“The lesbian?” Aric was interested in the conversation again. “Was she a lesbian before or after you came into her life? Did she put up a fight or jump right in? Oh, and was she hot or what?”
“Ugh.” I made a face. “You’re such a pig.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Aric sniffed.
“You only like the idea of two women because you want to jump in the middle of a sandwich,” I said. “That’s never going to happen.”
“Oh, honey, I can’t handle you,” Aric said. “Two women would kill me. Heck, you’re likely to kill me at times. I just like the visual.”
“Are you two done talking to each other?” Cissy exploded, her agitation obvious. “Don’t you care about the fact that I’m going to suck your daughter dry and live forever?”
I didn’t hesitate, lashing out with my magic and exploding the tree branch right behind Cissy. It fell with amazing precision, glancing off of her shoulder and falling to the side as she hopped back – away from Sami – and caught her breath. Aric took advantage of her distraction and grabbed Sami. She was still out of it.
“What was that?” Cissy asked, narrowing her eyes.
“That was me explaining to you that you’re not touching my kid,” I said, risking a glance at Katie as I licked my lips. “Katie, come here please.”
Katie didn’t immediately respond, but I could hear her murmuring.
“Tell her to come here,” I ordered Cissy. “If you don’t, I’m uprooting the tree. Have you seen the movie Poltergeist? I’m talking the original, not that crap factory of a remake. If you have, you’ll get an idea of what I’m going to do to you now that I’ve tipped over that tree.”
“Ooh, add in a creepy clown doll,” Aric suggested. “That’s always fun.”
“Clowns are never fun,” I countered, biting my cheek to keep from laughing as Cissy considered her options. “While you’re thinking about that – and I’m willing to give you time because I know those two brain cells you have can’t work at a very fast clip – why don’t you explain to me how you wormed your way into the Dolloway family. How does that sound?”
“It sounds as if you’re stalling for time,” Abigail snapped.
“I have all the time in the world,” I countered. “You’re the one running out of time. Aric has Sami, and I can end all of you without breaking a sweat.”
“That’s good for everyone, because Zoe only likes sweating when we’re alone.” Aric winked and cast me a flirty grin.
“You’re in a good mood,” I said, my attention drifting from Cissy. “It’s because you got your own way and I didn’t come out to kill everyone on my own, isn’t it? You won.”
“I did win,” Aric confirmed, averting his gaze. “I won the day I married you.”
“Oh, whatever. You won the argument in the end. We’re going to end the threat together as a family. You got your way for a change. That’s why you’re so happy.”
“I’m a genuinely happy man on most days, Zoe,” Aric said. “I have a wife I love, a daughter who is going to grow into a lovely human being once these hormones are out of the way, a great home, a sexy hot tub and parents who take the mouthy kid every weekend so we can have a naked Sunday. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”
“Oh, just admit you’re happy because you won,” I ordered.
“Fine. I’m happy because I won,” Aric said, his grin wide. “It rarely happens in cases like this. I think I’m going to throw a party … and maybe do a little dance later.”
“Do you two ever shut up?” Cissy exploded and I could feel the mood of the witch wraiths shift as they murmured behind me. I recognized the sound. They were the ones enchanting Sami. It wasn’t Cissy. Hmm. That was interesting.
“Honestly? No, I don’t ever shut up.” I answered even though I knew it was a rhetorical question. “Aric claims I even talk in my sleep.”
“Mumble,” Aric corrected. “You mumble in your sleep.”
“Same difference.”
“Not really.”
“What is it that you want to know, mage?” Cissy asked. “What explanation will make you happy before I kill you?”
I graced her with a derisive snort and shook my head. “In truth, I don’t necessarily need to know for myself,” I replied. “I will kill you without thinking twice about it, but I need to know what the deal is with Katie.”
Surprised, Aric snapped his head in my direction. “What do you mean? She’s the enemy?”
“Is she?” I cocked an eyebrow. “As far as I can tell she’s the last Dolloway heir. I’m guessing she’s not a member of the original line, but one of the offshoots. They’re pinning all of their hopes on her because that last Dolloway dude disappeared and they’re out of full-blooded heirs.
“Do you want to know what I think?” I plowed on, not waiting for an answer. “I think the last husband convinced the last wife to run off with him. I think she’s a witch of her own making now. I think she’s the last true Dolloway heir.”
“You mean that woman you met today?” Aric was surprised. “You think she’s the last Dolloway heir?”
I nodded. “I think she realized what was going on and was strong enough to make her escape,” I replied. “I think her husband left first and set things up for them while she put on a show to bamboozle Abigail. Then she took off in the middle of the night.”
Instead of denying the assertion, Cissy narrowed her eyes. “You saw Margaret? Where?”
“She’s around,” I replied, smirking. “She’s a good woman and she’s living a happy life. She told me what to look out for when dealing with you. Now I know why she was so knowledgeable – and wary.”
“Where is she?” Cissy seethed.
“Out of your reach,” I replied, glancing at Katie again. “I think she was your last chance and you’re not sure if she’ll work because she’s a far-off cousin instead of a legitimate heir. You really don’t care, though. You’re willing to sacrifice her to gain immortality for yourself.
“You’re a demon hybrid, which means you live longer than normal,” I continued. “I think you’re coming up on the end of your run, though. You’ve been using glamours to change your appearance – and in this case remain young looking – but you wear a lot of perfume. And it’s bad perfume. I’m guessing you do that to mask your scent.”
“What does she smell like?” Aric asked.
“Old feet and decaying flesh.”
“Nice.” He adjusted his grip on Sami, his eyes expressing regret as he looked her over. “We need to wake her.”
“We will,” I said. “She doesn’t need to see what’s going to come next. I just need Cissy to confirm Katie’s part in all of this. I don’t want to kill her if it isn’t necessary. Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s a snot, but she might be that way because Cissy here has been grooming her for years.”
“That’s not true.” Katie finally made her presence known and stepped forward, the moonlight offering her features a wan glow. “She’s my mother. She gave birth to me.”
“That’s right,” Cissy said, nodding encouragingly.
“She’s not your mother,” I said. “She’s a half-demon pain in the keister who either killed your mother and took her place or is keeping her someplace else,” I said. “My guess is she’s dead, because Abigail here couldn’t risk anyone stumbling across a kidnapping victim.”
“Stop saying that,” Katie said, her voice shrill. “That’s my mom.”
“She’s not your mother, Katie,” I said. “She’s a monster.”
“That’s rich coming from you,” Cissy shot back. “How many things have you killed? How many poor souls have you shredded this past week alone?”
“I haven’t shredded their souls,” I replied. “I’m guessing the husbands will think it’s a relief when I finally release them. I have no idea what the blood-sucking Dolloway bunch is going to think when they’re eradicated, and I really don’t care. The only one I’m even remotely concerned about is Katie.”
“Because you think she’s an innocent?” Cissy asked.
“I think she may be … less guilty … than the rest of you,” I clarified. “She’s still a snot-nosed poser with the personality of my ass after a long winter in thermal underwear, but if she doesn’t understand what’s happening I’m not keen on killing.”
“Oh, I think that was your best put-down ever, baby,” Aric said, smirking. “Let’s get this show on the road, though. I want to get Sami home and take a shower. The smoke from the house stinks, and you know I don’t like it when my olfactory senses get clogged up.”
“Yes, it’s a true bummer,” I said, patting his arm and turning back to Cissy. “So, which is it? Is Katie a villain or a victim?”
“Ask her yourself.”
This time when I shifted a look in Katie’s direction I found glowing red eyes, fangs descended in her mouth, a forked tongue flicking out and hands extending toward my arm.
“Holy crap!”
TWENTY-NINE
“O h, geez! It bites! It bites!” I jerked my arm away from Katie before she could sink her teeth into my tender skin and rocked her with a slap so hard it caused her to loll to the side and lose her footing. Then, just because I could, I kicked her in the butt and sent her sprawling.
“Nice,” Aric cheered, keeping a firm grip on Sami to make sure no one swooped in and stole her during the melee. “I guess you were wrong about her being a victim, huh?”
“Hey! I was still right about Cissy. That counts.”
“I think we should both agree that we were right and call it a draw.”
“Fine,” I muttered. “You’re still massaging me tonight.”
“We’ll see how this goes,” Aric said. “Okay, you’ve had your fun. Kill them.” His earlier mirth was gone, irritation taking its place.
“Kill us?” Cissy snorted. “You don’t have the power to kill us.”
I arched a challenging eyebrow. “Do you want to test that theory?”
“I want to test it, Zoe,” Aric snapped. “Stop screwing around. This talking things to death was cute when we were younger, but I’m tired. My back hurts. I want ice cream, a massage and an empty house tomorrow afternoon so we can watch a movie or something.”
“God, we’re so old,” I said. “When did that happen?”
“We’re not old,” Aric countered. “We’re just … older.”
“How is that different?”
Aric shrugged. “That’s life. Now kill them.”
“Fine.”
Cissy opened her mouth, what I’m sure was another terrific taunt on the tip of her tongue. I cut it off when I released the vise grip on my self-control and Katie burst into flames at my side. The howl from her mouth was unearthly. It didn’t last long because the intensity of the fire was triple what I normally send out.
“What did you do?” Cissy shrieked. “You killed her!”
“I’m pretty sure you did that,” I countered. “You mutated her somehow. Maybe infested her with your demon blood. She wasn’t a strong enough heir, so you had to warp her. Now she’s gone. I hope the real Katie – whatever happened to her – finds some peace on the other side, because that wasn’t her.”
“I’m going to kill you!” Cissy launched herself in my direction, her hands outstretched. Aric neatly sidestepped her, keeping Sami safe at his side as the wraiths screeched their disapproval and rushed in our direction.
I reacted out of instinct, lashing out and shredding the wraiths before they could touch Aric and Sami. That allowed Cissy to get a foothold, inch-long talons extending out of her fingertips as she clawed at my throat.
“Holy crap, you crazy wench,” I snapped, grunting as she tackled me to the ground and landed on top of me. “What is your deal? It’s over. I can kill those stupid wraiths without even trying. No matter how many times they regenerate, they’re not a threat.”
“Zoe?” Aric was alarmed.
“Stay with Sami!”
Suddenly, as if hearing her name spoken so loudly was enough to wake her, Sami shook her head and stumbled as she tried to keep herself from falling to her knees. Aric grabbed her, holding her tiny frame up as mental freedom momentarily overloaded her.
“W-what’s going on?”
“Mommy is fighting Cissy. Katie is dead,” Aric replied. “You’re okay, though.”
“Katie is dead?” Sami glanced around, bewildered. When her gaze finally landed on the smoking pile of ash, she was dumbfounded. “Was she evil?”
“Yeah, she grew fangs and tried to bite your mom,” Aric replied. “Mom slapped her hard and then burned her. Now she’s fighting with Cissy, who is really Abigail.”
Sami’s eyes widened as I grappled with an increasingly desperate Cissy. “How did that happen?”
Aric shrugged. “I don’t know. There was a story, but I lost interest. Women talk a lot. One of the most important lessons you’ll learn is that men only listen half of the time.”
“You’re in so much trouble,” I grumbled, bringing my knee up as hard as I could and dislodging Cissy from her perch on top of me. A wild murmuring filled the air, telling me the wraiths were regrouping much faster than I expected. “Crud.”
“Would you like me to help you?” Aric asked.
“I’m good.” I freed my hand long enough to slam my fist into Cissy’s face, causing her to howl. She rolled to the side and I took advantage of the moment to gulp in fresh air. Up close she really did smell like decaying flesh. “It’s the house. All of the souls are anchored to the house. Can’t you hear them?”
Aric shook his head. “Burn it down.”
“What if it starts a forest fire?”
“Be careful when you do it,” Aric said. “Burn it fast and control it.”
“You act as if I magically know how to do that,” I grumbled, groaning when I saw Cissy trying to get to her feet. “I’m bad at controlling that stuff.”
“Try,” Aric ordered.
I blew out a sigh and focused on the house, sucking in a breath and letting loose with a long whoosh. I could feel the power leave me and slam into the house, a million pieces splintering into a multitude of directions and causing Aric to shelter Sami’s head.
“Good grief, Zoe!”
“That was cool,” Sami said. “Wow.”
The murmuring stopped, and I wasn’t the only one to notice.
“What did you do?” Cissy growled, rolling to her knees and staring at the house. The top was gone … as were the walls … and most definitely the windows. Oh, who am I kidding? The entire thing was gone and fiery splinters landed everywhere.
“If that starts a big fire you’re in trouble, Zoe,” Aric said.
“Whatever.”
“What did you do?” Cissy raged, scrambling in my direction. She caught me off guard, knocking the air out of me when she tackled me to the ground. My head hit the earth hard enough to cause an echo, and for a moment everything going on around me appeared to be happening as if from a great distance.
“Mom!”
“Sami!” Aric’s voice sounded as if it traversed a long distance before getting to me.
I shook my head to clear the ringing, my mind jumbled as I tried to remind myself that Cissy was still on attack. Wait … why wasn’t she attacking?
“Oh, my … Zoe!” Aric’s voice was shrill, and when I finally turned my head in his direction I saw an amazing sight.
Cissy’s hand was outstretched in my direction, as if she was going in for the killing blow. Sami’s hand was on her wrist to stop her, though, and the point where Sami’s fingers made contact with Cissy’s wrist smoked and turned black.
“Zoe!”
“I see it,” I said, struggling to my knees. “Sami … I … let go.”
“I can’t.” Sami was tearful as Cissy tried to pull away from her. Sami’s anger was too great, though, and Cissy’s arm was charring and flaking even as my twelve-year-old struggled to let go.
“It’s okay,” I said, sucking in a breath as Cissy screeched
her disapproval to whatever gods she believed in. The demon witch fell silent as I finally found the courage to do what needed to be done. I grabbed Sami’s hand, whimpering as my flesh burned at her touch, and wrenched her arm free from Cissy’s decaying body. “Oh, let go, Sami!”
Sami pulled back, terrified tears rolling down her cheeks as I cradled my arm to my stomach. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I said, fighting off tears. The skin on my arm was black.
“Oh, man. It’s okay, sweetie. Mom will be okay.” Aric gave Sami a wide berth before hurrying to my side, dropping to his knees and gasping as he widened his eyes. “Oh, baby. That’s bad. Okay. You need to heal yourself.”
Great. Like I hadn’t figured that out myself. I was in too much pain to muster that sort of power.
“You can do it,” Aric whispered, wrapping his arms around my head and pressing my forehead to his chest. He knew I was in terrible pain, and he was trying to protect Sami from the ramification of her fiery temper. “I love you. You’re going to be okay. Heal yourself.”
I pressed my eyes shut and focused on my arm, letting everything else fall away. Aric continued to hug me as he swayed back and forth on his knees. He never ceased whispering encouragement.
“You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be okay. Heal yourself. Come on. Heal yourself.”
“Aric?”
He stilled. “What?”
“I’ve already done it,” I said, causing him to jerk his head back. “Stop giving me a pep talk, okay?”
Aric barked out a hoarse laugh, just as a bolt of lightning streaked through the sky. A rumble of thunder followed in short succession. “That should take care of the fire,” he said. “Let me see your arm.”
The skin wasn’t perfect. It was shiny and red. By morning it would be fine, though. I risked a glance at Sami and found her openly weeping. “It’s okay. I’m okay, Sami. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I burned you.”
“I … it was an accident, Sami. You didn’t know that would happen. You were trying to help.”
Haunted Covenant (Dying Covenant Trilogy Book 1) Page 25
