by Deanna Chase
She paused outside a door that read Staff Only and turned to look at us. “Want to see the fireworks?”
“No, I—”
“Yes.” Jade cut me off.
“But, ah, Jade? Don’t you think we should get back to Kane and Julius?” I asked, confused. Why did she want to watch the band do a sound check? Especially if the rest of the band was pissed?
She gave me a just-trust-me-on-this-one look and jerked her head toward the door. “It’ll be like a private concert.”
Cripes, Pyper, stop being a stick in the mud, Ida May added, draping her arm over Muse’s shoulders. Goodness, what I wouldn’t do for a swig of that whiskey.
“All you had to do is ask.” Muse placed her hand right where Ida May’s would be, and a crackle of magic sparked around them both. Then a brilliant light blinded me, sending me stumbling backward.
“What the— Whoa. You’re a witch?” Jade exclaimed.
I blinked, clearing my vision. Then I blinked again, not believing my eyes. Right there in front of me was a solid Ida May, with the whiskey bottle tipped to her lips as she took generous gulps of the amber liquid.
Muse shrugged one shoulder. “I told you there would be fireworks… I meant literally. You have to see what we have planned for the show tomorrow night.”
Ida May finally lowered the bottle and wiped her mouth with the back of her arm. “That’s a damn fine spot of booze.” She gripped the bottle and stared down at her body. “Now that’s unexpected.” She ran her hands over her chest and cupped her breasts, her eyes lighting up as she grinned. “I haven’t felt these puppies in nearly a hundred years. They’re holding up better than I expected.”
Muse studied Ida May’s breasts for a moment, then reached out and grabbed the left one. “Good size. Firm. Yeah, you got some nice assets.”
The door whipped open, revealing a dark-skinned woman with cropped red hair. Dressed in thread-worn jeans, a white tank top, and combat boots, the pixie-like woman crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Muse. “You coming inside anytime soon, or are you too goddamned drunk again?”
“Nah, she gave her liquor to me,” Ida May said and swept past the angry woman.
“Trist,” Muse said, her tone flat. “What’s the matter? You having a hard time remembering the words again?”
Trist narrowed her eyes. “Go on, keep it up. Stella’s on standby. All we need to do is give her a call. She’ll be ready for next week’s cruise within an hour’s notice.”
“I bet.” Muse swept past her bandmate and called over her shoulder. “This way, girls. It’s time to get the party started.”
“Hell yeah! I’m ready.” Ida May linked arms with Muse while Jade and I shared a grimace.
“I guess you’re getting your way,” I said to Jade. “We can’t leave Ida May here unsupervised. There’s no telling what kind of trouble she’ll manage to get herself into.”
Jade chewed on her lower lip. “I’d guess skinny-dipping. Or beer pong contests.”
“I think she’d be more likely to be doing body shots. But you’re on the right track.” With both of us chuckling, we followed the band into the theater.
And right there on center stage was a woman I recognized. The one I’d seen go over the side of the ship less than an hour before. Vienna Vox.
4
Vienna’s commanding presence filled the softly lit stage as she rocked slowly from side to side, her wild blond hair streaming out behind her as she belted out a melancholy tune, her voice flawless. Barefoot, wearing a lace camisole and a flowing black skirt, there was a powerful innocence about her that touched me deep in my soul.
I stilled, utterly mesmerized.
Her voice was sheer perfection, singing about forbidden love and a shattered heart. Tears stung my eyes while my chest ached with sudden sadness.
“Hey.” A warm hand touched my bare arm.
I jumped and sucked in a gasp of air. “Jade. Goodness. Sorry.”
“What the heck were you staring at?” Her brows pinched together as she scanned what must’ve appeared to be an empty wooden stage.
“She’s here. Vienna. She’s singing the saddest song I’ve ever heard.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened, then narrowed as she watched Ida May try to charm the band. Muse, Trist, and two other rocker chicks were gathered near the front row with Ida May in the center playing an air guitar. “No one else appears to see her. Not even Ida May.”
“She’s there. I swear.” Then, before Jade could say anything else, I took off for the stage, determined to try to speak to the ghost. To find out what had happened to her.
I sat in a plush, red velvet seat in the front row, right in front of her. And as I watched, a strange feeling came over me. Like I knew her somehow. As if we were connected in some way. Some way other than the mystical spell she was weaving with her song.
She’s stuck on her own plane, Lily, one of my guides, said after materializing beside me.
“What’s that mean?” I asked, keeping my eyes glued to Vienna. I couldn’t seem to look away even if I wanted to.
She’s not really here.
“Do you mean not really here on this ship and I’m seeing her through some sort of veil? Or not really here as in this is all in my head?” From the corner of my eye, I noted Jade was once again helping Muse stay upright, but she was keeping a close watch on me.
You’re seeing her through some sort of veil. I believe she’s in another reality, and we’re getting a peek into wherever she actually is.
I sucked in a sharp breath. “You mean she could be somewhere like the shadow world, or even hell?”
Definitely not hell. The surprise in Lily’s tone made me want to turn my head to look at her, but I couldn’t. My gaze was glued to Vienna. It’s more like a waiting area or… as if she’s stuck on an elevator, waiting for it to finally let her off.
“She needs help then.” It wasn’t a question. I was already on my feet, heading for the stairs to get onto the stage.
“Pyper! Come over and meet the band,” Ida May called. “They have a story about a roadie with a nine-inch —”
“Stop, you’re ruining the punch line,” one of the rockers said, cutting her off.
I ignored them all as I ran up the steps. Vienna had her gaze searing into me, tears streaming down her face. As they flowed, her singing turned darker and more ominous.
My heart was breaking and pain seared through my chest, making it hard to breathe. Sobs clogged at the back of my throat, nearly choking me. Once my feet hit the weathered stage, I took two steps and fell to my knees, the weight of grief crushing me.
Vienna held her arm out toward me as if she was reaching for me, the tears tracking down her cheeks.
Voices sounded behind me, but the words were jumbled. I couldn’t comprehend anything except the turbulence shuddering through me, hurt and anguish consuming every cell. It was as if my heart had been ripped out and trampled, my trust not just broken but torn to shreds. A moan that sounded more like a wounded animal escaped my lips, and I clutched my chest, willing myself to not break into a million tiny little pieces.
“Pyper!”
A bolt of sweet magic hit me, coursing through my limbs like a soothing balm until finally it reached my chest, neutralizing the awful grief.
“Pyper?” the voice said again.
I blinked and looked up into Jade’s frantic green eyes. Her strawberry-blond hair hung limply around her red face, sweat coating her skin. I glanced at the now-empty stage, noting Vienna was gone.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Good goddess.” Jade let out a heavy sigh and sat back on her knees.
“You freaked out, girl,” Trist said. “You probably got a bad batch of whatever drug you took. Drug dealers can’t be trusted. I can’t tell you how many times that’s happened to me. If they’d only legalize that stuff, then we wouldn’t have to worry if anyone’s cutting it with laundry detergent. Am I right?”
“I don�
�t do drugs,” I mumbled as I sat up, holding my pounding head. The bolt of magic Jade had dosed me with hadn’t quite fixed everything.
“Right.” Trist snickered.
“Not everyone lives off nose candy like you do, Trist,” Muse said, sneering at her. “Can’t you see she’s sick? Don’t be such a bitch.”
Their arguing was making my head pound. “Jade, can you take me back to my room?”
“Of course.” She helped me to my feet, keeping her arm around my waist as we left the stage. Tiny jolts of energy tickled my skin where she touched me.
“You don’t have to do that, you know,” I whispered to her.
“What? Hold you up?”
“That too. But I meant pump your energy into me. I can walk under my own steam.” My body did appear to be fine. It was only my head that felt like it was going to explode.
“You know that’s not going to happen,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.
If the room hadn’t been spinning, I’d have fought her on it. She was an empath, and giving away her energy would make her vulnerable. But because she was a white witch with a heart of gold, I knew she wasn’t going to let this go. Not when she could do something about it.
“As soon as we get you back to the room, I’ll fix that headache.”
Of course she knew about that. She could probably feel the pain as her own just by touching me. “I’m sure ibuprofen will do the trick.”
“Maybe.” But she didn’t sound convinced.
“Save your strength for the wussies who need it.” I closed my eyes against the splitting pain and prayed I wouldn’t vomit.
Luckily the cupcake I’d had earlier managed to stay down, but it was a close call. Twice I’d felt the bile rise up in the back of my throat, and twice I’d sat against the wall in the hallway until my stomach stopped churning. It was a miracle we’d made it back to the room at all.
“You can’t take these pills without something more substantial than beer and dessert,” Jade said, picking up the receiver to the phone. “Food, then drugs.”
I squinted up at her from my place on the bed. Even the lone light on the other side of the room was too much for me in my incapacitated state. “Just magic me. Or whatever it is you do to fix people.”
She raised one skeptical eyebrow. “Less than five minutes ago, you said, and I quote, ‘Save your strength for the wussies who need it.’”
I winced as the pounding over my eye intensified. “I was trying to be brave. I’m over it. Zap me. Give me a head transplant. Put me in a coma. I don’t care. Just make this go away.”
Her lips twitched as she replaced the phone receiver. “I think we can skip the coma… this time.” Then her cool hands were on my forehead. Instantly my stomach settled, and the pain in my head went from excruciating to a dull ache.
“How did you do that?” I muttered, keeping my eyes closed, unwilling to move for fear the spell would break.
“I haven’t done anything yet.” Then she applied pressure with her fingertips, sweeping them from the center of my forehead out toward my temples. The masked pain lessened with each stroke of her gentle touch. And when I was so relaxed I thought I might drift off to sleep, I heard her mutter, “Curare.”
The pain roared back, making me bolt straight up in the bed, my breathing ragged. “Son of a—”
A high-pitched scream came from somewhere in the room just before the migraine suddenly vanished. It took me a moment to realize the scream belonged to me. I was too busy running my hands over my head, trying to make sure it hadn’t actually exploded.
“Ohmigod! Pyper, I’m so sorry.” Jade placed her hands over mine. “Where does it hurt? What did I do?”
“You tried to kill me, obviously,” I said with a smile, brushing her hands away.
She frowned. “Why are you smiling? Were you…? Damn you, Pyper, if that was a joke, it wasn’t the least bit funny.” The bed jostled as she jumped up and glared at me.
I tentatively sat up, testing my now pain-free head. Then I shook it. “No, it wasn’t a joke.” It really was a marvel how energized I actually was considering her spell had felt like a freaking brain aneurysm. “I’m not sure that spell is one you want to keep as a staple in your toolbox. It hurt like a mother. But it did work… even if it did try to kill me.”
She sank back down on the bed, her eyes round with concern. “It wasn’t supposed to hurt. I’ve used it dozens of times on Kane and… crap.” She hung her head.
“And your coven witches? People who have magic?” I guessed.
She nodded and grimaced again. “Sorry. I should’ve taken it down a notch or two. I was just so worried. The pain coming from you… I don’t even know how you were able to walk back here.”
“That makes two of us.” I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and glanced around. “What happened to Ida May?”
“I’m not sure.” She backed up and leaned against the dresser. “When I cast the spell to break whatever hold Vienna had on you, she vanished. I think it neutralized whatever Muse did to make Ida May human. She could’ve even been sent back to the café.”
“Or somewhere else?” I said with a small shock of alarm. Ida May, while sometimes a pain, had become more than just our daily entertainment. Okay, maybe she was mostly just entertainment. But she was usually harmless and put a smile on my face. I’d even go so far as to say we were friends… as much as a human and a ghost could be friends anyway.
“I doubt it. She seems to be connected to you. If she did end up somewhere else, it’d be temporary at most.”
A small shot of relief filled me. Ida May was like our mascot. If she was gone, I’d have to find myself another ghost. The image of Vienna sobbing in my café flashed in my mind and I shuddered.
No. Absolutely not. Any ghost of mine was required to be happy and have a sense of humor. No maudlin ghosts for The Grind.
“Everything okay? You looked for a second like you might pass out on me.”
It was the memory of Vienna I supposed. “No. I’m good. Feeling great actually. Give me five minutes, then we’ll go find the menfolk. See what trouble they’ve gotten themselves into this evening.”
“I can hardly wait,” Jade said dryly. “With the way this night has started, I wouldn’t be surprised if we found them dealing with a dominatrix black-magic witch who was planning to use them both as her sex slaves.”
I laughed. “Crazy rock stars and dominatrix witches. Sounds about right.”
5
Jade knocked on the door for room 1538 and waited. After a few moments, she rapped again, harder.
“Are they in there?” I asked her.
She nodded. “They’re in a really good mood too.”
“Party’s over. The women are here,” I called through the door.
Footsteps sounded from inside the stateroom, followed by the door opening. Kane waved us in, a satisfied smile claiming his face. “Hurry up. Julius is getting ready to cast a cleansing spell.”
I swept past him, the faint scent of cleaning products and sea air assaulting my senses, and headed toward Julius who was standing next to the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass door that headed out onto the balcony. Every light was lit in the spacious room, illuminating the high-end décor—two leather couches, crystal light fixtures, a king-sized bed, extra plush carpet, and mirrors covering an entire wall. It was like a mini Vegas hotel room.
Behind me, I heard Jade ask, “You’ve found the culprit already?”
“Yeah.” The door shut with a thump. “Sort of. Julius has identified an old spell that’s causing the havoc, and he’s going to neutralize it. No demons this time.” Kane draped his arm over Jade’s shoulders, his posture more relaxed than I’d seen in weeks. Being a demon hunter, it must’ve been nice for him to get a small break.
“Good news.” Jade ran her hand over her husband’s arm and glanced our way, locking her gaze on Julius. “Want any help?”
“No way,” I said, slipping my arm around my boyfriend’s
waist. Smiling up at him, I added, “She doesn’t know her own strength, and I’d hate for anything to happen to you. I have plans for you later.”
A gleam of interest flashed in his dark gaze. “Then I should definitely handle this one on my own.”
Jade tsked. “For goddess’s sake. Y’all make me sound like I’m some out-of-control newbie.”
I peered at her, one brow raised. “We did just have that little headache incident.”
Her face flushed and she responded with a sheepish grimace. “Right.”
“What headache incident?” Julius asked, frowning. “Are you feeling okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll fill you in later. Nothing to worry about.”
“What’d you find here?” Jade asked Julius. “The spell I mean.”
He ran a hand over his forehead and wrinkled his brow. “It’s a little hard to identify because it feels like it’s been here for a long time, as if it’s infested every inch of the room. Does that make sense?”
“Sure. Old spells can be like that. They really grab hold and become part of the environment,” Jade said.
“Yes. Exactly. Only it also appears to be unraveling at the seams, becoming unstable. And that’s possibly why guests have noticed an upswing in activity.”
“How can you tell?” I asked, glancing around the room. There was nothing about it that seemed unusual to me. The moonlight was shining in through the windows, and had I not known about the black magic, I’d have been happy to sit down, prop my feet up, and enjoy the shimmer of light bouncing off the water.
Julius opened his mouth to answer but stopped when everything started to shake and a low rumble filled the room.
I stumbled, taken completely off guard, but Julius tightened his hold on my hand, keeping me from falling on my butt.
The rumble turned into more of a moan and faded away when the light near the bed flickered twice, then winked out.
Jade placed her hand on the wall, but she yanked it back immediately and stared at her palm as if she’d been bitten. “Damn. There’s lots of unsettled energy in that spell.”