“Sierra”—she yanked on my arm—“I’m talking to you.”
I turned sharply and she pulled her hand away. “What happened to you? Did you slip into an episode of The Twilight Zone and come out a good Samaritan at the end of it?”
“What’s with the attitude?” she asked, scowling.
“Just shut up about this, okay? It’s not every day that someone hijacks my body and pushes me into a corner until I pass out. So please, save some of this newfound goodness for another time,” I snapped. She’d been pushing all the wrong buttons. I was irritable and still trying to get the lingering sickness out of my head. The last thing I needed was someone to step into the mother role mine had failed at so miserably.
Besides, my heart was already speeding up at the prospect of seeing Jonathan. I wanted to see him ASAP. He’d be able to make me feel better. I just knew it. Even if, at the back of my mind, all I could think about was Papan’s cheeky grin. And the fact I still couldn’t accept he’d actually slept with my assistant. Why would he do that? She was so much younger than he, so different to me…
Oh, what was the use? Why was I wasting time pondering any of this anyway?
Ebony opened her mouth to reply, but I’d already turned away and quickened my steps, pushing my unstable legs until I stood in front of Jonathan’s bookstore. The door beckoned me to enter so I wrapped my hand around the metal handle.
Ebony placed her hand over mine. “I’m sorry, okay? You scared the shit out of me last night. I thought I’d lost you…”
I met her eyes and found sincere concern. “I’m all right now. There’s no need for apologies. I’ll make it through this. We just need to keep working to figure out if what happened last night fits into the larger scheme of things.”
“Speaking of which, I need some explanations about some of the things that happened prior to the Roger incident.”
“I know, Ebony, but now isn’t the time. Let’s get inside so we can find out exactly what this amulet is,” I said, holding up the ball of napkins in my other hand. Luckily, it hadn’t affected the car’s wiring, but I was starting to wonder if it was actually affecting other things in my life.
She pushed her hand down against mine to shove the door open, and the little bell chimed above our heads.
My eyes met Jonathan’s right away. He pulled his glasses off, dumped them on the counter and rushed towards me. I had enough time to take two steps into the bookstore before he wrapped his arms around me.
I collapsed into his hard chest, tears stinging the backs of my eyes.
After everything that had happened, I realized just how much I cared about him. How much I was willing to start sacrificing certain parts of my life to keep him in it. I understood how Grandma must’ve felt when she was positive she’d found her soul mate in Grandpa, and why she abandoned the spook catching for love.
I took a few shallow breaths into my system, calming a notch. I couldn’t help thinking about Papan too. How did he fit into this picture? I was pretty sure I wanted Jonathan but couldn’t get Papan out of my head.
Instead of worrying about it, I rubbed my face against Jonathan’s soft shirt, drying the few tears running down my cheeks. I felt so hopeless.
“Are you all right, Sierra?” Jonathan asked, patting down my hair as he rested his chin on top of my head.
Warmth surged from his touch. “I’m not sure.”
He gently pushed me away from his chest to gaze into my eyes. “I was so worried about you after Ebony called and told me what happened.” Jonathan gave her a quick nod. “I don’t know all the details but I know you were hurt. What happened?”
“Something went wrong last night. Something unexpected that’s never happened to me before.”
His eyes glittered with concern.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” I was trying to assure him, but maybe it was me who needed to acknowledge that I’d made it out okay. Internal scars were always easier to conceal from others but harder to ignore.
Jonathan kissed the top of my head. “I’m just glad you’re here.”
I looked up into those gorgeous features and wanted to press my lips against his until our bodies blended into each other. Making wild, passionate love to Jonathan sounded ideal, until I remembered us lying naked on the desk engulfed by total darkness. Would I slip into the dark patch the next time we were intimate? Maybe I didn’t want to find out. I’d had enough of this dark bullshit.
Besides, a sinister and horrid something was trying to stumble into our world, and if spirits were being forced into oblivion by some sort of shadowy matter, and a powerful spook catcher could have her body invaded by the confused ghost of someone’s dead husband, then things were not going well.
I pulled my eyes away from his lips, trying to compose myself. “I’m glad too. And even though I wanted to see you so badly, there’s another reason why we’re here.”
He smiled down at me. “What’s that?”
I couldn’t help but smile back. “We need your help figuring something out.”
Jonathan raised his eyebrows in question.
I untangled my right hand from his embrace, still holding on to the wad of napkins. “We need your help trying to find out what this is.”
He looked amused. “It’s hard to tell because it’s scrunched up so much, but my guess would be either toilet paper or tissues, maybe even napkins.”
Ebony laughed.
I hit his arm playfully. “Very funny. It’s what’s inside that we need help with.”
“What is it?”
“Some sort of amulet.”
“Oh?”
I dropped it into his open hand. “I think it’s some sort of negatively charged amulet, with a jinx attached to it for good measure. But I’m only guessing.”
He stared at the ball of tissues, one of his hands still on my waist. “Where’d you get it?” Jonathan asked.
“Someone gave it to Ebony.”
He looked over at her. “You know, there’s something different about you today, Ebony.”
“Yeah, there is, so just drop it, okay? I can’t wait to get home and get into some of my own clothes!”
“What happened to yours?” he asked.
“It’s a long story.”
“We don’t have time for that right now. Can you help us with this thing?” I insisted.
“Of course.” Jonathan unwrapped the napkins very slowly, his features darkening as he exposed the amulet inside.
I could feel the malice spreading. The more he revealed of the ugly amulet, the worse I felt. Until it hit me so hard my vision began to curve at the edges.
No, not again!
“Whoa.” Jonathan caught me before I fell.
“I don’t feel so good…”
His dark eyes locked with mine as he held me close to his chest. Jonathan’s concern appeared to be accompanied by surprise. Was it because he hadn’t expected such dependency from me?
Either way, if he didn’t get the creepy amulet away from me, I was going to pass out. I clenched my eyelids together, trying to get myself under control. I sucked in a breath and snapped my eyes open. He was still looking down at me. The warmth radiating from his hands on my waist had turned into blazing, uncomfortable heat I couldn’t take right now.
“I’ll never let you go.” He smiled, though it looked more like a sneer. It transformed his face from the boyish good looks I liked so much to a grayish-skinned, gaunt creature with hollowed black eyes.
I blinked. What the hell was going on? Were my eyes playing tricks on me? When he moved his face closer to mine, his breath scorched my mouth and I squirmed to get loose. He must have thought I needed to be held tighter, and his fingers dug in, pulling me closer until I felt like I couldn’t breathe. He was stifling me.
Ebony faked a cough. “Excuse me? In case you two haven’t noticed, I’m still here.”
I breathed a sigh of relief when he loosened his hold and he once again looked like the man I knew. Still, I couldn�
��t shake what I’d just seen, or imagined. The ordeal at the Hocking house was affecting me more than I’d expected.
He took a step back, releasing me, but wrapping his fingers too tightly around my left hand. He led me towards the counter and I had no choice but to follow, looking around the vacant area. I wasn’t surprised to find the bookstore empty. It usually was.
“It’s dead in here,” Ebony said, echoing my thoughts.
“My store is usually quiet, but on Australia Day it’s even worse,” he replied. “It might pick up later.”
Of course, I’d forgotten it was a public holiday today. Besides, Jonathan once told me he was the only surviving person in his family and didn’t need this bookstore to survive financially.
Ebony snorted, but I could see the store’s appeal. There was so much history, so many imprints of the past still lingering. Energy imprints were stamped on almost every corner of the store. I could close my eyes, open them again, and hear the laughter and conversations of days gone by. Or catch glimpses of the multitude of people who used to frequent here, years before big corporations stole the largest chunk of commercial sales.
Most of the books lining the shelves weren’t available anywhere else. However, the inventory of weird and bizarre tomes wasn’t enough to entice many customers. I assumed Jonathan delved into his inheritance quite liberally to keep the place well-stocked, not just to support himself.
The good thing about stocking such rare volumes was that when he did make a sale, it could easily end up in the four-to-five-figure value.
“Come on, let’s get researching, guys,” Jonathan said with a smile as he tugged on my hand when I paused.
“What about all the customers that will stumble in soon?” Ebony asked with a smirk on her face.
“Come on, little comedian, we’ve got some work to do,” I urged. “That reminds me, you need to tell me more about the wonderful guy who gave you this disgusting amulet in the first place.”
“A guy gave you something with a jinx attached to it?” Jonathan asked, feigning surprise.
“We don’t know if it’s a jinx yet,” she said with a scowl.
“Where do you find these guys?” he teased.
“I don’t need to answer to you!”
“Actually, I’d like to know the answer to that question as well,” I added, rounding the corner and stepping around to the other side of the counter. This was Jonathan’s personal space, where he spent most of his day acquiring bizarre books or carrying out his own research.
The area behind the counter housed his computer equipment—a desktop, which also doubled for a register, a laptop on the other side, and a bunch of peripherals connected to the main computer. Under the counter were several rows of low bookshelves in which he kept his own personal books and files pertaining to the business. Every corner contained an uneven stack of books or bundles of papers. Most of the books were hardcover and ancient, except for a corner across the room full of unopened boxes.
“Okay, okay,” Ebony said, taking a seat on one of the chairs opposite me. “Gee, I’m really getting sick and tired of having to spill so much of my personal biz to you.”
I sighed, looking down at her. “Well, if you didn’t get yourself involved with strange churches and even stranger guys, you could keep every detail to yourself.”
“Ah, it’s good to have you back,” she said with a smile.
I returned the smile because she was right. I was so determined to get to the bottom of this amulet business that we seemed to be slipping back into our usual routine. I appreciated how concerned she’d been earlier. In spite of our squabbles, I truly care about her too. I feel responsible for Ebony. Maybe that was why my sudden unease felt so foreign and wrong. I was the adult with the common sense, not her. Not the girl who got involved with someone evil enough to give her an amulet with God knew what attached to it.
Certainly not the one who’d slept with Papan and kept it from me. When had they slept together? She hadn’t mentioned when, had she?
I shook my head and concentrated on our priorities. “Did you bother to ask him what it was?” I asked, dropping into one of the chairs across from her. Jonathan sat beside me.
She looked away. “It wasn’t exactly a time to start asking questions, if you know what I mean.”
“Are you telling me he gave you the amulet before or after the…you know?” I asked, fumbling. I couldn’t have a conversation about sex without feeling a hint of desire burn inside me. Not with Jonathan so close. Not with the muddle of confused thoughts about Papan still hounding me.
“Before,” Ebony answered, still avoiding eye contact.
“So you wore this, when he…”
She nodded.
“Ebony!”
“What’s sex got to do with anything?”
“Sex, my dear”—I paused to catch my breath—“is a terrific source of energy, the best way to steal some or instill yours into someone else.”
She met my eyes and said, “Hey, I used protection, all right? I’m not stupid.”
“I’m glad you used protection.” I knew firsthand how easy it was to let desire get so out of control it could become all-consuming, but with the amount of sexually transmitted diseases around nowadays, protection was essential. There were too many magically charged infections caught through unprotected sex. “But even then, sex is still intimate. It looks like he used the amulet to steal some of your energy. Anyway, where did you meet him?”
“He went to the church one night.”
“You mean he’s a regular?”
She shook her head and pushed back the blonde strand falling over her shoulder. “No, I mean he dropped in one night, and by the time he got there, we were filing out.”
“And he just happened to approach you?”
Ebony shrugged. “Hey, I’m not gonna turn down a nice-looking guy. Besides, he seemed genuinely disappointed to have missed out.”
“Yet he never went again?”
She shrugged a second time. The set of her shoulders made me realize that, for once, Ebony felt defeated. She might be trying to play it cool, but this was actually affecting her more than she wanted me to know.
“And you didn’t think it was a little bit strange?” I was on a roll with the interrogation but didn’t feel like we were getting anywhere.
“I’ll grab some texts,” Jonathan said, breaking the small interval of silence.
I nodded. “Ebony?”
“I don’t think straight when I’m with him,” she whispered.
“Does he have a name?”
“Travis. His name is Travis. Never bothered to ask for a surname. It’s not important when we spend most of our time in bed.”
“Okay, so why would someone you only sleep with offer you a token of any kind?”
“I’ve already told you, he said it was a lucky charm for a special girl.”
I looked at her and realized she’d actually accepted the gift, believing him. It was funny, but I never thought anyone could have such a strong effect on her. Her cynicism was something she kept with her at all times. At least I’d thought she did.
“You don’t have to look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you can’t believe I would fall for some guy’s crap. But I’ve already told you, I’m not myself when I’m around him. He has some sort of bewitching effect on me,” Ebony said.
“It sounds like he might be enchanting you somehow.”
I tore my gaze away from her and focused on Jonathan. He was standing with his back to us, but instead of grabbing any books, I was pretty sure he was staring at the amulet still inside the tissue paper.
“Go ahead, preach.”
I turned my attention back to her. “I’m not going to say anything, Ebony. You know what you’re doing most of the time. But unfortunately, if this guy’s using magic on you, there’s no way you can fight it. I think he gave you the amulet to affect your skills, which would explain why you haven’t
been able to cross over.”
She looked down at her hands. Without an ounce of makeup, Ebony looked her age. She looked naïve, like a young girl taken for a ride by her mysterious new boyfriend. It took her a few seconds, but she eventually looked up and a small smile spread along her lips. “Thanks.”
“Okay, this should do it.” Jonathan sat back down with a huge encyclopedia-sized volume in his arms. He dropped it onto the tabletop with a thump of dust. The amulet was nowhere in sight. “This is an index about amulets possessing negative power and demonic seals.”
Ebony sat forward. “Do you think my amulet’s in there?”
“I’m pretty sure it will be.” He pulled the amulet out of his pocket and carefully removed the wad of napkins before he threw the horrid thing on the table in front of me.
“Why did you put it in your pocket?” My stomach turned at the prospect.
He shrugged. “It was only for a few minutes.”
“Still…”
“Okay, let’s see.” Jonathan started flipping through the old pages.
I turned my attention to the actual object. It wasn’t a pretty thing—brown and flat, it looked like it was made out of clay, but I was sure it was actually dried and aged leather. The rounded edges were roughly cut. Three horizontal squiggle lines sat in the center with a vertical line carved into the middle. An eye on the top of the symbol topped off the creepy look. I couldn’t understand how Ebony ever believed this thing could be a lucky charm. A horseshoe, a clover, even a triangle I could believe, but this ugly thing could only contain a negative significance.
An odd heavy sensation pressed against me and I couldn’t tear my gaze from the etched eye.
My breath quickened as my lungs constricted. No, I didn’t want another body invasion.
“Sierra?” I forcibly tore my gaze from the amulet to stare into Ebony’s wide eyes. “Is there something wrong?”
I wanted to say, “There’s something going on with that amulet”, but nothing left my mouth. It took me several minutes but my breathing eventually returned to normal, and the heaviness weighing inside my lungs subsided. The worst seemed to have passed, and Jonathan hadn’t even noticed.
A Patch of Darkness Page 18
