Just as her weary eyes began to drift closed again, a shadow in the corner caught her attention. She squeezed her eyes closed for a moment, expecting whatever it was to disappear, but when she opened them again, the shadowed figure stepped forward into the light of the descending full moon.
She recognized the strawberry-blond woman from pictures and vaguely from her own dreams—Ida Troyer. Ida’s hands were clasped in front of her body, which appeared even more slender and frail in the dim lighting.
Kaylyn had a strong feeling Ida had played a large role in their overcoming the spirit attached to the Teague Hotel. A lot of the details were still jumbled in Kaylyn’s mind—a logical result when multiple entities are trying to gain control of your body, she figured. “Isn’t it, you know, frowned upon to stalk your son’s employee while she’s sleeping?”
“I’m merely checking on you, Sweetie.”
“Mmh,” Kaylyn grunted and readjusted her blankets. Even spirits had to realize it was rude to check up on anyone before coffee. Since Jonah’s father had put in some kind of spirit ward on the house—the details of which Kaylyn wasn’t privy to, she was convinced she was still dreaming. Kaylyn waited for it to shift her to a new location as it had before—expecting, at any second, to see the walls of the abandoned hotel appear around her again.
But the walls of her new bedroom remained solid, and the apparition moved a step closer.
“It was you in the hotel, wasn’t it?” Kaylyn asked.
“Partially. I helped you direct the power to your mother so she could protect you while Jonah figured out how to break your bond with the entity.” Ida’s light Irish accent rolled through the room with a lulling effect. Jonah, not surprisingly, did not share his mother’s accent, and Kaylyn thought for a moment that it was a pity. Instead, his fluctuated between a thick Minnesota accent with hints of his time spent in Alberta and Paris.
“So, it is broken?” Kaylyn asked, looking for any form of confirmation that the evil entity wouldn’t be seeking her out again, leaving a trail of burned rooms, and missing bodies in its wake. Even if that confirmation came from a dream.
Ida remained silent for a few moments. “I need a favor,” she finally said.
Ida’s obvious refusal to answer the question was disconcerting. “Favor?”
Ida’s head turned slowly as her gaze swept around the room, she was in no hurry for whatever she’d come for.
Kaylyn knotted her fingers beneath the blanket, waiting to be swept into a nightmare, waiting for the apparition to ask for some kind of impossible feat.
“Watch out for Jonah,” Ida said in a whispered plea.
The simple request didn’t bring relief, only more questions. “He’s my boss; I think it’s implied in the job description.” Not to mention she felt her debt to him burrowed into her core—where it was reluctant to give her any peace. Most of her injuries were healing, but they were still sore enough to bring back flashes of that night with every movement. There was a small cut on her left hand where Jonah had released her blood to break the bond with the entity and a burn on her right palm where Jonah’s protective necklace had seared into her skin as she channeled power from beyond the living world.
But she’d gotten off lucky. Jonah had a matching burn on his left palm and three fractured ribs from protecting her from flying debris. And her sister, Cole, although physically okay, was now dealing with the loss of her fiancé’s brother.
“Remember,” Ida said, interrupting Kaylyn’s thoughts, “going forward doesn’t always move you farther from the demons of the past.”
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Fractured Legacy
Kaylyn Anderson’s fascination with abandoned places and dark creatures kindled her work as a paranormal investigator. But when dreams begin to distort reality, she questions what is real and pulls away from everyone she trusts. The opportunity to investigate the Teague Hotel–a long-abandoned landmark that has always piqued her curiosity–provides a chance to redeem herself. Unraveling the hotel’s secrets won’t be easy, but Kaylyn soon finds herself the target of a dark entity that has been trapped in the building for decades.
If Kaylyn stands any hope of defeating the spirit, she’ll have to accept that her fears are real and convince fellow investigators that she hasn’t lost her mind.
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About the Author: Skye Callahan
Skye Callahan is an Ohio-girl who has spent a lifetime chained to the imaginary worlds of the characters who live in her head. In elementary school she began writing down these characters’ stories to share with her friends and teachers. Although the paranormal was always her area of focus, she has recently followed her interest in BDSM and dark romance to venture into other realms.
When she isn’t spending time with the voices in her head, she loves spending time with her husband and two ferrets.
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