no idea why his human memories remained after he’d been turned. But they did.
Ronan wondered if he’d lost his humanity there and then, back in France with the injured screaming as their guts oozed out of them or their limbs lay beside them. Maybe he’d no longer had a soul when Voz had turned him. Maybe that’s why Voz had chosen him in the first place.
* * *
Sierra set the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter a second before Ruby appeared.
“I thought you were going to work on your plan of getting rid of Hal,” she said impatiently. “Why are you shopping?”
“Because there’s no food in the house.” She opened the refrigerator and put a dozen eggs in along with some Parmesan cheese and crusty bakery bread. She added fresh zucchini, broccoli, and a bag of russet potatoes to the fridge’s vegetable bin. The potatoes didn’t have to be refrigerated but she didn’t want them lying around in case Ruby decided to throw them like she had those plates.
Ghosts couldn’t get into refrigerators. Although sometimes they could make them, and other appliances, go on the fritz. Toasters seemed to be a popular target for some reason.
“What did you do about Hal?” Ruby demanded.
“I went upstairs before I went out.”
“And?”
“And I confronted him.”
Ruby looked doubtful. “Really?”
“Okay, he confronted me first, but only because he talked first.”
“He always does.”
“Good to know. I’ll remember that for next time.” Sierra folded the paper bags and set them beneath the sink.
“What happened when he confronted you? Did you turn around and run?” Ruby said.
“Of course not,” Sierra said. “He told me he wanted me gone and I told him I wanted him gone.”
“And then what happened?”
“Ronan showed up right out of the shower, wearing a towel and nothing else.”
“So you were distracted by a naked Ronan again?” Ruby looked incensed.
“I was not distracted, despite the fact that Hal practiced his usual tricks and yanked the towel off Ronan.”
“I’ve never heard of Hal doing something like that before.”
“There’s always a first time,” Sierra said as she gathered up the ingredients for a mushroom omelet. Cooking made her feel more in control, more everyday normal.
Ruby grew bored and disappeared when Sierra took her plate into the dining room. Her omelet might not be fluffy and perfect—in fact, it was rather brown on the bottom—but it tasted good.
She liked eating alone. It gave her time to think about her book and upcoming scenes. She kept a notepad nearby. She’d nearly spilled food on her iPad so she didn’t use that during meals. Instead she went old school—back to pen and paper.
Thinking about the transition from World War I to the roaring twenties reminded her that she’d seen a book on that subject in the massive floor-to-ceiling bookcase in the living room.
Leaving her empty plate on the table, she stood and walked over to the built-in bookcase. She reached for the book on the second shelf from the top. She heard a strange noise and a second later the entire bookcase came away from the wall and crashed toward her so fast that she couldn’t move.
Chapter Nine
Ronan was there, pulling her to safety. It happened so fast it was a blur. And not blurred because she was traumatized but because he had moved faster than any human could. And no human could have pushed away the heavy bookcase with such ease, not even the strongest man on the planet. It had to weigh a ton. Okay, not literally a ton but it had weighed a lot. Granted it wasn’t completely full of books but it was still a huge piece of furniture.
“What the hell just happened?” Sierra’s voice shook. Books encircled her on the floor but miraculously none had actually hit her.
“A bookcase almost crushed you,” Ronan said.
“I know that.”
“There’s no way that should have come loose from the wall like that. It’s almost like someone pushed or pulled it
Ronan wondered if he’d lost his humanity there and then, back in France with the injured screaming as their guts oozed out of them or their limbs lay beside them. Maybe he’d no longer had a soul when Voz had turned him. Maybe that’s why Voz had chosen him in the first place.
* * *
Sierra set the bag of groceries on the kitchen counter a second before Ruby appeared.
“I thought you were going to work on your plan of getting rid of Hal,” she said impatiently. “Why are you shopping?”
“Because there’s no food in the house.” She opened the refrigerator and put a dozen eggs in along with some Parmesan cheese and crusty bakery bread. She added fresh zucchini, broccoli, and a bag of russet potatoes to the fridge’s vegetable bin. The potatoes didn’t have to be refrigerated but she didn’t want them lying around in case Ruby decided to throw them like she had those plates.
Ghosts couldn’t get into refrigerators. Although sometimes they could make them, and other appliances, go on the fritz. Toasters seemed to be a popular target for some reason.
“What did you do about Hal?” Ruby demanded.
“I went upstairs before I went out.”
“And?”
“And I confronted him.”
Ruby looked doubtful. “Really?”
“Okay, he confronted me first, but only because he talked first.”
“He always does.”
“Good to know. I’ll remember that for next time.” Sierra folded the paper bags and set them beneath the sink.
“What happened when he confronted you? Did you turn around and run?” Ruby said.
“Of course not,” Sierra said. “He told me he wanted me gone and I told him I wanted him gone.”
“And then what happened?”
“Ronan showed up right out of the shower, wearing a towel and nothing else.”
“So you were distracted by a naked Ronan again?” Ruby looked incensed.
“I was not distracted, despite the fact that Hal practiced his usual tricks and yanked the towel off Ronan.”
“I’ve never heard of Hal doing something like that before.”
“There’s always a first time,” Sierra said as she gathered up the ingredients for a mushroom omelet. Cooking made her feel more in control, more everyday normal.
Ruby grew bored and disappeared when Sierra took her plate into the dining room. Her omelet might not be fluffy and perfect—in fact, it was rather brown on the bottom—but it tasted good.
She liked eating alone. It gave her time to think about her book and upcoming scenes. She kept a notepad nearby. She’d nearly spilled food on her iPad so she didn’t use that during meals. Instead she went old school—back to pen and paper.
Thinking about the transition from World War I to the roaring twenties reminded her that she’d seen a book on that subject in the massive floor-to-ceiling bookcase in the living room.
Leaving her empty plate on the table, she stood and walked over to the built-in bookcase. She reached for the book on the second shelf from the top. She heard a strange noise and a second later the entire bookcase came away from the wall and crashed toward her so fast that she couldn’t move.
Chapter Nine
Ronan was there, pulling her to safety. It happened so fast it was a blur. And not blurred because she was traumatized but because he had moved faster than any human could. And no human could have pushed away the heavy bookcase with such ease, not even the strongest man on the planet. It had to weigh a ton. Okay, not literally a ton but it had weighed a lot. Granted it wasn’t completely full of books but it was still a huge piece of furniture.
“What the hell just happened?” Sierra’s voice shook. Books encircled her on the floor but miraculously none had actually hit her.
“A bookcase almost crushed you,” Ronan said.
“I know that.”
“There’s no way that should have come loose from the wall like that. It’s almost like someone pushed or pulled it
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