Free Microsoft Word - Jacks-Marcy-The-Spirit-Within.doc by Owner

force himself to say.
    “Yes, well, you still did it, intentional or not.”
    “But I’m stuck here. I’ve tried moving on, and I have no idea how to do that. I don’t want to hurt Ivan again.”
    “You can start that by not haunting the cabin he is staying in.”
    “I’m not going inside the house,” Eric muttered.
    “Stay away from it completely. Stay away from him. If you are unable to leave as of yet, then spend your time running through the forests. Do the things that you used to enjoy doing. They will take your mind away from him and bring you much closer to peace.”
    “They will?”
    “Yes.” Opal nodded. “Whatever it was that made you feel free in

The Spirit Within                          61

    life will do the same for you in death. Since you were a werewolf, my  guess is that it was spending time in your wolf form, hunting and  racing through the trees. Many spirits cross over while doing such  things.”
    It made so much sense that it was ridiculous. “I can’t hunt,
    though. I’m not alive.”
    “You could try. There are spirits in the world who can cause  change among the objects and creatures around them. That’s how  hauntings occur. Just practice. With the smaller animals, you will  have a better chance for success since animals are more in tune with
    the spirit world than people are.”
    To go hunting and running again…that sounded nice. That was  exactly what Eric needed.
    Opal stood up and pointed her hand toward the denser area of the  forest. “Go now. Do not come back until you manage to catch a  rabbit.”
    If Eric was able to catch anything, he wanted it to be a buck, or maybe he could sneak up on a mountain lion and scare it. That was something he’d never been able to do.
    He took two steps forward, stopped, and then turned back toward the pack.
    “Ivan will be fine. I will see to his lessons while you are away.”
    Ivan needed the space from him. So long as Eric wasn’t around then Ivan wouldn’t need to be fearful or distracted.
    Eric allowed the transformation of his wolf to wash over him.
    That same tingling feeling of the change was there, only in death, as opposed to life, the change was instant.
    Out of habit rather than any dust in his coat, he shook himself off, still not entirely feeling the rush of air through the hairs of his coat, but there was a little something there, and that was enough to make him excited for the run.
    Eric took off, digging his claws into the earth as he ran, launching
    himself faster and faster into the forest.

    62                            Marcy Jacks

    * * * *

    Opal watched the spirit run off. He would be back, but after she told him of the possibility to touch things and hunt with practice, she doubted that would be for another little while.
    She’d almost been shocked to learn that her spell had worked. The spirit had actually taken possession of Ivan’s body.
    She’d performed the spell as a last resort, not truly expecting it to work. The spirit and medium had to be close for such a thing to be forced on both parties. Physically and spiritually.
    Perhaps they were being intimate when it happened.
    Opal’s face heated at the thought of such a gorgeous specimen like Eric touching another man. Ivan especially. She wondered if, had  Eric been alive, he would allow Ivan to sink his fangs into his neck and lick away the blood with his tongue. Though the fantasy did have its erotic appeal, she had better things to attend to.
    She checked her watch. Little past five in the afternoon. She would give Ivan another shot before giving up and just waiting for nightfall. Now that Eric was away, she really hoped he would answer his door this time.
    Success. On her knock, a small voice called for her to wait, and
    she did wait two minutes before opening the door and letting herself
    inside the small cabin.
    Vampires generally required living spaces with two doors to keep out all