Pressing my ear to the door, I checked for sounds of anyone coming our way. “I feel like I’m going to regret asking this, especially since Bacon is scurrying further away as we speak, but… who?”
“Dr. Shroder.” With a shake of her head, Nikki swatted at the air between us. “We hooked up at the hospital Christmas party last year, then he totally ghosted me. I may have keyed ‘Player’ into the side of his brand-new Beamer. And by may, I mean I totally did. One bad choice inspired by vodka, and I earned my first restraining order.”
Teeth grinding to the point of pain, it took me a beat before I could answer without throttling her. “Starting to hate ya, Nikki. Starting to hate ya bad.”
Joining me at the door to listen, she hooked her arm with mine. “That’s okay, because I’m in this for the long game. We’re going to be best friends. I’m sure of it. And, I’m going to prove it by helping you find your smelly little pig, the instant the coast is clear.”
I probably would have muttered the spell to revert the reanimation process right then, had she not been tugging on my throbbing elbow.
“What’s the little oinker’s name?”
“Bacon,” I managed, choking on the ache.
Her face crumbled with disgust. “Bacon? Wow, I guess some people are more creatively inclined than others.”
Shoving her off me, I cradled my aching arm to my chest. “His name is adorable, and I don’t have to hide in here. I’m going to go find my pig. You can follow me, or become the nurse haunting floor three. That’s entirely up to you.”
Head held high, I staggered out into the hall, dragging one leg behind me.
“Hey… pink-haired girl, wait!”
The fact that she couldn’t even remember my name did nothing to slow my shuffling stride. My purpose rejuvenated, I stalked across the hall and pushed open the door leading into the stairwell. It swung shut behind me with a hiss, clamping off any further pleas from Nikki. Leaning over the rail, I listened. Sure enough, the clicks of tiny hooves wafted up from below.
Holding tightly to the handrail, I eased myself down the first stair, fully prepared to hobble my way after Bacon.
“I made it!” Hurricane Nikki blew in behind me. She slammed into the door at a full sprint, and collided with me with the force of a linebacker. Unable to catch myself, I launched forward. Ass over elbows, I hit every stair on the way down. I landed in a heap on the landing with muscles I didn’t know I had aching.
Raising one hand, I tenderly touched my eye that was already swelling shut. “Yep. I hate you, Nikki.”
Chapter Six
“Bacon!”
Hair darted off my head in a messy disarray.
No longer able to bend my swollen right knee, I dragged myself forward in an awkward hobble.
My bruised jawline made each shout for my wayward pig hurt more than the last.
Banged-up elbow tightly clutched to my midsection, I craned my neck to find Bacon’s curly little tail trotting down the sidewalk. Passersby responded with gasps of awe at the cute little pork belly just trotting along. I, however, was over his piggy antics.
“Bacon!” I shouted yet again. So focused was I on keeping him in sight, that I tripped over a curb and stumbled forward to reclaim my footing. To my great relief, Bacon hesitated by the boot of a stranger, sniffing up at her.
Grimacing in pain, I scooped him up, then rose to find myself face to face with a badass looking chick that looked like she had just stepped out of a graphic novel. Hair flowed around her face in loose waves, falling over the shoulders of her supple black leather jacket. Blue jeans sitting low on her hips, her left hand twitched toward the crossed blades slung across her back. Without a doubt, there was a story behind this gal. One I may have been interested to learn, if I hadn’t just had my ass handed to me twice by a five-foot three nurse who didn’t look tough enough to tear an envelope.
Righting my posture as best I could, I jerked my chin in the direction of her weapons. “Nice swords.”
Bacon picked that moment to have a full-on freak out. Pawing at the air, he threw his head side to side, clocking me in the lip with his noggin. Instantly, I tasted the metallic tang of blood.
Brow furrowing, the stranger’s stare drifted to my split lip. “Nice… pig.”
“He’s not a nice pig. He’s a bad pig. Bad pig!”
Apparently, he was not willing to tolerate swine beratement. Flailing his little body for all he was worth, Bacon wriggled out of my hold. Hitting the ground with surprising agility for pork, he bolted down the street with his pointy little ears flapping against the back of his head.
Fearing for his safety next to all the cars zipping past, I dragged my crumbled form after him as fast as I could. “Come on, man. Could you at least slow up a little?” Ignoring my pleas, he darted around a corner into a neighboring alley. “This is why my kind slathers your kind in barbeque sauce!”
In lieu of a response, he sprinted from sight.
“You’re going to spend the rest of your days in your carrier! Not you, sir,” I clarified to the bald man in glasses who winced at my threat. Offering him a crooked smile—the only kind I could manage, thanks to my puffy and discolored face—I tailed Bacon into the alley. “There is absolutely no way this day could get any—fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.”
An ebony goddess loomed before me. Hands on her hips, her close to seven foot frame was draped in a sapphire shift dress that shimmered with the elegance of a starry night. Her hair was a wild mane of raw, natural beauty.
Tucked under her arm was a docile and contentedly snorting Bacon. Full lips set in a disapproving frown, she hitched one brow my way. “Octavia Hollows, I assume you can explain this resurrected pig?”
“Sister Dina.” Dragging my fingers through my knotted hair, I shoved on a mask of joyful surprise that was a painfully tight fit. “Did you rush straight here after my phone call? That really wasn’t necessary.”
“I assure you it was. You were fool-minded enough to face a wraith without proper weaponry. If for no other reason, I came to make sure you actually lived through it.” Her cursory stare traveled the length of me. “Which, seeing you now, I’m still not certain of.”
“So, you poofed yourself here just for little ole me? A sweet gesture, but as you can see, I’m fine.” Fighting not to cringe, I threw my arms out wide. “A little worse for wear, but fine.”
“Oh, yes.” Sister Dina bobbed her head and offered my traitorous pig a scratch under the chin. “It does seem you have everything all together. That’s why when I cast a spell to lure resurrected beings to me, your potbellied friend scurried my way. Care to tell me about him?”
That’s what was behind his sudden disloyalty! Magical intervention! Nice to know I didn’t need to question the loyalty of the only man in my life.
Shrugging my shoulders, I shoved my hands into the pocket of my hoodie. “Not much to tell. Worked in a butcher shop. Fell on a roasting pig. Got myself a pet.”
As she bent down to set Bacon on the ground, she peered up at me with palpable disapproval. “Really, Octavia, I thought the coven taught you better control than that.”
“Is that why you kicked me out? Because you thought I was a sixteen-year-old child who just really had her shit together?” Each word dripped with a slathering of bitter sarcasm.
Rolling her shoulders, Sister Dina rose to her full, regal height and folded her hands in front of her. “Goddess knows we never asked you to leave. You ran. As has always been your habit when things get somewhat challenging.”
The heat of long repressed aggression seeped up my neck to my earlobes. “I brought Sister Amity’s familiar back to life. Do you remember that, or the thanks I got? The coven accused me of using black magic! So, hell yes, I ran before you all could burn me at the stake.”
An almost smile tugged at the corners of Dina’s bow-shaped lips. “First, our history being what it is, as a rule we don’t burn our own kind. Secondly, Amity killed her own familiar after it turned out to b
e a crazed-shapeshifter trying to steal her identity. When you brought it back to life, questions were raised over whether the two of you were working together. An argument I knew to be ludicrous, but which became significantly harder to prove when you decided to flee in the middle of the night.”
“Aw,” I tsked, sucking air through my teeth. “If we had cleared up that little misunderstanding back then, I would have missed out on the experience of sleeping behind a dumpster next to a guy named Timmy who was married to a sock puppet. That was quite an educational night.”
Released from Sister Dina’s influence, Bacon trotted back to my side and plopped down with his rump on my boot.
Throwing my arms out wide—despite the bite of pain from my elbow—I allowed Dina a full view of the shit show that was my life. “As you can see, I made it out mostly unscathed. And—more importantly—I have my powers completely under control now. No army of undead being formed. No further rumors of a zombie apocalypse. So, thanks for dropping in. Bye, now.”
Footsteps clomped up behind me, followed by a gasp of exhaustion from a winded Nikki.
“Whoa! I’ve got to do more cardio!” she panted, hands on her knees to steady herself. “Necromancer girl? What the heck are you doing here? I lost sight of you after you took off from the hospital. Then, I felt this, like, magnetic pull tugging me in this direction. Hey, do you think that’s because of the magic you used to bring me back from the dead? Like, we’re somehow bonded now?” Only then did she notice we weren’t alone in the alley, and jerked her chin in Sister Dina’s direction. “Who’s this?”
Grinding my teeth hard enough to make my swollen jaw throb, I gaped in the rambling nurse’s direction.
“I’m so glad you came into my life,” I deadpanned. “In the future, maybe scan the space to make sure we’re alone before you throw around terms like necromancer and bringing folks back from the dead.”
Managing a tight smile, I turned my attention back to Sister Dina. “Still, one pig and a nurse hardly constitutes an army. There is nothing whatsoever to be concerned about here.”
Closing the space between us, Dina crossed her arms over her chest and peered down her nose at me. “When are you going to learn to get out of your own way, Octavia?”
It wasn’t her stature, but the power that exuded from her every pore that reverted me back to an inadequate child in her presence. “That’s my own Kobayashi Maru—the unsolvable riddle. Might as well write me off as a lost cause and be on your way.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? To add me to what must be a lengthy list of people you feel failed you.” Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she hitched one brow, challenging me to argue. “But that’s not going to happen. Not until we get this whole messy wraith business squared away. Do you have a hotel room reserved? It seems our little team needs to regroup and prepare for the worst.”
Chapter Seven
“I wouldn’t have picked this particular hotel.” Lying flat on my back on the king-sized bed, words tumbled from my lips in the hopes it would distract from the pain of Sister Dina trying to magically knit my bruised and battered form back together. “There was one up the road, I think it was called The Stroll Inn. I would have tried there, first. They looked like a pay-by-the-hour kind of place.”
“And that’s what appeals to you?” Head bowed, Dina’s hands moved in small circles over me. A warm, crackling glow emanated from her fingertips. “An increased likelihood of bed bugs and sharing walls with prostitutes?”
“It’s more of a budgetary necessity. I enjoy having money left for novelties like food, which in turn makes me more tolerant of the living conditions.” Something in my elbow popped, awakening a sudden prickly pain that coursed up and down my arm. “Son of a bitch! What was that?”
Pausing to shake out her hands, Dina stretched her neck in one direction and then the other. “Your elbow was dislocated. It’s not now. You’re welcome.”
Seated on the other bed, Nikki leaned forward with her forearms on her knees. “Dude, you could make so much money in the medical community. We’re talking fat, buy your own island, stacks.”
“That would be personal gain.” Pushing off the mattress beside me, Dina rose to her feet, the tucked-up fabric of her skirt falling in a cascade to the floor. “Magic done under those conditions always comes at a terrible price.”
“I think I could handle a few consequences if I was living like Mariah Carey, going to the grocery store decked out in diamonds and gowns,” Nikki grumbled under her breath.
Depleted strength sagging her shoulders, Dina poured herself a glass of the cucumber water she ordered from room service. She tipped it to her lips and treated herself to a sip, whilst purposely ignoring Nikki’s comment. “Tell me about the wraith you’re hunting.”
“Hunting? That’s a pretty strong word. Not only have I never fired a gun, but I struggle to stab a straw through a Capri-sun.” Sitting up, I bent and straightened my elbow, thrilled to find the pain gone. “I was just trying to help a kid out. This whole mess started with a baby born super sick.”
“Sick doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Nikki scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “All of his insides were on the outside. Consequences or not, that kid needed magical intervention.”
Digging into my back pocket, I pulled out two crumpled dollar bills and tossed them to Nikki. “Bacon needs something to eat. Can you run to the vending machine and see if they have popcorn? It’s his favorite.”
Nikki caught one, but missed the other.
“Heck yeah, I will. If there’s money left over, I’m getting something chocolatey and filled with caramel,” she admitted as she bent down to scoop up the fallen dollar. “Because if coming back from the dead doesn’t earn a cheat day, I don’t know what does.”
“Go nuts.” Criss-crossing my legs under me, I waved her toward the door with a grand roll of my wrist.
Draining the rest of the water from her glass, Dina let the door click shut behind Nikki before breaking the hush that fell in her wake. “You’ve changed, Octavia. The patience and kindness you’re showing that nurse is new. The teenage girl you once were kept people at a distance and assumed the very worst about everyone. I can’t help but wonder if that change has something to do with the new tattoo on your wrist. A nautical compass seems to be the sign of a soul looking for direction. If I had to guess, I would say that you’re driven either by great love, or steadfast courage at this point in your journey.”
I could feel the heat of her stare sliding over my features, hunting for any telltale sign of what was going on in my head or heart. That was information I wasn’t ready to share quite yet, with her or anyone. Meeting Dina’s gaze head on, I kept my expression at a calm neutral and diverted her back to the matter at hand. “Kids are being hurt by this wraith. If you have any information on how we can stop it, that would be insanely helpful. Otherwise, I think share time is about over.”
A humorless huff of laughter escaping her, Dina leaned against the bureau and crossed her legs at the ankle. “There’s the girl I knew. That’s okay. You can keep your secrets. Just know that I’m here for you, whether you choose to believe it or not.”
Clearing my throat, I rubbed my palms against my jeans to wipe away the traces of nervous sweat. “I appreciate that. I do. But, honestly, my biggest concern right now is to help the Dews family.”
“Fair enough.” Jerking her head in a curt nod, Sister Dina set her glass aside and folded her arms across her midsection. “Tell me the details as you know them.”
“Like Nikki said, their son was born incredibly sick. No one believed he was going to make it, least of all his devastated parents.”
“And, the nurse was the wraith’s first kill?” Dina’s index finger tapped against her chin.
“She was,” I confirmed, chewing on the inside of my cheek. “After that, things got… weird. The baby got better, but started aging rapidly, while his brother regressed. Big bro was on the varsity football team.
Now, he looks like that cigar smoking baby in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
“Loved that movie.” Pushing off the bureau, Dina sauntered to the bed opposite me and took a seat, curling her legs to the side. “Well, first and foremost, you have to understand that these things don’t manifest themselves on their own. Someone summoned it.”
Swallowing hard, I fought against my brewing frustration. “These are kids. Why would anyone do that? They have to know what this family has been through.”
Leaning forward, Dina rested her hand on my knee. “Sweet girl, I love that you’ve evolved far enough to see past underlying ugliness. It’s a true sign of how much you’ve changed. That said, the key element you’re missing in this equation is what a wraith can do. It’s a soul sucker, true enough. But, it can also be linked to a chosen person. It can grant life and health… by siphoning it out of others.”
“Someone thought they were h-helping that baby?” I stammered in flabbergasted shock.
With a comforting pat to my leg, Dina straightened her spine. “As is often the case when people mess with magics they don’t fully understand. Then again, I don’t have to tell you about that. Do I, child?”
Her dig at my past set my teeth on edge. Taking a mental ten count, I hunted for the inner peace required to manage polite conversation.
Here, I am safe. I am powerful, rooted, and strong. Nothing is hurting me, and I’ve caused pain to no one.
I was a kid coming into powers I didn’t understand. Having been bounced from foster home to foster home, there was no one to explain to me the changes I was going through. For the most part, it scared the hell out of people when they saw what I could do. Bringing the family cat back to life. Reviving grandma at her wake. Once people have said their goodbyes and let go, they find a sudden resurrection… jarring. And that’s putting it mildly. They called me a devil, witch, demon, monster, and any other word you can think of that means the worst kind of evil imaginable. That led to me getting bounced around even more. By some mercy of fate, I was taken in by Dina’s coven. They didn’t understand my abilities, but were at least willing to offer me kindness and support. For a brief moment in time, I had a home.
Wake the Dead (The Journals of Octavia Hollows #1) Page 4