GHOST GAL: The Wild Hunt (16 page)

“We’re here to rescue you,” Joshua said as he joined them in the study.

“Rescue me?” Hans Holzer was a proud man. He was used to being the one to do the rescuing. He was unaccustomed to it being the other way around.

“Yes,” Joshua said, ushering his future mother-in-law toward the door. “So, let’s go!”

“I can’t,” Hans said.

“Why not?” Alexandra demanded.

He stared straight ahead. “Unfinished business.”

She followed his line of sight and saw the young man standing there. If the gunshots had hit their mark, the smiling man on her father’s balcony gave no indication.

“Who is he, Poppa?” she asked.

“Someone I never expected to see again, Shura. He’s dangerous.”

“Let me guess,” she said. “He’s a Slaugh.”

Hans turned toward her. “How could you know that?”

“Long story. I’ll tell you later. Right now, we need to get you out of here. These guys are here for you.”

“That’s only partially true, Alexandra,” the man on the balcony said through the shattered glass. “I’m here for all of you.”

She hefted the bat as if ready to hit one out of the park. “Bring it on, pal! I’ve already knocked out one of your playmates today. I’m not afraid of you.”

The Slaugh took a step through the shattered glass door. “This one’s definitely a chip off the ol’ block, eh, Professor? You must be so proud.”

Alexandra moved in for the attack while the intruder was focused on her father. She swung the bat as hard as she could at the Slaugh’s head.

Without looking, he caught the wooden club mid swing.

When he turned to look at her, there was contempt in his eyes.

“Naughty, naughty,” he said as he squeezed.

The bat shattered into tiny fragments.

He dropped the broken pine and turned back toward Hans.

Holzer lifted the gun and fired again.

The bullet hit the Slaugh in the chest, but it didn’t even slow him down.

The Slaugh backhanded Hans and sent him flying over the desk, knocking books and papers to the floor with him. He landed with a pained grunt, losing his grip on the gun, which slid across the room.

“Poppa!” Alexandra shouted.

Joshua moved faster. He stepped between the attacker and the Holzer’s with only a golf club as a weapon. “Not gonna happen,” he said.

The Slaugh laughed. “There’s no limit to the bravery of your family, Hans,” he said with an evil cackle that reminded Joshua of an old movie villain. All he needed was a mustache to twirl.

He took another step forward.

As focused on the others as he was, the Slaugh had forgotten about Alexandra. She didn’t have anything in her tool belt that would work against the Slaugh, but she couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Remembering what Jacob had told her earlier, she knew that the Slaugh’s host body could be hurt. He had shrugged off the damage caused by the bullet wounds, but not the pain.

Alexandra threw herself at the Slaugh and tackled him. They slammed into her father’s desk. She hooked an arm around his neck and held on tight as he tried to toss her aside.

She planted her feet against the thick desk and pushed.

Max Bartlett lost balance and toppled over. Alexandra held on tight all the way down and made sure he took the brunt of the fall. Instinctively, she loosed her grip on impact.

The Slaugh was down, but not out.

He flung her away like a rag doll and Alexandra crashed against the desk. She saw stars from the impact. She also saw something else that gave her hope.

The containment vessel she had brought her father to study lay nearby, having been knocked over in the confusion. She grabbed it and pulled it close. It wasn’t broken, thankfully.

Alexandra stood.

“Hey,” she called.

When the Slaugh turned to face her, she popped the top off the jar
and––

––nothing happened.

“Is that supposed to scare me?” Max asked with a chuckle before turning back to face his enemy.

That’s when Joshua decked him.

The Slaugh staggered backward, caught off guard by the punch to the jaw.

“Okay, Plan B,” Alexandra whispered as she recorked the jar. “Hey,” she said again.

The Slaugh turned back toward her, this time less than amused. “You’re starting to lose your appeal, girl. I’ve just about had enough…” he started.

The only thing he saw was Alexandra Holzer swinging the jar at him.

The base caught Max Bartlett under the chin and knocked him backward with enough force to knock him off his feet and over the desk where he crashed into a bookcase.

Hans, Joshua, and Catherine moved quickly and toppled the heavy wooden shelf and all of the items on it atop the Slaugh.

“I think now would be a good time to leave,” Joshua said and pointed toward the door.

“You might be right,” Hans said.

Joshua led them out with Alexandra bringing up the rear. She had almost squeezed through the opening when a heavy wind blew past her. The entire house shook as though a bomb had exploded.

Alexandra turned back just in time to see the spirit of the Slaugh rise up from the body of its host. Screeching to the heavens, the Slaugh caught sight of her and their gazes met across the room.

A smile creased the spirit’s hideous face.

“Oh, crap,” Alexandra muttered right before the ghost attacked.

A
lexandra Holzer dove for cover as the ghost flew toward her.

Less than a second later the door exploded into tiny pieces of shrapnel that pelted her. In the hallway, she heard her family shout. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she hoped they were okay.

The Slaugh’s spirit was angry. As hard as it had been to stop before, now that it was not bound to a host, it was even stronger, as evidenced by the splintered door. Obviously, this ghost still held onto part of its corporeal form. It had substance. She hoped that could somehow give them an advantage.

The containment vessel lay next to her. It had been all but useless against the Slaugh while it possessed the human host, but now that it was freed from its fleshy shell, she wondered if it would work.

She picked up the jar and ran after her family.

The moment she stepped out into the hallway, she knew they were in trouble.

The five intruders had all shed their fleshy hosts and were now zooming about the house like a pack of wild animals, a literal wild hunt. Gone were any vestiges of humanity. These were the Slaugh’s true forms. They were wild, resembling a wild dog with long unkempt hair, large snouts and sharp teeth. Ghostly spittle dripped from their wagging tongues.

“You think this will work now?” Alexandra yelled over the loud screeching wail of the ghosts and the wind.

“I don’t know!” Hans Holzer shouted back at her.

The Slaugh leader turned at the sound of her voice and zeroed in on Alexandra. With an angry snarl, he launched himself at her.

Once again, she tried to sidestep the attack, but the Slaugh was quicker this time. A swipe of his clawed hand caught the containment vessel, knocking it free from her grip and over the edge of the railing where it fell.

––Straight into the waiting arms of Jacob Black below.

The Slaugh lashed out again and the blow knocked her into the wall, rattling her teeth. Instead of finishing her off, the ghost dove over the railing in pursuit of the jar. That told Alexandra that it was indeed
something that could trap the spirits of the Slaugh. The only other thing that she knew could work was a spell cast by a coven of witches.

Never a good coven around when you need one, she mused as she made her way to the railing and looked over just in time to see the Slaugh attack Jacob.

Jacob Black barely had time to react.

One minute he and Samuel Esau were surrounded by the flying spirits of The Wild Hunt and the next there was a loud crash from above. He looked up in time to see something fall toward him. Reacting on instinct, he caught it.

He recognized it immediately.

“Where the hell did this…?” he started, but then he heard Alexandra scream his name from above.

He looked up just in time to see another of the Slaugh, this one the leader of the pack, he assumed, heading straight toward him.

“Samuel!” he shouted and tossed the jar to him just before the Slaugh hit him.

The angel caught it easily. He too recognized it as the vessel he had given Alexandra days before. “This could work,” he muttered then set about to work.

Jacob and the ghost struggled as they slid across the floor, coming to a stop near the fireplace. The Slaugh had speed, size, and strength on its side. Jacob needed leverage. He grabbed a piece of burning wood from the fire and hit his attacker in the head with it.

The Slaugh wasn’t hurt, but he was distracted enough that Jacob was able to push himself out of the creature’s reach.

Once he was on the move he hurled the log at the beast like a fiery missile.

The Slaugh swatted it away easily. “I’m going to enjoy ripping you apart,” he growled.

“Bigger than you have tried,” Jacob said. He took a fighter’s stance and prepared for the inevitable attack. Beyond the Slaugh, he could see Samuel priming the containment vessel. All he had to do was keep the leader of The Wild Hunt busy long enough to buy him time.

“You want some of this, little doggie?” Jacob taunted the Slaugh.

The Slaugh growled.

“Come and get it, Fido.”

The Slaugh charged.

Alexandra caught up with her family at the top of the stairs.

“Are you all right?” she asked as she knelt next to her mother.

“We’re fine, sweetheart,” Catherine said, trying to hide her fear.

“Joshua, I need you to get them out of here,” Alexandra said. “Can you do that?”

“I’m not leaving you,” her fiancé said.

“Neither am I,” Hans added.

She blew out a breath. “Look, I think I know how to get rid of these guys, but I can’t do that and worry about the three of you at the same time.” She pointed back toward the study. “There’s a rope ladder under the shelf on the far left. You can use it to get out from the balcony.”

“But…” Joshua started.

“Just go.”

“You be careful,” Joshua said and kissed her.

“I will. Now go.”

She didn’t wait for them to get through the door before she ran down the stairs, ignoring the whipping wind and screech of angry ghosts flying about. She had noticed something strange and was surprised the others hadn’t seen it. Samuel was near the stairs, preparing the containment vessel. Of course, he’ll know how to make it work, she realized.

She had to stop him.

“Don’t!” she shouted as she ran toward him.

“What? Why not?”

“I have a plan,” she shouted over the noise. “Can you get their attention?” She pointed to the four spirits flying around wild above their heads.

“Probably,” Samuel said. “Why?”

“Haven’t you wondered why they aren’t attacking us?”

The realization now dawned on the angel. “Too busy…I didn’t
notice. Why aren’t they attacking?”

“Only the alpha dog over there has attacked us since they lost their hosts. I assume it was much the same down here too.” She pointed to Jacob and the Slaugh across the room.

“It has.”

She tapped a fingernail against the glass jar. “Get this thing ready, but wait for my signal.”

“You got it,” he said. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”

“No,” she said with a chuckle. “Why start now?”

“Ready?”

“Do it.”

“You might want to cover your ears,” he warned.

Samuel whistled. It was the most shrill sound Alexandra had ever heard, but it did the trick. Above them, the wayward ghosts slowed, their attention fixed on Samuel. Even Jacob and his opponent turned toward the sound.

“All yours,” he told her.

“Lucky me,” she muttered. Then, she raised her voice for all to hear. “Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s chat! As I understand it, you’re sin eaters!”

Above, the ghosts of the Slaugh slowed until they hovered in mid air. The wind stopped as did their screams.

“I also know you’re a little bit out of practice, what with having spent God only knows how long trapped in limbo! That’s why I am willing to forgive you for overlooking the most obvious sinner in this room!”

“What are you doing?” Samuel asked.

She waved him off. “Trust me,” she said.

“Alexandra…” Jacob warned, but his opponent caught him unaware and slammed him into the wall, face first. With a pained moan, Jacob slumped to the floor.

Ignoring the leader, Alexandra resumed her dialogue with the remainder of The Wild Hunt. She pointed toward their leader. “Have you wondered why that one is so much more powerful than the rest of you? His sin is great!”

“What are you playing at, girl?” the Slaugh leader demanded. “My brothers are loyal to me! Your lies will not deter them from their course! Kill her, my hunters!”

“You see? He calls you my hunters, my brothers,” Alexandra said, laying it on thick. “Why is he solid while you are not?”

The floating apparitions didn’t move.

“I said kill her!”

“And I’m asking you not to,” she said softly. “You ready?” she asked Samuel.