A Fierce Archer (Clan Ross Book 6) by Hildie McQueen (great novels TXT) 📕

any contaminating noise from entering the room since Emily and Liam were still in the living room.

Trey sat on the end of her lofty bed with an infrared camera, and he placed a voice recorder on the dresser across from the bed. He had done a quick review after each round of questions, but hadn’t captured any disembodied voices.

The room was an icebox. Despite the warm, charming decor and plush bedding and pillows, an uncomfortable presence was near. Trey could hear the hum of the furnace through the vents. He walked over to the far wall and placed his hand in front of the heat register. Warm air blew against his skin. It was evident that whatever was present was having a significant effect on the environment.

The static in the air that Liam had mentioned was still palpable. Like the feeling from back in the days when someone had left one of those boxy, old fashioned TV’s on in a room. You knew the TV was on by the way all of your hairs would stand up, and your ears would ring, your body felt engulfed by an invisible energy. That was the feeling of Emily’s bedroom. Only there was no TV present.

Trey had already taken dozens of photos with a small digital camera, but nothing had shown up. He was eager to do a full investigation of the place. He wished he’d grabbed more equipment, but there wasn’t enough time. Liam had sent the photo of a shadow figure standing in the doorway, and he asked for help. Since Luke and Trey were roommates, they made quick work of gathering what they deemed most essential, but had missed packing the motion sensors and other investigation equipment that could be useful.

Trey kept the work van parked at his house since he had the room, but he never stored their expensive gear inside of it. What they had on them wasn’t ideal, but it would do for a spur of the moment investigation where activity had been witnessed recently.

Trey walked back out to the hallway and decided to snap pictures throughout the rest of the flat. Just as he was about to say something to Liam and Emily, Luke walked through the front door, eyes wide. Trey knew that look.

Before Trey or Liam could say anything, Luke said, “Guys, we need to talk.”

Liam stood from the sofa. “What did you find?”

“I caught some EVPs. I can make out a couple on the recorder, but there’s one that needs to be cleaned up. Should I go to the van to work on it?”

Trey watched as Liam turned to Emily. He knew his friend was debating whether he should let her listen to the EVPs now or wait. Before Liam could ask the question, Emily spoke up, “I would like to hear them. If it’s okay with you.”

Liam didn’t move his gaze from Emily. He stared at her with warm affection, her eyes meeting his with the same emotion. “Luke, go get whatever you need from the van and set up here. We’ll all listen to it together.”

Luke glanced over, and Trey gave a subtle nod before his friend turned to walk out to the van. Trey picked up his laptop bag and set himself up at the small dining table where he wrote up a report on the residence.

Eleven

Emily walked up to Liam after taking the food out of the oven and placing it in containers. The guys had stopped to review the voice recorders, double-checking that they hadn’t missed any voices being picked up, and Luke was working on cleaning up an EVP that he’d caught. Her appetite had disappeared, and Liam had said he was no longer hungry. She figured it would be nice to have leftovers at the ready, and maybe she and Liam could enjoy the food another night. After she placed the containers in the refrigerator, she made her way into the living room.

Emily listened to the three friends discuss the night’s events using paranormal jargon. She was feeling a little excluded. Not because she felt ignored, but because she wasn’t understanding a lot of the terminology being used. Sure, she had watched some ghost hunting shows on TV, but it was a whole other experience being in the presence of paranormal investigators and watching them work. Seeing Liam in his element, working and talking about types of EVPs so passionately, turned her on even more.

Emily had made up her mind during their brief kiss on the sofa that she wasn’t letting the spirit skew her feelings or desires any longer. She didn’t care if her thoughts spurred more activity around her. Perhaps that would help Liam discover who the entity was, and they could get rid of it. Emily let herself relish in the sight of Liam, in her living room, working and looking like the finest specimen of a man she’d ever seen.

“Okay. I’ve cleaned this one EVP up as best I can,” Luke said from the dining table. The previous two EVPs were not hard to make out. They all listened to them right after Luke set up his computer. Both sounded deep, menacing, and like they came from the same voice. A creepy feeling of familiarity, yet Emily couldn’t connect the dots as to why. They spoke, “I’m here,” and “She’s mine.”

Emily slipped her arm around Liam’s waist, and he pulled her close, his arm resting over her shoulders. He held her securely to him. She shivered in his embrace. Not from cold and not from discomfort. She simply hadn’t yet grown used to the fiery jolt that coursed through her body whenever they touched. As electrifying as it was, she craved the feeling all the same and looked forward to the sensation. “What’s an EVP?” she asked.

Luke spoke up, still sitting at the makeshift workstation that was her dinette table. “We’re sorry, Emily. We didn’t mean to leave you out. An EVP is an Electronic Voice