Protecting His Windflower (A Spirit Hunters Series Novel Book 1) by Temperance Dawn (best black authors .txt) 📕

After a moment, she dared to look up. When there was no sight of the figure, she stood on shaky legs and once again reached for the shower curtain. Slowly pulling it open, she looked around and breathed a sigh of relief when it was evident nothing was standing in her bathroom.

Swallowing hard and stepping out of the shower, Emily grabbed a towel and dried herself. An unexpected knock at the door caused her to gasp and jump. With adrenaline still pulsing through her, it took a second for her to realize what she was hearing.

“Emily?” It sounded like Liam. She recognized his smooth tone. Why was he here so early? He said ten o’clock. It was just now eight, and she was in no condition to open the door at the moment. He must have heard her scream.

Another knock. “Emily? Are you in there?” He sounded worried.

Emily toweled off as quickly as she could manage. With her hands still shaking, she grabbed her plush, pink robe hanging on the hook on the bathroom door, and threw it on.

“I’m coming,” she said as she hurried down the hallway.

When she unlatched the chain and turned the deadbolt, she cracked the door open. Liam stood in sweats and a t-shirt, the concern on his face apparent. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. I-I-I’m okay,” Emily answered, in a failed attempt at using a steady voice.

“Are you sure? Why did you scream?”

Emily felt the blood leave her face at the memory of what she had just seen. She gripped the doorknob so tight, her knuckles went white as she willed herself not to pass out. “I thought I saw something. That’s all.”

Liam stepped ever so slightly toward her and lowered his tone. “I don’t want to overstep my boundaries, but you’re shaking and pale. Did something happen? Can I come in?”

Emily thought for a second. It was obvious he was worried, and he had told her to let him know if anything else happened. “Okay. Come in.” She opened the door and allowed him to step inside. “Can you give me a minute?”

“Of course,” he responded. Emily turned and headed down the small hallway to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. She opened multiple drawers at her dresser and pulled out a pair of underwear, her favorite leggings, a bra, and an oversized hoodie.

She got dressed, then grabbed a scrunchie off of her nightstand, and put her hair in a messy bun on top of her head. She would deal with the tangled mess later. When she made her way back to the living room, Liam was standing at the window, inspecting it.

“I didn’t mean to alarm you. I was just startled—”

Liam put up his hand to stop her. “Emily, it’s okay. Obviously, something scared the crap out of you. Can we sit? I’d like to hear about what startled you.”

Emily wanted to sit. Her legs still felt like Jell-O as if she had just run a marathon. She gave a silent nod and took a seat on the sofa. Liam joined her, and she noticed a subtle, spicy scent emanating off of him.

Sitting with his body facing her, she was surprised at the amount of concern he was showing. “Can I ask why you’re so concerned? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad there’s a familiar face here right now, but why are you so interested in what I saw?”

Liam stared at Emily intensely before answering. “Because I have a feeling I know what you saw.”

Emily didn’t think she could turn anymore pale, but the sensation of more blood leaving her face proved her wrong. “What do you mean?”

“I’m a paranormal investigator. That’s why I travel so much. I’ve seen people scared the way you are right now. I’ve also seen something recently. In the basement, last night.” Liam took a deep breath. “I thought I saw a figure down there. As I was coming back upstairs to get a lighter to relight the pilot, something caught my attention, but then it was gone. And when I went back down there, the pilot light was relit, on its own.”

Bringing her knees to her chest, Emily wrapped her arms around her legs and hugged herself in an attempt to calm the quaking that was taking over her body. “Emily, please tell me what you saw. I need to know if something is going on here. Because if something is going on here, my friends and I can help.”

Not wanting to remember the image she had seen through her shower curtain, but still feeling a sense of urgency to confide in Liam, Emily met his gaze. “You’re a paranormal investigator?”

That’s convenient. Emily thought. Maybe her prayers had finally been answered. Perhaps the universe was working in her favor, leading her to a place where she could find someone to confide in. Someone who she could tell all of her past experiences to. Someone who wouldn’t think she was mentally unstable.

“Yes. I am,” Liam nodded.

Emily could not believe what she was about to share with her new neighbor. But there was no going back now. She had made up her mind, and she could only hope that he wouldn’t think she was crazy.

“I saw a shadow. While I was in the shower.”

“Go on…” he told her.

“It got really cold. So cold, I could see my breath, even with all the hot water. My hearing went funny. I thought I was going to pass out. It kept getting colder, and when I turned, there was a shadow of a man standing on the other side of my shower curtain, near the door. I couldn’t see a face. It was solid, black, in the outline of a man. Then, it rushed toward me. It came up to the shower. It was just blackness. That’s when I screamed, and it was gone.”

Liam didn’t seem to be fazed by Emily’s explanation, and her heart calmed. A glimmer of hope sparked