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bar and stood before Lila whose hair was now neon green. It was pink just the other night. The bartender smiled when she saw her.
    “Hey, Amelia. Where you been? Tig’s been asking about you.”
    “How long was I gone? I phased out for a while. I was thinking about Barrett and noticed the wolf on my wall.”
    Lila’s expression showed that more time had passed than she expected. Her lips were set in a straight line, but her eyes showed her frown. “Sweetie, Barrett was stabbed two months ago.”
    Two months. She slumped against the bar. Lila gave her a drink and she didn’t think twice about throwing it back. The burn hit her throat and she shivered from the impact of it. Maybe Tig has info about Barrett.
    “Is Tig here tonight?”
    “Yeah. He’s in his office. Wait—”
    “Thanks.” Amelia bounded off toward the back where his office was. She knocked and was about to go on when she sensed something behind her. A cold breeze slid along her shoulder.
    She turned and Barrett was there.
    “Amelia.” He smiled.
    It took a second for her to realize he was there. When it sunk in, she threw her arms around him. He took her into his embrace and squeezed her.
    “It’s good to see you.”
    “You too. I—”
    “Amelia, I thought I heard you. I wanted to talk to you a minute.” Tig came out of his office.
    “Sure thing.”
    “It’s about Barrett.”
    “What about him? He’s right here.”
    Tig glanced where Barrett was standing. The corners of his mouth tightened. “Sweetie, Barrett died a month ago. He survived the stabbing, but he slipped into a coma and never recovered. I’m sorry. I know you cared about him.”
    Amelia looked from Tig to Barrett. “But he’s right there. He’s standing next to me.”
    “No. He passed on. If he was here, then Leah would know. I would have seen him.”
    Barrett rested his hand on Amelia’s arm. It was firm. She felt the warmth of his fingers pressing into her skin.
    “He can’t see me. No one can, except you.”
    “Is it true what he said? Are you really dead?” Amelia asked.
    He nodded. “I remember being in the hospital. And then I was here. I’ve been searching for you. I even went into your room, but I couldn’t find you. I needed to find you.”
    “Who are you talking to?” Tig asked.
    “It’s Barrett. He’s right here. He said he was in the hospital and then he was here. He says that no one can hear or see him. Only I can.”
    Tig rubbed his jaw. “Hmm…I’ll have to talk to Leah about this. She won’t be in until later. Why don’t you take him back to your room and get acquainted? I’m sure you need to talk.”
    Amelia saw the glint in his slitted eyes. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks. Barrett ran his fingers along her cheek. She suppressed a shiver.
    “He does have a point. There are a lot of things I want to ask you. There are a lot of things I want to do to you. Let’s go someplace quiet.” Barrett nuzzled her neck.
    She rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. “Fine,” she answered both of them. “Ask Leah if she can bring Honey, that witch, back with her.”
    “Will do. You two kids have fun.”

Chapter Six
     
    Barrett followed Amelia down the hall and then into her room. When she passed through the door, he tried to do the same, but bumped into it and swore. He gritted his teeth and then knocked on the door. Amelia opened it and welcomed him inside. She was a sight for sore eyes. The past few weeks he had been wandering, trying to get the attention of those around him. No one had seen him, and it was frustrating. All he desired was to find Amelia and tell her that it didn’t matter she was a ghost. All he wanted was to hold her. Tell her he craved being with her for all time, but he wasn’t able to find her. When Barrett had been stabbed, the only thing that had run through his mind was telling her he was sorry for being an ass and running off. He wanted to make love to her and tell Amelia she was perfect.
    He sat down while