Paranormal After Dark: 20 Paranormal Tales of Demons, Shifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Fae, Witches, Magics, Ghosts and More

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “Closed? Because of me? But you can’t. Everyone will be upset and in this economy you can’t afford to lose their business. Besides, where will all of them go? For most of them, this place is their nightly ritual.”

  “Don’t worry about our financial situation and they’ll live. There is too much to explain and way too much to do. We have no idea how much time we have, so let’s get to it. Help me light these candles, okay?”

  In a few moments, the entire room glowed with gorgeous amber lighting, casting dancing shadows all around us. It was soothing and I found myself relaxing in the small but comfortable space.

  Kelly knocked and poked her nose in. “Hey Kell, c’mon in.”

  She shut the door behind her and handed Keith a very old book. I was immediately drawn to its soft looking, brown, leather exterior. As I watched Keith set it down on his desk, my first instinct was to pounce on it and grab it. It called to me as if it were my very own.

  “In time, Selena.” Keith’s voice snapped me out of my dreamlike state.

  “What just happened?”

  “In a few minutes I will tell you. Okay?” He patted my hand, but showed no emotion. His face was grim and serious.

  “Selena?” Kelly spoke up and drew my immediate attention to her. “Keith and I will help you however we can. Just trust us, okay?” She sat beside me and held my hands in hers. Tears pooled in her eyes as she attempted a smile. Though there was kindness and caring written all over her face, I knew I was in for more of the so-called truth.

  Shit. It was not going to be good.

  Chapter 13

  “Y’ALL ARE SCARING me. What’s going on?”

  “Well, you already know what we are and now it’s time for you to know what you really are.”

  “What I really am? I’m a witch and I already know that.”

  “I think what Keith meant to say was that it’s time for you to know what else you are.” Kelly soothed.

  “What else I am? Are you insane? I’d think I would know if I were something else.”

  I glanced at them, first one and then the other hoping they’d admit they were joking. Nope. Serious as heart-attacks, yes they were.

  “When your mother died, Elena’s spirit paid us a visit. She had so many things to tell you, but she never had the chance. And when you quit practicing magic, she believed there would be no getting through to you. You closed the door that would’ve allowed her in.” Kelly’s voice was soothing, though her words tore at my heart. I longed to see my mother again, to hear her again and I’d have given anything to have just a few moments with her.

  “What did she say?” My lips trembled as I spoke and Kelly tilted her head a bit and took a deep breath.

  “Well, you already know how she felt about your relationship with Shawn. He was always around and she knew you wouldn’t listen to any talk of the craft. Your mom knew all of these recent events would happen. Roberta, Shawn, all of it was a constant worry for your mother. However, Elena had hoped you would be away from Shawn sooner. She had no way of stopping any of this after she died and honestly, she couldn’t have done so when she was alive. All she could do was give us some of the information and hope you’d find your way through it all with minimal damage. The events were already set in motion.”

  “You practically became a hermit, Selena and we thought it was too late” Kelly whispered.

  “Too late for what?”

  “Selena, your mom knew Shawn was a demon. She even told you what she knew. Don’t you remember?”

  “Yes, but I figured she was just upset that I was growing up. I never dreamed she meant a real demon. You know how mothers can be. I thought she was acting like an overprotective mom, watching out for her only daughter. I was annoyed. Now, I wish I’d been more mature and listened.”

  “I’m sure being upset was part of her reaction about Shawn” Keith mumbled. “But you have to know, the things she said came from her heart and the knowledge she gained over the years from her own experiences.”

  “She also knew Roberta. She’s the reason, well most of the reason that all of this has been happening.”

  “Duh. She’s a home-wrecking whore. But like I’ve said, I’m over Shawn and their relationship is none of my business. I’ll be happy when I can get this damn ring off and go on with my life. I just want them to leave me alone.”

  “I’m afraid that can’t and won’t happen until you kill her.” Kelly said.

  “Gladly.”

  “We’re serious” Keith interjected. “And you may not feel the same after you hear the rest of what we are about to tell you.”

  If the looks on their faces were anything to go by, it still never would have been enough to gauge the impact of what they were about to say. Bracing myself for the worst, I had no idea their words would change my world forever.

  “Selena, Roberta is your half-sister.”

  “What? You’re bat-shit crazy, Keith!” I shot out of my seat and laughed until my sides felt like they were exploding. Tears poured down my cheeks and I couldn’t look at the two of them without bursting into another fit of hysteria. They sat their motionless, not speaking and after a few moments I realized my antics weren’t getting one giggle out them.

  “Okay, jokes over. You’ve had your fun. I admit you really had me for a second there. You both look serious enough to be telling the truth but I see this is ‘poke fun at Selena day’.”

  “Selena!” Sterling piped up from his position in the peanut-gallery.

  “It’s true” Kelly said. “Your father, your real father, was sent away when you were just a baby. Once your mom realized what a monster he was, she called the council on him. His name is Samell and he’s a demon.”

  Kelly avoided looking at me for as long as she could. Keith reached for my hand and I slapped it away.

  “What? Don’t touch me! You’re both disgusting nutjobs! You’re lying. Why are you saying these horrible things to me? I thought you were going to help me? Help me what? Get a first class room in the loony bin? Don’t worry, I will tell them to keep the doors unlocked and beds ready for the both of you. You need serious help!”

  “Selena.”

  “No! Shut up! I’ve had enough of this truth bullshit! I swear everyone has gone insane and I will not stay here and listen to another word!” They didn’t say a word. They let me run a full on rant until I couldn’t think of another thing to yell or scream at them. Keith and Kelly sat there and took every horrible thing I said to them without batting an eye. When I ran out of steam, Kelly patted the chair beside her.

  They were serious. The looks on their faces told me they weren’t lying. Was that because they believed what they’d said or because what they had said was true?

  “What about my dad, the dad I have known as my father for my entire life? That was a lie? How can I be a demon, half-demon, quarter-demon, what the-f-ever? How can any of this be possible? I don’t understand!”

  “When your mom first met Samell, he tricked her the same way that Shawn tricked you. She fell in love with him just like you fell in love with Shawn. One night, not long after you were born, your mom overheard him whispering to you in another language. After using this book,” Keith touched the magnificent leather-bound tome, “she found he had been speaking to you in demon-speak. He called you ‘his future, his wicked princess’. A few days later, she turned him in to the elders but it didn’t break the spell on you even though he’d been sent away.”

  “Spell? What kind of spell?”

  Kelly sighed “He wove a spell around you that would show itself when you turned twenty-five. All it needed was a catalyst, a traumatic event to make it come alive. He believed that you would come into your demon powers and turn your back completely on the craft. If the events could force you to step over that line of good and evil, he believed you would come to Hell and save him from his prison. Last night, you came very close to crossing that line. In the process, it awakened all of your demonic abilities. Combined with your craft
abilities, you have the power to free not only Samell, but as many demons as you please.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “I’m not saying you will. This is what Samell believes. Once you return to Hell, he will have won.”

  “Return? How can I return when I have never been there?”

  You were created in Hell, Selena. He captured the lost spirits of others in his legion of Trillmor and created you, a new spirit. Once he spilled his seed into your mother, you became you.”

  “So, I’m evil? I’m really a demon? Is that why Shawn wanted me, because I’m a nasty, beast from Hell waiting to wreak havoc on earth? I’m some kind of jacked-up demonic hybrid?”

  “No. You’re not evil, per se. But you could be if you don’t learn to control your powers. All of them. The choice will always be yours and yours alone.”

  What could I say? In a few moments, I’d found out that my entire life had been a lie? The last twenty-four hours were a complete nightmare. A real, living horror movie and I was the psychotic starlet.

  “What about Roberta?”

  “Your father created her after the council of elders and Elena banished him to Hell again. He’d thought Roberta might be strong enough to release him, but that hasn’t worked so far. Let’s just say Roberta is a lab rat gone wrong. He can’t control her.” Kelly said.

  “Great. So they sent Shawn to trick me into a relationship that was a lie, pulled my strings like I was their personal puppet? They hoped I’d go all ‘wicked’ when I realized Shawn had cheated on me, correct? They thought that would be enough to push me over the edge?”

  “Sort of. When you found out about his betrayal, they assumed you would go ballistic.”

  “And you did” Keith said. “You used your magic for revenge and that is going to bring the council to town. Once they bind you, Roberta believes she can use your crystal to free Samell.”

  “I’m sure Samell was hoping that you would have been angry and far gone enough to kill someone with your powers, cutting Roberta out of the equation. If an innocent had died, you’d have crossed that line and evil would have taken control of you. You would free Samell and together you’d be able to destroy the council of elders. There would be no need for Samell, Roberta and Shawn to steal your powers because you’d be one of them.”

  “They murdered my mom and dad. Roberta admitted it. She said it was part of the plan. Something about me using fire last night and now I’ve made myself look guilty of their murders.”

  “Yes, they killed your parents and you played right into their hands by destroying your home. I ran out there to look around. It’s bad, Selena. It looks just like your parents’ house did after the supposed accident.”

  The reality of the situation hit me with incredible ferocity, yet I felt numb. I could never track all of the questions and thoughts that had been running around my mind. I could only be glad that I wasn’t feeling immense energy pulsing through me. For some reason, I felt stable amidst all of the mental chaos.

  “If all of this is true, then I need to be locked up and powerless. I shouldn’t be allowed to roam free. Call the council and let them take me so I can’t hurt anyone.”

  “That isn’t an option, Selena. Besides, there’s more.”

  “You’ve got to be joking. More?”

  “Yes. They didn’t just frame you for two murders–your parents’ murders. They framed you for five. My family wasn’t killed in a hunting accident, the cabin blew up.”

  My jaw hit the floor. How didn’t I know any of this before now?

  “Your mom and brothers? You have to know I didn’t kill them!” I looked at them both, begging them with my eyes to believe me.

  “Of course we know that. Now. But right after your mom and dad died, you went catatonic. You wouldn’t speak to anyone in town for weeks. Every day you stayed locked inside your cabin with Shawn. What would you have thought if our roles had been reversed?”

  “I thought you were all mad simply because I quit magic. Now, you’re telling me everyone thinks I’m a murdering harlot? Including both of you?”

  “The fact that you’d stopped using magic has been part of it, yes. But they feel you killed Elena and Joseph in a fit of rage because they didn’t approve of your decision to quit magic or of your decision to be with Shawn. They feel you turned your back on the town and everything Salem Ridge stands for. Peace, equality, harmony. They stay away because they are afraid of you, afraid what would happen if your pent-up magic were to be unleashed. That’s also why they stay quiet. As for us, Keith and I realized none of it was your fault. But, in the beginning, you have to admit it looked really bad. And now that you’ve blown up your own home, it will be harder to convince them of your innocence.”

  I sat with my head bowed into my hands. “Do they know I’m a demon too?”

  “Part demon” Kelly soothed. “You’re not all evil. And no, they don’t know, yet.”

  “What if I really killed them? Maybe I went on some crazy demon-rampage and blocked it all out?”

  “You didn’t.” Keith’s voice was tender but firm and I knew he believed every word he said. I didn’t.

  “How can you know that?” I whispered.

  “I can read your thoughts, remember? We’re connected, we always have been.”

  “What if Shawn whammied my memories? What if Roberta pulled some mind zapping trick and I wandered around blowing people to smithereens?” Tears trickled down my face as hopelessness set in.

  “Why me?” I asked.

  “Why not? You’re strong, smart and capable of handling this, we believe in you. Besides, it could always be worse. At least we have you.” Kelly countered.

  Chapter 14

  WE ALL TOOK a much needed break and made dinner in the pub’s kitchen. It seemed strange to be working side by side in almost total silence. In light of what had been revealed to me and what was about to happen, we found a bit of comfort in the menial task of cooking. It was the only normal thing about that entire day and I wished for it to never end. I truly didn’t think I could handle what the universe was bringing to me. In fact, all I wanted to do was sit somewhere and cry. On the inside, my mind battled with my bruised and beaten heart, saying “You’ve never been a quitter. You won’t start now.” Sure I was. I’d quit magic. I’d quit listening to those who loved me. I’d quit listening to my instincts. I’d quit a lot of things. What in the world was I going to do?

  As we sat down to eat, I could feel the many unanswered questions bubbling inside of me and threatening to gush out in waves. I knew Keith and Kelly also needed answers. I only wished I could be the one to give them to my friends. The situation weighed heavy on all of us while we ate in silence. But I knew there were still many things to be said.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “For what?” Kelly asked.

  “For all of this. Your family was murdered because of me. Even if I didn’t do it, it was because of my powers. I’m truly sorry.”

  “Not just because of you, sweetheart. Our mother was next in line to be an elder. She helped your mom banish Samell to Trillmor.”

  “See?” Keith asked.

  “See what?” I sniffled, wiping more tears away as I waited for his reply.

  “You’re not evil. If you were, you wouldn’t care about any of that, anyone else or anything except for your own selfish desires. You’d be rejoicing instead of apologizing. It’ll be okay, kitten.” He squeezed my hand and fresh tears poured down my cheeks.

  “After dinner, we’ll talk more. For now, just try to relax. Okay, Selena?”

  I gave Kelly a quick nod that I’d hoped was convincing.

  We cleared away our dishes, placing them in the sink to be washed later. I wiped down the table we had used and swept the crumbs up off of the floor, making sure things were tidy. Busy work. Anything to pretend for a moment that all Hell wasn’t about to break loose in our lives. Keith offered to escort Sterling outside to attend to his kitty needs, but Sterling assured him he cou
ld use the toilet like everyone else. Keith looked at me, shocked and I nodded.

  “He even puts the lid back down and flushes. Just make you sure you turn the light on for him.”

  Kelly and I brewed a pot of fresh coffee for the long night ahead of us, while the men busied themselves elsewhere.

  “You okay?”

  “Sure. I mean…no. But I have to be, don’t I?”

  “Right. I’m sorry for the way I have treated you. None of us knew how to handle any of this. Yesterday, when you heard Keith and me arguing at the bar, he wanted to tell you the truth then. Maybe if we had…”

  “Don’t. It isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known I’d go all ‘Queen of Pyros’ so soon. No one knew except Roberta.”

  “I still feel horrible about it. Keith knew Shawn was with Roberta. When he told me, I should’ve said something. I haven’t exactly behaved like a friend, have I? I wish I could’ve, would’ve told you. And for the record, I’ve missed you.” She enveloped me in a huge hug. I held onto her for dear life, as we wept together for our families, for ourselves, for the life we used to know.

  * * *

  WHEN KEITH AND Sterling returned, we carried the tray of coffee, creamer and sugar into the office and sat down. Sterling climbed back up onto his perch on the back of the sofa, declaring it his spot.

  “Okay. So I guess I need to figure out what I’m going to do. I have to stop them.”

  “What did Roberta say? What were her exact words?” Keith took a huge sip of coffee, grimaced and added another packet of creamer.

  “You still use only creamer?” He nodded and I smiled at yet another thing that hadn’t changed in all of these years. “Basically, she wants my powers and she told me to tell you that she is coming for you, coming for your family.”

  “How does she plan on getting her hands on your powers? When?”

  “I don’t know when. The council will be here to take me to trial at any time. I feel it. Then, my powers will be bound inside my crystal pendant. Roberta believes Shawn and she can get them from me once they are bound inside my crystal.”