Eric Vause is done.

Done with ghosts. Done with hellhounds. And definitely done with asshole demons, mostly because he’d been possessed by one. Even now, five years later, the rage he absorbed from the creature has yet to wane, so he decides a road trip is in order. Surely some cool air, great scenery, and a case of Dos Equis will shake things loose. Unfortunately, supernatural events happen everywhere. When he meets up with a friend whose partner’s daughter needs help with a pest problem—aka, a ghost—Eric takes that as his cue to leave.

Until he sees her.

He can tell Halle’s house isn’t the only thing that is haunted. The hopelessness behind her eyes tugs at something deep inside him. Something all too familiar. The fact that she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen has nothing to do with his change of heart. And he vows to leave her in his rearview the minute he takes care of the poltergeist. Then again, vows were never his strong suit.

Excerpt: The Grave Robber

“My dad told me about you. Jason has him convinced you’re the real deal.”

“The real deal?”

“That you can see into the supernatural world.”

“Oh!” Aunt Lil said, squirming in a chair that just happened to be pulled out enough for her to pretend to squeeze into it. “Tell her about me!”

“Jason’s a pathological liar.”

A dimple appeared at one corner of her mouth. Amazing how something so small could shake me so hard. “I’ve heard that about him.” She wrapped both hands around the mug and took a sip of tea as though bracing herself for her next words. “You helped me,” she said after swallowing hard. “At the gas station, you helped me get that pump, even after I treated you so horrendously. Why?”

“I’m a member of the Knights in Shining Armor Club. It’s mandatory that we help one maiden in distress a day or we lose our parking privileges.”

She pursed her lips, trying to keep a wayward grin at bay. “You don’t say.”

“We also get a ten-percent discount at Cracker Barrel.”

This time, she laughed—a beautiful, lyrical sound that…

Holy fuck, I had to stop. This was getting ridiculous. I needed to get out of here before I dropped to one knee and proposed. I scanned the bar. Wasn’t there a redhead around here somewhere? Someone, anyone to take my mind off Halle Nordstrom.

“Do you really have experience with all that stuff?”

I refocused on her and absently lifted a shoulder. “There are few people on the planet with more.” Besides some of my closest friends, but that was a story for another day.

The heat from Aunt Lil’s glare almost seared the flesh off my face. “You’re not going to tell her about me, are you?”

“Jason says you can even see when people are going to die.”

I rolled my eyes. Did that asshole spill all my secrets?

“You’re ashamed of me, aren’t you?” Aunt Lil pouted, crossing her arms over her muumuu-clad chest.

“So, what?” Halle asked with a soft laugh to lighten her next question. “You’re like…the grim reaper?”

“No, but she’s a good friend of mine.”

Her mouth formed a hesitant grin. “You say the funniest things.”

“Well, I’m also a member of the National Association for the Fair and Ethical Treatment of Stand-up Comedians, so…”

I saw she wanted to laugh but couldn’t quite manage it. Her next question seemed to weigh too heavily on her mind. She stuck a chewed fingernail between her teeth and asked softly, “Can you see when I’m going to die?”

I shook my head. “Sorry.”

“And now you’re lying to her.” Aunt Lil tsked at me.

“It comes and goes,” I added, lying my ass off.

“Ah.” Relief softened the convex curve of Halle’s shoulders, a reaction I didn’t expect. But, of course, she would be relieved. She didn’t want me to throw a wrench into her final plans.

But again, none of this was my problem. I only helped those in immediate danger, and even then, it had to be a life-or-death situation. Something I couldn’t fuck up too badly. Halle may very well be haunted, though I still had my doubts, but I could hardly do anything about it either way. Her impending doom could be thwarted with good timing and a little luck, so my job here was done. Now, to leave. Get up and say my goodbyes. How hard could it be?

“Are you really going to ignore me all night, Constantine?”

Why did Aunt Lil love my middle name so much? I started to cast her a quick scowl to shush her—not that my threats ever worked—but changed my mind. Maybe she was my ticket out of this situation. My escape. Perhaps I didn’t have to leave after all and look like an asshole—not that I wasn’t. I just needed to scare Halle off so she did the leaving.

I pulled my mouth into a calculated smile, turned, and looked straight at Aunt Lil. “Did your niece send you to watch over me?”

Aunt Lil stared at me, her lids fluttering in confusion. “My niece?”

“You remember her. Charley Davidson? The saucy one with brown hair and a killer dropkick?”

She came to her senses and crossed her arms over her love beads. “So, we’re on speaking terms again?”

“What are you doing?” Halle asked, her expression wary.