A Stitch on Time 5

by Yolanda Sfetsos

  “Sorry about that, I’ve been in hiding.” She lowered her voice to a hiss. “I tried to approach you a few weeks ago but you’re hardly ever alone, girl. And now, it’s too late. I can’t go anywhere.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  She sighed. “Look, I’m not sure if you know what’s been going on at the Tower, but the shit’s really hit the fan and I need your help. We need your…now—”

  A crackling noise resonated down the line, distorting the sound. “What was that?”

  “That’s why I’m calling.”

  “Lee, just tell me what’s going on.” I was starting to get a really bad feeling about this. The fact she claimed to be hiding, coupled with the distortions and her jumbled words made me nervous.

  “I snuck into the building about three weeks ago to grab my stuff and instead got caught.” Her breathing became heavy, voice sounded distorted—like a dodgy long-distance connection. “Did Henry get in touch with you?”

  “Yeah, he did.” My head was starting to spin. Henry had tried to talk to me about the dangerous spook energy trapped inside the Tower. He didn’t get the chance to reveal much before Vixen shot him in the head, silencing him forever.

  “Why haven’t you come then?” Her words were muffled. “And why didn’t he come back? He was supposed to make sure this didn’t happen to me.”

  “You were working with Henry?”

  “Sure, I tried to help him sort this out, but I’m not strong enough. I got myself…” The crackling swallowed up the rest of her words.

  “Lee, are you still there? Lee?”

  She continued, as if she hadn’t been interrupted. “Sierra, we’re stuck. And I mean, really stuck. We need your help.”

  “Okay, fine. I’ll come and get you.”

  “Shh,” she hissed. Silence filled the line between us for several moments, before something like the sound of a fax machine cut in. “Oh shit!”

  I pulled the phone away from my ear until the noise cleared. “What’s going on?”

  “These assholes, they keep…” Her voice trailed off.

  “Lee!” This phone call was beyond frustrating.

  “Okay, listen to me, Sierra.” Her voice was suddenly so crisp it felt like she was standing right beside me. “I don’t have time to explain, all I can ask is that you come to the Spook Catcher Council to help us.”

  I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get you out—”

  “No,” she interrupted. “You need to get into the building, and go straight to the councilor offices, okay?”

  “What…why?”

  “Just promise me you’ll go straight to the councilor’s office floor!”

  “Okay, okay, I’ll go.” My hair stood on end. I looked around because the prickling sensation made me feel like I wasn’t alone in the hallway anymore.

  “Good. Don’t forget you promised…”

  “I won’t, but I don’t understand why you don’t want me to get you guys—”

  “We do, but before you can help us, you have to help them.” Lee hung up, leaving me staring at the handset in confusion. What just happened? So many questions spun inside my head.

  “Is everything all right?”

  I placed the handset back into its cradle and looked up to find Oren standing in front of me. I hadn’t even heard him approach or shut the front door.

  “Sierra?”

  I shook my head. “You know things aren’t all right, and I doubt they ever will be.”

  “Is this a general comment, or in relation to the phone call you just took?”

  I opened my mouth to tell him, but decided to leave it for another day. We had plenty to deal with already, and I had no idea how I was going to handle this. Maybe my best option was to call the police, and since an officer was currently in my house… I had to talk to Gareth about this, but doubted we’d get any alone time without upsetting Papan. Still, he was the only one who could go to the Tower and check things out.

  “Let’s get back to the kitchen.” I looped my arm around my grandfather’s and led him in the right direction. In spite of everything, I was glad to have him here. He wasn’t just valuable for his witchy support, Oren always made things better.

  As soon as we stepped inside, the aroma of coffee filled my nasal passage and I welcomed it. “I hope there’s a cup for me!”

  “Coming right up,” Lavie said, turning back to the coffee machine.

  I headed for Willow and when I reached her side, she leaped out of the chair and clung to me. I couldn’t help but feel like the worst kind of guardian. Sure, she’d come into my life after she ran away from home and was trying to understand what turned out to be her necromancy power. But Willow had been through a lot. She’d been used for a ritual, her father had died, she’d been bitten by a black dog, and forced to befriend people she now considered friends…only to lose them.

  I patted her hair. “Oh, Willow, I’m so sorry for dragging you into this.”

  She pressed her face into my shoulder. “I’m going to miss her so much.”

  “I know you are. I am too.” But before we could miss her, I needed to find Maya so I could finish her once and for all. She wasn’t keeping Ebony’s soul. “Why don’t you drink the rest of your coffee?”

  Willow shook her head as she untangled her arms from mine. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to go to my room. I need to call Michael.”

  I nodded. She squeezed my hand, waved at the others and disappeared down the stairs that led to the bottom level of the house.

  Oren was back in his spot by the cabinets, making a special blend of tea. Saul and Papan were chatting at the kitchen table, while Gareth sat on the other side. He seemed uncomfortable, out of place. So when he met my gaze I offered a small smile, which he returned. When I looked away, I found Papan glaring at Gareth before he directed his attention back to me. I guess he didn’t truly believe what I’d told him earlier.

  I sighed. It didn’t matter. I’d have to come clean soon enough. Not that I’d done anything wrong.

  I made my way towards Lavie and grabbed the mug of coffee she offered. I wrapped both of my hands around the ceramic, enjoying the heat flowing through me. I sniffed the brown liquid I loved so much and took a tentative sip. Bumping my hip against hers, I said, “You didn’t lace this with Saul’s blood, did you?”

  She flashed a toothy grin. “You’d never know if I did.”

  I took another, longer sip. The coffee slid down my throat and filled my empty stomach. I hadn’t eaten for hours, but didn’t feel hungry either. “Thanks Lav.” I headed back to the vacant chair on Papan’s other side. “Are you feeling any better?”

  Papan shrugged.

  I thought he might be angry with me, but when he took my hand and kissed my knuckles, I relaxed. Too many bad things were happening, and I kept expecting more.

  “Gareth,” I said. “Do you know when they’ll release Ebony’s body?”

  “They’re performing an autopsy on her first, so I’m not sure.” He averted his eyes. “Her parents have been notified.”

  I nodded. She hadn’t gotten along with them because they didn’t appreciate her lifestyle, but they still talked. I knew that much. “Will they be clearing out her apartment?”

  “Most of Ebony’s stuff is already at Roe’s,” Saul said. “She’d been moving bit by bit. There’s only the bigger stuff like the couch, dresser and bed. The lease runs out in a few weeks.”

  “Are you taking it?”

  “Nah, you know I’ve already got a place. I was just house-sitting for her.”

  “Why do you suppose Maya attacked her, anyway?” Lavie said, taking the seat next to mine. “I mean”—she licked her lips—“she focused on killing teenage girls before, and now she’s done the same to a spook catcher. It doesn’t make sense.
”

  “She was only hunting teenage girls because she was searching for Willow,” Papan said with a frown. “It seems like she’s always trying to get someone’s attention.”

  My heart sank. I already knew whose attention she was trying to get.

  “But what is she trying to achieve?” Lavie said, more to herself than anyone else.

  “She wanted to get Sierra’s attention, of course.” Oren sipped at his tea, eyeing us vacantly. He was good at keeping his composure, but I could still read the pain.

  “Oh!” Lavie’s eyes widened. “When she lured us into that dark circle, she was hell-bent on getting the best of you. I suppose this makes some sort of crazy sense.”

  “Everything about this attack was a message—the location, Ebony, the way she killed her, hanging around so I would know she took my friend’s soul…” I trailed off. I’d promised myself that no one else would suffer because of me. Yet Ebony’s life had been split at the seams when Mace took her, and now she’d been killed by one of Mace’s accomplices.

  I sucked at keeping people safe. I glared at the closed kitchen door. How long before Maya tried getting her hands on my sister again? Or worse, when would someone from the Alliance strike in the name of the order placed on my sister and me? It was supposed to go live by the end of this month. So when would one of the good guys try to kill us?

  Willow had applied to several universities outside of Sydney and as much as I’d miss her, I thought she would be better off away from me.

  “You can’t keep blaming yourself,” Papan whispered near my ear. When had he moved forward? “This isn’t your fault.”

  “No, I suppose being born with a target on my head wasn’t my fault, but there’s no denying that all of this is happening because they want me.” I sucked in a breath and exhaled. “The Obscurus don’t seem to know I’ve already inherited this useless power. Well, at least Mace didn’t know.”

  “You saw him?” Papan’s eyes flashed to amber for a split second.

  “Hey, your power isn’t useless. You’ve already destroyed the shadow patch, and tonight you got rid of all those phantasms!” Lavie said beside me. “Just because you can’t use it for what you specifically want, doesn’t make it useless.”

  Of course she was right, but I was pouting. I was tired and a little defeated.

  “Wait a minute!” Papan pushed the chair back and strode across the kitchen, before returning to lean over my chair. “You’ve destroyed a patch? How and when? Just how long was I in a fucking coma?”

  “This was the fourth day,” Saul answered. He was sitting back, quietly watching the exchange while tapping an unlit cigarette against the tabletop.

  “Let me get this straight.” Papan’s green eyes were focused on me. “You’ve already inherited your granny’s power and can now destroy whole demonic patches?”

  I nodded.

  “And Mace set a bunch of spooks on the wolves?”

  “He wanted to get rid of you.”

  “When I get my hands on that guy, I’m going to tear him apart with my bare hands.”

  “I’m curious,” Gareth said. “If you saw this Mace guy and even spoke to him, why didn’t he abduct you?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t understand the game he’s playing, but he seems determined to have me give in to this ritual willingly. He actually told me that if I went with him, he wouldn’t hurt anyone else. He gave me the chance to keep all of you safe, and I turned him down.” I looked around at their faces—at the people I cared about—and it hit me, just how selfish my decision had been. “That was a mistake. By going with him, I could’ve saved all of you—”

  “I doubt that’s true.” Oren stepped forward, eyes narrowed. “Mace must have a different agenda.” He headed for the same door Willow had used less than half an hour earlier.

  “Where are you going?” I asked him.

  “Let me see what I can find. I’ll also research the Lamia. There has to be a way of releasing the souls she took.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  “Good night,” he called, but I could see his mind was elsewhere.

  Gareth stood. “I’m going to get going, I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said. Then quickly added, “All of you. I’m glad you got Jason back.”

  “Thanks Gareth, and keep me posted, okay?” I made a mental note to speak to him about getting into the Spook Catcher Council soon. Now wasn’t the time.

  He dipped his chin and left. The rest of us sat in silence, lost in our own personal thoughts.

  Lavie jumped out of her chair. “Well, I’ve got some hunting to do!”

  “Mind if I tag along?” Saul asked with a grin.

  “I’d like that.” She strapped on her backpack. “Though it’s been a while since you’ve been out in the wild…sure you can handle it?”

  “I can handle just about anything,” he said with a grin.

  “Let’s see if that’s true, because tonight’s hunt is a doozy.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle at their exchange.

  “Let’s go, then.” Saul rose and followed her into the hallway.

  Papan and I walked them to the front door. We said our goodbyes and watched the black van drive away with smoke puffing out the driver window.

  “He should give up that gross habit,” I said.

  “Are you talking about Saul smoking?” Papan asked with a curious grin.

  I nodded.

  “Well, it’s not like he’s going to get cancer or anything. Smoking actually helps him, being a demon and all,” he said with a wink.

  “So, are they together, or what?” I asked, changing the subject.

  Papan shrugged. “I’ve been dead to the world, and in the meantime my partner in crime has become some sort of patch destroyer, so I have no clue.”

  “I guess now isn’t a good time to mention the Alliance target on my head, then?”

  “You better be kidding because right now isn’t—”

  “I wish I was.” Trying to be lighthearted wasn’t how I imagined opening up about this. But being so tired and having a head full of insane thoughts made it hard to figure out another way to broach the subject. “Why don’t we make a deal?”

  He narrowed his eyes, as if suspicious. “What kind of deal?”

  “Why don’t we stop talking and thinking about all this shit and instead go to bed?”

  “I actually love the sounds of that.” He draped an arm over my shoulder and we headed up the stairs together. When we reached the bed, I wrapped my arms around his neck, to engage in a thought-erasing kiss.

  I licked my lips when we finally drew apart. “I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll be waiting.” Papan winked, and flopped onto the end of the bed.

  I wandered into the bathroom. When I strolled back out, wearing nothing but my open robe, I stopped short.

  Papan was lying on his side, face squashed against the pillow as he slept. I made my way towards him and placed a hand on his chest to make sure his heart was beating. I ran my fingertips along his face and over the blond whiskers on his cheeks and chin. Even wounded and exhausted, he looked beautiful.

  “I promise I’ll never let anything happen to you again,” I whispered.

  My chest constricted when I realized just how close I’d come to losing him.

  I shook away the morbid thought and leaned over to kiss his cheek before making my way to the other side of the bed. I slid the robe off my shoulders and pulled one of Papan’s tees on. I lay my head on the pillow and closed my eyes, then whispered a soft chant to help me sleep. I didn’t want to have another turbulent night, especially since I couldn’t get the conversation with Lee out of my head. I wasn’t stupid enough to deny I needed help, but Papan and Oren wouldn’t approve of what I had planned.

  There was only one other person left to a
sk, and he was just a dream away…

  Chapter Four

  “Well, why did you call me?”

  I spun around to find Gareth standing near the window inside a room I’d visited once before. The last time, I’d been on my back in the midst of a sex dream involving the constable. The same bed sat to my left with red satin sheets in disarray, and at least six pillows propped against the headboard. I couldn’t look for long before memories of my encounter with Gareth tumbled into my brain.

  “I didn’t call you,” I lied.

  “Yes, you did, so what do you want?”

  I turned my attention back to my friend. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans and nothing else. I swept my gaze up his naked torso, admiring the muscled expanse of his abdomen and chest, but somehow managing to avoid the crusty scab on his gut. The stab wound I’d given him when he’d been possessed hadn’t fully healed. His brown skin and dark curls glistened in the moonlight streaming in. When I finally met his eyes, the intensity behind his stare made me look away.

  “I pulled you into my dream, didn’t I?” I glanced down the length of my own body to find I was wearing Papan’s T-shirt, which reached just above my knees. It covered everything I didn’t want to flash at Gareth, but the fact I wasn’t wearing anything underneath made me squirm.

  “Yes, you did.” Gareth didn’t move, but crossed his arms over his bare chest. “I was dreaming somewhere else until you dragged me here.”

  “Where is here, by the way?”

  He shrugged. “I guess it’s our meeting place.” His eyes scanned the bed quickly, before returning to me. “I’m not sure which one of us conjured this room, though.”

  “This isn’t another sexy—”

  “No.”

  “Then why aren’t you wearing a shirt?”

  “I don’t know. This is your dream, so why don’t you tell me?” He pushed off the windowsill and I took an instinctive step back.

  “I’m going to pinch myself,” I said, lifting a hand. It was the only way I could think of to get out of this dream. Contacting him this way had been a mistake.