by Deanna Chase
He jumped back. “Jade, what are you doing?”
It’s not me you, idiot! Are you a damn ghost hunter or not? Jesus. Wasn’t my touch cold? Weren’t any of his devices registering anything?
Foreign longing and sadness filled me up and pressed on my heart. A tall, lanky blond man, somewhat resembling Ian, played in my mind. He held hands with the small girl I’d seen in Camille’s earlier vision, only this time, the girl was very much alive and staring adoringly up at the man. He wore a brown tweed suit, and the girl wore a simple cotton long-sleeved dress. Church. They’d just come from church. I was sure of it.
A tiny high-pitched whimper escaped my lips, and Camille pressed closer to Ian.
He froze, glancing past me. His edges started to blur. All I could make out was his monochromatic form as he tried to side-step me.
“Stop.” Camille’s high-pitched voice was gone, replaced by a lower register, but it still wasn’t my own. She brought both of my hands up, resting them on either side of Ian’s face. “I’ve waited so long. Don’t deny me now.”
No, no, no, I cried again.
She moved in, tentatively touching his lips with mine, and pressed my body against him, wrapping my arms around him in a lover’s embrace.
In an odd, detached universe, I felt my tongue dart into Ian’s mouth and my hands run through his soft hair. Camille’s pleasure shuddered through me, while I mentally recoiled. This was Ian, Pyper’s boyfriend, and some crazy ghost was using me to have her way with him. Why was he letting me kiss him? I made a mental note to kick his ass later.
Her kiss deepened, turning more heated, and she moaned. The sound seemed to trigger something in Ian, and his hands shot out, knocking my body backward.
“Hey,” Camille scolded gently.
Ian grabbed his backpack and pulled out some sort of smudge stick. “Stay back! I don’t know who you are, but you aren’t Jade.”
Finally. It took him long enough.
He rounded on me, forcing Camille deeper into the lab, and then he backed up, clutching the doorknob.
“No!” Camille cried, her now high voice full of panic. “Don’t! I just wanted a little time with you. Please.”
Ian’s eyes narrowed as he studied me. After a moment, he nodded and released the door handle. “All right. Let’s sit.” He nodded at the stool in front of Lailah’s work station.
“Oh, Branson. Thank you.”
“Who’s Branson?” Ian asked.
She didn’t respond. As she walked, I felt as if I were floating in a bubble. Mentally, I pushed against Camille’s spirit, straining to regain even a tiny bit of control. Nothing. My effort met a brick wall and bounced back at me, causing vertigo and more shades of black and white.
My head started to pound, and I realized all the fighting I was doing was with myself. She had me fully contained while she maintained complete control over my body.
I wanted to scream. Cry. Pound my fists on someone. But I couldn’t do anything other than witness the scene with Ian and the crazy ghost who thought he was someone named Branson.
Ian slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a tiny recorder. Pressing a button, he placed it on the counter. “Who are you?”
“You don’t know me?” she asked, pouting. “But we spent so much time together at Summer House.”
“Camille.” Ian nodded.
A tingle of happiness rippled through me. It made me nauseated. Camille, he’s not Branson. He’s Ian. A friend of mine. Get out of my body!
The ghost paid me no attention and straightened, holding her head high. “Branson,” she cooed.
“How long has it been?” Ian asked. “Since we’ve seen each other, I mean?”
Camille moved us closer to Ian.
He put out his hand. “Let’s just talk for now. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Darkness clouded my already altered vision, and I felt her tense. “You’ve been gone too long.”
Ian nodded. “I thought so. Do you know when I left?”
What in the world was he doing? Shouldn’t he be trying to expel her from my body, instead of having a freaking conversation?
“I…” She glanced at the carpeted floor, confusion mixed with anger swirling in my body. Heat burned through to my skin, and my head snapped up. “You left us. She died. You were gone, and she died!” Camille leaped toward Ian, nails brandished like a feral banshee. “It’s your fault, you no-good bastard. Lizzie’s gone, and it’s your fault.”
Ian was on his feet faster than Camille could maneuver my body. Jumping to the left, he grabbed his smudge stick and lit it with one of the candles nestled in a sconce on the wall. “That’s enough! Spirit of the other world, you do not belong here. Release Jade and return to your place of rest.”
Camille slowed and came to a stop in front of Ian. She breathed in the sage, not even affected one little bit.
Shit! Now what?
A high-pitched giggle flowed from my lips. “You don’t understand.”
Holding the smudge stick high, Ian waved it again. “By the power of the moon Goddess, I command you to release your host. You are no longer welcome here.”
Hot anger slithered from the depths of the ghost and crawled over my skin, making me recoil deeper into my mental cocoon. With a surge of venom, Camille whirled, grabbed a liquid-filled jar from Lailah’s station and hurled it across the room. “Never! Her body is mine.”
Ian flung himself to the floor as the jar whizzed inches from his skull and shattered against a metal cabinet.
Then, all hell broke loose. Liquid dripped from the cabinet and pooled in a small puddle. A vapor rose from the potion, forming dark shadows. They twisted and writhed as they split off from one another into six distinct forms, each one becoming more solid with each passing moment.
“Fuck!” Ian cried, scrambling to his feet. He’d just reached my uncooperative body when the door slammed open.
In poured Mom, Philip, and Lailah.
Mom. Please don’t let anything happen to her. She’d been home from Purgatory for over three months, but due to the time I’d been held captive in the angel realm, we still hadn’t had much of a chance to reconnect. And here she was, battling Goddess knows what.
Philip stopped beside me, while Mom and Lailah rushed to contain whatever Camille had unleashed. Phillip placed one measured hand on my shoulder, and Camille whirled. “Branson?”
Oh, Jesus Christ on toast. Did she think every male was this Branson character?
“Yes, sweetheart,” he said soothingly. “I’m here.”
If I’d had any say in my body’s functionality, I would have gaped. A smile tugged at my lips, and Camille glided me into his arms.
Philip pulled me close, running a light hand through my hair. “It’s all right now, darling. I’m here. Whatever it is, I’ll fix it.”
Camille’s tears filled my eyes, and I sniffled. Across the room, voices chanted, and I sensed a strong magic current humming somewhere nearby.
“You’ll find her now?” Camille asked Philip.
“Yes, darling.” His voice was low, whispering in her ear as a lover would. “Shh, don’t be upset. She’ll be home soon, I promise.”
“Home.” She sighed. “Can we go there now? I want to get the house ready for when you find her.”
“Sure. In a moment.” He pulled back from the embrace, staring over my shoulder.
Magic materialized, seemingly from thin air, and filled me like an electric shock. It rushed into my mind. Frantically, I grappled for it, but it slipped away as fast as it had rushed in. Only a trickle of the magic thread remained. I focused on it, somehow keeping the spark connected to my mind. The tiny bit of power seemed to give me a modicum of strength. I held on tightly, praying I had an opportunity to use it.
“Branson,” Camille whined. “I’m tired. Take me—”
“Pello Pepulli Pulsum!” Philip’s voice rose above the commotion, filling my ears.
Heavy magic pressed in on me from a
ll sides, stabbing and testing, forcing its way under my skin. Searing heat rippled through my blood, frying me from the inside out. My silent screams echoed in the recesses of my mind. I had a sudden vision of a mental patient bound and drugged. That was what I’d become: a prisoner in my own mind.
Camille carried us backward, screaming everything I wanted to but couldn’t. “No! What have you done? It hurts. Make it stop. Branson, make it go away.”
Frantically, she ran about the room and headed straight into the cluster of black shadows Mom and Lailah were containing.
I was doomed. But the tendril of magic still played in my mind. Maybe if I got the chance, I could zap one of them. I squinted through the hazy fog, catching sight of Mom. She stood tall and strong, watching me. So did Lailah. Why weren’t they doing anything?
Then Philip and Ian joined them, forming a circle around me, Camille, and the shadows. Together, they raised their arms and shouted, “Pello Pepulli Pulsum!”
The dark shadows clung to me, their invading fingers reaching deep, passing through me, searching while Camille writhed. “Nooo,” she whimpered and fell to my knees. The dark shadows froze, and then, as one, the six of them slithered inside of me with white-hot stabs of heat. My muscles constricted, screaming in protest at the agony scorching my body.
I mentally curled into a ball, wishing I could rock the pain away. The magic sparked in my mind, and when a soul-wrenching spasm hit me, I released it, hoping to find a small dose of relief. But as soon as the magic sparked, the shadows vanished, and my body convulsed as it tried to rip itself apart right there on the floor of the lab. The world snapped back to color, so bright my eyes watered. Or was that from pain? I couldn’t tell. All I knew was that Camille was gone and there was a fire in my sternum, right where I could usually find my soul.
Kane’s face floated over mine right before the world flashed white, and suddenly, everything was blissfully numb.
***
“Jade?” The faint sound of my mom’s voice entered my awareness. “Honey, wake up.”
Pain stabbed in time with my heartbeat just below my breastbone. I winced but didn’t open my eyes. Something told me even fluttering my eyelids would hurt.
“Jade?” Mom said again.
I tried to moan an acknowledgement but couldn’t seem to manage even that. Hushed voices mumbled in the background.
“I thought you said your plan was harmless?” Mom snapped. “Look at her. She’s black and blue.”
“I can help with that.” The southern drawl of my mentor rang in my ears.
“Bea,” I croaked out through barely movable lips.
“Jade!” Mom exclaimed.
I cracked my eyelids enough to make out Mom hovering over me.
She smiled and pressed a gentle hand to my head. I winced. “Sorry,” she said and scowled at someone on my other side. I didn’t bother to find out who.
“Bea,” I said again.
“Yes, dear. I’m here.” She took Mom’s place and gazed down at me, her eyes bright with concern.
“Herbal enhancements?”
A smile cracked her worried expression. “You’re not going to fight me this time?”
“Not today.” I’d had a bad habit of refusing Bea’s enhanced healing herbs right up until I’d come back from the angel realm with half a soul. She hadn’t given me much choice after that, and I’d kind of gotten used to them. Now she couldn’t help teasing me after all the months I spent shunning them.
“I have one right here.” She turned, holding out her hand. Someone handed her a cup of water and a little green pill. “Here.”
“Just the pill,” I said and opened my mouth. Pulling myself up to deal with a cup wasn’t an option.
Bea scanned my body and frowned.
“It’s bad. The pill?” I prompted.
Bea nodded and placed the enhancement on my tongue. The miracle drug started to work instantly, dulling the agony to almost tolerable levels.
“Hey, where have you been?” I asked her. “We were afraid the ghosts got you.”
She raised a skeptical eyebrow. “What ghosts?”
“The ones at your house.”
She frowned. “There aren’t any ghosts at my house.”
“We saw some today,” I said, “me and Lailah. Outside your house. We were afraid you were in danger.”
“No, dear. I was out visiting a friend. I’m perfectly safe.” Her tone was light, but worry lines crinkled around her eyes. She placed a sure hand on my arm. “Are you okay?”
I nodded out of some weird sense of appeasement. I clearly wasn’t all right.
“Jade?” Kane said, gently caressing my hand.
I turned my head and met his soothing chocolate brown eyes. “Take me home?” I asked quietly. My mind was too tired to process anything else. I pushed the rest of my questions aside and reached for Kane. “I don’t want to be here any longer.”
“You’ve got it, love.” Without hesitation he picked me up, gently cradling me in his strong arms. I pressed my face into his chest and breathed. The faint trace of fresh rain filled my senses, and just the scent of him helped clear the angry darkness still clinging to my heart.
Kane had me out of the lab and halfway through the store when Philip stepped in front of him. “You can’t leave.”
“Watch me,” Kane said in a low dangerous tone.
“It’s not safe.”
“Pearson, I’m only going to say this once.” A muscle in Kane’s neck pulsed. “Get the fuck away from my fiancée before you find out what it’s like to have your soul removed with my fist.”
Oh, Jesus. Kane wasn’t joking. It was Philip’s fault I’d lost half my soul. And he’d testified against me at the angel hearing last month. He’d wanted to give my soul to Meri, his former mate. Yeah. Kane wasn’t going to let that go.
Philip held his ground. “I know how you feel, man. I really do. If I were you, I’d have already done the same or worse. But Jade is very vulnerable. If you take her home now and she comes into contact with a ghost, any ghost, I fear she’ll be possessed again. She isn’t strong enough to ward one off.”
Mom took a place beside Kane. “I’ll be with her. I can ward off a spirit.”
Philip eyed her. “For how long? And what if there’s more than one? She already said she saw some at Bea’s house. It sounds as if they are following her around. You can’t keep a twenty-four-hour vigil. And worse, if Camille shows up again…you saw what happened in there. It took three of us to break her hold.”
Mom crossed her arms over her chest and set her jaw stubbornly. “I’ll get Bea and Lucien to help me set up wards. Lucien is Jade’s second in command of the coven. Surely he and Bea can handle it.”
“And if one is already haunting Kane’s house? What then?”
Lailah, who seemed subdued and her normal self again, put a tentative hand on Kane’s arm. “I know you don’t want to hear from Philip right now, but he’s right. Jade isn’t safe.”
Kane clutched me tighter. He stared at the shop door, his body vibrating with restrained action, and for a second, I thought he was going to ignore them both. But then he met Lailah’s eyes. “What do you suggest we do then?”
Philip and Lailah shared a glance. Lailah nodded and turned to me. “We need Meri.”
“No,” I said automatically. Even though Meri had asked the council to restore my soul to me, the fact remained that she was at the center of almost everything, starting with when my mom was abducted and taken to Hell. I understood she’d fallen and the person she was today wasn’t responsible for everything that had happened. Still, I found it hard to be around her without all the pain of years past overtaking me.
“But, Jade—” Lailah started.
I pulled back from Kane’s chest and twisted to meet her worried gaze. “I said no. She took my mother, Kane, you, Dan, Bea, and half my soul. Whatever she has to offer, I don’t want any of it.”
“You don’t have a choice,” Philip said evenly.
Kane’s whole body tensed, and his left hand squeezed my arm so hard I winced. “Sorry,” he whispered and relaxed his grip, though his murderous gaze stayed trained on Philip. “Don’t ever tell her what to do.”
Lailah took a deep breath. “He’s not.” Then she turned to Philip. “Go in the other room. Your presence isn’t helping.”
Philip hesitated, but after a pointed look from Lailah, he nodded and retreated to the lab where Ian was still taking measurements.
“Look,” she said to us. “The problem is Jade’s soul.”
“It’s fine,” I said stubbornly.
“It’s not fine. It should be, but it isn’t. The reason Camille is able to possess you is because she’s able to invade your soul. Philip thinks, and I agree, that if you and Meri are together, your soul will be stronger, and you’ll be able to fight any spirits off yourself.”
“There’s got to be a better solution,” Kane said. “What are they going to do, spend every waking hour together?”
Lailah’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know, but it’s the best answer I’ve got right now. At least until we can come up with something more concrete.”
Mom moved from the shadows and caressed my hair. “I think you need to do this, honey. The three of us got rid of Camille for now, but she’s very strong. We won’t last in another fight.”
The worry in her eyes made me close my own and press into Kane once more. He was heated, barely holding back his frustration. I glanced up at him, a silent question on my lips.
He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “We can try. At least I’ll be able to get you home and to bed.”
Bed. That was all I really wanted right then. I nodded. “All right.”
“Good,” Lailah breathed. She hit a button on her phone, and not thirty seconds later, the front door opened, and in walked Dan—my ex—and right behind him was Meri, her board-straight mahogany hair hanging in a sheet down the length of her back.
“They were outside this whole time?” I shot at Lailah.
“Put her down, Kane,” Meri said in a soft, commanding tone.
He stared at her with one raised eyebrow.
“Trust me,” she said, and I had to hold back a snort. “In order to get her home safely, the two of us need to join our energies. I can’t do that with yours in the mix.”