“The way Damon spoke through Sharla—he’s done it before,” Carly informed her father. “With Gabe. I didn’t see it for what it was then because I didn’t understand it. I still don’t, but he’s able to control their minds somehow. But why not mine?”
Carly’s gaze darted Crystal, and to the black earrings she was wearing. “Are those hematite?”
“What?” Crys asked. “My earrings?”
“Yeah.”
“Yeah, Esther gave them to me. Why?”
Carly dug in her jeans pocket, her fingers resting on the hematite pendant that Abel had given her for her birthday. She’d stopped wearing it when they’d broken up, but she couldn’t bring herself to give it back to him. So she’d kept it in her pocket, tucked away, just like the brief fling she’d had with him.
“It might be nothing, but it might be something,” Carly replied, and without explanation, hurried up two flights of stairs to her bedroom. She raced over to the growing stack of books on her nightstand, shuffling through them until she landed on Abel’s copy of Precious Stones and Crystals. The book was yet another thing she didn’t have the guts to give back to him, but was thankful for it now.
She thumbed through to the chapter at the end that had piqued her curiosity upon first reading but held actual significance now. Among other properties, hematite is known to bring clarity of mind to the bearer. Carry this stone with you to keep outside influences where they belong. There was no more to it than that, which was why it hadn’t seemed to matter before. But it mattered now.
A memory filled Carly’s mind then, a moment at Gabe’s New Year’s party before Carly had lost the night to inebriation. Katia had made a comment about Carly’s hematite necklace, but the comment itself wasn’t nearly as notable as the way she’d studied the stone. Were it not for the small, simple gesture, Carly might not now be speculating that hematite was a weakness in Damon’s plan.
“We need more of it,” Carly determined, turning to face Crystal. “Hematite. Damon’s now proven that he’ll do whatever it takes to get the skull. We need to do the same to keep it from him. If there’s any way hematite might give us an advantage, we need to take it.”
“Esther’s got piles of the stuff,” Crys said. “I’ll give her a call.” She darted over to Carly’s bedside phone and punched in Esther’s number.
Not sure what to do with herself, Carly looked around her room, tapping out a coarse rhythm on her thigh. Sharla had vanished into thin air, and Carly sensed Damon was responsible—so, now what? What would be the next best move considering her circumstances? Was there any way to test her theory regarding the hematite to see if it could actually free someone from Damon’s mind control?
Duh—I could test the hematite on Gabe.
“Esther and Abel are on their way over,” Crystal announced as she hung up the phone. “Jeremy and Kyle, too. Soon enough, we’ll have all the hematite we can handle.”
“Good,” Carly said, trying to keep it together, trying to compartmentalize her fear. If she lost her mind now, they might never get Sharla back.
“Maybe we should make some coffee and take a breather?” Crystal suggested, her arm around Carly’s shoulders. “We didn’t find a body, which means she’s probably still alive. If he wanted to hurt her, he would have done it by now.”
Which meant, best case scenario, Damon was merely using his daughter to bait Carly.
“Coffee,” Crys said again, and led them downstairs.
* * *
Carly downed two cups of coffee as her house filled up with people. It was after midnight now, and there was still no trace of Sharla. Abel, Esther, Kyle, Jeremy and Crystal all gathered in the kitchen with Carly while their parents spoke in hushed whispers down the hall. Paul purposefully hadn’t been informed of the meeting, and that concerned Carly. He was yet another individual she needed to keep on her radar.
“I brought a bunch, but I have more at home,” Esther said as she passed pieces of hematite around the group. “It’s smart thinking, Carly, connecting the hematite like you did.”
“I don’t know if I’m right,” Carly said, taking a drink of coffee as she gazed out the wall of windows overlooking Lake Superior. “Hematite might not totally insulate the mind from an intruder, but I think I’ve figured out a way to test it.”
“No,” Abel protested.
“Damon’s spoken through Gabe the same way he spoke through Sharla tonight,” Carly informed them. “If I talk to Gabe, maybe I can feel out the connection he has with Damon and work backwards from there to connect Damon to Sharla. Unless anyone else has a better idea?”
“It doesn’t feel right,” Abel insisted. “Damon’s doing this to taunt you, Carly. He knows how special you are, and he’s looking to exploit that.”
“He can exploit me all he wants if it means we get Sharla back.”
Abel pursed his lips. “We don’t even know what’s happened to her.”
“Precisely, which is why we have to follow the one lead we do have.”
“I think she’s right,” Crystal spoke up. “You didn’t see Sharla’s eyes—you didn’t see her become someone else. The clock’s ticking, and we can’t just sit here twiddling our thumbs.”
“It probably won’t be feasible to try to talk to Gabe until morning,” Esther said, glancing at the clock on the wall. “But we could go pick up your Jeep, Carly, and do another search. Maybe Sharla got thrown into the woods—”
“If she did, we would have found her,” Crys emphasized. “We wouldn’t have left if we thought she was still there.”
“We know you wouldn’t have,” Kyle said. “But it might not be a bad idea to have a few more sets of eyes looking for clues. What else can we do?”
“Damon’s staying at the resort,” Jeremy reminded them. “Has anyone looked for Sharla there?”
“But how would he have gotten her there?” Carly wondered.
“Let’s go take a look,” Esther said, tugging at Jeremy’s hand. “We’ll let you know if we find anything.”
“Be careful,” Abel warned as they headed out the back door. “We really don’t know who we’re dealing with here.”
“Should we tell their parents they left?” Carly asked.
Kyle snickered. “Carly, haven’t you noticed? The reason they’re all in there, quiet, is because they’re waiting for us to fix everything. Just like you and Gabe did with the ruskahs.”
Carly had longed for independence, but hadn’t quite weighed the cost. Dealing with the ruskahs had been an entirely different situation. Gabe had been by her side then, and… This would all be so much easier if she had Gabriel by her side now, too.
“I know you’re apprehensive about Carly confronting Gabe,” Crys said, her gaze fixed on Abel. “But we need him. I’ll go with you, Carly, to his house, right away in the morning. If the hematite doesn’t work, we’ll plan to get out as fast as we can. But we have to at least try.”
“It sounds like you kids are figuring something out?” Howard spoke hopefully as he stepped into the room.
And that’s when Carly really sensed it—that the torch had been passed. Howard had fought for her to stay his child, but was now depending on her to grow up. He’d given up a great deal of power to pass on to her, and now more than ever, he needed her to use it.
“We’re going to head south and get my Jeep,” Carly told him. “Look for clues, see if there’s something we missed.”
“Chandra and I have decided to go ahead with the party and carry on as planned,” Howard said. “We’ve invited most of Sterling and don’t want to alarm anyone of our internal affairs.”
Internal affairs, Carly thought with contempt. Being a shapeshifter was all fun and games until it wasn’t anymore—and then there was no outside help. No authorities to be notified or detectives to alert. No one to call upon but her group of friends and a few pieces of hematite. And the amethyst skull.
Carly had been so focused on keeping the skull safe and hidden away that she hadn’t
thought to use it as a weapon.
And with good reason, Abel’s voice popped in her head. It was the first time he’d invaded her thoughts since they’d broken up, and she didn’t hide her surprise as she locked eyes with him. Using a piece of hematite to enhance your power is one thing—using the skull would be suicide.
“We’ll all be here for the party, dressed up and smiling,” Crystal promised, tugging on Carly’s arm. “We should head out. Dawn’s going to be here before we know it.”
“I can drive,” Kyle volunteered. “I’ve got my dad’s truck in case we need to pull you out, Carly.”
“Thanks,” Carly replied, filling a Thermos with coffee. “Let us know if you hear anything, Dad, and we’ll do the same.”
“Be careful out there, sweetheart,” Howard advised.
She had no reply for him, and kept her cynicism to herself as she followed her friends outside. She didn’t know what the hell she was doing, but careful wouldn’t get her anywhere. She settled in the back of the black Chevy with Crys, gazing out the window as Kyle drove down the Minnesota coast.
“If Sharla just disappeared, it had to have been supernatural,” Kyle speculated. “But how?”
“That’s what I keep asking myself,” Carly sighed. “Whatever he did, it seems beyond our capabilities.”
“Considering we don’t know the full extent of our capabilities, that’s assuming a lot,” Abel argued. “We’re younger than Damon, and even those of us who aren’t full bloods are a lot more powerful.”
“Because of Sharla,” Carly realized, piecing some of it together now. “Because he had a child, Sharla, Damon gave up some of his power to pass on to her. That’s why he’s using Katia to control Gabe. Damon’s not strong enough to do it on his own, but with the aid of a childless full blood, he is.”
Carly thought back to one of the more embarrassing moments of her life—when Crystal, bribed by her mother on behalf of Howard, reminded Carly to practice safe sex. Carly had been too mortified back then to see her father’s true motivation for it, but she understood now. If Carly were to get pregnant, to bear a child, she’d give up some of her power as a shapeshifter to pass on to her offspring. And considering the potential she held, how advanced she was already compared to her peers, it would be a shame to make that sacrifice before she really got to know herself.
“So, that’s what we’re up against?” Kyle questioned. “Just a couple of full bloods?”
“Damon’s wife, Vanessa, is full blood, too,” Crystal pointed out. “So we can assume he’s tapping into her power. And probably Paul’s.”
“Does Paul even realize it?” Abel asked. “Does Gabe?”
“Hopefully, we’ll have an answer on Gabe soon enough,” Carly determined. “But one thing at a time.”
twenty-five
They made good time back to the Jeep, which remained wedged in the ditch. Kyle and Crys worked to pull out the vehicle while Abel helped Carly search the area once again. Once again, they didn’t come up with anything of significance that would lead back to Sharla.
“The Jeep’s drivable,” Kyle announced. “But you’ll want to have it looked at once you get it home.”
“I’ll ride with you,” Abel volunteered, stepping over to the Jeep’s passenger side.
“Oh,” Carly replied, opening the driver’s door. “Sure.”
“We’ll meet back at your place, Carly,” Crystal said, and ducked into Kyle’s pickup.
Carly settled in next to Abel, easing the Jeep back onto the road. A weird clink erupted from the engine when she accelerated, but otherwise, it didn’t give her any trouble. She noted Kyle’s lights up ahead as she set My Morning Jacket to play over the speakers.
But the song didn’t finish before Abel turned down the volume. “You know as well as I do how dangerous that skull is, Carly.”
“Actually, we don’t know it’s dangerous,” Carly replied. “We’ve heard all kinds of stories and warnings, but none of us have any real experience using a crystal skull.”
Abel threw his arms over his chest. “Why do you have to be the one to try?”
“You’re the one who keeps saying I’m so special. Shouldn’t it be me?”
“You are special, and that’s why I don’t want to see you get killed.”
Abel’s choice of words—killed rather than hurt—drove home to Carly the gravity of the situation. Which was why it was so tempting to use the skull to figure out how to get Sharla back.
“How would you even use it?” Abel questioned.
“Like everything else, I’ll figure it out along the way,” she decided.
“Carly.” That was all he said, just her name, but it was enough.
“Nothing’s going to happen to me, Abel.” But even as she said it, in the back of her mind, Carly knew it was a promise she couldn’t necessarily keep.
“I can’t tell you how much I hope you’re right about that.”
* * *
“Remember, it’s early, so Paul’s probably going to be there,” Crystal spoke, going over their plan again as she drove Kyle’s pickup south to Sterling after dawn, Carly in the passenger seat. “If he is, I’ll keep him distracted, but he’s not our main concern.”
“Our main concern is Gabe,” Carly emphasized, looking over her reflection in the visor mirror. A shower and change of clothes had done her a lot of good, but even a face full of makeup expertly applied by Crys did nothing to hide Carly’s apprehension.
“If anyone can get through to him, Carly, it’s you.”
“I wish I had your confidence,” Carly said, focusing on the road ahead.
“You do have my confidence,” Crystal informed her. “Except when it comes to him.”
Carly rolled her eyes, but not because Crys was wrong. Carly’s life had been turned upside down in a number of ways, and she’d managed to keep control of all that misery except when it came to Gabe. She daily compartmentalized the loss of her mother, but couldn’t seem to release herself from the feelings she had for her first love.
“I can’t seem to let him go either—the person Gabe used to be,” Crys said. “He’s still in there somewhere, the sweet kid with a head on his shoulders. He has to be.”
“Why did you do it?” Carly asked, glancing at Crystal. “Why did you help Gabe rig Homecoming so I’d win?”
Crystal let out a laugh. “Carly, nobody rigged anything. You won because Gabe talked to pretty much everyone in school and asked them to vote for you. Maybe he had more motivation than just wanting to win you back, but at the time, it didn’t feel like it. It felt like he was desperate to earn your trust again. And the only reason I went along with it was because…”
“I stole your date,” Carly realized. “And made you feel like the third wheel. I’m so sorry, Crys.”
“When you’re not someone’s type, you’re just not. But even with that enlightened perspective, it’s still difficult to watch the guy you’ve had a secret crush on for years drool all over someone else. I figured if Gabe somehow managed to win you back that night… Hell, I don’t know what I thought, but I was definitely jealous, and I hate that part of it. You’re great, Carly, and I want you to be with someone who makes you happy.”
“Thank you,” Carly replied. “I want the same thing for you, too—especially if that person’s Abel.”
“He’s not,” Crys was quick respond as she sped into Sterling. “That’s the thing about being able to read someone’s mind—you really get to see all that’s in there, even if it disappoints you.”
Carly felt for the pile of smooth hematite stones in her skirt pocket. She was hoping to peer into Gabe’s mind, and prepared herself for whatever darkness she may find. It was quite possible she’d meet a man who didn’t love her anymore, or who’d never loved her at all…
That’s okay, Carly determined. Because this isn’t about me. This about Gabe and giving him his autonomy back. He should have the power to choose what happens in his own life, even if none of those choices involve
me.
“Well, you look fantastic,” Crystal told Carly as she put the pickup in park. “And even with supernatural creatures, that goes a long way.”
Carly was generally skeptical of the illusion of physical beauty, but was thankful for whatever sway it might have now. She was wading in uncharted territory here, and needed all the resources she could summon.
“Ready?” Crys asked, reaching for her door handle.
“As ready as I’m going to be,” Carly replied, and hopped out of the pickup. She led the way up to the blue Victorian, squaring her shoulders as she rang the bell. Here went nothing.
Legends: Bloodline Book 2 Page 24