My heart was beating wildly in my chest. I sat frozen on Duke lap like a wooden marionette, completely still but screaming on the inside. The world was caving in on me and I felt like I was losing my mind. Duke patiently waited for an explanation and when he saw that none was forthcoming he gathered my fingers into his hands and brought them to his lips. An involuntary shiver ran down my spine as Duke gentle blew a warm breath across my hands. He was being so patient and tender it nearly made my heart melt.
“What are you so afraid of Hazel?” Duke asked softly.
I lowered my gaze and replied, “Nothing, I was being silly.”
Duke arms slipped around my shoulders and he held me tightly against his chest. I lay passively in Duke arms listening to the raggedness of breathing. He was struggling to suppress something internally. It could have been anger, fright or just plain old frustration. I closed my eyes and wished Caspar was here to hold me like this.
“I like you Hazel,” Duke confessed, “I like you much more than body guard should.”
I opened my eyes and saw Duke staring down at me with his warm brown eyes. He was so handsome but he wasn’t Caspar. He moved slightly and I felt the brush of his warm fingertips tracing the outline of my jaw. Oh God- Duke was looking at me like he wanted to kiss me.
“I wish it had been me that rescued you from the graveyard,” Duke breathed, “I have never wanted anyone this badly before.”
“Duke-” I whispered.
“I could take you away from him, I know he doesn’t make you happy. I don’t know if I could make you happy but I would happily spend an eternity trying- now tell me Hazel, would you like me to take you away from him?” Duke asked me.
I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out.
A smile flickered across Duke lips and his eyes lids suddenly dropped shut as he began to lower his face down to mine. I blinked and started to turn to pull away, but it was at that moment I saw it- a black mist outside the car window, swirling in and out of existence. I stifled a cry and tried to grab Duke attention but found his mouth suddenly covering mine.
I pushed at Duke’ shoulders as he kissed me, with my eyes still focused on the black mist outside the car. The mist seemed to have sentient like quality and became more agitated as Duke drew out the kiss. The temperature in the car began to drop rapidly and as it did so the black mist outside began to take on a human like form.
I broke free of Duke’ kiss and pointed to the blackened charred figure staring at us through the glass. Duke followed my finger and stared outside.
“She’s here,” I whispered, “The burnt woman.”
Duke looked out of the window and shrugged, “I can’t see anyone, but if there is a woman there then she will not be able to use through the tinted glass.”
Duke then leaned in for another kiss, but this time I dodged him, sliding out of his lap into the adjacent passenger seat. The burnt woman was still stood out the car, her face pressed up against the glass.
“Can’t you see her?” I whispered.
Duke raised an eye brow and replied, “See who?”
“The woman, she is staring through the passenger window.” I said numbly.
Duke leaned towards the tinted passenger window and stared out as if there was nothing there in front of him. He glanced around and replied, “I see nothing.”
I pushed myself across another couple of seats until I hit the far side of the SUV cabin. The burnt woman studied Duke as he came close to the window, her white cloudy eyes flickered from side to side. She was thinking.
Duke turned his head away from the window and smiled, “We need to talk about that kiss.”
The burnt woman’s face hardened and the corners of her mouth tugged downwards in a terrifying snarl.
“Duke, you need to get away from the window,” I said calmly.
“Why? Do you want another kiss?” He asked hopefully.
I think you have successfully managed to piss both me and her off with that kiss.” I explained.
“Her?” Duke asked puzzled.
“Yes the burnt woman standing outside the car,” I explained.
Duke paused and asked, “Hazel are you trying to tell me that you can see a ghost?”
A wave of nausea pushed upwards and I looked away from him. Duke studied me for a moment then looked outside again. He scanned the garage and turned to say something to me but as he did the car window suddenly imploded inwards spraying glass everywhere. An arm shot through the glass grabbing Duke by his t-shirt. I screamed loudly fearing that the burnt woman was going to kill Duke. But to my surprise I saw that the arm did not belong to a burnt corpse but a man.
“You will never ever touch her again!” Yelled Caspar pulling Duke through the car window.
Relief swept over me and I clambered out of the car door with the bed sheet still wrapped around me. I ran around the car to see Caspar on top of Duke punching the absolute shit out of him. I moved forward but was stopped by Nico who grabbed me around the waist and began to dragging me backwards towards the stair well.
“What the fuck did you think you were doing?” Caspar shouted at Duke.
Duke glanced across at me and then at Caspar. I froze- Duke knew my secret, all he had to do to get out of this mess was explain to Caspar and Nico that I could see ghosts. I held my breath waiting for Duke reply.
“I wanted Hazel for myself, so I knocked Nico out and tried to take her for myself.” Duke lied.
Caspar expression hardened and he delivered a series of brutal kicks into Duke’ chest. I struggled against Nico screaming for Caspar to stop, but he keeps going. Duke lies on the floor, quietly accepting his punishment. I scream for Caspar to stop again, but Nico sweeps me off my feet and across his shoulder.
“You have to make him stop.” I beg Nico.
Nico walks towards the stair well and shrugs nonchalantly, “Only you can do that.”
“What- how?” I cry.
“By letting Caspar back inside your head- otherwise get use to these scenes,” Nico said kicking the stair well door open.
“I don’t understand-”
“The darkness in Caspar is all consuming, and without your influence to stabilize Caspar he becomes increasingly volatile. So if you don’t want Caspar in your head then get use to these scenes Princess because it is only going to get worse,” Nico said.