Forgotten Visions (The Divinities Book 1)

by Lia Davis

  Oh, yeah, she had been under a spell.

  She watched him walk over and set down the tray. He turned toward her. She tensed. It was a reflex. She didn’t want him touching her. He’d lied to her. Put her under a memory spell. Now, he’d kidnapped her and taken her from her family and her true love.

  He reached out to touch her face. She blocked his hand with hers and pushed it away. He laughed and reached for her again. She wasn’t fast enough to block him the second time, and he grabbed a handful of her hair, jerking her against his body.

  “You will not deny me.” His breath was warm against her skin. She tried to pull away, but he had a tight grip on her hair at the roots so she couldn’t move. This wasn’t the same Liam. He was more aggressive and very angry.

  He released his grip on her and gently ran his fingers through her hair. “Why do you make me angry? Do you think I want to hurt you? I love you, Isa, and it kills me to use force, but I will if I have to.”

  That was another thing she’d grown out of—the nickname, Isa. The sound of it made her skin crawl. “Then why didn’t you stay dead?” Kalissa spat the words at him.

  He backhanded her hard enough that she fell back on the bed. Picking up the tray of food, he flung it across the bedroom, sending it crashing into the wall and sliding to the floor. Stalking over to her, he yanked her up by her forearm. He opened his mouth and then closed it. A look passed across his face but was gone instantly. She was sure it was regret.

  He pushed her away, letting her drop back on the bed, and stormed out of the room.

  Raising a hand to the right side of her face, she felt the warm, rising lump forming. She was utterly shocked. He’d never hit her before.

  Oh, gods, I wanna go home.

  Ayden paced his grandfather’s study like a caged tiger. He couldn’t think. Kalissa was being held by a demon. But Liam wasn’t just any demon. He was more powerful than a Regal, the class of demons that were known as the meanest and cruelest of the Underworld. Mel had said she’d never felt a demon that powerful before.

  “Explain to me how a human dies and becomes a demon.” Ayden looked over at Noah, who was looking through some old books.

  “It doesn’t work that way. For a human to turn into a demon, he or she would have to have demon DNA. Liam was half demon, and for some reason, he didn’t change over until his death. Usually, when a hybrid demon child is born, they go through the change within the first five years. They grow at a rapid rate, and many are fully grown by the time they are ten. Some, even younger. For some reason, I don’t know why, Liam grew at a human growth rate. He must have been about to go through his change when he died.” Noah continued to flip through the book in front of him. After a few more turns of the page, he said, “Ah! Here it is. Paul Loomis.”

  Zach looked up from his laptop. “That was the junior high football coach…and Liam’s father.” Zach frowned. He got up from his seat at the small, round table next to the bar and walked over to Noah to look over his shoulder. Noah was sitting in his recliner next to the sofa where Khloe was sitting.

  Ayden moved to stand behind Noah’s other shoulder. The book Noah was looking through was a binder with photo album sleeves. The sleeves held old newspaper clippings.

  “‘Jr. High Coach makes it big,’” Noah read the headline out loud. “It says here that ‘the small town junior high coach traded in his football and tennis shoes for a suit and tie.’ The article goes on to say that Paul was looking for a change after his son’s and wife’s deaths. He went to work for a large medical distribution company that moved into town.” Noah looked up and shook his head. “Now how does a football coach become the director of shipping and receiving for one of the largest medical distribution companies in the U.S.?”

  “You know the owner,” Ayden said. ‘Knowing someone’ was how he’d gotten the position of sheriff. He knew Zach and most of the townspeople.

  “Exactly. And who is the owner?” Everyone looked at Noah, waiting. He rolled his eyes. “Hector D. Grayson.”

  Ayden and Zach cursed at the same time. It was Zach who spoke. “I never made the connection before.”

  Demetrius was using his father’s name. Ayden bet there was a lot more going on then distributing medical supplies. “I don’t think Kalissa knew,” Ayden said sadly. Gods, he missed her. The time apart from her was too much for him. He had to do something to bring her home. Once he had her home, he was never going to be apart from her again. “Is there an address? Maybe if we go to Paul’s house, we’ll find out where his son lives.”

  “I’ll do a search. There has to be an address somewhere,” Khloe said softly. It was the first time she’d spoken since arriving. She’d been quietly sitting on the sofa, sipping tea and watching them. “I picked up a few things from my mother.”

  “Come on, then,” Zach said as he went back to his laptop. Khloe got up to follow him to the table. Zach let Khloe take the driver’s seat in front of the computer.

  Ayden looked down at the binder his grandfather was still flipping through. Now he knew why Noah saved all that stuff. You never knew when it would come in handy. “Is there anything in there about Liam’s mother’s death?”

  Noah nodded but stayed silent until he came to a page that held two articles. He turned the book so Ayden could read the articles. The first one was about the alleged suicide of Barbra Loomis. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the article. She had taken the death of her son very hard and had taken her own life. The second article was about Paul’s new executive position at Grayson Distributions and the brand new, expensive mansion he built on the north side of Jacksonville a few weeks before his wife’s suicide.

  Ayden walked to Zach and Khloe at the table. Khloe tore off a Post-It note she had written on and handed it to Ayden. “That’s the address to Paul’s home, or at least one that he owns,” she said.

  “I’m going to check out this address.” Ayden held up the Post-It note.

  Khloe stood up and followed. Ayden was about to say something, but Khloe held her hand up. “She’s my sister. You’re not shutting me out on this one. Plus, I owe the bastard a few lightning bolts up the ass.”

  “Wait! You can’t go in there half-cocked. What if she’s not there? We would spend valuable time following an empty lead or worse, a trap,” Zach said with his cop hat on tight.

  Ayden dropped his shoulders. “You’re right. I’m not thinking straight.”

  “I know, cuz. There is a small coven not far from there. I can ask for someone to check it out, do some snooping,” Zach said and then directed Khloe to bring up the online magickin social network he’d set up a couple of days ago.

  “Hey, this is pretty cool,” Khloe said, browsing the site. There was a chat room, and each coven had their own page with lists of residents with contact information, blogs, and news postings. Khloe was surprised by the number of active users. “What did you do to get this many covens to participate?”

  “Papa has the contacts for all the U.S. Elders. I set the site up, tested it with our coven first, then emailed the site address and scope to each Elder. I also asked for it to be passed to any coven I missed, including the international ones,” Zach said with a proud-of-himself grin on his face.

  Khloe laughed. “It seems to have taken off.”

  Zach turned the computer so he could send the Oceanway Coven a message. “You can set up your own profile and play with it later,” he said.

  “Can you set me up as an admin? I can help you monitor messages and emails.”

  Zach smiled and nodded. “Sure.” He left a message for the Elder, Eleese Sanders, telling her about the situation and advising her to use extreme caution. A few seconds later, she replied, saying that she would help in any way she could and would be back in touch with him if she found out anything.

  All Ayden had to do was wait. That was not going to easy.

  Chapter 27

  After hours of Liam trying to get Kalissa to open the bedroom door—after she had sealed
it with her own spell—he finally gave up and went downstairs. She didn’t trust him to leave her completely alone. Slowly, she went to the door, pressed her ear to it, and listened. Nothing. She reached for the knob and cracked the door just enough to stick her head out.

  Good, he wasn’t waiting outside the door. But he was in the house somewhere. She could feel him. It wasn’t the same way she could feel Ayden. It was the thing that allowed her to identify Liam as a demon. But he didn’t feel like a regular demon. He felt more powerful somehow. Then she realized that the feeling of being watched she’d gotten from time to time lately was from him.

  Stalker.

  She stepped out of the space she had been placed in and listened. Liam was in the room directly below her. She focused on him and saw him at his computer in what looked like a study or a home office. Like the bedroom, the hallway had hardwood floors the color of cherry-stained oak. The flooring continued throughout the upstairs and down the staircase. The stairs were wide enough for three people to walk down side by side. She descended them, running her hand along the top of the railing to her left. The railings on either side were hand-carved, dark, cherry-stained oak that matched the floors.

  Once at the base of the stairs, she wasn’t sure where to go. She knew better than to try the front door. One, he would know as soon as she opened the door because of the wards he had in place. Two, he’d most likely booby-trapped all entry points of the house. She was, after all, his prisoner. She had already tried to teleport, but there was something in place to keep anyone from teleporting in or out of the house. Or maybe it was just her.

  She shot a quick look at the office. The door was closed, much to her relief. She quietly walked to the living room. The first word that popped into her mind was wow. The living room was huge, with an oversized fireplace. Every piece of furniture matched. The sofa, loveseat, and armchair with matching ottoman were a creamy beige color. It was a nice contrast to the black marble floor. The coffee table and two end tables were black-stained wood with glass tops. Above the fireplace was a family portrait of Liam and his parents. They looked happy. Yet there was something in the young Liam’s eyes. It was the same darkness she’d seen upstairs.

  Something brushed against her skin. It was like the cool breeze that would come from opening a freezer door on a hot summer day. Kalissa whirled around. No one was there. She walked in the direction the force had gone, walking out of the living room. In the foyer, she saw a figure go into the kitchen. It was a woman in a white satin nightgown and matching robe. She wasn’t completely solid.

  Kalissa had never seen a ghost, but knew other witches who had. She’d asked her mother once about ghosts, or spirits. Her mother had told her that it was a blessing to be visited by a ghost. Most of the time, the ghost needed help or was there to deliver a message. Many of them were also sent by deceased family members as spirit guides.

  She followed the spirit into the kitchen. The image of a woman hanging from a support beam in the middle of the room sent a spike of fear straight through her. Kalissa ran out of the kitchen and pressed her back to the wall beside the entrance. Her heart had fallen to her stomach and was beating ninety miles a second. It was just a vision, she told herself. She recognized the woman. She was the same person Kalissa had grown to love and admire when she’d dated Liam. It was his mother.

  With deep breaths, she gathered her courage before pushing off the wall and entering the kitchen. This time, the woman was not hanging in the middle of the room. She was standing near the kitchen nook, looking out the window.

  Kalissa slowly approached her. “Barbra?” Kalissa whispered, not wanting Liam to hear her. The woman looked at her, smiled, and nodded. “Are you stuck here?” Kalissa felt silly asking. She’d heard that some ghosts were stuck in this realm for various reasons, while others crossed over to the Afterworld.

  Barbra shook her head. “No. I was sent here…for you.” Kalissa frowned, and Barbra let out a soft laugh. “Sorry, not for you, to bring you over, but to help you.” Barbra held her hand out toward the nook, gesturing for Kalissa to take a seat. Kalissa sat, and Barbra sat across from her. “You saw how I died?” Kalissa nodded. Barbra took a sad breath. “If I knew then what I know now…anyway, what is done is done.”

  After a long moment of silence, Kalissa asked, “You said you are here to help me?”

  “Yes. Connie asked me to come.”

  “Mom.” It came out as a breathy whisper. Kalissa wished she could see her mother one last time. “Why can’t she come?”

  “Connie has fully crossed over. The time has come for her to join her magickin family in the Elysium Fields. I, on the other hand, still have some things that are unfinished.” Barbra reached out with her ghostly, transparent hand and covered Kalissa’s. Surprisingly, it wasn’t cold but room temperature and soothing. “Connie says she’s sorry for not protecting you. She said if she’d known about the memory spell, she would have found a way to break it.” The ghost paused for a moment. “Your mother loved you and Khloe so deeply. She’s happy that you found the Sinew. The demons must never possess the power it holds.”

  “How do you know about the Sinew?”

  “I am a guardian, one of the few chosen souls that are blessed with the knowledge of all things.” Barbra gave Kalissa another gentle smile. “My great-grandmother was a witch. I have magickin blood. I can also choose where I can cross over once my time comes: Elysium Fields with my magickin family or Heaven with my human family.”

  Kalissa let what she’d just learned sink in for a few minutes. She looked into Barbra’s angelic face. A wave of sadness came over her. “You know I have to…”

  “Shhh,” Barbra interrupted and reached over to place a hand on Kalissa’s cheek. “I know. You are at war.” Barbra removed her hand and sighed. “My son and husband just happen to be on the wrong side of that war. I wish my Liam could be saved, but he has chosen his path.”

  “What are you doing in here, Isa?”

  Kalissa jumped at Liam’s question. She was so focused on Barbra that she hadn’t picked up on his presence. She stood up from her seat at the nook to face him. She felt Barbra stand up behind her. “He cannot see or hear me,” Barbra whispered in Kalissa’s ear. “I have to leave you now.” Without another word, Barbra vanished, leaving Kalissa feeling alone.

  “Answer the question,” Liam said. He was standing at the entrance to the kitchen. Kalissa didn’t miss how his eyes flickered to where Barbra had hung herself and then back to her. He didn’t like to come into the kitchen, Kalissa assumed.

  “I went for a walk,” she said, hating the way her voice shook. “And since I can’t go outside, I was walking around the house.

  “Who were you talking to?” He motioned to the nook.

  “Myself. It’s something I do when I’m upset,” she lied. She couldn’t tell him she was talking to his dead mother. It would anger him. Besides, something in Barbra’s voice had made Kalissa feel as if she shouldn’t tell Liam about his mother.

  “Come here.” It came out as a demand that made Kalissa flinch. Liam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He held out his hand to her and softened his voice a little. “Please.” She didn’t move. Liam fisted his hands at his sides. “I can come in there and drag you out,” he said through clenched teeth.

  He had more mood swings than a female tiger in heat.

  Kalissa slowly walked toward him. She knew it wasn’t a good idea to test the demon’s patience, but she didn’t want to be anywhere near him. This Liam scared her. He wasn’t the young man she’d loved fifteen years ago. She walked a little faster to close the distance between them. She stopped at arm’s length from him. “Can I ask you something?” She decided to play nice. Play his game a little to confuse him, make him think she was warming to him. He gave a short nod. “You found her?”

  His gaze moved to the middle of the room and back to her face. “I did.”

  Kalissa knew from the pain in his face that she wasn’t getting any more of an
explanation than that. She remembered how much he’d loved his mother when Kalissa had dated him. It was hard not to love Barbra. Kalissa looked into Liam’s midnight-blue eyes. “I’m sorry.” She meant it. She knew what the loss of a mother felt like.

  He waved it away. “Not your fault. My father holds that burden.” He turned to walk back toward his office.

  Chapter 28

  Khloe sat at the kitchen table, staring off into the darkness of the backyard. Her laptop lay open in front of her, providing one of two light sources in the kitchen. The second were the small, dim lights under the cabinets.

  She welcomed the darkness. It fit her mood.

  “You should get some sleep,” Lydia said, coming into the kitchen.

  “I can’t sleep,” Khloe quietly replied.

  “Here.” Lydia handed Khloe a cup of tea. “This will help you relax.”

  “Thanks,” Khloe said. She brought the cup to her nose and breathed in deeply. It was chamomile and mint tea with a touch of honey.

  She missed her sister. Ayden was in no better shape than she was. Playing this waiting game with the Oceanway Coven was wearing on all of them. She was so on board with Ayden’s idea of marching into the Loomis house, full speed ahead. She wasn’t stupid, and neither was Ayden. But they knew Zach was right. They had to wait and pray to the gods that Kalissa came home alive.

  Khloe looked across the table at Lydia, and a tidal wave of sadness hit her. Lydia had lost her father, husband, and brother all in a two-year span. And her mother was missing, taken from her like Kalissa had been taken from Khloe. “Have you any leads on where your mother might be?”

  Lydia shot her a surprised look but then dropped her shoulders. “Not really.”

  “We know more now than we did before,” Khloe offered.

  Lydia looked at her with raised eyebrows. “How is that?”