Shattered

by Melissa Lummis

  “What is wrong with you? Haven’t you caused enough trouble this summer? Do you want to give Momma a heart attack?”

  “Oh, shut up and help me find the rings.” Lena dropped to her knees and crawled attentively over to the fence that separated the paddock from the silent pond. It was too late in the summer for the peepers.

  Eva glanced up just in time to see the boy hop the fence. His white teeth glowed in the moonlight and the familiar pang of something she didn’t want to feel vibrated in her chest. He tossed the bangs out of his eyes and grinned at her.

  Did he know? She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms under her pert breasts, suddenly much too aware of the thinness of her nightgown. She frowned harder.

  “What have I done, now?” His smile deepened and Eva had to turn away.

  “We’re looking for the rings Eva knocked out of my hand.” Lena jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him in a way that made Eva clear her throat.

  “Um, like, get a room, you two.” She huffed and bent to the task of searching with a vengeance. They laughed through their kisses and then plopped on the ground next to her.

  “Here! Here! Here!” Eva pounced. “I found one.”

  “Here, let me put it on and it will lead me to the other.” Lena’s hand darted out.

  “I’ll do it.” Eva jerked the ring out of her sister’s greedy reach.

  Grandmother Isodore had told her they were to be worn on the pinky. Why she and Granddaddy hadn’t worn them as their wedding bands, she still wasn’t sure. When she asked, her grandmother had said they had been her parents’ special gift and it hadn’t seemed right somehow.

  “Fine. Just hurry up.” Lena pouted, but assuaged her sourpuss by rubbing her hand over the boy’s back and down his backside. He reciprocated by squeezing her butt.

  “Knock it off.” Eva paused at a fleeting cautionary thought, but dismissed it as only the young can do and slid the ring on.

  In an instant she knew where the other one was and walked straight to it, plucking it from the grassy field. She spun around, holding it out to her sister, who was sucking face with that boy again.

  She sighed loudly and cleared her throat. Lena reluctantly untangled her lips, but then skipped over to her sister. She grabbed the ring and grinned to herself as she slid it on her right pinky finger.

  As soon as it shrank to fit, her head snapped back and her eyes went wild. Both young women shook as their heads filled with a howling. It was like a wild animal on the wind and Lena saw things—dark and horrifying things that would haunt her till the day she died.

  No amount of whiskey, no powdered substance whether snorted or mainlined would ever wash away the image of being walled up alive or the light dying from a young girl’s eyes, or what would happen next.

  Eva screamed as Lena convulsed. The howling changed, and unaware of the dark visions her sister was having, Eva realized it was now coming out of Lena’s mouth. Her eyes rolled in their sockets like a spooked horse and she staggered over to her boyfriend. He backed away with wide eyes as the animalistic howl grew into a screech. Eva wanted to scream for him to run as fast as he could but no sound would come out.

  She couldn’t move, either. Her limbs felt too heavy while her vision swirled through a series of scenes in reverse. A man’s partially torn neck with the head flopping to one side knitted itself back together under the swift ministrations of a dark-haired man who ran backward out of the room.

  A young woman on the floor jerked like a ragdoll to her feet and the red-haired man choked the life back into her. Her deep blue eyes came alive with horror and confusion. Blood seeped back into another woman, a woman in wine colored dress. she floundered back to her feet clutching at her stomach.

  Her hands flew out and she stumbled into the wild eyed man. He planted a knife in her stomach and then yanked it out again. The surprise in the woman’s eyes was mixed with sadness and the vision ended. Gentle thumping interspersed with the crickets while Eva slowly came back to the present. Fumbling for the ring on her pinky, she wrenched it off and clenched her fist around it.

  Lena straddled the boy’s body, her hands wrapped around his throat as she banged his head against the ground over and over. His blue eyes were vacant and Eva screamed loud and long into the night. Her sister turned to her with eyes almost as empty. Eva leaped on Lena and wrestled for the ring on her finger.

  Lena bit and scratched, and hissed and growled—Eva knew it wasn’t actually her sister fighting her. Whatever had been in that red-haired man’s eyes was now in her sister’s light blue ones. Eva repeated the banishing chant even as she fought for the ring.

  “Om Aieem Hreem Kleem Chaa-mun-daa-yay Vich-chay.”

  She chanted, sucking in ragged breaths in between each mantra. Lena weakened, not fighting so hard, and Eva won by pinning Lena’s shoulders to the ground with her knees. Chanting automatically now, not even thinking about the words, something indistinct and filmy whooshed past her and there was no more fight in Lena. Eva twisted the ring from Lena’s pinky and sank back, rolling off. Lena’s eyes blinked until the light of her soul returned.

  Propping herself up on her elbows, she stared at Eva in confusion. “What happened?”

  She looked around until her gaze fell on the still form of her boyfriend. She sat up, her eyes clearing of the possessive haze as her face contorted through her revelation.

  “No, no, no, no!” And she tried to stand, but her limbs gave out from under her and she scrambled over to him on awkward hands and knees, blubbering his name.

  “Granville. Granville. Granville.”

  “I think there was some sort of evil spirit trapped in the rings.” She studied the rings in her hands. “I think I banished it.”

  She looked up at the trees. Silvery leaves flipped over in the summer breeze. She stumbled to her feet on shaking legs and tripped over her own feet on her way to her sister. Lena lay half on top of him slapping his face.

  “Wake up, Granville.” She smacked his pale cheek. “Granville!” She screamed the last.

  Eva shook violently as she knelt by Granville and Lena. “He’s gone.”

  “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Lena screeched at her sister, fat tears slipping down the side of her nose to mingle with the snot.

  Eva ignored her screams. “We have to call—”

  “No! Give me those.” Lena snatched the rings out of Eva’s hand before Eva even realized what was going on. “We are not telling anybody. Anyone. Do you hear me?”

  Eva gawked at her sister. “They’ll understand, Lena. You were possessed. I can testify to that. I’m sure there’s residual energy—”

  “No. No one will believe me. No one around here ever believes me. No one listens to me.”

  “You only have yourself to blame for that,” Eva whispered.

  Lena paced around their corner of the paddock. She stopped and bent over. When she stood up, she had the toile bag the rings had been in. She tied the rings up with a piece of the ribbon she wore around her neck and stuffed them in the bag.

  “We’re not telling anyone.” She looked up through the escaped bits of red hair. “You’re not telling anyone.”

  Eva’s eyes widened. She backed away from her sister, one hand reaching out for the fence. She glanced around but a wave of suffocating heat swamped her and she gasped for air. Lena’s wavering form stalked towards her, as if she were seeing her through rising heat waves. She vaguely registered that her sister was chanting a spell before the world went dark.

  When Eva blinked sticky eyes, she registered four blurry faces. They came into focus little by little and she had to take a minute to register where she was. Wolf Arrighi, Professor Brown’s vampire. What was he doing here? Nausea bloomed and she coughed through it, holding her stomach.

  “What’s happened?” She managed to speak.

  “It’s okay, Eva. It’s just a memory. One I think was buried.”

  Eva realized she was standing in a little circle with Wolf
and the three women. The last twenty-five years of her life flooded back and she grabbed the redhead.

  “Heather. How old are you?”

  Heather blinked at the odd question. “I just turned twenty-five two months ago.”

  Eva closed her eyes and nodded. “She must have been pregnant with you when she ran away.” She cleared her throat. “I thought she ran away with Granville and took the rings with her. But she must have given the rings to Katie for safe keeping, and Katie never told me.”

  “She may have told Katie some story, so she wouldn’t tell you about them. She may have wiped your memory, but she also was protecting you, I suspect.” Wolf loosened his grip on Heather and touched Eva’s hand. “It’s okay. You’re here. It’s over.”

  Eva nodded as she lowered her hands. Then her face twisted as the last bit of vital information sank in. “Granville! Oh my God. He’s dead.”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  The coven members and ashram residents mixed with Katie’s family and university associates in her downtown Lewiston home. Rachel stayed away from them all, cloistering herself in front of the fireplace. She sipped a glass of wine in an angry haze while Wolf, Loti and Heather hovered on one side. Her parents watched over her from the other. She hadn’t said much the entire evening.

  In an effort to avoid a media frenzy, Katie’s body had been sent immediately from the hospital to the mortuary, after a quick autopsy. The coroner declared the cause of death a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurism. Her remains had been cremated and a small service arranged for the next day.

  The memorial service was after dark so Calisto and the other vampires could attend. The university had given permission for it to be held in their botanical gardens. Katie’s urn now stood on a carved table surrounded by calla lilies and pink tea roses. Only thirty-six hours had passed since her death.

  Rachel threw a fit when white roses had been delivered, screaming about how Nanny hated white funeral flowers and Loti and Heather had rushed out to get the pink ones. That was the most she had spoken since the events at the AWA headquarters.

  Eva Magruder sat alone on the green couch watching something nobody else could see. She also had been very quiet, sticking to Heather’s side through most of the service, but then disappearing afterwards only to show up at the house later. Loti looked from Eva’s blank face to Rachel’s ten-yard stare to Heather’s worn-out expression. She sighed and went to Rachel’s side.

  “Sweetie, do you need anything?” She touched Rachel’s arm.

  Rachel scowled and shook her head. She stared at Loti as if she had interrupted a private conversation, but Loti wasn’t about to be put-off that easily.

  “Rache, I’m here for you.” She took Wolf’s hand as he approached. “We’re here for you.”

  Rachel frowned deeper. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Loti reached for her. “There’s nothing you need to say. Just know you’re not alone.”

  Rachel knocked Loti’s hand away with a scornful laugh.

  “Rachel!” Her mother exclaimed.

  Loti bit her bottom lip. “It’s okay, Sarah.”

  Rachel interrupted before her mother could respond. “Yes I am. I am very much alone.” And she stalked out of the living room with all eyes following her. Her mother rushed after her and Loti was about to chase after them.

  Wolf squeezed Loti’s hand. “Let her be. She needs time.”

  Loti squeezed Wolf’s hand as hard as she could. She knew he was right, but it was hard. He didn’t complain, just took it.

  “This is so wrong,” she whispered. “This is not how it’s supposed to be. This is just…just…wrong.”

  “Yeah.” Wolf glanced over his shoulder at Heather leaning against the corner of the fireplace.

  She met his eyes and made an attempt at a polite smile. Sensing something, Loti turned and caught Heather’s smile. Her chest fluttered at the new and confusing feelings. Not because it was another woman she was having them for, surprisingly, but because she barely knew her—and said woman was smiling at her Wolf.

  They were total strangers when they were spirited away by Modore’s trap. And now? Bondmates. And although Loti had no reference for what normal blood bonds were like, Wolf did and he said this was not normal. Heather was definitely bound to both of them, not just Wolf. That was unheard of.

  Loti held her breath as she let down her metaphysical shields. The muddied swirl of Heather’s feelings swamped her. Wolf nudged her and she sucked in a breath, pulling her shield over back over her mind and heart. If she concentrated, she could block Heather, and stay open to Wolf, but it was awkward to maintain.

  “Are you ready to go home?” Loti asked Heather.

  Heather glanced over at Eva, still staring off into space. She nodded, heaving herself away from the wall. “Yeah, I think I am. Should we…” she hesitated and tilted her head toward the foyer.

  “We’ll talk to her on our way out.” Loti offered her hand to Heather.

  When the woman took it a little thrill danced up Loti’s arm to her heart. A comforting pulse followed, very similar to the early sensations she and Wolf had experienced before they sealed the bond with blood. She and Heather gawked at each other until Wolf put a hand on each of their shoulders. They glanced at him simultaneously.

  What have we done? Loti thought.

  The price would be too high, according to Calisto. Wolf’s sanity was at stake. But the alternative had been to let Heather die. Loti followed Wolf through the crowd murmuring goodbyes to those who asked. If she had known the price, would she have begged him to save Heather? The thought that she may have chosen Wolf’s sanity over Heather’s life was absolutely no comfort.

  Out in the foyer, there was no sign of Rachel or her mother. Wolf leaned back to look into the kitchen but she wasn’t there either. On a hunch, he motioned for them to follow him out through the front door and onto the porch. Rachel rocked in one rocker with her arms wrapped around herself as her mother swayed in the other. The two women looked up when the trio stepped through the front door. Rachel’s brow furrowed.

  “We’re going to head home, sweet Rachel.” Wolf knelt on one knee beside her. “Why don’t you come with us? Richard and Daniel said they’d organize the clean-up with the coven and lock up.”

  “That sounds like a good idea, darling.” Her mother leaned forward, resting a hand on the arm of Rachel’s chair.

  Without looking at Wolf Rachel said with an angry glare, “I need to stay and get an early start tomorrow. It’s going to take a lot of work to empty out the house.”

  “You’re father and I are in charge of that and when your brothers get here, we’ll have plenty of help.”

  “And we’ll come back to help,” Heather added.

  Rachel looked Heather up and down like she was seeing her for the first time. Heather’s hands twisted together.

  “Okay.” Rachel’s tone said that it was anything but . “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

  Heather’s mouth moved like she wanted to say something else, but the hardness to Rachel’s eyes stopped her.

  “Rache, why are you so angry with us?” Loti sank down next to Wolf. “What have we done to make you so upset?”

  Rachel’s mouth fell open but Loti put up a hand. “And don’t tell me this is about Nanny. You are mad at us.” Loti cleared her throat. “I can feel it.” She glanced up at Wolf who put a hand on her shoulder. “Wolf can feel it, too.” She raised an eyebrow at Heather who shook her head with a perplexed frown.

  Rachel threw up her arms. “What, so now we outsiders can’t even have the privacy of our emotions? Your special brand of magic knows no bounds, does it?” She shot out of the chair and stomped toward the front door.

  “God damn it, Rachel. Just answer the question. This is so unfair and I—”

  “Unfair? Seriously? You want to go there?” Rachel spun around as she yelled, her face twisted with too many emotions. “Fine. Let’s go there. I’ve lost my grandfather and my gr
andmother in less than four months’ time.”

  She bent her pinky back like she was counting. “My long-lost Uncle shows up but might as well not even be around for all I get to spend time with him.”

  She bent another finger back, “and my best friend is equally unavailable,” another finger, “and when I finally make a new friend, she gets snatched away, too.” She dropped her arms by her side. “And you want to talk about fair? Let me have my anger and grief—to myself, I might add. And just wait your turn.”

  “Rachel,” Sarah admonished.

  Loti sprang up. “Oh, no no no no no. No.”

  She emphasized each no with a shake of her head. “I’ll give you the time and space to grieve, but don’t you dare talk about unfair to me when it comes to what you’ve lost. You’ve had everything. Everything! A huge family that loves you and tons of attention and support all your life. Life has been so easy for you, Rachel Marie Brown. You have no idea what hard is or what suffering feels like. Don’t act like you’re all alone and nobody else knows what you’re going through because there are three people on this porch right now who could teach you a whole hell of a lot about suffering.”

  Heather’s eyes flared and Loti cut her hand through the air like a knife. “I love you and I’ll do anything for you except let you get away with this crap.”

  Sarah’s mouth hung open under wide eyes. Wolf had risen from the porch while the two women ranted at each other and now stood beside Loti with one eyebrow raised.

  Rachel stood glued to the spot, her face knotted in a mix of surprise and anger. Her jaw worked as she clenched and unclenched her teeth, and then she leveled her gaze on Loti.

  “I’m allowed to have my feelings, Loti. Whatever you’ve been through doesn’t negate that. This isn’t a contest. And I need you to leave.”

  She turned on her heel and darted through the front door, slamming it behind her. Loti’s lips pressed into a thin line and moved to follow her best friend, but Rachel’s mother, stopped her with a hand on her arm.