One by one, they turn to face me.
“Plus, she does kinda share his likeness,” Cat says, raising her eyebrows in approval.
“She’s practically the spitting image,” Mrs. Gilbert chuckles.
I turn to face Diana, hoping to get her consensus. “Will this work?” I ask.
Something hides in the depths of her eyes, but she tips her head. “It would stand to reason.”
“But you can’t tell?” I say, making a face.
“When the works of gods are involved, even the best psychics in the world will have their limitations. The Moirai, while not gods specifically, have powers many gods have fought over. I find it’s best to tread lightly and hope that fate favors the attempts,” she says, accentuating the final words.
Casting a quick glance at Wade, I drop his hand and walk over to the circle.
Colton brings his hands into prayer position in front of his chest, then tips them forward at the wrist so his fingertips face me. As he pulls his hands apart, the energy of the cylinder of light separates like curtains being drawn back.
Stepping gingerly over the salt, I walk to him. Shifting the photo to the side, I kneel down in front of Colton, taking the photo’s place.
“This won’t hurt her, will it?” Wade asks. I look up to his worried expression.
Diana shakes her head. “It shouldn’t. He’s just using her connection to her dad like a scrying tool. Their DNA is linked.”
Wade nods, scrunching his lips tight.
Turning back to Colton, I take a deep breath. “What do you need me to do?”
He extends his hands, palms upward. I stare at them for a moment, then slowly reach out, placing my hands in his. As soon as our skin comes into contact, the blue and orange flames erupt. They begin at the place of contact, and spread up my arms.
“Holy shit,” Dominic mutters.
Ignoring their mutterings, I close my eyes, not wanting to see the look on Wade’s face. Colton’s hands tighten around mine and he begins to chant again.
While there’s no pain from the fire, there’s a deep sense of movement inside me, like he’s summoning the very coding in my blood to do his bidding. Shuddering at the thought, I open my eyes to see if it’s working.
Colton’s head is no longer bent forward, but, instead, raised back up. Just like at the manor, his eyes glow a brilliant, bright white as he stares straight through me.
After a moment, he speaks. His voice has an odd, echoing quality that makes me shiver.
“He’s not far. Just beyond the trees,” Colton says. Raising his right arm, he points back toward the general direction of my house.
“Can you see his body?” Diana asks.
“Yes,” Colton says. “He’s on the ley lines, just beyond the ridge.”
My insides constrict and I feel queasy. I knew we needed to find his body, but to know it’s really there is something totally different.
“Hold up. Are you saying his body is back on the Blackwood property?” Dominic interjects. There’s an edge of panic hidden in his tone.
“Yes,” Colton repeats.
“Shit,” Dominic curses.
Suddenly, the glow in Colton’s eyes dims, and he pulls back from whatever sight the spell or his power itself has given him. He blinks the remnants of it away, and his deep-brown eyes take me in.
“I’m so sorry, Autumn,” he whispers.
My lips press into a thin line, and I drop my gaze to our connected hands. Pulling back my hands from his, the blue and orange fire extinguishes in a puff. Before I stand up, I chance a sideways glance at Wade. He quickly tries to hide his wounded expression as I exit the circle to stand beside him.
Colton stands up, grabbing the picture frame and stepping over to his mom to hand it to her.
“Well, this is swell,” Dom mutters, rolling his eyes and stepping away from the circle. “How do we get to it without being pummeled by Hurricane Lyle?”
“A valid point,” I say, nodding. “My dad’s too strong. If we go onto the property, his Lemure will attack. He nearly killed Wade. Hell, he nearly killed all of us.”
Dominic nods. “We can’t just go marching over there to collect his remains. That would be suicide. We need a better plan.”
Diana crosses her arms over her chest and quirks an eyebrow, clearly waiting for something.
Dominic makes a face. It’s like the two of them are communicating on a completely psychic level.
“Well, we do have a few people in our midst who can’t die,” Dominic mutters. “Maybe we can use that to our advantage?”
“So, you want to send in the immortals and hope they can clean up the mess? You know they can still get hurt, right?” Blake says, speaking up for the first time. His face is dark as he shakes his head indignantly.
“Hurt, but not dead,” Dominic says. He winks as he clicks his tongue and points his index finger at Blake.
Blake lets out an exasperated sigh and walks away from the group.
“What about Colton?” Wade says, tugging his eyebrows in.
“Yes, he’s immortal,” I say, wondering what he’s getting at. “But he can’t go alone—”
“No, that’s not what I mean.” Wade turns to me, taking my hands in his. “Hear me out, okay?”
I narrow my gaze, waiting.
Wade scrunches his face and exhales slowly. “What if Colton summons your dad’s remains?”
My mouth pops open, but I can’t find the words to refute him. There’s a certain amount of sense to the idea.
“After everything that went down last semester, you want to put Colt in the position to use his powers to make another revenant?” Cat says indignantly. “Do you know how hard he’s worked to put all of that behind him?”
“Yeah, well, at least this time, he could put the skill to some good. Don’t you think?” Wade fires back. “If any of us go onto the property, we’re as good as dead. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to see any of us die over this. Do you?”
Cat opens her mouth, but snaps it shut after a moment.
“He’s right, you know,” Diana whispers, speaking up for the first time in all of this.
Everyone turns to her, but no one says a word.
“Colton has powers he’s barely begun to explore. He needs to learn how to live with them. Unless he tests the waters, he won’t be able to find his center,” she says matter-of-factly.
Colton swallows hard, swapping his gaze from me to Diana.
She casts him a stern glance and tips her chin. “You got this, kiddo,” she whispers. “This is what you’ve been working so hard for.”
Straightening his shoulders, Colt exhales a slow burst of air. “All right, I’ll do it.”
Despite being the lesser of the evils, my pulse pounds loudly in my ears.
Even if we can reanimate his remains, which is cringeworthy on its own, we still have to find a way to get him into the catacombs and finish the interment. That means for sure Cat and I will have to get onto the property.
What if messing with his remains magickally just pisses him off even more? Or somehow gives him even more power? What else could he be capable of?
Chapter 27
Puppet Master
The eight of us form a circle on the grass, huddling together to come up with the best plan of action. Even if Colton is able to summon my dad’s remains, we still need to follow it up with Cat’s ability to direct her element of fire, and I’m the one who will have to help her find her way through the labyrinth of the catacombs.
I glance over at Colton. He looks as apprehensive as the rest of us, shifting his gaze to the ground and kicking at the dirt. It reminds me of the way he was when I first met him, but he’s still somehow very different.
“All right, so let me get this straight. Once Colton’s able to summon Lyle’s remains, he’ll go with Cat and Autumn to the catacombs as their protection?” Wade says, his face a blanket of seriousness as he looks to each of our faces.
I no
d. “You didn’t see it, but what he did was incredible. He was able to put everything on hold, like he pressed the pause button.”
Wade’s shoulders relax a little bit. “All right. What about the rest of us?”
“There’s no reason for anyone else to put themselves in danger,” Diana says. “We all stay here, out of the way.”
“This is bullshit,” Dominic mutters under his breath.
Diana narrows her gaze on him, shaking her head. I swear I hear her mutter, kids.
“Dominic’s right, though. I don’t like the idea of standing back and letting Autumn head into that,” Wade says, shaking his head. “Even if she has Colton’s protection.”
Turning to him, I take his left hand in my right. “Wade, I can’t have you come with me. After what happened last time, I’d be so distracted, worrying about you and making sure you’re safe. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you. Please, the best thing you can do is stay here. It will help me focus on what I need to do.”
His silver eyes bore into mine, trying to will me into submission. “But…” he begins.
I raise a hand to the side of his face, running it along his cheek. “There are no buts. I have to go because I’m the only one who can inter my father. The catacombs are meant for my family. This is my job.”
“I can enter the catacombs, remember? Besides, I know the way, too,” Wade says, his jaw hardening.
“I know. And if this were any other situation, I would welcome your company. But when things are as hostile as we’ve seen—I won’t risk it,” I say, pressing my authority on the matter. “I need you to stay here and stay safe.”
Wade reaches up, dropping my hand from his face. His fingertips press against his lips as he turns away from me.
Turning to Colton, I say, “Are you absolutely sure you can do this?”
“Now that we’ve reached out to your dad’s remains, I can sense them. It’s almost as if they’re an extension of me,” he says, his eyes going slightly distant.
“That’s your god essence,” Diana offers. “Once they’ve become a part of you, it’s hard to let go.”
Colton glances her direction, nodding in understanding.
“Do you need anything else from me?” I ask.
Colton’s lips tug down as he shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so.”
“So, assuming you Puppet Master his bones, how do we know when it’s safe to head in?” Dominic asks, crossing his arms over his body. He’s clearly not happy about being on the bench for this, but he’s just as vulnerable as Wade and Blake.
Everyone turns their gaze to Colton. His shoulders tighten and he takes a deep breath to release them.
“Once the remains rise, I’ll be able to sense the movement. At least, that’s the way it was before. To know for sure if they’re doing as they’re told, I just need to tune in to him. Honestly, it’s just like doing a meditation. We wait until he’s outside the catacombs. Then, the three of us will follow,” Colton says.
“Hopefully, all of this goes unnoticed by the Lemure. The entrance isn’t all that far into the woods between the two properties. Once we get inside, my guess is my dad’s power will diminish,” I say, chewing on the side of my cheek.
“And what if it doesn’t?” Wade asks, lowering his eyebrows.
“Then I’ll have no choice but to start my end of the bargain early,” Cat says, snapping her fingers together and lighting a fire between them.
“Are you clear on what this Flames of Eternity thing is?” Dominic asks, tipping his head to the side.
Mrs. Gilbert smiles, rubbing a circle on her daughter’s upper back. “I can assure you, she does. It’s one of Caitlyn’s specialties.”
“Mom,” Cat says, rolling her eyes.
“What?” Mrs. Gilbert says, shrugging. “Don’t be so modest. You’ve worked hard on your gifts through the years.”
“Yeah, but I’ve only used it on the dog,” Cat says, scrunching her face. She looks up, her gaze flitting around each of us. “It’s a fire that’s only meant for the dead. Our dog died, so I got to practice.”
“But you executed it perfectly,” Mrs. Gilbert says, smiling softly.
Cat grins back, her cheeks filling with color.
“I think we should get started,” Diana says, eyeing the sky. “Sun’s setting and it’ll be dark soon. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have this over before that happens.”
“Agreed,” Blake says with a nod.
Taking a deep breath, Colton tips his head to the side, then walks over to the circle of salt still evident in the driveway. He raises his gaze to Cat and she nods, prancing up the stairs and heading back inside.
All of my emotions swirl, making it harder to breathe. It’s barely been a day since I found out about my dad’s death. And here we are, getting ready to raise his bones and turn his body into a revenant. There’s something so wrong in all of it.
Slowly, each of us makes our way back to the circle, taking up our previous locations outside of it. A couple of seconds later, Cat comes back with a new jar of salt in her hands.
“Ready?” she asks, making sure to capture Colton’s gaze before she begins.
He nods, kneeling down again and placing his hands on his knees. As he closes his eyes, Cat starts laying down a fresh circle of salt. When the tunnel of light erupts, locking him within it, Colton’s eyes flick open. The blazing white light consumes his irises, glowing brightly.
For the longest minutes of my life, he sits there like that, completely unmoving. Each of us seems to be holding our breath and ignoring the foreboding and uneasiness swirling around us. The tension continues to build until Colton’s body sways slightly from side to side.
Wade leans in and whispers in my ear. “I feel like we should all be holding hands and singing kumbaya or something.”
I chuckle softly, letting the lightheartedness of his statement release some of the pressure.
Then, with eyes still white in magickal concentration, Colton’s body bolts upright and begins to quake. Sweat breaks out across his forehead and his arms splay out wide. His fingers twitch, contorting at odd angles in the air.
“Colton,” Cat gasps, taking a step closer to the circle. Her mother reaches out, grabbing her by the shoulders, pulling her back.
Diana narrows her gaze, holding up a hand. “Give him a minute.”
As if suddenly released, Colton bends forward, clutching at the dirt in front of him. When he sits back up on his haunches, blood trickles from his left nostril. It glistens in the dying sunlight as it drops from his lip to the ground.
Mrs. Gilbert cries out, covering her mouth with her hand.
“What’s happening to him?” I ask, my pulse hammering in my ears. The question is for anyone who might have an idea, but no one says a word. “Is this normal?”
Diana’s concerned gaze matches my own and she shakes her head ominously.
Colton continues to jerk, but his eyes remain white and open wide.
“Someone should help him,“ I sputter.
Raising a hand toward me, Colton shakes his head. “No, I have him,” he says breathlessly. “But there’s something—strong magick—that doesn’t like what I’m doing. It’s…difficult.”
“Is it my dad’s Lemure?” I ask, dropping to my knees beside the circle.
Colton drops his chin to his chest and winces. “No, I don’t think so. It’s bigger than that. Much, much bigger.”
“It’s the Moirai,” Diana whispers, turning her palms are upward at her side. Despite not being within a circle, her eyes match Colton’s in a similar glow. “They’ve been punishing him for his insolence.”
“So, they wanted his soul to be displaced? They wanted to make him a Lemure?” I say, my mouth dropping open.
The more I deal with the Moirai, the more I’m starting to despise them.
Diana turns her white eyes to me. “It appears so. And they have a message for you…”
The wind around us starts to pick u
p, tousling my hair over my shoulder. I shudder from its coolness, eyeing the treetops suspiciously.
“You know, guys, this is starting to seem like a bad idea,” Dominic says, shaking his head and backing away from the circle.
Diana continues to face me, her words coming out slow and deliberate, and completely unlike her. “Until the evils of previous generations are consumed, we are prepared to slaughter the children for the sins of their ancestors. A reckoning is upon you.”
Then, Diana’s eyes fade in brightness, returning to their calculated and brilliant blue.
I stare at her, unsure what on earth to say to something like that.
“Lyle’s remains are on their way to the catacombs. I think I’m past the worst of it now,” Colton says softly. His eyelashes flutter and the glow in his eyes also dissipates. As they return to normal, he slumps forward, dropping his head to the ground, breathing hard.
Cat kicks open the circle of salt with the toe of her shoe and enters the space. Dropping down beside her brother, she wraps an arm around him.
“Are you okay, Colt?” she asks, her eyebrows weaving together.
Remaining in the same position, Colton takes a few slow inhalations before finally saying, “I don’t know. I feel so…drained.”
“Please tell me that’s something that always happens after something like this,” Wade says, narrowing his gaze. “And that it goes away quickly.”
Cat’s face scrunches and she shakes her head like that was the dumbest statement ever. Then she huddles in, whispering in Colton’s ear. He tries to raise himself back up, but slumps over, his forehead touching the dirt.
Even Diana, who’s been the epitome of calm since I met her, looks shaken. Either by Colton or the information relayed through her. Or both.
“Shit, what about the rest of the plan?” Wade says, turning his wide eyes to me. “Do we nix it until he’s better?”
Cat lifts her head, staring at each one of us like we attacked Colton personally. “What if this is permanent? I’ve never seen him like this.”
The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4 Page 62