if this is something of an ethereal nature, we need to be careful." Jake's eyes darted to the ceiling and back to Kai. "We don't know what we are dealing with. None of us are witches or mediums."
"I do dabble a bit in the craft but I've never cared much for ghosts," Quintus added. "I think it's prudent to have the Alpha check first."
"But they were speaking to me … wait." Kai's voice trailed off as she heard the faint sound of giggling. She looked to her left; the voice was close as if a young girl were standing next to her. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Jake asked.
"I … I just heard. It was laughter," she whispered.
"We aren't hearing anything," Quintus told her.
"I just heard it. There is more than one. They're young. Maybe something happened to them," Kai speculated. Dread curled in her stomach, and she wondered if they'd been hurt while they'd been alive.
"I don't like what's going on," Jake said. "But if these spirits or whatever the hell you want to call them are trying to talk to you, we can give it a try."
Kai reached for the cord but Jake clasped onto it. "I go first. Stay back a minute."
"I'll be fine," she insisted.
"I'm sure you will but let's just say I pull on this here and something not so spooky comes flying out of there."
"Like what?" Kai asked, a hand on her hip.
"I don't know. Bats? Spiders maybe. This house is pretty old. Who the hell knows what is up there?"
"I don't care for rodents," Quintus added.
"You can always flash up," Jake suggested to the vampire.
"True but we've gotta bounce as soon as we get this Kris. Those demons out there. They know where we are." A black shadow flashed by the window. "I need my strength."
"Fuck." Kai jumped away from the glass.
"They can't see you," Quintus said. "Not yet. This place has wards. But Kasdeya … "
"She's clever," Kai said as Jake reached for the cord.
"Very," Quintus agreed, pausing as they peered upward. "But remember, all vampires can be killed just like humans."
"Stand back," Jake ordered. The creak of the wooden door opening echoed in the house, specks of dust spraying outward as stairs unfolded onto the landing.
Kai blinked in astonishment as she caught sight of three white orbs dancing in the darkness. "What are those?"
"Spirits." Quintus raised a curious eyebrow.
"I can feel them. They're humans," Jake whispered.