When we arrived at the bookstore, I could feel my dad’s desire to be anywhere besides here saturate the air. I was positive it was the first time since finding Danny he’d stepped foot inside the place. I knew a lot of emotions would surface for him, but it was important he saw the video. It was the only way he’d believe me. Seeing the guide hadn’t been enough proof. Seeing the hellhound on the video would be.

I unlocked the shop and stepped inside, holding the door open for my dad and Mason. Dad didn’t follow me inside right away. Hesitation pulsed through him. He hung in the threshold for the span of a few heartbeats before moving forward.

“It still smells like him,” he whispered.

I nodded. While there was still a chemical scent lingering in the office, Danny’s scent could still be smelled out here. It gave me a false sense of comfort. I knew he was gone, but his scent made him seem close still somehow.

I stepped to my dad and interlaced my fingers through his. Mason closed the door to the shop and locked it so we wouldn’t be disturbed. I was glad he was here.

I walked my dad toward the office. The instant we neared it, his body tensed. My heart broke for him. While I was still hurting because Danny was gone, I knew my pain wasn’t anything compared to his.

Dad had been the one to find Danny. I hadn’t.

My hand squeezed his, encouraging him to continue forward while letting him know I was here with him.

“I can’t,” he whispered. His eyes snapped shut and his grip on my hand tightened. “I can’t go in that room. It’s too soon.”

“You can because I’m here with you,” I muttered. “You can because you know I wouldn’t ask you to do this unless it was important. Daddy, please.”

My father’s eyes opened. His gaze locked with mine. The dark circles beneath his eyes became more prominent. This was taking more out of him than I thought it would. “Okay.”

Placing one foot in front of the other, my father started toward the office without uttering another word. Once we passed through the threshold, I realized the hard part was over. Now all I needed to do was have him watch the clip of the hellhound coming in. Once he saw it, I knew he’d believe me.

I released his hand and crossed over to the desk, ready to boot the computer up. Getting the video up quickly was my top priority. Dad would need something to focus on besides the room. I was sure it would bring horrible images of finding Danny to mind. I remembered how hard it had been for me to be in here even without my dad’s horrific memories.

The computer booted up quickly, and I was able to get the video up without issue. Thank goodness.

“Mason, do you remember what the stop clock said when the hellhound came through?” I prayed he remembered because I didn’t think I was strong enough to watch the tape twice, and I knew my father wouldn’t be able to watch the entire thing.

“No, I don’t remember.”

I bit my bottom lip. Damn it. I pressed fast-forward and stared at the screen, searching for the first flicker of the hellhound entering the shop. It wasn’t long before I noticed its smoky shadow make an appearance. I stopped the video and rewound a little to when it first slipped through the glass of the front door.

“Here it is. It comes in at the bottom of the screen, right through the glass of the front door.” I stepped out of the way so my dad would have a better view of the computer screen. “Have a seat. Then hit play. You should see a smoky figure near the bottom of the screen.”

Dad situated himself in the chair, his eyes focused on the screen and nothing else. He clicked play. When the hellhound came into view, an audible gasp spurred passed his lips, and I felt a small sense of satisfaction slip through me.

He’d seen it. Now he would understand. Now he would believe me.

“Oh my God. There was a hellhound here the night Danny died.” Sadness cracked through my dad’s voice as tears trickled from his eyes. He blinked and they only fell faster.

An ache built in the back of my throat as tears of my own threatened to spill free. Now wasn’t the time to cry, though. I still needed to explain everything else happening.

“I can’t believe I thought he’d commit suicide. What kind of father am I?” A sob shook his body. “Somewhere deep down, I knew Danny wouldn’t do something like that, and yet I let everyone tell me otherwise. I even allowed my own eyes to play tricks on me. There’s no way that thing could have been as neat as what I saw when I found him. What I want to know is who the hell covered up your brother’s death?”

I didn’t know what to say because I hadn’t thought of it that way before. Who would want to cover up something like that? The chief of police maybe to keep panic out of Willow Harbor?

“Maybe no one did. Maybe it was part of the hellhound’s magic,” Mason chimed in. “I don’t know much about them, but I do know they have some sort of magic residing in them. It’s possible their magic can also glamor the scene of their crime, making it appear to be something else.”

“It’s possible. It could also explain why so little is known of them. They don’t necessarily leave a trail behind.”

“I should have sensed something was off,” Dad muttered. “I should’ve known there was something else at play. Danny was my kid. My son.”

I understood why he was feeling how he was, but knew no good could come from it. Making him feel like a crap parent hadn’t been my intention. I only wanted him to know the truth about Danny’s death.

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you, Claire. Jesus, I’m so sorry, honey.” Dad sobbed. “I can’t believe I thought your brother would do something like that. I failed you both.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks. It was hard to see an already broken man break even further, especially one I loved.

“It’s okay, Dad. And you didn’t fail us.” I sniffled as I reached out to hug him.

“No. A parent should always give their kids the benefit of the doubt. I didn’t,” he muttered.

“Don’t beat yourself up about this. Danny wouldn’t have wanted you to,” Mason said. His words were so sincere they sent a shot of warmth through my core. My gaze traveled to meet his, and I flashed him a small smile before mouthing the words thank you.

An icy chill settled into the room. I knew it was Danny making himself known.

“Think I’m going to step outside and give you some privacy,” Mason said. His gaze darted around the room. He’d felt Danny’s presence, too. He started for the door, but before he could leave, an aberration of my brother appeared in front him, blocking his path.

“Don’t go, Mason,” Danny said. His voice echoed through the office in a creepy way, but there was a warm timbre to it that had a sense of familiarity buzzing through me.

“Danny?” Dad breathed. “Is that really you?”

“Yeah, Dad, it’s me.” Danny smiled and another river of tears began to flow from my eyes. I’d missed his smile. I’d missed him.

“How?” Dad asked the question burning on the tip of my tongue.

“I can’t answer that because I’m not sure. Just know that I’m here.”

“Why are you here right now?” I asked. Why hadn’t he appeared to me like this before? Why now?

“I had unfinished business. I couldn’t leave until you both knew the truth.” He crammed his hands into the front pockets of his ghostly jeans. It was a gesture he always did when he was nervous. “I wanted you to figure out what happened to me. I was pissed my death had been labeled a suicide and people were believing it. I didn’t want you two thinking you’d missed some silent cry for help from me and blame yourselves. Please know I was never depressed. I loved my life, I loved the store, and I will always love both of you.”

My throat constricted as my tears of sorrow choked me.

Danny stepped toward me. The chill coming off him seeped through to my bones, but I didn’t back away. I couldn’t. This was the final few moments I’d ever get to spend with my brother.

“Don’t be sad. I’m not. I get to be with Mom. I get to see her again, and now I get to leave this earth knowing you both know the truth about my death. That was all that mattered to me, sis. Screw this entire town. I don’t care if they think I committed suicide. All that matters is you and Dad know the truth, and I get to say goodbye.”

“I wish you didn’t have to go. God, Danny, I’m so sorry this happened to you,” I cried.

“I wish I didn’t have to go either, but I do. I can’t hang around here. It’s too lonely not being able to talk to anyone. It was depressing being chained to the bookstore and my apartment. I was trapped here.” His hand reached out, and by some sort of magic I didn’t understand, touched my arm. His touch was cold but bearable. There was a strange sense of comfort in it. “It’s because of you and your crazy impulsive ways I’m free. Thank you, Claire. You saved me an eternity of torment.”

“It wasn’t all me.” I wiped my tears away. “You should be thanking Mason, too. He’s the one who helped me.”

Danny glanced at Mason. He was standing near the office door, watching. “I know. I saw everything. I even saw you save my sister from the hellhound. Thank you. I swear I couldn’t say those words enough to show my level of appreciation for that alone. It was terrifying watching that thing come at her and knowing there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it.”

“It came after you?” Dad snapped. I could feel his heated gaze on me and knew I’d get a lecture on keeping something like that from him.

“Yeah, but Mason was there. He killed it,” I said.

“I guess I should be glad he was there, glad he saved you, but what I want to know is why it came after you in the first place. And why the hell did you wait so long to tell me all of this?”

“She saw how much you were hurting, Dad,” Danny said before I could say anything. He always stuck up for me. Always. What would I do without him? “She didn’t want to hurt you any more than you already were. That, and knowing Claire, I’m sure she probably wanted to wait until she had enough proof to prove her case before saying anything. Am I right?”

“On both accounts.” I smiled.

Dad cleared his throat, drawing my attention back to him. A deep-lined frown etched its way across his face. I thought I was about to get an earful, but instead he shifted to face Mason.

“Thank you again for rescuing my daughter when she’d obviously bitten off more than she could chew,” he said. “And thanks for sticking with her through all this when you didn’t have to.”

“You’re welcome, sir,” Mason said.

“Come here,” Danny whispered to me. He reached out and pulled me in for a hug. Warmth I hadn’t been expecting enveloped me at his touch. “I have to go, but I want you to know I’ll always be with you, Claire. Don’t forget me, okay?”

“Don’t be stupid,” I scolded him through my tears. “I could never forget you. You’re the best brother a girl could have.”

“Live a happy, full, long life for me, all right? I don’t want to see you again for a long time. Do you hear me?”

“Promise.” I squeezed him as tight as I could, inhaling his cologne and imprinting the moment to memory.

Danny pulled away and kissed me on the forehead before moving on to our dad.

“Don’t be sad for me, Dad. I already told you Mom’s got my back on the other side. She misses you, by the way. She wanted me to tell you she’s always watching. She’s tired of seeing you hurt. She said you need to get out of house more. You need to travel the world like you always wanted so that you have stories to tell her when it’s time for you two to be together again. She wants you to live,” Danny said as he pulled our dad in for a hug. “We both do.”

“I can’t. I’m afraid if I leave, I’ll forget you both. The pain reminds me you were both here and ripped away from me too soon.”

Another tear slipped down my cheek because I knew exactly how Dad felt. It was how I felt too. The pain of losing them was what kept them both fresh in my memory.

“I know, but you have to. You won’t forget us. Deep down you know that,” Danny insisted. “Mom doesn’t want to see you anytime soon either, okay? So you better get your shit together, old man. You have a lot of years left here. Make the most of them, or when you finally get to the afterlife, you’re never going to hear the end of it from Mom.” Danny grinned as he released our dad.

“Okay.” Dad chuckled. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “Tell her I will.”

“I will, and she’ll know if you’re lying because she’ll be watching.”

Dad laughed harder. The chill in the room seemed to dissipate as my brother’s image faded around the edges. My heart thundered in my chest at the thought of never seeing him again. While I knew it wasn’t fair to ask him to stay, the words still danced across the tip of my tongue.

Goodbyes were never fun, but this one sucked. It broke me in ways I’d never felt before.

Why did he have to be taken from us so soon? Why had that stupid guide been given to us in the first place? And why the hell had he opened it?

“Danny, wait!” I shouted. I needed answers, and he was the only one who could give them. “Was there a warning on the guide you didn’t listen to? Who wrote it? Why?”

A slow smile crept across my brother’s face. “I figured you had questions, sis. I was just waiting for you to ask. Jimmy thought we could protect it. Yeah, there was a warning, but you know I never listen to those things when it involves a book. It was written by Thomas Harlow. He was a vampire hunter in love with a vampire. She was power-hungry, and the ritual was the one thing he knew he could offer her that no other could. He researched the ritual, hoping to learn every detail so he could win her love by helping to make her as powerful as she desired. After he wrote it, one of Jimmy’s great grandfathers—who happened to be a vampire hunter as well—realized what he was doing. Thomas was in love and didn’t see any fault in what he was doing. Before the vampire he loved could get her hands on the book, Jimmy’s great-grandfather and Thomas fought. Thomas was killed. Jimmy’s great-grandfather took the guide and had it linked with a hellhound. He had a vampire with the gift of compulsion compel the hellhound to kill anyone who opened it.”

“Why did you open the book if you knew all of that?” I demanded.

“Curiosity killed the cat, sis.” Danny smirked as he shrugged his shoulders. “The note attached by Jimmy didn’t tell me what was in the guide. It didn’t say what the ritual was for exactly, only that it could give a vampire more power. The guide became Pandora’s box to me. I had to know what the ritual did, Claire. I had to. Please forgive me…”

Danny flickered in and out of existence. My heart kick-started.

“I forgive you,” I whispered just before his form blinked twice and then faded away for good.

Danny was gone. Truly gone.

All that was left was my dad and me. I rushed to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. Sadness swallowed me whole, but there was also a tiny sliver of relief residing inside of me. I’d done what I’d set out to do. I’d proved Danny hadn’t killed himself to the one person who mattered most.

My dad’s arms wrapped around me, squeezing me into a bear hug.

“Thank you for making me see the light about Danny. Thank you for bringing me here tonight, and for forcing me to step through that door. I would have never been able to say goodbye if you hadn’t pushed me,” Dad said as he kissed my forehead.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you were here tonight, too.”

“And you.” Dad released his grip on me and shifted to face Mason. “Thank you again for supporting my daughter through this and helping as much as you did. And, I can’t thank you enough for saving her from the hellhound. I could’ve lost them both. I’m not strong enough to survive something like that. I know it.”

“You’re welcome, sir, but your daughter is strong and hardheaded. She could have done all this without me,” Mason insisted.

“You’re probably right.” Dad chuckled. “Strong and hardheaded describes her best, impulsive too. She’s just like her mama. Oh, and I haven’t forgotten about you dropping out of college. That’s a conversation we still need to have.” He scolded me.

I rolled my eyes. “I know. We have plenty of time though because I’m not planning on leaving town anytime soon. I think I’m going to stay here and take care of the bookstore. Maybe make sure you’re keeping your promise to Mom and living your life outside of this town. Besides.” I glanced at Mason. “I think I’ve finally found somebody worth staying for.”

An adorable smirk made its way onto Mason’s face. My grin widened at the sight, but when I noticed his body tense, everything I felt disappeared.

“What is it?” I asked.

Mason clenched his fists at his sides. “It’s her. Aurora’s coming. I can sense her. She’s near.”

“Who?” Dad asked.

My eyes fixed on a woman with long red hair standing outside the bookshop door. We’d run out of time.

Or at least I had.