The coldness streaming into the room from the closed door increased. Patrick broke the kiss, wrapping her close against his chest. “I guess it’s time to test the theory that we’re protected as long as we’re together. Mick? Are you coming?”
“I’m coming, Ice Man. Give me two seconds.”
Alaina took a deep breath, nodding against his chest before moving away. The ring warmed, sending the recognition of malevolence through her. The presence was right outside the door. Despite the fear threatening to consume her logical thought, she opened the door to face the creature. Black eyes rimmed in red glared back at her. Leathery gray skin covered the beast, a wrinkle where the nose should be. Long, jagged teeth—rows and rows of them—filled its mouth, some broken and black while others were bright white and sharp. Equally sharp-looking horns poked out from the sides of its head.
Whatever the hideous thing was, it was clearly displeased. Of course, there was no way to tell for sure because taking in its visage was too hard. The creature snarled, droplets of red spit clinging to the corners of its mouth.
“You will both die.” The gravelly voice set her teeth on edge.
“It’s time for you to go back to Hell.” She raised her hands as Patrick came to stand behind her.
The beast cringed.
“Go now and never return. You know the rules.” She stepped forward, careful not to disturb the black powder.
Actual fear showed in those black eyes, though Alaina had no idea how it was possible. Before she could say another word, the creature turned to smoke and drifted down the hall.
“Well, that was unpleasant.” She took a deep breath and rested against Patrick for a moment.
“You said it.”
“That was fugly.” Mick lowered the camera.
“You know you’re probably never going to get to show the coverage to anyone,” Patrick said.
“I know. It’s still cool.”
She still had no idea how they were supposed to stop this madness, but her confidence had increased quite a bit which had to count for something.
“So what now?” Mick paced in front of the computer.
“Alaina has an idea.”
“Great.” Mick stopped and glanced into the hall. “Do you see them? There are three more of those ugly things out there. They walked by the door. One of them had a handful of those stupid owls.” Mick talked about the creatures as if they were welcome visitors.
Alaina forced herself not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. There were creepy things loose inside her home. She felt like she might be insane.
“One’s gone. I guess we’ll have to take care of the others.” She didn’t see what Mick was talking about.
“No. They’ll leave when we figure everything out.” Patrick stopped her by refusing to move.
“We have to go to the room. You’ll have to come with us.” She turned to Mick.
“I’ve come this far. I’m supposed to be here, remember?”
“Fine, but you’re going to have to watch out for yourself. I’ll have my hands full taking care of Alaina.” Patrick’s voice was rough and a little harder than usual. Alaina tried not to read anything into his statement.
“Understood.” Mick grinned. “Is there anything you’ll need?”
“No. Only each other. Getting to the room is going to be dangerous.” She stared at the ceiling above, wondering when they were going to finally break through the floor.
“I think you’re right.” Patrick moved toward the door, stepping back when a yellow gremlin-looking thing carrying a jug of milk passed by.
“Those jerks are eating my food. Gross.” Alaina would be throwing out everything in the fridge and restocking. Hell, maybe she’d buy a new refrigerator, too.
“We’re ready whenever you are.” Mick hefted a camera bag.
“Let’s do this thing.” Patrick touched her face and some of her strength returned. She linked her hand with his and together they stepped out of the room.
Nothing happened until they reached the landing. She’d known it wasn’t going to be pleasant, but the painful cries and shrill shrieks broke her heart. She brushed it away, knowing the sounds were an attempt to damage her resolve. The floors shook as the cacophony increased. Patrick squeezed her hand.
The stench of rotting flesh turned her stomach. Flies swarmed, buzzing her head as she took step after step that seemed to get her nowhere. A line of severed heads, screaming as if in agony, lined the hall. Body parts were scattered in her path and she tried not to think too hard about stepping over what could be a liver. Gross. The crunch of glass. She cringed despite the heavy boots she’d found in the closet in the study. She wondered if they thought she was stupid enough to fall for the same trick again. Maybe these things weren’t as smart as she thought.
The house cracked, glass shattering from every room. Alaina swore the place was falling down around them. Sparks shot out from the electrical outlets and light switches, bringing the fear of fire. The acrid odor of sulfur filled in the spaces where the rotting smell hadn’t quite reached. Her head hurt from the stench and the noise. When this was over she was going to sleep for a week. If she lived through it. Patrick moved in close enough that her shoulder touched his.
“We’re fine.” He looked over at Mick. “It’s only a show to try to scare us. Don’t let it get to you. Don’t interact and don’t speak when we get into the room. You’ll anger them and they may hurt you, or worse. Watch quietly and try not to deflect attention from us. It might get scary, but Alaina has to do this alone.”
Alaina stood in front of the door to her sorting room, fearing most what they’d find inside. Malevolence swirled around them like a cold breeze from an open window. Oppressive, dark evil filled the house. She reached for the door. The heat touched her before she reached the doorknob. Patrick hooked his thumb with hers and together they opened the door. She was surprised at how the temperature had changed, but they’d overcome yet another obstacle by staying together.
Shadows of all different shapes and sizes filled the room. Some appeared afraid, while others were pumped up with self-importance. She entered the room, circling the perimeter twice before going to her chair. Patrick sat first, and she dropped to the small space left beside him, half on top of him. Ignoring the pulse of awareness, she linked her hand with his and took a deep breath. Before she could decide what to do, the room exploded with noise and light.
The thump of someone approaching grew louder, increasing her apprehension with each heavy footfall. The figure wore a dark cloak, red eyes barely visible with the drape of the hood. It stopped in front of them. Alaina fought the press of being at a slight disadvantage because of sitting.
“You have done well. I’m surprised by how quickly you’ve adapted to your new role. Impressive. You won’t win, but I’m still very impressed.”
“Who are you?”
“No one of consequence. It won’t matter once you’re dead. It’s ridiculous to give so much power to those undeserving.”
“Apparently the truth doesn’t always make sense,” Patrick said.
“Says you. Looks like you’re about to lose another love to us. Must be you.”
Patrick tensed but didn’t outwardly react to the barbs. Instead, he squeezed her hand hard. His lack of response swelled her heart with pride.
“And you. Oh, your grandmother will be happy when you get there. You guys should have a party. I guess that might be a little awkward since you screwed Jana’s husband.” He dropped the hood, the face a mass of scars and sutures. The only thing halfway normal on his face was the position of his eyes.
“Who are you?” Patrick’s voice was hard.
“I already told you not to worry.” The thing tipped his head back and howled, other howls joining his as he held the sound for far longer
than logical.
She rolled her eyes at Patrick. He grinned, squeezing her hand. “You need to leave and take the rest of the evil with you. Alaina has a job to do and you’re interfering.”
It laughed, which did nothing but piss Alaina off.
“You will go now. This will not be tolerated. One of the perks of this job is that I not only get to communicate with fairer entities, but I also have the ability to discuss matters with your direct boss.”
The eyes opened wider, and it took a step back.
“Exactly. What do you think he’s going to say when I tell him how much trouble you’re causing up here? I provide a service to him as well as to lighter beings. If you kill me, then his hold on the lost soul department is going to slip. I think you’re about to be in a world of trouble.” Before she even finished her statement, he vanished.
“I didn’t know that.”
“I didn’t either. I guess you could say I only now realized. Now I guess I have to go to the source and ask.”
“And you have to talk to him. Shit. That doesn’t sound like fun.”
Alaina stretched her arms above her head.
“Not to me either, but it has to be done.”
“How? I’m not sure I want to meet him, if you know what I mean.” Patrick squeezed her tight.
Alaina studied the shapes in the room. There were a few of the darker, unhappy spirits, but nowhere near as many as there should be. She could envision them wandering her house creating havoc and wrecking stuff with their anger. This had to end. She removed the book from underneath the chair. Patrick moved, trying to get up to give her more room. Shaking her head, she refused to give him space. She needed him to stay with her. Finding the passage with the necessary incantation, she studied the words, not wanting to screw up the pronunciation and end up with something totally unexpected. At least Gram had taught her the pitfalls of spell weaving.
“I’m ready. We need to light three candles. Wait. I have to do it. No one move or touch the candles.” She stood, grabbing a match from the drawer in the small table.
A strong breeze blew out the flame before she could touch it to the wick. Damn. She tried again—with the same result. Patrick touched her shoulder, motioning with his arms. He cradled her against him, reaching his arms around her to protect the flame.
This time the match stayed lit and she managed to bring flame to all three candles. As she blew out the fire starter, a strong breeze moved her hair over her face. The air was warm, fetid, and unpleasant. She did her best to ignore the odor and the urge to turn her head.
Resuming her seat on Patrick’s lap, she wiggled in, again ignoring the heat swelling at the touch of their bodies. He placed his hands on her hips, and the need to forget this whole thing to be naked and against him nearly obliterated her purpose. From his expression and the rapid beat of his heart, Patrick struggled with the same need.
He took a deep breath, blowing it out against the back of her neck, though she was sure he hadn’t purposefully tried to turn her on. She closed her eyes and found probably the final gram of calm she possessed. Opening the book, she scanned the words, closing her eyes for a brief second before saying them. As she carefully spoke the verse, she kept her focus on where she expected him to appear. Him, she, it. Alaina had no idea what form she’d see. She didn’t want to see anything. Not really.
Mick stepped into the center of the room. Alaina glared at him but didn’t stop the summons. Patrick tensed under her, moving his head around her back so he could see Mick—at least, she assumed that was the cause of his movement. Heavy rain beat on the windows, sounding more like the pinging of small stones than water. Wind whistled through the cracks of the old house and sent a breeze of fresh air to mix with the stale, heavy air surrounding her.
Alaina wished Mick would go back to standing beside the door like they’d talked about. He was going to end up hurt, or in trouble, or ruin what she was trying to do. She finished saying the words that had felt rotten and wrong on her tongue as Mick turned to face her. His eyes were dark pits of scariness. His face twisted in a way that wasn’t very Mick-like. Then, he smiled.
Mick was attractive. Not the same as how she felt about Patrick—not that rip-your-clothes-off-and-dance-naked-in-the-rain kind of attractive—but still handsome. Now, Mick had been transformed into someone completely new and steal-your-breath gorgeous. The dark hair was the same, as was the dimple Mick had in his right cheek, but similarities ended there. The body standing in front of her was filled out in all the right places. Muscles strained against the red of Mick’s T-shirt, emphasizing a narrow waist and broad shoulders. Alaina knew his appearance was meant to throw her off, and somehow she managed to remind her girl parts of that. After all, she’d seen The Stand. She knew what happened when you went to bed with evil.
The visage was an illusion and nothing more. She figured things out a little slower than she should have, but the entity she’d summoned using Mick’s body wasn’t something she expected. She should have known. But then, what would she have done? At least Mick was familiar and someone she was comfortable talking to. She didn’t even want to think about the different forms this thing could have taken had Mick not been so readily available.
“You rang?” The low voice rumbled through her bones, resonating through her veins.
She studied him for a minute, straining to collect her thoughts. Patrick shifted under her, his nervousness like a living being.
“We need to discuss some things.” Raising her head, she met the dark eyes and focused her energy.
“Oh, really?”
She wanted to rise up and take the smug expression from his face. Instead, she clenched her jaw to keep from calling him a less-than-pleasant name.
“Really. You already know I’m new at this. I understand the need to shake up the new guy. But this situation has to end. It’s becoming dangerous.” She didn’t waver or break her stare.
He laughed and then turned serious. “Shaking up the new guy is what I do best. Helps to keep you from becoming too confident.”
“There’s not much chance of that.”
“I’m not sure what you mean about danger. Nothing I’ve done was designed to harm.” He narrowed his eyes, clasping his hands in front of him.
She stretched out her hands to show him the scars from her ordeal. “What about this?”
Concern passed over Mick’s altered features as he knelt to peruse her hands. “I don’t understand.”
Alaina told him everything, including the taunts of the trio of demons and how the gnome-dude had healed her. She watched as he tried to remain unaffected at the obvious loss of control over the creatures tied to him.
When he stood again, he took a deep breath, exhaling long and low. “Shit.”
Chapter 12
“My thoughts exactly.” Alaina smiled.
“You should be livid.” One side of his mouth quirked.
“How do you know I’m not?” She repositioned herself on Patrick’s lap, glad for his quiet strength.
“Good point. Let me assure you, none of this was my doing. I would have never allowed physical pain, especially to the one who helps keep my coffers in check. This should not have happened.” He glanced around the room, a speck of fear flickering in his eyes. “The boss isn’t going to be happy.”
“Wait. I thought you were the boss.” She wanted to flip open the book and reread the summons, but didn’t.
“I’m the boss of this area, but not the big boss. Kind of like a regional manager. Trust me, he wouldn’t be so eager for the interruption. I report to him regularly, as all regional managers do, but he allows us to run things as we see fit. Anyway.” He stretched, making the T-shirt curve over the defined muscles of his chest. “You’re disappointed.”
“As long as you’re willing to do something about this, I’m goo
d. There’s a problem, and I have no idea what to do about it.” She explained the lack of darker crossings as anger came off him in waves.
“That cannot be allowed. These demons, well, they’re not easy to deal with. I’ve had no reports of unrest.” He turned his head, squinting his eyes at one of the huddled shapes lurking near the window. “You. Come forth.”
The shadow scuttled to his feet, quivering like a black mass of jelly.
“Who is stopping them?” Like a parent talking to a child, he crouched on one knee and gave the energy his full attention. “Do you know where? No. Don’t worry. She’ll cross you very soon. You’ll never have to deal with them doing that to you. Thank you.”
Alaina struggled to remember that, regardless of seeing Mick’s image, the person inhabiting his body was inherently evil despite the layer of kindness and pleasantries. She only wanted one thing from him—to stop whatever was preventing the spirits from crossing and end the danger lurking around every corner.
“I’m sorry. I know where most of your problems are coming from, and that’s technically my fault. Good help is hard to come by, especially when each is out for their own means. Guess things aren’t much different from the corporate world in the afterlife.”
“That figures. Can I ask?” Her nervousness shed away.
“My second-in-command. Think rogue cop meets Godzilla, and as difficult to reason with. The riot at the World Series last year? Yeah. I thought the lesson had been learned. Apparently I was mistaken. It’ll take me a while to clean up this mess, but it will be done.”
“I appreciate it. What about the three demons?” She didn’t know if she was pushing it, but things had to stop if she was going to do this job the right way.
“I don’t have a clue.” He stepped closer. Patrick tensed under her and she sensed his fury.
“I can only do so much in this situation. The true solution lies with you. I think you already knew that. I know you view your situation as a curse, but the only curse is allowing bad stuff to happen when you know you can change the course of the future.”
The Shadow Guide (Challenging the Fates) Page 17
