A tightness grew in my throat, while my jaw hardened to the point I felt my teeth could shatter. My parents just expected me to die like they had. They never wanted me to live or fight the curse. I know she didn’t mean her words to be a barb but instead of being happy that I’d gotten to experience love, they wanted me to hurry up and die to end their prolonging to the afterlife.
“Not something you can control, though I tried. Sorry to disappoint.” I shouldn’t have come here. Being around them only made me feel shittier about the situation and emphasized how little control I had in this world.
“That’s not what we meant, son. We’re happy you found love before it all comes to an end. We just didn’t want you to go through what we did.” My mother reached her shimmering blue hand out to touch my cheek, a loving gesture from someone who hadn’t loved me like a mother should.
I wanted to consult with Madam Tully and find hope in her words that something could be done. Rudy wouldn’t let me near her room, though. It was guarded with a ghost who could stab me without hesitation. Such great power to control the dead flowed through my being, but I still couldn’t walk through walls.
“Right. I’m gonna go walk around while I have the blood pumping in my veins to do so.” It was an asshole thing to say to them, but I didn’t feel like being civil.
I said hello to the ghosts that waved at me. My grandfather was in a duel with a pirate as I passed by his tombstone, which elevated my mood. Lucy followed me around as I weaved through the mausoleums and worn-down statues in silence. She rarely came out here, since most of the performers didn’t like the graveyard. Perhaps it was because of the familiar soul who always stayed by his giant crypt, sulking in the memories of what he’d done to those he cared for.
Despite being a ghost, I noticed Lucy’s hands trembling as we walked past the main section of the cemetery to a quiet and less crowded area. Only one mausoleum stood beside a tall tree with moss hanging from its branches. Magically lit torches stayed fiery throughout the years and a man sat on the steps outside.
“Hello, George.”
The depressed gaze of my great- great-grandfather, the man who had brought the curse upon our family looked up.
Chapter Thirty- Two
Selene
Numb and cold, I didn’t cry. I was past that. Instead I endured two of the worst feelings a person could have . . . hopelessness and loneliness. Besides my parents, who as far as I knew were having a great time in Europe, I didn’t know where to find my friends. No calls to Phillip to ask him what I should do or to Emily, who always made me feel a little lighter when the darkness tried to take over.
I couldn’t focus on a simple thought. I drowned in the pain of losing everyone. Who was I to fight the dead? I was no one. As soon as I got home, via Jude’s car that Rudy demanded I take, I collapsed on the bed and had barely moved since. Life constricted my chest, and I couldn’t find the strength to get up.
I didn’t even know what to do if I could get up. Who could I turn to for help? I was alone.
Alone.
The insanity that overtook me as a teenager crashed on over me, and I feared what I might do if I let it win. So I slept for hours. For a full day, trying not to give in to the siren of death beckoning me once again.
Jude’s scent clung to my sheets. I breathed it in, over and over. I concentrated on each inhale and exhale, one second at a time. Anything further than that was too much to think about.
The morning before Halloween, my sadness turned to anger. My fists ached to punch something. My power urged me to be released and lash out. I wanted to, but I knew what I endured wasn’t good and wouldn’t truly help me in the end. I had nothing. How does a person rise from the floor when they have nothing?
“That’s not true,” I whispered to the empty room.
The lie caught me by surprise, and I found the strength to pull the Jude-scented sheets off my head. Light hit my eyes, and I squinted from the brightness.
I had light in my life.
I could see.
I could walk.
I had fresh autumn air to breath.
I was safe, even if safe was temporary.
I had a home, and friends, and I’d managed to fall in love. Even if he came with some serious baggage, I still loved him. With each thought of what I had, and not what I didn’t have, I became myself again. The gravity of my thoughts didn’t weigh me down.
“You have a choice. You are not a tree. You are not stuck. You always have a choice,” I reprimanded myself, remembering that I could choose to let my depressing thoughts win, or I could get up. Focus on one heartbeat at a time. Get up.
“Get up,” I told myself and rolled out of bed. My fingers twitched toward the sheets, to go back to the warm safe zone I’d created and lay there until darkness claimed me.
“Take a step.” I shook my head and took a step, then another, then another.
“I need a shower.”
If someone watched me fight against myself just to move and do simple things, I’m sure I’d be committed to the hospital again. It was hard to understand unless you’d been there, where simple acts of life were near impossible. Your body, your mind, and your soul tried to pull you so deep into hopelessness, that you could barely breathe.
I don’t know what it is about a shower that brings out emotions, but the tears I’d held back since leaving the mansion descended. The spray of water blended with the salty tears of my pain being released, and my sobs stayed within the glass wall. My trembling body ached with every slick movement of the soap against my skin, but I didn’t stop. I kept concentrating on doing the next step. Get clean, let the tears flow, then dry off.
Efforts to dress normally where tossing on a sweater, leggings, and boots became tiresome. I’d probably resembled a bridge troll more than a person but I had no one to impress right now. I had to eat and write down my jumbled thoughts. I became a journalist for the paper because I had a gift that could help. I loved writing, and I sought the truth. I’d become so good at my job that work didn’t bother me, which in times like this I was grateful for.
Coffee warmed my hands as I made some oatmeal and sat at my table. Half of my notes were useless now. I knew who the killer was and knew his motives behind the murders. What I didn’t know was what could be done about it. I couldn’t have him arrested or use public outrage from the paper to take him down.
I was still on a dangerous deadline, with the people I cared about hanging in the balance.
“You cannot do this. You will fail,” a voice whispered in my mind, like a snake hissing as it curled around me, suffocating me with the outcome of my failure.
“No!” I shouted. I closed my eyes. I couldn’t listen to any voice that wanted me to give in. I wouldn’t fail. There was no other option. I fail, I lose everyone, and the world will be run by the dead.
I grabbed my notes on Rudy and began reading, looking for anything that would give me more insight into his mind and motives other than jealousy. From the research on him, I switched to my laptop and investigated ghost lore, consisting of articles people had published about the dead in the past, no matter how obtuse they might seem. I figured in all the years of history, the dead tried to rise before. One hour after another, I delved deeper into the next step, the next research until I found what I looked for and prepared for tomorrow, where I would fight against a curse for love.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Jude
“Quite the party happening out there. I cannot wait to mingle and soak up every bit of this night.” Rudy shivered with barely contained excitement next to me, basking in my anger. He was dressed in a dapper suit, with an intricate devil’s mask that stopped just above his nose.
“Don’t look too sour, Jude. You’re getting everything you wanted. To go out with a bang of a show, and I have a little surprise for you later.” He patted me on the shoulder and I dreamed of breaking his fingers in half. I didn’t care what he had planned, I would stop him before he got too f
ar. After talking with the originator of the curse, I felt stronger and dived down deep into my power, stewing, waiting for the right time to unleash myself upon the dead.
“Let’s just get this over with.” I stepped into the ballroom where dozens of people gathered in ball gowns and masks. I imagined the scene before me matched the history of this mansion, when they used to have parties nearly every night. People danced, and they ate the food created in the magnificent kitchen by world-renowned chefs. Liquors and wines were used in toasts to the greatest party in Seahill’s history. People celebrated life, and the mystery of Halloween.
“Happy Birthday, Jude Mallory!” the crowd shouted as I stood at the top of the stairs to the room, hating that so many people were here, and none of them cared for me or knew my story. They wanted fun and leisure with a show. The live orchestra that had been hired to play for the night silenced their instruments with a wave of my hand.
“Thank you all.” I nodded at the people with a fake smile on my face, while my gaze searched for one person. Selene wasn’t here yet, although she had been instructed to show by our unfortunate stringmaster, pulling us how he deemed fit toward fates we did not wish for.
“Thank you for coming to my home and lighting up the place. I hope you have enjoyed Mystical and will stay as long as you like on this haunted night. The show will start thirty minutes before midnight.” I closed my welcome statement and walked down the stairs to mingle. My deathly power crept from my skin and wafted off me like smoke. It was Halloween, of course, so the people weren’t bothered with death caressing them as I walked. It was easier this way, instead of keeping it bottled up.
The orchestra began playing again, and people danced and laughed carefree. I hoped Rudy hadn’t poisoned the food so he could kill them and have more dead people at his disposal. The thought partially alarmed me, so I waved Joslyn over and asked her to please check it for me. She nodded and walked away with her tiger, everyone giving them a wide berth as they walked toward the buffet tables.
All the ghosts in the house were nearly alive. Only a faint blue shimmer could be seen signaling them as dead if you knew how to look. To a normal person, it looked like stage makeup had been applied to their bodies.
“You look nice, as always.” Lucy walked over to me, wearing a short ball gown and a tight pink corset. Her hair was piled high on her head, and a pink lacy mask covered the skin around her shocking blue gaze that roamed down my black ringleader’s suit, then back up to my hat.
“Thanks. You ready for tonight?” I asked softly. She nodded.
“Thank you.” I don’t think the two words would ever be enough, but they would have to do. Lucy was going to be putting herself on the line tonight for me and for this world. She was the only one who could do what needed to be done.
“He didn’t do a shitty job getting this together. If it wasn’t for the murders and lives at stake, I’d say he did a good job with the timeframe,” Lucy said, while looking around at the crowd. Indeed Rudy had put an insane amount of effort into this night, but it wasn’t without cost.
“Excuse me. May I have the next dance?” a familiar voice called from behind me, and my heart picked up its pace. Lucy grinned, then walked away with a knowing look in her eyes.
“I’m not sure the love of my life would appreciate me dancing with another woman.” I smirked, as I turned around slowly.
Selene was beautiful. She wore a Bohemian black dress with loose long sleeves and a slit that showed some of her creamy thigh. Desire slammed into my chest as the need to take her consumed me. Her hair was braided to the side and the black Venetian mask accentuated her look as a reaper. She was my deathly match in every way.
“I think she would make an exception for me. It is your birthday, after all.” A sad smile graced her lips, and I forgot to breathe. My hands reached out and pulled her body close. She trembled in my arms, and her shoulder shook once. She wasn’t OK. But she was here, and I knew how much strength she had to pull from the depths to show up and fake that all was OK.
“I love you.” I didn’t know if the words would ease her pain, but I wanted to say them. We only had this moment. Nothing beyond was guaranteed.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered against my chest. My fingers lifted her chin gently, allowing me the honor to look into her eyes to see the emotions swirling in their depths.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. Now kiss me like you missed me, and let’s dance.” I smiled when she rolled her eyes but stood on her toes to reach my lips. Her kiss was like dying and living at the same time. She slowly pulled away and grabbed my free hand to hold out in a waltz position.
“I hope you know how to do this kind of dance because I have no clue,” she admitted and I smiled again. I knew, since living in this house with ghosts who only knew how to dance the waltz had taught me the steps. Instead of telling her just how much experience I had in this department, I showed her.
I led her around the room, and she followed like we’d been doing this dance for centuries together. People stopped dancing as we passed by. The laughter and mutterings silenced and except for us, the rest of the room went dark. Nothing and no one existed in this moment but us, captivated in each other. The world simply melted away, along with the crowd, to give us space while we had our moment.
I may have been leading us in this dance, but I’d follow here wherever she went. I didn’t care if that made me whipped, or a chained man. This woman held my heart and soul in her delicate hands, and I couldn’t think of a better protector for it than her. When the orchestra ended the song and started another, we kept going. The lights grew brighter, and the crowd around us danced with laughter once more.
With Selene beside me, my confidence grew. Tonight would go as planned, and this nightmare would end without any lives being lost.
Another smile off to the side caught my attention and the warmth that had settled over me turned to ice. Rudy watched Selene and I dance with a smile on his face, too, only his expression hinted that everything was going according to his plan, which frightened me so much I wanted to steal Selene and run away right now.
But her friends in the Hero Society . . . I couldn’t lose them, either.
It felt like a noose was already tightening around my neck, and all I could do was feel the squeeze on my life.
Chapter Thirty- Four
Selene
“Any news of where our friends are being held?” I managed to whisper to Jude, once we stopped dancing, and he walked us over toward the large buffet table.
“Not quite. He leaves the screen up with the video feed from that location. I don’t believe it’s far from here, and it looks like a warehouse of sorts.” He leaned in close, his mouth against my neck as he spoke, so it seemed like he was nuzzling me instead of conversing about hostages. My hand reached up to his shoulder instinctively, fingers digging into his ringleader jacket.
“They are alive, though, I see them move a lot. Lilith talks to the ghosts and distracts them while the others talk.” His words gave me hope. I still couldn’t think about what would happen if we failed tonight.
“Do you have a plan?” I half-whispered, half-moaned as his lips caressed my skin, his tongue flicking the sensitive flesh.
“I do.” He breathed and goosebumps rose on my skin.
“Me, too. Should we talk about it?” We needed to be a united front going against Rudy, but I doubted we’d get a chance to truly be alone. Even if a ghost was by us, listening, they wouldn’t have heard anything they didn’t already know.
“We can’t.” He confirmed what I had been thinking. Unease grew in my belly with the thought of two plans that could conflict or easily go wrong.
“Whoever’s plan wins buys breakfast tomorrow?” Jude pulled back with a hopeful smile. I shook my head. I was about to reply with a smart-ass comment, when a tiger head nudged my free hand and Joslyn interrupted us.
“I need to borrow Selene. She’ll be back for the show.” She looked at Jude, and he m
ust have seen something in her eyes that said she could be trusted. His hands released their grip on my body as he took a step back so I could follow the woman.
“I’ll see you soon,” he promised, and I nodded. The gnawing of unease grew into a knot that tightened my gut, and I knew . . . somehow I just knew . . . that when we saw each other again, there would not be emotions of joy.
Joslyn gripped my hand gingerly and led me away. I watched Jude for as long as I could without walking into anyone, afraid I wouldn’t see him again.
“Don’t fear, Selene, love always wins,” Joslyn whispered to me, her voice so soft it seemed to carry with the music in the air.
Love always wins. A statement I needed to have faith in. It was something Phillip would say, especially when he knew what future was best. He couldn’t offer those words to me now, but I could still have faith in a future where Jude and I were together. A future where my friends were safe and back to making the world a better place.
I’d seen the ghost that didn’t belong here walking around, talking to other ghosts about what would happen after tonight. Rudy was going to break the gates to the afterlife according to the gossip between the wandering souls. I hoped it was only chatter and not laced with truth. We strolled up the stairs, then Joslyn stopped us before a door to a bedroom.
“You are safe in here and can speak freely.” She looked down the hall to where a corpse with decomposed flesh hung from its bones like a shredded dog’s toy. I opened the door to an immaculate room with a four-poster bed, hand-carved furniture, and a painting of a woman in a Victorian-style wedding dress standing next to a man in a suit. She looked so familiar, but I couldn’t pinpoint where I’d seen her.
“It hasn’t been that long since you’ve seen me. Surely you wouldn’t have forgotten a face like mine.” Madam Tully’s voice chuckled near the window on the left of the painting. The knot in my stomach unraveled and instantly I released my tense posture.
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