“Oh, Goddess.”
“What? What is it?”
I hurry from the couch to the front door and open it. Sure enough, there’s another envelope on the mat.
“Fuck,” Jack mutters. “How did you know it was here?”
“I get nauseous. And I just…know.”
We stare down at it.
“I don’t want to pick it up,” I admit and swallow hard.
Jackson retrieves the envelope, then pulls me back inside and shuts the door.
“The fucker is probably watching,” he mutters. We stand, staring down at the envelope. “Why does it feel like it has a heartbeat?”
“More creep factor?” I ask.
“As if he needs more,” Jack says. “Do you want me to open it?”
“Yeah. No sense in getting more prints on it. I don’t want Cash to yell at me again.”
He breaks the seal—a wax one this time—and pulls out another image.
Black and white.
A different woman with short hair. Round cheeks. Many piercings in each ear, two in her nose, and one in her lip.
And, like the other, no eyes.
“I know it’s coming by now, that the person won’t have eyes, and yet it’s alarming. Every single time,” I mutter.
“I think it should probably be alarming,” he says, his mouth set in a grim line. “The timestamp.”
“Two hours ago.” I sigh and shake my head. “She’s already gone. We have to call the others.”
He kisses my head. “Let’s just get in the car and go to Millie’s. I want this out of your house.”
“Good idea. I’ll let them know we’re coming and call Brielle.”
A short fifteen minutes later, we’re all sitting in Millie and Lucien’s library with the photo resting on the coffee table between us.
“I don’t know why we’re all here,” I say and lift my hands. “We can’t do anything about it. This doesn’t give us a clue to anything. It’s like when the girls were following Brielle. They were just there.”
“I mean, this isn’t quite as bad,” Millie puts in. “At least you don’t have dead girls following you around everywhere.”
“Thank the goddess for small miracles,” I agree and then turn to Brielle. “Wait, you’re not seeing them again, are you?”
“No, I haven’t seen anything new,” she says.
“Can any of you feel the heartbeat?” Jack asks, and four pairs of eyes turn to him. “On the photo.”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” Lucien says.
“When we hold it,” I answer, “we feel heat. And a heartbeat. It’s unnerving.”
“Fascinating,” Lucien says. “I think it’s time for a meeting at Miss Sophia’s. We need her help and insight on some things.”
“If she’ll give us the information,” Jackson adds. “Every time I ask her for information, she tells me she can’t give it to me.”
“She can say some things,” Millie says. “I think a meeting is a good idea.”
“We have to get Mama tomorrow,” Brielle reminds us all, and I feel new nerves set up shop in my belly. “She’s being released from the hospital, and we’re taking her to Miss Sophia’s. Maybe we can meet with her then.”
“Do we want to do this in front of Mama?” I ask.
“She knows what’s going on,” Millie says. “She was there on Halloween. I think she can handle it.”
“Just let us know what time, and we’ll be there,” Cash says. “I’ll take this photo and add it to the other. And I’ll keep my eyes peeled. Daph, would it be possible for you to know what’s going on if you touch one of the bodies?”
I want to scream that it won’t work. But I touched a body before when it was Brielle’s turn, and it was helpful to the investigation.
“Maybe.” I shift in my seat. “I can try, if you think it’ll help.”
“Let’s talk to Miss Sophia first,” Lucien suggests. “And we’ll go from there.”
When we’re in Jack’s car, headed back to my apartment, I reach over to take his hand.
“I don’t want to be alone,” I admit softly. “I’m scared, Jack.”
“Then you won’t be alone.”
He parks the car, but rather than get out with me, his eyes narrow, and his hands tighten on the wheel.
He’s having a vision.
Chapter Nine
Jackson
Darkness. Complete darkness surrounds us. I know that all six of us are together, but I can’t hear or see the others.
Daphne’s hand was just in mine, and now I can’t feel her.
I’m here.
Her voice in my head. She’s here.
He’s trying to fuck with us. Playing games and trying to frighten us.
I’m done being afraid of this son of a bitch.
“Stop playing games and fight like a man!” I yell into the blackness. “You’re weak! You’re nothing!”
Suddenly, there’s an explosion of light, and spirits surround us. Souls. My father, the men who died next to me on the battlefield.
Though isn’t that where we are now? A battlefield?
But there are also sinister spirits. The shadows that Brielle saw, the girls’ father—they all surround us.
We’re in for the fight of our lives.
“Jack?”
I blink and look to my right where Daphne is, frowning with lines of concern creasing her brow.
“What was it?” she asks.
It was how this all ends.
“Let’s get inside,” I reply and usher Daph up the stairs to her apartment.
“Geez, Jack, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“That would have been less scary,” I admit and pace her living room. I tell her about the vision. It only takes a few minutes, yet it felt like I was in it for hours. “It has to be what’s meant to happen to make all of this end.”
“Or the possible ending,” she agrees, nodding. “I think it’s good that we’re going to Miss Sophia’s tomorrow—all of us together. I want you to work on reinforcing your shields, too.”
I frown, but she takes my hand and presses it to her cheek.
“I know that this will take a mental toll on you. It’s meant to. If you’re emotionally and mentally exhausted, you won’t be able to fight him off as well.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” I brush my thumb over the apple of her cheek. Her big blue eyes are somber and full of worry. “But that makes total sense. I’ll reinforce the shields.”
“Thank you.”
She leans into me and rests her head against my chest the way she used to. God, I want her. Not just physically, although God knows I want her naked and writhing beneath me, too.
But I just want her—for the rest of my life. Whether that’s eighty more years or three months.
She’s meant for me.
“You don’t have any of your things,” she says and looks up at me. “If you want to go back to Oliver’s tonight and come stay tomorrow, I totally understand.”
“No.” I kiss her head and then pick her up and sit with her in my lap. “I’m not leaving you. I’ll stop by Oliver’s tomorrow on the way to Miss Sophia’s. It won’t be the first time I’ve worn the same clothes two days in a row.”
She grins and pushes her fingers through my hair. “Good thing I have a washer and dryer, huh?”
“Handy,” I agree.
She leans in to brush her lips across mine, but just as our skin touches, the lights in the apartment go crazy, blinking and flashing around us.
I pull her to me and start to recite the simple banishing spell that Lucien marked in the book he gave me.
“Ashes to ashes, spirit to spirit, take this soul, banish this evil.” After the second time through, Daphne joins me. We clasp hands, our voices growing stronger and louder. And then, with a swoosh of wind, the lights calm, and everything goes back to the way it was before.
“He’s not supposed to be in here,” Daphne says with a shaky voice
.
“I’m not convinced he is,” I reply.
“Do you think I suddenly have a new ghost?” she asks with an irritated scowl. Only my girl would find a ghost irritating, rather than terrifying.
“I think that the two of us together is powerful magic, Daph. I also think some bad energies are trying to work against us right now. They don’t want us together. What they fail to realize is that the more they try to scare us and separate us, the closer to you I’ll stick.”
She presses her cheek to mine. I’ve never felt anything so sweet.
“I know I said I’d sleep on the couch.” I grin when her eyes find mine once more. “But I’m not going to do that.”
“No?”
“No.” I brush her fiery hair off her cheek and hook it behind her ear. “I’m going to sleep next to you. Don’t worry, I’ll be a gentleman.”
She snorts, and it makes me grin.
“I’m warning you now, I sleep with a light on.”
I raise a brow. “Still?”
She nods.
“Doesn’t bother me.”
“Okay, then.”
* * *
“I’m surprised it took you so damn long to move in with her,” Oliver says the next day. Daphne went with her sisters to pick up Ruth, and I said I’d meet them at Miss Sophia’s later after I check in with Oliver and Miss Annabelle.
“And here I thought we were moving quickly.”
Oliver laughs and claps his hand on my shoulder. “She needs you. I’m glad you’ll be close by.”
“We’re headed over to Miss Sophia’s today. You’re welcome to come. I think we’ll need all the help we can get, and I trust you implicitly.”
“Annabelle and I will be there. She’s making some cobbler, and then we’ll head that way.”
“Is she ever not in the kitchen?”
Oliver laughs and shakes his head. “She says acts of service are her love language, whatever in the Sam Hill that means.”
“Well, I’m not complaining. Her cobbler is my favorite. I’ll see you both in a bit then.”
I toss my bag into the trunk of the car, wave at the older man, and then set off for Miss Sophia’s house in the bayou.
Daphne mentioned to me the other day when we were in her shop that the girls plan to build a cottage for their mama on Miss Sophia’s property. I wonder where they’re thinking of doing it. I could lend a hand. It would be cute on that little hill, right behind where Miss Sophia’s cabin sits.
I pull up and turn off the car. When I walk into the house, I already hear voices coming from the kitchen.
Lucien and Cash are already here, but I hear other voices, as well.
“There you are,” Miss Sophia says with a welcoming smile. She cups my face in her hands and looks deeply into my eyes. “Blessed be, Jackson.”
“And to you,” I reply before kissing her cheek.
“We haven’t seen you in a long, long time,” Gwyneth Bergeron, Lucien’s mother, says and rushes over to offer me a hug. “It’s good to have you home.”
“Thank you.”
Aiden, Lucien’s dad, shakes my hand, and I’m offered tea and cookies before we sit around the giant table in Miss Sophia’s dining room.
Her house is small, but I swear it seems to get bigger when people are here to accommodate everyone. And I wouldn’t put it past Miss Sophia to have cast just that kind of spell.
Everyone is welcome at her table.
“Oliver and Annabelle are on their way,” I inform everyone. “Has anyone heard from the girls?”
“They’re on their way, too,” Cash says and pops a cookie into his mouth. “Everything went smoothly with Ruth.”
“Good.” I turn to Miss Sophia, who’s sipping her tea. “Are you sure you’re okay with having her here with you? After everything that happened?”
“Ruth has been through hell,” she says mildly. “And she came out the other side. None of it was her fault. I’m looking forward to helping her get stronger and keeping an eye on her to make sure she stays safe from that which tries to harm her.”
“We’re grateful,” Lucien says. “We’re all grateful.”
“Oh, it’s my pleasure. Ruth’s a strong witch, and we’ll need her before long. But that’s a story for another day.”
I blink at her and want to press her for more information. But I know this woman. And because I do, I know she won’t say more until she’s good and ready.
Oliver and Miss Annabelle arrive to another round of warm welcomes. Annabelle winks at me as she sits next to Miss Sophia.
She’s a strong witch in her own right, and I’ve always had a soft spot for her. If Oliver is a father to me, then Miss Annabelle is a mother, and I’m grateful to both of them.
She has her black hair tucked under a bright orange and yellow scarf that matches her flowy dress. Miss Annabelle loves bright colors and says the dresses keep her cool in this horrible Louisiana heat.
“You have news,” Miss Sophia says, watching me.
“Reading my mind?”
Her smile flashes, and she shakes her head. “No need. It’s written all over that handsome face of yours.”
“Well, you’re right. We have news. But we’ll tell it when everyone is here so we only have to say it once.”
We hear car doors slam outside. Within minutes, the girls walk in, Brielle rolling a suitcase behind her, as a smiling Ruth holds Millie’s hand. Millie favors her mother, with her long, blonde hair and willowy figure.
“Welcome home,” Miss Sophia says as she wraps the other woman in a warm hug. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Thank you, my friend.” Ruth leans her forehead against Miss Sophia’s. “Thank you.”
“Come in, everyone,” Miss Annabelle says, ushering the women inside. “There’s tea and sweets, and lots of love to go ‘round.”
“I love it here,” Daphne says with a sweet sigh as she slips her hand into mine and rests her head on my biceps. “It always feels so…safe.”
“What a wonderful compliment,” Miss Sophia says with a smile. “Come, everyone. Make yourselves comfortable. Let’s pour some tea, shall we?”
It’s five minutes of organized chaos, filling cups and spooning up cobbler, laughing, and hugs. And then we’re all gathered around the table.
“Where do we start?” Daphne wonders aloud.
“From the beginning,” Miss Sophia says calmly. “I think, in order to make sure we’re all on the same page and understand exactly what we’re up against, we need to start at the very beginning and work our way through what we know so far. Brielle, why don’t you begin?”
And so, we do. I hear the same stories they told me the other night at Witches Brew, with new, remembered facts thrown in.
Oliver wraps his arm around Miss Annabelle when she gasps in horror and has to wipe tears from her gorgeous brown eyes.
When the story winds its way to me, I share about the visions I’ve had, and Daphne and I piece together what we know about what’s happened over the last few days.
“Has anything happened to either of you since the lights flickered last night?” Gwyneth asks as she takes notes in her notebook.
“No, ma’am.” I turn to Daphne for confirmation, and she nods silently.
“Well, we’ve been a busy bunch, haven’t we?” Miss Sophia sighs and pours a fresh cup of tea.
How the kettle stays full when we’ve all poured out of it is a trick I’ll have to learn another time.
“Wait.” All eyes turn to Daphne, who licks her lips and fidgets with her teacup. “Something else has been happening with me. I didn’t tell the others because I didn’t want to scare them, but maybe it’s tied to this.”
“Daphne,” Brielle whispers in surprise.
Daph cringes, bites her lip, and then squares her shoulders.
“I’ve been dreaming about…well, about Daddy.”
It’s as though the air is sucked right out of the room.
“No,” Millie says and
closes her eyes. “Oh, Daphne.”
“He was gone for so many years,” Daphne continues. “The spell we worked with Miss Sophia sent him away, and I didn’t dream about him for a long, long time. With all of the manipulation and scare tactics that Hor—he has used this past year, I’m not convinced that it’s actually Dad in my dreams now, or if it’s merely an illusion meant to mess with me.”
“Either way, it’s fucked up,” Brielle says, anger hard in her voice.
“Agreed,” Millie jumps in.
“It could be both,” Miss Sophia says, speaking slowly as she thinks it over. “I can rework the spells I cast before. Strengthen them. But, Daphne, part of this will be up to you.”
Daphne leans in, listening. “In what way?”
“You have to stand up to him. I know he frightened you when you were children, but you’re not a weak child anymore. You have tools, and you have grit. You don’t need anyone’s permission to stand up to him and tell him that he’s not welcome in your head. He has no control over you. No power when it comes to you.”
Daphne blinks rapidly. “Why didn’t I think of that? It’s always been an immediate reaction to be afraid.”
“Because when you see him, you’re that little girl again,” Miss Annabelle adds. “And that’s normal, if you ask me. But Miss Sophia is right, child. You need to stand up to that bully and tell him to get the hell out of your head.”
Daphne takes a deep breath. “Just the thought of it makes my hands sweat, but you’re right. Except, what if he does have power? What if he can still hurt me?”
“I think scaring you was always his primary goal,” Aiden says, jumping in for the first time. “You said that he’d laugh or smile?”
“Yes.”
“Then the fear is what drives him. Show him that you’re not afraid of him.”
Daphne laughs shakily as Cash’s phone rings. He stands to take the call in the kitchen. “Even if I am afraid of him.”
“You’re standing up to a bully,” I remind her. “Dead or alive, he’s still a bully. Tell him off. You’ll feel better.”
She nods. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
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