“Is she who you built that porch swing for?”
He nodded. “I should probably take it down.”
She ate a fry. No wonder why it had been a sore subject. “Or you could just sit in it with someone new. Make some new memories.”
He smiled. “Or that.”
He was so handsome. “How have you not dated anyone in all this time?”
“It’s easy to be too busy with work and family stuff.” He cracked open a beer and set it next to her plate, then opened a second for himself. “But then, you already know that, don’t you?”
“I do.” She tilted her bottle in his direction. “Here’s to not being too busy anymore.”
He clinked his against hers, smiling. “Cheers to that.” He took a sip, then put the bottle back down and took hold of the first half of his cheesesteak. “I told you we’d still like each other.”
“You did. And you were right.” She picked up her cheesesteak as well. “I’m really glad.”
“Me too.”
They ate for a bit, satisfying part of their appetites. When they were halfway through, Titus leaned against the tub. “What are we going to do about the wraith? He’s still out there.”
She nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that. With Sola out of the picture, he might not still be out there. She’s the reason he’s here and as strong as he is. Or was here and was as strong. There’s every chance he was so weakened by the loss of her magic that he won’t be a problem anymore.”
He ate a fry. “And if that’s not the case?”
“Then the best thing to do would be to wait until Ingvar’s well enough to build the trap Sola was supposed to. That’s really the best way to take down a wraith. Draw them into a trap, where they’re frozen solid by the seer who opened the circle, and then run them through the heart with a fell maiden’s blade.”
He nodded. “So we’re in a waiting game.”
“Just a brief one.” She brushed her hands off over the side of the tub so she didn’t get crumbs in the water. “If there’s the slightest indication that he’s still around and causing problems before Ingvar’s on her feet, I can always call in another seer.”
Titus went for the second half of his cheesesteak. “Good to know.”
“There is one other possibility.”
He stopped just shy of taking a bite. “One I’m not going to like, based on the tone of your voice.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t like it either.”
He frowned. “What is it?”
“Sola had a spell on Leif to keep him from going fully corporeal. When that happens, a wraith is the most dangerous because they’re at their strongest. It’s like they’ve returned to their mortal berserker form. They have that kind of strength and speed again.”
“You’re right, I don’t like it.”
“There are two factors that make this stage hard for them. First, they still aren’t mortal. They still feel the constant pull of the underworld calling them. As a reminder of that, their touch eventually brings death. Think about that. What would your life be like if touching something too much caused it to die?”
He grimaced. “I see your point. And the second thing?”
“The biggest drawback, for them, is they can be killed. Yes, they’re already dead, but in that form, a second death is a final one. A blade through the heart and the wraith’s soul can finally be transported to its final resting place.”
“You did that in the circle.”
“I did, but he wasn’t solid. Not fully. More like a hard candy shell with a soft nougat center.”
“Okay, that’s a little gross. But I get it. She kept him from reaching that stage to protect him from being killed.”
Jenna nodded. “It was smart. Or maybe ‘diabolical’ is a better word. But now that her magic has been nullified, he could reach that stage on his own. No clue how long it might take him. Or if he’s lost his way without her.”
Titus sat back. “I’d like to know for sure. I don’t want to have to worry about him wreaking havoc in this town. Or coming after you.”
“I understand. I don’t like the idea either. But I think we’ll know soon enough, because if he’s at that point, he’s not going to sit idle. He can’t get his full life back without the resurrection stone from my sword. Trust me, he’ll make his presence known.”
Titus’s gaze shifted past her to the far end of the deck. “I think he just has.”
Jenna followed Titus’s line of sight.
The wraith stood at the end of the deck, just a shadow creature at the moment, but fast becoming solid before their eyes.
Her worst fear realized.
Every fiber of Jenna’s being went on battle-ready alert. She jumped out of the tub, flinging water everywhere. She landed on the deck between the tub and Leif. “You don’t belong here, wraith. Not at this house, not on this plane.”
“You took my wife.” He was fully corporeal now and every inch the berserker, except for those glowing ember eyes. “I want her back.”
Jenna had no doubt he was solid through and through without Sola’s magic to protect him. This was going to be a test of skills like she’d never encountered before. “Sola hurt Ingvar. And even if she didn’t do that, she still broke the vows of the seer.”
Just like he’d broken his oath as a berserker to become a traitor to their kind. He and Sola made a fine couple in that regard.
He roared at her. “She was helping me.”
“To do what? Kill me? Not a great argument.” Helgrind itched for release, but he hadn’t drawn his sword yet. She didn’t want to force that next step. Not until Titus could get to a less vulnerable spot, and from the sound of sloshing water behind her, he was moving.
“You killed me.” Leif’s eyes beamed as he held his hand out. “Give me your sword, and
