Ember said she would bring her talisman; the bag of tarot cards that once belonged to Rose. Derek would bring Deidrick’s Book of Shadows. Everything was falling into place but something inside of her still felt uneasy.
Ava leaned her thin frame on the driver seat, and Ember focused her gaze on her friend.
When the door shut, Ember could hardly contain herself. “What was that in there?”
She hadn’t meant for her voice to sound so harsh but the day was turning out much differently than she had anticipated.
pressing
“You thought Derek … and I … you thought we were possessed by demons?” Even Ember could hear the exasperation in her voice.
Ava pulled the car out onto the dirt road. “It crossed my mind, yes.” Her voice didn’t waver.
“How do you even know this guy? How do you know he isn’t full of complete --”
“We have a mutual friend. I’ve seen him do this sort of thing before. We can trust him.” Ava spoke confidently as the sun ominously hid behind the clouds.
Ember took a deep breath. “Would this ‘friend’ be the Cassius he spoke of?” Ember pursed her lips.
“Yes.” Her voice held its own.
“How come you’ve never mentioned him?” Ember focused on Ava’s expression, waiting for it to betray any sort of tell.
“I didn’t think it was relevant.” Her answer was short.
Ember scoffed.
“You haven’t been so forthcoming yourself, Em,” Ava snapped. If I didn’t question your obvious mood swings at the Witches Festival, would you even have said anything? Or would you have just continued reading the cards, putting yourself and others at risk?” Ava spoke candidly.
Ember couldn’t deny that the words stung. Ava was right.
“It's like, ever since that night at ScareFest …” Ava trailed off.
“What?” Ember’s voice snapped.
“It's like you have a freaking death wish. Like you don’t understand the actual scope of what’s happening to you.” Ava pulled out onto the main road.
“I’m very aware of what has been happening to me,” Ember answered firmly even though she only half-heartedly believed it. “I just can’t shake this feeling …”
Ava stopped at a traffic light and looked at Ember over her aviators. “Really, now?”
Ember sighed, looking out the window. “I feel like something’s missing. I can’t really put my finger on it.”
“Well, mayb]e that has something to do with sleeping with a serial killer,” Ava teased.
“I never said he was a serial killer,” Ember retorted.
“My bad. I meant possessed serial killer.” Ava smirked.
Ember felt a smile tug at her lips and her apprehension eased. Perhaps she had overreacted. After all, there clearly were facets of Ava’s life she wanted to keep private.
“Don’t worry Em. We’ll fix this.” Ava’s voice carried a hint of concern and warmth.
Ember watched as the sun danced in and out of the shaded trees. All she could do was nod in return.
***
Ember sat in the booth, her hands curled around the piping hot mug of coffee. Maybe Ava was right; maybe she wasn’t seeing things clearly. The thought disturbed her. She’d felt like herself, but then again … She’d heard the whispered words from long ago, the same way she felt the sun on her face from that moment in time. The visions were hardly visions anymore; they were as real to her as the coffee in her hands, and yet she had briefly considered lying to Bryan about her cards. And for what? So Rose could come back and possess some other poor, unfortunate soul?
Ava was right. Ember was in danger -- from herself.
The sudden movement of a burly man shook her from her thoughts. Detective Jones was in his plainclothes, and his warm smile put Ember at ease.
“How’s it going Em?” He regarded her with kindness.
“Good. Thanks.” She swallowed nervously.
“So I know you’re probably wondering about the results, and I have to say, while Derek Scott Rhyan is the epitome of the boy next door, he wasn’t the only Derek Rhyan I got a hit on. Turns out, the founder of the vineyard, Deidrick Callum Rhyan, also went by the name Derek Rhyan, and that’s where things get interesting,” Nick said as he proffered some papers from a manilla envelope.
Ember looked up at Nick with anticipation. “What’s so interesting?”
The waitress appeared and Nick smiled at her kindly. “What’ll it be Detective Jones?” she asked, clicking her tongue.
“I’ll take a cup of coffee, black, and a pot roast sandwich. Em, what do you want?” he asked.
“That’s not necessary,” she stated.
“Then I guess you don’t need to know the rest.” Nick shrugged.
Damn him. Why was he always so friendly? So caring? A part of her wanted to get up and storm out but she knew she wouldn’t, not just because she wanted to know what was in the file but also because … well, it was nice to see him, to talk to him again. It reminded her of better times.
She sighed, relenting. “I guess I’ll have a bowl of French onion soup and a chicken salad.”
Nick relaxed his expression as he pushed the folder toward her. The waitress walked away with their order.
“It’s like the man was cursed or something. Deidrick Rhyan was suspected of the murders of several individuals, women, and men, from New York City to Chester. But that’s not the most interesting part.”
Ember turned pages, the blood in her veins chilling upon the startling image of Deidrick Rhyan staring back at her from the photograph contained within. “What’s the interesting part?” she asked, her gaze fixated on a few crime scene photos.
“The victims were all psychics or believed to be psychics anyway. You know how people can be skeptical,” he added as the waitress set down a cup of steaming hot coffee in front of him. He ripped his sugar packets and continued, “And several of the cases are cold. The guy’s been dead since 1945 but there are several newer cases in the system. All with the same MO.”
Ember felt her body still with recognition. “What’s that?” she asked inquisitively.
“All the victims have these weird symbols carved into their chest. One detective, back in the fifties, said it looked like witchcraft. Some pagan, druid type stuff. Although, it’s probably just some weird true crime copycat. No way the same guy could be keeping up a killing spree if he’s been dead seventy years. Rumor has it the vineyard’s haunted as well.” He waggled his eyebrows at Ember, who did everything in her power to keep a straight face.
“Wow, that’s --”
“Pretty creepy huh?” Nick said as the waitress set their meals in front of them.
“Yeah. Pretty creepy all right,” was all she could say. She glanced at close up photos of the symbol on a corpse's chest, suddenly realizing where she’d seen it before.
The dress she’d bought was decorated with the same symbols and Derek had poured her a glass of wine from a bottle imprinted with the same label.
7 moons.
She’d suddenly lost her appetite.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ember sat on the floor of her townhome with the papers Nick had given her spread around her.
Her eyes fixated on the crime scene photos and their dates. The last known murder was twenty years ago. Derek had mentioned coming upon the Book of Shadows only fifteen years ago, which meant he was free and clear.
But Deidrick was not. Was that the missing piece? Did Derek know about the murders? Was his family responsible for them? Was that how they appeased Deidrick? By sacrificing living, breathing human beings to him? To what end?
Ember knew in her heart the answer was yes, and Rose pushed against her from the inside, all feeling, and panic beneath the surface. The night was still and Ember knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. In desperate need to clear her mind, she decided to go for a walk to the one place she always felt at peace.
The river.
Chester trul
y was a beautiful, picturesque town, especially in the autumn season. While Ember thrived on the spoils of fall and Halloween, with Chester’s pumpkin festivals and haunted houses and even the occasional ghost tour, the night shifted Chester into a regal, hauntingly peaceful place. Where the leaves of ochre and crimson met with the burnt umber of the earth in the day, the moonlight cast them in grays and whites and the earth and bark of the trees deepened into shades of blue and ebony against the fog and clear, star-filled sky.
As she walked the beaten path, littered with dead leaves and drying dirt, the sound of the steady, running river lulled her into a state of ease. It reminded her of summers spent wading in the waters looking for rocks and gems after having learned about them in school. The memory made her fantasize about grand voyages on boats from a bygone era.
The wind had gone to sleep and it was just her and the quiet of the night, until a shadow moved beside her. The push against her ribs surged forth and Rose comfortably took possession. Ember knew without having to look who the shadow was.
“After all this time, all the countless lives you’ve lived, I still know exactly where to find you.” The vibration of warmth, like a slow-burning flame, fanned itself against her and she turned her eyes to meet icy blue pools set against a pale face framed by silky, swept-back hair.
“Some things never change.” Ember could hear Rose’s voice escaping from her own mouth as it kissed the air.
“My love for you has never changed, Rose.” Deidrick reached his hand out to brush hers but Ember felt her body shift slightly away, just out of his reach.
She looked at him in question. “I thought after the curse … after all the death you’ve witnessed ... surely you would never …” “It isn’t what you think.” His tone was guarded.
“What am I to think Deidrick? I come back to find out that you’ve taken the lives of countless men and women in my absence? For what? Why would you do such a thing?” Ember heard the accusation rising in Rose’s voice.
“I didn’t think you were going to come back this time. I’d waited so long. I thought …” He ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
“You thought what? Necromancy would fix your loneliness?” Ember felt a stirring inside that was full of such pain and betrayal, she almost thought she would wither away from it. But it was not only her pain she was feeling, as her heart raced with sadness and despair.
“It wasn’t like that Rose. I didn’t kill them on purpose.” His voice was harsh and defensive.
“But you still killed them Deidrick! How could you do such a thing, after all we have been through?” Her voice escalated, fear mingling with absolute heartbreak, an electric shock surging throughout her body, building like a storm.
“I was trying to bring you back Rose! I thought … I thought if I had the right person, a person like Ember …” His breath came in ragged pants; it looked like he was fighting the words, a silent war raging inside himself. “I thought if I had a person like you, with your gifts, I’d be able to channel you back somehow.” His voice was full of anguish but remained as cold as the night air.
“But you had my cards …”
Deidrick stepped forward, taking her face into his hands. “I didn’t have them, Rose. After you died …” His eyes glistened with the promise of tears. “Giovanni took everything and left. I wasn’t able to get anywhere near your house or the parlor. I didn’t know what else to do. I thought it would work. We’d …” His voice cracked as he leaned his forehead against hers.
“We’d figured a way around things before. I thought I could find a way around it again. But it never worked. Now you’re here. You’re really here.“
His warmth was so damn cozy, Ember couldn’t stand how wonderful it felt to be in his presence. “It’ll work this time because you have the cards and this body,” he explained.
His eyes ran over Ember, searing its own sort of branding beneath her blood and bones that both angered and intrigued her in her own internal struggle.
“She doesn’t resist you. It will be easy to take control. Painless even.” His lips hovered above hers and Ember could feel Rose’s heart melt just a fraction as her fingers grazed his cheek. It was warm against the chill of the night.
Ember felt it in her bones instinctually as the thoughts reverberated in her brain. What Deidrick implied was so very clear. She knew it in the same way she understood what The Hanged Man, The Fool, and The Lovers meant.
There could only be one soul per body. Permanent possession wasn’t just a spirit in a body with the other soul trapped behind an invisible glass door. It meant she would be kicked out of the body she was born into, the body that rightfully belonged to her. It meant, in order for Rose and Deidrick to permanently possess their hosts …
They would have to exorcise her and Derek.
Even Rose knew what Deidrick was suggesting was akin to murder. The man she loved, the man Ember had danced with in her dreams, would not have sought something with so high a price for a reason other than to cheat death once again.
Ember fingered the stone in her pocket, the rough ridges of the black tourmaline sharpening her focus and bringing her back from her musings as Rose softly acknowledged her understanding.
The only way Deidrick Rhyan would die would be at her hands, and hers alone.
Rose softly shied away in earnest as she turned in the direction of home. “I’m awfully tired, Deidrick,” Rose spoke the words but Ember could feel their weight. She knew it wasn’t just a good night’s sleep she longed for.
“Let me walk you home.” His voice was thick with haunting emotion. Yet as Deidrick approached her side, in companionable silence, there seemed to be an understanding between them. Rose pulled the tourmaline into her palm once more and Ember remembered its power. She hoped she would not need it tonight. When they came to the townhome complex, time seemed to stand still. Rose stood in the doorway of her apartment, the barrier between them so large and yet so minimal at the same time. Deidrick leaned against the doorframe, his tall figure looming like a tree. The calm of the river had given Rose so much to think about and Ember stilled as her body moved beyond her control, her hand tightening on the door handle.
“I won’t let anyone or anything take you away from me again.” Deidrick ran his hand through his hair and the white porchlight danced against the bright blue irises of his eyes like a ghost at sea.
His voice was an echo of love despite causing the chill that ran through her body.
“I promise,” he whispered.
Rose leaned in toward him, a calculated motion, that was both so familiar and yet so very foreign. The slight movement pushed him back, even if only slightly. Deidrick relaxed his shoulders, momentarily letting his guard down. Deidrick’s lips brushed hers possessively, which both enamored and frightened Ember all at once. She was both a prisoner and a hunter in the confines of her own flesh and blood -- a slave to intuition and fate.
It was fate that had dealt this card, was it not? A fate sealed long ago by forces Ember didn’t quite understand, in the forests of old as her body, no, Rose’s body, mingled with the mystical, magical forces of nature, bending to the will of those capable of wielding its clay.
It was both a startling feeling and a longing as Rose called forth an energy unknown to Ember, drawing on their shared power like an unspoken prayer. In the language of fairytale kisses, as unfamiliar as Deidrick was to Ember, she couldn’t deny the overwhelming feeling his presence ignited. His enveloping heat, his possessive gaze, his undying love, the way he’d kissed her in the cabin, all the memories and emotions fought for control in her mind and Rose didn’t fight her as she kissed him; she longed for the feel of his silken lips despite what she knew.
When their lips parted, Ember wasn’t sure who spoke. For the first time, she and Rose felt so utterly definitive it didn’t matter.
“I wouldn’t expect any less, my love.” Her smile was anything but true.
As the door shut without the slightest sound,
somewhere in the distance a wolf howled at the moon; it was a sound both as haunting and enchanting as the meeting of two souls who danced a rather macabre waltz of life and death.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ava leaned on her elbow, inspecting her nails with a look of apathy as Ember held up two dresses.
“Ava, focus please,” Ember pleaded.
“Honestly, I don’t see the need for theatrics. It's not like we’ll be dancing and gallivanting about much anyway.” Ava eyed the dresses with disdain.
“It's still a party and I still need a costume. I thought you loved costumes.” Ember dangled the beaded frock in front of her friend, the sound of the beaded fringe tinkling like tiny bells.
Ava rolled her eyes. “I do. I just don’t --”
"Like dresses?” Ember jabbed at her friend.
“They’re just impractical for my taste. Especially if you’re going to be doing a lot of running and exercising. That’s all.” Ava shrugged.
“I thought this exorcism was rather straightforward, no running around, and swashbuckling involved.” Ember let her arms fall, the dresses limp in her hands as she walked over to the settee in the fitting room.
“You know, for a psychic, you really are quite clueless, aren’t you?” Ava regarded her. “Tsk tsk. I swear child, what am I ever going to do with you?” she teased.
“Ava, I want to run something by you, and please don’t jump down my throat about it.” She sat next to Ava, her stomach clenching with rising anxiety. Over the last several days, Ember had been doing more than just sharing a body with Rose. She was learning from her. It was agreed upon, in a most undeniable sort of way. But then how could one fully agree to do as they had? It wasn’t as if handshakes were an option, but still Rose and Ember knew, in the center of everything, exactly what must be done to save them all, Deidrick included.
“Well, when you start with that? I expect there's a reason to be jumpy.” Ava shifted in her seat to face Em with a pointed look that said, ‘tread lightly’’.
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