Scream in the Wind (Paranormal Peacekeepers: Book Two)

Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

Grace

"Run!"

Our boots pounded against ancient floorboards, each step matching the beating of my heart as it knocked frantically against my ribs. I looked around, trying to focus on whatever was crawling in the shadows, but the only illumination standing out in the pitch black vastness of the manor was focused on the swinging front door that served as our only escape.

"It's catching up!" Bodhi bellowed.

"What is it? I can't see shit!" Mark slapped his flashlight and stumbled as we attempted to flee.

I stopped running long enough to grab Mark's arm and pull him toward the door, taking only a millisecond to glance back and check for flying debris.

"Poltergeist," I screamed in his ear. "And she's really freaking pissed right now! So GO!"

From the very brief glance she allowed me, I knew we weren't dealing with a run-of-the-mill poltergeist. She wasn't a prankster spirit. Not one bit. She was a vindictive, restless soul and we were trespassers she was happy to torment.

It was no surprise that by the time the Palmer's contacted us, she'd practically ripped the new family's home in two. I felt for them, seeing as how they'd only bought the property a week before our arrival, but the real estate agent had given them fair warning. They just didn't take it to heart.

"C'mon, guys! Shut your traps and move!" Violet pushed past us, holding one hand to a bloody gash on her cheek. She was trying to focus and not lose her cool as droplets of her essence fell to the floor, but the uneven shake to her voice betrayed her. She was scared.

We all were.

As we sprinted toward the open front door, something knocked at the back of my brain, begging to be acknowledged. My intuition told me to freeze. It burned through my chest, and I stopped in my tracks even as Mark's momentum tugged me forward.

I could sense his absence in my gut, in my heart, in my very bones. And I wasn't leaving without him. We'd been an inseparable duo for over a year, and I wasn't about to leave my better half behind.

"Wait! Miles is still upstairs!"

"Miles is a big boy. He can take care of himself." Mark grabbed hold of my free wrist and tugged me forward, but I didn't budge.

"I'm going back."

Before I could take a single step toward the one person I'd die to protect, a breathless voice cut through the darkness like a comet, blazing fiercely in the dank air while simultaneously extinguishing my fear.

"The hell you are!" Miles yelled. "Move, Grace!"

With Mark tugging on one arm and Miles pushing on the other, the three of us flew through the front door just as a bedside table toppled down the stairs after us. We rolled away, shielding our faces as the heavy wood splintered into a thousand pieces.

The safety of the cool night air hugged my body, welcoming me back from the hell I'd just endured. With an unhealthy dose of adrenaline pounding through my veins, I stood, dusted myself off, and looked around at the rest of my comrades.

They all panted, catching their breath as disbelieving eyes bounced around the circle. Embracing fear was a key element in our line of work, but sometimes that fear embraced us. Their shocked expressions all looked the same; faces bleached white, hands trembling, minds going crazy at what we'd witnessed.

Annabel and Poe, the two bloodhounds we traveled with, bounded over from the van and proceeded to whine and lick at our legs, faces, arms- anywhere they could reach. Coming down from the rush, I scratched Annabel behind the ears and assured here I was okay, but even that didn't appease her.