Vanquishing Ghosts (Tess Schafer-Medium) Read online

  "It felt uncomfortable? And you guess you took it off? Don't you remember?"

  Kade scrubbed his face with his hands and let out a long sigh. "Hell, Tess. It sounds crazy but I honestly don't remember removing it and yet I'm pretty sure that I did."

  "In what way did it feel uncomfortable?"

  Shifting restlessly, Kade gave the question some thought. "I just remember thinking that it felt uncomfortable and I had the strongest urge to yank it off. I didn't want to be wearing it anymore. That's all I remember of it."

  "So where do you think it is? Did you feel that way before or after you noticed the chairs had been moved?"

  "I'm pretty sure I took it off just before I carried the salt and pepper shakers to the table. In fact, that's when I noticed how cold it felt but figured it was because I had just moved away from a hot stove."

  "Where was Alex? He didn't bark until you turned around and noticed what happened with the chairs, right?"

  "Honestly, Tess, I can't remember. Alex was lying on the floor next to my feet while I was making the omelets. He scrambled to his feet when I walked over to the table but he stayed behind the island next to the stove. When I came back to get the omelets, my back prickled ... you know, like when you know something is going on behind you even though you can't hear anything. This cold dread just washed over me and when I started to turn around, that's when Alex barked and started growling." His eyes, looking apologetic and dark with concern met mine. "I just don't remember a whole lot after that."

  "Robin told us the necklaces would help protect us. The Big Bad obviously didn't want you wearing yours and somehow he convinced you to remove it." But how was it that he could so easily influence Kade like that? "What were you doing when you felt the necklace become uncomfortable?"

  "Nothing really. I had the eggs all mixed up and the vegetables chopped. I was waiting for the pan to heat up before pouring the eggs and was thinking about painting."

  "Painting what?"

  Heaving a frustrated sigh, Kade stood up and walked to the fireplace. He rested an arm on the mantel and stared down into the empty grate. "Jesus. It's like my frigging mind has gone blank on me, Tess. I'm not sure what I was planning to paint and yet my mind was actively working on it."

  "I do that sometimes, Kade, when I'm thinking about starting a story. I don't have anything in particular in mind and yet I guess subconsciously I do. Your focus was so intent on painting that it left you open to influence. That's why we must keep our wits about us, Kade. We can't be letting our minds drift off. It leaves us vulnerable."

  "So that damned thing influenced me yet again," his voice was as grim as his expression.

  "It's focused on you, Kade. It's drawn to your male energy. I think it's been feeding on male energy whenever there is any residing in this house and has been doing so for a long time."

  Kade slipped his hand in his pocket then lifted his head in surprise, turning to look at me with a raised brow. "Well, well..." He lifted his necklace up for me to see. "At least he didn't convince me to heave it into obscurity." He put the necklace back on then slipped the pendent under his t-shirt. "Hopefully, I can manage to keep it there."

  "It's important that you do, Kade. I felt my necklace get hot during the whole incident. I think the Big Bad tried to surround me but the protective measures I was actively creating obviously worked." I gave him a significant look and he nodded in understanding.

  "I don't know why I feel so defiant to your suggestions, Tess. I'm sorry."

  "Well, part of the problem is your logical brain tells you that imagining a light can't possibly be effective."

  "I really don't understand it but even so, I do believe you."

  "Believing something isn't the same as knowing it. There is still that element of doubt. It’s that “not knowing for sure” part that causes problems when faced with trouble, especially when being influenced by dark forces. And this house is very strong with one, Kade. It's stronger than anything I've ever encountered."

  "Maybe we should just leave."

  "What? But I just bought this house. I'm not going to let some evil entity have it. This place is mine. Besides, it was never meant to house something so terribly negative. I just feel this place is special somehow and now I must protect it." As the words tumbled out, I couldn't help but wonder if I was being influenced by the story I was now working on. Naylee, too, had been intent on protecting the land and I felt in my gut that this was the land she was trying to protect. And if that was truly the case, then they had failed.

  Kade came back to the sofa and sat down close to me. He took my hands in his and rubbed the backs of them with his thumbs. "I am failing you in this. Twice now, that evil thing has managed to take charge of me and I'm terrified of hurting you, Tess."

  "Not if you protect yourself." Squeezing his hands, I turned to face him, my eyes meeting his with intense focus. "Every time I have asked you to imagine a protective light around you, nothing bad has ever happened to you, has it?"

  "No. But my stupid, logical reasoning comes in to play here and tells me that nothing would have happened anyway."

  "But, Kade, that's just it. The two times you didn't protect yourself with the imaginary light, something has happened."

  "True. But it still doesn't make sense."

  "Kade, here in the physical world we've grown to accept that the only thing that is real is that which can be proven beyond doubt. All else falls into the category of belief. It takes a leap of faith to accept something that defies natural logic and the way we understand things. But once you act on something you only believe will work, that is taking a leap of faith and it activates its power to manifest."

  "Tess, just listen to me for a minute." Kade stopped to think how he wanted to word what he was going to say and then giving a nod, he just dove right in to his argument. "Imagining a light is just something you are thinking about. You are thinking about a light and that thought is there in your head. What is happening though is not in your head, it's out there." He pulled a hand from mine and waved it toward the room at large. "It makes no logical sense that a thought can have power to ward off an event that is physically happening."

  "It's basic physics, Kade. Thoughts are things. They are energy in motion. Our world ... every single thing about it ... operates on energy. Every form of energy can and will affect other forms of energy. It's very simple and basic physics here. You are complicating it by thinking that thoughts are nothing and have no substance. And yet people are influenced by thoughts all the time. How often have you and I just looked at each other and communicated with just our thoughts?"

  "No, not a good argument. Body language helps us know what people are thinking."

  "Really? Think back a few times, Kade. Has every instance been accompanied by a body movement that helped you know what I was thinking about? Sometimes we aren't even looking at each other and yet you still know what's going on in my head."

  Kade gave it some thought and then nodded. "Okay. I concede. So how does it work exactly?"

  "Well, as I said, everything operates on energy. When you focus on a particular thought, you are giving more energy to it and thus increasing its power. When you connect your thought to spirit, you are making it even stronger. When I say to imagine a light around you, I also tell you that its God's protective light. That is now making a spiritual connection and the energy from spirit combines with the energy of your thoughts and waaaala!" I snapped my finger. "We have power."

  "Okay. I'll buy that. But how is it that our necklaces have power to protect, or those salt lamps or the bamboo or the incense you like to burn?"

  "It's all the same concept, Kade. All things are energy and their energy has assigned purpose. Whether you believe it or not, their energy exists and has a specific purpose for its existence. When you combine your belief or knowledge to that energy source, it makes their purpose more influential. I think the medical world is a perfect example. The placebo effect all works on what concept? Belief. B
ut, actual medications will work on someone whether they believe in them or not, to a degree anyway."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, some people might be in a coma and not know what doctors are doing to save their life. The medicine will do what it's supposed to do unless it is spiritually rejected. And if that's the case, you probably are looking to move on from physical life. Miracle cures happen all the time, Kade. Doctors can't explain it, there is no logical medical explanation and yet a cure has happened. That is the power of belief and it's very, very hard to achieve that sort of mindset. It's just one of the many challenges we have in life."

  "Well, I can't say I'm completely won over but the fact remains ... the Big Bad has influenced me twice and you not at all. Your imaginary light must be working and obviously your necklace helped as well. So, I'll go with it for now and see how it pans out."

  Sighing with relief, I snuggled close and hugged him tight. "I'm so glad, Kade. I don't want that thing getting its clutches into you anymore."

  "So, hopefully we can make it through the night without getting tossed around on the bed and tomorrow we'll find us a Spiritualist pastor to come bless the house. If we're lucky, we just might diminish some of the power the Big Bad obviously enjoys here."

  "Yes. Hopefully." And then because I couldn't help but tease him. "As to being tossed about on the bed, that sounds rather interesting. Just so long as it's you and I doing the tossing."

  Grinning now with playful devilry, Kade stood and lifted me from the couch. Tossing me over his shoulder, he headed for the doorway with Alex yapping excitedly at his heels.

  "Kade, put me down! What are you doing?"

  "Taking you to bed."

  "It's too early to go to sleep."

  "Who mentioned sleep?"

  Chapter 12

  We spent an amazing hour forgetting about our ghost problems and focusing on each other. Of course, the first ten minutes or so of that hour was used to protect the room against any possible spiritual interruptions. And then we spent another ten minutes or so anticipating something anyway. But once we began to focus on each other, our concerns melted away and things progressed into more sensual matters. I loved being with Kade. He made me feel like I was beautiful and precious. I certainly felt that way about him and tried to convey as much with my touch and my kisses.

  Afterwards we decided to take a bath in the garden tub which was just the right size for the two of us. It was while we were soaking in the warm sudsy water that I told him about my story.

  “Naylee is an interesting name,” Kade murmured. Since his cheek rested against my head, his soft voice spoke next to my ear, sending delightful tickles along my neck and down my spine. “Do you think it is the younger version of the female spirit you connected with earlier?"

  "No. I still think the girl I connected with earlier is the same girl from Buck's cemetery and she was a young girl, not old like Naylee."

  "Well then, maybe the spirit you connected with is the Young One in your story."

  "Hmmm. Maybe." Now that I had time to mull over it, my mind was going crazy trying to figure out the connection. "She was growing herbs."

  "Didn't you say that Isidora was an herbalist?"

  I did! How could I have forgotten that? Isidora was the daughter born in secret to Isabelle, a distant relative of my friend Mary. I discovered Isidora's story while helping Mary's family with their ghost problems. "But why would she be here at my house?"

  "She might have lived near here. Or maybe she knew this Naylee woman and came here to learn her craft."

  "Naylee wasn't a witch, Kade."

  "But she had psychic abilities didn't she? So did Isidora if I remember it correctly. People like that were often mistaken as witches back then.” He paused for a moment then went on before I could comment. “Wasn’t it Isidora who actually started the curse rumors about Buck's monument?"

  "Yes, and she died young ... tragically." I twisted around so I could look at Kade. "We need more information. Tomorrow, after we get back from the Spiritualist camp, we'll stop and talk to Rid. He knows more about this town's history than anyone. I've been meaning to talk to him about this house but with everything that happened at Mary's, I sort of forgot."

  "Speaking of Mary, when are she and her family due in town?"

  "I believe they'll be here by the end of the week. It will be good to have her back and I'm looking forward to meeting her husband and sons."

  Kade wrapped his arms around me and squeezed gently. Then his hands began a sensual exploration that made my breath hitch. "You have the softest skin. It's hard to concentrate on anything but you right now."

  Smiling, happy that I distracted him, I began explorations of my own. And it was going well until the lights went out and seconds later so did the candles we had placed around the tub.

  "On no." Kade tensed and sat up a bit higher.

  "Listen, Kade, remember what we talked about. We need to imagine our protective light. And if you feel yourself losing focus on it, once you realize that, then think about it again and make the light even brighter."

  "Okay, Tess. I got this. No more Big Bad take-overs."

  We stepped out of the tub and tried the lights. Nothing. The room grew cold, enough so that we were both shivering and could see our breath. Kade pushed the door open to the bedroom and it was a relief to see that the lamp next to the bed was still lit. We dressed quickly in the sweats we hung on the door earlier and then walked into the bedroom. Alex was lying on the window seat when we headed for the bathroom but we didn't see him there now. I was just about to check under the bed when I heard him barking. It sounded distant and I couldn't quite make it out where the sound was coming from.

  Kade started for the door when he suddenly stopped and backed toward me. "Tess, do you see what I see?"

  A light flashed just above our heads near the window. And then the room was flooded with the aroma of some sort of herb I couldn't quite name. It was sort of woodsy ... spicy. I sniffed at the air trying to place it and glanced at Kade who was doing the same thing. “What is that smell?”

  "I could almost swear it smells like cumin of all things." Kade drew in another deep whiff then nodded with conviction. "Definitely cumin."

  "Cumin?" I wasn't familiar with that spice.

  "I use it in quite a few dishes actually. Mexican food has a lot of cumin."

  "Mexican food? Why would we be smelling Mexican food?"

  "You know, Tess, I've come to expect nothing to make sense." He glanced around the room. "Did you see that light?"

  "I did. It might have been a spirit entering into our dimension."

  "Not the Big Bad I hope."

  I started to shake my head when a cold shiver raced from the top of my head down through my spine and into every part of my body, making my nerve endings tingle as if coming out of the throes of frostbite. I swung around to look toward the bathroom and just as I did so, the door slammed closed. I heaved an exasperated sigh and fought to keep my impatience at bay. This slamming of doors crap was getting old.

  From wherever Alex was located, his barks increased with earnest and then we heard Dennis join in with a long, wailing yowl.

  Kade grasped my arm and pulled me close. "Let's stick together here, Tess. What's going on now?"

  "I don't know but whoever entered our room ... the Big Bad isn't too happy about it. She's keeping him out. Not that I'm any happier about him being in our bathroom."

  "So now what do we do? Seems we have a lot of things going on at once."

  Although I was curious as to what was exciting Alex and Dennis, their cries did not sound alarming so I figured it was safe to let them wait. Getting the Big Bad out of my bathroom was my priority. The idea of that evil thing hanging out anywhere in my house was upsetting enough, having it that close to me was even more so. "We need to get the bathroom cleared."

  "Okay. What do we do?"

  "Fight it with the only thing I know ... our belief. We will focus on creating
a strong light around us and then walk to the bathroom keeping the image clear in our minds. At the same time I will order it to leave and then we are going to have to do something to protect this room ... to ensure it doesn't come back in here."

  "It would be great if we could keep it out of the whole house."

  "Yes it would but I don't know if I have a strong enough belief to make that happen. I seem to manage better on the small scale."

  "You call this small?" Kade’s hand slid down to mine and squeezed it gently. "This is all quite bizarre, Tess. Better than those Paranormal Activity movies."

  "Fran made me watch them all with her while I was in New York. They really creeped me out because a lot of that stuff actually happens. Though some of it was rather out there."

  "You want to talk movies or get rid of this thing?"

  "I think I'm just trying to calm myself down."

  "By talking about a horror movie involving a nasty demon when we seem to be facing the same thing?"

  Laughing in response, I found that a much better form of relaxation. "Okay, let's do this."

  "What about that twinkling light and the cumin smell ... which seems to be gone."

  "There's a female spirit here, Kade. She's going to add her energy to ours to help us get rid of it."

  Giving a determined nod, Kade walked to the bathroom door and pushed it open. A blast of cold air blew over us, catching us off guard and making us retreat a couple steps in response.

  Kade took a determined step forward. "Is that the best you can do, buddy?"

  "Kade, let's not antagonize it." A little worried that Kade might get upset and let the Big Bad in, I touched his arm. "Keep the vision clear in your mind. You are going to have to multi-task here, Kade. You need to concentrate on what's happening while keeping a clear vision of the light around you."

  "I can do that. Don't worry, Tess, I'm not going to let you down again."

  Deciding it best to keep hold of his hand, I laced my fingers through his and then we entered the darkened bathroom together. Just to be sure the door didn't close behind us, Kade stood slightly back with a foot out to stop it from doing so. The bathroom was quite dark even though there were windows near the tub and next to the shower. Night had fallen and it seemed to be a moonless one. Kade tried the light switch again but nothing happened.