Free Haunted by Tamara Thorne Page A

again," she whispered, moving closer to David.
    "We'll have to find out if that's what scared off the painters," David said, more to himself than to her. He felt it again, like a breath of frigid air on his face. At the same time, Theo started and touched her cheek.
    "Sometimes these change size," he said, raising his hands to try to discern the shape of the spot. It hovered in front of their faces and seemed to be the size of a couple of beach balls.
    "It keeps touching me." Theo's voice shook with fear now.
    It wasn't touching him much at all, which told him he was right about Theo being particularly open to manifestations. "Don't be afraid," he said. "The more fear you give off, the more you'll feed it."
    Theo made a disgusted noise and swatted at the air, then took three quick steps to the door and put her hand on the latch. "Christ!" she cried, letting go of it. "It's freezing! David, what's going on?" She grabbed his arm and clung to him.
    "It's okay," he said, touching the knob. It felt very cool, but not freezing. "Touch it again," he said softly. "Is it still freezing?"
    Gingerly, she put one finger on it and drew back quickly. "Yes!" she hissed. "Let's get out of this awful room!"
    "Theo, listen to me. There's nothing to be afraid of. The latch feels colder to you than it does to me because you're frightened."
    "That's ridiculous."
    She looked ready to bolt, so he grabbed both her upper arms in his hands and made her face him. "No, it's not ridiculous. Your fear is feeding the phenomenon. The reason it's bothering you more than me is because I've seen these things before so I'm not afraid It can't draw energy from me like it can from you because I won't feed it. Don't be afraid. You'll only increase its strength."
    "David," she said slowly and sarcastically, "How can I not be afraid?" She flinched as something invisible floated between them. David could feel the coolness feather over his cheeks. It made the hairs on the back of his neck prickle up and he told himself it was cruel to make her stay there any longer.
    Still, it was so utterly fascinating...
    "All a cold spot is, is an energy drain. It doesn't think, it doesn't feel. It's mindless. It's drawn to humans because we have energy it can feed on. It's also drawn to electrical devices. Wherever you find cold spots, you're going to find problems with light bulbs going out, clocks stopping, and things turning on and off mysteriously. Batteries don't last long in haunted houses. Now, does that sound very spooky to you? To me, it sounds merely annoying and--"
    The cloying scent of jasmine suddenly dropped over them. A suffocating cloak, sweet and rich, it swirled within the growing coldness that touched his face and neck, his arms, and body. He could feel spectral fingers through his clothing, patting him, prying and familiar, touching his lips, hardening his nipples, caressing his buttocks and penis with horrifying intimacy. Adrenalin surged through him, eating away at his courage, filling him with utter panic.
    Imprisoned in his hands, Theo stood utterly still, her eyes glazed, the chocolaty irises nearly eaten by her pupils. She moaned.
    "Come on," he said raggedly. "Let's get out of here." He let go of her to open the door, but she had turned to stone. He could hardly breathe. "Theo! Let's go!"
    Slowly, her eyes met his, still glazed and slightly unfocused. Her tongue poked out and wet her lips. Her nostrils flared. She tilted her chin up toward him, her mouth slightly open.
    He became aware of a putrid odor underlying the jasmine, a foul, rotting-meat smell, sweet and nauseating.
    "Theo!" he said harshly. "Snap out of it!" He started to raise his hand to slap her cheek to get her out of her daze, but she caught his wrist in a cold iron grip.
    "David," she whispered, her voice throaty with emotion. She pulled him closer, raising her lips to meet his.
    The kiss was cold fire and David drew back, not believing she had kissed him, or that he'd responded. She put