Cursed by Death (The Protectors Book 1)

by Basia Pike

  I got to my feet to help her as she sobbed on the floor. “Where’s your dustpan?” I asked.

  She could barely speak through her sobs. “K-kitchen.”

  I headed to the kitchen to find a bag and the dustpan. In silence we cleared the broken glass, both of us crying. Once cleared up she grabbed another glass and poured us each a drink. I knocked it back without a second thought. I rarely drank, but I needed something to dull the pain.

  “We need to find out who did this,” I said. ”We need to get revenge.”

  Elise shook her head. “You know that’s not what Jo would want. She hated violence and wanted peace among all species.”

  My grip tightened on my glass. “Yeah, and look where that got her! She’s dead, and so is our child!”

  Elise sniffed and more tears rolled down her face. I instantly felt bad about snapping at her. She was feeling the loss as much as I was. “Who did this?” Elise asked, wiping at the tears staining her cheeks.

  “I don’t know…” I hesitated, uncertain as to whether I should mention my father’s visit. “My father paid me a visit last week…”

  She glanced at me with her eyes wide. “What did he want?”

  I swallowed hard. “He warned me that people were after the baby. I had thought it was an attempt to get back into our lives…” The flow of tears increased. “I performed a protection spell on the house, so I don’t understand how this happened.

  I stood and started gathering candles, placing them on the coffee table in the middle of Elise’s living room. As always, her home was adorned with candles, crystal balls, and unusual trinkets.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “A séance to see who did this.” My hands clenched into fists as my wife’s lifeless body flashed across my mind again. Elise grabbed my hand and forced me to let go of the candle.

  “Elijah, you need to rest and calm down. We don’t have the power to do it alone.”

  “Call the coven then!” I roared, unable to still the rage bubbling inside of me.

  “It’s past midnight. We will do the séance tomorrow.” She was shaking a little at the shock of me raising my voice. “Have you had anything to eat?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “I can’t eat.” I looked down at the candles on the table and sank back into her leather sofa. She headed towards the kitchen, leaving me sitting in the cluttered living room. Normally the mess of Elise’s witchy living room didn’t bother me, but today I wanted to smash everything I saw. The rage inside me was like nothing I had experienced before.

  I noticed the photos on the wall of Elise and Jo when they were little. Unable to remain sitting I walked over to the wall. I picked one up from the table in the corner of the room. It was a photo of the three us at our high school four years ago, so happy in our caps and gowns. My throat tightened as I put the photo down and picked up a photo of us on our wedding day just over a year ago.

  I punched the wall, but a gasp made me turn around. Elise was staring at me with concern, her hands shaking as she held a tray of food.

  “You need to eat something,” she said.

  I didn’t want to upset her any more than I already had, so I ate. I washed it down with four glasses of bourbon. We had drunk the better part of a bottle in silence.

  “It’s late, we should get some sleep,” Elise said.

  I stood but was woozy from the alcohol. My vision was a little blurred as I headed for the stairs and dragged myself up to the landing. I stopped outside the room Josephine and I had shared when visiting. I stared blankly into the darkness.

  “Elijah, I’m so sorry.” Elise had followed me, and I turned to face her. Her eyes glistened as she looked at me with concern.

  “Goodnight, Elise,” I said in a daze. It was odd being there without Jo, but I was grateful I didn’t have to spend the night in our bed.

  I shut the door behind me before pulling my bloodstained clothes off. I climbed into the bed and closed my eyes. The bourbon consumed that evening seemed to help, as I fell into a troubled slumber, haunted by the despair of the worst day of my life.

  4

  My eyes fluttered open the next morning. I squinted, trying to see through the bright rays that shone through a part in the curtain. I had a severe headache and a heavy pain in my chest. I’d hoped it had all been a nightmare, until I recognized my surroundings.

  Elise’s modest and dark spare room was still and cluttered with many magical artifacts. The fury I had felt the day before was suppressed, but I could feel it lingering, bubbling under the surface.

  I didn’t want to move, until I recalled wanting to start a séance. I bolted out of bed. I needed to find out who did this and make them pay. I put on some spare clothes I had at Elise’s and headed downstairs, unsure of the time.

  The whiff of freshly brewed coffee filled the house. I froze on the stairs when a voice struck my ear: Josephine’s mom, Avery. I wasn’t certain I could face her right now, so I swung around to head back to the room.

  “Elijah…” Elise called out. I tensed. I turned back to see both of them staring at me with eyebrows raised. Their eyes were puffy and red; Avery’s face was stained with tears. I couldn’t look at Jo’s mother without feeling tremendous guilt. If only I had taken the week before Christmas off like Jo had wanted, maybe she’d still be alive.

  I did the only thing I could do. I continued down the stairs, pulling my mother-in-law into a strong embrace. She broke down and so did I, the anger changing to sorrow for a time.

  “We will discover who did this to her, I promise,” I said.

  Avery nodded, wiping tears away. “I was about to head home. Rob is in a state, but I had to come and see Elise. I didn’t realize you were here.”

  “I couldn’t face going home on my…” I trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud. She gripped my hand tightly and gave me a small nod. Avery took Elise’s hand in hers and pulled her into a gentle hug.

  “I’ll keep you updated on arrangements. See you soon,” she said to the both of us. Elise, still in tears, nodded. I watched as she left the house without another word. Elise left me standing at the bottom of the stairs glaring into the distance. I longed with all my heart to swap places with Jo. I was sure Avery felt the same.

  How could I live without her? I headed into the kitchen after Elise, who was standing with her hands on the kitchen worktop sobbing over the sink. I approached her and placed a delicate hand on her shoulder.

  “How many people do we need for the séance?”

  She turned, her eyes wide. “You want to go ahead with that?”

  I frowned. “How else will we find out what happened to her?”

  She shook her head. “A séance can be dangerous. It’s such dark magic…”

  “What other choice do we have?”

  She shrugged and sat at the small kitchen table, head in her hands.

  I pressed: “How many will we need to do it?”

  “You need at least five of us to perform a séance. I’m sure Kai, Amara, and Jackson will help, but it’s risky.”

  I knew that. Séances were frowned upon because they lifted the veil to the dead. If not done correctly, it could have some serious consequences. My godmother had taught me about them. She wasn’t an evil witch. She had, however, enjoyed dabbling in dark magic.

  “Call them. Tell them to meet us here tonight.”

  Elise stood and headed to the living room to make the call. I sat staring at the purple walls of Elise’s kitchen. I didn’t know what to do with myself. As the rage inside grew, I felt like I no longer knew who I was. Every time I was alone it got stronger.

  Elise returned and set down another bottle of bourbon. I glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was only ten in the morning, but I didn’t care. Anything to numb my feelings and dull the anger. I spent the day drinking and sleeping.

  As the sun set behind the forest and nightfall encased Ely, a knock on the door sounded. It was Amara and Jackson.

  “El
ijah,” said Amara, “words can’t express how sorry I am, and how much we will miss Josephine.”

  I didn’t take in her words and absentmindedly nodded. We were waiting now for Kai, who was always late. I couldn’t believe he wasn’t being punctual. Not even after what happened to Jo.

  “What did you ask us here for?” Jackson asked.

  “We’re going to do a séance so we can see what happened to Jo and the baby,” Elise said.

  Amara’s eyes widened. “That’s dark magic. We don’t practice dark magic!”

  Jackson stood next to her and took her hand in his. “Amara, we have no other way of learning what happened. Is Kai coming?” Jackson asked, and Elise nodded.

  We waited together in silence. I tapped my foot on the floor, irritated by Kai’s tardiness. Half an hour later than he was supposed to arrive there was a knock at the door.

  I clenched my jaw and tried to stamp down the rage. If I wasn’t careful, I’d end up punching him.

  Kai stood at the door in his leather bike gear. “I’m sorry I’m late…” He noticed me and his head hung.

  “It’s not a surprise, you’re always late!” I growled, and Kai’s eyes widened. I was the carefree, laidback one of the group, but not today.

  ”E-Elijah, We’ll need your shirt from last night,” Elise said. I tore my eyes from Kai and rushed upstairs to get it. The blood-soaked shirt was lying on the floor of the room. The sight of it brought back painful memories. I grabbed it and headed back downstairs.

  “Will you be okay watching this?” Elise asked. I gave her a small nod despite my insides twisting. I wasn’t sure I was okay to watch my wife die, but I had to find out what had happened.

  Elise looked at me, unsure, before turning and lighting the candles on the table in the middle of the room and placing the shirt in a large metal bowl in the middle.

  “Videamus,” we chanted, holding hands. After repeating the word five times, the candles’ flames grew, and the vision flashed up in the middle of the room.

  There she was. My wife. As stunning as ever. Carrying a small basket of wood from our shed in the front yard. I longed to hold her one last time. She was humming her favorite song to herself, You Belong to Me by Jo Stafford. The song we had our first dance to at our wedding one year ago.

  A piercing scream escaped her and blood appeared on her apron, but there was no attacker in sight. She fell to the ground and tried to crawl into the house. The scene was interrupted by a vision of a coven chanting “dimiserunt destrui.”

  I recognized their sigil. A snake wrapped around a dagger. The sigil of the renowned coven of New Orleans, the Serpentum coven. They were attacking her with a dark curse. It didn’t make sense. To do that you would need a part of her, be it hair, skin or blood. The image vanished and it returned to my wife struggling in pain.

  I watched as she dragged herself through the front door. I couldn’t watch her die. I wished it had been me instead.

  I broke the connection and walked towards the kitchen. Elise did the same and followed me away from the screams. I placed my hands on the kitchen counter. The guilt I felt was immense. I tried to steady myself as the blood rushed to my head.

  If I’d listened to my father a week ago Jo would still be alive. I took deep breaths to regain my composure. Elise was standing behind me. We stayed a while until Amara came to find us.

  “Why would the Serpentum coven do this to Josephine?” Elise asked through her sobs. The other three exchanged nervous glances.

  My eyes narrowed. “What did you see at the end?” I asked

  Kai and Jackson looked at each other, and then at me.

  “I don’t think you want to know,” Amara said through sobs.

  “Tell me now!” I growled, and everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

  Jackson replied: “One witch said, ‘The child is dead. Our duty is fulfilled.’ It seems this was about your unborn baby.” My father’s words of warning replayed in my mind. He was telling the truth.

  The pain in my chest only increased. The rage seemed to be ignited even stronger in the pit of my stomach.

  “What kind of sick person targets an unborn baby?” I asked, digging my fingers into the side of the sofa. I stood and paced the living room. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me.

  “Elijah, sit down and we can talk about this,” Amara said, trying to calm me. I spun around to glare at her.

  “Talk about what? That my wife is dead because these nutjobs think it’s okay to kill an unborn baby? And for what? What’s there to talk about?” I shouted. Amara cried even more. I instantly regretted raising my voice. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

  “This is distressing to all of us,” said Jackson. “Most of all you, Elijah. It’s late. I think we should all get some rest.”

  Amara took Jackson’s hand. “I think that’s best,” she said through her tears.

  “Well, we’d better come up with a plan to nail those sons of bitches tomorrow, then!” Kai said.

  Damn right! I was glad to hear someone else wanted revenge.

  “Josephine wouldn’t have wanted that,” said Elise.

  “No, she wouldn’t have. She hated violence,” Amara agreed.

  “Okay, let’s call it a night. I’ll call you tomorrow,” Elise said.

  The three of them headed towards the door at haste. Amara was still crying as she followed Jackson to the car. We watched as the drove away into the moonlit night.

  Elise turned to me. “Would you like to stay here again tonight?” she asked.

  “If it’s not too much trouble. I can’t face…”

  She placed a hand on my arm stopping me. “You can stay here as long as you need.”

  She walked towards the dresser and poured us each a glass of bourbon. “I’ve got a chicken in the oven.”

  The thought of eating made me nauseous. All I wanted to do was drink and dull the pain.

  5

  I hadn’t braved returning to our home. Guilt and Anger were still weighing on me heavily. The encounter with my father a week before Jo’s death replayed like a broken record in my head. If only I’d listened to him they would be alive. It was Friday. The day of my wife’s funeral. Sleep eluded me.

  The smell of bacon drifted up the stairs and into my room; my stomach rumbled. I hadn’t been eating much since it happened, just drinking whiskey, and it seemed to be taking its toll. Elise sat at the kitchen table with her head in her hands.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  She glanced up. “No. Captain Jordan visited Kai this morning, asking if he’d seen you.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Those witches framed you. The alibi you gave at work hasn’t checked out and they found the murder weapon in your locker.” She paused but from the look on her face there was more.

  I swallowed hard. “What else?”

  “Apparently a couple of people at your work said you were having an affair with a woman named Becky giving you a motive. They’ve tampered with your colleague’s memories and set you up. Even your next door-neighbor is insisting you were home all day.”

  I sank into a chair. “H-how is that possible? I was at work all day. I hadn’t even left work at the believed time of her death. And, I haven’t been back into work since…” The blood drained from my face, and I felt lightheaded. I’d never heard of witches meddling with someone’s life to this extent.

  “I’m so sorry, Elijah. Kai told him he hadn’t seen you. We know you’re innocent,” Elise said. That didn’t really help though. It’s not like I could perform a seance as evidence.

  I sighed. “They are searching for me then?” I asked.

  Elise’s eyes filled with tears, and she nodded. “I don’t know what we can do. Perhaps I can ask Avery to come by?” she suggested. It was the morning of her daughter’s funeral. I knew the last thing she wanted was to be dragged here because of my dilemma.

  “I wouldn’t want to trouble her. Today of all days.”

>   Elise nodded. “Our coven is powerful, but you know we can’t meddle with the police… I can’t see any other choice for you but to go on the run.” I knew they couldn’t. Whoever had done this had gone against the unbreakable witches’ code. Only dark witches broke it on a regular basis, but right now I couldn’t run.

  “Not before I’ve buried my wife and unborn child.” My rage had been bubbling under the surface for days, but now it rose to the surface.

  “Elijah, it’s too dangerous. They’ll be expecting you there.”

  “I don’t care! There’s no way I’m missing it.”

  “Well, Kai and I were discussing it. We could cloak you for the ceremony.”

  “Will the four of you have enough power for that?” I asked, not wishing to put any of them at risk.

  “All our power combined is enough.”

  I half smiled taking her hand in mine. ”Thank you. There’s no way I’d forgive myself if I didn’t attend her funeral.”

  “I will ring the others and ask them to meet us here before.”

  I headed back up to my room and threw myself onto the bed. My life had fallen apart. In a matter of days, the love of my life had been ripped away from me … and I’d been framed for it.

  My longing for revenge had diminished in my mind since the dreaded day, with reasoning from my friends. But, just like that it had come back, burning stronger in my heart. There was no way I was letting this go.

  A while later the doorbell rang waking me. I’d fallen asleep and assumed it was the rest of the coven. I jumped to my feet but froze at the sound of Captain Jordan’s voice echoing up the stairs.

  “Elise Manning?”

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  “I have questions for you if you don’t mind.”

  “Oh, I’m getting ready for my friend’s funeral,” she said, her voice shaky.

  “I know. This is about Josephine’s case.”