Chapter Seven

 

Leathan stomped the snow from his shoes on the foyer rug and tried to keep his tone as reassuring as possible when he spoke to Dakota. "What do you mean this isn't the house you bought?"

"It's falling apart!" She frowned. "Didn't you see?"

"We all did, the minute we arrived."

Dakota shook her head. "Well, at this point I'm not entirely shocked but know this, when I moved into this house, it had been freshly painted. Everything looked pristine."

Leathan almost asked her why she hadn't noticed when she'd been outside before but realized it had been dusk to evening. Besides, the last thing she needed right now was to be grilled about one more thing. They were in this together and as far as he could tell, this house was a never-ending magician's hat full of surprises.

"Oh," Dakota said in amazement.

He stopped and looked around. The house had rolled back in time again.

Andrea nodded toward the living room. "Though very tastefully done, regrettably this time, it's the whole house."

Deep down, Leathan knew the house transformed more and more toward its original glory. Gone were the gaudy beads at the top of the stairs. Now a simple, elegant dark red carpet runner graced the stairs. The living room, decorated top to bottom with Victorian furnishings, lay inviting with a fire burning on the hearth. Tall, pale green beaded lamps sat on delicately carved mahogany end tables. Burnt orange velvet cushioned chairs sat alongside a matching settee. A huge oriental carpet of quality twisted together deep reds, burnt orange and faded yellows.

Uh oh.

The television was gone.

"Don't worry, camera's still there," Andrea said. Unbelievable. In the midst of all this, their equipment still existed. He didn't give it long. Then again, if all their stuff was going to vanish, wouldn't it have by now?

Dakota walked back and forth between the foyer and living room before she vanished down the hallway toward the kitchen. So much had been learned about her in a short time. If he hadn't seen what looked to be a vampire come out of the mirror last night, he might have found her story about her family getting murdered hard to swallow. But he hadn't been simply trying to comfort her when he said he believed everything she said now. Oh no. In fact, what had happened outside still had him baffled and aroused.

It hadn't felt evil in the least.

Was that man in robes responsible?

Something told him there was more to this haunting than mere ghosts. Obviously, vampires fit into the puzzle but what of the other "off" things. How could Devin hear Dakota talk when no one else could? How had he managed to stay outside so long in below freezing temperatures? He'd reviewed the notes left by his team, knew his body temperature never dropped until near the end. At the time, Leathan realized it was odd but frustration, stubbornness and the general feeling that his limbs weren't totally frost bitten had kept him out there.

After witnessing what he had between Dakota and himself outside, another idea—though far-fetched—had started to take root.

Since childhood he'd always possessed the uncanny ability to understand more about people and objects than was considered entirely normal. Only his cousins knew about his rare gift. But of course, they had theirs too. Devin, with two deaf relatives, had been able to learn sign language and read lips within twenty-four hours. Now he ran an extremely lucrative charity to raise money for the deaf in Ireland. Seth, for lack of a better explanation, had always been damn lucky in all his outrageous escapades. He'd won every extreme sports contest he'd entered by a landslide, whether it was rock climbing, snow skiing, snowboarding, or sky diving. On top of that, when he should have died, one way or another, he didn't. Who fell one hundred and fifty feet from a vertical sheet of ice and managed to survive? Seth had.

Then there was Andrea.

Subtle and charming, she seemed to be gifted with the uncanny ability to make perfect strangers accept and trust her instantly. Aye, it might be part of her character but, as far as he could tell; her particular talent outdid most. As he leaned against the threshold to the living room, Leathan couldn't help but speculate…was this house somehow magnifying the gifts they already possessed? With Devin and himself it was definitely probable.

"Oh wow!"

Leathan headed down the hallway toward the sound of Dakota's voice. When he entered the kitchen he understood her exclamation. Not sure what to look at first, his gaze fell to the wood burning stove at the heart of the room. Seth kept busy loading wood into it. Devin, wide grin plastered on his face, leaned against what looked to be some sort of piece of furniture. Pointing down, he exclaimed, "This is the icebox."

The kittens ran through the kitchen chasing one another, before vanishing down the hallway. Dakota smiled. "Oh good, the cats made it!"

"Aye, surprisingly enough," Devin replied.

Andrea stood across from Devin. "Thankfully, there's running water, such as it is."

Bemused, Leathan eyeballed the very old-fashioned sink. Dakota stood nearby, hands on her hips, shaking her head. "What year do you think it is in this house?"

"My vote? Turn on that ancient device by your side. Let's hope it's a radio that broadcasts." Leathan moved to Dakota's side.

"This?" She frowned at the machine that looked like a rolling pin mounted on a wooden base surrounded by a few wires.

"Aye." He reached across and flipped a switch. A crackle ensued, then nothing.

"Guess we're out of luck," Dakota said.

"Shush, listen." Leathan leaned closer, intrigued.

The crackle cleared. Sound came through, very faint but audible. They all drifted closer, eager for a bit of history. Their mouths fell open as they listened to a broken, masculine broadcast. "Live, from KDKA broadcast, I bring you, for the first time ever on live radio, President Warren G. Harding giving his inaugural address. It's here, now, folks, the United States of America's twenty-eighth president talking directly to you!"

The sound cut off. Awe hell! Leathan nodded to Seth. He flew from the room.

"Come on," Leathan urged and left the kitchen. "Let's see if we still have internet service."

Excitement built. Aye, like all of them, he should be petrified right now but curiosity far outweighed everything else. He loved history, adored it. Leathan had always figured that his gift was really more of a strong desire to be closer to older objects and understand them. People were the same really. Even a ten-year-old had a story to tell. A life he or she had led. It didn’t matter if it happened in nineteen eighty or two thousand years ago. He found it all intriguing.

Seth had the large laptop open on the coffee table in the living room. Andrea, Devin and Dakota had already sat down on the settee beside him. Good thing it was a long settee, there was just enough room for him to squeeze in next to Dakota.

"Do we have access?" he asked.

"Not sure yet." Seth clicked on the internet icon. “No satellites or cable in this era. Let’s hope this house somehow crosses dimensions.”

The blue rolling circle popped up. They leaned forward, eager. If they still had internet service he'd be incredibly shocked. The icon rolled and rolled, searching for internet connection. This wasn't good.

But, they still had their equipment…so just maybe.

When a page flashed up a collective gasp of breath sounded. There it was, "First inaugural American address to be aired via broadcast, year: 1920."

"Oh my goodness!" Andrea whispered. She jumped up and looked through the camera angled out the front window. "Look at this, it's clearly still present day."

Wasting no time, Leathan waited for her to move and looked through the camera. A car drove down the road. He pulled back and urged Dakota to come over and look through the video camera. She did. Five seconds later she pulled back and grabbed his hand.

"A car is driving by." She continued to peer, squeezed his hand. "It looks really old."

Nodding, he gazed out. "Aye, it's there when we look through the camera only. The model is definitely pre-twenties. Wait, look at the back. It says what it is. A Ford Model T."

Mystified, they all stared outside. Devin and Seth agreed with Andrea, only modern day cars drove by as far as they could see.

"You said you'd researched this house as thoroughly as possible, right?" Andrea asked Leathan.

"Aye, but I wasn't able to find much. Any information found is stored on the laptop. Though built in 1901, I couldn't find via internet who built the house. Initially, it wasn't relevant to the investigation but now I'm starting to wonder."

Leathan glanced at Dakota. "Any chance the sellers told you who built this?"

She shook her head. "Actually, I'm kinda fuzzy on all of it."

He looked at her oddly. She was fuzzy on purchasing this house?

The pale morning sun vanished behind a slate gray wall of threatening clouds. Black and roiling, foaming waves churned the ominous Atlantic. Wind sprayed old snow across the window.

"Well, let's hope this forecast doesn't apply, because according to the local online weather forecast, what New Englander's are calling the potential storm of the century is coming," Seth said.

Leathan turned and watched the radar Seth had pulled up. Sure as heck, two massive walls of moisture were heading their way. The first beast, loaded with moisture but more compact, was coming in from the Midwest. The second, and far more threatening storm, sat over the Atlantic swallowing up nearly the entire Eastern Seaboard.

"Hell," he said under his breath.

"No kidding." Seth pointed to the screen, his eyes lit with excitement despite the obvious danger. "The weaker Midwest system feeds moisture into the Northeaster, mixes with a cold front out of Canada. Here on the coast we see an explosion of snow, ice, high winds, possibly even thunder and lightning."

"How long before it gets here?"

"According to this, late morning, early afternoon." Seth clicked and the radar became animated. Hour by hour, it displayed the storm's projected forecast.

Leathan lowered to the chair, deep in thought. No one said a word. Some stared at the computer screen, others at him anxiously. As much as he wanted to continue going over their current findings, good sense told him he needed to prioritize. First thing he wanted to know, no matter how irrelevant, was how well built this structure was. He understood the ocean and knew being this close to it during such a storm wasn't good. Dakota and he weren't going anywhere so it made no difference to them.

"Before we go any further, I need to ask─urge one more time. Andrea, Seth, Devin, please consider leaving for now. You don't need to be here through this storm. It's likely to become even more unsafe than it already is."

Dakota nodded. "I agree wholeheartedly."

Leathan shot her a grateful smile. "Leave until the storm blows over then return. Please."

"Have you completely lost your mind?" Seth shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "Like I'm gonna miss a storm like this!"

"Or a haunting like this," Devin admonished. "No way."

"Besides, you'll need all of us to figure this place out. Certainly not a one man…and woman job, nope, you guys will need us," Andrea assured.

Leathan hadn't expected them to want to leave, stubborn lot, and knew there was no time to convince them. "Fine. Just remember the offer was on the table when Devin turns into a wuss later."

Devin scowled and rolled his eyes.

Andrea slid a crooked grin Devin's way. "Thunder doesn't kill, lightning does."

"One bloody time I jumped and they'll never let it rest," Devin provided when Dakota looked at him in confusion.

"Jumped?" Leathan countered. "You nearly hit the floor and locked into the fetal position!" He winked at Dakota. "Give him a ghost and he's a brave enough chap. But watch out for a wee bit of thunder. He'll never survive."

Everyone laughed.

"Fine." Devin bowed elegantly, one arm across the waist. "I concede. I don't like thunder. But know this; hell will officially freeze over before I ever show it again."

"Well, something tells me you'll be put to the test," Leathan said. "Now, more importantly, before we continue our investigation we need to focus on what we'll need to weather the storm in the house, such as it is, and hope to heck, if it rolls back in time again, it doesn't take whatever we accrue. First and foremost, we'll need to gather as much wood as possible. I suggest we pile it near the fires in the rooms we plan to use. My guess is that this house runs off a well at this point, though we can melt snow, let's set aside as many containers of water as possible. Assuming there aren't flashlights, and likely won't be, let's scour the house for candles."

Leathan stood and ruffled through a duffle bag, removed two packages of lighters and tossed them onto the table. "Let's hope they stick around. Couldn't hurt to search for matches too."

"I'll do that and look for candles as well," Andrea volunteered.

"I'll fill containers with water," Dakota offered.

"Great." Leathan turned to Seth and Devin. "I'll head down to the cellar and see if there's wood stacked there. You go outside to see if any wood is stacked anywhere on this property."

"Sounds like a plan." Both headed for their jackets.

Andrea went upstairs.

Leathan followed Dakota into the kitchen where she started to pull the cabinets open. Worried about her, he leaned against the counter. "How are you doing?"

It seemed no matter how concerned he was for her mental well-being, his body was increasingly more aware of hers. As such, he was unable to miss the way her perky breasts lifted even higher when she grabbed a pan from a taller shelf.

With a light clank, she placed the pan beneath the faucet and shrugged. "As good as to be expected." Her eyes met his. “Sharing my history with you helped a lot.”

He could see she was a little less shaky which relieved him some. But he remained curious about what they’d seen after, the ethereal images of the man and woman. "What did you think about what happened outside?"

A small smile curved her lips and a becoming pink stained her cheekbones. She only hesitated a moment before she said, "Honestly? Though it was unnerving I enjoyed it."

So had he. No doubt it had fueled his growing need for her. "Are you worried about that white-robed guy?"

"Not so much." She gave a soft smile. "He feels…different. Safe."

Leathan agreed to a certain extent. However, it was hard to trust anything that was part of this haunting. She turned and his eyes fell to her heart-shaped ass. He remembered exactly how it'd felt in his hands. Smooth, taut…perfect. Put one foot in front of the other and close the distance. That's all it would take. Then he could hold and kiss her. He wanted to so badly. Leathan wasn't surprised when blood rushed to his groin. Heavy and underused, his instant arousal pressed uncomfortably against his too tight jeans.

"I’ll be back." He turned and headed for the cellar door. The last thing Dakota needed to see right now was the blatant lust in his eyes and his obvious erection. He opened the door, flipped the switch to turn on the power and headed down into the dank recesses below.

Cobwebs dusted his arms as he descended. Thankfully, the camera they'd set up down here still sat, facing toward the main center area. As with many houses from this period, the stone cellar split into various unlit rooms. He walked into the first room and clicked on his flashlight. Leathan eyed the rows upon rows of canned goods. At the very least, for now, they had extra food.

Continuing into the next room, he found random things scattered about. There was little of value since cellars became too moist. They would need to explore the attic soon. He suspected that would be where they might find more clues to the original owner and possibly the builder of this place.

After passing through the center area, he entered a larger room and sighed with relief. Chopped wood was stacked high against two walls. About to pull a piece free he stopped. Had he heard a giggle? Pushing the wood back, he spun the flashlight toward the entrance. Nothing. He was bound to have an over active imagination down here. After all, this replicated the spooky cellars from the best horror movies. Light on, he clipped the flashlight to his hip pocket and grabbed the piece of wood again.

Three pieces of wood in hand, Leathan shivered. Brrr. Prepared, he held the wood in one arm, reached into his pocket, pulled out his digital temperature gage and held it in the light. As hairs rose on the back of his neck, he watched the reading drop from thirty-five degrees to thirty-two, then thirty-one. He started counting. Within seconds it dropped to twenty-five. Ready to pull a recorder from his other pocket, Leathan froze when a black figure caught the corner of his vision from deeper inside the room. He carefully set aside the wood.

His flashlight dimmed then snapped off without him touching it. Those in the paranormal world speculated spirits drew energy from their surroundings to manifest. He waited and watched.

"Leath─"

He snatched Dakota from the doorway, brought her between him and the wood and put a finger to her lips. "Quiet," he whispered close to her ear.

"Heard you the first time," she whispered back.

What?

No time to wonder what she meant. Something was happening in the corner. With a protective arm around Dakota, he peered into the dark recesses of the room. Someone whispered. She trembled. He peered closer. Nothing. The temperature rose and returned to normal. Leathan stroked her shoulder reassuringly. Whatever it had been hadn't stuck around long. While he wanted to explore the area more the feel of her body against his drove away all logical thought. Their hearts pounded. Breath rushed from their lungs. They were caught in a heady mix of adrenaline combined with lust.

At last she spoke. "Did you see anything?"

What scent was she wearing? It smelled sweet and inviting. "No." He continued stroking her shoulder, then the side of her neck. "Are you okay? Frightened?"

"At first," she admitted, her body relaxed and pliant between his and the wood stack.

Without consciously realizing it, he had her sandwiched with his front nestled against hers. His renewed arousal pressed against her with interest. Spirit activity, no matter how slight, usually kept him enthralled. But right now nothing but the feel of her lithe body flattened against his mattered. Lust overwhelmed him. He wanted her so much. Leathan pressed closer and gently kissed the side of her neck, said very softly, "Should I stop?"

"What do you think?"

Hungry, eager, he found her mouth. Willing, her lips opened beneath his and as before, her hands came around his neck. Wedging a knee between her legs, he found her backside and lifted until he held her locked and secure, inescapably lodged between him and the woodpile. Her firm backside filled his palms perfectly. Her slender athletic thighs straddled his leg. Heat emanated from her core, and he nearly groaned. Tilting his head further, he explored her mouth, their tongues and lips in perfect unison.

Grinding his thigh against her, he protected her backside with his hands. The ache rose sharp and hard when he felt the heat increase between her legs, when a small whimper left her lips. All he could imagine was the moist clinging heat within her.

What would she taste like? Feel like?

Her hands left his neck, bunched his sweater until she touched bare back. The light scrape of her nails made him grunt and thrust. His need was so strong and painful that he slid her down, and dropped to his knees. Unzipping her pants, he pulled them and her panties down. When he looked up her head was thrust back against the wood, eyes closed, chest rising and falling harshly, hands moving restlessly over the wood behind. She was damn hot and only lit by the small light at his hip.

Leathan wished she was naked.

Grasping her waist, he felt the taut smoothness of her backside with his fingers while grazing her curved hip bones with his thumbs. A trickle of sweat made its way down his forehead despite the frigid temperature. Carefully, feather light, he trailed the tip of his tongue around the tiny ring piercing her bellybutton.

Dakota groaned.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered across her belly. She shivered. "Has anyone ever told you that before?" He moved his hands upward, allowed his thumbs to lightly skirt the underside of her breasts.

"Not sure," she breathed.

"No?"

As he moved his hands down over her waist once more, he peppered kisses over her smooth stomach. When he reached the area beneath, he moved slowly, savored every inch. She stopped breathing. Inhaling, he knew she was ready for him. When he found what he was looking for, petite and hidden in a dusting of dark hair between her thighs, her legs gave way. Holding tight, he supported her, tasted slowly, using his tongue to explore…investigate.

One arm around her backside, he licked, savored, and unzipped his pants. Hands threaded in his hair, she pushed forward, one small manageable thrust at a time. Hoisting Dakota further, he found the heart of her with one solid tongue thrust. She yelled out. He grinned, relishing the feel of her inner muscles as they clenched and throbbed.

"Now. Please," she whimpered. "I want more. You."

He understood. Needed no further invitation. With a primal growl he stood, brought her up three feet, and pressed himself against her.

"Oh!" She grabbed his shoulders, small fingernails digging into his upper back.

Searching for reason he again asked, "Do you want me to stop?"

Though he held firmly, her legs climbed him in anticipation. "No, no."

Was this too soon? Did it matter? Who said they'd even survive this haunted house? Though he'd said he hadn't, he'd reviewed the tape of them in her bedroom, knew they hadn't had sex. Remembering the way her body had looked without clothing, another shot of lust rocketed through him. More than anything, he needed to be inside her. They were adults. They knew what they did. Leathan struggled to talk, to confirm. But her warm skin pressed against him, her hot entrance welcoming. All reason fled.

One arm beneath her backside, one around her upper back, he lifted, positioned, and let her sink.

"Leathan? Where are you?"

He stopped her, just as he found her entrance, found that first warm wet heated inch of bliss. Pulling Dakota against him, Leathan tried to swallow. Couldn't. Tried to speak. Couldn't.

They breathed so harshly, it amazed him it couldn't be heard across the state of New Hampshire. Sweat made their skin slick. He could feel it on her belly, on his arms.

"Found wood!" Dakota managed. "Go get the guys."

Found wood? The breathy statement, said so desperately, made him hang his head and laugh quietly.

"Found wood?" Andrea confirmed.

Dakota's chest bubbled with laughter against the side of his cheek. "Yep, for sure!"

"You Scot's aren't right," she whispered.

"Neither are you Americans," he whispered back.

He pulled away enough to let her slide to the ground, only because neither could stop laughing. Wood had been found all right, in more ways than one! While she adjusted her clothes, he did the same.

When finished, still caught in the dark, he knew he had little time left. "Dakota, can I tell you something?”

"Sure."

Before he could speak, the temperature plummeted. Dakota's eyes rounded. Leathan whipped around. The stone on the opposite wall undulated. What the bloody hell? Buckling and crunching a face formed, its chin rested on the dirt floor. Two sharp daggers protruded from the mouth. Eyes glowed red. It was the same face from the mirror!

Leathan tried to step in front of Dakota. Air rushed up and pushed him back. He struggled against it.

"I felt that orgasm, miss England, my little savior. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk," it said, a deep rumbling sound. "And I promise you this. My touch will make you groan far louder than his ever could."

Her body slid up the wood pile, thighs spread. She screamed.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and the stone face crunched back into the wall.

Dakota slowly sank down the pile of wood until she sat. Her head slumped. Sobs wracked her. Whatever held him back vanished, and Leathan scrambled her way. "Shhh." He pulled her into his lap. "It's okay, lass. All over."

Her head turned into his chest. "No, don't you get it. It's only just beginning."

 

****

Devin knew the minute he reviewed Leathan's notes on the house what his cousin must be thinking, what he had to be assuming. This was crazy. Sitting on the second floor, after he had convinced Seth this house surely held more clues and to keep searching for wood, he'd search for a hidden cubby or something, anything that might tell them who built this.

Screw that.

He'd grabbed a laptop, hit a room and reviewed Leathan's notes. More importantly, what he hyphenated, and commented about in great detail after his notes. Apparently his clan had intermarried, or had relations with an American name, or old Irish name, called O'Donnell. His cousin was convinced that this name was somehow attached to them. He had felt for a long time that it had something to do with their future.

Devin loved his cousin but this struck him a little too wild of an idea. Leathan wasn't given to writing down such long scale speculation but he’d done so here. Though he was right about a lot this was complete madness. Leathan hadn’t mentioned why he felt it was relative to this investigation.

Or the ones prior for that matter.

Why had he even mentioned their previous investigations? What was he searching for?

"Come on, slack ass," Seth said from the door. "They found wood, time to labor."

Just about to shut the computer down, Devin stopped. The words on the screen had shifted somehow, he was sure. Waiting, studying it, he watched. Nothing happened.

"Come on," Seth yelled up as he walked down the stairs.

Devin shut off the laptop and was about to stand when a masculine voice emitted from its dead speakers. "The attic never changed, not the important parts."

Had he really just heard that? His heart rate kicked up a notch and his mouth turned dry. Though tempted to flee he stayed. He stared at the machine but it remained silent. Perhaps it’d just been his imagination. But its declaration made him think. The attic never changed? Hadn't it been refinished? Then again, maybe not now. Should he supersede Leathan and make Dakota take notice by figuring out the next clue in this mystery…or follow orders?

To say he wasn't frustrated Leathan seemed to be thoroughly winning over Dakota would be a lie. A part of him wanted to check out what the laptop had said. Stepping out of the room, he glanced to the stairs leading to the attic, then the ones going down.

He made a decision seconds before Dakota's scream filled the house.