for real. Or maybe even, he realized my connection was
deeper than I knew and he didn’t understand it enough to explain it
to me, or maybe make sense out of it himself.
Could have been all those things, or a
hundred other possibilities. Too bad Kipp wasn’t around to answer.
Especially considering we did that in his bedroom, which
made me wonder if I was wrong. It didn’t happen in the Netherworld,
not that I knew what the mystical world looked like, but I
sincerely doubted it looked like Kipp’s bedroom.
For now, I focused on the present and stuck
to figuring out what all this meant. “If I can access the
Netherworld only when I’m sleeping, then how can I remember what
happens when I am there?” As soon as the words passed my lips, I
answered my own question. I remembered the sex with Kipp after I
had woken up, clear as day. Maybe it wasn’t all that difficult.
I had recalled my past dreams and now
wondered how many of those dreams where actually times I’d spent in
the Netherworld, chatting with ghosts. I shuddered at the thought
and hoped it didn’t happen often. “Okay, this is creepy.”
“Creepy?” Wayde glowered, standing from his
chair in a huff. “You have an incredible gift. Don’t frown upon
it.”
I glanced at Gretchen and she gave me a kind
smile, clearly understanding the weird information. I noticed the
strength in her gaze and that comforted me now. No matter where
this took me, Gretchen wouldn’t leave me and would do whatever she
could to keep me safe, that I believed without a doubt.
Feeling slightly more confident, I turned to
Wayde. “All right, so Nettie here…” I peered at the book and
couldn’t help but feel a little pull to the woman. Strange as it
might be, hearing of someone else who had my gifts gave me a
certain type of peace. Maybe I hated being alone in the world—one
crazy-ass ghost-seeing woman—and to know there had been another
gave me hope. “What happened to her?”
“Nothing.” Wayde replied, drawing my gaze up
to him. “She died in her eighties.”
I sighed, rolling my eyes. “So then, how will
seeing her picture and hearing we have the same gifts help me? I
have no idea how to dream myself into the Netherworld.”
“Flip to the fourth page.” After I did,
seeing nothing but diary-like writings, he approached me and knelt
against the dark hardwood floor, putting his hand on the book. “You
are not allowed to read past that page.”
I snorted, almost liking my suspicion,
because it meant I could hold the very answer to Kipp’s problem in
my hands. “Why, because the spell to fix Kipp is in this book?”
Wayde shifted on his knees and pressed harder
against the book against my legs. “No, I told you, the Lux is
protected. This book only contains Nettie’s history. But I may need
to use the information in here.”
I narrowed my eyes and squirmed against the
couch, so he eased up on the pressure. Nothing like having to help
a man who was planning to exploit me and didn’t even didn’t hide
that fact. Too bad for me, I didn’t have a choice but to comply.
“Fine. What am I reading?”
“It’s Nettie’s diary.” He tapped the book
with his index finger. “This passage will tell you how she entered
the Netherworld.”
“That easy, huh?” I retorted, not believing
anything could be so simple. “Read her diary, and I’ll have all the
answers I need to find Kipp?”
“If I attempted this, I would fail, but you…”
Wayde leaned away from me, but remained on his knees. “Yes, it’s
that easy.”
I glanced sideways at Gretchen, and once
again, she urged me with a nod. “It does make sense, Tess.” She
shifted on the armrest of the couch, peering down at me. “I only
know what I do from learning from the witches before me. In this
case, Nettie held the exact gifts you do, meaning she holds
the answers you need.”
She paused before she gestured to Wayde.
“He’s read her diary, which is how he knows about your gifts. You can
deeper than I knew and he didn’t understand it enough to explain it
to me, or maybe make sense out of it himself.
Could have been all those things, or a
hundred other possibilities. Too bad Kipp wasn’t around to answer.
Especially considering we did that in his bedroom, which
made me wonder if I was wrong. It didn’t happen in the Netherworld,
not that I knew what the mystical world looked like, but I
sincerely doubted it looked like Kipp’s bedroom.
For now, I focused on the present and stuck
to figuring out what all this meant. “If I can access the
Netherworld only when I’m sleeping, then how can I remember what
happens when I am there?” As soon as the words passed my lips, I
answered my own question. I remembered the sex with Kipp after I
had woken up, clear as day. Maybe it wasn’t all that difficult.
I had recalled my past dreams and now
wondered how many of those dreams where actually times I’d spent in
the Netherworld, chatting with ghosts. I shuddered at the thought
and hoped it didn’t happen often. “Okay, this is creepy.”
“Creepy?” Wayde glowered, standing from his
chair in a huff. “You have an incredible gift. Don’t frown upon
it.”
I glanced at Gretchen and she gave me a kind
smile, clearly understanding the weird information. I noticed the
strength in her gaze and that comforted me now. No matter where
this took me, Gretchen wouldn’t leave me and would do whatever she
could to keep me safe, that I believed without a doubt.
Feeling slightly more confident, I turned to
Wayde. “All right, so Nettie here…” I peered at the book and
couldn’t help but feel a little pull to the woman. Strange as it
might be, hearing of someone else who had my gifts gave me a
certain type of peace. Maybe I hated being alone in the world—one
crazy-ass ghost-seeing woman—and to know there had been another
gave me hope. “What happened to her?”
“Nothing.” Wayde replied, drawing my gaze up
to him. “She died in her eighties.”
I sighed, rolling my eyes. “So then, how will
seeing her picture and hearing we have the same gifts help me? I
have no idea how to dream myself into the Netherworld.”
“Flip to the fourth page.” After I did,
seeing nothing but diary-like writings, he approached me and knelt
against the dark hardwood floor, putting his hand on the book. “You
are not allowed to read past that page.”
I snorted, almost liking my suspicion,
because it meant I could hold the very answer to Kipp’s problem in
my hands. “Why, because the spell to fix Kipp is in this book?”
Wayde shifted on his knees and pressed harder
against the book against my legs. “No, I told you, the Lux is
protected. This book only contains Nettie’s history. But I may need
to use the information in here.”
I narrowed my eyes and squirmed against the
couch, so he eased up on the pressure. Nothing like having to help
a man who was planning to exploit me and didn’t even didn’t hide
that fact. Too bad for me, I didn’t have a choice but to comply.
“Fine. What am I reading?”
“It’s Nettie’s diary.” He tapped the book
with his index finger. “This passage will tell you how she entered
the Netherworld.”
“That easy, huh?” I retorted, not believing
anything could be so simple. “Read her diary, and I’ll have all the
answers I need to find Kipp?”
“If I attempted this, I would fail, but you…”
Wayde leaned away from me, but remained on his knees. “Yes, it’s
that easy.”
I glanced sideways at Gretchen, and once
again, she urged me with a nod. “It does make sense, Tess.” She
shifted on the armrest of the couch, peering down at me. “I only
know what I do from learning from the witches before me. In this
case, Nettie held the exact gifts you do, meaning she holds
the answers you need.”
She paused before she gestured to Wayde.
“He’s read her diary, which is how he knows about your gifts. You can
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