by Rose Pressey
Liam looked at the necklace. “Are you sure?”
“I’m almost positive,” I said almost apologetically. I wished I wasn’t so sure.
“We could cast a spell to see if it’ll give us a glimpse of what happened in this room,” Jon offered.
Liam gestured toward Jon. “He’s got a point, but a spell might allow us to see things we might not want to see.”
My stomach turned. “Like bad things that happened… possibly to Nicolas?”
Liam looked down. I knew the answer was yes. No matter what I saw though, I had to know the truth. We’d have to cast the spell. Perhaps with the help of Liam and Jon, I wouldn’t mess this one up.
“Let’s do it,” I said with resolve.
Liam stared at me. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. “It’s about the only option we have right now.”
Annabelle shifted from one foot to the other. “Oh, what the hell. I’ve helped you with a spell before.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Annabelle.”
“Let’s join hands.” Jon motioned for us to form a circle.
Once we’d all joined hands, I began to recite the words: “Element of Earth, we call to you. Empower us with the energy to see.” Liam and Jon repeated my words. I continued, reciting the words: “Element of Air, we call to you to push the unnatural forces from this space.” Once again, Liam and Jon repeated my words, but this time, Annabelle joined in too. I recited the words: “Element of Fire, we call to you for protection and deep perception.” Reciting the last words of the spell, I said: “Element of Water, we call to you to allow our eyes to see.”
With my eyes shut, I waited for a vision of what had happened in the room. But instead of having scenes painted in my mind, there was nothing but black. There was no action, no life in the past of this room.
“It’s completely black,” I said.
We released hands and I opened my eyes. It was hard to hide the disappointment on my face as they stared at me.
“Sorry, Hallie,” Annabelle said.
“I guess it wasn’t meant for the spell to give us answers.” I shrugged.
Jon’s eyes widened with concern. “Maybe the blackness means something. This stuff is black magic, so there could be a black cloud over this room, so to speak.”
After the others had stepped out into the hallway, I snapped a few pictures of the wall. I’d compare them to the photos of the other wall later. The same symbols and words adorned both walls, but I figured I might discover a pattern or spot something that I hadn’t before.
When I walked back to the front room, they were waiting for me by the door.
Annabelle rubbed her arms. “This place gives me the chills. Let’s get out of here.”
“We should get dinner, then head over to your psychic friend’s house for the séance,” Liam said, casting a glance to Annabelle.
Luckily, she didn’t react by running away. That was a good sign.
I nodded. “Yeah, I guess that’s all we can do at this point.”
I took one last glance over my shoulder, then headed outside. My thoughts were going a million miles a minute, but I had a few ideas of what I needed to do next.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Liam pulled the car down the gravel driveway toward Sierra’s house. The overgrown bushes surrounded her place, shielding the house away from the world in its own little cocoon. The house was a white cottage style with splashes of color from the vast amount of flowers she’d placed in pots along the porch and sidewalk.
Liam parked the car out in the drive. Luckily, I didn’t have to drag Annabelle out of the backseat. If she was having second thoughts about the séance, she didn’t mention it and her behavior seemed surprisingly calm.
“Annabelle, if you don’t want to do this then just say the word and we’ll stop, okay?” I said.
She nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
A bird fluttered from a treetop, making me jump. I looked over at Annabelle, but she didn’t meet my gaze. She had a laser-like focus on Sierra’s house, as if she’d change her mind and run away if she looked over at me. The sun was setting quickly and darkness would surround us soon. Once that happened, would Annabelle retain her bravery? Would I?
I knocked on the door and waited as Sierra unlocked and opened the door.
“You made it back,” she said with a smile.
“You’ve already met Liam,” I said, gesturing toward Liam. “This is Jon.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said with a nod.
“Likewise.” Jon stretched his hand toward her.
“And you remember Annabelle.” I gestured.
Sierra smiled. “Oh yes, how are you, Annabelle?”
“I’m okay,” Annabelle stuttered as she looked around at Sierra’s eccentric décor. “How are you?”
Annabelle’s eyes widened and I followed her stare to a skull that sat on the bookshelf. I knew what Annabelle was thinking and I hoped it wasn’t real too.
“I have to ask if everyone is mentally ready for this? We don’t want to allow any negative spirits to come through because of our own negative thoughts,” Sierra said.
I looked around at everyone for a sign that they wanted to back out. “We’re ready.”
“Okay then, we can get started.” Sierra pointed at the table and chairs set up in the middle of the room.
If I hadn’t thought I’d mess up a spell again, I would have tried to reanimate Nicolas’ mother one more time, but I didn’t need another lively ghost with a spell gone wrong. There was probably something written in the rules about how many mistakes a witch could make with one spell. So Sierra was the only option. But could she really bring Gina back via a séance?
“Why do we need the round table and candles?” Annabelle whispered.
She’d directed the question to me, but Sierra overheard and answered, “It’s part of the ritual and it’s what allows the spirit to channel our energy.”
Annabelle nodded but by the look on her face, I didn’t think Sierra’s answer was all that comforting.
Sierra placed three white candles in the middle of the table, then lit them. We all pulled out a chair and sat around the white fabric-covered table.
“Will you be able to communicate with her?” I asked.
“I’ll give it my best shot.” Sierra sat at the table, then said, “Please, if you’ll all join hands, we’ll get started.”
My hand tingled when I grasped Liam’s strong hand. When I felt his gaze on me, I surreptitiously looked over at him. I’d tried to play it cool, but my attempt was mostly pathetic. His stare sent a shiver through my body.
To my right, I held Sierra’s hand. The room fell silent as she closed her eyes and began to summon Nicolas’ mother’s spirit.
“Gina Rochester, we bring you energy from life into death. Please come forward and communicate with us. Gina Rochester, we need your help and guidance,” Sierra intoned.
Sierra’s grip on my hand grew tighter, while my other hand continued to tingle with desire from Liam’s touch.
“Everyone repeat the phrase with me,” Sierra urged.
We chanted, “Gina Rochester, we bring you energy from life into death. Please come forward and communicate with us. Gina Rochester, we need your help and guidance."
In spite of our best efforts, nothing was happening and I began to worry that this plan would fail faster than one of my lousy spells. Opening one eye, I peeked over at Annabelle. She seemed to be doing fine, so that was one worry off my mind. If she started to freak out, I’d end the séance right away.
Just then the candles flickered, casting a glow across everyone’s faces. The room was eerily still.
“Please make a sound, tap on the walls, move something, or just give us some kind of sign that you’re here.” A deep line furrowed Sierra’s brow.
No noises came and nothing stirred in the room. Sierra shifted in her seat and I knew she was growing anxious.
“We’ll have to try the Ouija board,�
� she said matter-of-factly.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I’ve never liked the idea of using one of those things.”
“Well, I don’t recommend novices using them, but I have a lot of experience with them. Trust me. I know what I’m doing,” she said confidence.
“Okay.” I exhaled slowly. “I trust you.”
Sierra pulled out the board from under the table and placed it in the middle of our circle. Annabelle’s face drained of color.
“Are you okay?” I whispered to Annabelle.
She nodded. That was about the only answer I’d get out of her at the moment.
Sierra placed the wooden triangle in the middle of the board. “Now please gently place your fingertips on the planchette, but don’t add pressure. If the ghost is here and wishes to communicate with us, she’ll be able to use our combined energy to move the planchette and answer our questions.”
I reluctantly released hands with Liam and placed my fingertips on the planchette. He looked over at me and gave a reassuring smile.
“The spirit may have never done this kind of communication before, so she may not know how to channel our energy. We’ll need to coax her into talking,” Sierra urged.
“She appeared to be in spirit form,” I offered.
“Well, that’s a little different. We’re calling to her now, so she won’t be expecting our invitation.” Sierra watched us with a serious stare.
“Please, Gina, can you use our energy to move this glass? Can you please give us a sign to show us that you’re present?” Liam’s voice wavered. It was evident that he wanted to speak with her badly.
I added, “We wish you no harm, we only want to communicate with you.”
“We’ll have to be patient and wait for her to come through,” Sierra said with authority. “She may be quiet because there are strangers here.”
“But she knows me,” Liam offered.
“Yes, but she doesn’t know me,” Sierra said. “That can be intimidating.”
Something told me that Nicolas’ mother wasn’t intimidated by anything. Annabelle shifted in her seat. When I looked over to see if she was ready to quit, her eyes rolled back, then she shut her eyelids. When she leaned back in the chair, her body twisted and turned in the seat.
“Annabelle, are you okay?” I asked in a panic.
“She’s channeling the spirit. It’s coming through her,” Sierra said calmly, trying to ease my fears.
Uh-oh. I was going to be in so much trouble for this. If I thought I owed Annabelle a favor before, I hadn’t seen anything yet. This was beyond a simple favor. It was Annabelle’s worst nightmare.
I knew I shouldn’t have allowed her to participate. The spirit always attached to the one who didn’t want it the most. Nicolas’ mother should have known that.
“What do we do?” Jon asked.
How would a bodyguard protect her from something we couldn’t see?
“We allow the spirit to talk. Once she’s done, she’ll move along and we’ll get Annabelle back,” Sierra said.
She tried to act calm and professional, but I knew by the look in her eyes that she was freaking out a little.
“That had better be the way this works,” Jon said.
Annabelle finally opened her eyes and looked directly at me. She remained expressionless for a moment. I stared, unsure of what to do or say next. Annabelle’s eyes had changed to a dark brown hue instead of her usual cobalt blue. I hoped that the spirit was that of Nicolas’ mother and not something sinister.
“Halloween LaVeau,” Annabelle spoke in a suffocated whisper.
My eyes widened. “It’s me.”
“Thank you for bringing me back here tonight.” Her voice was low.
“Are you Nicolas’ mother?” I asked.
Annabelle nodded. “My energy is weak tonight, so we have to speak quickly.”
“I need to find Nicolas. We need to know about the witch who is accusing him of stealing her magic,” I said, rushing my words.
She placed her hands on the table. “Nicolas is in danger. He is with people who shouldn’t be trusted.”
Well, I knew that much. “We know who he’s with,” I said.
“Your spells are being blocked and they’re trying to stop you from helping him,” she said.
“Who are they? The people who he’s with now?” I asked.
“I don’t know the answer to that question, but there’s someone strong behind this. I can feel it,” she said in a voice that seemed to come from a long way off.
“What can I do? I don’t know how to be the leader,” I said with a little too much excitement.
Her eyes widened and she locked her gaze on my face. “You have the Book of Mystics. The answers are in there.”
Again with the book! “That’s just it. I can’t understand the writings. When a spell appears, I usually do it incorrectly,” I said.
“You’re not performing the spells incorrectly, but you have to have faith in your abilities. Other witches are placing spells against you.” Her voice wavered as if she was having a difficult time coming through.
“Is that why I’ve had the blacking out episodes?” I asked.
“Yes…” Annabelle closed her eyes.
“Are you still here?” I asked.
Annabelle popped open her eyes and blinked at me. “You need to find the other necklace. The pendant is larger than the other necklaces. It’s in the house. It will unlock the writings of the book.”
“Where in the house?” I pushed.
Annabelle shut her eyes again, then leaned her head back against the back of the chair. After a second, she opened her eyes again. The blue shade had returned.
Gina was gone. How would I find the necklace now?
“Annabelle, is that you?” I asked.
Annabelle wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and looked around. “Why are you all staring at me like that? Aren’t we going to do the séance?”
She didn’t know. It would be so easy not to tell her, but I knew I had to. She needed to know the truth.
“It’s over,” Jon said.
Annabelle shrugged. She didn’t seem to mind that it was over, but she did look suspiciously at us. I was positive that she knew something strange had happened.
“We need to break the circle and extinguish the candles.” Sierra waved her hands through the air.
Once we broke the circle, Sierra blew out the candles, signaling the end of the séance.
“Thank you, spirit, for joining us,” Sierra said.
A whisper of a breeze blew across my skin. Had Gina’s spirit left the room?
Chapter Twenty-Five
When I opened the car door, I spotted the single rose resting on the seat. My breath caught in my throat.
“How did this get here?” I showed the flower to everyone.
Annabelle scrunched her brow. “That’s odd. Where did you find it?”
“It was on my seat.” I pointed.
I looked to Liam and Jon, but there only response was a shrug. Where were the roses coming from?
As we drove back to LaVeau Manor, I knew I had my work cut out for me. Now there was a necklace to find? Why had no one told me about this to begin with? Hadn’t the Coven known about this? Weren’t they supposed to know about all this witchcraft stuff? They always acted so superior. As it turned out, they didn’t know half as much as they thought they did.
“I’ve made at least one decision tonight,” I said.
“What’s that?” Liam asked while keeping his focus on the road.
“I’m asking Jacobson to step down as the leader of the New Orleans Coven. It’s something I should have done when I met the jackass,” I said.
Liam’s eyes widened when he glanced over at me. “He’s not going to like this at all.”
“He won’t have a choice,” I said with forced confidence.
“Who will you get to take his place?” Liam steered the car around a slight curve.
I shrugged.
“I have no idea, but one problem at a time.”
“When do you plan on doing this?” he asked.
“I’d like to do it tonight, but I’ll have to find him first. When I get back to LaVeau Manor, I have to look for this necklace.” I leaned my head back against the seat.
“I’ll help you look,” he said with a smile.
I met his gaze momentarily. “Thank you. I’d like that. Do you think this necklace is related to the one I found at the plantation?”
“I hadn’t thought of it, but it’s possible,” Liam said.
The motion of the car and hum of the engine made me drowsy. I must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing I knew we were pulling up in front of LaVeau Manor. Night had settled over the manor and I knew that searching for the necklace tonight would be pointless. As I peered up at the stars, I wondered where Nicolas was and if he was okay. I inhaled the sweet perfume from the rose. Was he thinking of me too?
After filling Annabelle in on what had happened at the séance, I figured she’d never speak to me again, but she did. It seemed like I kept dishing out bad things to my friend, and she just kept rolling with the punches. That was true friendship. Luckily, she knew I’d do the same for her.
I said goodbye to Annabelle knowing that she was in good hands. Jon seemed like a nice guy and I felt like I could trust him. Okay, I’d only known him for two days, but he gave off a good vibe. But now that Annabelle had pulled out of the driveway with Jon, I was alone with Liam. At least I thought I was alone because there were no lights on in the manor. I figured that the new best friends Catherin and Claude had stepped out for more cupcakes or friendship bracelets. They were probably out celebrating my pathetic witchcraft skills and their good fortune because of it.
As soon as Liam and I stepped through the door of LaVeau Manor, in one swift movement, Liam grabbed me in his arms and planted a kiss on me. He caressed his tongue over my lips and I momentarily gave in to the pleasure. Nothing could have prepared me for this mind-blowing lip lock. As his mouth moved from my lips to my neck, his fangs whispered over the exposed skin. If my head hadn’t been spinning before, it definitely was now. It was hard to resist Liam Rankin.
