“Why don’t you just ride with me? I don’t like the idea of you being alone.”
“We’re staying the night in Cambridge, right? You could be stuck for hours working. If I don’t take my car, I won’t be able to get back to the condo.”
He hesitated and then opened her door for her. “You’re right. I just don’t like you being alone right now. Stay with me, okay? I get a weird feeling about this.” He smirked.
“You get a weird feeling?” She felt like the entire world was coming to an end one small chunk at a time.
She shivered at the chill that could easily be explained by the cold and not her strange instinct. She lifted her face to the sky as she slid into the car. Was the temperature dropping even more? It seemed incredibly cold.
The drive was twenty minutes, and before they arrived, Laurie could already see the lights of emergency vehicles in the distance, illuminating the sky. “Jeez. That’s a lot of fire trucks.”
Corbin responded into her head. “Yeah. Erring on the side of caution, I’m sure. They had no way of knowing what they were up against.”
Laurie eased off the side of the road behind Corbin and climbed out of her rental car.
Holy shit, it was cold. It wasn’t even night yet. The late afternoon sun was dipping in the sky, but there was no reason for it to be this cold.
Several other deputies had already arrived before them and were making their way toward the enormous geyser shooting into the sky.
Corbin made his way back toward her and reached for her hand as she slid her mittens on. “You okay, babe?”
“Yeah. But it’s damn cold out here.”
“I noticed. The temperature’s dipping.”
Laurie lifted her head again. “That’s beautiful. I mean, if you can overlook the fact that it’s going to wreak havoc on traffic.”
Corbin chuckled. “Are you telling me you’re a glass half-full kind of gal?”
“Maybe? Or perhaps just stating a fact.” Funny how Zach had accused her of the same thing the day they met.
They approached slowly. Water was hitting the two-lane road and running across the entire expanse of pavement, leaving behind a coat of ice. No one would be able to pass through this section of road for a long time.
Melinda dipped into Laurie’s head. “What’s happening? I’m getting the craziest feelings from you. And Trace says there’s a water main break?”
“Hardly. I’d say this is much bigger than that. I think it’s natural. Not something manmade.”
“Are you there?”
“Yes. Just got here.”
“Trace is on his way.”
“It’s not passable. I’ll see him coming on foot from the other side then.”
“Should I come feel it out?” Melinda asked.
“No. Not really necessary. It’s a spectacle, but I don’t think there’s much to analyze—unless of course you include how fucking freezing it is out here.”
“I’ll turn on the Weather Channel. Check in with me if you figure something out.”
“I will.”
“Babe?” Corbin yanked her from the tail end of her communication. “You talking to Zach?”
“No. Melinda. She had a feeling.”
“I bet she did. Hell, even I have a feeling this time.” He hesitated. “You should stay here. Let me go talk to the other deputies. We need to divert traffic.”
“Is there another way around?”
“Yeah. It’s a long way though. People are going to be pissed.”
“People who think their lives shouldn’t be disrupted by mother nature?”
He grinned. “Yeah, those people.” He released her hand. “You okay here?”
“Yep. Fine.”
She watched him walk away, and then she let her gaze wander back to the enormous spout of water. Some of the water was freezing in midair and crashing to the ground in dangerous slivers.
She eased back a few feet, wrapping her arms around herself.
Another voice entered her mind, shocking her. “Laurie, darling. You’re there at the site, yes?” It was Mimi. This was the first time they’d communicated in any form. And Laurie still wasn’t used to the concept of communicating in human form. She’d understood intellectually she would be able to do so with her mates after the claiming, but not her sister, and certainly not her grandmother.
“Yes. I am. It’s beautiful. Daunting. Impressive.”
“Is it natural?”
“It seems that way, yes. I don’t know how a human could have caused this. Or why they’d want to.” Her nose felt extraordinarily cold. She covered it with the mitten on one hand.
“I’ve been sitting here on my recliner, rocking and channeling your feelings. I almost feel as though I’m there with you. It shocked me when I realized I could reach out to you in human form.”
Jeez. That was intense.
“I’m also watching the news—only because they cut into my talk show. They’re changing the forecast to unseasonably lower temperatures than projected for tonight. Warning people to stay away from that section of road.”
“Yeah. I can attest to the drop in temperature. I’ve never felt this level of cold. What is the current reading?”
“It’s below zero already. And it’s still early. The sun isn’t down yet.” Mimi sounded like a reporter, making Laurie smile.
“I’ll keep you posted if anything changes.”
“Be careful, my sweet girl.” Mimi’s connection abruptly disappeared, startling Laurie.
Corbin made his way back to her side. She watched him navigate the side of the road, sticking to the area where at least grass and gravel made his route less treacherous.
Still covering her face, she reached out toward him with her free hand. “What the hell is the temperature out here?”
“Dangerous. I need you to get back in the car, babe.” His expression was serious, his mouth grim, his eyes narrowed.
Zach interrupted them by speaking into their minds. “Where are you guys?”
“South side of the geyser. You?” Corbin wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into his chest as he communicated with Zach, opening up the line so both she and Zach were privy to his thoughts.
“North side.”
“You’re here?” Corbin turned around and scanned the horizon.
Laurie opened her eyes wider and lowered her hand to cover her mouth and nose. She saw nothing except the gathering of emergency responders and the people from the few vehicles who had come upon the disaster and couldn’t pass. It wasn’t a widely travelled road, but nevertheless, a sizable audience had amassed.
Zach reached into both their minds again. “Yes. Trace called me. When he told me the situation, I knew this was where I would find you.”
“I need you to take Laurie. She’s trapped on this side. I’ll probably be here for hours. It’s too cold for her. And she must be exhausted.”
“How do you propose I get to her?” Zach asked.
Corbin turned his neck in both directions and blew out a breath. “I’ll figure out something and get her to you.”
He tipped his face down to meet her gaze. “Let’s work our way around the side. It’s too bad we have to do this in our human form,” he muttered. “Be so much easier in lupine.”
She agreed, but there was no way to take that kind of risk with so many humans around.
They had to make a wide arc to get to the other side of the water spout. Corbin held her hand tighter as they moved into the tree line, leaving the geyser between them and the road.
“There’s no way they’re going to be able to do anything about this in the dark,” Corbin said as he lifted his gaze toward the waning sun. “I predict an impressive mess on our hands tonight.”
“And that ice is going to get thicker by the minute.”
Corbin held back a branch as they made their way to the north side of the jam.
Cars were already turning around and heading back in the direction of Cambridge.
The hairs on the back of Laurie’s neck stood on end, making her halt. She scanned the area while Corbin jerked to a stop when her arm stretched all the way out.
“What is it, babe?”
She wasn’t sure.
A rustling inside the tree line forced her to spin to her left.
Black smoke.
She relaxed. A week ago, she would have freaked the fuck out. But now that she’d seen the cloudy substance several times, she wasn’t nearly as disturbed. It wanted her attention. As far as she knew, no one else had been visited by this spirit in recent days.
Nope. This sign was for her.
The smoke swirled around itself until it formed a bear-like shape in front of her and continued to inch closer. She stared right at the center of the mass, desperately trying to open her mind. If there was a message to relay, she wanted to hear it.
“I’m with you, child.” Mimi’s voice came through their connection.
Laurie pulled her hand free of Corbin and stepped toward the apparition. She reached out slowly, attempting to make contact with the gaseous substance. It was clearly not a solid. She wouldn’t be able to touch it, but she hoped for at least a feeling that might come from her proximity.
Warmth spread through her body from her core outward. In spite of the bitter temperature, she suddenly stopped shivering and relaxed her shoulders.
No words were communicated, but she closed her eyes and let the spirit speak to her in its way. It was agitated. That much she was sure of. But then again, its presence alone implied there was unrest among the spirits.
What was it trying to warn her about?
Her frustration mounted as she squinted at the black fog. She took a deep breath, feeling the renewed cold at her back.
Someone screamed, and she spun around to see massive shards of ice raining down from the sky. More of the ice was forming in the air from the water.
Corbin slammed into her bodily, pressing her to the ground.
The air was knocked out of her lungs as she twisted her neck to reengage with the spirit.
It was gone.
Voices could be heard all around her, and she could see people running—dozens of them. They were shouting instructions and pointing at the incredible formation that was growing in size as it froze.
Only yards separated her from the mayhem, but she felt much farther away, as though she were observing the incident from an enormous distance instead of her relatively close proximity.
Her ears felt clogged.
Corbin lifted off her. “You okay, Laurie?” He grabbed her hands and pulled them together.
Someone leaned over his shoulder and hovered.
Zach. “Baby?”
She attempted to shake the cobwebs from her head. Every breath from her mouth or either of her mates came out as white vapor. Her lungs burned.
“She’s freezing.” Corbin tucked his hand under her neck and her knees and lifted her into his arms.
“What happened?” Zach asked.
“Another black aura.” Corbin handed her to Zach, gently settling her in his arms. “Take her home. Warm her up. She needs to shift.”
Zach nodded.
Laurie reached out for Corbin and managed to half-heartedly snag his coat sleeve as he turned to walk away. She felt sluggish. Tired. Exhausted. Why? She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Corbin leaned over her face and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be fine. I need to work. Go with Zach. Warm up. I’ll see you soon.”
She nodded, or at least she thought she did. “So cold…” she managed to convey through their connection.
Corbin was already running away from the two of them. “I know, babe. Get warm.”
Zach trudged through the throng of people toward the road.
In confusion, she noticed they all had blankets wrapped around them.
“Get back to your cars, folks,” someone yelled.
Zach held her against him with one arm and opened the truck door with the other. He slid her inside and scooted her past the steering wheel to climb in next to her. Seconds later, he started the engine, cranked up the heat, and then tucked her against his body. “Jesus, you’re cold.”
He yanked off his glove and set his hand on her cheek. “Your face is freezing.”
She winced. It hurt actually.
Someone rapped on the passenger window, startling her.
Trace.
Zach lowered the window a few inches.
“The temperature’s dropping at an alarming rate. Get out of here before your truck won’t cooperate.”
Zach nodded as Trace stepped away. He put the truck in reverse and tossed his arm over Laurie to twist his neck and see out the back. Several other cars were also turning around.
Laurie shivered beside him as he made the five-point turn to get them facing toward Cambridge.
As he took off, his tires spun on the ice. His arm snuggled around her, and she set her head against his shoulder. That was the last thing she remembered before she fell asleep.
»»•««
Mary’s nerves ate a hole in her stomach. She hadn’t eaten for two days. Bile rose into her throat at the thought of eating.
She shifted in her seat as the members of the Church on the Hill gathered in the sanctuary. Sweat formed on her brow.
You can do this. She squirmed a bit. How the hell had her life gotten to this point? She still wasn’t sure what God would want from her. She had prayed, a lot, for hours.
She closed her eyes and pleaded with God again. Please, Lord, help me see the way…
She had to follow her gut, and her gut told her these people had crossed the line. It was one thing to be racist. It was another to plot injury or death. And she feared the members of her church were about to do just that. They’d gotten out of control.
The group meeting tonight included about two dozen people—those who had volunteered to be members of the committee whose sole purpose was to run the Masters out of town. Just knowing she was faking like she would ever be a part of something this covert made Mary cringe.
“Let’s take our seats, folks,” Pastor Edmund said. “We need to keep this meeting brief and get home before the weather gets any worse. The snow is really coming down out there.” He chuckled.
Mary swallowed her discomfort and tried to sit still. Her leg kept bobbing up and down.
“Word has it that the newcomer to our community, Laurie Hamilton, is a witch.”
Several people gasped.
Mary froze. What?
“Do you mean like Wiccan? Crescent moons and all that?” Brock asked.
Edmund shook his head. “No. I mean a witch. Satan’s minion. Perhaps she was sent here to test us. She has powers. She is responsible for the weird weather we’re having. Strange phenomena occur in her presence.”
Mary gasped. She couldn’t stop herself. And she wasn’t the only one.
Several ladies from the church stared at the pastor with their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open.
Seriously? These people actually believed the woman was sent by Satan?
“Stranger things have happened. God has sent us a test. He is watching us to see how we respond. We cannot allow this woman to threaten our way of life. I’ve been in this town all of my seventy-two years. My parents were married here and are buried in the church cemetery.”
He slammed a hand down on the pulpit, and everyone flinched. “If Satan has sent us a test, we must accept the challenge with our eyes wide open. We must eradicate the horror of this woman from our lives.”
The man named Brock raised a tentative hand and then spoke. He looked to be about twenty-five, and Mary knew he worked at the ski resort. “Sir, I met Laurie last week at the lodge on the slopes. She didn’t seem supernatural to me.”
Pastor Edmund stared at Brock for a few moments and then chuckled sardonically. “Of course she didn’t. When God sends a wench to test our faith, he puts her in a very nice package. She’s meant to fool us
.” His voice grew stronger and serious. “She’s not what she seems.”
Brock nodded, but he didn’t look convinced. In fact his brow was raised, widening his eyes as if perhaps he found Edmund’s words to be preposterous instead of reasonable.
At least someone in the room was less cracked than the others.
“What do you propose we do?” Ada asked her husband.
“We need to beat her at her own game. We need to send someone strong-willed to lure her into a different kind of web.”
Florence laughed, her cackle making the hairs on the back of Mary’s neck stand on end. “That floozy would probably fall for anything. We need to send a man and get her to fall for him. If she was sent by Satan, she undoubtedly thrives on fornication. Anyone will do.”
“That would explain why she keeps company with two men. She constantly needs to draw from their essence. Suck the life blood out of them.” Pastor Edmund thumped the Bible in front of him. “We must stop her.”
Brock jumped to his feet. “You think she’s a vampire?”
Edmund rolled his eyes. “No. That was just an expression. Of course she isn’t a vampire. She’s a whore, someone whose power increases each time she fornicates.”
Mary almost laughed. She found it comical Edmund would scoff at the idea Laurie was a vampire, and yet he believed her to be a witch sent by Satan to screw every man in town and turn them to evil.
Nothing about any face in the room was funny, however. These people all believed Pastor Edmund as if he spoke straight from the gospel. They were a strange group—seemingly brainwashed. And Mary had been under the same spell most of her life too, but she had shaken herself free of this intolerance the moment taking lives had entered the equation.
“I’ll do it,” Brock declared.
Do what? Mary wondered.
“What do you propose, son?” Edmund asked.
“I’ll talk to her. See what I can find out.”
Edmund tapped his fingers on the edge of the pulpit for several seconds. “It’s not a bad idea. You would need to be strong, lure her. Try to get her to believe you would sleep with her.”
“You want me to have sex with her?” Brock rubbed his hands together. He tried to feign disgust by widening his eyes in mock horror, but his lips curved upward a bit too far. He would enjoy the challenge and would not hesitate for one moment to take the woman to his bed.
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