I pulled up short when I saw Sami. She was in simple yoga pants and a T-shirt, her hair pulled back in a braid, which made me think she was either getting ready for bed or already in bed when she was overtaken. Her eyes were glazed and she stared into nothing as she shuffled toward a pentagram that had been drawn with something – it looked like blood – in the center of the floor.
Instinctively I knew that I wouldn’t reach Sami in time to stop her from going into the pentagram. I also knew – and I don’t know how – that if she crossed that line she would be in terrible danger. I reacted the only way I knew how … by screaming.
“Sami!”
She jolted awake, snapping her head around as her brown eyes widened. She had no idea where she was and the terror wafting off of her as consciousness reclaimed her was real. “Mommy?”
“Hold on,” I yelled, scrambling to her and grabbing her arm so I could push her behind me while avoiding the pentagram. “Whatever happens, don’t step on that thing.”
“What is it?” Sami asked, her lower lip trembling. “What am I doing here?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “You’re going to be okay, though. Just stay behind me.”
“Why? What’s coming through that door?”
“Something that’s going to regret ever messing with me,” I replied, turning my angry blue eyes to the door as the first shadow crossed the threshold.
It had form, although it barely looked corporeal. Paris once showed me a sketch of a wraith in one of her books and I was almost positive that’s what this was. In the end, it wouldn’t matter. I opened my mind to call Aric, momentarily basking in the relief he felt when he realized I’d found Sami, and then stiffening my shoulders when his palpable rage took over.
“Your dad is on the way,” I said, narrowing my eyes as more wraiths floated into the room. “If we get separated, he will be here soon. Whatever I tell you to do, though, you have to do it.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” Sami whimpered, grabbing the extra fabric on the hip of my track pants. “Please, don’t leave me, Mom.”
Her plea was too desperate to ignore. “I won’t leave you. Be prepared to run if I tell you to.”
Sami bit her lip and solemnly nodded as I glared at the wraiths.
“You guys should’ve listened to me in the woods,” I said. “You had a chance out there. You’re not getting a second one.”
The five figures hissed in unison, the sound unworldly and creepy. It was scary enough that Sami could do nothing but cry. I’d had enough of this.
“Who are you working for?”
No answer, although the wraiths advanced.
“One more step and I’ll rip you from the inside out,” I warned. “I promise it won’t be pleasant.”
Either they didn’t or couldn’t care. They floated forward again, and this time I completely yanked the vise off my magic. I swear I could feel the magic’s excitement – as if it was an entity of its own, which I think it technically is – and the power rushed out of me in a burst of bright light. The wraiths tried to take another step forward, but the overwhelming light I let out to play slammed into them hard – and then shredded them into pieces.
The ripping sound of their barely-there bodies being torn asunder was nothing compared to their shrieks. The magic boomed in a fiery explosion, causing the tattered rags they wore to fall to the floor as everything else turned to dust and blew away on the newly-created wind.
Aric picked that moment to fly through the front door, his fingers elongated into claws as he prepared himself for a fight. He stopped short when he realized I’d already eradicated the enemy – and I swear he looked a little disappointed he didn’t get to kill something.
“You couldn’t wait for me?” Aric asked, flustered.
“You didn’t get here fast enough,” I said, shifting my eyes to Sami. “Are you okay?”
Instead of the crying mess I expected, Sami’s eyes were bright. “That was awesome!”
“Huh. I’m finally cool in my daughter’s eyes,” I mused. “All it took was turning five monsters inside out. Good to know.”
“Great,” Aric said, grabbing the back of my neck and kissing my forehead. “We’ll talk about it when we get home. I’ll bow down to your greatness then. We can’t be certain there’s nothing in the woods, though.”
He was right. “You carry Sami,” I instructed. “Stay right behind me.”
“An insecure man might feel feminized by the gender role switch,” Aric said. “I, however, am oddly turned on.”
“You’ve always been a marvel of nature.”
“And don’t you forget it,” Aric said, pulling Sami in for a hug before sweeping her up in his strong arms. “What is this place?”
“Later,” I said. “Let’s get home. We’ll worry about the rest of it when we’re sure everyone is safe.”
Thirteen
We made the trip back to the house without incident. James and Helen waited in the backyard as we approached. James opened his arms to take Sami, but Aric refused and didn’t release her until we were inside. I engaged the security system while Helen fawned over Sami.
“Oh, my poor baby,” she gushed. “Were you frightened?”
“At first,” Sami admitted. “Then Mom was a complete badass and like totally ripped those things apart. I mean … it was like she was shredding toilet paper. She did that one time when Dad didn’t put the roll on the thing in the bathroom and she was ticked.”
“That’s sounds … delightful,” Helen said, pushing Sami’s flyaway hair from her face. “I don’t think you’re supposed to swear, though.”
“She can say ‘badass,’” Aric countered. “We only consider it a swear word if it earns an R rating in a movie and even then it’s negotiable because Zoe swears like a sweaty sailor when someone she likes on a television show dies.”
“Hey, if they didn’t want me to swear they wouldn’t kill off the best characters,” I said.
Paris smiled as she joined us, relief evident as she offered Sami a hug. “So did she take off or was she taken?”
“Taken,” I replied. “She was in one of those trances again when I got to that house. Did you know that was out there, by the way?”
Aric nodded his head. “That’s been there since we moved here, although no one has ever lived there. I don’t even know who owns the property.”
“We can find out tomorrow,” James said. “Why didn’t you leave one of the kidnappers alive so we could question him?”
“Because they weren’t technically kidnappers,” I replied, irritated he would dare call my rescuing technique into question. “They were … something else.” I cast a quick glance at Sami. The last thing I wanted to do was frighten her.
James obviously missed my furtive look. “What were they?”
“Black ghosts,” Sami replied.
“They were not,” I said.
“That wasn’t racist,” Sami said. “They were black.”
“I get that they were black,” I said. I had no idea where she came up with the “racist” thing. “I mean they weren’t ghosts.”
“They looked like ghosts,” Sami said. “They didn’t have legs and they floated. They kind of hissed, too.”
“That sounds like a wraith,” Paris said.
“What’s a wraith?” James asked, confused.
“They’re soulless witches,” Paris explained. “A wraith develops when a witch dies a violent death and the soul refuses to move on because it’s anchored to this plane of existence by something, usually an object.”
“Kind of like the object you guys were looking for when you searched Sami’s room?” Aric asked.
Oh, great. Why did he have to bring that up? “I think it’s different,” I interjected. “The way Paris explained it to me is that witches tie their souls to magical objects as a form of protection. When they’re killed, they have no choice but to float around being … jackoffs.”
“She was going to say a bad word,” S
ami said sagely.
“Listen, mouth, if I want to say a bad word I’ll say it,” I said, poking her cheek. She seemed to be in good spirits, but she was pale. “How about we make you some hot chocolate, huh?”
Sami nodded and followed me toward the kitchen, Aric serving as her personal watchdog as he followed. Speaking of dogs, our newest family member picked that moment to come barreling into the room, and Sami was delighted to see him. She sat on the floor, pulling him to her lap and giggling as he licked her face. There was something charming about their interaction.
“What are you thinking?” Aric asked.
“That you haven’t licked my face like that in years.”
“Ha, ha.” Aric poked my side. “What are you really thinking?”
“That she had no idea where she was or what she was doing,” I replied, keeping my voice low as I flipped the switch on the Keurig and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. “We have to find a way to block whatever is happening.”
“Well, for starters, the security system is going to be on twenty-four hours a day,” Aric said. “If someone takes the dog out they don’t do it alone, and we activate the system even when that’s going on. We’re not making that mistake again.”
I nodded.
“Perhaps she should sleep in our room with us,” Helen suggested, joining us. “We know she would be safe that way.”
“No way,” Sami said, making a face. She had her father’s ears. She could hear whispers from miles away. No joke. “I’m not sleeping with Grandma and Grandpa.”
“You don’t have to sleep with Grandma and Grandpa,” I said. “You need to leave your door open, though. We’re also not telling you the new code in case you can somehow punch it in while you’re sleeping.”
“It’s probably just your wedding anniversary,” Sami said. “The last one was your birthday.”
I glanced at Aric, amused he’d been outsmarted by a twelve-year-old.
“I’ll change it right now,” Aric said. “It’ll be something you can’t figure out. I already know what it’s going to be.”
“Two, three, zero, four?” Sami asked.
Aric swiveled. “How the heck did you know that?”
“Michael Jordan is your favorite basketball player of all time and Brett Favre is your favorite quarterback,” Sami replied, not missing a beat.
“You’re the one who wanted to teach her to talk,” I said, fighting the urge to grin when Aric shot me an incredulous look. “I thought she would be more fun if she just pointed and grunted for the rest of her life.”
“Nice,” Sami said, rolling her eyes.
“Fine,” Aric said. “I’m going to let your mother pick the code. You won’t be able to figure that out.”
“She’s going to pick one, four, one, nine because those are the jersey numbers of her favorite Red Wings,” Sami supplied.
I licked my lips as I worked to tamp down my irritation. I wanted to prove her wrong, but those were the numbers I was going to pick.
“I’ll pick the numbers,” Paris offered. “Aric can show me how to do it.”
“How does that sound, smart mouth?” Aric asked.
Sami shrugged. “I’m fine with that. Can I have my hot chocolate?”
“It’s almost ready,” I replied.
“Can the puppy sleep with me tonight?”
I nodded.
Sami flashed an impish smile. “Are you going to give me whatever I want because you’re worried I’m going to be upset about what happened tonight?”
I didn’t bother lying. “Yup.”
“Can I be ungrounded?”
“Nope,” Aric answered. “You’re still in trouble for your attitude.”
I ran my tongue over my teeth as I regarded him. I was never going to hear the end of this, but … . “You can be ungrounded,” I said, earning a groan from Aric. “It’s not going to do you any good because you can’t go anywhere, though.”
Sami didn’t seem to care. She was just happy to be out of the doghouse. “Can I have that candy bar you stole from Dad’s shopping bag the other day before I go to bed, too?”
“I knew it!” Aric extended a finger. “You’re busted.”
“I’ll split it with you,” I said, wrinkling my nose as I skirted Aric’s hand as he reached for me.
“That seems only fair,” Sami said.
“HOW IS she?”
Aric looked up as I entered the bedroom an hour later. He had a book open on his lap and a serious expression on his face as he rested against the pillows.
“She’s jacked up on sugar and I said she could read under the covers for an hour until she was tired,” I replied. “Other than that, she seems none the worse for wear. She’s either putting on a massively good show or … .”
“I think you proved tonight that you were a badass, and that made her feel safe,” Aric said. “I know you made me proud.”
His earnest expression cradled my heart. I crawled on the bed with him and rolled so my head was on his chest. He shifted the book so I could get comfortable and wrapped his arm around my back as he pressed his lips to my forehead.
“I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary,” I said finally. “I didn’t think about what I was doing. I just did it.”
“You were still amazing,” Aric said. “If I’d been the one to come across those wraiths I’m not sure if I could’ve stopped them.”
“I’m sure you would’ve figured something out. It’s not as if I’m a genius.”
“Stop putting yourself down, Zoe,” Aric instructed. “You kicked ass and saved our kid tonight. You did it all by yourself. How did you even find her?”
“I felt something shadowing me in the woods,” I replied. “I couldn’t see anything, although I swear there were these phantom black fringe things in my peripheral vision a few times. I couldn’t really sense them, but I could feel them in my bones.
“I warned them,” I continued. “They didn’t seem to care and they made this odd murmuring. I think it’s what I heard when I went into Sami’s head, but it was slightly different. Anyway, I had a feeling one was behind a tree, so I torched it.
“I knew I was outnumbered and couldn’t torch a bunch of trees, so I ran in the direction I was heading before I set the thing on fire,” I explained. “I figured the rest were getting close to me because I was on the right track. Once I saw the house, I noticed something moving inside. That’s when I found Sami.”
“And she didn’t respond to you?”
“No. She was walking toward that pentagram on the floor and I just screamed her name. She snapped out of it. She was confused, but … she held it together.”
I could feel Aric’s lips curl into a grin against my forehead. “She gets that from you.”
“I think she gets that from both of us.”
“I think I would’ve been prone to panicking in that situation,” Aric countered. “It doesn’t matter now. She’s home, and we have time to figure this out.”
“Speaking of that, what are you looking at?” I gestured toward the book.
“It’s an old pack book. I was hoping to find something about wraiths in here, but I can’t find anything.” Aric set the book on the nightstand and cuddled me closer. “I’d rather focus on you right now.”
“Oh, you like it when I’m bossy, huh?” I was teasing, but Aric’s expression was serious when I locked gazes with him. “What’s wrong?”
“You saved our family tonight, Zoe. I love you.”
Leave it to him to be serious at a time when I was emotionally fried. “I love you, too.” Tears filled my eyes, frustrating me. The last thing I wanted to do was cry. “Don’t make a big deal about it.”
“Oh, I’m making a big deal about it,” Aric said, pressing his face to the hollow of my neck as he rolled on top of me and making loud smacking noises as he kissed me. “I’m going to reward you warmly.”
I giggled as I tried to shove against him. His body was all muscle, though, and even though I had the power
to move him with my magic we both knew I never would. “You need to be quiet,” I hissed. “We have a house full of people.”
“I don’t care.”
“Sami is still up.”
“She has her puppy and is perfectly happy,” Aric said, licking my face.
“Gross! Why did you do that?”
“You complained in the kitchen I don’t do that anymore,” Aric said, pulling his head back. “I think you were insinuating I’m a dog.”
“You’re a pain is what you are,” I said, gasping as Aric tickled my ribs. “Knock it off!”
“No way, Trouble,” Aric said. “You bossed me around earlier and now I’m going to boss you around.”
He didn’t get a chance to do whatever he was planning because someone made a noise in the hallway. We jerked our heads in the direction of the partially ajar door to find Sami standing with her arms locked around the puppy.
“What’s wrong?” Aric asked, instantly alert. “Did something happen?”
“I just … .” Sami looked conflicted. It didn’t take a mind reader to know what she was thinking.
“Are you afraid to go to sleep?” I asked, exhaling heavily when Aric shifted his weight off me and got comfortable at my side.
“Is that it?” Aric asked.
Sami bit her lip and nodded.
“Do you want to sleep in here with us?” Aric asked. I could tell it was the last thing he wanted, but Sami’s needs outweighed his desire for a good time.
Sami broke into a broad grin and scurried toward the bed. Aric moved to make room on his side – she generally preferred to sleep next to him on those rare occasions when she crawled into bed with us – but she climbed in next to me instead.
“Can Trouble sleep with us, too?”
Aric lifted an eyebrow as he snuggled up behind to me and petted the dog’s head. “Trouble?”
“I like that name,” Sami said. “You guys don’t like Cuddles, so I thought I could name him Trouble.”
“But why?”
“Because that’s what you call Mom,” Sami answered, not missing a beat. “Mom saved me and was a total badass. The puppy is a boy, so I can’t name him Zoe. I thought Trouble might be fun.”
Dying Covenant: The Complete Series Page 12
