Dead End: Midnight Hollow by Penn Cassidy (free novel 24 TXT) 📗

drawers where the bodies lay to keep preserved. It smelled of formaldehyde, bleach, and the weak stink of death, reminding me of damp soil after a storm. It wasn’t the worst smell, but then again, I was a necromancer, so maybe an iron stomach just came with the job?

I was about to find out. I crept closer on silent feet, almost scared to breathe, terrified of both getting caught and what I was about to do. It was generally frowned upon to wake the dead. I kept picturing a mob with pitchforks coming after me. But I had to figure this out before I hurt anybody living.

I slowly reached out and grasped the cool metal handle, pulling it wide open just as a cold fog rolled out of the square hole. I so badly wanted to squeeze my eyes shut as I grabbed the metal tray with the dead body lying on top, but my eyes were glued to him as I slided him all the way out of the cubby.

It wasn’t so bad. He was still preserved and hadn’t started decaying, thanks to the temperature and chemicals. He only looked like he was sleeping, his eyes resting peacefully against his pale sickly skin. Deep purple circles were around his eyes, and his lips were the same color. Maybe if I kept pretending he was napping, it would be easier. Thank the great pumpkin a white sheet covered his body from the neck down. I shivered in dread at the thought of discovering a death wound. I didn’t care what the stupid book said to do, I wasn’t probbing any holes to find out the way they died. If I could bring the dead back to life, then they could tell me themselves.

It was time to get to work. I grabbed my Necromancy 101 book and flipped it open to the page I’d been reading earlier. So, you place your hand over the body, hovering just over the heart or head, and say a few lines. Easy peasy. Doing just that, I cleared my throat and started to read.

“Spirits of the afterlife, come to me! Hear my voice call for you, come to me! Arise spirit, arise!” I said it in the deepest, most commanding voice that I could muster and waited for something to happen.

My shoulders sagged when the body remained frozen in place, like I was expecting sparks or something magical to happen. Absolutely nothing.

“Okay, October, you got this. You're a strong, badass woman who can do this without breaking a sweat!” I chanted to myself, bouncing in place on the balls of my feet as I cracked my neck back and forth.

I ain’t scared of nothing! I got this! Necromancy powers, activate!

Channeling my inner Jessica made my confidence sky rocket, until the moment I felt someone breathing down the back of my neck. I spun around so fast that my fist accidentally collided with something hard, and the person let out a surprised painful grunt. I was totally about to kick some booty when Michael’s ocean eyes clashed with mine as he held a hand to his crotch and wheezed in pain.

“OMG! Michael you fucking scared me, you creeper! Oh shit, your balls! Are you okay?!” I was practically shouting in his pain filled face as I shoved his hand away from the front of his jeans and ran my fingers over him, massaging a bit, as if somehow I could make the pain go away.

We both froze when my fingertips skimmed over his cock. It was rising to the occasion suddenly. I realized at that moment that I was groping him like some pervy perv. I mean…it was an accident, but still.

“This is nice and all, but fuck, October, let go so my balls can breathe,” he choked out, putting a small bit of distance between us when I let go of him.

We stood there awkwardly. I wasn’t quite sure where to look, until I realized he was here at the morgue with me when I told no one where I was heading.

“Are you stalking me?” I raised a suspicious brow at him and secretly kind of liked the thought of him following me. It was sexy in a creepy, stalkery way, but also kind of hot.

Jesus, I’m messed up in the head for getting horny in the morgue.

“What? No. I tried a tracking spell…” He trailed off like he was hiding something as he glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck.

“And?” I cocked my hip out and glared up at him, sore balls be damned.

“I only needed a small piece of something of yours, and I really like those cute ass hugging panties of yours. You know the light blue—”

I smacked my hand over his mouth, and he grinned behind my palm, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Okay that’s enough out of you. If you wanted to see my panties that bad, all you had to do was ask.” I smiled coyly, edging my fingers down to the hem of my skirt and slowly dragging it up on my thigh.

I let my palm fall away as he said wickedly, “October, can I please see your panties?” He couldn’t look away from the skin I was exposing…and I was feeling bold. Besides, he asked so kindly.

I pretended to seriously consider it for a second, and his blue eyes lit up with hope.

“No.” I giggled as I let go of my skirt.

He started pouting like a big man baby. “Tease,” he muttered. “So what brings you to this lovely establishment? Besides, you know, the dead guy we’re standing next to.” He gestured to the body behind me and leaned causally against the cool metal box on his left.

I allowed myself a second to really look him over. I’d say this life agreed with him. He looked good—like really good. His eyes were blue like the ocean, nearly a midnight color in the center, like a sunrise tide on a beach. His emotions tended to