Protecting His Windflower (A Spirit Hunters Series Novel Book 1) by Temperance Dawn (best ereader for epub TXT) 📗

guys tonight.” Trey glanced at Luke, who gave him a nod. “Luke and I will stay here. We’ll board up the window and clean up some of this mess. We’ll leave some cameras rolling tonight, maybe something will pick up. Take care of Emily. She’s scared shitless. Get her calm. And we’ll all talk in the morning.”

Liam didn’t know what to say. He knew his friends would be there for him. He spent all of his adult life chasing ghosts, but the thought of living through a haunting again shook him. Worse, the reality of Emily being put in more danger because the haunting seemed possessive of her frightened him. Liam knew what malicious entities were capable of. He’d seen it with his own eyes while helping others over the years.

Liam didn’t talk much about his paranormal experiences as a child, but Trey and Luke were a part of the select few who knew about what his family had gone through. The guys weren’t only friends and teammates, they were as close as brothers. Someone Liam cared about was being haunted. Liam was family, that meant Emily was also like family. He knew they would get to the bottom of it.

Luke spoke again, placing his hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Go on, Liam. Take care of Emily. We got your back.”

Nodding silently, Liam walked toward Emily. She sat in the chair with her hands under her thighs, shivering. Liam picked her phone up off of the coffee table, tucking it in his pocket before kneeling in front of her.

“Emily?” she looked up at him. He knew she was frightened but could see that she was trying to hide it. “You’re going to come upstairs to my flat with me.” Liam’s hand instinctively went to her cheek. Her eyes met his, the browns and golds shimmered in the warm evening light. “Trey and Luke are going to stay in your flat if you’re okay with that. They’re going to cover the window and leave some cameras rolling through the night.”

“O-okay. I’m o-okay with th-that. I’m s-s-orry I c-can’t stop s-shaking.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Liam instinctively lifted her up and carried her to her front door. Luke held it open for him as he shuffled past and walked straight upstairs to his flat. Once inside, he set Emily on his sofa and went to the bedroom where he pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt from his dresser. He could have gone back downstairs to grab something for her to sleep in, but he wasn’t about to leave her alone.

After setting the clothes in the bathroom, he walked back to the living room and found Emily sitting on the edge of the cushion. She lifted her head to him as he made his way back to her. “Hey. I put a change of clothes in the bathroom for you. Do you want to take a hot shower? It will help you warm up.”

“Yes,” she told him.

Liam took her hand to help her stand and guided her to the bathroom. “I’ll be right here in the living room. If you need anything, I’m right here.”

As Emily stepped through the bathroom, she turned and quietly called his name, “Liam?”

“Yes?”

“I can trust you, right?”

God, she was killing him. Liam wanted nothing more than to run to her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss her fears away. He walked to her, her gaze lifted as he approached. Liam leaned against the doorframe to the bathroom and took one of her hands in his. Energy danced and tingled in his palm. “Yes, Em. I promise. You can trust me.”

Emily squeezed his hand while looking him in the eye. She stepped closer to him. “I’m not going to lock the door. Just in case it shows itself again while I’m in here. I don’t want you to be locked out.”

“Okay. If you’re comfortable with that. I would never do anything to hurt you.” Liam kept his voice low and soft. He leaned down farther and placed his mouth near her ear. “But just so you know, that little flimsy lock isn’t going to do shit to stop me from getting to you if you need me.” Liam watched as a small shiver traveled down her body. Seeing Emily’s physical response to his words caused a chain reaction within him. The smoldering flame in his belly grew, and he’d be damned if he was going to attempt to smother it.

When he lifted his head, he caught her eyes. They were no longer wide with trepidation. Her lids were now heavy, her face relaxed, and her breath escaped in a long exhale.

“Okay. I’m leaving it unlocked. I’ll feel better knowing you can get here easier.”

Liam raised her hand to his mouth. Turning it, he kissed her palm. “Go on, baby. Have your shower and get warm.”

Emily stepped back, smiled at him while giving him a quick glance through her long lashes, and closed the door.

***

Emily inhaled the thick, warm steam that filled the bathroom. She stripped and climbed in the shower, adjusting the water to as hot as she could handle it. The spray stung her skin at first, but after a minute, her body acclimated to the temperature change, and she allowed the hot water to pound against her stiff muscles.

Emily had never been so cold in her life. Shaken to her core, her body was frozen from the inside out. The only comforting thought was Liam. She had been afraid of telling him what she had been living with her entire life. She was more afraid of him experiencing what was tormenting her, afraid he would think she was too much of a burden. But he didn’t pull away from her. Instead, he comforted her, surrounding her in a blanketing light of caring and understanding. It was a warmth of emotions she had never experienced before. Making her feel not only safe and excepted but strong and determined—to fight the evil that had