Best of Intentions

by Michelle Cary

  “I need the hospital bag with my belongings in it.”

  “Here, let me help you.” She rushed across the room and scooped the bag up off the floor.

  “Thank you.” He accepted the bag and worked to reposition himself when she slid a large pillow in behind him. “So is there a reason why you’re so tired?”

  She stopped. “Huh?”

  “Earlier, you said you were tired. I was wondering if there was a reason for it.”

  Not wanting to bother him with her worries, she shrugged off his question. “Oh, that. I haven’t been sleeping well, that’s all.”

  “Come on, Tessa. You forget who you’re talking to.”

  She hated with their connection he could see beyond her lies. She sighed and sat down on the floor next to him, letting the back of her head rest against the sofa seat. “Ever since the first premonition last week, I’ve been having strange dreams. They’re unnerving and sometimes a little frightening.” She twisted to one side and lifted her arms up, letting them rest on the cushion. “Tell me something?”

  “Anything.”

  “When you first realized you had this power, did it freak you out?”

  Devin smiled. “I was ten years old, the first time I had a waking dream. So yeah, it wigged me out a little.”

  “Do you ever get used to them?”

  “It took me a while, but once I figured out how to use the power, things were much easier.”

  “I don’t understand, Devin. Why have I been given this ability now? What good does it do me if I can’t tell what is real and what isn’t?”

  “You talk as though you’ve had another episode.”

  “I did. Earlier today, while I was getting a soda I saw the woman again. This time it was an elderly cancer patient she went after. I rushed down to the cancer ward to stop her, only to find the man’s wife and son in the room with him. I’m telling you, Devin. I never felt like such an idiot in all my life. Here I thought I was going to catch a killer only to find out it was nothing more than my imagination.”

  He tensed, then rooted through the bag sitting on his lap. He fingered the amulet. “Can you help me put this on?”

  “Sure.” Tess locked the necklace in place and sat back on her heels.

  “Give me your hand,” he instructed.

  She placed her hand in his and immediately a jolt of electricity entered her palm and race up her arm. Tess gasped yanked her hands from his, but before she’d completely broken contact he closed his fingers over hers, holding her in place. “Relax, baby. I want to see what you saw.”

  The stone around his neck grew bright red, and she glanced down at her own necklace to find her charm in the same state. He stared up toward the ceiling, his eyes moving back and forth, and she wondered how much he could actually see. After several moments, he closed his eyes and drew in a breath. “I don’t think it was your imagination, Tessa.”

  “But I saw it with my own eyes, Devin. Nothing happened.”

  "The room number and the description of the old man in your vision, did they match what you found when you went to investigate?”

  “Yes.”

  He pursed his lips together as if in deep thought. “I still think it was real.”

  How could that be? When she’d seen Travis’s death, it had happened in real time, as if she’d been watching some sick horror moving. “But-”

  He held up a hand to stop her. “Honey, you have to understand something. With these visions, especially the waking ones, they’re not necessarily instantaneous. Sometimes there’s a period of twenty-four, or even forty-eight hours before they come true.”

  Her heart leapt and began to gallop. “You mean it’s still going to happen?”

  He nodded. “I probably should have told you before now, but yeah.”

  “So what do I do? I can’t sit by and do nothing.”

  “Did you tell Eric about your first vision?”

  “No. I didn’t think he would believe me.”

  “Listen to me.” He pushed himself so he sat straighter. “I envisioned the bus accident before it happened and dismissed it as nonsense. I wasn’t convinced it would really happen and knew nobody but Travis would have believed me anyway. I don’t know if telling anyone would have made a difference, but I’m sorry I didn’t try. Don’t make the same mistake I did simply because you’re afraid. I think it’s time for you to call him.”

  Chapter Seven

  “Let me get this straight…” Eric sat on the edge of the leather ottoman, his hands together, elbows resting on his knees, and glanced back and forth between Devin and Tess. “First you want me to believe Devin is some sort of witch who can see into the future. Then you tell me the two of you have a psychic connection perpetuated by a link from some rock around your necks, and because of that Tess is now having visions about the suspect in our Angel of Death case?”

  Devin nodded. “Yeah, that pretty much covers it.”

  Eric stood and slicked both palms over the top of his head as he inhaled and stretched. “Do you two have any idea how ridiculous this whole thing sounds?”

  Tess closed her eyes and shook her head. She knew before she’d even called him he wouldn’t believe her. Though, in all fairness, what they were asking him to believe sounded like something written for a bad made for TV movie. Witches ranked right up there with vampires, they didn’t exist. Compounding the problem was Eric’s intense dislike for Devin and anything he represented.

  Still, she knew what she’d seen was real and if somebody didn’t do something soon another person would die at the hands of the murderer. “I know it’s hard to believe, but-”

  “You’re damn right it’s hard for me to believe,” he snapped. “Do you know what would happen to me if I went to my superiors with this story?”

  “You’d be fired.”

  “Not just fired, Tess. Crucified!” He stepped toward her. “What’s gotten into you? Ever since he showed up, you’ve been acting strange.”

  “I have not,” she argued.

  “What about two Monday’s ago when you knew the phone call was from the hospital, or your fainting spell from last week? You don’t think they count as acting weird? Every time you allow yourself to get mixed up with him, you get hurt and now you’re trying to drag me into it!”

  “He is right here,” Devin said, the tone in his voice reflecting his irritation. “I’m blind, not deaf, Eric. And I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t talk about me as if I weren’t here.”

  Eric turned to face him. “About that. What are you doing here, Devin? If you’re really some male witch, then why don’t you heal yourself, or better yet, why didn’t you stop the accident from happening?”

  Devin struggled to push himself off the couch to stand. Tess quickly moved to his side to try and stop him. He wasn’t in any condition to take on this kind of debate. “Please don’t, Devin. You could make your injuries worse if you’re not careful.”

  He ignored her and balanced on one foot in front of Eric. “How dare you come in here, acting all righteous, like because you’re a cop you’re better than the rest of us? Do you for one second think I wanted my friends to die or I enjoy being blind and injured? If I’d had the power to stop the accident from happening, I would have, but I don’t have those kinds of abilities.”

  Eric narrowed his eyes at Devin. “Seeing how this used to be my house, I’ll come in here acting however I want.”

  Tess again shifted her attention to Eric. Fuming, she inched between the two men and shoved a finger at Eric’s sternum. “This was and is my house, Eric. You moved in here after we got married and you moved out after we divorced.”

  “And I’m starting to seriously wonder why I keep coming back.” He waved a dismissing hand at her then pivoted to leave. “If you two are done wasting my time, I’ve got a killer to catch.”

  Tess helped Devin back to the couch then rushed down the hallway after Eric. “Wait, Eric, please.”

  With one hand on the door handle, he
paused and looked back at her. “What?”

  “You have to understand, I never meant for this to turn ugly. I knew you wouldn’t believe me, but Devin insisted I call you.”

  “You should have gone with your instincts.” He turned the knob and opened the door.

  She tugged at his arm, desperate to make him listen to her. “Please, Eric. I know how it sounds, but I also know what I saw. Your killer isn’t Mitch. It’s a woman.”

  “Tess-”

  “Please,” she interrupted. Angry tears stung her eyes and her frustration mounted at his complete dismissal of her concerns. “You said yourself you haven’t been able to get much on Mitch. Look into it, see if anybody fits the description I gave you.”

  Sighing, he shook his head, then leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Okay. Because you’re so convinced I’m wrong about this, I’ll look into it. But don’t expect me to say anything to anyone else right now.”

  She nodded as walked out the door. “I won't. And, Eric…”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m sorry about all this.”

  “Don’t be sorry, just be careful.”

  She stood with the door open until his car was out of sight, then shut and locked it before she returned to the den. She knew Eric’s attitude tonight stemmed more form his concern for her than anything else, a fact that touched her deeply. Why he remained so dedicated to her, Tess would never know, especially after everything she’d put him through over the years. What he needed was to find himself somebody who would love him with the passion he deserved.

  Still as she’d left him, Devin lay in the corner of the sofa, his head positioned against the arm, his eyes closed. With one foot on the floor and his broken leg resting on the cushion, he didn’t move, leading Tess to think he’d fallen asleep. She quietly crossed the room and tugged the quilt from the back of the sofa to cover him.

  “I take it he left?” he asked without opening his eyes.

  Thankful he couldn’t see her jump when he spoke she continued placing the blanket over him. “Yeah, he’s gone.”

  “He’s a real jerk, you know.”

  She smiled. “You didn’t always think that way.”

  “Yeah, I did. But you were so set on us being friends that I didn’t want to be the one who ruined it.”

  She snickered and sat back on her heels. “Just so you know, you had your own jerky tendencies back then, too.”

  The corners of his lips tipped up into a slight grin. “Yeah, I suppose I did. I thought I was king shit with the big rock band and the beautiful girl.”

  “We were all young and full of ourselves back then. That’s the good thing about growing older. You learn a few things and gain some perspective on life.”

  “Yeah, but it doesn’t do much good when it comes to some of us keeping an open mind.”

  His anger-filled words echoed her disappointment at Eric’s reaction to their conversation, but Devin’s frustration also carried a hint of worry. Whether his concern had more to do with her safety or her relationship with Eric, she couldn’t tell, but if she had to guess, she would say it was the latter. “Eric’s worried about me. He doesn’t want me to get hurt.”

  “And he’s convinced I’m the one who’s going to hurt you.”

  Tess winced at his words. She hated the idea of making him feel worse than he already did, but he was right, and she couldn’t argue the issue. It was probably best to simply skim over it and move on. “Yeah, he can be a little over protective. But before he left, I did manage to convince him to at least look into it.”

  Devin shifted on the sofa and angled his head toward the back. “I guess that’s all we can hope for at this point.”

  “I suppose your right. Is there anything else you need before I head off to bed?”

  Devin shook his head. “Some uninterrupted sleep would be nice. All I’ve had for the last two weeks is nurses coming in at all hours of the night to take my vital signs.”

  She spotted the slight grin on his face and pursed her lips for his attempt at a joke. “Well, when you’re tied to a hospital bed, it’s not like you can’t take a nap whenever you want, you know.”

  His grin widened. “Tomorrow, we’ll work on finding the spell in my grandfather’s book. Hopefully, it'll get me back on my feet.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning.” She stood, leaned over and kissed him on the temple. “Sweet dreams.” Better yet, no dreams, she wished as she headed upstairs to her bedroom.

  ****

  Fire surrounded her, consuming more and more of the room until Tess was sure she would burn alive. Struggling to find her way to safety through the smoke and flames, she spotted a large cross hanging high on the back wall. She squinted and moved forward, trying to get a better view. A scream came from somewhere behind her. Tess spun toward the sound and came face to face with a woman. The skin on her face bubbled and pealed, revealing the red and blistered flesh beneath. Her eyes glowed red and her hair burned like a wick on a candle.

  “It’s the day of reckoning,” the woman shrieked. “Prepare to die.” Holding a large dagger, she reared up, then swung down…

  Tess’s eyes flew open, and she jerked up right in bed. Her heart pounded against her chest, threatening to beat through her rib cage while she panted.

  She scanned the room and her pulse soon regulated when the realization that she was still tucked away in her own bed took hold. Ridding herself of her covers, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat with her head in her hands. Instead of going away or even getting better, her dreams were growing more violent, more sinister.

  Blowing out a breath, she pushed off the bed, grabbed her robe inside her closet and headed down stairs. There wasn’t any point in trying to go back to sleep when there was a better than average chance the nightmares would return.

  Her bare feet made little sound on the carpeted stairs as she made her way down to the kitchen. Maybe a glass of wine would at least calm her nerves. She reached the bottom step and stopped. Her gaze shifted from the kitchen down the hall to the den. The pull was unmistakable and unexplainable, and if she were smart, she’d ignore it and continue on to the kitchen.

  Right now Devin was much like a wounded animal, scared, in pain and dangerous. Oh sure, he’d never come right out and admit he was frightened, but thanks to their renewed connection, she could feel it. It was that same fear which drew her to him. Maybe it was her need to help those in trouble, or maybe it something more, but she couldn’t ignore their connection.

  She shuffled down the hall and padded over the hardwood until she stood in the doorway and stared into the dimly lit room. Devin lay propped up against several pillows. His eyes were closed, yet she knew he wasn’t asleep.

  “Are you okay?”

  He angled his head toward her and opened his eyes. “I could ask you the same question.”

  A shiver drifted up her spine. “Why?”

  “You know why, Tessa.” He patted the mattress. “You want to talk about your dream?”

  “Not really.”

  “Why not? I could feel your terror, baby. What was it that frightened you?”

  His sympathetic tone matched the empathy she detected from him. He was genuinely concerned and that fact, much to her dismay, punched a tiny hole in the emotional wall she’d erected.

  She moved to him and sank down in the side of the sofa bed. “I’m not sure. There was fire everywhere, and a cross, and this woman. At least I think it was a woman. The face was all burnt and grotesque so it was hard to tell. She told me to prepare to die and she swung a dagger. That’s when I woke up.”

  She hung her head and drew in a deep breath. “I’ve been having dreams ever since you came back. At first I wondered if maybe they were simply a side effect of my emotions being out of whack, but you’ve been here for two weeks now and they’re not getting any better.”

  He pushed himself straighter against the pillow and searched for her hand with his. “I haven’t ha
d a dream or a vision since the accident, and at this point I’m convinced you have my powers. What I don’t know is why. But I think the sooner we get me healed, the sooner the powers will revert back to me and you’ll be free of these nightmares.”

  She shook her head, even though she knew he couldn’t see her. “But it’s going to take weeks for you to heal, and I can’t go that long without sleep.”

  “With the spell, it will only take about a week at most, and if you’ll let me, I can try and use our connection to help shield you from the dreams.”

  “You can do that?”

  “I think so, but the catch is we need to be as close as possible in order to ensure it would work. That would mean sleeping together, and the last thing I want is for you to think I’m trying to work my way into your bed.”

  She studied his features. His offer was an honest attempt to help her, but no good could come from being so close to him. Allowing anything more than what had already happened between them would be asking for trouble. “I appreciate the offer, but I think it would be best if we didn’t go there.”

  “I understand. Under the circumstances, though, it might be worth it to get the spell going now. I don’t want you to have to endure those images for any longer than necessary.”

  She nodded. “Okay, what do you need?”

  He handed her the book. “Find the paged marked self-healing. There should be a list of things we’ll need to make the spell work.”

  Tess flipped through the book until she came to the page he’d described. Quickly she scanned the list. “I’m pretty sure I have everything you need but the green candles.” She paused. “Wait…yes I do. Somebody gave me a green candle at Christmas. It’s in the closet.”

  While she loved the aroma scented candles create, Tess preferred the added safety jar candles offered and rarely lit tapered or pillar candles. Devin was lucky she hadn’t given it away already.”

  A few minutes later, she returned to the den carrying a tray loaded down with everything he’d need to complete the spell.

  She set the tray on the floor, and based on what she could remember from when they were younger, began setting out the objects.