“Now that we’ve had this little discussion, don’t you think it’s time we got down to business?” Regan purred. “Even if you do learn where the skull is, you don’t have the power to defeat me. The game is over, Avery. Admit defeat.”
“Not yet,” she murmured. “Where is the skull, Lila?”
Lila gulped. “I’ll never tell you.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Avery whispered.
The spirits inside her squirmed eagerly as they realized they would soon be allowed to strike. She lowered her sunglasses to the bridge of her nose, and Lila’s jaw fell when Avery smiled at her.
Where’s the skull, Lila? She shot the question into Lila’s mind on a blast of power.
Lila recoiled and tried to retreat from her mentally, but Avery followed deeper into Lila’s mind while she tunneled through her memories. Regan’s whispered promises sounded from the darkness as Lila sat on the beach, proudly clutching the skull in her hands before lifting it to the moonlight. Her crutches and a shovel lay nearby.
She watched as Lila freed Regan, and his black spirit brushed against her skin before entering through her mouth. Lila’s eyes turned black, but she showed no signs of distress as Regan slithered through her.
When his spirit retreated from her, Lila’s eyes returned to normal while Regan floated into the night. Rising, Lila looked far too carefree for someone who had unleashed Hell on Earth as she gathered her crutches and lifted the skull. She smiled at the head before striding away without so much as a limp.
Shock coursed through Avery when she realized the true depth of Lila’s deception. Lila hadn’t required any assistance to walk and she hadn’t had a limp since that night on the beach. She almost recoiled when human despair pierced her, but then the fiery rage of the spirits took over again.
She thrust deeper into Lila’s mind and dug into her feelings and memories before burrowing into her soul where she learned Lila was never her friend. She played the role of a friend to perfection, but deep inside, she hated Avery, Karen, Tina, and the coven.
It was the hatred and cold inhumanity that Lila possessed that allowed Regan to connect with her. Inside, Lila had always been cold and dead. Avery thought about something she’d heard about serial killers; outwardly, everyone considered them the nicest people, but inwardly, they were monsters who thrived on the suffering of others.
Lila and Regan were perfect for each other.
Avery felt sick over this knowledge, but she didn’t retreat because she needed to know one more thing….
And then she saw Lila sliding the skull into its hiding place.
CHAPTER 39
Avery pulled away from Lila and stood staring down at her. Thank you, she whispered into Lila’s mind as Lila gawked at her.
Lila opened her mouth to shout a warning to Regan about what happened, but Avery’s hand tightened until she choked off Lila’s air. Realization flashed in Lila’s eyes as Avery continued to strangle her.
“Do you know what it’s like to die?” she whispered so only Lila could hear. “Because I do. Avery is dead, Lila, and it’s because of you.”
Her fingers sank deeper into Lila’s flesh. She thrashed in Avery’s grasp, but she didn’t feel the blows Lila landed against her arms and face. What little feeling she had left was slipping further away with every passing second.
“I’ll see you in Hell,” Avery promised.
Lila passed out, and Avery dropped her unceremoniously to the ground. Her remaining shred of humanity kept her from killing Lila, but she was rapidly losing that humanity. Straightening her shoulders, she shoved her glasses up and turned to face everyone. The coven gaped at her while tears streamed down Tina and Karen’s faces.
Regan smiled smugly. “You’ve finally come to my side.”
“She’s still alive,” Avery said.
“A pity; I would have killed her.”
“I know.”
“Are we going to battle, Avery, or are you going to come to me willingly?”
“We’re going to battle,” she told him as she pulled the strap off her shoulder and lowered the bag of bones to the floor.
Regan’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t seem fazed by the presence of the bag. “You never learn, do you?”
“It’s ten against one; the odds are in our favor,” she replied.
“Come now, Avery, your little coven is nothing compared to me. Why keep fighting?”
Avery’s hands twitched at her side, and a jolt of power almost unraveled her. “We’re going to play my game. If you win, I’ll come to you willingly. We all will.”
“The hell we will!” Sandra cried.
“No way,” Mario said.
“Willingly?” Regan inquired.
Landon stepped forward. “You’ll have all of us.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Shawn yelled.
“We’re going to win, Shawn,” Landon said, and his eyebrows shot up.
“We all agree,” Reid said. He cast Avery a glance before moving to stand beside Landon. The protests stopped, but Avery sensed the seething resentment of the coven.
“This game will be about power, and who has more of it, you or us?” Avery asked.
Regan started to laugh, and even in spirit form, Avery felt the power emanating from him, but it was nothing compared to what boiled inside her. She didn’t know how he couldn’t sense it; she didn’t think the cloaking spell was strong enough to fool him, but she suspected the spirits inside were keeping their strength hidden from him.
“Before we can start, I want Tina and Karen out of here. They have nothing to do with this,” Avery said.
“No!” Tina cried.
“We’re not leaving,” Karen protested.
“If they aren’t allowed to leave,” Avery continued as if they hadn’t spoken, “all bets are off.”
When Regan flicked an elegant hand through the air, a wave of black followed it. “They can go. They’re nothing to me.”
“We’re not leaving,” Tina said firmly.
“We’re not Lila. We’re in this until the end,” Karen said.
“You’re going,” Avery stated.
“But—” Karen started.
“I mean it!” Avery snapped. “I can’t have you here; you’ll only distract us. If you don’t leave willingly, then I will use every bit of power I have to remove you. Do you understand?”
Tina’s face contorted in anger, and Karen placed her hand against her mouth when she released a sob. “Fine,” Tina said. “We’ll go; come on, Karen.”
She grabbed Karen’s arm and propelled her toward the front door. As Avery watched them go, she felt the last of her human emotions leaving with them. When Tina flung the front door open, they both recoiled as wind and rain buffeted them. Thunder shook the house and rattled the windows.
Tina straightened her shoulders and shoved Karen through the door. Avery waited until the door closed before she reached out to Karen. “Karen, can you hear me?”
Amazement ripple through Karen, and then her startled voice rang in Avery’s head. “Avery?”
“The skull is in the cellar. Lila stashed it in the back corner behind a stack of boxes marked fifth grade. I need it.”
“We’ll get it.”
“Be careful. Karen, no matter what happens, I love you both. Make sure Tina knows that too.”
“Avery….”
Avery heard the concern in her voice before she retreated from Karen’s mind and shut out the last of her humanity. The battle was about to begin, and something else was taking her over—something far more powerful… and angry.
Regan smiled slyly at her. He exuded satisfaction and pride, and Avery couldn’t wait to smash him to pieces.
“Shall we start, or should you?” Avery asked him.
Her voice sounded odd and hollow, as if it was no longer hers. But then nothing to do with her body belonged to her anymore. Avery had told Lila she was dead, and she fully realized it was the truth. She was so far gone it did
n’t bother her anymore.
“I’ll finish it,” he said, and a wave of power shot out of him.
The blast of black crashed into her chest and shoved her back a step. The coven stumbled backward, and their heads bowed as they labored to remain standing against the crushing weight of Regan’s sinister magic.
When Avery straightened her shoulders, she saw the sideways glances the coven gave her as she remained mostly unfazed by his power. Regan swiftly covered his surprise, but not before she saw it and smiled.
He grinned at her. “You’ve finally embraced my side.”
His black power receded into him, and the coven straightened. Able to move freely again, Isla and Rosie edged away from her, and Mario’s head swiveled between her and Regan while Eric gawked at her.
“Oh, no,” Sandra breathed. “Avery, what did you do?”
Reid reached for her, but when she didn’t take his hand, it fell back to his side. Landon, Shawn, and Alex didn’t react as they kept their attention focused on Regan.
“No, Regan, I’ve embraced something else,” Avery said.
Distorted, her voice sounded like a bunch of voices mingling together as the spirits she invoked came out of her. Her time was over; it was their time now.
The power she’d managed to restrain rushed to the surface and the cloaking spell fell. The windows shook from the ceaseless thunder as the wind pelted hail against the glass. Somewhere in the woods, a tree broke and crashed to the ground.
“Wow,” Mario whispered.
“Now we’re going to play our game,” Avery said.
Avery’s mind spun as everything inside her fought to break free. Her hand quivered when she removed her glasses, and a collective inhalation came from the coven. Regan’s eyes widened as the door burst open with a crash of splintering wood and rolling thunder.
“Rise,” she commanded.
She waved her hand at the duffel bag, and the zipper slid down. The bones clattered as they rose from the bag in one fluid motion and assembled themselves until a headless skeleton stood before her.
• • •
Karen and Tina struggled against the wind as they pulled open the basement storm doors. The rain made the doors slippery, and the wind seemed determined to keep them out, but they finally succeeded in locking them into place. The metal doors rattled and jerked but held firm against the lashing wind.
“Get the flashlight,” Tina said.
Karen lifted the flashlight from a hook near the first step and clicked it on. Focusing the beam on the shadows of the cellar, she descended the steep stairs. The potent scent of mildew was stringent on the air as she stepped into the chilly, stone basement. The water dripping from her soaked hair trailed down the back of her shirt, and her teeth chattered as the cold permeated her bones.
The dim glow of the flashlight barely penetrated the thick shadows, but it illuminated the cobwebs dangling from the wooden beams overhead, the boxes stacked in the corners, and a creepy Halloween skeleton with a pumpkin head and evil smirk. More Halloween decorations lay behind it, but the flashlight wasn’t strong enough to reveal what they were.
She turned to shine the beam at Tina, who stood a few feet away from her. They both jumped when a loud crash sounded above and glass shattered. Karen shone the beam at the ceiling, but it was useless. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t see through the floor to what was happening above.
“Shine the light over here,” Tina said.
Karen tore the beam away from the ceiling; whatever was going on up there would have to wait. They had a mission to accomplish. She stepped closer to Tina and shone the flashlight into the corner of the cellar. The thin beam revealed a pile of old crates coated in a layer of dust. None of them had fifth grade written on them, and they looked like they hadn’t been touched in years.
“Let’s try over here,” Karen said.
As she shuffled toward the back of the basement, the flashlight played across old tables, sheet-covered furniture, discarded clothes, and rotten boxes. She held her breath as she waited for the click of claws against the concrete floor, the laughter of a clown, or the eerie chatter of something sinister coming from under the furniture while something rotting hunted them.
She’d gone through too many of Regan’s nightmares not to expect something to try to eat them while they were here. Her heart thundered in her ears, and her mouth went dry as she struggled not to jump at every little sound.
Beside her, Tina’s breath came in small, rapid pants and she walked so close to Karen their arms touched. When a cobweb brushed her face, she jumped and nearly shrieked before she realized what it was and wiped away the cloying stickiness.
Finally reaching the back of the basement, Karen shone the light into another corner and revealed the pile of boxes there. Unlike everything else in the cellar, streaks from fingers marred the dust covering these boxes.
Fifth Grade was written in red ink on some of the boxes. Karen remembered that year of school with Tina, Lila, and Avery. It had been one of her favorite years as they’d all been in the same homeroom and most of the same classes. If she opened those boxes, she would probably share a fair amount of the memories tucked inside.
Another loud crash reverberated upstairs, and the house shook. Karen jumped and swung the beam overhead again.
“They’re fighting him,” Tina whispered.
“We have to hurry,” Karen said.
She tore the beam away from the ceiling and rushed over to the boxes. Tina helped her move them out of the way to reveal a pile of blankets behind them. Karen grasped one of the blankets and pulled it away as Tina carefully removed another.
Karen saw a flash of white before Tina lurched forward to pull aside more of the blankets until she revealed the gleaming, white skull within. Karen gasped and almost lost her grasp on the flashlight. Until then, she hadn’t realized a part of her still believed Avery was wrong and that Lila couldn’t have done this. But now, faced with the skull, reality sank in, and tears filled her eyes.
“How could she?” Karen whispered.
Tina’s usually steady hands trembled as she lifted the skull. “I don’t know, but we have to get this to Avery.”
“Please,” she pleaded. “Please let Avery be okay.”
“She’ll be fine; we’ll all be fine, now that we have the skull.”
Karen wanted to agree with her, but her instincts told her Tina was wrong. “Let’s go,” she whispered.
She was halfway back across the cellar when she heard the scraping sound she’d been dreading. Just a rat. It’s just a rat.
When metal crashed and reverberated in the room, it took Karen a second to realize it was the cellar doors shutting. She glanced at Tina who had gone deathly pale as she clutched the skull against her chest.
Karen gulped when another scraping sound came from the stairwell, and the pumpkin-headed skeleton stepped out and turned toward them. Karen’s breath exploded from her when it lifted a skeletal finger and wagged it at them before laughing.
Then a hand landed on her shoulder, and she screamed.
CHAPTER 40
Reid watched Avery in fascinated horror. No, not Avery, he was sure of it now. That was Avery’s body gliding across the floor, but Avery wasn’t the only one in there, and those eyes— those hideous, inhuman eyes—certainly weren’t Avery’s.
He didn’t know what to do or how to reach her when this thing had replaced her. So, he watched the thing resembling Avery stalk Regan. Her raven hair whipped around her, but he knew it wasn’t from the wind coming through the open door; it was from the power oozing out of her.
“You’re not going to like this game, Regan,” Avery said, but it wasn’t her voice. It sounded oddly masculine.
When Regan’s spirit flickered, Avery lifted her hand. “No!” she snarled and clamped her fingers into a fist as if she were snatching a fly out of the air. Regan’s spirit stopped flickering and solidified once more. “You’re going to stay and play.”
&nbs
p; Avery held out her other hand, and the bones she’d assembled started to rattle as they took some jittery steps forward. “Let what was once together be reunited,” she murmured as she walked the bones toward Regan’s spirit. “Meld body and spirit once more.”
The second the spirit and bones touched, the spirit sucked into the skeleton and blackness oozed around the open chest cavity before a heart began to take shape. He watched in amazement as the heart grew until chambers formed, and then it took its first beat.
That beat reverberated through the house, but it became muffled when the muscle knitting itself over the bones covered them until nothing of the bones remained visible. The veins forming over the muscle began to throb as blood flowed through them. And then skin pulled itself over the tissues and blood until flesh cocooned Regan.
When it finished, Regan stood nude before them with a solid body while his head remained in spirit form. The sight was nearly as disconcerting as the fact Avery had been the one to create it.
Regan stepped forward, and Avery flicked her fingers at him; the movement sent Regan flying into the chimney of the fireplace. The crash caused plaster to rain from the ceiling before Regan fell to the floor and shot to his feet. The fury contorting his face made his eyes burn like fire.
“You can’t destroy me!” he screamed.
“Yes, we can.” The mingled, distorted voices coming from Avery reverberated off the walls.
“What has she done?” Sandra asked.
“What needed to be done,” Landon said.
The window behind her exploded, and a tree limb crashed through it. Sandra jumped forward as the branch scraped across the floor. “She’s destroyed herself!” Sandra yelled over the rising wind.
Those words were a blow to his gut. Part of him had known that all along, but hearing Sandra declare it only brought the reality home. Avery would not be coming back from this.
“Maybe not,” Landon said.
“You know she has!” Sandra insisted. “And she’ll destroy all of us if she isn’t stopped.”
Landon’s chin trembled, and when Reid glanced at her shaking hands, he saw the top of Avery’s crystal poking out of her fist. It was then that he realized why Avery had taken Landon behind the van.
Dream Walker (The Coven, Book 3) Page 20
