coming off a ghost and sometimes the space where
the ghost is looks almost like a heat wave—like a shift in
energy—but I’ve never had goose bumps from it, or a creepy
sensation.” She cocked her head, watching me carefully. “Does that
happen every time?”
I nodded slowly.
Before I could answer, Wayde interjected,
“The goose bumps are because you’re sensing the beyond. It’s not
the ghost itself; it’s the sensation of being back in the
Netherworld. Your body is remembering the time. Are you able to
feel their touch?”
I nodded again, totally spooked. “They feel
cold.”
“Well then, think, girl.” Wayde looked at me
as if my head was empty. “If a ghost has no physical strength in
this world, how are you able to feel its touch?”
A sudden iciness slid through my veins and I
wrapped my arms around myself, chilled to my bones. “I don’t feel a
touch, just coldness.”
Wayde inclined his head, leaning back in his
seat and placing his arms upon the armrest. “But they have no power
to touch anything.”
“Yes, but it’s only air.”
“They aren’t air.”
A hundred retorts held on my tongue, but it
seemed by his knowing look he’d shut them all down, so I swallowed
back any further responses. The sitting room wasn’t overly small,
but it seemed like the walls were closing in on me.
Not allowing myself to be lost in panic, I
blew out a long breath, settling the anxiety tightening my throat.
“All right, so you’re saying that because of my connection to the
Netherworld, I am able to interact with ghosts in a way most can’t.
Plus, the sensations I get from ghosts is because that’s what the
Netherworld feels like and they can only touch me because I’ve been
there?”
Wayde gave a firm nod. “Precisely.”
As much as all this gave me the
heebie-jeebies, it also meant the answer to find Kipp didn’t lie
with the man in front of me. My powers held the key. Perhaps that
meant I didn’t need Wayde, but I needed Nettie’s knowledge. “So, I
only need to tap further into that sensation and stop being blind
to it, and then what, I’ll go into the Netherworld?”
“Your dreams are the gateway into the
Netherworld,” Wayde replied as if discussing the pale blue paint on
the walls.
I blinked in confusion. “But you said I sense
the Netherworld when awake, so why would I need to dream to go
there?”
Gretchen left her place by the window and
leaned up against the side of the couch next to me, keeping her
gaze firmly on Wayde. “She’s right—that doesn’t make sense.”
“Actually, it does.” He raised his eyebrows
at Gretchen, then said to me, “You will always feel the Netherworld
with you, since it’s because of there you have the gifts you do.
The Netherworld is always with you. But from what I’ve read
about Nettie, she found a way to access the Netherworld through REM
sleep.” He stretched out his legs, lacing his hands behind his
head, and his dark eyes were ice cold. “In fact, I’d reckon you’ve
journeyed there without knowing it.”
I gulped. “Journeyed there to do what?”
His expression remained stony with his shrug.
“Haven’t a clue since I’m not in your dreams, am I?”
“Hold up.” I shook my head to slow the spin.
This wasn’t at all where I expected him to go with this. My
dreams ? “Are you suggesting that when people dream they go into
the Netherworld?”
“No, Tess, not people,” he replied carefully.
“ You .”
While I wanted to reject what he said, since
it seemed far out there, a sudden memory rushed into my mind of a
certain dream I experienced with Kipp. One, with us naked, doing
naughty things to each other, had seemed all too real at the time.
Had that dream actually happened and somehow taken place in the
Netherworld? But then, why didn’t Kipp tell me as much? If that
happened, he would’ve known, right?
Perhaps he didn’t want to scare me, or maybe
he knew I would’ve been less than enthused to hear we did that
the ghost is looks almost like a heat wave—like a shift in
energy—but I’ve never had goose bumps from it, or a creepy
sensation.” She cocked her head, watching me carefully. “Does that
happen every time?”
I nodded slowly.
Before I could answer, Wayde interjected,
“The goose bumps are because you’re sensing the beyond. It’s not
the ghost itself; it’s the sensation of being back in the
Netherworld. Your body is remembering the time. Are you able to
feel their touch?”
I nodded again, totally spooked. “They feel
cold.”
“Well then, think, girl.” Wayde looked at me
as if my head was empty. “If a ghost has no physical strength in
this world, how are you able to feel its touch?”
A sudden iciness slid through my veins and I
wrapped my arms around myself, chilled to my bones. “I don’t feel a
touch, just coldness.”
Wayde inclined his head, leaning back in his
seat and placing his arms upon the armrest. “But they have no power
to touch anything.”
“Yes, but it’s only air.”
“They aren’t air.”
A hundred retorts held on my tongue, but it
seemed by his knowing look he’d shut them all down, so I swallowed
back any further responses. The sitting room wasn’t overly small,
but it seemed like the walls were closing in on me.
Not allowing myself to be lost in panic, I
blew out a long breath, settling the anxiety tightening my throat.
“All right, so you’re saying that because of my connection to the
Netherworld, I am able to interact with ghosts in a way most can’t.
Plus, the sensations I get from ghosts is because that’s what the
Netherworld feels like and they can only touch me because I’ve been
there?”
Wayde gave a firm nod. “Precisely.”
As much as all this gave me the
heebie-jeebies, it also meant the answer to find Kipp didn’t lie
with the man in front of me. My powers held the key. Perhaps that
meant I didn’t need Wayde, but I needed Nettie’s knowledge. “So, I
only need to tap further into that sensation and stop being blind
to it, and then what, I’ll go into the Netherworld?”
“Your dreams are the gateway into the
Netherworld,” Wayde replied as if discussing the pale blue paint on
the walls.
I blinked in confusion. “But you said I sense
the Netherworld when awake, so why would I need to dream to go
there?”
Gretchen left her place by the window and
leaned up against the side of the couch next to me, keeping her
gaze firmly on Wayde. “She’s right—that doesn’t make sense.”
“Actually, it does.” He raised his eyebrows
at Gretchen, then said to me, “You will always feel the Netherworld
with you, since it’s because of there you have the gifts you do.
The Netherworld is always with you. But from what I’ve read
about Nettie, she found a way to access the Netherworld through REM
sleep.” He stretched out his legs, lacing his hands behind his
head, and his dark eyes were ice cold. “In fact, I’d reckon you’ve
journeyed there without knowing it.”
I gulped. “Journeyed there to do what?”
His expression remained stony with his shrug.
“Haven’t a clue since I’m not in your dreams, am I?”
“Hold up.” I shook my head to slow the spin.
This wasn’t at all where I expected him to go with this. My
dreams ? “Are you suggesting that when people dream they go into
the Netherworld?”
“No, Tess, not people,” he replied carefully.
“ You .”
While I wanted to reject what he said, since
it seemed far out there, a sudden memory rushed into my mind of a
certain dream I experienced with Kipp. One, with us naked, doing
naughty things to each other, had seemed all too real at the time.
Had that dream actually happened and somehow taken place in the
Netherworld? But then, why didn’t Kipp tell me as much? If that
happened, he would’ve known, right?
Perhaps he didn’t want to scare me, or maybe
he knew I would’ve been less than enthused to hear we did that
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