She was almost grateful for his presence—though she hoped it wouldn’t be for too long. He scooted over to her, taking her hand and giving it a hearty shake. Patrick received the same treatment, and a warning about keeping her safe.
“Well. That was interesting.” Patrick sat down at the desk as soon as the little man’s noisy retreat faded.
“Yeah. What am I supposed to do about him?” She leaned out into the hall, checking to make sure he hadn’t come back down the stairs.
“Wait and don’t worry. He doesn’t seem too upset by what happened to him. And he healed you—which was awesome by the way. First we stop those demons, then we worry about reincarnated trolls.”
“He’s not a troll, he’s a gnome. There’s a difference.” Alaina nudged his leg.
“Sure. Okay. To you maybe.” Patrick’s easy smile reminded her of how comfortable they’d become with each other. Regardless of what the future held, she was glad Patrick was here.
The front door banged open followed by Mick calling out to them. Patrick hollered back before settling into the chair in front of the computer.
“Hey. How’re you doing?” Mick set three pizza boxes on the coffee table next to her feet.
“Fine.” She smiled up at him.
“I thought you were all cut up. What’s going on?”
Patrick explained about her new boarder and the healing, warning Mick not to pick on the little dude if he happened to run into him and to stay away from the room Alaina gave him. “Be nice and very respectful. He might seem like a comic book character, but he’s definitely not.”
“Sure. Can’t wait. The rest of the crew will be here in a few minutes.” He set a grocery bag filled with paper plates and napkins on the desk.
“Why is it that none of this stuff is freaking out your crew?” she asked Patrick. “I know you’ve seen a lot of freaky hauntings, but demons and little gnome dudes are a lot different.”
Patrick sighed, running a hand through his hair. “We take a lot of darker cases too. Possessions, demonic entities—evil things. I wouldn’t say they’re not fazed, but they’ve seen more than you can imagine. More than we’ve even seen here, only not this dangerous.”
“That’s right,” Mick said, handing Patrick a flash drive, which Patrick immediately loaded into the drive of the computer. “Interesting stuff, man. I’m not sure there’s anything helpful on it though. Seems to repeat the same information we already know.”
The volume rose as the screams and chanting from last night filled her head once again. She closed her eyes and listened beyond the obvious, trying to discern anything she might not have heard while dealing with the horror.
“Wait. Back up a few seconds.” She leaned forward, unsure of whether or not she’d heard something.
Patrick did as she asked, watching her as the recording started. She listened, not looking at either man in an effort to maintain her concentration.
“Again, please.”
Patrick shook his head but complied. Besides a lot of murmuring and cackling, nothing discernible had come through. Even after slowing down and speeding up the loop, nothing appeared—
—Until the very end of the audio when Mick announced his presence in the house to tag the section and alert the listener to his noises. “This is Mick, returning to Alaina’s to gather the recording devices and play in her panty drawer.”
She looked up at him. His face was red, and she laughed. The smile didn’t stay on her face for long when Mick moved away from the recorder and another voice filled the speakers.
“You will all die.”
Chapter 9
“There was only static when I listened to it. I swear.” Mick stared at the speaker as if the answer would magically appear.
“It’s not static now.” Excitement filled Patrick despite the fatalistic prediction.
The room filled with the rest of the team. Patrick stood.
“I know you’re all excited by the prospect of what might happen tonight. I get that. As you know, Alaina spent last night in the hospital because of the evil here. It’s very dangerous and you could get hurt or worse. I strongly encourage each of you to go home.”
No one left. He almost hated their loyalty. It was either that or they were some seriously messed-up human beings to actually choose to stay in a place where they stood the chance of getting hurt again or they were the decent, caring people he considered family. Patrick appreciated them more than he could fathom.
“I think we should try to herd the spirits into the room Alaina designed. We can trap them inside. Hopefully Alaina can do her sorting thing and get rid of them,” Dave commented from a chair in the corner.
“They’re not only in the house though. You saw the shit in the backyard. The headless dog and the man chasing it with an axe we thought we saw when we were setting up equipment earlier? Not normal. It’s evil. It’s like Hell opens up on this property.” Mick moved a section of curtain and studied the backyard.
Alaina’s eyes widened. Patrick wanted to comfort her, but the truth was, Mick could be right. There had to be a reason Alona was so adamant this house pass to Alaina. When Alaina had revealed what her grandmother had said, he couldn’t figure it out. Now Alona’s wishes almost made sense. Almost. And Cedric had said something about the crack widening.
“It’s possible. One thing we’ve learned from this house is that anything is,” Patrick said.
“If it is, I don’t think the gateway is open all the time. Alona never complained about evil. And how many times have we been here? Patrick’s never said anything was off, and we all know how accurate his gut feelings are.” Mick dropped the curtain. “What if whatever opened the door to Hell is what killed Alona? Only what happened first—her death or that?”
“Good question.” Patrick occasionally glanced at Alaina to gauge her reaction to the bizarre exchange going on around her.
She seemed to handle the thread of conversation well, though she didn’t have a lot to say. Too bad the brainstorming didn’t bring them any closer to solving the mysteries, or figuring out how to stay alive in a house that clearly wanted them all dead.
A howl from outside quieted everyone. Patrick would never believe his crew could be truly spooked. Disturbed definitely, but not scared enough to forget to analyze the situation before jumping to conclusions. Their faces had him questioning that.
“I’d like to try to contact Gram. There’s a way. I’m not sure if it’ll work. She wrote about her sister and how she sought her out for advice when my grandfather died. She was concerned Gramps had been murdered.”
“Do we think there’s a connection between his murder and Alona’s?” Questions flew around the room, not stopping until Patrick held up his hand and turned to Alaina.
“He died from carbon monoxide poisoning. He’d been working in his garage in winter with the doors down and kept the truck he worked on running. It happened while Gram was pregnant with my mother. It wasn’t suicide or murder; it was an accident. I’d like to try. She might be able to give us some guidance.” She licked her lips. It took every ounce of strength he possessed not to go over and kiss her for her bravery and brains.
“What do you need?” Patrick asked, holding out a notepad.
“A white candle, a few herbs, among a few other simple things. I’ll write them down from Gram’s journal.” She accepted the paper, listed the items, and handed it back to him.
“No one goes anywhere alone. Teams of three or don’t leave the room. We can gather this stuff in no time. One team will head upstairs to get the herbs from Alaina’s office, and the other will get the rest of the items. Let’s get this done.” He waited for someone to step forward with the decision to forget the crazy idea, especially when scratches and bangs erupted over their heads. He wanted to stay with Alaina but also needed to see what was goi
ng on around them.
As he closed the door, he almost wished he had stayed locked inside the office with her instead of leaving Mick and Dave to watch over her. Glass broke in the hall ahead. Alona’s treasures were being flung, or flinging themselves, away from their careful placement on the shelves. Alaina wouldn’t have too many knickknacks to box up now. More like she’d be dumping them in the trash since the little figurines were smashed on the floor. A faint meow sounded from the rubble, followed by a canine whimper. He ignored both along with the crunch of glass under his boots.
Alaina had made him promise to get the herbs. What sounded like bowling balls rolling down the stairs had him cringing as he reached the bottom step. He half-expected to see a dozen coming toward him. The brief image of severed heads replaced the bowling ball theory, and he could have kicked himself for thinking of it.
There was nothing there, but that didn’t stop him from staying close to the wall as he followed his crew. He snagged the herbs Alaina requested, locking the cabinet when he was done. He half expected to see a demon army ready to take him down as he closed the door. Despite the noise, nothing appeared.
When they got to the first landing, the crew that would patrol the house while Alaina tried the spell disappeared into a thick, black cloud. They coughed and called out but didn’t seem to be able to hear his response. Deep laughter swirled through the dark haze, accompanied by the red eyes he was use to encountering every time he turned around.
The eyes morphed into three separate sets, the laughter growing in volume as Patrick tried to hold on to his senses. This had to stop, except he had no idea what motivated them. They continued to repeat the phrase he’d learned so well listening to the recording.
“Speak fucking English already.”
The murmurs stopped as the faces glanced at one another before nodding. “Inane sweetheart spanks. Wrathful, unserene dear hucksters. Puny, heedless hero. So this is worrying.”
“You’re right this is worrying. What the hell are you saying? Why does everything have to sound like a riddle?” Patrick flicked the switch, but the overhead light didn’t come on.
He grabbed the flashlight from his back pocket, turning on the beam and pointing at the eyes. They blinked, turning into slits before moving out of the light.
“Stupid fuckers.” Patrick pushed through the dark haze, bumping into someone.
“Dude, are you okay?”
“Fine. What about you guys?” He shined his light in both of their faces, making sure.
“We were in a maze.” The mist cleared, showing the guys had been wandering in a three-foot by six-foot space.
They were visibly shaken but shook the weirdness off, each joking about how scared the other one was. Patrick expected them to find a reason to leave and couldn’t blame them. By the time they returned to the office, he scratched the idea. The experience had increased their adrenaline to insane levels. They weren’t leaving this house without encountering much more.
Patrick knew they would. A lot more.
~ ~ ~
Alaina had no idea what she’d been thinking. What the hell did she think she was doing, considering some kind of spell to try to talk to Gram? Despite feeling like the right thing to do, she couldn’t be more unprepared for what was sure to come next.
Patrick handed her the herbs. She sprinkled them around the white candle, allowing some to fall into the already liquefying wax. She followed suit with the other herb packet, watching tiny sparks enter the flame and swirl around. The air calmed.
She nodded at Patrick to turn the lights off. At least the darkness would help hide how scared she was to try something so out of her league. The vague scent of Gram’s perfume filled her nose, calming her and filling her with hope that she could actually pull this farce off.
“What is it, child?” a voice said, but it wasn’t Gram.
“I need to speak to Alona. Please.” She tried to keep the desperation out of her voice, but even she could hear it.
Apparently, the desperation helped. “Oh, child. You’re alone though you’re not alone. She will come.”
The air shifted, bringing the strong sense of her grandmother, along with the distinct odor of her floral perfume. “Alaina. I’d hoped you’d try to contact me. The dream stuff wasn’t working. You’re too tired to connect with.”
Her grandmother’s comforting voice washed over her, along with a sense of peace and hope. She choked back tears. “Gram. What am I doing?”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for things to happen this way. I didn’t want you to be unaware when my time to go came. I didn’t realize it was going to be so soon. It wasn’t my intention. I wasn’t ready to die.”
“What happened to you?” Alaina sniffed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand until someone handed her a tissue. She wasn’t sure if they could hear Gram’s words, or only hers, and right now it didn’t matter.
“There’s unrest. I was murdered because I wouldn’t make a deal.” Her grandmother’s voice faded.
“What kind of deal?”
“The offer to be free from guiding. The price was too high and I would have never taken it. I loved being a guide. That’s why I gave you the ring. So our family legacy would continue.”
“This isn’t really what I expected for the rest of my life.” Alaina laughed, stopping herself before it turned hysterical and revealed how desperate she was.
“I know. You’re not alone. There are many others like us. You’ll know them when you meet them. They’ll be friends—people you can trust because they understand exactly what you’re going through. It takes a special person to be able to do the job. I know you’ll do well. There’s so much I need to tell you, but there’s not time. Your power is destined to be great due to a gift bestowed on our family through your great-grandmother—greater than all guides since the first. The danger is more than it should be though. Something bigger is going on. Watch out for Patrick. This involves him, though I’m not sure why. You must figure out a way to stop the demons.”
“We’re not having much luck. I was hoping you’d be able to give me some answers.” She’d hoped for more than the confirmation of what they already knew.
“I have none, child. I never saw the one who offered me the deal. Trust Patrick. No matter what. Don’t allow yourself to become separated from him. It’s too dangerous. It’s time for me to go where I belong now. Know I will always be in your heart.” The connection severed. Alaina gasped at the loss. Desperation at being left at the unknown filled her.
Patrick wrapped his arms around her. She sobbed against his chest, the tears hard to control. Patrick rubbed her back, helping her to shove the emotions back to where they belonged—to a place where she could deal with them alone.
If she ever got to be alone again.
“Is it over?” Mick asked when Patrick blew the candle out.
“Yeah, it’s over,” Patrick said into her hair.
Alaina wondered how they were going to explain the things Gram said to the crew.
“I’m turning the lights on,” Mick said a second before the room filled with light. “Didn’t it work?”
She blinked up at him. “You didn’t hear anything?”
“No. I watched you the whole time but you barely moved. Then Patrick grabbed you. So did it work?”
“Did you hear anything?” She turned to Patrick.
“Everything.” He nodded.
“I guess it worked . . . not like we found out anything we didn’t already know.” She briefly filled in the details while hiding how emotional the experience had been.
“Where’s Dave?” Mick asked as he glanced into the hall.
Alaina glanced around, shock and horror filling her. Dave sat in the rocking chair near the window, blood spilling from the corners of his mouth. White, pointed teeth con
trasted the blood, making them appear much larger than they should be. His eyes were bright red, the centers dark slits like the eyes of a snake. He rocked, slowly at first, before the chair started moving at a pace defying how quickly his body actually moved. His hands were folded on his chest, the smile demonic and terrifying.
“Well. Well. Well. I finally get a chance to talk to you myself. I’ve been waiting for so long.”
Alaina expected the room to erupt into chaos, but the calm reception took her by surprise. Patrick moved slowly. She guessed he was going to grab the holy water just in case. She kept her focus on the creature inhabiting Dave’s body so she wouldn’t give away any plan they might have.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Who do you think I am?” He laughed, placing his index fingers on his chin and forming a triangle with his hands.
“A coward.” Probably not the best thing to say, especially when the eyes flared and heat hit her in the chest. “Well, since you’re sneaking around and being very vague about what it is you’re doing here, what am I supposed to believe?” She got the impression she was supposed to cower, but since that wasn’t going to happen she straightened her back and faced him.
“Is that what you think I’m doing?”
“Isn’t it?”
He rocked again, not answering her for several seconds. When he did finally speak, his voice was much lower. Neither voice had been Dave’s, leaving her to wonder if his body would live through whatever was inside.
“You have a choice to make. I can make your life so much easier. Imagine never having to worry about your business again. You can come and work for me, and I promise you’ll have every single thing you even remotely think you need or want.”
“I didn’t realize this was a job interview. Are you responsible for my grandmother’s death?” Was this the same demon who’d offered Gram a deal?
The Shadow Guide (Challenging the Fates) Page 14
