Clairvoyant (Spells and Sins)

2. Chapter 2

I’m intrigued and completely entranced by Quinn Rune.

Whatever it is about her, I know in my fucking bones she is meant to be mine. I don’t know her at all, and yet I feel like I’ve known her my entire life. I lean against the wall, crossing my arms as I watch her and her friend stand in the middle of the living room.

The previous owners left all their furniture, and it’s covered by white sheets.

“Do you know anything about the house? Has anything bad happened?” Rian asks me.

“You don’t know? Every family who has lived here has died horrible deaths.”

Quinn gloves her hand again, covering the beautiful smooth skin that I find myself wanting to touch. She is only on the other side of the room, but I miss her being close to me. I want to shield her from what she is about to do. I don’t know what she is about to do, but I want to protect her from it.

She spins around, her big honey-colored eyes widening. She closes the distance between us and I find myself relieved. The stress leaving my body.

“I need to know everything about those deaths. How far back do they go?”

“Hundreds of years. I know the original owner is Marshall Douglas. He, his wife, and his three kids died in this home.”

Quinn frowns, grabbing the back of the covered couch, and sighs. “And all the other families?”

“They all died in different ways. I don’t know all the facts. I’m sorry.”

She strolls over to me, placing her hand on my arm, and fuck if I don’t lean into her delicate hand to keep me upright.

What is it about this woman?

“No, I don’t expect you to know. I’m sorry. The more information I have, the easier the reading will be.” She drops her hand when she realizes she is still touching me.

I immediately want her hands on me again.

“I’m going to go get the rest of the supplies out of the car. I’ll be right back. Do you want to set up in the living room, Quinn?” Rian asks her on her way to the front door. “And don’t do any readings without me. I need to check the energy levels of this place before you take your gloves off.”

“No, you don’t. I’ve done this a hundred times without you, but I appreciate you looking out for me.” Quinn smiles at Rian as her friend heads to the car.

A simple smile, but the kind that has my heart racing. The kind that has me pushing off the wall and walking over to her so I can be closer. The smile that stops a man in his tracks, causes him to hold his breath, and finally know what he wants for his future.

And I want Quinn.

“Is everything okay?” Quinn asks, looking up at me with long lashes that shadow her cheeks every time she blinks.

“I’m good. A little confused, but good.”

“You’re standing very close,” she whispers, glancing around to double-check we are alone. “Do you need anything? Are you uncomfortable being here while I do a reading? I understand. It can be very confusing and new, sometimes unbelievable, and I don’t want you in a situation that leaves you upset.”

“I’m not uncomfortable. I’m intrigued. I’m not leaving. And something tells me to believe you, so that’s what I’m going to do. The only thing I am is confused. I know you somehow and I want to know how. I think you know and you won’t tell me.”

Her cheeks redden. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We don’t know each other. We have never met, Beckett.”

In a slow, gentle motion, I raise my hand and skim my fingers along her jawline.

She gasps, flinching away before remembering she is safe with me.

Quinn leans into my touch, her eyes closing as she relaxes.

“You’re touch starved, aren’t you? You can’t touch anyone, they can’t touch you, and you ache for contact.” I continue my caress, my knuckles grazing the tops of her cheeks. “I think you’re lying to me somehow, and that’s okay, Quinn. I’ll find out the truth when you’re ready.”

Her eyes close as she sways closer to me.

“And if you think it’s because I won’t believe you, I would.”

Quinn’s big brown eyes snap open. The need to spill all of her secrets to me shines back at me. The front door opens and Quinn clears her throat before taking a step away from me.

“Okay, I think that’s everything,” Rian says, dropping a few bags on the floor along with a jug that says ‘holy water’ across the side.

I lift a brow. “Holy water?”

“For the spirits that are a bit darker than the usuals.” Quinn gathers the strands of her chestnut-colored hair and tosses it in a ponytail. “Okay, time to take the gloves off and see the stories that this house has been waiting to tell.” One by one, she tugs the material above her finger to create space before sliding the gloves off.

I hold out my hand. “I’ll hold on to them for you.”

She gives a small smile, skeptically handing them over to me.

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep them safe, Q.”

“I trust you,” she says, that knowing twinkle in her eye that tells me she knows more than what she is telling me.

Why would she tell me? We have known each other all of ten minutes, but I know she feels what I do. It’s as if I’ve finally found what I’ve been looking for all eternity. A lost piece of a puzzle that has settled into place.

How? Why?

My heart is fuller than it has ever been, beating faster than it ever has, and hope spreads across my chest.

I didn’t think walking into this house would change my life in any way. I was ready to renovate it. It’s beautiful, with high ceilings and original hardwood floors that need some serious love.

This morning was heavy for me. They told me my mom needs to be moved to hospice, but when I talked to my mother, she told me she wants to come home. She wants to die in a familiar place surrounded by love.

I’m going to go get her tomorrow morning and bring her home. I got her room ready today, which is the only reason she isn’t home right now. It’s a hard pill to swallow, knowing my mom won’t be around much longer, but it’s up to me to make sure her death is peaceful. It’s the least I can do after she has done so much for me.

When I stepped foot onto the deck and saw Quinn and her friend standing there, most of that heaviness lifted. A light shined around her, and I was drawn to her as if she were a beacon of hope.

“What’s your plan? What’s your process like?” I ask her, tucking her gloves into my back pocket.

“I’ll go to every room, I’ll touch what I’m drawn to, and sometimes if I’m lucky, visions will just come.”

“She’s talented. She has helped so many people.”

“Rian,” Quinn tries to stop her friend from saying much else.

Rian grins, rolling out the sleeping bags. “What? You’re always so modest. You’re special.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes it doesn’t feel like it.”

I don’t like the tone or defeat in her voice. I watch her take a deep breath, and with tremors in her hand; she pinches the white sheet between her fingers that covers the couch.

She brings the sheet to her nose, inhaling, running the fabric through the spaces between her fingers.

“Nothing?” Rian asks with a pout.

Quinn drops the sheet. “Nothing, but it’s just a sheet. Don’t expect anything to happen.” She points to the windows where the sun’s light is barely peaking through the trees.

The storm clouds are becoming heavier, a black void growing bigger in the sky. Night is creeping in too, swallowing the storm the best it can while covering the stars attempting to shine.

Rian gives me a knowing stare before casting her eyes to Quinn. “You’ll meet someone who will make you feel special and see you how you truly are. Like I do.” Rian strikes a match, grabbing a plain white candle from her bag. She lights the wick, setting it on the mantle.

“We’ll see,” Quinn says, coming near the flame.

“I have a good feeling,” I whisper.

She’s reaching for the candle, and I don’t know why, but I snag her hand mid-air. The flame of the candle burns higher, brighter, and hotter. The orange of the fire illuminates the layer of dust on the mantle, the glow glistening on her cheek.

Fuck.

She looks ethereal. Like a beauty from another world.

The flames dance in the reflection of her pupils, casting light across her irises, and that’s when I notice the silver swirls.

“Beckett,” she whispers.

“Yeah?” I lick my lips, my throat suddenly dry when I realize how close we are.

“I need you to let go of my hand.”

My gaze lifts from her face to the hand I have trapped in the air. “Shit. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I—” I stop myself from saying I had no self-control when it came to taking her hand. I had to hold it. I needed to feel her skin against mine. “—I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She nibbles her bottom lip. “I didn’t mind.” Quinn gives me a bashful smile before reaching for the candle, cupping it in her hand as she stares into the flame.

I puff my chest out a bit, happy she didn’t mind my touch. “What’s the fire for?”

“It helps me draw my po—I mean, focus my ability. Rian will light more candles and I won’t have to focus on the singular candle so much.”

A gust of wind swirls around us, sending shivers down my spine because the windows aren’t open.

Groans from all over the house have me glancing around the room with alarm.

“Perfect,” Quinn whispers, her breath causing the flame to sway and flicker.

Rian takes the candle from her to set it back on the mantle when a loud bang sounds from the entrance. I step in front of Quinn naturally, holding my arms out to the side to keep her blocked and safe. A loud commotion of laughter sounds and a few students stop in the hallway, staring into the living room.

“Are you here to see if the house is haunted too?” A guy with a blue shirt on that says SCU on it waves at us, a bag tossed over his shoulder.

“Do they really need to be here?” Rian whispers.

“Unfortunately,” I reply. “The university loves the attention this house brings.”

Quinn steps out in front of me and smiles, holding out her bare hand to the guy. “Yes, and I’m the person who is going to prove if it is haunted. I’m Quinn.”

“Cool. I’m Freddie, these are my friends Tyler and Annabelle. We won’t cause any issues. We just want to see if we can make it through the night.”

I step beside her, pushing her hand down as he tries to shake hers in greeting. “No way you’re using your energy on him.” I cast my eyes to the stranger. “No offense, but she can’t.”

Quinn yanks her hand from mine. “I don’t know who you think you are and I know you mean well, but no one will tell me what I can and cannot do. I know what I am capable of. I want to know if the students that have stepped foot in this house are a threat.” She steps closer to the guy named Freddie, holding out her hand again.

I bite my tongue, rubbing my hand down my face, and turn to Rian. All she does is shrug.

“You can’t stop her. She knows what she is capable of,” Rian explains, lighting another candle.

I run my fingers through my hair, stressed, not wanting her to jeopardize herself. She’s right, though. She can handle herself. I had no right to step in like I did, but I have this giant urge to protect her from everyone. It’s confusing to me. I’m a man of many things, many qualities, yet I’ve never found myself to be controlling.

Quinn has the possessive nature inside me becoming fierce and loud. Even right now, I’m barely holding it together. All I want to do is tackle this guy to the ground and tell him to never even think about touching her again.

I hold my breath as they touch hands, waiting for something huge to happen. I don’t know what. An explosion? A gust of wind? I don’t know how this works.

“Woah. Your eyes. Hey, are you okay?” Freddie leans forward to get a closer look at Quinn.

Her eyes are completely silver- clouded, as if she can’t see at all.

“It’s normal,” Rian states. “That is how she sees what others can’t.” She rips the sheets off the furniture in the living room. Dust swims in clouds in the air around Rian, causing her to cough.

Quinn lets go of Freddie’s hand, and the clouds hazing her brown eyes disappear, allowing the different shades of gold to shine through.

“Are you sure you want to be here with Annabelle, Freddie? When you had sex with her last night.”

“What?” Tyler, his friend shouts, throwing his bag on the ground.

I step back, gently pulling Quinn back by her shirt until her back hits my chest.

“What the fuck, Freddie? You fucked my Annabelle?” Tyler shoves Freddie.

Rian snickers, covering her mouth. “I love it when this happens,” she whispers.

“If you gave her what she needed, maybe she wouldn’t have come to me.” Freddie shoves Tyler back.

“You mother fuc—” Tyler throws the first punch, slamming his fist into Freddie’s jaw.

Freddie spits a wad of blood out, sneering and wiping the red from his busted lip. He tackles Tyler to the ground. Annabelle jumps back to miss getting hit.

I sigh and step forward, gripping Freddie by the back of his shirt to yank him off Tyler. Tyler gets to his feet and charges, but I’m there, wrapping my hand around his throat to keep him still. His busted eye tries to widen as he stares up at me.

“Okay, boys. Listen, none of us have time for this fucking bullshit. Get your shit together.”

“Yeah, because why are you mad at each other when you two slept together a few nights ago,” Quinn says, tapping her fingers against her lips.

I shove the two students away and point at each of them, including Annabelle. “You all obviously want to fuck each other. Make it a throuple and get the fuck out of this house before you hurt Quinn or Rian. And believe me when I tell you,” I growl. “If Quinn and her friend get hurt, I will fucking kill you and you will be a ghost in this house.” My steel-toed boots thud against the old wooden floors as I open the front door and gesture for them to leave. “Now, very unpolitely, get the hell out.”

Freddie straights his shirt. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. We will—”

“—You’ll nothing. You’ll leave and figure your shit out. We have business to do here and we don’t need immature college kids getting in our way. Please do us a favor. Leave.”

“This is all your fault,” Tyler mumbles to Freddie, snatching his backpack from the ground. “If you wouldn’t have shaken her hand, we’d be able to spend the night.”

“How was I supposed to know she was a real psychic?” Freddie asks, slamming his shoulder against Tyler’s on his way out the door, but he pauses, snags Annabelle’s hand, and pulls her behind him.

Tyler slams the door on his way out, and I lock it.

“I’m not a psychic!” Quinn shouts, even though they can’t hear her. “I’m clairvoyant!”

Rian rubs Quinn’s back in soothing circles. “They can’t hear you.”

“I know. I know. It bothers me is all.”

“Well, they won’t bother you now. I think it will just be us the rest of the night. You can focus.”

“Thank you,” Quinn states, her cheeks tinting in a beautiful, bashful red.

I swipe my thumb across the edge of her jaw. “I have a feeling I’d do anything for you, Quinn.”

“Whew. I don’t know how we will make it a night in this house when you two will steam it up.” Rian fans herself, shooting me a wink, and I can’t help but chuckle.

The last of the sun finally vanishes, encompassing us in the darkness of night. The candles Rian lit are placed throughout the living room, giving us enough light to see into the room.

Rain pellets against the window, lightning giving a quick flash of white as it cracks through the sky.

“Okay, it’s time to get to work,” Quinn says.

Rian holds the candle in front of her face, the glow illuminating her features. “Muahaha. Are you ready for the scariest night of your life?”

I laugh, but there is a deep part of me that wants to scream and run away. No, I’m not ready, but if Quinn is here, then I am here.