Chapter 69: Deception.

MARIA

"Ruth?" Corey asked with disbelief in his voice, eyes wide like he'd seen a ghost—which was apt if one actually thought about it because the ghost of his wife was literally standing in front of him.

Ruth was tall and lithe, appearing almost fragile with the way she teetered on her feet. She had creamy brown skin, a shade darker than Corey's and big curly hair that Maria had to admit she admired.

She had horns running down the sides of her head, small and pretty, not as big as Corey's but of the same length.

Ruth was beautiful, lovely even, but she was also confused as hell.

She blinked and staggered back a step. "C-Corey?" Her voice was a whisper, her face haunted. The expression on Corey's face matched her own perfectly. "I... Why can I see you? How is this possible?"

Maria watched from her spot, completely enraptured in what was happening before her. She was torn between freaking out that the spell had worked—that she'd actually brought a dead woman into the world of the li