JAYNE’S EXCERPT FROM DARK LIGHT

Greetings, friends, the next Jayne Castle novel in my Ghost Hunters series arrives in stores on August 26. For those who enjoy the books, I’ve got a little taste of the story for you. It involves the traditional Ghost Hunter wedding night ritual….

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A fifth ball of energy flared in front of Sierra. Involuntarily, she took another quick step back. She was no expert but it was obvious that the new ghost was hotter and more tightly wound than the others.

“Oh, damn,” she said.

Fontana leaned one shoulder against the wall, folded his arms and contemplated the ghosts as though they were novel inventions he’d never seen before in his life.

“This is for you, Sierra,” Jeff explained earnestly. “The boss is going to show that he’s worthy of you.”

“The only way he gets you is if he gets through our ghosts first,” Simon said.

Kay giggled. There was a lot more muffled laughter in the room, mostly from the women.

This was not about proving anything to the bride, Sierra thought. It was about generating a lot of ghost heat. It was common knowledge in certain quarters – hair salons and ladies’ restrooms, for instance -- that hunters got sexually aroused after working ghost light. It had something to do with the testosterone-heavy, bio-psi hormones that flooded their systems when they used their talents.

The rumors about their sexual prowess when they were in the midst of a post-ghost burn were not unfounded, according to women who had dated guild men. There was a reason why the taverns and bars that catered to hunters in the Quarter were also popular with college women on spring break and bachelorette parties.

“No offense,” Sierra said, striving to project firm authority, “But you’ve all had a little too much to drink tonight. I really don’t think any of you should be working ghost light in a confined space.”

They ignored her, watching Fontana for his reaction.

“What do you say, boss?” Andy asked. “Is Sierra worth working your way through five ghosts?”

Fontana looked at her over the tops of the ghosts that bobbed between them.

“Oh, yes,” he said, nerve-shatteringly serious. “She’s worth it.”