by Deanna Chase
Roy twisted as if in agony, suspended directly above Bea. She sat still as a statue, staring up at him, her eyes never wavering. The other four, Kat, Charlie, Ian and Holly, stood circled around Bea, their hands clasped.
I couldn’t help but be worried for Lailah. She wasn’t part of the circle anymore. Who was protecting her? If anything went wrong with whatever piece of magic she was wielding, there could be serious consequences. It dawned on me Kane and I were outside of the circle as well, but for some reason I had no fear for my safety anymore. I had to help.
I forced my way through the roaring wind down toward Lailah and pressed my senses toward her. Determination, mixed with a thread of frustration, met my inquiry. Frustration. Maybe the spell wasn’t working properly. I glanced back at Bea, still rigid in the chair. No help there.
Kane flew to my side and gripped my arm. “Keep your energy with me.”
“I can’t. I have to do this!” I shouted. We’d never be free of Roy if we didn’t finish it now.
“No! You will not merge with him again. I won’t let you.” Kane’s fear penetrated my mind.
“Not him. Lailah.”
Kane’s face relaxed, but I knew it was a conscious effort. Tension radiated from him like a beacon. He held his hands up as if to say wait. “Can you take me with you?”
Could I? I had no idea. Usually I focus on one person and can tune everyone else out. I didn’t know if it would work with two. “I’ll try.”
Standing together, next to the struggling Lailah, I took turns focusing on each person in the room and systematically shutting them out. Everyone except Roy. Then I turned to Kane. Connecting with him took no effort. I sensed his relief at being merged with me. I sent him a small smile and turned my focus toward Lailah.
She frantically strained to complete something. I didn’t know what she was doing exactly, but it was clear she was struggling. I gathered Kane’s spirit to me and sent everything we had in her direction. She straightened and stood taller. With a renewed air of confidence she tilted her head back, chanting words I didn’t understand.
Kane and I stood next to her, our arms around each other, and waited. Everything turned pitch black. My fingers tightened in his until triumph flowed from Lailah. Then a circle of light formed in front of us, radiating orange and red, and the wind stopped. The room took on an eerie glow.
Curiosity lured me toward the light.
Kane’s arms tightened around me. “No, Jade. It’s a portal.”
“A what?”
“It’s where we’re sending him.” Kane pointed toward Roy.
My eyes went wide as I watched Bea stand. The other four broke away, giving her room to move. Even though they weren’t touching anymore, they stayed in a circle formation.
Roy still floated above Bea, contorting as if in pain. She moved slowly, carefully, never taking her eyes off him. We stood transfixed, all of us, watching.
The closer Bea and Roy got to the portal and to me, the harder it was to block Roy from my awareness. I took a few steps back and felt Lailah cling to our connection.
“No, Jade. I need you close. You’re the one making me strong enough to hold the portal open,” Lailah said.
I took a deep breath and moved closer to her, bringing Kane with me. We formed a barrier on the edge of the portal and waited for Bea to reach the other side.
Even with Kane’s and Lailah’s strength, Roy slowly worked his vitriol into my being. Hatred and despair wedged its way into my soul, sending small stabs of pain through my body. I clenched my hands tighter around Kane’s and Lailah’s, trying to block it out. A trickle of her airy essence pressed on my skin, but Roy overpowered it. Then, in a gut-wrenching slash, Roy’s energy severed my connection to Kane. Struggling, I sent my own energy out in a panic, desperately trying to hold on to Kane’s strength, but nothing worked. Eventually the pain became sharp daggers.
Roy started to seize me.
My eyes blurred as I fought for control. If we could just get him in the portal. I looked up, barely making out the images of Bea, now at the far edge of the portal, and Roy, centered above it.
“Do it now! I can’t take it anymore,” I screamed through the spasms of pain.
“No!” Lailah yelled. “He’ll take her with him.”
Kane wrapped his arms around me, as if to shield me from harm. “I’ve got you. I won’t let anyone take you.”
I shook my head, with silent tears rolling down my cheeks. “He’ll never let me go.”
“Yes, he will,” a translucent Pyper said from Bea’s side.
“Pyper? How did you get here?” Kane’s voice rose with panic.
“Not now,” she said and turned toward Roy. “Let her go, you sick fuck. It’s me you want.”
“No!” I yelled and wrenched out of Kane’s arms before running around the portal to Pyper’s side.
Roy’s energy vanished from my awareness just as Pyper’s eyes rolled up in the back of her head. I lunged and caught her just before she fell forward into the red light.
“I won’t let you have her!” I yelled at Roy.
He still floated above the light, trapped by Bea, but his sick satisfaction flowed straight to Pyper. It crawled over my arms, making me want to release her. I clutched her tighter, painfully aware she’d slipped back into the coma. If we sent him through, she’d be lost.
“Damn it!” I reached a hand out to Kane, who now stood beside us. “Help me.”
He took Pyper from my arms and held her propped up against his side.
I focused on Lailah and with her energy mixed with mine, I sent it all into Pyper, determined to either free her or take her place. She didn’t have any defenses against him. I did.
Pyper’s energy was not void, like it had been in the hospital. It was just hidden. I now understood what Lailah meant when she said she could see things other people couldn’t. Her ability helped me focus on the parts that were Pyper and the parts that weren’t. Specifically, the areas Roy was infecting.
Her energy was thick, like mental sludge. No, not her energy. Roy’s. The realization hit me and I focused harder, mentally battling the sludge. I forced it all together. Roy fought back, but with Lailah’s strength merging with mine he didn’t have a chance.
Together, Lailah and I mentally grabbed hold of Roy and ripped him from Pyper. He screamed in anger and lashed out, trying to invade me.
“Now!” Lailah yelled.
Roy spiraled toward the portal. Then something changed. My emotional radar was cut off, and I drifted into a hazy fog.
Chapter 23
A steady stream of beep, beep, beep entered my consciousness. It took me a moment to realize the sound wasn’t an alarm clock. It was the monitors in the hospital. All at once the scene at Wicked flashed through my mind. I jerked up but was stopped by something gripping my hand. Through blurry eyes I traced the source of my entrapment. Pyper sat next to me, both of her hands clasped over my right one.
“Hey,” I said, my voice cracking from lack of use.
“Hey yourself,” she said with a huge grin. “How are you doing?”
“Water?”
She held out a paper cup.
I sipped the liquid through the straw and cleared my throat. “It’s over?”
Pyper nodded.
“It was all real, right?”
“Yes.” Tears filled her eyes and she gripped my hand harder. “Thank you,” she whispered.
My eyes filled, and I reached out to her. We held each other for a long moment.
“Where is everyone?” I asked. Then panic flared. “They’re all okay, right?”
“Everyone is fine. They’re at my apartment. That’s where they were meeting to sleep, so Kane could bring them to you. Except Bea. She was physically in the club.”
Relief flooded through me. “I figured that last part out. Was that Roy’s chair?”
“Yes.” Her fingers twitched, and a small spark of her surprise tickled my hand. “How did you know?”
/> “I sat in it once while I was in the storage room. Some of his residual energy clung to it. It’s awful. I made the connection when I saw her in it. I assume that’s how she tapped into his energy.”
“You’re good.” Pyper said, her eyes wide and eyebrows raised.
I smiled and tried to sit up. “Oh, God. How long have I been here?”
“A week.”
“What?” No wonder I could barely move. “It didn’t seem that long.”
“I know,” Pyper said quietly. “I suppose that’s a good thing, considering all the pain he put us through.”
“Oh, Pyper. I’m so sorry we didn’t think of a way to get to you sooner.”
“Huh? You got to me after two days. We took a week to get you out.” She frowned, and shame seeped from her straight into my heart. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I wanted to come. I wanted to go right back, but Kane wouldn’t take me.”
“Good!” I sat up straight and waited for my spinning head to clear. “I wasn’t in pain. I have the ability to block him out. Didn’t Kane tell you that?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. He might have tried, but I got angry and stopped speaking to him for a few days.”
“Pyper…” I wanted so badly to take away her guilt and shame, but I knew I wasn’t strong enough. Instead, I gathered all my appreciation and pushed it toward her.
The tension in her face eased. “I know that didn’t help, but I was the only one who knew how bad it really was. It drove me insane, knowing Roy had you.” Her eyes clouded. “I wanted to rip his eyes out.”
I smiled at that. “Thank you. But I think sending him to hell was a better choice.”
“Is that where Lailah sent him?”
“I think so. If not, it was close to it. That portal had some seriously bad juju vibes coming from it.” I shivered. “Plus, she told me and Kat that she’s some sort of angel.”
Pyper jerked back. “Angel? That seems sort of crazy, don’t you think?”
“That’s what I said. But who knows? Look at what we just went through. It could be true.”
“I guess you’re right.”
I shifted my body, trying to swing my legs out of the bed, and caused an alarm to go off.
Pyper laughed.
“Crap.”
The door opened, and a nurse bustled in. “You’re awake!” She clapped her hands. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine. I need to get up and move. My body aches.”
“In due time. First the doctor needs to check on you.” She pushed me back down, and checked my temperature and blood pressure. After asking my name and other identifying questions she seemed satisfied and said, “Looking good. I’ll send the doctor right in.”
The nurse left, and I returned my attention to Pyper. She held her phone out to me. “You have a message.”
I read the text. Tell Jade I love her and not to move an inch. I’ll be right there. Kane.
I laid back and closed my eyes, imagining the feel of his arms around me, and then sat straight up. I’d been lying here a week. “Give me a mirror!”
“I told him you’d be fine when you woke up.” She held out a brush and mirror for me. “I was the same way. As if I’d only been asleep for an extended amount of time.”
I went to work, trying to tame my hair. Someone had braided it in one long plait to the side. I undid it, gently combed it out and fixed it up into a relaxed bun.
“You look pretty like that,” Pyper said.
“Ugh, if I wasn’t so pasty white.”
She handed me a compact and some lip gloss. “This will help.”
A few minutes later I surveyed myself in the mirror. Better. At least I didn’t look like death. “Thank you.” I handed everything back to Pyper and patted the bed for her to sit down and wait with me.
“So, have you been sleeping okay this week?” I asked.
“Not really.” She caught my panicked expression and continued. “Just because I was worried about you, not because I was being tortured. That’s over. But I did see someone else in my dreams. A fair-haired man and a golden retriever. Anyone you know?”
“Did they have white light shining around them?”
“Yes.” She smiled.
“Crap. Why are they bugging you?”
“They aren’t. They appeared the first time I slept after I woke from the coma. The man waved and walked off. I think he said goodbye.”
“Weird.”
“A little, but it doesn’t bother me. They seemed harmless.”
“To you, maybe,” I mumbled. Then, to change the subject, I asked, “Do you know why Roy was after you?”
“Yeah. He thought it was my fault he died.” She frowned.
“What? Why?”
“You know he got all that money from selling Kane the club.”
I nodded.
“Well, he took it all to the casinos and started hanging with the wrong crowd. Seems he gambled most of it away and ended up crashing at some dope dealer’s house. There was an altercation, and he got caught in the crossfire. That’s how he died.”
“And this is your fault why?” I didn’t see the connection.
“Because we forced him to sell out. If we hadn’t, he’d still be here, running the club.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I know. But he’d hated me for a long time now. Ever since I rejected him.”
“Ick.” A shudder ran through my body at the thought of Roy asking her out.
“Yeah.” Her shudder mimicked mine, and we both laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Kane stood just inside the door.
My eyes found his. My heart swelled at the emotion I saw there.
Pyper cleared her throat. “Nothing. It’s about time you got here. What took you so long?”
“It only took me ten minutes.” He shook his head and rounded on her. “What the hell do you think you were doing, showing up in my dream?”
Pyper stiffened. “Stop it. You didn’t see her.” She nodded to me. “Her body started flinching, and I felt what she was feeling.”
“You did?” I asked, more than a little shocked.
Pyper turned to me. “Yes. I felt him mentally attacking you. I couldn’t let it happen. So I curled up next to you and willed myself to Kane’s dream. It wasn’t hard. I’d been there before.”
I clutched her hand and mulled over what she said. “Can you sense anything about me now?”
She chuckled. “Just that you want some time with Kane.” She squeezed my hand and let go. “And no, it isn’t a psychic thing. It’s just obvious. I’ll see you two later.”
She disappeared and Kane sat next to me. “Are you all right?”
I nodded and pulled him closer.
He planted a kiss on my forehead and hugged me tight. “I thought I might have lost you.”
I shook my head, too afraid to speak.
He shifted and looked into my eyes. I didn’t need to explore his energy to feel the love flowing from him.
“Just hold me a while,” I choked out.
“I’ll hold you forever.” He lay down next to me and wrapped me in his arms. I snuggled in and rested my head on his shoulder. After a moment he undid my bun and spent a long time running his fingers though my hair.
***
Later that day, the doctor had just left when Charlie and Holly came to visit. They brought flowers and sat with me for a while. I asked about the café and the club, and they filled me in on the craziness of being short-handed. Charlie talked about a new girl she had her eye on, and Holly told me she signed up for my glass beadmaking class.
“You did?” I asked, surprised.
“Yes. I just knew they’d find a way to bring you back. I figured planning a future with you in it could only help. You know, positive cosmic energy and all that.” She tilted her head, hiding her face with a sheet of long blonde hair.
“Yes, that does help. Thank you.” I tapped her arm. “But did you really want to learn?”
We chatted for a few minutes more until Kat showed up.
“We’ve got to go. See you soon,” Charlie said and grabbed Holly’s arm to escort her out.
“Bye.” Holly waved.
I watched them go and turned to Kat. “What took you so long?”
She sat down next to me. “I had to call Gwen back. She’s been frantic ever since she felt you disappear.”
“Oh my God, Gwen!” I reached over and picked up the phone. After leaving a short message, I turned back to Kat. “What did she say? Is she all right?” Damn it. That must have been hell for her.
“She’s fine. She felt you come back to the land of the living. But I think she’s planning a visit soon, so prepare yourself.”
My heart swelled. “I’d love to see her. But—” I stared at the door as if she would walk in any minute, “—crap, I won’t have any secrets after she gets here.”
Kat laughed. “True. That woman can’t keep anything behind those bright red lips of hers.”
I groaned, but was still smiling. “Have you seen Bea? I want to thank her.”
Kat’s smile faded. “Yeah. I just came from her house. She nearly collapsed with exhaustion after holding Roy in a binding spell for so long.”
“Oh, no. Is she okay?” I inched up on the pillows.
“I think she will be. Ian’s going to stay with her until she feels better.”
“Ian’s staying with her? I didn’t know they even knew each other.” Then something hit me. “Bea is Ian’s aunt, isn’t she?”
Kat nodded. “Yes. I didn’t know either until this week. They were together at some ghost hunt. That’s why we couldn’t reach either of them.”
“Ian could have told us he was leaving,” I said, slightly annoyed.
“They’d only planned to be gone one day, but things got a little wild, and they got stuck. Anyway, I’ll let him tell you all about it later.”
“Is he coming by?”
“No. He said to tell you he’d call. He doesn’t want to leave Bea alone.”
“That’s good.” My heart filled with gratitude at what everyone had done to help me. I reached out to Kat and grabbed her arm. “Thank you.”
