Under His Spell - MINK Page 0,2

being a protective asshole. Which I am, but others could prey on girls like my very own Sienna. I can’t allow that.

I reach out for the handle to the front door and notice my hand is shaking. How many men have I killed? How many times have I lifted a gun and pulled the trigger? Too many to even remember. What I do know is never once did my hand shake. Nor have I ever hesitated as I’m doing now. I’m about to open a door to a girl who is as innocent as a kitten, and for the first time in my life, I’m nervous. I roll my shoulders, reminding myself who I am.

I’ve stared down the barrel of a gun. Surely I could stare into her crystal blue eyes. I grab the handle, jerking it open harder than I mean to. Those blue eyes widen. Now being this close to her, I see they're not only blue. There is a ring of green that circles her pupil. The thick lashes around her eyes and the small freckles that cover part of her nose and cheeks make her look like a doll.

A porcelain one. One that could break far too easily. We can’t let that happen, now can we? “In.” I reach out and grab her hand, then pull her into my home. The cat darts right in with her before I can shut the door.

She doesn't try to stop me. She stands there just looking at me. I get lost in those eyes again for a moment until the bright light of her camera flashes in my face. She drops her eyes from mine, and I want to demand that she look back up at me.

She lets out a gasp. Finally her head shoots back up, her eyes meeting mine again. “You're a ghost!” She sounds way too excited about this. Don’t people usually run from ghosts? She turns her camera around to show me the picture she took of me. All I see is an out of focus picture.

Then she does the last thing I expect her to do. She throws herself at me. I catch her tiny body easily as she hugs me tightly.

“You must be so lonely out here all by yourself.” She leans back to look at me. “But now you have me.” A loud meow echoes in the entryway to my home. “Oh, and Lucifer, too.”

3

Sienna

“You’re so solid.” I pull back and press my hand to his chest. “Hard, even.” I didn’t expect this. When I found a ghost, I assumed it would be at midnight and the ghost would be ethereal, glowing, floating at the very least.

Stepping back, I look up into his eyes and swallow hard. Suddenly, I realize I’m alone in this old rickety house with a man I’ve never met. His eyes are warm and seem to almost mesmerize me, but I’d be a fool to take anything at face value.

“You’re not a ghost.” I sigh and shake my head.

He shrugs.

I pull my phone back out and look at the photo I took of him. It’s blurry, bad, and could use some editing, but I can see his shape. I just took a bad pic. Nothing more.

“I’m sorry.” I step back, but I bump into the solid door. “I thought this place was abandoned.”

“Come here to loot?” he asks with a twinkle in his dark eyes.

“N-no,” I stutter. “I was just looking for … well, for … you know—”

“Ghosts?”

My cheeks redden. “Yeah.” I reach down and scoop Lucifer up. He purrs as I cradle him close. “I’m sorry we busted into your place.” I glance around. The house isn’t as grubby as most of the places I visit. It’s fairly clean, the mahogany not exactly shiny, but still in good shape. The carpets are threadbare, and so is the furniture, but it all seems like nice antique pieces. Not a new thing anywhere in sight. Honestly, I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a ghost in this house.

“Then you’ve come to the right place.” He reaches out and scratches Lucifer behind the ears. The little hooker purrs as if he’s met his new best friend. “Lots of ghost stories out there about this place.”

“I should probably go.” I can’t seem to stop looking into his dark eyes. “Plenty of people know I’m here, too, by the way. Just in case you were … you know … wondering.”

He stares down at me like he’s entranced, like I’m the ghost, or maybe