by Opal Carew
She struggled against their grip, but it was useless. They might be dead, but they were almost inhumanly strong.
Simone glared at the Voodoo priestess, suddenly furious with the old woman for all the fear and pain she had put her and Drake through. “Why can’t you just leave us alone?” she demanded. “I admit that what Drake did to your granddaughter was terrible, but that was more than eight years ago. He was young and stupid then and he’s regretted what he did every day since then. He told me so himself. He’s a different man now, even you must realize that. Hasn’t he suffered enough for the crime of breaking your granddaughter’s heart?”
The old woman’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t curse him because he broke her heart. I cursed him to a life of misery because he took her virginity.”
Simone frowned in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
The Voodoo priestess let out a derisive snort. “I couldn’t care less about her heart. It’s her body I was interested in. You don’t get to live as long as I have—and I’ve lived a very, very long time—by eating right and getting plenty of sleep. Oh no, there’s much more to it than that. Every fifty years or so, I need a new body to inhabit.”
“Inhabit?” Simone eyed her in horror. “What do you mean?”
The other woman’s lips curved. “I mean that I was planning to use sweet Cia’s body as my own. All I had to do was rid her body of its soul and put mine in its place. But while the magic to transfer my soul is rather simple, finding a body that’s acceptable can be extremely difficult. Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep track of all of your female relatives after two-hundred years? You see, the vessel I use must be a direct descendant of mine or my soul will be rejected. I know because I’ve tried to use others and the results are always messy.” She smirked. “At least for the woman whose body I try to possess.”
Simone cringed. “So, Cia’s not your granddaughter?
“More like a great-great-great-granddaughter.”
“And you were going to kill her just so you could live longer?”
“Of course. Who wouldn’t? It took me years to track her down and confirm she was truly my offspring. I was just going to New York to take over her body when Mr. Parrish destroyed my plans. The host body must be pure and chaste, never having known the intimate touch of a man, for the spell to work. Once a woman has lain with a man, her soul becomes too strong to dislodge from its body. And two souls cannot inhabit the same body at once.” She stepped closer to Simone. “I waited all that time for the perfect vessel and what does the tramp do? She runs off to New York City to work at some fancy office, then jumps into the bed of the first man who flashes her a charming smile. Morals have gotten so loose in these modern times.”
Simone swallowed hard. “You bitch! All these years, Drake has hated himself for what he did to your granddaughter, when in reality he saved her life by sleeping with her.”
The old woman laughed. “Ironic isn’t it? He saved her life and destroyed his own. I may have turned him into a zombie, but he made himself a monster.”
“You’re despicable,” Simone said.
The Voodoo priestess arched a wrinkled brow. “Despicable? Is that the best you can do? I’ve been called much worse. Turning him into a zombie like I did is no more than he deserves for getting in my way. I suppose I could have just killed him outright, but what kind of punishment would that have been? Do you know how much I detest this ancient body? And now I’m stuck in it until I find another suitable substitute, perhaps even until Cia’s baby girl is old enough.” She slanted Drake a hard look. “At least I haven’t had to go through my suffering alone. Knowing he’s been just as miserable as I was these past eight years has given me some consolation.” She looked at Simone. “But then he met you. Imagine my surprise when I learned he found happiness with someone. Well, I won’t allow it. If I have to suffer, he has to suffer.” Her lips curved into a nasty smile. “Which brings us to you, pretty girl.”
As she spoke, the woman reached out a bony finger and ran it down Simone’s cheek. Simone tried to jerk away, but the Voodoo priestess gripped her chin and held her still.
“I was planning to kill you,” she said to Simone. “But now I think it might be more fun to turn you into a zombie, too. That way he could look at you and know he was the one responsible for it.” She glanced at Drake over her shoulder. “What do you think? Shall I turn your pretty girlfriend into the walking dead like you? Maybe I’ll take her mind away completely, too, like my other toys. Would you like that? I could do it, or worse.”
A low, anguished moan answered her words.
Simone darted a quick look at Drake, hoping if he were able to moan, that meant he had somehow broken free of the Voodoo priestess’s hold. But he was still standing as immobile as he had been before, his eyes wet with unshed tears.
Simone reacted without thinking. Ignoring the two huge zombies holding her arms, she kicked out at the old woman. The toe of her sandal struck the Voodoo priestess solidly underneath the chin. While the blow didn’t knock her to the floor as Simone had hoped it would, it did knock her back several feet. It also must have momentarily broken her hold over Drake because suddenly he was throwing himself across the room at her.
Drake only made it a few feet before the Voodoo priestess lifted her head and glared at him. He stopped in his tracks as if he had hit some invisible barrier, then he was abruptly thrown backward. He landed on the floor with a thud, then lay there doubled over as if in pain.
Simone screamed and struggled to free herself from the zombies again, desperate to go to Drake, but they held her fast. The Voodoo priestess whirled around to glare at her.
“You’ll pay for that!”
Despite how terrified she was, Simone returned the woman’s glower with one of her own. “Touch him again and I’ll kill you!”
The old woman laughed. “I’m not going to touch him, girl. He’s going to do this part all by himself.” She turned her head to look at Drake. “Come here, boy. I have something I want you to do.”
At the words, Drake mechanically got to his feet and slowly walked over to them. Simone could tell from the look in his eyes that he was fighting the old woman’s hold every step of the way. But it did no good and he kept moving until he came to a stop in front of Simone.
The old woman took his right hand in hers and placed the knife in it. His fingers wrapped around the handle automatically, gripping it tightly.
“Since I think it will cause both of you more pain this way, I’ve decided to have you kill her,” the Voodoo priestess said.
Simone saw the look of horror in Drake’s eyes and her heart pounded even harder in her chest.
“Please don’t make him do this,” she begged.
The old woman ignored her. “Go ahead,” she ordered Drake. “Do it. Kill her.”
Drake’s hand trembled as he slowly lifted the knife. Simone could see he was fighting it, but after a moment, the blade was aiming straight at her heart. His fingers quivered as if he were trying to let go of the knife and Simone lifted her gaze to see determination in his eyes.
“That’s it, Drake,” she told him. “Fight her.”
Tears ran down Simone’s cheeks. As terrified as she was for herself, it paled in comparison to the agony she felt over what the old woman was making him do. It was beyond cruel.
Drake’s hand shook even more and Simone knew without a doubt that the greatest battle the world would never see was taking place inside him. She had to help him.
“Please, Drake. Fight her.” She swallowed hard. “You can do this, Drake. I know you can. I love you.”
Something flickered in his eyes at her words. Simone held her breath as Drake started to lower his arm.
The old woman swore under her breath. “Don’t listen to her. I told you to kill her. Now, do it!”
She reached out to grab his arm, as if she was going to show him how she wanted it done, but he jerked his arm away from her grip. The Voodoo priestess swore again as sh
e reached for the blade.
“You’re stronger than I gave you credit for, boy. So be it. Give me the damn knife and I’ll do it myself.” The old woman grabbed his arm and tried to pry his fingers away from the knife, but he wouldn’t let go. “Give it to me!”
Simone watched in horror as they struggled over the weapon. She desperately wanted to help Drake, but with the zombies holding her, she was powerless. Sooner or later, the old bitch would get the knife away from him. Then there would be nothing either one of them could do to stop her.
But just when it seemed the old woman was going to wrench the knife out of his grasp, Simone saw something flicker in Drake’s eyes as if he had suddenly come alive.
“Give it to me, damn you,” the priestess screamed, jerking viciously at his arm.
Drake seemed as if he would keep resisting, but then he suddenly let the priestess yank his arm forward. Just as the old woman began to gloat over her apparent victory, Drake twisted the blade toward her and shoved with more force than she was obviously prepared for. The knife slipped from the priestess’s grip and the blade drove deep into her chest.
Simone was stunned, but the Voodoo priestess seemed even more surprised. She looked at Drake in confusion as blood stained the front of her dress.
“How?” she whispered hoarsely as she slowly collapsed to the floor.
Drake opened his mouth and blew out. Simone watched as tiny white grains drifted down to land on the priestess.
He leaned over to stare into her eyes. “Salt. I had some in my pocket and put it in my mouth after you threw me across the room. It didn’t break your hold on me completely like I thought it would, but it helped me resist you. It was Simone’s love that really set me free.”
The old woman laughed, but the sound turned into a weak cough and blood appeared at the corners of her mouth. She reached up with a weak hand to wipe it away. “Fool!” she rasped softly. “Her love might have broken my spell, but it won’t be enough to save you.”
Simone wondered what the old woman meant by that, but she didn’t say anything more. As the life left the Voodoo priestess’s eyes, the two zombies holding Simone released their grip on her arms. Startled, she whirled around and was shocked to see them shambling toward the open door away from her and Drake.
Ignoring them now that they were leaving, she turned back to Drake. He was still standing over the old woman, gazing down at her with an unreadable expression on his face. When he finally turned to face her, she saw that his skin was already starting to return to its normal color. Relief flowed through her. It had worked. The curse had ended with the Voodoo priestess’s death.
Stifling a sob, Simone ran across the room and flung her arms around him. Drake wrapped his arms around her in return, squeezing her tightly.
“It’s over,” he whispered. “It’s finally over.”
Simone pulled back to gaze up at him and gasped when she saw blood running down his neck. A lot of it. Abruptly, she remembered the gash she’d seen earlier on Drake’s neck. The Voodoo priestess must have slit his throat with the knife.
“Oh, God. You’re bleeding, Drake,” she said. “We need to get you to the hospital.”
He looked confused for a second, then frowned as his legs suddenly gave out and he sank to the floor.
Simone’s heart seemed to stop in her chest. Oh God, no. Not after all she and Drake had been through. She couldn’t lose him.
Dropping to her knees, she instinctively clamped her hand over the wound and squeezed tightly. Drake’s eyes were already getting that glassy look as if he were on the verge of passing out. If she didn’t get the bleeding to stop, he was going to die.
As she continued to apply pressure to the wound with her hand, she wrapped her other arm around him and pulled him close, rocking back and forth. Tears burned her eyes and she swallowed hard.
“Please don’t leave me, Drake,” she begged. “I love you. I can’t live without you.”
She wondered numbly if she should go and get help, but she knew Drake would die within seconds if she left him for even a moment. So instead, she just held him and waited helplessly for the inevitable as sobs racked her body.
“I love you, Drake,” she whispered, the words becoming a litany as she repeated them over and over.
Simone didn’t even feel the strong arms that wrapped around her a few minutes later until Drake spoke.
“I love you, too, Simone. More than I ever thought possible.”
Sure she must be imagining things, she pulled back to look at Drake and found him gazing up at her with clear, alert eyes.
“You’re…you’re alive,” she breathed.
The corner of his mouth edged up. “And I’ve never been more grateful for that than I am right now.”
She stared at him in disbelief. How was it possible? A moment ago, she was sure Drake was going to die and now he looked perfectly fine. Despite what her eyes were telling her, she held her breath as she slowly took her hand away from the wound. She’d been expecting the worst and was astounded to see that the wound had somehow closed. What was once a horrible, bleeding gash, was now a freshly healed scar that looked like it was weeks old.
“I don’t understand it,” she said. “The wound… It’s…it’s healing. How can that be?”
Brow furrowing, Drake reached up to run his fingers over the scar. “I don’t know. I got dizzy, then everything went black for a minute. The next thing I remember is you telling me that you love me. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I was a zombie when she cut me. Maybe after I was released from the curse, the wound closed up.”
That theory didn’t make any sense to Simone. Drake hadn’t even started bleeding until he turned back into a human. Logically, he should have bled to death from the wound. But then she remembered what Aniyah had said about her having the blood of a Voodoo priestess running through her veins. Could that explain what had happened? Or was it something else? Maybe love truly was magical. Simone promised herself she would talk to Aniyah about it later, but right now, she didn’t care what the reason was. Drake was alive and that was all that mattered.
Choking back a sob, she bent and kissed him hard on the mouth. He wrapped his arms around her, holding on to her tightly. She clung to him just as fiercely and would have stayed like that the rest of the night if he hadn’t pulled away to look at her.
“I would never have killed you, Simone,” he said hoarsely. “Please tell me you believe that.”
She cupped his face in her hand. “Of course I do. I know you would never hurt me.”
“I’m glad.” Drake pulled her close and kissed her again. “I could stay here all night with you, but we need to get back to the Voodoo shop. Beck and Aniyah might need help.”
Taking her hand, he helped her to her feet, then turned his head to look at the old woman. Simone followed his gaze. The Voodoo priestess’s body looked old and mummified, as if she’d been dead two hundred years. Simone supposed that in some ways she was. It was as if the woman had been as much a zombie as the monsters she created.
Drake gave Simone’s hand a squeeze. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
She and Drake made their way down the rickety steps and back outside cautiously, afraid there might be zombies waiting for them. But the streets were empty. They quickened their step until they were both running down Flatbush Avenue.
Simone was afraid what she and Drake would find at the Voodoo shop, but when they finally got there she was relieved to see that Beck and Aniyah were unharmed. The shop and the street outside of it, however, looked like something out of a bad horror movie. Zombie parts were littered everywhere. Beck and Aniyah walked over to meet them.
“When I realized the bokor recognized you, I feared the worst,” Aniyah said to Drake.
“Me, too,” Beck said. “What happened over there?”
Since Simone didn’t know what had happened before she got to the abandoned building, she let Drake recount the story. As she listened, she couldn�
�t help but shudder, especially when he got to the part where the Voodoo priestess had ordered him to kill her.
“So, the salt worked,” Beck said. “Just like in the movies.”
Drake shook his head. “Not quite. I hadn’t planned on putting it in my mouth. I just shoved some in my pocket when we were spreading it around the buildings earlier today in case I needed it if I encountered any zombies on the street. I thought I might need to line a doorway or something. But when the Voodoo priestess took control of me, I remembered what you said about salt breaking her hold on a zombie and I figured it would be worth a shot. It didn’t work nearly as well as you implied. If Simone hadn’t said she loved me at just the right time, I’m not sure what would have happened. But I managed break free of the priestess’s hold and kill the old witch.”
Aniyah regarded Simone and Drake thoughtfully. “You said you loved him and that broke the bokor’s hold?”
Simone wondered why the other woman was looking at her so strangely. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what happened.”
Aniyah lifted her hand to run a finger down the scar on Drake’s neck. “And this? How did this happen?”
Simone explained how the wound started bleeding and how it stopped when she’d clamped her hand over it.
Aniyah shot her a quick look. “Really? How interesting.”
Simone wondered what the other woman meant by that, but before she could ask, Aniyah spoke again.
“You should go,” she said. “Once the bokor died, all the zombies that could return to their graves, did, but the police will demand an explanation for all of these miscellaneous parts lying around. They should be here soon, if I don’t miss my guess. Not to offend you, but you three look out of place in Little Haiti. It might be hard to explain what you’re doing here.”
Drake frowned. “What about you? Won’t you have a hard time explaining why there are zombie parts lying all over the floor of your shop?”