A Patch of Darkness
Page 21
“Is it necessary to whisper sweet little secrets every single time you see each other?” Ebony called over her shoulder.
“What? Are you jealous?”
She rolled her eyes and turned back to the computer screen. Her fingers tapped away at the keyboard in front of her when she said, “I’m not, but it looks like you might be.”
I sighed and headed over to my chair. I sat and stared at her. “I don’t get what you mean.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Why don’t you enlighten me then?”
Ebony’s fingertips paused over the keyboard and she sighed a little dramatically, even for her. “I know why Papan can’t keep his hands off you—he’s wanted you for a while now. But what’s your excuse?”
“I don’t need an excuse.”
“Do you want Papan as much as he wants you?”
I shook my head and nearly choked on my own saliva. “What the hell are you saying? I’ve got a boyfriend. Jonathan and I are very happy together.”
“That’s not what I asked you, Sierra.” Her eyes narrowed as she glared at me. “And although it doesn’t look like you’ll ever admit it, your body language and reaction pretty much confirm it.”
“Hey, I’m not the one who slept with him,” I snapped.
“No, you’re not, and I think that really bothers you, doesn’t it?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Ebony shook her head and leaned forward. “No, see, that’s the thing. I know exactly what I’m talking about. You want Papan but will never admit it to yourself because you think you love Jonathan.” She paused and sat back again. “But one day, I’m pretty sure you’re not going to have any choice but to face the fact that you’re attracted to Jason Papan as much as he is to you.”
This time, I glared at her, my heart beating so fast inside my chest I was afraid she’d hear it and think it proved her insane theory. “You’re wrong.”
“Sure I am,” she said with a snort. “Why don’t you tell me what the hell happened to your cheek?”
“Huh?” I dumped the duffel bag containing the two filled canisters onto the desk. It would’ve been easier to stick them in the safe, but since Papan mentioned someone was asking questions about me, I’d decided to lug the spook-filled canisters around with me.
Papan. Oh God. Ebony was wrong. She had no idea what she was talking about. I was the first to admit that he was a very attractive and sexy guy, but we were just friends.
Then why did you almost make out with him the other night? Was Jonathan the second prize once the first one slipped away?
Even my brain was conspiring against me.
“Are those canisters full?” she asked.
I nodded. Ebony was back in her usual gear this morning—black eyeliner, clump of black mascara, gray eye shadow framing her eyes, and burgundy lipstick making her skin look anemic.
“Is that how you got the cut?”
I nodded again.
“Why did you go without me?”
“Because it was after midnight and I didn’t feel like disrupting your sleep. We’ve both been through a lot the last few days, and the last thing I wanted to do was add more.” Not entirely the truth, but it would do.
“In other words”—Ebony’s gaze returned to mine—“you didn’t want to risk me not being able to cross over.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
“I couldn’t sleep, okay? You know the only thing that gets my mind off everything is working, so that’s what I did.”
“I can’t believe it. After all the shit you’ve been through, you couldn’t sleep? I collapsed into bed and didn’t feel much like getting up this morning.” Her eyes widened. “I swear, there could’ve been a nuclear war outside my bedroom and I wouldn’t have woken up.”
“You could’ve taken the day off if you wanted. I’d understand.”
She shook her head. “No. Not with everything that’s going on.”
“Thanks for the backup.”
“No problem. You know, I went by the Hocking house and checked on Lavie after we left Jonathan’s bookstore.”
“Is she all right?” I’d almost forgotten about the demon hunter.
Ebony sighed. “She was asleep when I got there, but Sally told me she’d finally regained consciousness. She’s still a little weak, but at least is able to slip in and out.”
“That’s great to hear.”
“Sally also told me to let you know that Lavie will be okay for the meeting you both have to attend on Friday night,” she said watching my reaction.
I tried not to react but couldn’t stop myself from blinking. “That’s good—”
“What meeting is she talking about?”
I opened my mouth to respond, but she interrupted.
“And why haven’t you mentioned anything about this meeting to me? I’m your apprentice, damn it, Sierra! Aren’t you supposed to take me along to these sorts of things?” The pitch of her voice got a little whinier with each accusatory word.
“It’s a really long story I don’t want to get into right now.” I seemed to be thinking the same for everything in my life lately.
“It usually is. Can I go with you?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
I leaned back into the backrest, not wanting to get into a fight. There was too much to explain and I wasn’t sure how Burr would react if I dragged my assistant into it. On the other hand, she was a spook catcher and had experienced a lot of this crap firsthand. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea. I wasn’t sure yet.
“I’ll see,” I finally said. “Maybe.”
Ebony shrugged. “That’s better than no.”
“Listen, did you end up remembering where you’d seen that guy in Jonathan’s bookstore? The one you said looked familiar?”
She thought for a second. “You know, I still can’t remember. It’s really strange because the nagging feeling is right there. It’s like I know exactly who he was but can’t grasp it. It’s bizarre.”
“It’s okay, it’ll come.”
“Do you need me to drop off those canisters at the Council later on?”
I shook my head. “No, I think I’ll do it myself, just this once.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “Really?”
“Yeah, but first, there’s somewhere else we need to go.”
Chapter Nineteen
“And this is a what line?”
“A ley line.”
“It feels like a gas leak to me,” Ebony said, standing up. She slapped her palms together, wiping off the dirt and making a face. “It smells like one too.”
I laughed because I’d thought something similar when Oren forced my hand against the dirt and brittle grass to feel the ley line. “I know what you mean, but it’s only hissing because there seems to be a leak. I don’t think it’s supposed to be doing that.”
“And how did you find this anyway? I don’t remember you mentioning anything about taking little strolls in the cemetery.” She continued to rub the stubborn dirt stain on her hand, this time against denim.
It was time to come clean—at least with one thing at a time. “Remember the man who called the office the day we met Carleen Hocking?”
“The pushy bloke you acted all loopy about, the one with a strange name and that sexy accent?”
I winced but nodded.
“Why would he show you this?” She dropped her hand, giving up on the stain.
I didn’t particularly feel like delving into the whole “possible Grandpa” scenario, but I could get started on how I knew Oren and Lavie, and why there was a meeting we all had to attend the next night. But first I had to ask her something.
“Have you spoken to Travis lately?”
Her face screwed up in a grimace. “No! The jerk hasn’t called me for days.”
“Why don’t you call him?”
“I don’t have
his number!”
“Why didn’t you get it?”
“Don’t remind me how stupid I am. It’s just another idiotic thing I did in regards to that asshole. Just wait. If he dares to call…he’s going to pay one way or another.”
“It’ll be interesting to see if he ever does call you again. By now he’s probably sensed the amulet isn’t absorbing any more power from you. He’s got to know you’re on to him,” I said, waving my hand in front of the warm rush of air escaping through the hole in the ground.
Ebony smiled. “Nah, he’ll call. The sex’s too good for him to stay away.”
“So glad you’re staying focused.”
“Yeah, well, you haven’t exactly been doing that yourself lately. You keep changing and switching the conversation on me, and there are all these secrets you’ve been keeping.” She crossed her arms and tapped a foot. “You’re only going to tell me now because the cat’s out of the bag.”
“Okay.” I pushed up to standing, and faced her. “You’re right. There are a lot of things I’ve been leaving out, but I haven’t lied to you, just omitted a few details.”
“So, spill.”
“You wanted to know how I met Lavie, right?”
“Yeah, that’s a start,” she said with a nod.
“I met her at the same place I met Oren—”
“That’s the name, told you it was weird!”
“Yeah, weird name. Anyway, the other night I was sitting in the office and someone dropped off a note with a time and an address.” I paused, but she motioned for me to keep rolling. “I went to the address and met a handful of hunters.”
“Okay, hunters… What do you mean by hunters?” Ebony raised a dark eyebrow that didn’t match her dyed blonde hair.
“Hunters, as in people who hunt things like demons, werewolves, vampires. I did point out that we’re actually catchers, not hunters. They’re not in the open like us. They hunt these creatures in secret and some I don’t even think make a profit out of it.” It felt liberating to share this information with her.
Her face was blank, looked like she’d paled even more than usual. “What the hell? Are you telling me vampires and werewolves actually exist?”
“That’s what they told me.”
“But how can that be?”
“Some people don’t believe demons exist. Yet you and I know differently because of our ghostly experience.”
“Still, it sounds so farfetched.”
“I suppose ghosts sounded pretty much the same fifty years ago, yet look at where we’re at today.” I counted off on my fingers. “They’re part of our society, there’s a Council set up to deal with them, and people like you and me are born with the talent to seek them out. We were chosen to find or entrap them. I suppose the same goes for those other ghoulies.”
Ebony sighed and met my eyes. “Y’know, I really shouldn’t be surprised but I am.”
“I felt the same way.”
“So what did these people want with you?” She looked as if she was trying to get everything straight. “Is there some sort of gang they want you to join?”
I couldn’t help but snort. “There’s no gang, it wasn’t even them who contacted me. It was someone else. The man who told us there’s a problem with the fibers between patches. Apparently there’s a tear.”
“Hey, where have I heard that before?”
“From Lavie.”
“Ah, of course!”
“Anyway, he rounded up all the supernatural hunters to see if we can work together to find out what’s going on and stop whatever’s happening. I know something really bad is heading our way. It’s just a matter of time. That’s why it was so important for me to find out about your church and about the amulet. I don’t think these things are isolated. I’m really starting to think that everything is connected.” I stopped to think about what I was saying. Talking it out was really helping to put things into perspective. “All of this crazy stuff feels like smaller pieces to a bigger puzzle.”
“Everything?”
“Yeah, the amulet, tear in the fibers, this leak”—I pointed down at the ground—“the entity devouring spooks, even Roger Hocking’s obsession. Listen, I don’t particularly feel like chatting about this yet, but what did Roger say to the demon when he took over my body?” A chill raced down my spine at the thought.
Her eyes darkened. “You really don’t remember?”
“I blacked out. Besides, I’m trying to forget.” A sudden gust of wind swept past us, lifting my hair and then Ebony’s.
“What the hell was that?” she whispered, looking around.
The afternoon sun was beating down on us but the branches of the tall tree overhead provided a small area of shade. The temperature seemed to be dropping at an alarming rate.
“I’m not sure.” Goose bumps chased away the sweat.
The bag at my feet—holding the ghost-filled canisters—started to shake. It rattled against the tombstone, shaking so much they started to slip out when they impacted against the stone.
“What the hell’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” I raced to grab the bag, but before I could weave my fingertips around the handles something smacked into my chest, knocking the wind out of my lungs. My feet lifted off the grass and I flew into the air until my spine slammed against the trunk of the tree and the bark creaked against the impact. I slid painfully to the grass, sight failing me for a second.
Everything was tinted with white spots bubbling together before popping like balloons one at a time.
“Sierra!” Ebony was at my side, leaning over me, trying to help me up.
“The canisters,” I said, hoping for a yell but only managing a whisper.
As she turned to head for the duffel bag, a male materialized out of nowhere. His long, thin arms reached out and the bag shot into his hands.
Everything about the stranger was tall and lanky, and he looked wrong. As if he’d been stretched. Whiskers adorned his cheeks and chin, and he wore a T-shirt that hung from his bony shoulders, and jeans too baggy for his frame. A tattoo, with some sort of elaborate design, trailed under the T-shirt and ended at his forearm. A sneer curled his lips as his beady eyes peered down at us.
“Travis?” Ebony called.
“Hello, Ebony. Missed you, babe.”
“You bastard.” She took a step but only got as far as lifting her left leg. Travis raised a hand in front of him and Ebony slammed into an invisible wall, treading back several steps before catching her balance.
I tried to get off the ground, but my limbs groaned at my attempts to stand. At least there didn’t seem to be any broken bones, but the throbbing at the back of my head had returned. I lifted a hand to my cheek and the tips of my fingers were stained with blood.
He wasn’t going to get away with those canisters. I had no idea why he wanted them, but he wasn’t taking them. I wasn’t about to let some punk take something I’d worked so hard to entrap.
If those canisters were stripped from us, the Council would finally have something big to fine me with. And I definitely didn’t want to owe them any more than I already did.
“Why aren’t you wearing my gift?” Travis asked, the sneer still curling his top lip. He kept his hand raised to keep Ebony pinned to the spot.
She spat at him but it rebounded off the invisible wall and landed on her top. “Fuck you. I know what you were trying to do to me.”
“All I wanted was to give you a little bit of luck.”
“Save it, jerk, I know the truth. That wasn’t a good-luck charm. You were stealing energy from me. Why would you do that?”
The smile faltered for a few seconds. “It’s got nothing to do with you. Not really.”
I was finally on my feet, staying steady only because the tree kept me upright. I didn’t know what this guy really was, but he wasn’t going to get away with this. He might’ve stolen enough substance to keep Ebony trapped and unable to grab him, but there was no hold over me. The only thing h
e’d managed to do to me was temporarily shove me out of the way.
The air around us was so cold I was literally freezing. Drops of blood spilled onto my tank top at a rapid rate. Great, another top destined for the trash. I sucked in a painful breath and took off at a run, lunging towards the jerk.
His eyes widened and his hand fell away from the stop-motion he had on Ebony. I closed my eyes and wrapped a hand around the duffel bag while I grabbed a corner of his T-shirt with the other.
Travis was saying something but I couldn’t hear a word. The world fell away to a dark place with no sound. The freezing temperature washed away from my body like water spilling from my skin, until I felt warm again. I was back in control of my surroundings and Travis stood in front of me, my hand still tugging on the end of his shirt.
“What is this place?”
I opened my eyes to glance over my shoulder, surprised to find Ebony was with us. What was she doing here? Come to think of it, what were we all doing in there?
“Ebony, is that you?” I whispered. The bag with the two canisters weighed down on my hand and the other had gone numb because I was holding on so tight to Travis.
“Yeah, where are we?” Her voice echoed around us.
Travis hung his head. The clumps of his greasy hair were now gray. He slowly lifted his face to mine and my grip slid from his T-shirt. This wasn’t Travis. This was the skinny, tall man we’d seen in Jonathan’s bookstore. His eyes were completely black as he stared at me with a smirk.
“Travis?” Ebony asked behind me. “Where did Travis go?”
He shifted from the old guy to Travis and back again. “My name’s not Travis, baby. But he and I are one and the same.” The words sounded wrong being spoken with his accent.
Ebony gasped behind me. “Oh my Goddess…”
“What’s wrong, little Eb? Are you disappointed? You weren’t complaining when I made you howl at the moon all those times.” His long, thin tongue pushed past his lips and made obscene licking motions.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
His wrinkled face turned to her. “I don’t need to tell you my real name—there’s a lot of power to be had from someone’s real name. Just remember me for the wonderful, intimate times we shared. You really should’ve kept the amulet with you at all times. It was a special gift for a special girl.”