by C. C. Wood
Now my bed just felt cold. Empty.
It was pissing me off. The threat to my safety was over. The day after Victor was banished, Angie had come by the hospital to assure me that he was definitely gone. Without a doubt.
When I asked her about Teri, sadness washed over her face.
“I’m sorry, Zoe. Most likely she’s gone.”
I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I’d cried for a good long while after that. After living with Teri for so many years, I couldn’t believe that she was gone. What made it worse was the fact that she was likely suffering in Hell alongside Victor Kincade and she definitely didn’t deserve that.
When I calmed down, I decided that it didn’t matter what Angie thought. As soon as I was released from the hospital, I would try to find her the same way I had before. And I would keep trying until I found her. Even if it took years.
I told Mal about my plan the day that I was released and he insisted that I wait. Vehemently demanded would have been a better way to describe it. After I was injured, the man became downright bossy.
Though I would never admit it, it was sexy. At first, anyway.
Now, I just wanted him to back off a little.
“I don’t want you to do anything to worsen your condition,” Mal explained softly, coming over to sit next to me on the couch.
“I know,” I sighed. “I’m just tired and cranky.”
“Is your head hurting at night? Maybe you should take the pain medicine the doctor prescribed before bed.”
I shook my head. “My head stopped hurting yesterday.”
“Are you afraid to go to sleep?”
“No, Mal, I’m not afraid to go to sleep.” At least I hadn’t been until he brought it up. Instead of worrying about nightmares, I’d been too busy obsessing over the fact that Mal no longer behaved as if he wanted to be near me.
“Then what’s keeping you awake?”
I took a deep breath and decided that some raw honesty was necessary. “My bed’s too empty.”
He stared at me in confusion at first, but, being an intelligent man, he got the hint quickly. “I was worried that I’d jostle you in your sleep,” he replied, his voice low.
“Well, I don’t hurt anywhere, so you don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
Mal studied my face for a moment before he gave me some honesty of his own. “And I wasn’t sure you’d still want me in your bed now that you don’t have a demon stalking you anymore.”
I reached out and put my hand on his. I hated opening myself up to a possible rejection, but Mal was worth the risk. “I like sleeping with you at night. I’m afraid I’ll never be able to go back to sleeping alone.” I laughed a little. “I might have to sneak into your room at night when we’re on the road just so I can get a little rest.”
Mal laughed. “You wouldn’t have to sneak. I’d give you a key.” His expression turned serious. “If you’re comfortable with it, I’d like to stay in your room tonight. Just to sleep,” he clarified.
I nodded. “I’m feeling much better, but I’m pretty sure I’m not up for anything more strenuous than snoring in my bedroom.”
Mal grinned.
“Have you heard from Sheriff Daughtry?” I asked, changing the subject as my cheeks heated.
“Yeah, he called this morning,” Mal answered with a nod. “He’s coming by this afternoon.” He paused for a second. “Angie’s coming by as well. She said there was something she wanted to discuss with you.”
“Did she give you any idea what it might be?”
Mal shook his head. “She did say that you’d definitely be interested.”
Before I could ask any other questions, the doorbell rang and Mal got to his feet.
“That’ll be the sheriff,” he said. “He wasn’t happy that I put him off talking to you, so he might be pissy.”
My eyebrows rose. “More so than usual?” I asked.
“Good point.”
Mal answered the door, smiling at the sheriff. “Hello, Sheriff Daughtry. Please come in.”
Lamar Daughtry nodded to him, his face expressionless until he saw me on the couch. Then he winced, his eyes on my face, specifically my forehead.
“That’s some bruise,” he murmured.
I lifted a hand and fingered the tender place where my forehead had hit the floor. The swelling had finally started to go down, but there was a good-sized purple and black blotch remaining.
“Have a seat, Sheriff. Thank you for giving me some time to recover before you came to take my statement.” I knew that he would be much more receptive to what I had to say if I behaved as though he were doing me a courtesy by waiting rather than being forced into it by Mal.
Sure enough, it worked.
“It’s no problem, Zoe,” he replied. The corners of his mouth quirked up in a semblance of a smile, one of the few I’d ever received from him.
Settling in the chair closest to the sofa, he pulled out a digital recorder and a notebook.
He turned on the recorder, setting it on the coffee table between us, and stated the date, time, my name, and what the interview pertained to. When he was done, he leaned back in the chair and asked me, “Could you please tell me what happened in your home three nights ago, Zoe?”
I glanced at Mal and took a deep breath. I hated lying, but in this instance, I knew it was the only way. Angie, Jonelle, and I had all gotten our story straight before we spoke with the sheriff and his deputies. There was no way he would believe the truth.
I went through the lie we’d fabricated about the five of us splitting a bottle of wine and how Mal had found us unconscious. We hoped by attributing the situation to the same ‘perp’ that had drugged the Scotch that the sheriff would believe it.
The sheriff asked me several questions about where the wine came from and how much we’d all drunk. Then he prodded a little deeper, but I steeled myself and lied without hesitation.
When it was over, he turned off the recorder and stuck it back in his shirt pocket. Then the sheriff leveled his eyes at me, resting his elbows on the arms of the chair and steepling his fingers in front of him.
“I know that you and your friends are lying to me, Zoe, even if none of you will admit it.”
I tried not to react, but I knew something had to show in my face because Sheriff Daughtry smiled. It wasn’t friendly, but it wasn’t malicious either.
“Now, I’m assuming that the situation wasn’t something I typically encounter in my line of work. Perhaps supernatural,” he continued, his voice even.
I shot a look to Mal, who nodded slightly. “That’s correct, Sheriff Daughtry.”
“I thought so.” His dark eyes were intense and sincere as he leveled his stare at me. “So here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to assure me that I won’t find any bodies in association with what happened here three nights ago and I’m going to pretend that I believe everything you’ve told me.”
My eyes widened. “Bodies?”
I was grateful that Mal intervened because I wasn’t sure what to say. “Everyone who was harmed in the events that took place here was checked out by the hospital. We’re not covering up a murder.”
The sheriff nodded sharply. “I’ll take your word for it.” He got to his feet and headed toward the door.
Before he could open it, I called out, “Why are you helping us?”
He turned back to me, his face unreadable. “I’ve come to realize that there are some things in this world that can’t be explained, Zoe. I may not be able to understand it all, but it’s clear that you have the ability to look past what’s on the surface. While you might not be ordinary, I do know you’re not evil. If you know that no one will believe the truth, then I’m comfortable with the lie.” His gaze sharpened. “To a point. Understand that I won’t hesitate to come down on you hard if you endanger the citizens of this town.”
Dumbfounded, I nodded and watched as he walked out, shutting the door quietly behind him.
“I don’t kn
ow what to think about that,” I mumbled to Mal.
“Me either,” he replied.
“So we won’t,” I declared.
Mal studied me carefully. “Maybe you should take a nap before Angie comes.”
“Only if you join me,” I replied.
Stony and Blaine had stayed with Jonelle for the last two days since she had a guest room and a couch that pulled out into a bed. They claimed it was because they could both have a bed, but I had a feeling it was so Mal and I could have some privacy. Either way, I appreciated having the house all to ourselves.
“I could use a nap.” He grinned as he said it, moving toward the sofa. Before I knew what he planned, he scooped me up in his arms. “Let me give you a lift.”
I laughed as he carried me up the stairs, giggling harder when he had to pause at the top to catch his breath. “The heroes in the romance novels don’t have to take a breather,” I teased him.
“Yeah, but they don’t step off the pages to cuddle with you at night either.”
“True enough.”
As he walked toward my room, he stated, “Next time I’ll just sling you over my shoulder like a fireman would. It’d be easier.”
I just laughed. I’d let him carry me however he liked as long as he stayed with me when we reached our destination.
Chapter
Angie arrived an hour after we got up from our nap. After draining herself nearly three days before, she seemed to be back to normal, her skin flushed and her eyes sparkling. I envied her ability to bounce back.
As soon as she saw me, her eyes focused on the bruise on my forehead. She came over to the sofa where Mal had placed me after we came back downstairs and gave me a hug.
“That’s a nasty looking bruise,” she stated, sitting down next to me. Studying it, she offered, “I can hurry the healing along a bit if you like.”
“That would be great. Mal won’t let me do anything and I’m going a little stir crazy.”
She nodded in commiseration. “I understand that.”
Rubbing her hands together, she whispered a few words. I watched in awe as a pale golden light began to emit from the place where her palms pressed together.
Then she lifted her hands, placing them against my forehead side-by-side. She spoke beneath her breath again and I felt warmth sinking into my skin where her palms rested.
When she removed her hands, I felt lighter and more energized than I had since I’d been injured.
She cocked her head to the side and stared at my forehead. “It’s not completely gone, but it’s definitely better. Mostly yellow now.”
Mal returned to the living room with glasses of iced tea for us and nearly dropped the cups. “Your forehead…” he murmured.
“Angie cast a little healing spell.”
“It looks like it worked,” he said to her, handing her a glass.
She nodded briefly but didn’t respond aloud.
“So, uh, what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked her, taking a sip of my tea.
“I’ve been thinking about Teri,” she replied. “The more I think about her, the more I believe you’ll be able to contact her. Maybe even call her back from wherever she might be.”
Before I could speak, Mal asked, “Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
Angie shook her head. “I don’t think so. There’s a good chance that Teri is trapped between our plane and the plane where I sent Victor. If that’s the case, it might be difficult, but it shouldn’t be dangerous for Zoe to call her back.” Her eyes swung back to me. “The night that we banished Victor, when you reached out for her, I felt something from you. I think you were in the process of binding her to you before my spell was complete. If that’s the case, you’ll be able to use that tiny connection to find her and bring her back.”
Hope bloomed inside me, small and tentative. “Do you really think it will work?”
“Do you think you have anything to lose if you try?”
I shook my head. “What do I do?”
Angie set her glass to the side. “This is where it gets tricky,” she explained. “It’s similar to what we did before, but it’s going to require a lot more concentration and you’re going to have to focus on using your power.”
“I have no idea how to do that,” I admitted.
“I’m not sure if necromancers feel their magic the same way witches do, but, to me, it feels as though something moves inside of me. It usually stays beneath the surface, but when I call on the power, it seems to rise out of me.”
I knew what she meant and nodded. “That sounds like what I felt three nights ago.”
“Good,” she said. “If you know what that power feels like, it will be easier to access.”
I set my glass of tea on the coffee table. “I want to try right now.”
“Zoe,” Mal began.
I shot him a look. “It’s Teri, Mal. If she’s lost somewhere, I’m not going to leave her there another minute if I have the ability to bring her back.”
He lifted his hands in surrender. “I understand.”
“You’re going to do what you did the first time you looked for her,” Angie directed. “Get into a comfortable position and close your eyes.”
I did as she said, closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the top of the couch cushions.
“Are you ready to begin?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Take a few deep breaths then call your power,” she instructed.
My heart skipped a beat as I breathed slow and deep. Then I reached for the power. I felt the door inside me open, and the magic spilled out. It rose inside me, spreading through my limbs, a soft darkness, cool and clean.
In the center of it, a small gleam caught my attention. I focused on it, bringing it to the front of my mind and realized it looked like a chain. It shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow, the links slender and delicate.
When I reached out for it, I felt it. Teri’s energy. Angie was right, I had bound Teri to me even though I didn’t realize it.
I reached out, touching the chain with my mind and immediately it seemed to thicken. It was as if my acknowledgment strengthened the bond.
I tugged gently on the links, pulling it a little at a time. With each metaphysical touch, the chain grew brighter and bigger. It felt more substantial in my mind. My palms tingled as though I were physically holding the chain.
Suddenly, I could feel Teri’s energy. She was getting closer. I began to pull faster on the chain until I saw her in the darkness that surrounded me. With each length of chain I grasped, she grew closer and closer until we were face to face.
She stared at me, shock and fear in her eyes. “Zoe, is that you?”
“It’s me.”
Her face crumpled. “You found me?”
I nodded. “I did.”
“Thank you!” she cried, throwing herself into my arms. For the first time since I’d met Teri, her touch didn’t feel like ice against my skin. She just felt..human.
“Holy shit,” she breathed. “I can feel you! How in the hell did that happen?”
“I have no idea,” I answered honestly. “But I’m glad you’re back.”
“Me too,” she agreed.
I wasn’t sure what to do next. I thought of the house and where I sat on the sofa in the living room. Suddenly we were there.
I looked around, freaking out when I saw myself on the couch, my head leaned back against the cushions.
“Whoa, freaky,” Teri muttered.
“Tell me about it,” I replied.
“Well, you brought me here, but how do you get back inside your body?” she asked.
Since thinking about the house was what brought us here, I thought about returning to my body.
Sure enough I felt myself sinking and opened my eyes to see the living room ceiling above me. Then Teri’s face appeared above me.
“That’s so cool!” she cried.
I grinned widely at her.
“Zoe?�
�� Angie asked.
“I’m okay,” I answered, sitting up and looking toward her then Mal. “I found Teri. She’s back.”
Mal smiled. “That’s great!”
When I looked at Teri, she was grinning as well. That was when I noticed the chain. It ran from my wrist to her waist. Still glowing all the colors of the rainbow, it was no longer transparent, but thick and solid.
“Holy crap,” I muttered.
“What is it?” Angie asked.
“There’s a chain connecting me to Teri,” I told her.
“Describe it to me.”
I told her about the colors and how the chain seemed to grow when I was reaching out for Teri with my power. When I finished, Angie sat very still next to me, lost in thought.
Finally, she looked at me and asked, “You said before that most spirits are anchored to places, right?”
I nodded. “I’ve only met a couple of untethered ghosts in my life and they were both scary as hell.”
“Well, I can’t say for certain without more research but I think that Teri is tethered to you now rather than the house,” Angie explained. “That would explain the chain.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“If I’m right,” Angie replied, “Then Teri is no longer confined to the house. She can go where you go.”
“Fuckin’ A!” Teri yelled.
I looked at Mal. “Oh, no.”
Epilogue
One week later
“Man, that hot firefighter is selling his house,” Teri whined as she hovered in the kitchen. “I saw the realtor putting up the For Sale sign this morning.”
I finished making myself a cup of coffee and faced her. “I can’t blame him. Things have been strange around here the last month. I can’t imagine how he felt when he woke up and had huge gaps in his memory.”
According to Jonelle, she didn’t remember much from the time that Victor had possessed her. Since Preston and I weren’t exactly friendly, at least now that he wasn’t possessed by Victor, I couldn’t ask him. I could only assume how he must have felt when he woke up to find himself inhabiting his body alone once again.