by J. E. Cluney
“How would you do that?” I questioned, struggling to get my mind around the idea. “We don’t exactly have a lot of time.”
“I can teach it from within your void. The void is a place where banshee magic is strong. With Walter’s help, I believe I can pass on all my knowledge, using the remaining power within me. I will hand over my spirit to your banshee, allowing me to move on from the ghost world. Then I’ll be at peace, knowing I’ve helped you gain some extra knowledge to end Joseph,” she said as she held her head high, her hands still clasped together tightly before her.
I looked to Walter, who nodded.
“I can help her do that. Your banshee side can take her knowledge,” he murmured.
“This is true.”
I turned, a strange contentedness settling over me as I stood face to face with my banshee side once more, her dark eyes glittering this close. It was like looking into a black galaxy, murky yet sparkling with an odd light.
Her hair floated around her like usual, and the blood-red dress fluttered in an unseen breeze.
“It will take some time, but you won’t notice anything outside the void,” Walter added.
“Allison, be careful. This warlock, he holds great power. Death surrounds us tonight, and there is more to come. Death that will hurt deeply,” my banshee murmured, her voice echoing around me.
I nodded softly, hating the cold chill that coursed through me at her words.
“Thank you. I hope the next place is better,” I said as I turned back to Cheryl.
“From what I’ve heard, it is,” she said with a soft smile and a nod. “Some can remain in the spirit world, unchanged and floating by, while others do not fare as well, like myself. Moving on to the next life is best for us.”
I smiled softly in thanks before withdrawing from my void.
Skip stared at me, seeing what had gone down in my void through my mind.
“So she could control spirits? Guess that explains it,” Skip said with a heavy sigh.
“Explains what?” Charlotte demanded as she focused on the road.
“Allison just met with a banshee in the spirit world that Joseph experimented on. He stole her power of controlling spirits,” Skip shared.
“Great,” Charlotte muttered.
“How’d you meet her if she’s in the spirit world?” Trish asked as she turned to gaze over her seat at me.
“Walter brought her into my void,” I answered softly.
I could feel all sorts of magic and power within my void now as they worked on this whole spirit banshee thing.
I just hoped it proved useful.
My phone sounded off, and my heart lurched at George’s name.
“George!” I gasped as I answered.
“Allison, shit, are you okay? Something crazy is going on,” he muttered, groaning like he was in pain.
“What’s wrong?” I asked desperately as I bit my lip.
“It’s Emma. Her aunt and mother were doing this magical spell to determine what was going on with her spirit. Her mother freaked out, saying there was a spirit catching a ride inside her, one that was just…sitting in there with hers. I don’t know, I think it woke up…” He hissed as the phone shuffled a bit. “And Emma’s eyes glassed over. I knew right away that it wasn’t her any more, and then she cast a powerful blast of magic, knocked us all out. I only woke up a minute or two ago. Her aunt and mother are gone too, along with her,” he said through a groan. “Thankfully, her dad got caught outside the wardings doing a delivery run for her mom. So he’s safe I guess, but Emma…”
“Oh no,” I shot Skip a panicked look, meeting his deeply troubled eyes.
“I’m going to go look for her,” George growled out.
“No! Stay put and hide. The town has gone crazy. We’ll find her. If what you’re saying is true, then all the witches are probably possessed by spirits. Makes sense since our house got attacked by them,” I exclaimed.
“Are you guys okay?” George asked quickly.
“Yes, but there’s shadow monsters and…fuck, actual zombies roaming town.” I struggled to say the words.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” George said in disbelief.
“Emma will be okay. If she’s possessed, she’ll be fine, at least. I don’t think Joseph would let his own monsters hurt his possessed witches. We’ll find a way to rescue her, but since you’re a shifter and those shadow monsters can only be taken down by witch magic, you need to stay put and hide. Stay safe,” I said sternly.
“But Emma—”
“We’ll handle her, okay? She’d be mighty upset with us if we let you go out there and get turned into zombie chow, now wouldn’t she? She’s a tough cookie, she’ll be okay. We’ll sort all of this out,” I barked.
He sighed in defeat.
“I know you’re right, but I can’t just leave her out there,” he murmured.
“You have to. For her sake too. She needs you to be there for her when this is all over,” I said softly.
“Okay,” he muttered after a tense moment.
“Good. I’ll call you as soon as I learn more,” I promised.
He thanked me before hanging up, and Skip pursed his lips.
“I hope he stays hidden. Shifters are useless right now. I mean, we can fight the zombies, but not the shadow things,” he growled out in frustration.
“He loves Emma, and he won’t want her to be alone after all this. I know he wants to go out there and find her, but hopefully, he sees this logically,” I said softly.
“I wouldn’t stay put if it was you,” Skip said earnestly.
“I’d be mighty pissed if you went and got yourself killed for me though,” I shot back, and he shook his head with a small smile.
“Guess I better not do anything dumb then, huh?”
5
Skip.
I stroked Allison’s hand softly as I gazed out the window. We’d just pulled up at the gates of the Brady mansion, and they were opening up to let us in. They were rarely ever closed, but I guessed now was as good a time as any to shut those large, wrought iron gates. The property was walled off with large, stone walls, which would provide some safety from the zombies at least.
Unless they could climb.
That thought made my stomach churn.
Fucking zombies. Now I’d seen it all.
I turned to gaze over at Allison, her face set in a grim expression, those doe eyes alert and ready.
She still felt partially to blame for all this, and as much as I wished she wouldn’t, there was little I could do to stop it.
I’d been the same with Claire. I still felt like shit about it all, but I’d pushed it aside to handle all of this.
This was true madness.
Despite all that was going on, I thought Bee Sting was handling this all very well, so I leaned over to kiss the side of her head.
She smiled softly, those eyes flicking to me before focusing on the driveway ahead as Charlotte drove up to the mansion.
I glanced out the back window as those heavy gates slammed shut behind us.
At least we’d be safe here.
I did wonder what was happening with Emma and her mother though.
Allison was worried beyond belief about her friend, but there was nothing we could do right this second.
Allison was the priority, even if she didn’t want to be.
“All right. Everyone inside. We’ll hole up there until Mr Brady can come to us and deal with this shitfest,” Charlotte ordered as she shut the engine off.
We all clambered out, Brad helping Trish up the steps as she remained oddly quiet.
The front doors flung open, and Camille ushered us in as she gazed out across the yard nervously.
“Allison, I’m glad you're safe. Is Lucas okay?” Camille asked as Bee Sting stepped past her.
“He’s fine, he’s outside the wardings,” I answered softly.
“Hunting for the dagger, correct?” Charlotte checked as she scanned the foye
r like she expected danger within the home.
“Yes, he and Ollie are flying out…” Allison murmured.
“The true shifter who turned into a dragon. Still can’t believe that,” Charlotte muttered as she shook her head in disbelief.
“Good, as long as he’s safe. Still, this whole dragon thing… I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, not when there are shadow monsters and zombies on the loose,” Camille said with a heavy sigh as she closed the doors behind us and leaned on them. “I just wish Arthur was here,” she said softly.
Mr Brady. I’d almost forgotten his first name, since it had been some time since I’d heard it.
A brisk knock on the door made us all jump, and Charlotte took up a defensive stance as Camille opened the door.
“Sorry,” Marcus said as he stepped inside, and we all relaxed.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Allison mumbled as she threw herself into his arms.
Marcus clung to her tight, giving me a weary look. He was scratched up, his clothing torn in places. I felt sorry for the shit he had to have seen.
The bodies and zombies. All the blood.
It seemed we were in the middle of a true war with Joseph now, although we weren’t exactly putting up a great fight.
“How will they be kept out of this place?” Allison asked as she pulled away from Marcus to glance at Camille.
“My husband put strong wardings up on the entire property. It keeps out anyone with sudden ill intentions and anyone who hasn’t received permission to enter from any of the residents. So someone with previous entry allowance who now wishes to harm us, they will be barred. There’s two barriers as well, one on the wall around the property and the second on the home itself. It’s been reinforced by other witches over the years, and Mr Brady reinforces it often. So it should withstand an attack,” Camille said as she beckoned for us to follow her.
“Should?” I questioned.
“Well, Mr Murphy appears to be quite formidable, and if he’s siphoning magic from other witches and supes, he is going to be incredibly powerful. I can’t guarantee the protective wardings will hold,” she said softly as she hitched her dress up to walk faster.
“Great,” Charlotte muttered as strode alongside her. “We’ll have to hold out here as long as we can.”
We stepped into the large living area with various lavish lounges and armchairs sprawled around.
I spied Bob, who waved at me, and Ollie’s family was on the opposing lounge. Pam looked mighty pissed, while Rebecca was frowning as she played on her phone.
Craig was just giving us a worried look, searching past us for Ollie.
“Ollie is safe outside the wardings,” Camille informed them, and Craig and Bob looked relieved by this news. Pam just gave us all a glance before staring back out the window, while Rebecca glanced up at us with a small, relieved smile.
“And Luke?” Cathy asked as she strode over, her eyes troubled as she folded her arms.
“He’s safe too. They’re trying to locate the scarlet dagger to put Mr Murphy down,” Camille shared. So Mr Brady had told her everything then.
“That’s good, as long as he’s safe,” she said with a sigh.
“So what the hell are we meant to do?” Pam finally demanded as she stood up in her expensive blue blouse and black pants.
Rebecca shot her a look before finally gazing at us carefully.
Brad led Trish over to one of the vacant lounges, and they sat down in silence as Trish checked her phone.
She’d called Natalie while in the car to inform her of the shitshow we were enduring, and she’d freaked out.
Trish had said that we were all fine and everything was going to be okay, but she’d keep her updated.
“We wait here, where it’s safe,” Charlotte growled out.
Why were Ollie’s family here anyway?
‘Lucas probably tipped them off. I imagine it was to keep Ollie from worrying while in his shifted state,’ Marcus said mentally.
That made sense, and Lucas was always thinking ahead like that.
“Ha! I heard Camille say the wardings might not hold. The safest place is out of this damned town,” Pam growled out.
“There’s no leaving, you know that,” Charlotte waved her off as she strode over to the large French doors along the wall and stared outside.
“If we get enough witches rallied together, we can probably take that damned warding down,” Pam huffed.
“It’s too risky, Mom. There are so many things out there wanting to kill us. And we’re true supes. If he gets us and siphons our magic, he’ll be even stronger. Mr Brady and the others are working on bringing it down, we just have to have faith in them,” Rebecca said, clearly growing agitated with her mother as she set her phone down beside her.
“Pam, please,” Craig spoke softly, but Pam just rounded on him.
“Don’t. You don’t get to say a word. You sided with Ollie after everything rather than your chosen mate,” she hissed.
“He’s my son,” Craig said in shock.
She just huffed as she turned away.
Fuck, I had always despised that woman. She was so full of herself.
“Oh, Mom, grow up for fuck’s sake,” Rebecca spat.
Pam spun around, gaping at her daughter.
“How dare you?!”
“How dare I? You ran my brother out of this family. You filled my head with all your lies, turned me against my own father and brother. I’ve watched him overcome his curse, take on a powerful mate, and you still want to hate on him? And Dad, he’s never done anything wrong! He’s loved you despite your shitty attitude and your need to nitpick at him. He’s always stood by his children, even when I was a bitch. I’ve had my eyes opened now. Sure, it took time and it wasn’t easy, but now I see you for what you are. A spoiled, uppity brat!” Rebecca shot to her feet, her hands fisted as she seethed.
Pam lurched forward with fury in her eyes, but Craig shot up and planted himself between them.
“For fuck’s sake, you crazy hag, shut the fuck up!” Trish shouted. “You self-centered bitch. This town is dying, and you’re having to act all high and mighty? At least your daughter has some sense and can now see you for what you are.” Trish shot to her feet, and Pam went to round on her.
Brad snarled as he lurched forward, stepping before Trish protectively.
“Enough!” Charlotte boomed, the whole room shaking with the magical power that thickened the air.
Pam gritted her teeth as she turned to glare at Charlotte, while Rebecca held her head high as she glanced at her father, who gave her an approving nod.
Well, I certainly hadn’t seen that coming from Rebecca. But when she’d allowed us into the festival, and that small smile, I knew she was changing all that time ago. Guess it had been a slow process.
“Now, we are in one hell of a situation. People are dying, and we’re targets for our power. Now is not the time to be bickering,” she said, her eyes glittering with sheer frustration and annoyance. “And, Pamela, get over yourself, seriously. Your daughter is right,” she added as she turned away to gaze back out the doors.
Pam’s mouth fell open, and I couldn’t help but smirk. Allison was taking sweet pleasure in this too, grateful that Rebecca was standing up for her brother.
Pam went to say something, but Charlotte just held up a hand.
“You will sit down and shut up, or I’ll make you. Don’t tempt me,” Charlotte shot over her shoulder with a dark look.
Pam muttered angrily, fuming as she stormed over to an armchair away from us and sunk into it, her arms crossed. She really was like a giant pissed off child.
Trish patted Brad’s shoulder and thanked him for leaping to her aid, before reprimanding him and stating she could fend for herself.
Brad just nodded and gave her a quick peck before they sat back down.
“Can I get any of you something to eat or drink? We could be stuck in here for a while,” Camille asked softly as Cathy just smirked at Pam.<
br />
“Some whisky on the rocks would be good,” Trish muttered, and Brad nodded in agreement.
“I’m good,” Allison murmured.
“You should eat something, keep your strength up,” Marcus said as he rested one hand on her lower back.
I wouldn’t pretend like I wasn’t a little bit hungry. Sure, everything was going to shit, but I still had an appetite.
“Mom, you stay here. I’ll sort out food for them,” Cathy said as she touched her mother’s arm.
Camille smiled gratefully and nodded before walking over to join Charlotte.
“There’s whisky and glasses over in that cabinet in the corner,” she added as she nodded at Trish and waved her hand at what looked like a fancy cabinet bar thing in the far corner of the room.
Pam shot us all a filthy look, but I just arched a brow at her, causing her to avert her gaze as she scowled.
“Come, let’s find something to eat,” Cathy said, beckoning us to follow as Trish and Brad headed over to pour themselves some drinks. Hopefully not too much. We all needed to keep our heads about us.
Cathy was wearing a baby blue jumpsuit tonight, but at least she’d traded her heels in for some flat boots. A smart choice in this chaos if she needed to make a quick getaway.
We followed after her, leaving Ollie’s family and the two powerful witches with them.
“So, Lucas is looking for the scarlet dagger, and I heard Ollie turned into a dragon. That’s crazy,” Cathy exclaimed as she walked us down the hall to the kitchen.
“Well, considering there’s zombies out there, I wouldn’t say it’s crazy anymore,” I said with a snort.
“True. Things have really gone to shit, haven’t they?” Cathy murmured as she glanced over her shoulder at us.
“The boys will find the dagger and return with it. Then we’ll be able to end all of this,” Marcus said, firm in his belief.
“You guys will end it, huh?” Cathy mused as we entered the huge kitchen. It looked to be almost commercial grade.
“Or Mr Brady, whoever can bring him down. But we need to get the dagger, which only Ollie can do,” Marcus said with a shrug.
