“Coming. We’ll be down in a few minutes,” I said in a groggy voice, nudging Danny awake. He was sleeping like a rock.
“Huh? What time is it?” he asked.
“Breakfast time. It’s eight o’clock, so I guess we slept in,” I answered, kissing his cheek, then throwing the covers back to head for the bathroom.
“That’s what we get for staying up all night,” Danny groaned, then joined me in the bathroom to brush his teeth.
“Yeah, but it was worth it. We need to hurry before Liz eats all the bacon,” I said on a laugh, throwing my hair into a messy bun. I changed into a pair of black yoga pants and a pink V-neck T-shirt.
Danny put on a blue T-shirt and a pair of gray shorts, then we schlepped our tired behinds down the stairs to the kitchen. I smelled coffee and smiled.
“Good morning, Abby, Danny. Did you sleep well?” Mom asked, just as she was taking a sip of her jasmine tea.
“Morning, Mamma. It was a long night and I need a whole carafe of coffee. The girls and I were out late getting rid of rogue vamps. Has Genevieve talked to you about them yet?” I asked, sliding into my chair next to Danny and ignoring the looks from Liz and Danielle. Yes, they were snickering into their coffee mugs as usual. Wenches.
“She did mention it, yes,” Mom replied. “We’re not exactly sure where they’re coming from, but the frequency and sheer numbers are quite alarming.”
“I’m just wondering if it has anything to do with that Marcus guy,” I said, pouring myself a huge cup of coffee.
“It is possible, but not likely,” Mom said. “He’s a hybrid. However, he was consorting with that demon and there’s no telling what kind of powers he might have accumulated. It’s something we should look into, though. I’ll get in touch with Genevieve later today and discuss it with her.”
“All right, sounds good to me. Also, there’s something I want to talk to you about later. Maybe after breakfast if you have a minute?” I asked.
Mom nodded in affirmation, then took another drink of jasmine tea and turned to Liz.
“Liz sweetie, is everything all right? You’re looking a little pale this morning.”
“I’m fine, Mamma. Just tired is all,” Liz answered and Danielle nudged her with her elbow.
I wondered what the hell was going on with those two and why they were keeping secrets from me. If something was wrong with my sister, someone had damn well better tell me. I looked at Danielle and narrowed my eyes, silently telling her that she had better spill the beans later. She nodded, then sipped her coffee.
Danny was too busy shoveling food in his face to notice anything going on around him. I guessed my talk with Mom about Daddy’s book could wait a little longer until I figured out what was going on with Liz.
Mom nodded toward Liz, but like me, she didn’t seem convinced. What the hell had she gotten herself into that I didn’t know about? And why didn’t she tell me? She told me everything. If someone hurt my baby sister, they would feel my wrath.
Everyone ate in silence after that. We normally had to hoard our food to keep Liz from eating it, but she was barely eating at all, only pushing her food around on her plate. She hadn’t even touched her bacon. We were usually lucky if we managed to get one piece of bacon between us when she was around. I was not only worried, but also beginning to get a little pissed off. Danielle kept eyeing me, basically telling me to leave it alone and she would tell me later, but patience had never been part of my DNA.
Liz had been acting strangely last night. I mean, yeah, we killed a couple of vampires without her sword, but she really lost her shit and that wasn’t normal for her. I was usually the quick-tempered one. I should’ve noticed something was up then. I continued to think of every possible scenario while drinking more than half a carafe of coffee until everyone was done eating.
I stood from the table to help Mom and Danielle clear the dishes and Liz practically ran to her room. I just looked to Danielle and she shrugged, then went back to loading the dishwasher. Danny went back upstairs to sleep, completely unaware of anything that was going on. Men.
Once we were done, Mom retired to the parlor and I pulled Danielle inside the greenhouse located just off the right side of the kitchen.
“Okay, what the hell is going on with Liz?” I asked. “Is she still pissed about last night? What is it?”
Danielle sighed and ran her hands through her long blonde hair. “She didn’t want me to tell you, but whatever. She was bitten by one of those vamps last night before you got to her. She doesn’t want you to know. I—”
“Are you freakin’ kidding me?” I cut her off, half shouting, trying not to bring attention to myself.
“No, and as I was saying, I took a look at the bite. It’s not healing like it should be. She needs to tell your mom, but refuses. We have to get some healing potions in her system or I’m afraid…” she trailed off and looked to the side.
“I know. Why is she being so stubborn about this? Why didn’t she want me to know? That’s just stupid.”
“Don’t ask me, but we need to take your mom to her because she won’t do anything about it if we don’t,” Danielle said, putting her hands in her pockets and looking down at the floor.
“This is serious shit, Danielle. I don’t understand what would possess her… Crap balls! Let’s just get Mom.” I stormed off to the parlor and told Mom what was going on while Danielle stood next me filling in the gaps. Mom’s face was one of shock, then anger. Good. If we were going to find and fight Delphine again, we all needed to be at our best, not wallowing in whatever Liz was doing. I mean, what the hell? Who doesn’t take care of a vamp bite? I was seriously at a loss. She was one of the strongest witches in our coven. I just didn’t understand.
Mom stomped angrily up the stairs with me and Danielle following behind. She didn’t even knock when she threw the door open to Liz’s bedroom.
“Elizabeth! Get up right this instant. I want to speak to you. Now,” Mom demanded.
Liz was lying crossways on her bed, but when she heard Mom’s voice, she jumped up, startled. “What is it, Mamma?”
“I should be asking you the same question, young lady,” Mom said with her hands on her hips. Danielle and I stood hovering near the doorjamb. Mom was scary mad again. Hey, we might be grown, but damn, that woman had a mean temper.
Liz glared toward Danielle and stood. “I was bitten last night and it’s bad. I feel like shit. All right?” she shouted.
“Elizabeth, I didn’t raise you to speak to me in that tone of voice, nor did I raise you to hide such things that could be a danger to your well-being. Why didn’t you come to me or your sister right away? You need healing spells and herbs immediately.”
“What if I don’t want them? What if I’m just tired of living in a perfect bubble always answering to a coven who couldn’t care less about what we do to save their sorry asses? What about that, Mamma?” Liz asked with tears streaming down her face.
It all made sense now. She was pissed off about everything, not just being summoned before the council, but being the perfect child, the one who did no wrong, the one who had to lift up her big sister—me—when I allowed the darkness to take control. I stepped into the room.
“Sis, please don’t be this way. I’m sorry you’ve had to take the brunt of it all, but I’m here now and you don’t have to look after me anymore. It’s okay to just be yourself. Who gives a shit about the council? We’ll find that damned talisman together and lock it up for good—together. I love you, Sissy. Please don’t put this all on yourself,” I said through tears and pulled her into a tight hug. I couldn’t lose my sister. She was my everything and stood by me at my worst.
Liz started sobbing into my shoulder and hugged me back. “I’m sorry, Abby. It’s just all been too much lately. I feel so lost sometimes and want to give up, but I could never lose you.”
Mom was crying and so was Danielle. “All right, girls. Let’s take this to the greenhouse,” Mom said, wiping her tear-stained fa
ce. “Liz, we need to get you cleaned up before the vampire’s virus gets into your system.”
I felt like shit. Liz was always my voice of reason and I’d put too much on her lately, not meaning to. When the talisman was stolen, it was the last straw for her. I couldn’t blame her for having a meltdown. Hell, I had my own several times over. I needed to be more careful now that my darkness was gone and make sure I put my sister first once in a while. My heart hurt.
We left Danny sleeping and went down to the greenhouse to gather healing herbs to make a paste. There were several potions on the shelf near the window and Mom asked Danielle to grab three of the red ones.
“Elizabeth, take off your T-shirt so that I may inspect the wound,” Mom said. “Have a seat on the table so we can access it and, Abby, hold her hands just in case it becomes too painful.”
Liz looked at me with sheer terror in her eyes. Sure, she’d been bitten before, but Hector was a hybrid and Genevieve healed her immediately afterward. This situation was completely different. She’d allowed the wound to fester overnight and there was no telling how much of the vampire’s venom was coursing through her veins. If we didn’t act fast, she could transition into a hybrid if the vampire’s bite was meant to turn her. We had no idea what we were dealing with just yet. I was surprised that she was still standing, let alone coherent.
“Here’s the potion you asked for, Mrs. B,” Danielle said, handing the small vials to Mom.
“Thank you, Danielle,” she said. “Please grab the bowl of herbs I placed near the sink; there’s a thick healing paste sitting next to it. Mix it together thoroughly.”
Danielle quickly did as Mom asked, then brought the mixture to the table where Liz was sitting. The smell was horrendous—manure and fresh herbs? No, surely not. It had to be the paste that caused such a stench. I wanted to gag. Liz had the same expression.
“Elizabeth, this wound seems to be infected and without doing a magical assessment, I can’t be sure how much venom is in your body, if any. I need you to lie down. I apologize, but this might be somewhat painful—the herbs and potions may not be enough.” Mom kissed her forehead and gently pushed her down on the table.
Danielle and I took a step back to allow Mom the space she needed to perform the spell. Liz was completely silent, but continued to glance at me with a pleading expression. I mouthed to her that everything would be okay, that I wasn’t going anywhere.
Liz closed her eyes and Mom placed one hand on each of Liz’s temples.
Mom began chanting and praying to the ancestors. She needed the gift of sight in order for the venom to reveal itself. “Revelare!”
Liz’s body began to glow in a brilliant yellow light and we watched as her veins turned black where the venom had traveled down her shoulder and right arm. It was unnerving. Mom continued to chant healing spells, but nothing seemed to be working. All of a sudden, Liz’s body began to convulse on the table and her eyes rolled back into her head. She was foaming at the mouth.
“Liz!” I shouted, running to the other side of the table and clutching her hand. “Mamma, what’s wrong with her? What can I do?”
“I need you to call Genevieve and get her over here. Now,” Mom answered, attempting to keep Liz from falling off the table. She looked to be seizing and I was scared to death.
I ran to the kitchen and dialed Genevieve, telling her what happened to Liz, and asked her to come over right away—to let herself in. Then I ran back to the greenhouse where Liz had finally stopped convulsing, but she now was unconscious.
Danielle stood near Mom holding a vial of healing potion. “Thank you. This might slow down the venom for now, but I need Genevieve to help me extract it before it’s too late.” Mom took the vial, opened Liz’s mouth and poured small droplets in, careful to not choke her. How the hell was Danny sleeping through all of this?
I grasped Liz’s hand. “Sis, you’re going to be all right. Just stay with us a little while longer. You’re too stubborn to die.” I was attempting to keep it together, but tears were streaming down my face. Danielle was crying too, while Mom remained calm.
Genevieve came rushing through the door a few minutes later and took a long look at Liz. “This is not just any vampire bite, she’s been poisoned!”
“What?” I shouted. “I should’ve fried all those damn bloodsuckers! What do you mean, poisoned, and how?”
Danielle was seething at my side, but said nothing, only looked at me with fire raging in her eyes.
“I’m not exactly sure, but I’m positive it has everything to do with the rogue vampires who have been coming to the city in droves.” She paused as if in thought, then looked between the three of us. “Marcus.”
“Son of a
— ”
“Not now, Abby.” Mom cut me off. “Genevieve, what do we need to do to extract the poison from her bloodstream? As you can see, it’s spreading.”
“Marcus developed a poison when he was still with our coven. I warned him to get rid of it as it went against everything we stand for. The properties could be deadly to anyone, vampire or witch alike.
“I will attempt to draw it out with magic, but we need to bond our powers together. Even then, I’m not positive it will remove it all at once. Elizabeth must drink the healing potions immediately.” Genevieve ran her hands along Liz’s shoulders and brushed her dark brown hair away from her face.
“I’ll grab the candles,” Danielle said, then took off running upstairs.
“How much time does she have?” Mom asked, tears welling in her eyes.
“It all depends on us, Jaqueline. With our combined strength and Abby’s gift of God’s light, I believe we can get the worst of it.” She took a breath, then looked at me. “Abby, I need you to cast your emotions aside and concentrate on your powers. If anyone can bring Elizabeth through this, it is you. Do you understand?”
I nodded, knowing I would do anything and everything to protect my sister. Marcus was a dead man walking. I’d learn about the poison later, but now, I was going to focus on healing my sister.
Danielle came rushing back carrying four large white candles. We placed them around Liz’s body, creating a protective circle, and stood behind each one, lighting them with our fingertips.
We held hands around Liz and began the spell to bond our powers.
Genevieve led the incantation and we recited it in unison:
Ancients and Ancestors, we call upon thee.
Lend us your powers of strength and serenity.
Protect us this day from evil which we cannot sense.
We draw upon the powers of these witches hence
Bonding the power of four, let us see.
So we have called it,
So shall it be.
Once our powers were bonded, we began the spell of extraction.
We followed Genevieve’s lead. “Eluciunt ex auditu!”
The four of us repeated the Latin spell of extraction three times, then Genevieve nodded toward me. I closed my eyes, feeling the now-familiar sensation of my father’s magic rising inside of me. We lifted our hands and prayed again, but much louder this time.
“Eluciunt ex auditu!”
I closed my eyes and shouted:
Ancients and Ancestors, we call upon thee
With the powers of God Almighty.
Remove the evil which we cannot see.
Heal what was lost.
So we have called it.
So shall it be.
All at once, the flames from the candles grew higher and an unnatural wind swept through the greenhouse. Liz began choking again, but this time it was different. I was afraid she was going to die and broke the circle. The flames died down and I took her hand in mine, holding her head upright.
“Sis, it’s okay. I’m here. It’s almost over.” Then what appeared to be black smoke and some kind of strange-looking insects flew from her mouth, taking on a human-like shape.
“Oh shit!” Danielle shrieked, taking a step back.
&nbs
p; “Abby, that’s no poison. It’s an entity. Open the veil and let God handle it. Do it now!” Mom shouted.
I stood there with my mouth hanging open. What the hell was that thing and how did it get into my sister from a vampire bite? It was much more than a poison. Holy shit!
I tamped down my fear and focused on my power, praying to God for His strength more than ever before. My hands began to glow in a white light and everyone stood back—the entity hovered over Liz as if he or she was attempting to possess her once again. Its smoke-like hands were on her shoulders as the rest of its body drifted around. Its mouth opened wide and a tar-like substance began to drip from its razor-sharp teeth. When did smoky entities have teeth? What the hell?
“I don’t think so!” I shouted, waving my right hand, opening the veil to the other side.
The murky entity shrieked as I strode closer with the light of God radiating around me, ready to drag its ass to the other side myself if I had to. There was no way it was getting anywhere near my sister again.
An ethereal, blonde-haired man in a black suit stood just inside the veil—that was new. What was he? The Grim Reaper? Again, the dark entity wailed, this time as if it were in pain. It jerked its hands from Liz and attempted to move toward the ceiling, but the suited man was much stronger. He held out both hands summoning the being forth, ripping it into nothing more than smoky tendrils, dragging him across the veil. Once it was out of the greenhouse, the veil closed on its own. I stood there like an idiot with my mouth gaping open. That was until Liz sat straight up, gasping for air.
Chapter 3
“You’re okay!” I clutched her in my arms in a death grip, rocking her. “Oh, Sis. You scared us to death.”
“What happened? And why is everyone looking at me like they’ve just seen a ghost?” Liz asked.
Mom walked over and hugged her tightly. “Oh, my dear child. You have no idea. That was no ordinary vampire bite. You were possessed and poisoned.” She began to sob, stroking Liz’s hair.
Magic Unleashed (Delphine Rising Book 2) Page 2
