It was Randal.
I leaned forward, taking a closer look at the shaky image in the bowl. He was lying on a bed, surrounded by red satin. Once the image solidified, I realized his eyes were closed as though he were sleeping. I focused on him, taking in any details I could. The need to make sure he was asleep and not dead pounded through me. I didn’t think Sage would harm him, but then again, I had never expected her to kidnap him either. It reminded me of how little I actually knew her.
Randal’s hands had been placed carefully over one another on his stomach. Peacefulness reflected in his features, putting a portion of my mind at ease. He didn’t appear to be in any pain. Thank goodness.
My gaze spread outward, soaking in details of his whereabouts. Wherever he was, it was dark. The only light seemed to come from a few flameless candles on a nightstand beside the bed.
“Anything familiar to you?” Lexy rephrased her question.
All I could see was Randal, a bed, and half of a nightstand. It wasn’t much to go on. “Can you zoom out or something?”
“It doesn’t work that way.” Her voice was strained. I wasn’t sure if it was because she had to exert strength to keep the spell in place, or if she was irritated by my question. She muttered something under her breath I couldn’t quite make out, and the image of Randal rippled away, shifting into one of Sage.
Panic pumped through my heart. I had barely been given enough time to glance him over, and then he was gone. “Why did you do that?”
“Because staring at him lying in a bed wasn’t getting us any closer to finding his location.” She waved a hand over the water, causing the ripples in it to still. “If you look at Sage, and gather clues from her surroundings as well, then maybe we can piece the two together and figure out where they are.”
Smart. Lexy was smart. Shifting my attention back to the water, I focused on trying to figure out where Sage was based off the things around her. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to go on when it came to her surroundings either. Only walls painted a slate-gray color and a set of stairs. Wherever she was, she was heading up the stairs now. Unexpectedly, the image grew choppy, distorting my view of her. Then in the span of a heartbeat, the image was gone.
“Damn it.” Lexy slammed her hand against my coffee table. “Wherever she’s at, it’s protected by a serious cloaking spell. She definitely doesn’t want anyone to figure out where she has him.”
Cloaking spells. When the hell had they become a normal part of my daily life?
My eyes refused to leave the rippling water. I tried to remember the clues I had seen—stairs, gray walls, and a bed with red satin sheets. Nothing. It was virtually nothing to go on.
“Well that was pointless,” Lexy grumbled.
“No, it wasn’t,” I insisted. “We were able to see him. Now we know he’s all right.”
“I guess that could be something Bianca might be interested in learning.” Lexy picked up the bowl of water and stood. I watched her as she headed to the kitchen, her arms trembling with the weight from the bowl. Tension seemed to squeeze at her shoulders and pull them downward. I figured worry for Luke was getting to her. I hated we hadn’t been able to learn anything substantial.
“Isn’t there another spell you could use to find them? Maybe something that would give us a view of the entire place?” I knew it was a long shot. If there had been anything else, she wouldn’t have wasted time with the bowl of water trick.
“No. I take stuff away, I call stuff out and that’s it. I don’t find people on a daily basis. Hell, I don’t even use my magic on a daily basis anymore.” She stepped back into the room holding the empty silver bowl in her hands and tossed one arm up in the air. I seemed to have struck a nerve. “What you saw is all I can do as far as this aspect of my magic is concerned. I’m better with lost objects than I am with lost people.”
“Okay. So, we just need to think.” I decided a change of topic was in store. Lexy was getting worked up, and that couldn’t be a good thing. “Where would you hide someone you didn’t want found if you were Sage?” I thought hard, but nothing jumped out.
“I don’t know. I don’t even know her well. A secret bunker, a hideaway house no one knew about, a secret passageway in my house.” Lexy tossed ideas out. “The possibilities are endless.”
None of her ideas brought us closer to an answer, because I couldn’t think of anything Sage would have access to.
“Can you do the spell again?” If Lexy tried once more, maybe Sage would be in a different place, somewhere the cloak wouldn’t reach her, and we would be able to see something of value. At least I hoped.
“I can try, but I’m not making any promises.”
Exhaustion had gripped me. I yawned and stretched my arms above my head. “Okay, great.”
“How have the teas I made been working for you?” Lexy headed back to the kitchen to fill the bowl for a second time.
Her words brought Christopher to mind. “Not good.” I didn’t want to admit what I had done, but Lexy was pretty much my doctor, and doctors weren’t supposed to judge.
You mean what I did, the wraith interjected, taking credit for the worst moment in my life. He could have it, because it was all his doing.
“What happened?” Lexy asked.
I dropped my gaze to the candles still burning, taking comfort in their flickering flames. “I lost control, blacked out, whatever you want to call it.”
“Did you…consume someone?” Her words, while carefully chosen, didn’t lessen the blow her question packed as she entered the room again. She moved to sit beside me, and I could feel the heat of her worried gaze skimming my face.
“Yes.” I couldn’t bring myself to look at her.
She reached out and took my hand in hers. “You didn’t have control over your actions. The wraith did. I don’t doubt that if you hadn’t been infected with a wraith, you would have never crossed the line.”
“Thank you.” A small smile tugged at my lips, even though I wasn’t sure I could agree with her one hundred percent. It was possible the wraith merely helped a bound-to-happen situation along.
That’s right, my sweet, and there are ways you can thank me later, the wraith hissed. The insinuation of what he would like as payment nearly made me gag.
“I firmly believe that,” Lexy reiterated. “And you should too. You’re a succubus with a conscience, Kenna. You have to remember that.”
“I do.” Deep down, I knew she was right. I would have never let that horrible part of my succubus side win, not if the wraith hadn’t infected me. I would have remained forever a pure succubus, because of my conscience.
“Okay.” Lexy inhaled a deep breath. “Let’s try this thing again.”
My heart pounded as we recreated the entire spell. I hoped this time we would be able to see something more. While learning Randal was okay had been a relief, being able to gain a clue as to where he was would make me feel even better.
“The cloak must extend far.” Lexy’s disappointed words had my eyes snapping open. Frustration creased her brow. “Bianca is not going to be happy about this.”
I skimmed the water’s surface. Nothing. There was nothing to see this time. A hazy fog-like cloud rippled across it, but nothing more.
Crap. I wondered if Bianca would take her offer for payment off the table now. Surely she would take into consideration there was a cloak in place. She knew how difficult and pesky they could be. After all, we had just paid to have one removed yesterday.
“Do you think this could be another cloak put in place by Kyra?” I asked.
Lexy seemed to think over what I was saying before she answered. “It would make sense. After all, you did mention she was the one you saw on the video with Sage when Randal was abducted.”
I debated whether I should offer to call Jasper again. He had broken the last cloak created by Kyra; he should be able to do it again. The only problem was, I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay him this time.
“Let me make a
few calls. I’ll be right back.” Lexy muttered.
“Okay.” I situated myself on my couch.
An hour passed before Lexy came back into the room. I set my notebook and pen to the side. I’d been compiling ideas for what our options were now that we knew finding Randal’s whereabouts on our own were out of the question. The only option I’d been able to come up with was to call Jasper into the picture again. I would have to max out my emergency credit card to pay him, but I was fine with that. I wanted Lexy to get her money from Bianca. After that, I would do everything I could to help her get Luke back. She was in this position because of me. Her life had been perfect before I walked into it with all my crazy baggage.
“Kyra will be here tomorrow.” Lexy said. She moved to sit beside me on the couch.
An uneasy feeling in my stomach expanded. Why was Kyra coming here? “For?”
“To break her cloak on where Sage is keeping Randal.”
I blinked. “How did you get her to agree to do that?”
“Money.” Lexy’s lips twisted into a half smile. “Money is a great motivator.”
“How much money?” I asked. If Lexy couldn’t afford to pay her bills for Bloom’s Garden some months, then how in the hell would she be able to afford whatever Kyra was charging? I chewed my bottom lip, wondering how much we would have to come up with between the two of us.
“I’m not sure. Kyra will work that out with Bianca.” She grabbed a throw pillow off my couch and clasp it to her chest.
“And Bianca is okay with that?”
“Probably not, but what else could be done? Kyra was the one who placed the cloak, it would be faster for her to remove it than it would be for Jasper and his little sister.”
“What about your money? Do you still get it?” I hated to ask, but curiosity got the best of me.
“Half.” Lexy sighed. “But, half is better than nothing.”
“True.”
“I asked Kyra for some details about the spell Bianca wants us to use.”
“And?” My throat nearly closed as the word passed through my lips.
“It’s more advanced than anything I’ve ever done before.” Fear twisted within her tone, making me uneasy in a whole new way.
“Does this one have to be completed during the waning moon as well?” I wanted answers, but I was scared of what I would learn. I figured the moon would be a good place to start.
“Yes. The waning moon’s purpose in magic, even in hoodoo, is to cast away things.”
I picked at the cuticle on my thumb, unsure how I felt about the news. “Did she mention anything about her magic merging with yours and what might happen?”
Lexy ran a hand through her hair. “It’s a fifty-fifty change that my magic will become tainted with her hoodoo.”
“Are you okay with that?” I wasn’t sure why I’d bothered to ask, I knew what her answer would be.
“I have to be, don’t I? Bianca didn’t leave me a choice when she took Luke.” She sighed. “There is also a fifty-fifty chance that her magic will consume mine and leave me with nothing. That’s what I’m hoping for.” She let out a nervous chuckle.
“Did she happen to mention anything about what the cost will be for me?” I was hesitant to ask, but I knew it was a valid question. If I had learned anything during of all this, it was that there was always a cost to keep the balance when it came to magic of this nature.
Worry creased my forehead. If the cost of this spell was similar to the other one, I knew I wouldn’t go through with it. I’d have to bite my tongue though, because Luke’s life rested on the promise of Lexy following through with it. I needed to play it cool until both Luke and Randal were safe. After that, I could run as far from this city as possible, leaving all those I cared about behind if I needed to.
Sounds like a marvelous plan, the wraith interjected. Let’s do that. I ignored him.
Lexy’s eyes locked on mine, and I knew her answer wasn’t going to be one I would like. “According to Kyra, no one will have to die…except you.”
I blinked. There was no way I had heard her right. She couldn’t possibly have said I would have to die during this spell.
“What?” I shook my head, thinking I had to be more exhausted then what I thought, because what I thought she’d said didn’t make sense. “I didn’t hear you right. I thought you said I would have to die this time around.”
“You heard me right.” Lexy’s voice was soft and sympathetic. She didn’t enjoy breaking this spell down for me anymore than she had the previous one. I could tell. “This spell calls for you to die, Kenna, not someone else to die for you.”
Fear pumped through me. While I knew my life wasn’t worth more than anyone else’s, dying to save myself scared the shit out of me. Why was magic so cruel? Why was there always such a terrible cost?
Chapter 16
One life for another, screw the universe and all its balance crap. No, screw whoever had sent this wraith after me. My blood boiled as I thought more about the details of the spell. Whoever she was, she was going to pay for putting me through hell.
“You’ll be brought back though,” Lexy insisted. Her eyes locked with mine. Sincerity pulsed through them, changing their color to a darker blue. “I promise.”
I hated she had promised something she held little control over. She didn’t know for sure I would be brought back. No one did. What if something went wrong? Then I guess at least it was my life and not someone else’s in jeopardy. My muscles relaxed at the thought. No one deserved to die because of me. Well, no one else, I should say. I inhaled deeply. I could handle this, regardless of the outcome. In some weird way, it seemed fitting.
One of my father’s favorite pieces of wisdom floated through my mind: Be your own hero in your fairy tale.
That was exactly what I planned to do.
“Okay,” I whispered. The simple word of agreement sent a torrent of emotions spiraling through me, but I pushed them aside. This was the right thing to do. It was how it should have been from the start.
“Okay?” Lexy narrowed her eyes. “That’s all you have to say? I’d be terrified. As a matter of fact, I am terrified, and I’m not the one dying to have a wraith summoned from me. The only thing I’m risking is the possibility of having my magic twisted into something horrific.”
“This is the way it needs to be.” I knew it was the truth. I wouldn’t want it any other way. If I wasn’t the one saving myself, then I didn’t want to be saved. It was simple really. My mind was made up. “No one else will be hurt because of this damn wraith. He ends with me.” Determination from my words vibrated through me.
A list began compiling in my head of things I needed to do before embarking on the crazy hoodoo train and allowing myself to die at someone’s hand. The list began with Bree.
I needed to call her, to hear her voice before everything hit the fan. It was time I told her what I was and what really happened to me during our Halloween trip to New Orleans.
“No.” Lexy shook her head. “He won’t end with you. The wraith will still need to be transferred into someone else.”
“Are you kidding me?” The wraith couldn’t go on to torment someone else. He needed to be extinguished. “Is this because of the whole keeping the balance crap?”
The strange sound of laughter filled my head. It was the wraith. He found humor in the moment.
You will go to the extreme to be rid of me, but as I have said, my sweet succubus, you are mine, and you will not be free of me for long, he hissed.
“Calm down.” Lexy held up her hands. “It’s similar, but not really. Balance is a big thing in the magic world, regardless of the type, but so is karma. Kyra said whoever decided to infect you with the wraith is who it will transfer to afterward. While hoodoo does adhere to the balance philosophy, it also blurs the lines of revenge. In this case, it’s not a life for a life, but an eye for an eye.”
I contemplated what she said for longer than I should have, not wanting to celebrate b
efore I was positive of her meaning. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. The wraith would be transferred to whoever had sent it my way. It was karmic justice, and I loved it.
Until I remembered, I had to die for it to happen.
“Why do I need to die exactly?” I asked, somehow able to find my voice.
“Kyra said the wraith has to be stripped clean from your essence. If not, it can find its way back to you whenever it likes, because it’s already tasted your soul. Once you die though, all ties to you are eliminated.”
Maybe it wasn’t the most mature thing to do, but after hearing Lexy’s explanation, I sent a little bit of dialogue to the wraith through my mind: Boo-ya, creep!
He didn’t answer. The thought that he may be too pissed or scared filled me with joy. Sweet satisfaction trickled through me. Once Kyra arrived tomorrow, this nightmare I had been living in would almost be over.
“Let’s try this spell one more time,” Lexy offered. She shook the bowl of water, disrupting the surface as though she were clearing old magic away to make room for the new. “Maybe we could learn something else about where they are before Kyra gets here tomorrow. Sage can’t hide behind that cloak forever.”
Or could she? If she was set up some place where she didn’t need to leave, then she could remain where she was until the waning moon passed. I had a feeling that was what she had done.
I didn’t have to wait for Lexy to walk me through the spell this time. I already knew what to do. Closing my eyes, I waited for the feel of a gentle breeze to touch me.
“Open your eyes, and let’s take a look,” Lexy said after a few minutes. I had been enjoying the sensation of the breeze making its way through my apartment, but snapped my eyes open at the sound of her voice. “Damn it. She still hasn’t moved beyond the cloaking spell,” Lexy grumbled.
I gazed into the hazy water inside the bowl to see for myself. There was nothing. It was as though a gray film had been skimmed over the surface.
“Honestly, even though Kyra and her magic scare the crap out of me, I’m glad she’s coming. I want to know where Sage is,” Lexy muttered.
Succubus Kiss The Complete Series Page 56