All it takes is a little death and mayhem to make a spook catcher’s day.
Sierra Fox, Book 5
Sierra Fox has finally inherited her grandmother’s power to destroy demons, but what good is it when her werewolf boyfriend still lies in a coma? Worse, the decision she’s about to make could save him—but ruin their relationship.
If that’s not enough bad stuff on her plate, she’s got a soul to save—the soul of her closest friend, killed by the Lamia that got away.
Another untasty side dish: The Obscurus refuse to give up their relentless pursuit, and they’ve upped the ante. Mace is dead set on blowing up the Spook Catcher Council Tower, and the blowback will have devastating effects on Sydney and for Sierra. At least these demon-obsessed freaks aren’t counting on Sierra having a Goddess and a trusty demonic conduit as backup.
All of this leads to a one-way ride into the abandoned part of town, where the Obscurus plan to summon Legion. With her demon hunter friend by her side, Sierra prepares for the final battle…because even she knows this will be The End.
Warning: Phantasms, wraiths, orbs, demons, all guaranteed to ruin any spook catcher’s day. But you can always count on werewolves, land spirits, and a Goddess. Beware of explosions, demonic obsessions, and the battle that will tip the scales and change Sydney forever.
A Stitch on Time
Yolanda Sfetsos
Dedication
This book is dedicated to Holly. Thank you for loving Sierra’s series, your brilliant editing, awesome suggestions, kind words and making the process so much fun.
I’d also like to thank Kanaxa for making such beautiful and perfect covers that tell a story of their own. She took my ideas and ran with them, turning my vision into her own incredible creations. Also, a big thank you goes to Nicole Whittaker for portraying Sierra so perfectly, and John Valerio for his awesome photography.
Thanks to Sgt. John Weiling for answering my pesky questions about the NSW Police Force. His info helped me figure out many plot points so they’re as close to real life as I could get them. Any errors are mine, and I did take a few liberties. After all, this series is set in an alternate Sydney.
Every book in this series had a soundtrack, so I’d like to give a shout-out to Daft Punk, My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds to Mars, Linkin Park and The Goo Goo Dolls.
I also want to thank the wonderful book bloggers who posted the Sierra Fox covers, reviewed the books, and even helped spread the word by taking part in blog tours. A special mention goes to: Tynga’s Reviews, Wicked Little Pixie, Manga Maniac Café, My Bookish Ways, All Things Urban Fantasy, The Book Nympho, Nocturne Reads, I Read Good, and Fang-tastic Books.
Then there’s my family, who put up with my constant chatter about Sierra’s world, and actually encourage a lot of it. LOL. I love you guys!
And lastly, but certainly not least—I’d like to thank you for sticking around and following Sierra’s dark journey of self-discovery, heartache and love.
Chapter One
I slammed my foot on the brake pedal, almost missing the red light. The vehicle behind me screeched to a halt and honked their horn.
“You want to what?” The last thing I needed at the moment was to cause an accident, or to get a red-light camera fine, but my sister had caught me off guard.
“Sierra, what the hell?”
“Sorry.” I hadn’t meant to overreact, but my focus was elsewhere. Since Willow officially finished classes the week before, she was helping manage the office. We were making a quick stop before heading to the Blue Mountains—to deal with what was weighing heavy on my mind. My good friend and fellow spook catcher, Ebony Aikan was exclusively working with Roe Spooker’s new operation, so I appreciated my sister’s help. Though she’d soon have to focus on exclusively studying for her HSC—Higher School Certificate—exams.
“Well, what do you think?”
I swiveled in the driver’s seat. “I’m not really in the mood for parties.”
She lowered her gaze and nodded. “Okay, I get it.”
It wasn’t Willow’s fault that my head was in the clouds, but I wasn’t in a festive mood. All I could think about was the decision I couldn’t put off any longer—dealing with Papan’s comatose condition. This was the fourth day and he was still unconscious. Still, it wasn’t fair to put her life on hold as well.
I sighed. “Tell me more about this party idea.”
“I want to have a Halloween-themed birthday party,” Willow answered with a sheepish grin and a shrug. The way she shifted moods so quickly always surprised me. “No big deal. Everyone dresses up and we all have an awesome time. After all, it will be my eighteenth, and shortly after my HSC is done.”
“I don’t know…” I bit my lip. “I really don’t have time to plan any parties right now.” I could understand why she wanted this—she was a teenager. But I certainly wasn’t in a partying mood. Not when my boyfriend was close to dying and the Obscurus were probably preparing their latest strike.
“You don’t have to worry about planning anything.” Willow’s blue eyes were shiny with mischief, and I could tell she’d been planning this for a while. “I just need your permission to invite everyone to your place.” She swiped a long lock of mahogany hair from her forehead, but it sprang back.
“Will—”
“Come on, Sierra, please. I’ll do everything! I’ll even pay for it. Ebony and Michael already said they’ll help.”
“It’s not about the money,” I said. Then, after a beat, I added, “You’ve spoken to Ebony about this?”
“I didn’t want to bother you… So much has happened lately and you’ve been driving yourself ragged with all the extra work. You need to relax, and I think a party’s just what you need.” She sounded so positive, but I could see a twinge of sadness in her eyes. She’d been there when Papan was taken and attacked. “Besides, it’s still weeks away so everything will be fine by then.”
I grunted. A house full of teenagers certainly didn’t sound relaxing, but this wasn’t about me. This was about my half-sister wanting to celebrate the victories instead of concentrating on the negatives. She’d already lost so much during her young life. Not to mention that her father and his business had been tainted by being regarded as an accessory to murder.
She was right about my work, though. In an attempt to keep my mind off the many problems plaguing me—and to begrudgingly take a break from sitting at Papan’s bedside—I’d been catching nonstop. Saul suggested I go home and get some rest, but when sleep lasted only a handful of hours and I couldn’t stop thinking about Papan lying helpless in a clinic bed, I dealt with my outstanding cases. If I kept up this pace, I’d soon have nothing left to do. Or would finally have to give Roe an answer about whether I was going to accept his offer of a business partnership.
Nope, not ready to deal with that yet.
Not until Papan is awake.
“The light’s green,” Willow said.
I sighed and accelerated, crossing the busy intersection before anyone else beeped. I was getting a lot of disgruntled horn blasting, hand gestures and screaming from other motorists lately, and was starting to wonder if driving while my mind was elsewhere was a good idea. I needed a driver.
Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen.
“Well, what do you think?” Willow’s stare felt like a heavy, unmoving weight. “Michael’s really excited about it because it’s his birthday too.”
“You’ve also spoken to Michael about this?” I gave her a sidelong glance, while merging into the left lane. I was surprised she hadn’t just decided to go ahead and tell everyone but me
until the actual day. Teenagers could be so strange.
“We’ve talked and texted a few times. How else is he going to help? I already told you he would.” She sighed. “Are you even listening to me?”
Michael the pooka could shift into an adorable black Australian Kelpie and we’d helped him out a jam last weekend. He’d told me he would reach out to my sister but I hadn’t thought it would be this quickly. I assumed a missing kid would need time to assimilate back into his family life after being gone for weeks. One of his parents being a pooka probably made them both more understanding.
“When did you get his number?”
Willow looked away and color rose along her cheeks. “We exchanged numbers when I found out he was a guy and not a dog.”
“Right, of course.” I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. Her phone was an extension of her, so it made sense. “What about Jamie and Ronnie?” She kept dodging my questions about her poltergeist boyfriend and best friend.
“They obviously can’t come,” she said with a scowl. “Not that they’d be invited.”
“Is there something going on between you and them?” I quickly glanced at her but she was staring straight ahead.
“I don’t want to talk about…” When her voice trailed off and was followed by a thump, I turned to find her slumped against the seat. Her body limp, arms at her sides and only held in place by the seatbelt. Her eyes were closed, lips already turning blue.
“Oh shit.” I indicated, cut in front of the car on my left and sped across to the farthest lane. I eased my foot off the accelerator, hit the brake and shifted to park. I snapped off my seatbelt and leaned over the seat, carefully pressing the back of my hand against Willow’s cheek. Her skin was cold and she wasn’t breathing. This hadn’t happened in several months, and the cause made my skin prickle with dread. Whenever someone my sister cared about died, she did too. “Will, wake up. Come on.”
As much as I knew her death would be temporary, it still turned my blood cold.
Her eyes snapped open and she sucked in a sharp breath seconds before the sparkle of lights began whirling around her. The seatbelt kept her body from flying upwards but not her long hair. For just a split second, I caught a glimpse of a face, but it flashed out as quickly as the radiance.
“Are you okay?” No matter how many times I saw this, it freaked me the fuck out. My sister was a necromancer, so she could bring the spirits of loved ones back and keep them with her. She’d done it months ago with her boyfriend, her best friend and her dog. It didn’t look like she’d brought anyone back this time.
Except I was pretty sure I’d seen a familiar face… No, it had to be my imagination. I was running on little sleep, caffeine and anxiety. Not to mention the power I’d inherited from my grandmother, which helped change the way I performed my job but didn’t keep my loved ones safe.
I’m a spook catcher, and can see and interact with ghosts, spirits, poltergeists, orbs, and other beings. Most spooks are the lingering energy of the dead—spirits not ready to move on. Ghosts have certain rights in our society, but when they break the rules I capture them. There are other inhuman exceptions to the rule, but I can handle them as well. Now more than ever.
“Hey,” I said, shaking her lightly. For several silent moments she seemed to be staring through me, rather than at me. “Can you hear me?” She certainly wasn’t seeing me.
“Ebony,” she whispered.
“Willow, concentrate, what just happened?”
“I blacked out.” She rubbed her temples. “It hasn’t happened for a while. Was I gone for long?”
I opened my mouth to respond but the Ghostbusters ringtone interrupted. I pulled the phone out of my pocket and stared at it, not really seeing who was calling because I was stuck on my sister’s episode.
“Your ringtone is cute and all, but it’s getting old.” At least she was back to normal—otherwise why would she be such a smart-ass?
I narrowed my eyes and answered my mobile. “Hello?”
“She’s dead!” a frantic, girlish voice screamed into my ear.
“What?” My heart jumped. “Claire, is that you?”
“Yeah.” Her voice broke and all I could hear were uncontrollable sobs.
“Claire, what’s wrong?”
“Sorry, I can’t…” A series of hiccups disrupted her, followed by distortion.
“Hey, what the hell’s going on?” I asked, trying to keep calm even though my pulse was racing. “Claire!”
I checked the phone and we were still connected.
“Ms. Fox,” Roe’s calm voice spoke into my ear.
“Roe, what’s going on?”
“Something terrible has happened. You need to come—”
“What happened?” I resembled a broken record, but no one was answering my question. Roe had taken the spook catchers to a haunted residence this afternoon to catch a pesky spirit. I knew because I’d passed on the case. Ebony was going along with them and planned to use the old-fashioned way of banishing spirits. So what had gone wrong?
“It’s Ebony,” Roe said, as if he’d read my mind.
“What about Ebony?” I looked at my sister and found her staring at me with undeniable fear glistening in her eyes.
“She’s gone,” he whispered.
He wasn’t making any sense. “Gone where?” My brain stumbled over his words, refusing to understand—even though my heart already felt the loss creeping in.
“Ms. Fox, you know where we are.”
“Yes, I know.” My mouth felt dry, body almost devoid of strength. How could I not know? They were at the haunted house that changed my childhood in the worst possible way. And now something terrible had happened…again.
“Then I think you should come over right away.”
“Sure, I’m on my way.” I disconnected and stared at the mobile.
“Sierra, what’s wrong?” Willow asked from the passenger seat.
Instead of answering, I dialed Oren’s number. He picked up after the second ring and I didn’t wait for a greeting. “Can you meet me at my place in five?”
“Of course, what’s wrong?”
“I need to drop Willow off. Can you stay with her?”
“You know I can.”
“Oren, she just did it again.”
Thick silence hung between us. “She died.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yeah—”
“I’m on my way.”
“Thanks.” But he’d already hung up. I shoved the phone into my pocket, belted up and eased into the steady flow of traffic.
“I don’t need a babysitter, you know.”
“I know you don’t.” It was true, the magical defenses around the house were secure enough that I’d left her alone before, but after what happened at the hands of a crazed werewolf couple and an even crazier dog bitch, I was reluctant. Who was I kidding? She’d just died and something had happened to Ebony; I never wanted to leave my sister alone again. But if I couldn’t be there, Oren was one of a handful of people I trusted with her life. “But I really need you to stay with Oren.”
“I thought we were going to see Jason!”
“We were, but then you went and died.”
“Thanks for reminding me.” She leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes. “I didn’t bring anyone back with me, but I have a killer headache.”
I didn’t mention that I thought I’d seen a familiar face. Mainly because I was in denial. “You probably just need to rest.”
“But what about Jason?” she asked, sulking. “I haven’t seen him since that night, and you don’t say much about how he’s doing.”
I sped past the amber lights, not prepared to stop until we reached the safety of home.
“You’ll see him some other time. Besides, there’s not much to tell. He’s still in a coma
and the doctors want to shut off the machines.” Which was why we were heading over there today. I was done waiting for his body to recuperate on its own.
“You’re not going to let them, are you?”
I shook my head. Whenever I wasn’t at his bedside, Saul was. No one was going to take this decision away from me without a fight. The werewolves might have accepted Papan as their rightful alpha, but they’d given up on his chances of surviving. I wasn’t about to.
“So where are you going now?”
“Something happened to Ebony.”
“What?”
“No idea, but I’ll let you know as soon as I do, okay?”
She nodded, but didn’t look convinced.
Thanks to a lot of speeding—so much for not wanting to get any bad attention on the road—and several shortcuts, I reached my house in less than ten minutes. Oren was already waiting on the front porch. I waved and he waved back, but didn’t make a move to approach.
“I’ll see you later,” Willow said as she climbed out of the car. “Be careful.”
“Don’t forget to tell Oren what happened.”
“Yeah, yeah—”
“Willow, I’m serious. Tell him, he needs to know.” We were keeping tabs on her ability while documenting any changes. This was our first cause for alarm in months.
I waited until she reached the porch and Oren led her into safety, then I sped off. Even in automatic mode, I managed to reach the large two-story weatherboard house in five minutes, trying to ignore the influx of memories. I’d spent an entire night in this horrid place with a girl who ended up hating me afterwards. Even though I’d managed to keep a malicious spirit from hurting us both, Jackie made my life a living hell all through school.
Since that fateful night, I’d visited this address a handful of times to catch a variety of disturbances. It was a hotspot for chaotic spook activity, but this case should have been a routine catching.
I parked the car across the street and ran out, glad to feel the weight of my Smith & Wesson 642 revolver secured in my utility belt. If the spook that dared to hurt Ebony—or anyone else—was still there, I wasn’t going to waste time banishing them. They were going straight to oblivion via salt and holy water tipped bullets. I didn’t bother locking the Fairlane or checking both sides of the road before crossing, didn’t stop until I’d climbed the front steps and charged inside.
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