by Patti Larsen
His voice felt like melted caramel over my mind and my demon rolled over and purred. Traitor.
I like a good joke.
She means well, you know. Was I defending her from him or from my own thoughts? I looked away from him, no longer able to stand his gaze. Not because I was angry. I struggled to keep it, actually. But because my demon fought very hard to leap on him and do things to him a girl with a boyfriend simply doesn’t do. At least not with anyone who wasn’t said boyfriend.
And Quaid was definitely not boyfriend material.
I didn’t say she doesn’t. His touch was soft, gentle even. Weird.
She likes you. Why did I say that? Damn. And it came out all wrong, too. Stupid demon.
I know. His mind drifted from mine but just before he left me I felt a hint of disappointment. What was that about?
I didn’t get a chance to find out. Pain spun on us, her preparations complete. I hadn’t even noticed her place the black candles or light them for that matter. “One last thing.” She gestured to Blood who sighed but stood up and turned out the light before going to the windows, pulling the heavy black curtains over the already darkened sky until the entire attic went black. He reappeared in the light of the candles and sat cross-legged between Beth and Simon, across from me. His eyes never left Pain.
She sat as well, hands folded in her lap. “Close your eyes.”
I suppressed a sigh and did. This was so dumb. Still, hadn’t I just said to Quaid she meant well? I set aside my discomfort and tried to stop judging.
“Breathe deeply.”
Whatever. I took this crap from my mother when I was training.
“Now, open your eyes and focus on the candle closest to you.”
I did. The stupid thing flickered at me. Reminded me of my lessons. Made me annoyed then frustrated then annoyed again.
“Join hands.”
Damn. I knew she was getting to this part. I took Alison’s without a thought but hesitated at Quaid’s. He smirked at me, his held out, waiting.
We shouldn’t touch, I sent to him. What if something happens?
I think I can control myself.
He. Did. Not. I grabbed his hand and stuffed my eager demon into a box behind the thickest walls I could raise and listened to her whine about it.
It didn’t help I loved how his hand felt in mine.
“Excellent,” Pain said, voice dropping deeper. “Now, under no circumstances do you let go, understood? We are safe as long as our hands are connected.”
That much at least was true. I relaxed at bit. Quaid was right, in a way. If something did happen, between the two of us we would have no problem taking care of it. Hopefully without fireworks and the need to move towns suddenly in the middle of the night.
Pain started to hum, a low, monotone note. She nodded to us. Really? I winced. I had a terrible singing voice. Even my mother never asked me to sing, and she loved me. I did my best, barely audible, hearing my voice waver and crackle.
So embarrassing.
Fortunately everyone else was loud enough I don’t think they heard me. Alison was a soft soprano to my left, hers crisp and clear while Quaid’s was the rumble of a bass line.
Damn it, was there anything he wasn’t good at? Oh yeah. Being a pleasant human being.
Not that I was winning in the niceness department myself, mind you.
After about a minute or so of humming, Pain started to sway back and forth, her eyes closing. We all stared at her, some with more awe than others.
“Troublesome spirit,” she said, “come to us.”
Beth and Simon did their own tentative little sways but when they saw the rest of us hadn’t moved they quit it.
Pain was getting herself wound up. “Evil one, you have brought your taint to our town. We deny you, spirit. Face us and be banished forever.”
Nothing happened but my hands were sweating and I wanted nothing more than to pull them back and wipe them on my jeans. At least there was no power output. Nothing. Whoever walled Pain up did a damned good job.
“Spirit!” Her voice was louder now. “I demand you face us! I insist you appear! Now!”
It couldn’t be. I was so shocked when I felt the spark from her worm its way free and reach out at first I didn’t do anything about it. And, to my credit, neither did Quaid. My eyes found his, as wide as mine, and we turned as one on her, our power smothering hers as we both cried out, “No!”
It was overkill and I knew it. So did Quaid. And yet… I could feel him, but there was still something standing between us, a wall of some kind, keeping our power from merging. And while we managed to block most of Pain’s magic, with the crack between us, a small portion of it escaped our control.
Pain changed. I felt the shift the instant it happened. One moment she was herself and the next the creature crouched in her place.
My demon went on the instant defensive. I almost pulled my hands free when Quaid clamped down and wouldn’t let me go.
We have to keep them safe.
Right. My friends. Damn!
“Who dares summon me?”
I would never get used to the thing’s voice. I heard someone gasp but was too focused on Pain to care.
“Who are you?” I knew it was the same creature. It had to be.
“I am the master of darkness,” it hissed through Pain’s black painted lips. “I am the bane of all life. I am your death, little witch.”
My demon howled inside me.
“You have to go, now.” I reached for Quaid again but was frustrated but the barrier. What the hell was that? Just when I needed him I couldn’t connect. Talk about bad timing.
I was reaching for my mother when Quaid spoke.
“Some master you make,” he said in his most insulting tone. “Taking over weak minded girls is the best you can do?”
What was he thinking? Was he crazy?
The thing snarled at him. “The dark warlock. I know your blood but it is not the blood you think.” Its laughter made me sick to my stomach. And what was that supposed to mean?
Even Quaid looked startled.
“Your end is near,” it said as Pain’s body writhed from contact with it. “I feed and grow strong. And you two will be my passage to true life.”
It wasn’t just in Pain anymore. I could feel it, the physical form of it.
It was outside the house.
That was it. No more playing around. I slammed my full power into Pain, driving the thing out of her while Quaid backed me up. That much energy expelled, I knew my mother would feel it and understand what it meant. I hoped, that was. In the meantime, Quaid and I struggled to kick the thing out and, finally, with a snap of its consciousness, it was gone.
I felt its physical form hover outside Pain’s house for a moment before it fled before our combined minds into the darkness. My mother’s magic whipped across mine and gave chase, but not before erecting a massive wall of fury in our way to keep us from following her.
Guess I was in trouble.
I came back to myself to a bad scene. Pain lay sideways, supported by Simon. She was moaning. Beth wept and even Alison looked shaken. Blood pulled his hands free and went to his girlfriend, cradling her against his chest.
I didn’t know what to say. Or do. They may not have experienced what Quaid and I did but they knew something happened and it was very real.
Until he started to clap. Slow and loud. I glared at him until I realized what he was doing.
“Oh, bravo, Pain,” he said as she pulled herself upright. “That was fantastic.”
She was so stunned she didn’t answer. But Beth latched onto the lie so fast I knew Quaid did the right thing.
“It was an act?” She gulped through her tears, swiping at them with her hands, her hysteria turning to giggles, though the laughter stuttered out of her at first. “Wow. You freaked me out.”
“Tell me about it,” Simon also laughed, pushing his glasses back on his nose, his own eyes shining with moisture and fadin
g fear. “I almost peed.”
Alison didn’t say anything at all and I wondered if she was thinking about Suzanne.
“Well,” Quaid blew out his candle and stood up. “Thank you for the entertainment. But I have to go.”
Pain looked up and him and smiled. It was like her brain rebooted. She looked like a little kid, all happy and disappointed at the same time. “So soon?”
Could it be? How was it she didn’t remember a thing? A quick scan of her mind proved it. She may have been able to work her way past the blocks in her mind but there must have been a failsafe keeping her from recalling it when she did.
I definitely had to tell my mother.
Just thinking about Mom made me flinch. I was really in a whole lot of trouble.
I chased Quaid down the stairs and to the driveway, tugging at his sleeve as he settled into his seat. “She practically told us to stay out of it.”
“I didn’t feel that.” He was such a liar. His eyes met mine. “When are you going to stop letting your mother dictate what you do?”
He really was an ass. “Like you don’t do what she tells you,” I said.
“True,” he nodded, sliding on his helmet. “But like I said, she didn’t tell me not to go after that thing. Must have been just you.”
He started the bike, eyes never leaving mine. “You coming?”
As if. I let Quaid go, watching as he sped away, knowing Mom would deal with him, but wishing I could do something to keep him from going after the creature. I wanted to stop him, but forcing Quaid Moromond to do anything was a lesson in futility. So, I let him leave.
I ran back inside and right into Mrs. Hammond. She giggled a little, a tray of milk and cookies in her hands. “You kids ready for snacks?”
Really? She couldn’t be the one who Pain received her power from. There was enough magical energy still hanging around the house that even if she was latent she’d be in a bad state by now.
“I’ll take them.” I relieved her of the tray with some haste and hustled up the stairs, realizing only when I was halfway up how rude I was being. “Thank you!”
Not sure why I cared, but my mom taught me manners.
By the time I arrived in the attic, everyone looked at each other, or not, in great discomfort.
“Cookies?” They swarmed me, the interruption obviously welcome, but their forced cheer over the treats didn’t last long.
The séance broke up pretty quickly and no one stayed to hang out after.
Wonder why.
Mrs. Hammond barely had time to say goodbye to us all as we tumbled out the door on our way out. I felt badly for her, but there were heavier things on my mind. Like her daughter. Part of me worried Pain now painted herself as a target for the creature. I had to make sure Mom put protection on her just in case.
Worse, Pain wasn’t herself at all. When she smiled at me from her door it was an open and innocent smile and she actually waved.
Not good at all.
When Alison dropped me off at my house, I could tell she was upset. But she refused to talk about it so I let her go, too.
And went inside to face the wrath of Miriam.
***
Chapter Twenty-One
She was waiting for me in the kitchen and I knew instantly by the look on her face this encounter would not end well for either of us.
Rather than let her have the first word guaranteed to send us both spiraling down into a battle, its inevitable end soaked in tears and raw from screaming, I dove in with a well placed and sincere, “I’m sorry, Mom.”
Talk about instant deflation. It was like the words themselves had magic in them. Wow. Good to know for later. Because there would always be a later.
Mom’s face crumpled and instead of turning me into a toad she rushed forward and hugged me so hard I knew she was only angry because I scared the crap out of her.
She wasn’t alone in that department.
When she leaned back, the stern face returned but it didn’t reach her eyes so I knew I was safe.
“Tell me,” she said.
For the second time that week I dumped on her. It was developing into a terrible habit. Might be nice to go a whole seven days without some kind of disaster. Too much to ask, I guess.
When I finished filling her in about Pain, Mom seemed troubled.
“There are no witches in her family?”
“Not as far as I can tell,” I said. “Her mom sure isn’t.” I rolled my eyes. “She’s dying to meet you, by the way.”
Mom made a cringing face. “So I understand. It is perplexing. But more importantly, your friend needs protection. We’ll get to the bottom of her secret when all of this is over.” Over, as in the creature was dead and we were back to abnormal.
We agreed on that much.
She wasn’t done yet, though.
“You know how dangerous it was,” she said. “What you did.”
“Mom, honestly, I never expected anything to come of it. You know these stupid rituals normals do are just that.” She taught it to me, didn’t she? Didn’t think bringing up the fact would win me points, though.
“Beside the point,” Mom said. “You knew the girl had her own power, walled off or not. And you and Quaid seem to be a powder keg of disaster waiting to happen.”
She had me there.
“Still,” she relented a little, “I’m glad in a way you were there. Had she tried it without protection it’s possible the creature could have hurt her and her entire family and we would have found out too late.”
So why didn’t I feel any better about it?
She sent me off to bed with another hug and a promise Pain would be under coven guard. It made sense, a great opportunity to catch the thing if it showed up again.
So why did I spend the next few hours tossing and turning? At least Sassy was still with Meira so I wasn’t keeping him awake too. I briefly thought about creeping into bed with them. I wasn’t above looking for comfort over being alone considering.
Before I could act, I fell asleep at last.
***
Darkness. Flinching from light unfamiliar and horrible. Pain, always pain. And a battle within that throws me forward.
Hate, hot and explosive. The girl. The blocked one. Fuel for my fire, my need. It hurts so much!
Guardians. Two, tucked in the shadows. Stink of civilization and sloth. They are weak and I am death.
Rushing speed, violence let loose, at last this is the prey to bring me real strength.
A white face turns in the darkness, too late.
Thrashing, screaming, a futile battle of magic heating up.
YES! Her life is mine.
***
I woke up on my feet, punching the air, gasping for breath, the taste of bile in my mouth. My heart leaped and pounded against my chest as I stumbled forward, feet catching in the jumbled covers dumped on the floor.
I was crying her name before I made it to my door and she was there, holding me, Mom’s own fear as tangible as mine. Meira wormed her way into our embrace and we stood there, clinging to each other, even as I felt my mother’s mind reaching out to the rest of the family.
Someone pounded on something heavy downstairs. I jerked myself into silence and listened. Then, as one, we ran down the wide steps and to my grandmother’s door.
Mom had it open in a flicker of magic even before we reached it. Ethpeal emerged, glowing with power, her face set as though she understood what was happening. Without a word she grabbed my hand and dragged me to the cellar door and down the stairs into the gloom. I had to clutch at the railing to keep from falling, pins and needles jabbing through the soles of my feet as we thudded our way to the concrete floor.
She halted at the pentagram’s edge and spun on me. Her faded blue eyes were clear and bright and for a heartbeat I thought she was okay. The light in them flickered, however, and I knew she had only moments before the insanity took her again.
For the second time since I knew Gram she forced her
way out of her private hell to help us and I wasn’t about to waste her effort.
As a family we linked hands. We let her in without question, even my mother giving way to Gram’s grab for power. She slammed us together without finesse, so hard I gasped for air and we were away, flying like avenging angels after the creature, Gram’s terrible power blasting ahead of us like a battering ram.
We caught up with it, and she didn’t hesitate. Our combined magic slammed into it, driving it to its knees. It spun on us, snarling in the darkness, wavering in the vision of our combined presence.
“You cannot defeat me,” it said in its gravel voice.
We didn’t respond. Gram hit it again.
The creature went down. We were winning! My confidence rose. Maybe Gram was getting better after all.
If only we had more time. And she wasn’t crippled by insanity. The thing spun on us and attacked, much stronger than it had been in our last encounter.
Already stronger than we were.
The blow stunned us and I felt Gram slipping away. I clung to her, tried to drag her back, but she had fought as hard as she could and there was nothing any of us could do about it.
When her focus broke in that instant, we carried the hideous, echoing laughter of the creature back with us, to ring in the silence of the basement.
Gram collapsed, giggling and sobbing all at once, her hands crammed in her mouth. Tears ran down my mother’s face as she crumpled next to Ethpeal and hugged her, rocking her gently. I fell to my knees, then my butt on her other side, barely able to stand. My stomach heaved, the recoil of the power bringing my nausea back full force. For a moment I was sure I would ralph all over my grandmother. Meira snuggled under my arm, her amber eyes mere glints in the darkness just as the queazies settled.
“Mom,” I whispered over Gram’s stuttering hum, soaked in a cold sweat. “Is she okay?”
Mom sighed deeply. “It took a lot out of her,” she said. “Out of us all. But we learned a great deal.” She stroked her mother’s hair. “You never cease to amaze me, Mother,” she whispered.
“So now what do we do?” Dumb question. There was only one answer to it.
