Page 72 of Purrfectly Haunted

JAMES

Ewan shakes in my arms for a while, until my jeans are wet, moisture seeping through the fabric from the dewy grass. His rescue was impressive and quite timely. I thought I was a goner back there, when the ghosts dragged me deeper into the burial chamber.

“I almost lost you,” he said in anguish, as if losing me was the worst thing that could happen to him just then, and not being captured himself by the ghosts.

“I’m fine, Ewan. I promise. You saved me.” I put my nose in his soft hair and inhale his scent, clean sweat and shampoo.

I’ll miss this partnership when all of this is over. I doubt we’ll still have a job if Lana pays us instead of ExorSquad. And to be honest, I don’t want to keep risking my life for such a shitty business and asshole of a boss anyway.

I let him go. “Come on. Let’s get out of here before someone notices us.” I help him get to his feet.

We climb over the fence, careful with the suitcase. Our ExorSquad bag stayed in the mausoleum, and if one day it gets them in trouble, all the better. I just regret the fact that we lost Lana’s tools, but I don’t think she’ll be mad. We got chased by the angry spirits of her ancestors, so she can cut us some slack.

The cemetery is located at the opposite end of Old Town from the hostel, and we look extremely conspicuous as we drag our suitcase along the dark streets at five in the morning. Two grave robbers and the stolen remains of a medium who was murdered centuries ago. Oh, and the bones of an old lady called Meredith, just as an extra. I snort.

Ewan looks at me, a question in his eyes.

“Nothing,” I say. “Just laughing at how weird my life is right now.” Seeing his face, I add, “Ghost hunting, grave robbing, and making friends with a sentient house and her furry minions.”

There is nothing weird about what Ewan and I are doing. We’re the only thing that make sense in this mess, and having him cry and beg for me is the best thing that happened to me all week.

We turn a corner, and the lights are on inside a coffee shop. The sign on the door says Closed, but the two employees inside appear to get ready for the day. It opens at six. I check my phone: 05:38.

“Let’s wait. I’d kill for a coffee right now.”

Ewan eyes the suitcase warily. “Shouldn’t we..?”

“They’re not getting more dead. We can get coffee.” I laugh.

“Then I’m getting something to eat too.”

I caress his cheek. “Anything you want, princess.”

He flushes, pleased. That haunted look on his face is finally retreating. I make a mental note to call him princess during sex. Because yes, I intend to fuck him as many times as possible before we have to part ways. Call me greedy, I’m not ashamed.

I gather his large body in my arms to keep him warm as we wait. The baristas look at us curiously when they finally open shop, probably wondering what two obviously gay blokes are doing in the dark streets before six in the morning with only one suitcase. From the little smile they share, I think they have decided we just came back from a booty call. Fine by me, I won’t be the one to admit we just stole remains from a cemetery.

“A large chai latte and two cinnamon rolls, please,” Ewan says as we reach the counter.

“Black coffee and a croissant for me.”

We sit at a table by the window as they make our order. There is a real pumpkin propped on the window sill.

“Do you have plans for Halloween?” I ask him. It’s still a few weeks away.

He shakes his head. “No. But I’ll probably end up being dragged to bars by the rugby team. You?”

“I don’t even know where I’ll be by then, so no. I’ll probably need to look for a new job.”

I usually don’t mind travelling around, that’s why I do it, but I'd have loved to spend more time working with Ewan. Evil ghosts aside, I’ve been having so much fun in the past week. Lana and Shirley—and yes, even the cats—are growing on me. And Ewan is... I shake the thought away.

“Oh, right,” he says, dejected.

I hate seeing that look on his face, so I grab his chin and lean forwards, stealing a kiss. When I pull back, his eyes are as big as saucers. I wonder if he ever allowed himself to be who he is in public. But then he surprises me by reaching for me and kissing me back. A pleasant shiver skitters along my skin.

“Mmh, the things I’m going to do to you when we get back to the hostel,” I say against his lips.

He gasps, his lips parting sensually.