GhostlyPersuasion (18 page)

“You did see someone.” Riona sighed. “His name is Seamus
MacDonhnaill.”

“Is he a ghost then?” Callum asked, his face serious and
showing no sign of mockery.

“No.” Riona looked to Katie for confirmation. “Someone put a
spell on him a long time ago. But it went very wrong and turned him into some
kind of spirit.”

“So he isn’t dead then,” Callum asked.

“No.” Riona shook her head.

“And does this,” Callum pointed to the board he had exposed
from behind the outer mantel, “have something to do with all of that?”

“We think so,” Riona said.

Callum grunted. “What else do you need from me?” he finally
asked.

“I, uh…” Riona hesitated and looked to Katie and Seamus.

“I don’t know either.” Katie turned to Seamus. “Is that your
mantel?”

“It is,” he said. “But now what?”

Hope blossomed in Katie’s heart. Maybe they would be able to
break the curse after all. “He felt a shock when he touched it. And Callum was
able to see him for a second. Do you think it has something to do with the
curse?”

“Maybe so.” Riona’s brows drew down into a frown. “Seamus,
would you be willing to try again?”

“Don’t suppose it can harm me overly much,” Seamus said with
a shrug.

“Please don’t be a typical guy and keep touching it just
because you think you can take it,” Katie admonished. “If it hurts, let go.”

He offered her a small smile. “You worry about me, yet don’t
think twice about seeking out a lunatic ghost, Little Katie?”

“Yes, well, what can I say?” she said with a defiant lift of
her chin.

Seamus stepped closer and lowered his voice so only Katie
could hear him. “I’d kiss you right now, if I could.”

Butterflies fluttered in Katie’s belly. “I wish you could.”

“Okay, you two. Don’t forget you have an audience,” Riona admonished.
“Sort of.”

“Sorry,” Katie mumbled. “So, what do you want him to do
exactly?” she asked Riona.

“I’d like to know what happens if he makes full contact with
the mantel. So if he can stand it, I want him to touch it with both hands.
Callum, you’re the only one who can’t already see at least part of him now, so
if you don’t mind, can you watch and tell me what you see?”

“All right,” Callum agreed.

“Both of you might want to stay back a wee bit,” Riona said
to Callum and Katie.

“What about you?” Callum said before Katie could ask.

“I can shield myself if I need to, but I can’t protect all
four of us,” Riona told them.

Callum nodded but his lips were set in a firm line.

Katie chewed her lower lip.

Riona turned to Seamus. “If something goes bad, I’ll do what
I can to help you, Seamus. But since I don’t know exactly what Etain did in her
spell, I’ll be guessing.”

Seamus glanced at Katie. “Just make sure she isn’t harmed
and doesn’t do anything foolish to try to help.”

Riona gave him a small smile. “I’ll try.” She took a step
back. “Give me a moment to cast a cleansing spell.”

He nodded. “All right.”

Riona closed her eyes and murmured something under her
breath.

Katie felt a chilly breeze race across her arms and face as
if someone had opened a window and let in fresh, cool air. She looked around
the room to see if anyone else had noticed it.

Seamus’ eyes widened and he was glancing around the room as
well.

Callum was focused on Riona. For some reason the look on his
face reminded Katie of an ancient warrior set for battle.

Riona took a deep breath and exhaled. “I’m ready.” She
opened her eyes. “Go ahead and try the mantel.”

Seamus looked at Katie. In that moment she saw what could
only be love shining in his eyes. Her heart leapt with joy.

Then he stepped up to the wall and grabbed the board.
Without warning, it felt as if a storm had blown into the room. Seamus’ hair
stood on end and whirled around his face. The years of dust that had settled on
the board was scattered around the room. Katie heard some kind of chant or
rhyme echoing in the wind but still Seamus held on.

“What’s happening?” Katie yelled.

Then a second, shrill, female voice blew in. “Tell me,
Seamus. Tell me that you love me and you can be free.”

Etain. That crazy bitch.

“No,” Seamus roared. “I’ve already told you I don’t love you
and never will.”

Katie didn’t think it possible, but the wind blew even
faster through the room, forcing Katie to squeeze her eyes shut to protect them
from flying debris.

“I know that you do, Seamus. You have to love me. It’s the
only way,” Etain’s voice called to him, obviously trying to seduce him.

“Seamus, let go of the mantel,” Riona called out.

Seamus struggled with the board but he still held on to it.
“I can’t!”

Katie thought she heard shrill laughter, then more chanting
through the howling wind. The wind picked up speed, making the dirt and debris
feel like tiny pinpricks on her skin.

“Riona! Get Katie out of here,” Seamus shouted. “Etain is
here.”

“No! I won’t leave you, Seamus!” Katie yelled. She tried to
crawl over to Seamus but Callum grabbed her wrist. When she tried to yank her
hand away, he stopped her with a look then pointed to Riona.

Riona knelt behind Seamus in the center of the debris with
her hands extended to either side. The expression on her face was of total
calm. It was one she would expect to see on the face of a teacher working with
a pupil. As if she were waiting for him to come up with the answer he needed.

Seamus fought to free himself from the board, but it was
obvious he couldn’t. “Katie, you have to go! Riona, please, I’m begging you!”

“Why shouldn’t she stay?” Riona asked over the rushing wind.

Seamus’ jaw looked as if rocks would bounce off it. “I can’t
protect her like this. Get her out.”

“Why?” Riona insisted.

Tears ran down Katie’s face and she was torn between doing
as Seamus asked and stomping over to the center of the windstorm and demanding
Etain fix what she had caused.

“I don’t want her to get hurt,” Seamus yelled.

“Why not?” Riona continued to press.

“Because I love her, dammit!”

A shrill scream vibrated through the room. “No!”

Katie froze but her heart did loop-de-loops in her chest.

The wind stopped its wild, twirling motion, everything
paused for a split second then the wind blew outward in one big rush, knocking
everyone back onto the floor.

“What the hell,” Callum exclaimed as he sat up, having
landed on his ass about three feet from where he’d been standing. “Is everyone
okay?”

“Oowww,” Riona said, rubbing her head, as she rolled over
onto her hands and knees. “I’m fine,” she groaned. “Just a wee bit tender.
Katie?”

“Here.” Katie’s voice and everything else shook. “What about
Seamus?” She struggled to get up but winced and gripped her shoulder. “Riona,
is Seamus okay? Can you see him?”

“Oh God,” Riona whispered.

Katie struggled even harder to stand, still gripping her
shoulder. “What? What’s wrong?”

Riona knelt beside Seamus. He was very still. Riona reached
out, hesitantly, to touch him. “Seamus?” she asked quietly.

Katie rushed over and knelt on Seamus’ other side. Callum
crouched next to Riona.

“Oh my God, Seamus. No!” Tears flowed freely down Katie’s
face. She grabbed his shoulder and pushed him onto his back with her uninjured
arm. “Please wake up. Please wake up. Please!”

Riona looked at Callum, her face grim.

Katie wiped a few bits of dirt from Seamus’ face. “You have
to get up. Come on. For me, please.”

Sill his eyes did not open.

“Please, Seamus. I love you. You can’t leave me now.” She
dropped her face onto his chest and wept.

The rise and fall of his chest as Seamus inhaled deeply
stopped Katie’s sobbing. She raised her head and looked at Seamus’ face. Then
she looked to Riona with a questioning expression.

But Riona was watching Seamus.

“He’s real,” Katie said as the thought finally penetrated
her grief-stricken mind. “I can feel him.” She splayed her hands on his chest
and touched him everywhere. His chest, his chin, his arms, his face, his leg.
Even her sore arm appeared not to bother her anymore.

“Seamus?” Katie called softly.

“Little Katie,” Seamus finally murmured.

“Oh thank God,” Katie said as she fell across his chest and
hugged him.

Riona nudged Callum and pointed to the door. He nodded in
agreement and helped Riona to her feet. The two of them slipped out, leaving
the couple alone.

“I thought you were dead,” Katie said between sniffles.

“I’m not sure I wasn’t for a moment there,” Seamus said as
he pushed his fingers into her auburn tresses and rubbed the back of Katie’s
neck. He let his fingers trail through the length of her hair. “I knew it would
feel like silk.”

Katie lifted her head. “Are you okay?”

“A little weak, but I think I’m fine. Are you?”

“Very okay,” Katie said with a watery smile.

“Good.” He smiled then closed his eyes.

“You did it. You broke the curse.”

He opened his eyes. “With your help.”

“And you love me,” she said as tears pooled in her eyes
again.

“I do.”

“I’m glad.”

He chuckled, making his chest vibrate. “Are you?”

“Umhmm.” she nodded. “Because I love you too.”

“Ah, my Little Katie.” He pulled her higher up onto his
chest. “I’ve been starving for your kiss ever since our ride in the lift.”

“You may have one and then a whole lot more,” she said as
she leaned over and teased the edge of his lips with her tongue.

Seamus groaned and pulled her even more tightly against him.
The feel of his lips on hers was a dream come true.

Katie deepened the kiss and struggled to get even closer.
She inched her hips until she could throw one leg over his body and then
straddled his hips. However, when she tried to raise herself up on her arms,
she winced as she put weight on her injured shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” Seamus asked.

“My shoulder hurts a little. I must have hit something when
the spell went off or did whatever it did.” She leaned over, keeping her weight
on her good arm, and tried to kiss him again. “It’ll be fine.”

Seamus pulled Katie down next to him and turned so they were
face-to-face on their sides. “You’re not on your sore shoulder, are you?”

“No.” She smiled and wrapped her arm around Seamus’ chest.
“Oooo. I like this. Thank you.” Her fingers went to work touching every part of
him they could reach.

He chuckled. “It is rather nice, isn’t it?”

“So…” Katie said as she petted him. “Are you really okay?
Does everything feel, er… Right?”

“Nothing hurts. I just feel like I could sleep for days.” He
nuzzled her ear. “But I want to make love to you more than anything.”

“How about if I make love to you then?” She nibbled on his
chin. “You just lie there and let me do all the work.”

“Ah, my Little Katie. You are too good to me.”

She traced the edge of his lower lip with her tongue then
mumbled, “Oh just you wait.” She kissed him slow and easy, the way she’d
dreamed of doing for days.

His cock twitched against her belly in response. Obviously
that part of him was not tired.

Suddenly she stopped. “Hang on a second.” Katie jumped up
and ran to the bathroom and grabbed her lost makeup bag. Her haste made her
fumble with the zipper. Thank God for Jenny and her overzealous attempts to
find her a man. She grabbed one of the condoms Jenny had stuffed into her bag
when she hadn’t been looking and dropped the rest back onto the bathroom
counter.

“What’s wrong?” Seamus leaned on his elbow on the floor as
she returned to the main part of the suite.

“Nothing’s wrong, I just want to make sure we’re a little
more careful this time. Especially now that you’re back to normal.”

“Careful?”

She knelt beside him and held up the plastic-wrapped circle.
“Don’t suppose you became familiar with these while you were spying on everyone
in the castle?”

“I didn’t spy on everyone in the castle but yes, I did learn
about condoms.” He took the package from her and examined it. “As I recall,
they stop the man’s seed from taking root and keep people from spreading
diseases?”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t believe I caught any diseases before becoming a
spirit, but I understand your desire to be, as you said, careful. And while I
saw condoms used many times in the Dungeon,” he handed the package back to her,
“I believe I may need your assistance this time.”

The twinkle in his eye made Katie think he wasn’t completely
serious about his request for help, but she didn’t mind. “I would be happy to
help you.”

She laid the condom aside then slid her hand under his shirt
and traced the planes of his stomach and chest. When she found a nipple, she
ran the pad of her finger around the hardened bud. His breath caught when she
pinched the sensitized peak.

Suddenly he flipped her onto her back and leaned over her.
The look on his face made her wonder if he was about to devour her. What a
delicious possibility.

“No matter how tired I feel, I cannot lie here and be a
passive recipient. I’ve been aching for you for far too long, Little Katie.”

She ran her hands up his back and pulled him closer. “Well,
then, perhaps we can ravish each other.”

“That sounds perfect.” He closed the remaining distance
between them and captured her lips. Their tongues teased and danced while their
hands groped and desperately tried to remove all the barriers between them.

After struggling with the unfamiliar buckle on his pants,
Katie pushed him back, breaking their kiss. They were both panting.

“What’s wrong? Did I hurt your shoulder?” Seamus asked.

Katie quivered with need. “No,” she quickly reassured him.
“I can’t undo your pants.” She tugged at the waistband. “You need to do it.”