The Medium (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Trilogy #1) Read Online Free Page B

the etiquette for
when ghosts came calling.
    He really was
undeniably handsome though. The more I looked at him, the more I liked his
features. None were remarkable on their own—except for the vivid blue of his
eyes—but together they made his face extraordinary. What a shame he was dead. Even
more so because he'd come from a wealthy family—Celia would be particularly
disappointed by the waste. The number of eligible gentlemen we knew could be
counted on a butcher's hand—five less a few missing digits and fingertips. Perhaps
it wasn't a complete loss however. Jacob might have a living relative or friend
he wanted us to contact while he was here. Preferably one of Celia's age or a little
older.
    "So these Administrators,"
I said, "why have they sent you here? Is it something to do with Barnaby Wiggam?
Because if it is, I should explain that it was his own choice not to return to
the Waiting Area. We tried to convince him—."
    "It's
nothing to do with Wiggam." He drew his attention from the tea tray and
gave it all to me. There was heat in his gaze, an undeniable flare of desire
that tugged at me, drew me into those blue eyes and held me there. I couldn't
look away but I could blush and I did, although hopefully the darkish shade of
my skin hid the worst of it. I hated being the center of attention, which made
being a legitimate spirit medium a rather difficult occupation at times. As our
reputation grew so did the stares and the whispers. But I'd never been the
center of this sort of attention. No man had ever looked at me like that.
    "Whether Wiggam's
ghost wants to stay and haunt his wife or return to the Waiting Area is
entirely up to him," he finally said, breaking the spell. "The Administrators
allow spirits to make up their own minds. No, Emily, what you've done is
something much more serious."
    "Oh." My
stomach dropped. I lowered the teacup to my lap and wished the sofa would
swallow me up. "You're talking about that...that horrid shadow, aren't
you?"
    He nodded. "That
shadow is a shape-shifting demon."
    "What!"
The cup rattled and I put my hand over it to still it. I stared at him and he
simply stared back, waiting for me to ask the questions. I had many questions
but all I said was, "I'm sorry" in a whisper.
    He didn't say "You
should be" or "You're a stupid girl" but simply "I know"
in that rumbling voice that seemed to come from the depths of his chest.
    "What is
it? What does a shape-shifting demon do?"
    "When it
first emerges into this world it holds no shape. Its first instinct is survival,
safety, until it can gather its strength. Once it has, it takes on the form of
someone or something else almost perfectly." He paused and his lips formed
a grim line. "And then it needs to satisfy its hunger."
    From the way he
couldn't meet my gaze, I suspected that hunger wouldn't be satisfied by buying
fish from the markets. It would eat whatever it could kill. Rats, dogs. People.
    I cleared my
throat. "It was summoned quite by accident. I didn't mean to do it." Celia
had better thank me later for taking the blame. It was entirely her fault that
we'd released a demon with that new amulet. Not that I would tell Jacob. She
was the only family member I had left and although we didn't always see eye to
eye, we were all the other had and I wouldn't toss her into the lion's den, so
to speak, even if the lion appeared relatively tame. I needed to find out more
about Jacob and what the Administrators would extract for her folly first. I
was better equipped than Celia to cope with the supernatural.
    "Tell me
how it happened," he said, sitting beside me on the sofa, not at the other
end but close so that I could touch him if I moved a little to the right. I
felt very alert and aware of him, but I could not meet that gaze. "I want
to know exactly what was said, how it was said, and what object was used to
summon it."
    I stood,
reluctantly, and fetched the amulet from Celia's bag. When I sat down again, I
made sure I was sitting