by Lori Drake
Emma closed her eyes again, but grief was etched on her face. In the pause that followed, Chris walked around the bed to stand closer. By some unspoken agreement, he and Joey left Emma alone with her thoughts until she was ready to continue.
“How—how did I get here?” Emma asked next. “The last thing I remember—” Her breath caught in her throat and she began to tremble.
Joey stroked her hand, soothingly. “Chris put you to sleep,” she said. “You were out of your mind with grief, and gathering enough magic around you to do some serious damage.”
“Chris?” Emma’s voice had a dreamlike quality to it as she lifted her eyes. She wasn’t looking at Chris, though. She was looking at Dean. “He can do that?”
“Yeah,” Chris said. “Actually, I’m doing it to Dean right now. He loaned me his body.”
Emma’s brow furrowed. “You were inside me?” she said, taking it in stride but clearly not happy about it. Her eyes narrowed fractionally. “Controlling me?”
Chris nodded, shooting her an apologetic look. He knew she had issues with men trying to control her, and this time it was entirely too literal.
Joey stepped in. “It was the only thing he could do to stop you, and after you got arrested—”
“I got arrested?” Emma sat up suddenly. She swayed where she sat, an arm shooting out to steady herself on Joey’s shoulder.
“Yes,” Chris replied. “But we got you a great lawyer, and he got you out. That’s really all you need to worry about right now. I know you just woke up, but your body didn’t get any sleep last night. You need to rest, Em. You’ve got your cloaking amulet on, so Tasha can’t find you. In the meantime, we’re working on a plan to take care of her. You can weigh in when you wake up.”
Emma looked from one concerned face to the other, sighed, and eased herself back down again. “I feel like shit,” she mumbled. “Do you have any aspirin?”
Chris and Joey exchanged a glance. In all Chris’s life, he’d never used the stuff. It just wasn’t strong enough; his wolf constitution would burn it off before it had any effect. He wasn’t sure if they even had any in the house, but it would be easy enough to obtain some in any case. It’s not like she’d asked for heroin.
“We’ll get you some,” Joey said. She tried to stand but Emma held on to her hand tightly.
“Don’t go, please. Just sit with me for a while,” she pleaded, quietly. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“I’ll go,” Chris said, laying a hand on Joey’s shoulder. She shrugged it off, but glanced his way and gave him a curt nod before turning back to their friend.
Dismissed, he let himself out of the room and closed the door quietly behind him. As he headed down the hall to start checking medicine cabinets that were largely devoid of medicine, he lamented the wide gulf that had formed between Joey and himself.
Somehow, he had to make things right with her before he left this world.
27
Joey turned and put a shushing finger to her lips when the door opened. It had only been a few minutes since Emma drifted off to sleep. Chris approached quietly with a bottle of aspirin in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Of course he remembered the water. He was thoughtful like that. She smiled, then remembered she was still mad at him and shut it down.
After consulting the directions, Joey left two pills on the nightstand with the water and took the rest of the bottle with her as she headed toward the exit. She wasn’t sure if aspirin overdose was fatal, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
They stole from the room, quiet as church mice. Once outside, he turned to her.
“Joey—j”
“Not here.” She grabbed his arm and towed him a few doors down, where she shoved him into an empty guest room. Once behind closed doors, she rounded on him. They both spoke at once.
“How dare you!“
“I’m sorry.”
Joey folded her arms and shot him a withering glare, all the more annoyed that he didn’t wither under it. “You’re sorry? That’s the best you can do? For fuck’s sake, Chris.”
“What else do you want me to say?” he asked, gazing at her earnestly.
He had a good point. A frustratingly good point. Off the top of her head, all she could think of was what she didn’t want to hear from him. Excuses. Appeasements. God forbid, declarations of love. What did she want him to say?
“Tell me why,” she said, folding her arms and regarding him sternly.
“Why what?”
Joey’s hackles rose. “What the hell do you think? Why are you apologizing if you don’t know what for?”
He held an appeasing hand up. “I think you need to take a deep breath.”
“Screw you. Don’t tell me what to do. I’ve had a lot of time to think about this, Chris. A lot of time I could’ve been talking to you, but you didn’t tell me you could do this!” She gestured at him, indicating the body he was currently inhabiting.
He winced. “It’s complicated.”
“No, it’s not. You took over Dean’s body and pretended to be him. Twice, that I know of. You deliberately deceived me. Why?”
“I didn’t mean to deceive you.”
Joey barked a laugh. “You didn’t… hah!”
Chris’s eyes narrowed, his expression darkening. “You think that’s funny?”
“I think it’s absurd!” Joey tossed back. “But you have my attention, so tell me. How is it that you didn’t mean to deceive me?”
He frowned at her, but began to explain nonetheless. “The first time I took over for Dean, it was entirely by accident. When I realized what I’d done, I went back to apologize to you because we’d just had that big blowout. But you assumed I was Dean and I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t think of anything but how nice it was to be alive again, to see you again.” He reached for her hand, but she took a step back, remaining out of reach. He grimaced. “I left as soon as I could.”
Joey took all this in quietly. Thinking back, he had tried to extract himself. It made sense, except for… “And the next time it happened?”
“I saw you and Dean dancing and,” he paused, clearly choosing his words carefully. “I acted impulsively, and I’m sorry. Everything is so intense on the astral plane. I don’t know if it’s just the nature of the place or what Tasha did to me but everything I feel is amped up to eleven and my impulse control is… not what it used to be.”
Joey narrowed her eyes, but nodded. It was time to let him off the hook before they were forced to talk about what she really didn’t want to talk about. Her thoughts rolled back to her conversation with Sara. Forgiveness isn’t a crime. “Apology accepted.“
“Just to be clear, I’m not apologizing for kissing you. Only for letting you think it was him.”
Groaning inwardly, Joey rubbed her forehead. “Okay, fine. Whatever.”
“You don’t want to yell at me about that too?” he said, lifting a brow.
“No,” she said, perhaps a little too firmly. “What’s done is done. Let’s just put it behind us okay?” It was so weird looking at Dean but knowing it was Chris behind his brown eyes. A slow smile spread across his face. She didn’t like the look of that smile, or the glint in those eyes.
“You don’t want to talk about it,” he said, looking far too smug. “Because you liked it.”
“I did not!”
“Now who’s deceiving who?”
The fact that he was moving closer didn’t register with her until he was right in front of her. She took an involuntary step back, but it wasn’t in her nature to retreat. Not from him. Not from anyone. “I said I forgive you. Don’t push your luck.”
“Do you have any idea at all how long I’ve wanted to kiss you?” he asked, closing the distance again. Undeterred. “It was better than I’d ever imagined. You can lie to yourself if you want, but you can’t lie to me. I was there, and I know how you reacted.”
“I thought I was kissing Dean!” Joey objected, but she was on shaky ground and she k
new it. Even now, her body was responding to him in new and unexpected ways. Whether it was his aggressiveness or proximity, she couldn’t be sure. All she knew was she wanted to kiss him, wanted to feel again what she’d felt that night. Her mind scrambled for a way out. “For the first time since you died, something felt right. How could you do that to me? I thought I was really connecting with someone.”
He gazed at her for a long, thoughtful moment. “You were, Joey. Just not with who you thought.”
Something low in her belly tightened and she fought back a groan. She didn’t realize she was backing up until she fetched up against the door. He was still right in front of her, and in that moment she finally started to feel something besides ill-founded desire: trapped. That familiar sense of panic rose within her. Her breaths quickened and she shuddered involuntarily.
Anyone else might have easily mistaken her reaction for rising excitement, but Chris stepped back, giving her some space. Closing her eyes, Joey leaned against the door and sucked in big gulps of air until the moment passed.
“How did you know?” she asked. Her eyes found him leaning against the dresser when they opened.
He shrugged, regarding her with obvious concern, but kept his distance. “How could I not know?”
“We can’t do this,” she said, thinking more clearly now that she had some space and a few lingering endorphins from her near-panic attack. “We’re not doing this. You’re dead, Chris. Let me go.”
“You first,” he said quietly.
Joey slammed the door behind her as she left, trying to convince herself she was storming off and not fleeing.
Word of the San Diego coven’s representatives’ arrival rolled through the house like ripples on a pond. Chris sat in the guest room with Emma, reading a book while she slept, when Ben stuck his head in to tell him the news. He didn’t know where Joey had gotten off to after their little heart to heart and hadn’t gone looking for her either. She clearly needed some space, and while his time left on this Earth wasn’t unlimited he could afford to give her a little.
As soon as he heard the news, he headed for his mother’s study, but found the door already closed. Knowing better than to interrupt, he parked on a padded bench in the hallway to wait. Surely, someone would need him—or Dean—eventually.
It turned out to be sooner rather than later. After only a few minutes, the door opened and Joey stepped out. Finding him sitting in the hall, she blinked and then chuckled.
“Well, that was easy,” she said, smirking as she motioned him inside. “Her Majesty summons you.”
“I heard that!” Adelaide called from the next room. Joey rolled her eyes and held the door open while Chris stood and went inside.
All eyes turned to him when he entered. His mother sat behind her big desk, of course. Their guests, both women, sat in wing-backed chairs across from her. The guests were as different as night and day. One had a smooth, unlined face that still bore the spark of youth, with autumn flowers plaited into her wavy brown hair. The other was older, mostly grey-haired with a wrinkled countenance he recognized immediately.
“Aunt Cathy?” he exclaimed, eyes darting from the grey-haired woman to his mother and back again.
“Hello Chris,” Cathy said, flashing him that warm smile he knew so well. Cathy and his mother had been friends as long as he could remember. Hell, she’d probably changed his diaper a time or two.
Speechless, he stood there dumbly while Adelaide rose from her seat and approached him, pulling him into a tight hug.
“My dear boy,” she said, so softly that only he—and possibly Joey—could hear. He hugged her back, her familiar perfume tickling his nostrils. Adelaide drew back after a long moment, took his face between her hands and looked deeply into his eyes. “It is you, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” he said, finally finding his voice again. “It’s me, Mom. Where’s Dad?” It was beyond strange for him to be absent for this meeting.
“Seeing to Plan B,” she said quietly, then turned to address her guests before he could ask what exactly Plan B entailed. “I suppose Catherine requires no introduction. Gretchen, this is my son, Christopher.”
The younger witch’s eyes unfocused as she studied him for a long moment in silence. Uncomfortable under the scrutiny, Chris shifted his attention to Cathy and offered her a smile.
“High Priestess Catherine, is it? I’m honored,” he said.
Cathy’s lips twitched into a grin and she winked at him, pointing at Gretchen.
Chris’s brows lifted in surprise, but he swiftly transferred his attention to the younger woman, whose hazel eyes came into focus again as he did. Her captivating eyes held a depth of wisdom that belied her youthful appearance, but she showed no hint of annoyance over his error.
“The honor is mine,” Gretchen said. “I’ve never met an astral walker before. Curious.” She and Cathy leaned their heads together, conferring quietly.
It was hardly a statement that inspired confidence in the coven’s ability to help. Chris swallowed, wishing he could hear what they were saying. Alas, he was limited to Dean’s disappointingly human hearing so he stood there awkwardly while Adelaide returned to her seat and the witches whispered among themselves. Joey took up a position beside him. He glanced at her but she ignored him, eyes forward.
“Josephine, you may continue,” Adelaide said.
“Actually,” Gretchen said, straightening in her chair. “I’d like to hear from Christopher.”
Adelaide dipped her head and gestured for them to proceed.
“Your sister told us of your delicate matter,” Cathy began.
Gretchen smoothly picked up there. “What can you tell us about the one that binds you?”
“Her name is Tasha,” he said. “I don’t know much about her, honestly. She’s usually the one asking the questions.”
“Questions about what?” Gretchen asked, making Chris wonder just how far Joey had gotten in the story before they’d called for him to weigh in. He cast a sideways glance in her direction, but her eyes remained forward. Even in profile, she looked annoyed. She didn’t like being upstaged by anyone, even him.
“About a runaway witch from her coven. She came to San Diego looking for her.” He explained Emma’s situation to them, hopeful that they would sympathize. They both appeared to at first, but Cathy’s expression shifted subtly when he described Emma’s former coven as a cult. He knew a wary look when he saw one, and paused. “What’s wrong?”
“Where is this coven located?” she asked.
“Nevada,” he said. “Eastgate, Nevada.”
Cathy winced and nodded while Gretchen straightened in her chair, youthful features twisted in a grimace. “Oh, that coven,” she said, her voice dripping with disdain.
Chris couldn’t deduce whether their reactions were good or bad. Adelaide spoke up while he was trying to figure it out.
“As you can see, we’re very much out of our element here. Any assistance you can provide would be extremely helpful,” she said.
This time, Gretchen and Cathy didn’t confer. Instead, Gretchen looked Adelaide in the eye and said words Chris never expected. “I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do.”
“Wait, what?” Chris blurted.
“I second that,” Joey said.
Adelaide shot them both a warning look, then looked back at the witches. “Pardon my candor, but why the hell not?”
For her part, Gretchen remained cool as a cucumber. “The leader of that coven is a very dangerous man.”
“All the more reason for him to be put in his place,” Adelaide countered. “This goes beyond what his little minion did to my son. The women in his ‘keeping’—”
“Are there of their own free will,” Gretchen finished. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Grant. I truly am. But intervening in this dispute… I can’t put my people at risk. There’s no telling what that madman might do in retaliation.”
Adelaide’s focus swung to Cathy. “And what do you have to say about this?�
�� she asked her long-time friend.
“It’s not my decision, Addie. I’m sorry.”
“This is bullshit,” Joey said, her temper finally getting the better of her. “If you can’t handle this guy, how the hell are we supposed to do it?”
“Josephine,” Adelaide said, a warning in her tone.
“She’s right, Mom.” Chris had a long history of not getting involved in disputes between his mother and Joey, but this time he couldn’t keep silent. The stakes were too high. At his side, Joey shifted closer to him, showing support. He looked Cathy in the eye. “I get why you won’t stick your neck out for Emma. You don’t know her from Adam. But how can you turn your back on me?”
Cathy looked away, wringing her hands in her lap.
“As she said, it’s not her decision,” Gretchen began, but Cathy spoke up, interrupting.
“Actually, it is.” Cathy turned to Gretchen. “I know you’re doing what you have to do for the good of all. It’s what I would’ve done, in your place. What I taught you to do. But it’s not my place. Not anymore. My place is here.”
Gretchen blinked. “You can’t mean to defy my ruling…”
“I request severance from the San Diego coven,” Cathy said.
“What? No… it’s too soon, you can’t,” Gretchen said, a hint of panic creeping into her voice. In that moment, her aura of wisdom and worldliness melted away, leaving behind a scared young woman.
Cathy leaned forward, taking Gretchen’s hands. “It’s long overdue, child. You know what to do. You don’t need me anymore. You think you do, but you don’t. I’m only holding you back.”
Gretchen blinked rapidly, visibly struggling with emotion. “Are—are you sure?”
Cathy smiled and nodded, “I’m sure.”
Chris watched as Gretchen closed her eyes and collected herself. A few seconds passed before she took a deep breath, opened her eyes and cleared her throat. “Very well. Catherine Byrd, you are hereby severed from the San Diego coven. We accept no responsibility for your actions, and are under no obligation to come to your aid.” She paused, swallowed, then added, “You have twenty-four hours to leave our territory and never return.”
