A Patch of Darkness

by Yolanda Sfetsos

He peered up at Oren for some sign of forgiveness but there was none there. “Yes, it was him. He wanted you gone and we couldn’t pass up the lure of your power.”

  I took a deep breath and said, “What about Jonathan? How does he fit into all of this?”

  Troy screamed and slithered away from my feet.

  “Oren, wait!”

  Before I had a chance to say another word, Oren lifted his hands in front of him and shot Troy with a fireball that had magically appeared above his left palm. The spark hit Troy in the chest, igniting his shirt as it raced over the rest of his clothes before engulfing his body in a blazing fire.

  Flames licked away his skin as he screamed for what felt like agonizing hours. His screeching stopped abruptly and he vanished. The only evidence he left behind was a black mark on the floor.

  “You are sentenced to burn at the stake,” Oren whispered.

  “Do you usually say that after the deed is done?” The smell of burned flesh hung thick in the air, making my insides queasy. If my stomach wasn’t completely empty, I probably would’ve emptied it right about now.

  “I don’t usually have to do this myself. The Alliance takes care of witches and their scheduled burnings. Some have to wait years until it’s their turn. Troy has been on the wanted list for a long time. He had a knack for creating foolproof jinx amulets and medallions. The reason he survived this long is because of his ability to suck the energy out of others,” Oren answered with a lift of one narrow shoulder.

  “You could’ve waited another second. I wanted to hear his answer.” I’d gotten so caught up in the Council’s involvement that interrogating him at the last second about Jonathan had been a mistake. Now I still had no idea if Troy’s involvement with my boyfriend was truly just about books, or if it had involved more. Don’t be an idiot, you already know the answer. Travis answered enough. “Did you know he was in Sydney all along?”

  “I suspected he was.”

  I strolled away from Oren and stepped into the living room. It felt so empty without my grandfather. I dropped onto the couch in a tired heap.

  Oren followed close behind, scrutinizing me from the doorway.

  “You’re just full of secrets, aren’t you?” I hung my head in my hands. I was exhausted and the scorch marks on my skin were starting to hurt.

  “Is everything okay, Sierra?” Oren kneeled before me, a hand resting on my arm.

  I sat up with a start and his hand slipped away. “My grandfather’s gone.”

  His cool blue eyes looked into mine and a little sadness shimmered at the comment, but they cleared instantly.

  “I know, but he’s not completely gone. He’s trapped somewhere, probably in the same place Pepita is.”

  “You know where she is?”

  Oren shook his head. “Not exactly, but I have an idea who might.”

  “Who?”

  “Mace Clamber.”

  Of course, Troy had admitted Mace was behind most—if not all—of this. The suave asshole whose name was attached to a part of my history I despised. He used me as much as he used everyone else who was unlucky enough to cross paths with him. I had come so close to totally selling out to the Council because of his persuasive manner.

  I was just a kid then, eighteen and not sure of where to go, or what to do. Grandma’s visits had completely ceased by then and I knew there was still so much to learn. He’d appeared out of nowhere one day, had seemed reliable enough to trust with my talent.

  Mace introduced me to the profitable world of spook catching. It was because of him that three years after leaving them I decided to take the brazen risk of starting my own business—one that wound up rivaling the already established Council.

  He’d hinted at but never confirmed my strength, just dropped little hints about others still needing to use certain tools to complete a successful “catching”. When all I needed was my natural ability.

  I released a breath. “Mace is a dirty son a bitch with reason to want me dead,” I said to Oren, who was still a little too close for comfort. “I undid his perfect little plans to succeed with the Council when I left.”

  “It’s because of your power. It’s like a beacon to anyone with enough sense to feel the rawness of it. Your essence is rich. The taste I had at the cemetery was enough to enhance my own skills for weeks.” He paused, catching my eye again. “I believe you’re so powerful because my witch gene combined with your grandmother’s.”

  I shook my head and broke eye contact. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.”

  “When will you prefer to talk about it? After someone else tries to kill you and actually succeeds? You have to come to terms with this. It’s who you are! You need to do everything it takes to keep it inside you. If someone else were to successfully kill you and take this power with them, it could prove fatal to the existence of everything around us. In the wrong hands, such raw energy is too dangerous to even contemplate risking,” Oren said a little too firmly.

  “I’ll fight for my power, but no one needs to know about my connection to you.”

  “Sierra, it may be too late. I believe enough people already know that you’re not only from a spook catcher line but also from a witch hunter.” His cold hand lifted my chin. “You have to listen to me. Haven’t you been through enough already?”

  “What do you want me to do about it, huh? What exactly do we need to discuss?”

  Oren dropped his hand and stepped back, sitting on the armchair across from me. He looked down at the carpet, his boot moving back and forth against it. “When I tasted your essence, it confirmed any doubt there might have been about you being my biological heir. I just want to know how you feel about it.”

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. A fight wasn’t the answer. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I kinda liked him. I hated him for everything he’d done to my grandparents, but Oren had a certain charismatic quality that made it hard to hate him.

  Besides, he’d just saved my life. The thought of having him in my corner when there could be more Travis/Troy-wannabes in my future actually consoled me.

  “Look, Oren, I’m overwhelmed at the moment. Finding out about you has just been another shock to add to the growing list. I know you’ve got a bunch of secrets I probably don’t want to know about, but I need you to share as much as you can that relates directly to me, okay?”

  He nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

  “And having a witch in the family certainly will help get my hands on some sort of protection spell. You’re right about that much. I’ve been oblivious to a lot about myself lately. I just can’t wrap my mind around the importance all of these power suckers are placing on me. I probably never will. In my mind, I’ll always be boring Sierra, the odd one out. A little spell here and there would be greatly appreciated.” I offered him a smile.

  Oren flashed his own. “I’m sure we can arrange something, but with your power, I think if I teach you, you’ll be able to perform many of the spells yourself. It would make me, your grandmother and grandfather, very happy to know you’re willing to protect yourself.”

  “I think you and I need to go back to the cemetery.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Why exactly?”

  “Because I just realized the first time you wanted to meet there wasn’t just to show me the ley line leak. You know there’s a way to close it, don’t you?”

  ”Well, I knew there was a way to close it from the beginning. It wasn’t until what happened at the Hocking house that I realized how it could be done.”

  “It’s got something to do with me, right?”

  Oren nodded and I knew what we had to do.

  It was too bad it had taken so many days for everything to sink in.

  Sometimes, I made it harder for myself than it had to be. A lot of the answers were right in front of me, I just hadn’t acknowledged them yet.

  The last thing I expected to find at the cemetery was company, but that’s exactly what we got. As I closed in
on the now-familiar headstone, I was greeted with a hard knock to the side of the head, which sent me sprawling to the dirt.

  All the cuts, burns and hits I’d been getting lately were really starting to get to me. My body couldn’t take much more of this. I wasn’t some stuntwoman built for falls, and my right hand protested when I tried to lift myself.

  I hadn’t seen what they’d done to Oren, but he was flat on his back beside me, looking up at the night sky with a pained expression. We should’ve set up a protection spell right away. Instead, we’d figured we’d be fine tonight and could start anew after taking care of this. It was too late for regrets now.

  “It would’ve been so much easier if you’d just agreed to have lunch with me, don’t you think, Sierra?”

  A nervous panic surged through my body at the sound of that voice. Speak of the devil and he’ll appear. What were the odds?

  I managed to push myself up onto my knees, ignoring the pain shooting through my arm. I sucked in a shallow breath and made it to standing by accepting Oren’s offered hand. A flash of energy raced between us, tiny sparks tingling along my arms. But I didn’t care. Right now it was comforting to have any sort of connection with someone.

  “Wish I could say the same.” I finally found my voice, a little shakier than I would’ve liked, though. The burger Oren insisted I eat on the way over was sitting at the bottom of my stomach like lead weighing me down. “Stop pointing that damn thing in my face. I don’t need a flashlight to see you.”

  “Oh, of course not, I forgot.” Mace laughed, leaving us in the bleak light of the full moon when he shut off his flashlight. “It’s been too long. I’ve missed your adorable quirks.”

  I blinked several times, trying to shake the bright spots in my vision.

  Mace stood next to the tall tombstone above the ley line with someone, but I couldn’t recognize who at the moment. The damn light in my face had temporarily affected my perfectly fine night vision. Whoever his companion was, they’d most likely knocked me to the ground.

  Mace rarely got his hands dirty.

  “What’re you doing here?” I asked, pulling my hand out of Oren’s.

  “I could ask you the same thing.” Mace eyed Oren with suspicion and a little…was that jealousy? “Didn’t think you were into sugar daddies. Is that why things didn’t work out between us?”

  I looked at him and saw red. The hate almost blinded me more than the light had. Mace stood relaxed with his air of superiority in check, like some grand businessman dressed in a suit and tie. He might seem immaculate to the naked eye, but deep down inside he was one of the most ruthless and demented power-hungry men I’d ever had the displeasure of meeting. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to get what he wanted.

  “Don’t you know who this is?” If he’d gone to the trouble of hiring a dual-personality freak, surely he knew all of my secrets—including Oren’s connection to me.

  “Of course I know who he is. I just didn’t think you liked to dance with senior citizens.” He snickered. “Look, I’d love to spend all night chatting about the new man in your life, but I’d prefer to give you one more chance to make it out of this alive. You know, for old-time’s sake. Pardon the pun.” His wink was as insincere as he was.

  So he doesn’t know. At least not yet. “What’re you talking about?” I felt Oren’s heavy stare on me but he kept quiet.

  “I’ve got a proposition for you.”

  “I’m not interested, Mace.”

  He took a step forward and the person beside him mimicked the move. “Oh, I think you’ll be interested in hearing me out this time.”

  I crossed my arms over my stomach, cradling my sore arm. “Why?”

  “Not only is your life and that of this old man at stake, but so is the very existence of your beloved grandparents.” Mace paused, for effect no doubt. His eyes glinted with evil intent. “I guess you should’ve kept your mouth shut about your grandmother during our pillow talk. If you hadn’t mentioned her, I never would’ve bothered to research her past and learn a way to use her to my advantage.”

  I stepped closer, but Oren caught my right arm. I winced.

  The person standing with Mace pushed the hood back. Jackie Thompson had an evil smile plastered on her lips while she pointed a gun at my face in a two-handed grip.

  “Jackie, what’re you doing with this loser?”

  She laughed, turning to look at Mace with nothing but adoration on her face. She was under his spell. No one could withstand his advances. “As if I’d turn down the chance to stand beside this hunk of a man and get rid of the only pest left in his life.”

  “If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be rotting in that house!”

  “If it wasn’t for you, I never would’ve gone anywhere near that fucking house,” Jackie yelled. The gun shook dangerously in her grip. “You ruined my life. Allowing me to see what you were capable of doing wrecked everything. After you stopped the ghost in its tracks, I couldn’t sleep for years, couldn’t even keep a relationship. Not until Mace. He’s helping me hone my skills as a catcher.”

  It was my turn to laugh and the sound echoed around us, bitter and twisted. “What catcher skills are you talking about? The only thing he’s helping you hone is your ability to shut your mouth and do whatever he wants you to do on command. He’s toying with you, Jackie, can’t you see that? The only thing you two have in common is your hate for me.”

  Mace touched Jackie’s shoulder gently and she shook. Her white-knuckled grip on the gun loosened. “Don’t listen to her. She’s so full of herself she’s convinced the world doesn’t revolve unless it’s around her. Let me give her one last chance to redeem herself before we go home.”

  I didn’t want to be scared, not of Jackie, but someone as volatile as she, and with the history we shared, shouldn’t have access to a gun. If she pulled the trigger, no amount of power inside would keep me alive.

  “Just spill it,” I snapped.

  Mace’s eyes sparkled when he looked at me. I hated his sensuous stare. How many times had I gone weak at the knees when he’d looked at me like that?

  “I’d like you to join our team again, become a member of the Council,” he said.

  I snickered. “Haven’t we been through this a hundred times already? You sent a crazy witch and his brother to kill me, and you expect me to forget about it, to pretend it didn’t happen? I’ll never join you.”

  “Don’t hold that against me—it was just business. I knew they were no match for you. Just think of it as a little fun at your expense. You know I won’t give up on you. If I can’t have you at my disposal, I’ll keep trying to kill you. At least I can harness your power that way.” Mace grinned. “So, what do you say—will you join the team willingly? Or do I have to hand you over to the Council dead?”

  “My answer isn’t going to change because of your threats, Mace,” I said, cradling my aching right arm.

  “Oh, come on, for old-time’s sake?”

  “No, especially because of that.”

  His sensual antics, smiles and winks all disappeared. Only his anger remained. “You’ll die regretting your choice. Are you sure that’s your final answer?”

  I nodded.

  The gun in Jackie’s hand went off.

  Oren jumped in front of me and collapsed to the ground in a heap. He’d taken the bullet. I wanted to drop to my knees to make sure he was still alive but I knew that if I did, I wouldn’t get up again.

  My eyes were transfixed on the barrel of Jackie’s gun, which she continued to point at me.

  Tears streamed down her crazed face, and at that moment I realized something inside her was broken, probably had been for a long time. Trust Mace to use her vulnerability to his advantage. He was a coldblooded bastard.

  Mace raised his hand and struck Jackie on the back of the head with his flashlight. She fell at his feet. She’d probably never expected the betrayal.

  He turned to face me.

  Two unconscious bodies lay between
us, but we were alone. This was what he’d planned. The ringing in my ears wore off quicker than it had inside the building when Vixen had shot at Papan.

  Papan.

  I shouldn’t be thinking about him now. I hadn’t realized how much I wanted him in my life until he wasn’t there. Where was he? I was worried sick.

  “We’re finally alone, just the way I’ve always preferred it,” Mace said with a smile. How could someone with movie-star good looks be so rotten to the core? “Please tell me your answer was just a way to throw a curve ball at me—you’re just playing hard to get. I remember how well you used to play that game with me. It took me awhile but I eventually broke down your defenses back then.” Mace stepped over Jackie. “Don’t you remember how wonderful it felt to give yourself to me? I was the one who took your innocence, Sierra. We have a bond. No matter how much you’d like to ignore it, we’ll be bonded for life.”

  The hypnotizing ability he possessed washed over me. This was the reason he was the head of scouting for the Spook Catcher Council. He was the perfect weapon to lure in talent that consisted of young females. We were all easy prey to him.

  Mace could romance a girl off her feet and onto her back in a matter of hours. He was the best man for the job and performed it well, very convincing all the way through. But I wasn’t a kid anymore and my heart belonged to someone else. Though at the moment, I couldn’t say who for sure.

  “Get away from me,” I whispered.

  “Sierra, this job offers free accommodation in the city, a driver, all the equipment you’ll ever need, clothes, credit cards—everything a girl’s heart desires. Not to mention, me. I’m one of the perks,” he said proudly.

  “You’re just a scout who uses disgraceful tactics to recruit catchers. How do you find the time to spread yourself around?” I tried to engage him in the only topic of conversation capable of diverting him from my intentions—him. He loved to talk about himself.

  Mace grinned and his eyes sparkled. “It’s not as hard as it sounds. I’ve got a lot of love to give, but if you accept this offer, I promise to be exclusively yours.”