Extraits

I arched my eyebrows as they joined me, doubting their innocent airs. Where Aaron went, Kai and Ezra were usually close behind, keeping the pyromage from burning buildings down or getting himself kidnapped … again.

“Uuuuugh. Fine.” The woman threw her hands up—and her body melted. It lost solidity and shrank, then reformed into something new.

CHAPTER ONE

“This house,” the landlord declared, “is not haunted.”

Lifting my sunglasses off my eyes, I peered at the sweating man. His baggy shirt stuck to his beer belly and his bald head shone in the afternoon sun. Had I somehow implied I was concerned about paranormal activity? Because I definitely hadn’t asked about any hauntings.

At my dubious look, he realized his mistake.

“There are rumors—I mean, a few people have—that is …” He deflated. “It’s not haunted.”

Uh-huh. I perched my sunglasses on top of my head and surveyed the property. We stood in the backyard of a tired bungalow that wore its recent renovations like a venerable old lady done up in clown makeup. The back fence had been painted white, but the peeling underlayer was already lifting the new coat off. The postage-stamp yard had been sodded with green grass, and a new pergola sat atop cracked patio stones, but a monster-sized spruce dominated the space.

Blowing my bangs off my forehead, I scanned my printout for the rental. “Is this yard shared with the people upstairs?”

“Technically, yes.” He wiped his hands on his baggy gym shorts. “The main level is rented, but they travel a lot.”

“Hmm.” I waited a moment to see if he’d offer up anything else. “Can we go inside?”

“Oh yes!” He waved enthusiastically. “The door’s unlocked. Go ahead and take a look around.”

I glanced at my apartment-hunting wingwoman. Sin scrunched her face, arms folded over her teal sundress, the airy fabric almost the same color as her wavy hair. With a shrug, I headed for the back door and she followed behind me. The landlord, blotting his face with a crumpled tissue, stayed where he was.

Once inside the drab entryway, Sin snorted loudly. “What is with the weirdo count on this outing? The first landlord invited you to move into his house instead of the apartment. The second lady asked seven times if you were a natural redhead. Now this guy? Ugh.”

I started down the stairs to the basement. “You forgot the creeper at the bus stop who tried to snatch your purse.”

“The one you called a swamp donkey?” Sin smirked. “And threatened to shove into traffic?”

“Funny how he decided he didn’t need to take the bus after all.” I stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “Oh, hey. This isn’t half bad.”

The simple open layout showcased a basic kitchen with cheap appliances in one corner, a living room with a fireplace and a long window that let in a surprising amount of light, and imitation-hardwood floors throughout. Excited, I checked out the bathroom, bedroom, and tiny laundry room. Returning to the empty, echoey living room, I spun in a slow circle.

“This is really nice,” I gushed, unconcerned by the lackluster finishes. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, and having spent the last ten months sleeping on my brother’s sofa, I was ready to overlook anything less than holes in the walls.

Which, unfortunately, had been included in all the apartments we’d viewed so far, along with complimentary mold, cockroaches, and suspicious odors. That wasn’t including the batshit crazy landlords. Did normal people not dabble in real estate investment, or did all the well-adjusted landlords have tenants already?

“It’s clean,” Sin observed. “Running water. Heat. Wait, does it have heat? It’s cold in here.”