one more blood stain, one more empty set of eyes staring up at him, and then this life would be over and he could start clean.
Just one more.
Determined, he leaped from the chair, patted his holstered weapon, and strode to the door.
The moment his hand came to rest on the handle, the whole house shook. It wasn’t one of Sonya’s tremors, but a full-blown spectral earthquake.
A picture frame fell off the wall with a crash.
Elena shouted. “Sonya, control it. I know you can do it.”
“I’m trying,” Sonya replied, whimpering even though Elena couldn’t hear. She pulsed and her whole form vibrated, the pearly sheen of her skin taking on a gray-greenish hue.
The house rattled and creaked. He cupped his hands around his mouth to be heard. “What’s happening?”
“Voices…blood…loosey-goosey. I’m going to break. I am going to…” Sonya covered her face with her hands, silencing herself. The house shook in time with the sobs wracking her.
Without deciding, he found himself next to her. She hovered above him so that his face was even with the slight mound of her belly. He wrapped one arm around her thighs and pressed the other into the small of her back, preparing to support her weight.
Then she was there, in his arms, coughing and crying, as wet as she’d been last night.
“Oh my God.” Elena backed away from the strange sight. “Dmitri, she’s…”
“I know, Auntie, we—it happened last night—”
Sonya flicked his ear. “ Shh .”
Swallowing a chuckle, he clasped her to his chest and slid her damp form down the length of his body. “Feeling better?”
She tucked her chin and patted her sides and her ass, nodding. “Yes. Not so loosey-goosey.”
“What does that even mean?”
“I think she means—”
“It’s okay, Elena, I can tell him.”
His aunt nodded, mouth agape at the suddenly visible ghost. Dmitri studied the two women, who clearly shared some knowledge he was not party to. “Have you two been talking?”
“Oh, yes. Our resourceful Sonya devised a way of communicating with me via the kitchen cupboard.”
The look on Elena’s face reflected the inexplicable pride inside Dmitri.
Yeah. His ghost was smart.
“Elena researched rusalki last night and found out the reason I’m going crazy is that soon I’ll go really crazy. I’m running out of time, and if we don’t find my killer, I will become a bloodthirsty poltergeist.”
“Instead of a bloodthirsty rusalka?”
She grimaced. “Now I only want the blood of the killer. Then I will want everyone’s blood.”
He glanced at Elena for corroboration.
She pressed her lips so tightly that they opened with a kiss-like sound.
“Our Sonya is running out of time.”
It seemed nearly impossible that the vibrant warm-blooded woman in his arms might soon become a vicious poltergeist, but he’d killed a woman just as alive as Sonya last month. It had taken a split second.
Without meeting his gaze, she smoothed the lapel of his shirt, the firm set of her jaw betraying her tension.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. Keeping one arm wrapped around her, he slid it out to read a message from Gregor.
“Need you back ASAP. Update?”
Fuck. Everybody needed a piece of him.
“Sonya, I’ve gotta take care of my business now, and when it’s through, you’ll have my complete attention.”
She stiffened, and her eyes flashed emerald green. “No. Take me with you if you have to go.”
“That’s impossible. It’s—”
She wrapped her hand around his in an incredibly tight death grip.
Elena jumped in to help. “Well, for one thing, dear, you’re wearing a wet night gown. And I’m afraid my clothes will not fit you at all. Perhaps you better wait for Dmitri to come back with something suitable to wear.”
“Yeah, Sonya, you wait here and try to remember some more. Anything that might help us—”
She pouted. “But I did remember something. My surname is Truss, and my father owned a jewelry shop in
Just one more.
Determined, he leaped from the chair, patted his holstered weapon, and strode to the door.
The moment his hand came to rest on the handle, the whole house shook. It wasn’t one of Sonya’s tremors, but a full-blown spectral earthquake.
A picture frame fell off the wall with a crash.
Elena shouted. “Sonya, control it. I know you can do it.”
“I’m trying,” Sonya replied, whimpering even though Elena couldn’t hear. She pulsed and her whole form vibrated, the pearly sheen of her skin taking on a gray-greenish hue.
The house rattled and creaked. He cupped his hands around his mouth to be heard. “What’s happening?”
“Voices…blood…loosey-goosey. I’m going to break. I am going to…” Sonya covered her face with her hands, silencing herself. The house shook in time with the sobs wracking her.
Without deciding, he found himself next to her. She hovered above him so that his face was even with the slight mound of her belly. He wrapped one arm around her thighs and pressed the other into the small of her back, preparing to support her weight.
Then she was there, in his arms, coughing and crying, as wet as she’d been last night.
“Oh my God.” Elena backed away from the strange sight. “Dmitri, she’s…”
“I know, Auntie, we—it happened last night—”
Sonya flicked his ear. “ Shh .”
Swallowing a chuckle, he clasped her to his chest and slid her damp form down the length of his body. “Feeling better?”
She tucked her chin and patted her sides and her ass, nodding. “Yes. Not so loosey-goosey.”
“What does that even mean?”
“I think she means—”
“It’s okay, Elena, I can tell him.”
His aunt nodded, mouth agape at the suddenly visible ghost. Dmitri studied the two women, who clearly shared some knowledge he was not party to. “Have you two been talking?”
“Oh, yes. Our resourceful Sonya devised a way of communicating with me via the kitchen cupboard.”
The look on Elena’s face reflected the inexplicable pride inside Dmitri.
Yeah. His ghost was smart.
“Elena researched rusalki last night and found out the reason I’m going crazy is that soon I’ll go really crazy. I’m running out of time, and if we don’t find my killer, I will become a bloodthirsty poltergeist.”
“Instead of a bloodthirsty rusalka?”
She grimaced. “Now I only want the blood of the killer. Then I will want everyone’s blood.”
He glanced at Elena for corroboration.
She pressed her lips so tightly that they opened with a kiss-like sound.
“Our Sonya is running out of time.”
It seemed nearly impossible that the vibrant warm-blooded woman in his arms might soon become a vicious poltergeist, but he’d killed a woman just as alive as Sonya last month. It had taken a split second.
Without meeting his gaze, she smoothed the lapel of his shirt, the firm set of her jaw betraying her tension.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. Keeping one arm wrapped around her, he slid it out to read a message from Gregor.
“Need you back ASAP. Update?”
Fuck. Everybody needed a piece of him.
“Sonya, I’ve gotta take care of my business now, and when it’s through, you’ll have my complete attention.”
She stiffened, and her eyes flashed emerald green. “No. Take me with you if you have to go.”
“That’s impossible. It’s—”
She wrapped her hand around his in an incredibly tight death grip.
Elena jumped in to help. “Well, for one thing, dear, you’re wearing a wet night gown. And I’m afraid my clothes will not fit you at all. Perhaps you better wait for Dmitri to come back with something suitable to wear.”
“Yeah, Sonya, you wait here and try to remember some more. Anything that might help us—”
She pouted. “But I did remember something. My surname is Truss, and my father owned a jewelry shop in
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