by Joyce Lavene
His words were fiercely dramatic and sincere. I knew he was swearing an oath to me in the only way he knew how. I appreciated what he said and tried not to smile at the way he’d said it.
“Thank you, Lucas. I trust you to care for Kate.”
He rubbed his hands together. “Addie, you must leave Skye now.”
I could feel Addie’s fear. Though she’d complained about being inside me, she was worried that I wouldn’t survive when she left.
“It’s okay,” I told her. “It’s gonna work. If it doesn’t, take care of Kate.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. I’m not a nincompoop. Just get on with it. If you don’t come back, give Jacob a hug for me.”
Addie’s spirit disengaged from mine. I saw her standing beside Lucas. I wasn’t floating away again as I thought I might. There seemed to be a green glow holding me in place. I was still becoming more and more transparent, but I wasn’t fighting the ceiling.
Lucas laid his hand on my foot that sported Abe’s tattoo. He closed his eyes and spoke a few words that had no meaning to me. My foot began to glow green too. I thought that I should have called Abe to warn him. He might feel the change when Lucas was finished. He could suffer that bout of weakness again as he had when Mr. Benton had disappeared.
But it was too late.
I looked at my feet and legs. They were glowing bright green, and the color was spreading up to my torso and through both my arms and hands. Lucas was staring at me. My mind was unfocused, fearful. I reached out to grab his hand and was able to touch him.
“I hope she’s not gonna stay green like that all the time,” Kate said from the doorway. “She can’t ever come to school again like that.”
Lucas took both my hands in his and smiled. “I believe we’ve been successful. How do you feel?”
The green glow around and through me was gone. I felt good—solid and human again. I reached out to touch the wall behind me. No problem. Kate ran up and jumped into my arms.
“I’m good.” I held my daughter tightly. “I think you’re right. You did it. Now we know how to reverse the curse. Thank you.”
“Abe will have noticed this,” Lucas warned. “You are not the same as you were before, but you are still here among us.”
“Come on, chicken feet,” Addie insisted as she shepherded Kate to bed when I put her down. “I think you’ve had enough excitement for tonight. I’d better not hear any complaining in the morning when you’re tired either.”
“Aw, Grandma.” But Kate grinned. “Goodnight, Mommy. Goodnight, Lucas. Thank you.”
Lucas gallantly bent his dark head to her.
When we were alone in the kitchen, Lucas made coffee as I dropped into a chair.
“You’re better at magic than you let on, aren’t you?”
“It comes and goes,” he answered. No commitment.
“You don’t have to lie. It’s not like I’m going to kick you out even if you’re a full-fledged sorcerer of universal power.”
He grinned as he poured coffee into two mugs. “I’m not sure what that is, but I can assure you that I mean no harm to you or Kate. I still have moments when all magic deserts me. I can’t make myself remember how I came to be here. But I am stronger.”
“Thanks for what you did tonight.” I took the mug from him. “And what you’ve done since you came. Everything looks great. Is that what sorcerers do to regain their power?”
Lucas sat across from me and grimaced as he took a sip of the coffee. “Sometimes to learn is to start from scratch. Plus, this place needed some aid. I was glad to help.”
“Well I know Addie appreciates it. I do too. I’m just not as enthusiastic about cleaning and pruning as I should be.”
Lucas’s gaze turned serious as he sipped his coffee. “Perhaps you shouldn’t mention this to Abe.”
“I think he’ll know.”
“But he won’t be certain unless you confirm it.”
“I’ll have to tell him if we’re going to help the rest of the zombies. It’s not happening just to his people who are finished with their twenty years. He found a new sorcerer, if you’re worried about him asking you to help him.”
“I know how to say no. I don’t know what his response will be to your new status.”
“My new status?”
He nodded toward my foot. “You’ve changed. I don’t know how much as yet. Only time will tell that.”
I lifted my foot that had the tattoo of a pale blue A in a circle. In place of that was a green mark that was a circle with an L inside it.
It took my breath away at first. Was Lucas’s magic keeping me alive now? What would Abe say if he saw this? I hadn’t appreciated being branded as one of Abe’s people in the first place. I wasn’t any happier wearing Lucas’s brand.
“Was this necessary?”
“The magic must reside somewhere. At least it isn’t on your forehead.”
I looked up quickly hearing the amusement in his tone. “It wasn’t like I enjoyed feeling as though Abe owned me, Lucas. I don’t like feeling that way about you either.”
“I can take care of that.” He raised his hand, and the mark disappeared.
“But it’s still there, right? Just screened by magic.”
“It’s all I can do for you right now, Skye.” He got up from the table and held out his hand. “Will you lie with me for what is left of the night?”
I wanted to sleep and forget about everything that had happened that day. But I couldn’t. I had to deal with the change I felt inside me.
“I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back before breakfast. Goodnight. And thanks again.”
He nodded. “You are most welcome.”
Outside, the air was thick and humid. It continued to feel as though rain was hanging just above the tree line, ready to fall, but something was holding it back. There were landscaped walking trails in the woods behind Apple Betty’s Inn. They’d been put there by Jacob’s father for the guests who were looking for something to do.
Tiny lights had been set in the trees, most not working after being ignored so long. No doubt Lucas would find his way out here at some point and clear away the brush, replacing the fairy lights. There were benches and cute statues of dwarfs and frogs. A nice fountain had long gone dry, and the bridge over the little pond was broken.
I walked the trails, knowing them by heart. When Jacob and I were first married, we’d been out here all the time at night. It had been a place of magic to us then.
A few branches had fallen across the path making some of it inaccessible. It had been three years since I’d been out there, but I could still hear Jacob’s laughter as I’d tried to jump the pond and missed.
I scrubbed my hands across my ears. Now wasn’t the time to get nostalgic about the past.
Lucas seemed certain that Abe would know what had happened to me. What would he say or do? Was Lucas’s magic keeping me alive now, or was it some combination of the two?
What had seemed so simple three years ago when I’d signed Abe’s contract was suddenly more complex. I knew about magic—and lived with a sorcerer. I wanted to keep investigating Jacob’s death, even though I knew Abe wouldn’t like it if he found out. And most important, I knew Abe’s magic had limitations. I’d thought it was absolute when he’d told me he could offer me another twenty years with Kate.
Things change.
I walked the paths until my hair was wet with dew and my clothes were saturated. Just before dawn, I went back inside to the room Jacob and I had once shared and took a hot shower. I wrapped a towel around myself and looked at my face in the bathroom mirror.
My face looked the same—wide blue eyes, crazy blond hair, and a stubborn mouth. I wanted to believe that everything was going to turn out okay for the rest of my zombie time, but increasingly, I wasn’t sure.
Was it running into Lucas that had changed everything? Or was it just the way things happened?
I hadn’t known what happiness or security was since
Jacob and I had died. This was as close to it as I imagined I would ever get. I had to remember that I was there for one purpose only in the coming years. That was all that was important. I had to focus on what was important—Kate.
Lucas’s vow to care for her had touched me. I believed he was sincere when he’d made it. I thought he would take care of her if it was needed. That made me smile.
After getting dressed, I went downstairs. There was bacon and French toast for breakfast. Lucas was smiling and joking with Kate and Addie. Addie was packing Kate’s lunch for school. We were just like any other ordinary family on a school day. Even Addie looked so alive that it might be hard for anyone else to know that she was a ghost.
I poured coffee and orange juice and took my seat at the table.
Kate seemed fine except for the dark smudges under her eyes. Lucas and I took her to school, after I’d explained the situation at Debbie’s. He’d agreed to take a look at Terry and see if there was anything he could do. I figured he’d managed to turn ghost-me back into zombie-me. Maybe there was something magical he could do with Terry.
“Are you going to try to be home before bedtime tonight?” Kate asked me in the car line at school. “I haven’t heard Goodnight Moon in a long time.”
“I can’t make any promises, but I’m going to try really hard. Why don’t you have Grandma read it to you?”
“Because she told me it was stupid, and now I don’t feel the same about her reading it.” She flashed her sweet brown eyes at me. “And I think you should be home early sometimes. Maybe that wouldn’t have happened to you last night if you weren’t out late all the time. Grandma says nothing good can come of people being out all night.”
“Well, Grandma should know.” I smiled and ruffled her hair. “I’ll do my best to be home early tonight.”
“Okay.” She looked back at Lucas. “You heard her, right? You’re my witness.”
“That’s right.” He laughed. “If she’s not home by bedtime, maybe you and I will go looking for her. Perhaps we could help her do whatever she’s doing so she gets done sooner.”
I didn’t say anything to him until she got out of the van, and he’d moved into the front seat.
“What made you say something like that? I hope you know better.”
“Maybe I don’t.” He shrugged. “Maybe we’ll come see you at your job. I’m sure that would be enlightening for Kate.”
That made me mad. “You don’t get to judge me. I do the best I can.”
“Your daughter—the reason you agreed to that blasphemous arrangement with a demon—needs you too, just to spend time with her.”
If the van would have had more power, I would have laid down some rubber at the end of the school driveway. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for us, Lucas. But don’t try to make me feel guilty about her. And don’t ever say something like that again. She’s a kid. She doesn’t know you’re not serious.”
“Perhaps I am serious. I imagine seeing Kate at the tattoo shop would remind you when it’s time to come home.”
I didn’t say anything else about it. I was too angry to speak and keep my eyes on the road. We drove to Debbie’s house and got out.
“Let me handle my relationship with Kate. I don’t need your help with that. She’s my weak spot. We both know that. Don’t use her against me. You won’t like the result.”
He bowed his head. “My apologies. It won’t happen again.”
I marched into Debbie’s house—the door was open. Lucas was behind me. There was no one stirring, which immediately threw me into a panic.
“Debbie? Bowman? Raina? Where are you?” I called, fear gripping my throat.
Chapter Eighteen
“In the basement,” Lucas said. “I can hear them.”
“That’s where we put Terry last night.” I pulled the Beretta out of my holster.
I ran down the stairs. Terry was still tied, sleeping on his side in a tight fetal position. He hadn’t changed back to anything that looked like a man.
Debbie, Bowman, and Raina were asleep on blankets close to him, but not close enough that he could reach them without breaking his bonds.
Relieved, I put away the gun and shook Debbie. “Time to get up. I brought Lucas with me. Your kids are gonna be late for school.”
She flew up like a small bird, raising a fuss until her kids were up and moving too.
“I’m so sorry, Skye. Hello, Lucas. Thanks for coming. Do either of you want breakfast? Coffee?”
“We don’t want anything. Just get ready so you can take the kids to school. Leave us down here with Terry for a while.”
Debbie glanced at her husband. “Okay. Just don’t hurt him. He can’t help what’s happened to him.”
“I swear he will not be harmed,” Lucas promised.
“Call me if you need anything.” Debbie finally broke herself away from Terry and followed Raina and Bowman upstairs.
Lucas squatted close to Terry. He didn’t touch him—just looked at him. Terry woke up and stared back at Lucas the way a dog will sometimes stare at his owner.
“What do you think?” I asked.
“Shh. Why don’t you go upstairs with your friend and leave me to it? I’ll let you know when I have an answer.”
“If this is because of what I said to you about Kate—”
He glanced up at me. “The two have nothing to do with each other. Go now. You brought me here to see if I can help. Let me have some time.”
I went upstairs, still angry about what he’d said in the van and feeling that he was dragging this out with Terry because of it. It only took him a few seconds to know what to do with me last night. Why was this taking so long?
He still wasn’t finished when Debbie was ready to take the kids to school. I went with them rather than sitting and waiting for her. Bowman looked like he’d been in a fight, scratched and bruised. He was also sullen and didn’t speak. Raina just stared out the window.
On the way back home, I told her how Lucas had managed to change me back from being a ghost.
“My God, Skye,” she said. “You were so close to being gone, again. You were lucky he knew what to do.”
“I hope so. If he changed me too much and Abe guesses, I could be dead again in no time.”
“Maybe Lucas can help Terry since he helped you.” She stopped her minivan in the driveway and ran into the house.
I followed her, but Lucas was upstairs. His news wasn’t good.
“I can’t help him,” he told Debbie, holding her hands as she cried. “This change that has come over him is deep within him. It was part of his nature, perhaps his family curse. It has progressed too far. There is nothing I can do. I’m sorry.”
From the basement, Terry began to howl and call Debbie’s name.
She sat on the sofa, sobbing. “What should I do? I can’t take him to Abe. I’m afraid he’ll kill him.”
“What makes you so certain Abe visited this affliction on him?” Lucas asked.
“It began happening after he brought Terry back to life. I assume that’s why he changed.”
Lucas was silent, appearing to consider her words. “I understand from what Skye has told me why you don’t trust Abe to help your husband, but I think he might be the last hope Terry has.”
Debbie’s phone rang. The school was calling. Bowman had collapsed, and they needed her to pick him up.
“I can’t go in today, Skye. I’m sorry. I should’ve kept the kids home. It was too much to think we could all go on like normal after what happened last night. Can you handle it if you have a job?”
“Yes. Don’t worry about it. Give yourself some time to recover. I don’t think Abe is going to send anyone out on a pick up until he figures out what’s going on.” I squeezed her hand, and she hugged me. “I’ll see you later.”
“Let me come with you,” Lucas petitioned as we left Debbie’s cabin. “I can help.”
“You don’t want to work for Abe.”
“That does
n’t mean I don’t want to be there for you. I might be able to better explain to him about what I did last night. There may be a way he could imitate it. Take me with you, please.”
My mind did a rapid reversal. At first I thought there was no way he was coming with me. Then all the stress I’d shared with Debbie’s family, compounded by turning into a ghost, caught up with me.
Why not let Lucas explain to Abe what he’d done? If there wasn’t a job, I’d go home. What could it hurt?
“All right. I could use the company.” I started the van. “And you’re probably right about being the best one to explain this to Abe. Just don’t expect any applause from him. You’re not exactly his favorite person.”
“I can deal with that. Perhaps I could help you if you have to pick up a zombie becoming a ghost again?”
“Maybe. But where would we get another ghost to go inside the zombie like Addie did?”
* * *
Deadly Ink was quiet for once. Maybe it was a reflection of Abe’s mood. He couldn’t have been happy about the situation with Mr. Benton and might know that Lucas had taken his mark off my foot.
I had the complete story of how it had happened set in my mind as I walked through the nearly empty tattoo shop. I could explain exactly why Lucas had done what he had to and saved me.
“He’s in the back,” Morris said. “I think he wants to see you.”
“Thanks.”
“He can’t go back there.” Morris inclined his head toward Lucas. “Abe didn’t say anything about him.”
“Well he’s going anyway. Abe is gonna want to hear what he has to say, and I don’t think any of us are in the mood to deal with your crap today.”
Morris eyed Lucas and stepped back. “Whatever. It’s on your head if Abe kills him.”
As Lucas and I walked through the hall toward Abe’s office, Lucas muttered, “I would like to see him try.”
“Shut up unless you want to wait in the van.”
The door to Abe’s office was open. I saw Brandon lounging back in a chair with a snarky grin on his face. There was another man in there too. I couldn’t see his face until I’d entered the room.
