by Dana Davis
With a small decoding spell, the secreted photos appeared. Daisy smiled and took a quick look before her spell faded. Family reunion pictures mostly. What went on at a paranormal family reunion wasn’t for mortal eyes. In one, a teenager in a poodle skirt floated a few feet above the floor as several young children stood around her. Inherent witches demonstrating their new powers. Quite a spin on the Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board game mortal children played. Of course, these kids didn’t have to touch their subject. It was dated 1950. So Fay was probably one of those children.
“Will you stop that?” Bridgette said in an irritable voice.
“What?”
“Fidgeting.”
“I’m not fidgeting.” Though she knew very well she had been. Looking at pictures was an unconscious cover-up for her nervousness over what happened earlier in the parking lot.
Before Bridgette could respond, Fay entered. “I see you discovered my photos.”
“Yes. Very nice.”
Jay came in with a tray and set it on the table near the tinted glass window that looked out onto a common area.
Fay said, “I thought we could have lunch together since I know you haven’t eaten, yet. This room isn’t very special but I have to be available to tenants just now.”
Always the hands-on type, Daisy mused.
Fay wouldn’t trust anyone outside family to manage this property. Hell, she probably wouldn’t trust half her relatives to do it. She was definitely an “if you want it done right...” kind of paranormal.
Jay, on the other hand, took after his father’s side. His dad descended from a long line of leprechauns who could trace their ancestry back to Ireland. They weren’t the little people with pointy ears depicted in stories. Well, some were little people, but that was purely a genetic defect and had nothing to do with being a leprechaun. In fact, the only distinguishable feature of a leprechaun was a clover birthmark, adding credence to the mythologies and stories. She had no idea where Jay’s birthmark was located. She’d never seen it.
Jay’s dad had luck in money and business during his life, like most leprechauns, and had an easy and fun-loving nature when it came to his family and career. Jay didn’t get his mother’s inherent talents—took two inherent witches to guarantee a witch child—or his father’s aptitude for gambling. But he’d shown promise in real estate. He also got his father’s laid-back personality.
He asked if his mother needed anything else then winked at Bridgette and slipped out before the redhead could say anything nasty. Which was probably for the best, since Fay didn’t like anyone squabbling around her. Daisy remembered that much about the woman from her youth.
“This is fine, Fay,” Daisy said. “Thank you.” Despite what had happened earlier, she was hungry. The cucumber and avocado pita sandwiches and Asian chicken salad fueled her appetite. Not to mention the desert pastries. “Looks delicious.” And those pastries look expensive. Daisy smiled. Only the best for Fay Abbey.
“Well, come on girls. Lunch won’t serve itself.”
They ate, told Fay what had been happening, though she already knew some of it from her visions, and quizzed her about shape-shifters and other similar paranormals.
“Sorry girls. I haven’t seen anyone like that. If he’s as old as your gran said, then his power’s probably clouding my visions. I saw someone was after you and knew you’d come to me, but I’m afraid he’s just a faceless man in my visions.”
Daisy nodded. He was just a faceless man to her too. That frustrated and frightened the crap out of her. Bridgette studied her but she ignored her cousin.
“Just because I can’t see him,” Fay said, “doesn’t mean he’s not around here, though. Let me check something.”
She’d finished her salad and half of her pita sandwich when she got up and made her way to a file cabinet. She uttered a dispersal spell that unlocked the bottom drawer.
After thumbing through the folders, Fay stood and said, “Nothing helpful here, I’m afraid. The paranormals who live here don’t have what it takes to shape-shift. I seriously doubt any of them are powerful enough to conjure an ancient spirit. Anyway, most are smart enough to stay away from that sort of thing.”
Anyone with half a brain would stay away from that type of conjuring. Spirits were unpredictable, in the best of circumstances. Daisy nodded and said, “Thanks, Fay.”
“I’m so sorry, girls. Not much help, I know. I’ll ask around.”
* * * *
After ordering furniture for Bridgette’s new digs and getting a local SIM card for her phone, they stopped at another auto dealer. Daisy decided not to stay in the van this time and she followed her cousin toward the eager men in ties.
A cursory conversation revealed this dealership had the car her cousin wanted, a sporty little convertible. Bridgette haggled a while so as not to draw suspicion, uttered a couple of coercion spells, and paid with a check. The two left in separate cars and headed back to Daisy’s place.
When Daisy stopped at a light, her cell rang. She fumbled for the phone and got it out of her purse on the third ring.
It was Noah. “Hi, Daisy. You okay? You sound distracted.”
“Yeah. I’m fine.” She heard a muffled humming sound in the background along with a radio and said, “You still at work?”
“Left early today. On my way home now. Where are you?”
“Almost home. Bridgette bought a condo and a car. She’ll stay with us until her furniture’s delivered.”
“Wow. That was quick. Well, okay. I’ll see you in a bit. Love you, babe.”
“Love you too.” She smiled and hung up.
The light changed. Daisy put her foot on the accelerator and glanced behind to make sure Bridgette was still there in her Porsche convertible. White, of course. This was the desert. She couldn’t imagine riding around in a black automobile when summers hovered around 115 degrees in the shade. Probably cook my brain right inside my skull.
The local joke about wearing oven mitts to drive in summer months wasn’t too far off either. Daisy had burned her hands numerous times since learning to drive as a teenager. Seatbelt buckles were awful too, becoming little branding irons if the car sat in the summer sun for more than five minutes. No wonder she relished Arizona winters now much more than she had as a kid.
When she made a turn at the next light, a man stepped off the sidewalk right in front of her. She swerved as she cursed, narrowly missing the car in the next lane. The other driver honked, shot her a single finger salute and sped on in his Lexus. Shaken, she pulled into the bus lane. The man who’d stepped in front of her was gone. Vanished.
“Dammit,” she said, and she smacked her steering wheel. Her hands trembled from the fierce adrenaline rush.
Bridgette pulled up beside her, car top down and sunglasses perched on the end of her nose, and motioned her to roll down the window. “What happened?”
“Aren’t you cold?” Daisy waved off any forthcoming comment. “I’ll tell you when we get home.”
The rest of the way, she drove carefully, eyes darting around in case the bastard decided to make another middle-of-the-road visit. Attacking her wasn’t enough? Was he trying to kill her now? The only thing she had to stop for was a coyote crossing the road but he didn’t look her direction. Luckily the other cars saw him and slowed. She hated seeing local wildlife as road kill, especially coyotes. They looked too much like dogs. And Daisy loved dogs.
Her hands were still trembling when she turned onto her street. From her remote, she triggered the garage door. She let Bridgette take her spot inside and pulled the VW into the driveway behind the woman. Noah wasn’t home, yet, and she felt a twinge of apprehension. What if the sonofabitch decides to go after Noah? Despite his paranormal ancestry, he wasn’t sensitive to the shape-shifter, she reminded herself. She hoped things stayed that way.
Perky waited just inside the laundry room and Daisy could hear his excited yips and barks. She let Bridgette in then pressed the wall remote to close t
he automated door and stepped into the laundry room. With long habit, she dropped keys, purse and sunglasses on the waiting shelf.
Perky pawed at her leg so she scooped up the excited dog and laughed at his tongue kisses. “How’s my little Perky-poo?”
“Hey,” Bridgette said from the kitchen.
“What?” Daisy caught up with her.
“I thought that thing was house-broken.” One freckled arm pointed to a puddle near the island.
Daisy sighed. “He is. But he has accidents once in a while. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left him alone so long. Opal’s not home on Monday mornings so I couldn’t drop him off.”
“You have a sitter for your dog?”
“Yeah.”
Bridgette laughed
“What? Opal has a dog about his size and they get along great. He needs socialization. Dogs don’t like being alone. They’re pack animals. Aren’t you, Perky-poo?”
Her cousin shook her head and disappeared into the hall. After Daisy cleaned the mess, she took Perky out back and watched him sniff around his territory.
The patio slider whooshed open—Daisy had left the screen open—and Bridgette stepped out. “You going to tell me or not?” She slid the door shut behind her.
“What? Oh. It was him again. The bastard stepped right in front of my car.”
“I figured it was something like that. I should give my mom another call.” She sounded reluctant. “See if she’s come up with anything.”
Daisy nodded. “She might’ve left a message on the machine. I didn’t look.”
“I’ll check. Be right inside. Just scream if you need me.” She smirked.
“Very funny.” Bridgette disappeared back inside and Daisy watched Perky chase quail from the block wall. Some flew into the wash. Others sat there, defying the dog. Or else, they just didn’t see him as a threat.
Before she knew what was happening, someone grasped her from behind, clamping a hand over her mouth. Perky bounced around near the view fence, not noticing anything unusual. Daisy’s heart raced and she grabbed at the invisible hand over her mouth but couldn’t disengage it. Another arm trapped her around her middle as he uttered something. Without her voice, she couldn’t cast a spell. Helpless. That thought didn’t sit well with her at all. In fact, anger began to swell.
Her attacker steered her toward a chair and forced her to sit on his invisible lap, her struggles quelled by his will and his physical strength. In her head, she screamed out for Bridgette but the woman didn’t come flying out the patio door like she hoped.
Of all the times not to go fishing around in my head. Get off me, you sonofabitch!
Daisy tried to scream through the invisible hand but she only managed a throaty grunt. Bridgette couldn’t hear her, not from inside the house. Perky bounded to her feet and barked. His attention moved to a dove pair and he scampered off again.
Bridgette! Damn it! Get your ass out here! Nothing. She tried another tactic and got her mouth open enough to clamp down on the invisible hand. The metallic warmth of blood met her tongue. Holy shit! This guy’s corporeal. A brief thought that she hoped he wasn’t carrying any diseases flashed through her mind. She wondered why Perky didn’t sense him. Must be whatever spell he’s using to stay invisible.
He had to have felt Daisy’s bite but he didn’t move his hand away. The only sign he’d even noticed was when his body stiffened against hers. She tried to bite him a second time but the hand gripped too tightly over her mouth. Again, she tried to pull away. No success.
While leaning into him and faking acquiescence, she managed to get one hand free. He began groping. As soon as the opportunity appeared, Daisy shifted her weight slightly and rammed her fist into his crotch. Or where she imagined his crotch would be if she could see the sonofabitch. When he released her, she scrambled from the chair and nearly took a header into the pool, catching herself on the umbrella and toppling it. Her hands hurt where she landed on the flagstone.
Curses flew from her lips as she stood and whirled for another round with her attacker. She had a nettle spell ready this time, along with both fists. He wouldn’t get to her again without some serious damage to himself, invisible or not. But when she turned around, Bridgette was the only one she saw. Where the hell had she come from? Maybe it was the same trick he’d used at the car dealer. Daisy backed away as Bridgette stepped toward her.
“It’s me, Daisy.”
It had to be her. The shape-shifter had never talked when he was impersonating another.
The tall redhead pulled Daisy to her and scanned the yard. “I don’t sense anyone now. You okay?”
“Yeah. I bit him.”
“What?”
“Bit him.” She swiped her palm against her mouth and brought away a spot of blood. “Now we know for sure he’s not a ghost. I just hope he’s not infected with something.”
“Shit.” Bridgette inspected Daisy’s hand. “A corporeal bastard, huh? Let’s get this into a vial. Maybe we can find out who he is.”
Daisy smiled. In all her panic and recent triumph, she hadn’t even thought of that. Blood. His blood. They could do a disclosure spell on it, find out his heritage. Then figure out a way to stop her goddamned rapist.
Chapter 14
Native Wisdom, or Not
Bridgette had contacted her mom again but the woman had no information, other than the attacks might have something to do with one of the local Native legends. Maybe even a skinwalker, like Noah had suggested. Since Daisy had drawn blood, her specter was no longer on the ethereal plane. When she heard about the blood, Margaret wanted to drive down. But Bridgette wouldn’t have it. After a brief shouting match, in which Daisy apologized to an amused Noah for her cousin’s behavior, Margaret finally relented and promised to stay in Sedona. For now.
So here they were, gathered around the dining table, spell books scattered here and there, a vial with the attacker’s blood in a center bowl. They’d done a few healing spells just in case the blood had contaminated Daisy. She felt fine. For now, anyway. She let Bridgette handle this one, as the woman had much more experience with disclosure spells. Daisy hadn’t done disclosures since high school when she wanted to find out nasty little secrets about kids who bullied others. Ammunition if any ever tormented her like they did some of her classmates. Of course, that got her grounded when her mother found out. And the woman always found out. Penny had been amazingly intuitive for an inherent without a smidge of telepathic or psychic abilities.
A disclosure spell differed from a reveal spell, like they’d done on Noah. For a reveal, they needed the person with them, and it revealed the past, not the present. A disclosure, with enough power behind it, could divulge things about a person or object, even if hidden by a spell, like Daisy’s attacker.
“Anything?” she said when Bridgette peered into the bowl for the third time.
The redhead grunted and cast another spell, this one in Gaelic. “He’s protected himself. Strong magick like we suspected. I think I can break through. But I’ll need your help.”
“You got it.”
Noah shifted in his seat and Daisy placed a hand on his thigh. She gave him her best I’ll be okay look and he relaxed. He’d been livid to find out about the more recent attacks but Daisy had promised she’d tell him everything. It was only fair since he was her husband. Especially now that Noah knew about his own paranormal blood, faint as it was.
She chanted along with Bridgette in Gaelic then Middle English.
“There,” Noah said. “I see something.”
“You would,” Bridgette uttered. “Hell. Both of you help with this one. Maybe one of us will find a fucking answer.”
Perky lay on his pillow near the fireplace and lifted his head at Bridgette’s tone. A tiny yip left his throat but Daisy cooed him back to his nap.
After what seemed an eternity, they managed to break through the mist long enough to see a face. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the face of a man. In fact, it wasn’t even human. What
stared back at them was a Kachina doll. As far as Daisy could tell, this Kachina could be anywhere, even belong to some uptown New Yorker who collected Indian stuff. Until she saw the wall plaque through the glass case.
Southwest Native Museum.
“What the hell?” she uttered. “I wasn’t attacked by a fucking Kachina, Bridge. You sure we did the spell right?”
“Yes. Maybe it belongs to him.”
“I don’t think so. That Kachina is on display in the museum. You saw it yourself.” Noah tensed but she ignored him for now. She would placate his fears later. Right now, she wanted answers. “And as far as I know Kachinas are protectors against evil. They wouldn’t help a malevolent specter.”
“Oh. In that case, the disclosure probably means you need one.”
“A Kachina?”
“Yeah. Do you have one in that messy attic of yours?”
“Not an original. Those are expensive. And not usually for sale, especially outside the tribe.”
“Maybe you can make one. Looks simple enough.” Bridgette motioned to the vision that now began to fade.
“It’s not the same, Bridge. Shit, you really didn’t listen when your mother talked about Native cultures, did you?”
“Anything to piss her off, cousin.” Her full lips grew into a wide grin.
Noah leaned forward, eyes narrow, and said, “I thought Kachinas were just teaching tools for Native kids.”
Daisy shrugged. “Yeah. I’ve heard that too. But this one’s no toy. Look at it. Looks old. Like it could come to life any moment.” It faded from their view.
“Hmm,” Bridgette said in a thoughtful tone. “Maybe we need it to complete the disclosure spell on your attacker.”
