The ghost in my grip slumped a little as he glared down at me and my sister. “No one sent me. I sought to avenge the spirit of Josiah Bent!”
There was a chorus of gasps behind me. I knew for a fact that most of the inhabitants of this building hadn’t agreed with Bent or his violence. Bent had been a monster, and Robert... Robert was no better. Yes, he was one of my kind, but I couldn’t let what he’d tried to do to Kevin slide by. And what he’d tried to do to my sister decided his fate.
“Noah, where are Robert’s bones located?” I knew he’d know. They all knew. A coven of ghosts like this always knew where bones and anchors were. It was part of the hive mentality. The property of Haven Crest knew every inch of itself, and therefore, so did the ghosts that haunted its buildings.
Silence answered me. I waited, my gaze never leaving Robert’s. It was Lark who turned to address our witnesses. “Noah, I have no problem digging holes above every grave, dousing the entire graveyard in lighter fluid and throwing a match. I’ll light up this building, too, if I have to.”
“You’re a very cruel young woman,” he replied.
I glanced over my shoulder at him, my eyes locking with his. “She’s my sister, and he threatened her. Robert is the one in the wrong.”
“She’s right,” came a small voice from the back of the crowd. It was a young woman whose name I couldn’t remember right at that moment. She looked as though she might be from the same time period as Noah. “Robert’s behavior is abhorrent. It’s clear that he’s become a monster. I know I would no longer feel safe if he is left among us.”
Noah crumpled the paper Lark had given him in his fist and hung his head. I knew this had to be hard for him as Robert had been his friend for many years, but surely he could see what a danger he’d become?
He looked up—right at Lark. “I’ll take you.”
Robert jerked in my grip. “Noah, you can’t!”
Noah glared at him. “You brought this on yourself. You know what you must do. What must be done.”
Something flickered in Robert’s wild gaze. I didn’t understand it, but something passed between him and Noah. “As you wish.”
Lark leaned close to me. “Will you be okay when I go?”
I nodded. “I’m not in any danger from these people. Or him.” Robert wouldn’t hurt anyone ever again.
“That’s not what I meant.”
I turned my head and looked into eyes identical to my own. “I know. I’ll be fine. Go. This has to be done, but I don’t want to drag it out any longer than necessary.”
She patted my shoulder before walking away. I knew she’d finish this as quickly as she could, and I trusted Noah. His honor was important to him.
I heard them leave the room. A look over my shoulder, and I realized we were alone. I lowered Robert to the floor, but I didn’t let go. He was still taller than I was, but not by much.
We stood there for a long time, just he and I. Waiting.
Finally, he smirked at me. “This won’t change anything. Someone else will take my place. Send me on to the Shadow Lands or the Beyond, it doesn’t matter. Someday I’m going to cross paths with that breather sister of yours, and she and I are going to play.”
I leaned forward, pushing my hand deeper into his throat. A tenuous thread inside me snapped. I was not prepared for the rush of hunger that followed. It was a wild feeling—like how I imagined birds felt when they realized they could fly.
I smiled—all teeth. “You know, Robert, you have lovely eyes.”
He scowled. “What?”
I lifted my free hand to his face, tracing the outline of his right orbital bone. Of course, it was all just energy, not bone at all, but why split hairs? It wasn’t the bone that interested me.
“Wren?” he whispered. “What are you doing?”
My finger dipped around the edge of his eye. He had really long eyelashes. They weren’t terribly thick, but they were soft, and they tickled my skin like fairy wings.
“You’re not going to miss it,” I whispered back. “Not where you’re going.”
His eyes widened—which made my quest all the easier. “Wren...”
I let go of his neck and slammed my hand over his mouth. Then, I shoved my fingers into his eye socket, where it was wet and warm. Robert jerked, crying out against my palm.
“Stop struggling,” I commanded. “You’ll only make it worse—and you don’t want it to get any worse, do you?”
He went still.
“Good boy.” I curled my fingers and yanked hard. Robert screamed against my palm. I let him go when he stopped making so much noise and stepped back to admire my prize. I turned away, holding it up so I could see it glisten in the light.
“Beautiful,” I whispered. There was something so incredibly perfect about the human eye. The window to the soul, indeed.
Behind me there was a flash. I turned just in time to see the flames vanish, leaving nothing but a small, sooty smudge on the wall where Robert had slumped just seconds before.
It was done. He was gone. For good. Noah had kept his word.