Dead as a Doornail (The Journals of Octavia Hollows #6)

by Stacey Rourke

  To my absolute shock, the arrogant prick didn’t pull a gun from the bag, but rather a cell phone tripod. “You and I are going to take some time to really get to know each other,” he explained as he set up the tripod and positioned his phone on its pedestal.

  “While the camera rolls? Sorry, pal, I wait until at least the third date before partaking in kink like that.”

  Huffing a humorless laugh, he wagged a finger in my direction. “You really do like the sound of your own voice, don’t you?”

  “There’s that,” I confessed, letting one shoulder rise and fall in a casual shrug. “Then there’s the fact that I don’t give two shits about who you are. You killed my family, and then shot my pig and my friend. I don’t care how deep your back story is; I fully intend to kick every inch of your ass.”

  “Such tough talk,” C.A.S. tsked, “but we both know that’s who you are. Your thing is helping people, not hurting them. I suppose I should’ve clarified that I was going to let you get to know me. I don’t need an introduction to you, Octavia. I’ve followed you, studied you, and even dissected the science behind your magic.”

  “Does that make us best friends?” I feigned a giddy gasp. “Should I start making us matching friendship bracelets?”

  Leaning in front of the tripod, C.A.S. pressed a couple of buttons on the screen of his phone. Whatever he did caused the voices of my coven to come rushing back, louder than before.

  “Run Octavia!”

  “They’re going to find out the truth about you!”

  Swords slipping from my fingers, I clamped my hands over my ears and fell to my knees.

  “You’ll never fit in!”

  “You’ll never fit in.”

  “You’ll never fit in…”

  Something in that repeated quote strengthened my resolve. Planting my feet, I pulled myself up from the dirt.

  “That’s not them!” I hollered over the noise. “All they ever wanted was for me to accept who I am instead of running from it!”

  He clicked another button and the noise faded away. “No need to shout. You’re the only one who can hear that. Fascinating, isn’t it? I have to admit I was shocked to learn of your siren heritage in Galveston. But after a little research on the subject, I developed a theory connecting it to your necromancy and the frequency you work on. Based on your reaction, it seems my experiment worked.”

  “So, you stalked me, and… what? Went through my trash? Bugged my phone?” I forced the words through teeth gritted to the point of pain. “Why? Why the hell do you consider me worth the effort? Who am I to you?”

  Assuming a wide-legged stance in front of his tripod, C.A.S. folded his hands in front of him. “I’m so glad you asked. You are the girl who ruined my life. The mythical monster that swooped in and destroyed everything I cared about. You tore my family apart, crushed any chance of a future I once had, and left physical and emotional scars so deep I’ll never recover from them. And the best part is… you never even knew my name.”

  Chapter Ten

  “Are you going to tell me who you are, or should I continue to call you C.A.S.? Oh, I’m sorry—I should explain. That’s the clever little nickname the wolf made up for you. It translates to ‘Creepy Asshole Stalker’. As you can see by his current unconscious state, the moniker is justified.”

  Casually raising one hand, he tapped another button on the screen. An ear-piercing screech echoed through the barn at a decibel that drove spikes of pain into my skull. Feeling my brain pulsing from my skull, I slapped both palms to my temples. Eyesight blurring in and out of focus, I struggled to keep my feet under me as the barn whipped around me like a carnival ride. Stomach rising into my throat, one knee gave out and sent me crashing to the ground.

  “This is another experiment of mine: a high-frequency app targeting sirens. Guess it’s time to patent this baby! It’s a winner.” Palming his phone, C.A.S closed the distance between us, stopping when the toes of his black boots were inches from my face. He took a knee beside me and crouched down until his face was angled to match mine. “How about now? Do you recognize me, yet? Or do I need to have a shooter come in and pepper the place with bullets?”

  Pushing up onto one elbow, I peered up at him with a face full of confusion. In the back of my mind, a faint memory clawed its way to the surface.

  Leaning in, he whispered against my ear, “I saw you. We were the only two kids left alive in the library of North Star High after that kid with a grudge went on a rampage.”

  One blink, and I saw his face in the nightmarish film that ran behind my eyes in an endless loop. “You… were the boy under the desk. I told you to stay down.”

  “There it is. Now she’s caught up!” Pushing to his feet, he paced a slow circle around me. “Always the hero, you saved my life the same day you ruined it.”

  Curling my legs under me, I fought back a wave of nausea as I sat up. “How exactly do you think I did that?”

  “I don’t think anything,” he spat, his tone sharpened with audible disdain. “I know. I watched you bring all of those kids back to life, and we both know how that shit show ended.” Sucking air through his teeth, he shook his head.

  Sinking one foot into the sand, I fought my way up on shaky legs. “I was a kid trying to help the only way I could. More than that, I’m done blaming myself for what happened that day.”

  C.A.S spun on me, his irises darkening to black pits of hatred. “What about what happened in the days, weeks, months, and even years that followed? I was a kid, too. One who saw things he couldn’t wrap his mind around. I told everyone that would listen, because I needed someone to explain it to me. Someone to believe me! The only people who would even listen were from cheesy tabloid magazines that printed my story next to alien abduction articles. My own parents thought I was suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder. And they tried to get me help. They did. Therapist after therapist. Committal after committal. In their eyes, I wouldn’t be healed and on the road to recovery until I could admit the story I swore by… wasn’t real.” Throwing his arms out wide, C.A.S. gestured to his thin physique. “Notice the loss of high school baby fat? That’s thanks to the countless shock therapy sessions my parents turned to as a last result. Turns out that high voltage really speeds up the ‘ole metabolism.”

  Done skirting around the issue, I planted myself in my truth. “What do you want? An apology? I’m sorry. I’m sorry that as a child I didn’t take the time to explain to you the powers even I didn’t understand yet. But we’re way past that, aren’t we? You killed my coven, stole my fiancé’s body, and drugged two of my friends. All for what? Retribution?”

  “That’s right, I did steal Elba’s body!” A vindictive smile coiled at the corners of his thin lips. “I saw that you got it back. Did you like the little magical inhibitor I put on him? It was a simple enough incantation, needing only a few herbs and essential oils. But, thanks to that little concoction, your powers won’t work on him. The only way you’re ever getting your boyfriend back, is for his spirit to jump back into its shell all on its own. Even then, he’ll never be the pretty boy he once was.”

  “You unimaginable bastard.”

  Chest expanding as he breathed in his victory, he set his phone back on the tripod and carefully repositioned it. “You ask what I want? What has kept me motivated to follow you, learning all I could, and orchestrate this whole thing? Well, here it is: I want the world to know the truth about you.”

  Taking a step back, he revealed his phone set to record. “Your coven figured out I was summoning the minotaur, clever little witches. What they didn’t have the time to tell you was that four years back, they faced off against that same demon. It took their combined powers to stop it, which is why I had to bind their magic, along with their hands. In death, of course, they may have shrugged off my magical handcuffs. That little caveat isn’t really one I could test, but it could present you with a unique opportunity. The minotaur is here, bound within these walls—thanks to your gal pal
s. All I have to do to call him forth is to utter his summoning spell. Of course, doing so means I’ll have to supply him with an offering. That will be you—in case you’re having trouble following along. Scrappy little thing you are, I’m sure you’ll put up a lovely little fight. But ultimately, he’ll gore you to death, and I’ll capture the whole thing in a video I plan to watch whenever I’m feeling blue. Or…”

  “There’s an or?” I deadpanned. “How on earth could you possibly beat that enticing offer?”

  With sparks of malicious delight brightening his stare, he offered me a grin that boarded on manic. “Or, you can raise your coven while the camera rolls. Reveal yourself to the world by awakening the same women with experience stopping this very same beast. Who knows, you might even make it out alive. The choice is yours, Octavia. Sacrifice yourself, or show your true face to the world. Either way, the clock is ticking.” Turning his back to me, he shouted to the ceiling. “Son of the Cretan bull and Pasiphae, I call to thee. Come before me now, so mote it be!”

  Ground shaking beneath my feet, the exposed wood beams overhead creaked in protest. At the far end of the barn, inky black tendrils of magic rolled and writhed with devilish intent. From within their churning storm emerged a monstrous bull comprised of darkness. Pawing at the ground, it kicked up a cloud of dust and whipped its head to show off the enormous rack of ivory horns curling from its head.

  Staring a bloody, bovine death in the face, I weighed my options. I could give C.A.S. what he wanted; extend my power like I did at the morgue and bring my entire coven back in time for an epic showdown they might win. Of course, there was the chance they wouldn’t have their magic back, and wouldn’t be able to defeat the minotaur as they did before. Which would leave me cursed to watch them all die, just as I had to with the kids I resurrected after the shooting. The poetic justice of the entire situation wasn’t wasted on me.

  “If you know me as well as you think you do, you already know what my decision will be.” I didn’t wait for C.A.S.’s response before tightening my grip on both my swords, and marching straight for the snorting beast.

  “Octavia, stop!” Elba flickered into view in front of me, blocking my path.

  “Holy shit! That’s not possible!” Stumbling back, C.A.S. tripped over his tripod, sending the entire contraption crashing to the ground.

  “Really?” I lifted a judgmental brow in his direction. “Necromancers and werewolves you have no problem believing in, but ghosts are the shocking element here for you?”

  Stepping in close enough for me to feel the chill of his presence, Elba’s voice dropped to an urgent whisper. “You need to listen to me, Octavia. I can’t let you do this.”

  “Hate to break it to you, love, but you don’t really have much of a choice in the matter.” I proved my point by swinging the point of my swords through the center of his misty form.

  A loud bark of laughter cut through the barn, interrupting our discussion. Back on his feet, C.A.S. was scrambling to fix his phone when something by the barn door struck him with wicked delight. “Look at that! The undead cavalier is here! I kinda want to see him get tossed like a frisbee.”

  Risking a glance over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Zombie Elba shuffling his way in.

  There was a very good chance C.A.S. would get his wish of the airborne undead. The minotaur bounced on his front hooves, preparing to charge. Tossing his head, he bellowed a deep grunt I could feel reverberating through my core.

  “Octavia, look at me,” Ghost Elba demanded, craning his neck to catch my eyeline. “I love you too much to let you do this. One of us has to go on, to live life to the fullest and experience all this crazy world has to offer.”

  “I’m not going to bring my coven back just to watch them die,” I countered, sidestepping around him. Which was a ridiculous waste of energy, considering I could’ve walked right through him.

  A shift in the light, and he was in front of me once more. “I’m not asking that of you. All I want is for you to finally move on. To know that what we had was real and beautiful, but now, it’s okay to move on without an ounce of guilt.”

  Hoofbeats pounded my way as the minotaur launched into its attack.

  “Elba, what are you saying?” Flipping one of my swords into an overhand grip, I squinted to see through his transparent form to the certain death galloping straight for me.

  Something bumped my shoulder, knocking me off balance. Blade ready, I swung wide, only to pull back the strike once I realized it was Zombie Elba ambling straight for his ghostly counterpart.

  Prickles of unease skittered down my spine as my head slowly turned in Ghost Elba’s direction. The minotaur’s horns framed him on either side, closing in fast. “Elba, what the hell are you doing?”

  Features softening, his gaze wandered over my face like he was trying to memorize it. “Showing you I love you the only way I can.”

  By the door, Reid’s head lolled to the side, his eyes struggling to open. “Octavia?”

  “And now,” Elba glanced in the wolfboy’s direction, peace washing over him, “I know you’ll be taken care of.”

  With those as his parting words, Ghost Elba threw himself into the shell of his zombie self. The two connected with a blinding bolt of white light powerful enough to momentarily blind the rampaging minotaur. Taking advantage of the diversion, Elba stole the sword from my hand and spun on the bull. My blade sunk into the beast’s throat with a gruesome squish, at the same moment its blood-soaked horn burst through Elba’s core.

  I felt the strike as if it pierced my own heart, choking the air from my lungs.

  The minotaur dissipated into a smoky nothingness, leaving Elba to slump to the ground. Sinking to my knees, I cradled his head in my lap as a growing pool of crimson gore seeped around him. My tears rained down in free flowing torrents as I watched his body pale and quiver.

  Despite C.A.S.’s warning, I couldn’t help myself. Plugging into the well of energy in my core, I called forth the emerald ripples that danced down my arms. Laying my trembling hands on Elba, I prayed… for a miracle.

  To my heart-wrenching regret, I watched my magic bounce right off him, just as it had with Bahari.

  Elba peered up at me, features soft with loving peace, and died in my arms.

  The deafening sound of my heart shattering was interrupted by a slow clap from C.A.S. “I gotta say, while this wasn’t what I planned, I rather enjoyed it. And I got the whole thing on video. In my book, this counts as a win-win situation.”

  Hands curling into white knuckled fists, I battled against my swelling desire to tear him apart with my bare hands. To tap into my siren side and feed on his soul until there was nothing left of him but a shriveled shell. I may even have acted on that murderous rage, had Reid not clapped his massive hand on C.A.S.’s shoulder in that exact moment.

  “Give me the phone,” he growled, his dark eyes glowing with lupine threat. “Now.”

  “You don’t know what you’re doing!” C.A.S. attempted to block Reid’s reach for the phone, only to have his hands swatted away like bothersome insects. “She’s a monster! A freak!”

  Cocking his head, Reid let his features stretch into a canine snarl.

  “So am I.” The words left his lips in a rumble more beast than man. Holding C.A.S.’s phone up, he crushed it in his meaty fist.

  Easing Elba’s head to the floor, I wiped my face on the back of my hand and rose to my feet in a world I no longer understood. “Hold him there.”

  Reid’s hand tightened on C.A.S.’s shoulder, rooting the homicidal stalker where he stood.

  “Wha…what are you going to do to me?” C.A.S. whimpered, shriveling under the weight of the sudden power shift.

  Not bothering to answer, I moved through my fog of pain to the center of the graves. Crouching down, I let my magic pour out in cresting waves of anguish. Hands shot out from shallow graves, allowing the six women to dig themselves out of the loose dirt.

  Spitting out the sand lodged be
tween her teeth, Tralynn offered me a playful wink. “I never doubted our girl for a minute.”

  “I did,” Beatrice admitted, shaking sand from her curtain of stringy gray hair. “Right about the time I sank into blissful oblivion. But I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy to be wrong before.”

  Brushing off the flowing fabric of her skirt, Dina immediately picked up on the waves of pain radiating off of me. It didn’t take more than a cursory scan of the room for her to piece together what had transpired. “Octavia, sweet child, tell me what you need. How can we help?”

  I couldn’t bring myself to meet her eye. Not yet. Something as simple as that would cause me to break. “Have your powers returned?”

  A roll of her fingers, and Dina produced white energy sparks that licked from her fingertips.

  “Good. Eventually, I’m going to need you ladies to work whatever mojo you did before to cast away the minotaur for good. But first, I need your help with him.” I jerked my chin in C.A.S.’s direction.

  Without a word of protest, the coven fell into step behind me, surrounding the man who abducted and killed them all.

  Nose crinkling into a snarl, C.A.S.’s stare lobbed from one to the other in the growing sea of faces closing in from all sides. “You don’t understand! She’s a monster! All I wanted was for the world to see the truth about who she is.”

  Wetting my lips, I crossed my arms over my chest to stop my shaking hands from closing around his throat. “What’s your name?” I managed. “Your real name.”

  “T-Toby,” he stammered, noticeably less of a malevolent villain when surrounded by a bevy of powerful women.

  “Toby, I think it’s time for you and me to turn back the hands of time and meet the way we should have, without the senseless violence that left us both scarred. You were right when you said my thing is helping people. Now, I’m going to try to help you the only way I can. But know this: if you ever come after me or mine again, I won’t hesitate to kill you.” Chin to my shoulder, I beseeched my coven. “Ladies, I need you to work a spell on our new friend. Erase the day of the shooting from his memory. Take away the burden of that pain. He doesn’t need it anymore.” Stepping back, I allowed them to close into a tight huddle, the melody of their chants rising up in a hypnotic course.