Restless Spirits (Raised Book 3)

by Sharon Stevenson

  She sighed as I caught up to her. “I just…” She shook her head, glancing at Angie.

  I turned to the girl who’d killed me. “Would you piss off? I need to speak to Kit alone.”

  Angie made a whiny ‘oooh’ noise. I wished I was solid enough to slap her… Oh, wait. I reached out, and she teleported away before my hand could whack her shoulder.

  “I wish she would just be straight with me for once,” she said, shrugging. “She was always kind of secretive. But this…” She sighed again.

  “Maybe you should have let me follow her?”

  She laughed. “I don’t need to know who she’s seeing. I just wish she felt like she could come to me with this stuff. I don’t know why she can’t.”

  “Older sister, right? She’s probably used to looking after you, not the other way around.” It was the best I could come up with on the spur of the moment.

  Kit yawned. “I should get home. Feel free to haunt me tomorrow lunchtime.”

  “Ha, ha. Hey, can I haunt your dreams?”

  She smiled. “Maybe later. That spell was kind of… it took a lot out of me.”

  Damn. I smiled back. “Okay, well I’m walking you home and maybe you should put that locket on if you don’t want to know I’m still lurking around.”

  Thirty-Five – Kit

  I clasped the locket back around my neck on the way home. The bone-tired weariness was setting in fast, and I felt safer with my charm in place. It felt heavier somehow once I let it go. I could feel it resting on my chest like a bite-sized lead weight. I wondered idly if Pete really was following me home. I was too tired to really care either way. I couldn’t seem to stop yawning.

  It took forever to get home. It felt like I was walking through sand. Every step met resistance.

  I hoped I hadn’t messed up casting that spell. It was one of very few spells that Healers could cast, as well as Users. Apparently, it counted as a way to heal a spirit. I had no idea what that actually meant. I probably should have looked it up before I cast it. Oh well. What was the worst that could happen? Really, after everything that had gone down in the last few days the consequences would have be dire to make me waste any time worrying about it.

  The pub and my flat finally came into sight. My weary limbs found the energy to dash down the alley and up the stairs to the back door. The keys made me sigh. My fingers shook as I tried to make the right one fit in the lock. A few deep breaths later, I made it into the building. I locked the door behind me with half as much effort, leaving the key in place and heading up the stairs. I was out of breath by the time I got to my bedroom. This was ridiculous. I was not this unfit. The damn spell had drained me. That was all.

  I knew I was going to pass out the second my head hit the pillow and I didn’t waste any time fighting that instinct. I kicked off my shoes and jacket and crawled into bed fully clothed.

  The dream was like being awoken by a bucket of ice-cold water. I could see Pete in front of me. The memory was pulled from Britt’s hotel room in Vegas. He was bleeding from the gash that psycho bitch had cut into his face. The magic that animated his dead flesh and kept it from decomposing was bleeding out of him. He was dying and he knew it.

  “He died for you,” the sound of Kat’s voice made me turn. She stood beside me, dressed like Britt, in that revealing silk robe. He hand-stroked her protruding stomach. “I deserve a guy who would die for me. Maybe I’ll take him. He’s not much to look at and he is dead, but still…”

  “Stay away from Pete. You’ve got a man,” I heard myself say it, and I didn’t understand why. My words had bite to them, like I was really pissed at the thought of Kat wanting to steal the only guy I’d been interested in… Okay, maybe I was a little bit pissed. Still, I knew none of this was real. I shouldn’t be letting a dream version of Kat get to me so much.

  She smirked. “I’ll take whatever I want. Don’t you remember, Kitty-cat? I always get what I want.” She moved over to Pete. I didn’t want to watch, but I could take my eyes off her. She knelt at his side and licked at the blue liquid that had spilled from the gash in his cheek.

  I grimaced, my irritation rising in response to her actions. I couldn’t move to drag her away from him. He tilted his head, all trace of determination disappearing from his expression. I could see that look in his eyes, the one he’d had when we were together, passionate and raw. She moved away, the gash in his cheek healing rapidly. It glowed red as it healed, the colour flashing and slowly turning his blue skin back to real live human tones. She helped him to stand and they looked at me still frozen in place on the floor. It was torture, but no more so than seeing them kiss.

  I closed my eyes tightly. It’s a dream, and I know that’s all it is!

  When I eventually risked opening my eyes, daylight was spilling into my bedroom and sweat was beading across my forehead. I’d slept in my clothes. It was far too warm for that. I got up on shaky legs and stripped off my clothes. The locket reminded me I didn’t know if Pete was in the room or not. I touched it but I didn’t take it off. What did I care if Pete saw me naked? I grabbed a towel out of the cupboard in the hall and went into the bathroom.

  The mirror didn’t lie about how terrible I looked. The sheen on my face made me look sickly, my make-up smudged and smeared around the edges. I grabbed wipes and took it all off before I ran the hot water for my shower. That was slightly better. Now I just looked tired. Happily, I didn’t feel quite as tired as I had the night before. Sleeping had recharged me. I decided to spend the morning looking up the spell I’d cast to make sure it was safe to use it again.

  I took my time in the shower, trying not to think about the insanity of what I was doing. Attempting to date a ghost had to be the freakiest thing I’d ever even thought about doing. There was no way to explain it to anyone. It was so messed up.

  I tried to douse my doubts as I got dressed and dried off my hair. The locket stayed around my neck the entire time. I should have wanted to let go of the whole crazy situation and try to find a normal way to get on with my life. I stared at my reflection in the mirror as I tried to find an excuse not to spend any more time getting off with a dead guy. I thought of Mickey’s doomed boyfriend and sighed. It was no use. I didn’t want to give Pete up. I took off my locket and put it down on my desk. When I took a breath and looked around, Pete wasn’t there.

  Thirty-Six – Mickey

  “This is it,” I told Tim, motioning to the clones on the bed. They were sound asleep, thanks to a spell I’d worked on them. Man, using magic was never going to get old.

  He raised an eyebrow after a glimpse at his watch; still counting down the minutes to his execution. “I don’t get it. Why did you bring them here?”

  It was time to test my big plan out, I supposed. I knew it would meet with resistance, but I also knew it would work. I took a deep breath and got started. “The way I see it, you owe a lot of people something. You can’t just lie down and die. That’s not paying any of us back for anything. You’re a fighter and you always have been. Don’t quit on us now.” There went the first part, though I doubted my pep-talk made any difference to his plan to let the King kill him. Time for the guilt trip. “You’re the reason Pete is dead.”

  His gaze dropped from mine. He closed his eyes.

  I held my tongue. It wasn’t totally true, but he felt as if it was. I went on before the look on his face could make me take back what I’d accused him of. “You’re also the reason Angie is dead. Not that I care much about that little psycho, but still. She’d be whoring around like usual if she hadn’t been compelled to kill Pete and then herself. We both know who’s behind that and why.” Being inside Tim’s head had been highly illuminating. Everything I’d seen led to one conclusion, and I was only backing up what he already suspected himself. “You might think there’s nothing you can do about it, but you’d be wrong. We can put everything right and find enough Users to back us up in bringing down the King.”

  He looked at me finally, his eyes still full
of defeat. He spoke quietly. “These are King David’s Recruiter’s, Mickey. This is dangerous. I don’t think you understand what exactly you’re proposing here.”

  “Oh, I know exactly what I’m saying,” I told him. “I’m proposing that we kill the King. He can’t keep his hold over you if he’s dead. And don’t try to tell me he doesn’t have a hold on you. You’ve been working so damn hard to keep everyone and everything you love at a safe distance because you knew what he would do to them.” He’d tried to walk away from me too, but something had stopped him. I’d shown him I cared. I had to show him I still did. “You took a risk, and he used it against you. He could have targeted me, but he knew it would hurt you more to have me hate you for causing Pete’s death.” Thinking about it made me angry, but I had to stay on track here. All of this would be for nothing if I didn’t get through to him. “I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. But you’re the reason my brother is dead.” The words fell like lead.

  Tim’s stare became less hopeless. A spark of something lit his eyes. “We need as many Users as we can get.”

  A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. “Finally.”

  He ran a hand through his hair, a frown darkening his expression. “Nine. She has clones we could use. But…” He sighed. “He got to her already. I know he’s messing with her, but she doesn’t believe me.”

  “We can’t risk her knowing if she’s on his side.”

  “Maybe we could get to her clones,” he said, thinking out loud. He was talking quietly. “I can port to the castle and speak to the robot. She might just follow my orders.” He pursed his lips. It was a risky idea, and he knew it. “We have to be quick about this. If we take too long he’ll figure it out.”

  “Well, let’s concentrate on one thing at a time.” I looked at the bed.

  He turned, his magic flickering. A knife appeared in his hand. “We can make at least two Animates.”

  The speed of his decision gave me shivers. “Wait, that’s not what I had in mind.”

  He straightened. “Then what? There are two more clones of the King back at the castle. We should take them all. He’ll be hard enough to defeat on his own.”

  I nodded. I’d had my reasons for only asking him to teleport two of them to the room, but his plan to make Animates would be an option for the others. “You can ‘port them across once we’re done with my first plan. Animates might not be such a bad idea.” I glanced down at their sleeping faces. “Why don’t they look like him?”

  “Not all clones look exactly like their original. The King doesn’t give a shit about appearances,” he told me, putting the knife down. “They won’t work for us. Nothing we can do will make them commit treason.”

  I smiled. “We don’t need them to. I had another idea. One little spell… Wait, no, make that two little spells, and our plan can start to take shape.” I touched the shoulder of the clone closest to me, the heat of my magic pulsing over his skin. “There’s someone we need before we can get started.”

  I recalled the American Animate from memory and teleported him into the room. He stared at both of us, confusion quickly turning to dread.

  Tim glanced at him and back at me. “What’s the actual plan, Mickey?” It was as if he’d just realised I might have a proper strategy in mind. He eyed me as if I’d done something interesting.

  “Cal, that’s your name, right?” I asked the Animate, as if I cared.

  He watched me warily. “What do you want? I don’t need a User. I don’t want one. Send me back…”

  “We just need a wee bit help,” I told him in a reassuring tone that probably came off creepy if only because I couldn’t stop grinning now. This was it. The plan was falling together nicely. “I’ll send you back when we’re done. Right now…” I glanced at Tim. He truly had no idea where I was going with this. “We need you to summon someone.”

  Thirty-Seven – Nine/Britt

  A whole night of love-making in that huge bath had worn me out. I’d managed to pretend to drink my champagne without actually ingesting any alcohol, but I still wasn’t sure why I’d done everything I could to keep news of the baby from him. I’d agreed to his proposal. I was going to be his wife, his Queen. The thought of it stirred excitement in me. I was doing things I’d never thought possible for a lowly clone. David was sleeping beside me, so handsome and so wonderful. I blocked Eight’s voice before she could remind me he was a liar. I’d asked him about Timmy last night and he’d agreed to drop the charges against him and let him go. I just had to give Timmy the good news. I made to creep out of the bed and David’s arm pulled me back into place. He yawned behind me, muffling the sound with his pillow. I guessed it could wait. Timmy was safe, that was all that mattered now. I relaxed into the arms of the man of my dreams.

  He kissed my shoulder. “It’s too early to get up,” he told me.

  “I was only going to the bathroom,” I lied, wondering when I’d be able to stop being so damned secretive with him. It was becoming instinctive, and we’d only really been together for a few days. There was no way I’d be able to keep it up.

  He let me go, his hand brushing my arm as he moved onto his back. “Do you have to rush back?”

  I bit at my lip. It would be another day before I was to take the stage at the MGM Grand, my first gig as Britt. Really, I should head back to practice for that. I stroked my stomach. I knew it was only my imagination, but I felt as if it was rounder now. Probably just the pasta I’d eaten the night before. My body wasn’t exactly used to solid foods. I glanced at him. “I need to go back today. I have a concert tomorrow night.”

  He nodded and stretched out in the bed.

  I got up and went to the bathroom. I knew Timmy wasn’t in the castle’s dungeon awaiting execution like David thought he was. He was in a hotel room with a boyfriend who surely wasn’t going to just let him face his death. I’d have to go there and tell him the great news, but my heart sank at the thought of it. He didn’t see David’s good side. He’d tried to warn me off.

  I showered and dressed quickly, drying my hair with magic and stepping back into the dress and coat I’d worn to get here. My tattoo was showing. I hid it with the collar of the coat. I had to get my glamour under control. I froze suddenly, knowing I couldn’t perform while my magic was so unstable. I could wear something to cover the tattoo, but it wasn’t my biggest concern. What if I fell when I tried to levitate? I could hurt the baby. My stomach started to churn. I couldn’t perform. There was no way.

  I came out of the bathroom, smiling to hide my concerns. I didn’t have to worry about it. David was out cold and snoring softly. I took one last look at the gorgeous dress he’d given me lying crumpled on the bedroom floor. I couldn’t stand to touch it. I teleported out of the room with a heavy sigh.

  My suite was empty. It felt like a relief. I went into my bedroom and crawled into bed, crashing out as if I hadn’t slept in a week.

  Thirty-Eight – Pete

  I watched over Kit for most of the night, trying to figure out what to do about the whole situation with Mickey. I’d checked in on him and he’d been sleeping, so I figured it was safe to wait for Kit to wake up to speak to her about it. I was still trying to wrap my head around his being a User now. It didn’t seem real.

  When Kit woke up the next morning, I knew she’d forgotten that I’d said I might lurk around. She stripped off and I caught a glimpse of her naked before she dashed off to the bathroom. The surprise of it and the quickness reduced what I’d seen to a mental snapshot followed by a blur of flesh. I was waiting on her coming back, debating over whether I’d ask her to go find Mickey and stop him from doing something crazy and wondering if I had time to try and get her to do that spell again. We’d been so rudely interrupted, after all. I sighed. Realistically, I was going to ask her to help me stop Mickey. I’d get another chance at the other thing later. I hoped.

  The shower turned off and I moved into the hall. The signs that I was being summoned made me shudder. “Aw come on! N
ot again,” I moaned. Hadn’t Angie bugged me enough already for one life time?

  The room changed swiftly, making my head hurt. It took a second, but I recognised my new surroundings as Mickey’s hotel room and I immediately put my hands over my eyes. “Jesus Christ, Angie! Would you fuck up with this perversion already?”

  “Uh, so, yeah, that’s them here. So… can I go?” It was Cal’s voice.

  I moved my hands away from my eyes slowly. Mickey and Piss-face were looking at the Animate, not me. Oh, right, they can’t see ghosts. And I do mean that plurally. Angie was smirking at me from the other side of the bed, her hand on her hip. I sighed. Tim and Mickey might not be able to see ghosts, but Cal most definitely could.

  “Oh, thank God,” I said. “Cal, tell them they can’t take on the King.”

  He screwed his face up at me. “I’m so not… I want to get out of here, man. Today.”

  Why was he in such a rush? I glanced him over. He was topless, it should have figured.

  “He’s kind of hot,” Angie was saying.

  I glanced across the room and saw her assaulting one of two semi-naked sleeping men with her eyeballs. She was biting at her lip and fingering the strap of her bra. I shivered.

  “She wants that one,” Cal said, pointing to the man Angie was drooling over.

  Tim and Mickey glanced at each other. Tim nodded, moving to the other man, the one Angie apparently didn’t deem drool-worthy. He placed his hands on the man’s chest. Mickey placed his hands on Angie’s most desired sleeping guy. They began to chant.

  Something changed in the room. Energy charged the air. I felt crackly all over, my body shifting closer to the bed against my own will.

  “Uh, so, can I leave?” Cal shrugged his shoulders, apparently oblivious to the weird shit that was going down all around him.

  Tim and Mickey ignored him, continuing with their murmured chanting. I felt a sudden pull that was harder than the yank that always brought me to a summoner. The room darkened as I was pulled into the body on the bed. The feeling of a real live body with pulsing blood and working organs was dampened by a trapped, powerless terror as I realised I couldn’t move. My eyes were shut and Tim was chanting right over me, his hands pressed hard to my chest. He wasn’t speaking in English. I didn’t know what language he was speaking. It clicked after a few more chilling seconds; it was the alien language of the Vampires. It sounded like the weird music I’d heard when I’d almost been recruited by the Royal Guard at the castle.