The Banshee's Desire

by Victoria Richards

  "So that's what they ultimately want then?

  "Yep. It's what any supernatural being with half a brain would want. If the Brotherhood doesn't appeal to you, I’m sure there are other beings out there ready to make an offer. Not that I think that's a path you should go down," he said with a hasty smile.

  "Would I have to live with the Brotherhood? Would they call all the shots? What kind of freedoms would I have?"

  "I don't know. But I think they would want to keep you under lock and key."

  "A prisoner," she said sadly. "No way."

  Finn squatted before her and put a hand on her arm.

  "It might not be like that. I only know a little about what happened to the first half banshee. The Brotherhood doesn't want to piss you off and risk losing wizards. Maybe this time around they'd be more willing to broker a deal. I guess you'll never know until you talk to Gwydion in person."

  "A deal," she mused. "Toby will be in danger until I do."

  It wasn't really a question. More of a statement.

  "Again, I don't know for sure. Dealing with the Brotherhood--hell, dealing with a wizard for that matter--is always a tough call. I think the less Toby knows about your plan, the better off he'll be. Trust doesn't come easy for us."

  "Don't I know it." A trace of grin flitted across her lips. "How do I get in touch with Gwydion?"

  "I could ask my father," Finn said. "I'm not part of the Brotherhood council. That honor belongs to the wizard heading the family."

  Jacqueline nodded and rubbed her head as if it ached.

  "You feeling okay?"

  "Yeah, I've just been under stress. Seeing weird things," she muttered, squeezing her eyes shut. "You got gray shadows in here, Finn."

  Gray shadows? He wondered what she meant by that.

  "Could you ask your father about meeting with the Brotherhood now? Call him maybe?" She opened her eyes and he was struck at the light flecks of green in them. "I'd really like to get moving on this."

  "Let me get my cell phone," Finn said.

  He could feel his heart quicken with excitement. Jonathan was going to be very happy at this turn of events. Derek would never have accomplished this with such finesse.

  He opened the bedroom door and slipped inside, leaving it slightly cracked.

  The cell phone lay on the table next to the bed.

  Finn picked it up and returned to the living room, closing the door firmly behind him. The entire set of actions took less than ten seconds.

  But it was enough.

  Jacqueline stood in the center of the room, looking dazed. Her eyes were tinged now with a brilliant green, and as she looked at him, they grew darker. She tilted her head to the side, listening to something.

  No. She was looking at something. Something he couldn't see.

  "What did you do?" She looked at him. "Did you kill her?"

  Shit.

  He took a step back.

  "You feeling okay, Jacqueline?" he asked. "You look a little strange."

  "She says you killed her, that you choked the life out of her."

  He let out a slow breath, trying to stay calm.

  "What are you talking about?" Finn looked around the room, as if confused. "Do you need to sit down or something?"

  "But first you slept with her. You tricked her."

  "I'm not sure what you are trying to say," Finn said, "but I haven't killed anyone."

  "Marla's spirit is right here in this room. She hasn't been able to cross over because you murdered her. None of them have."

  "I don't know any Marla."

  She pushed past him, opening the bedroom door and pulling back the sheet, revealing Marla's body.

  Finn raised his hand and uttered an entrapment spell. A magical barrier sealed Jacqueline in the room. She pressed her fists to it, jumping back when the electricity of the spell singed her.

  "Let me out of here, you bastard," she hissed. "You had no right to take her life."

  "I think you've gone crazy," Finn said. "I should probably call Toby and tell him that you killed that maid."

  "Don't even think about it!" She warned. Her eyes practically glowed green in her anger. "You're sick, Finn. Twisted. This isn't the first time you've done this, is it? Marla says there were others before her."

  "How the fuck would she know that?" He flashed an impish smile. "Not that it's true."

  "Oh, it's true. You'd be surprised how long souls last when they've been murdered. If they don't want to let go, they collect and gather around the person who took their life. They wait and pray for the moment when Death claims you. See, they get to escort you to the other side. Not me or any other reaper. And along the way…the ones you murdered get to have a little fun with your soul. For a short time, you're their bitch." Jacqueline pressed close to the barrier and looked past him. "You've been at this a long time. I can see them all now. All those girls. And they're eager to talk."

  Finn paled and glanced behind him, unsure what to do.

  He couldn't call his father. The old man would never understand his son's actions. He'd never comprehend the sick rush of power Finn got from his deeds.

  "You steal sexual heat? That's what these ladies are saying." Jacqueline's laugh was brittle. "You take the energy of their orgasm, the afterglow so to speak, and then kill them?"

  "Shut up," he said. "You don't know what you're talking about."

  "I can't wait to get my hands on you. I'm going to rip your sorry soul to pieces and watch as these murdered souls have their way with you."

  Her words chilled Finn.

  "Here's a piece of advice." She glared, and to his horror, her appearance changed. Her hair grew long and gray, while her face sunk in until it appeared skeletal. Talons replaced her fingernails, and Jacqueline ran one along the barrier separating them, oblivious to the sparks it set off. "Run."

  Finn didn't know how long his entrapment spell would hold. He weighed the odds: fight or flight. One look at Jacqueline's determined face made the decision for him.

  He heard her scream in frustration as he took off out the door.

  ****

  Toby rubbed his head and couldn't help but briefly wish that he'd died. It had been a long time since he'd had a hangover. Being a bar owner had cured him of that kind of ailment a decade ago.

  Someone had put him in his bed.

  He knew it couldn't have been himself.

  He had very little recollection of the last twenty four hours, other than the hard memory of his mother's funeral. Everything else was just impressions. He thought he'd yelled at Gabe and some wizard from out of town. A Spark family member. There was a vague memory of Jacqueline's worried face staring at him.

  Thinking about her made him feel slightly ill.

  And there was a knot in his stomach that wasn't from alcohol.

  Grief, he mused. That's what it is. Grief for my mother.

  What if there was something unnatural about her passing?

  For some reason, Toby heard Gabe's voice in his head. Had they argued about Jacqueline?

  There are things you should know.

  He remembered Gabe saying that. Toby rubbed at his head thinking that's when the knot in his stomach had been born. What on earth could his son possibly have meant by that?

  Jacqueline would never hurt Matilda. She would have told him if anything strange or unnatural had occurred. Why the hell would she keep it a secret? She knew he loved her.

  No. Gabe was probably trying to just stir up trouble. He didn't like Jacqueline.

  Toby swung his feet out of bed and sat on the edge. The room spun on its axis and his stomach heaved. Through sheer force of will, he managed not to vomit.

  Slowly, he made his way to the bathroom, turning on the shower and letting streams of blasting heat warm him. Stepping beneath the spray, he washed off the stench of dried alcohol and tried to clear his head.

  Jacob Fortensky.

  A soap bubble popped on the wall and for some reason, the lawyer's name came to min
d.

  Fortensky had suffered a heart attack on the way to jail, and though Toby wasn't going to shed any tears over the lawyer's demise, he couldn't help but reflect on the convenience of the death. There would be no trial to make him pay for his crimes. Though he'd prevented Jacqueline from killing the man, she'd still gotten satisfaction in the end, knowing that he was dead.

  That had been enough for her. Right?

  She wasn't in control of her powers enough to harm anyone without him knowing.

  So why did he feel so uneasy? Why did he feel something was off?

  He stepped out of the shower, troubled by the direction of his thoughts.

  Someone pounded on his front door. Wrapping a towel around himself, Toby went to see who it was.

  The wizard from out of town stood on the porch. His face was a miserable gray and sweat poured down his face as if he'd been running.

  "Toby, I don't know if you remember me," the young man panted, "but I'm Finn Spark. We met last night. My family has declared a truce with you."

  Nervously, Finn glanced behind him.

  "A truce? Great. So what the hell do you want now?" Toby asked.

  "Could I come in? We have something important to talk about."

  "I doubt that."

  "Look, it's about Jacqueline. I know you probably don't want to hear this, but she's after me. She's trying to kill me." Finn's eye widened and Toby could see true fear darting in them. "She's after me right now."

  "What did you do?" Toby leaned against the door jamb and crossed his arms. "Takes a lot to piss her off."

  "Maybe I could come in and talk about this?"

  "Maybe." Toby didn't move. "Maybe not."

  "Look, she showed up at my hotel and demanded to speak to the Brotherhood. When I wouldn't do what she wanted, she went nuts and killed a hotel maid. I've never seen anything like it! She just lost control and her eyes…they were a wicked shade of green." Finn ran a shaking hand through his hair. "She tried to reap my soul because I didn't want to put her in contact with the Brotherhood. I don't want to see her get hurt and that's all they want."

  Toby carefully steeled his emotions, trying hard to mask the internal war raging inside. Finn's words worried him and brought home his fear that Jacqueline was losing control. If what Finn said was true…

  "Come in," he said, reluctantly.

  Finn nodded, relief etched on his face.

  "I didn't know what to do," he confessed as Toby shut the door behind them. "I figured you might be able to talk some sense into her."

  "How did you get away?"

  "I used an entrapment spell."

  "Clever. But it won't hold long," Toby said. "Let me change and then we'll talk."

  Finn sat down on the couch, his shoulders slumped. Toby watched a moment and then said, "I hope you don't mind if I do a little enchantment of my own. I'm placing a freeze spell on you."

  Toby waved his hand, pleased when Finn's body stilled.

  "Truce or not, you're still a Spark. I may have loved your sister once, but I know how the Spark men work. I'll release you once I've dressed," Toby said.

  As he tugged on his pants, Toby reflected on what his next steps should be.

  Jacqueline. He had to find her. At least give her the benefit of a doubt and find out the whole story.

  And it might not hurt to call Gabe in for back up.

  Just in case.

  Chapter 8

  At first, Jacqueline wasn't aware of the physical change in her appearance.

  But others were.

  People gasped in horror as she passed them on the street outside the hotel, stepping wide to avoid any chance of her touching them. A few screamed and one small child started to cry.

  "It's too early for Halloween!" A man shouted after her.

  She turned and noticed the terror in his eyes, and unable to help herself, smiled.

  Oh, but his life force looked yummy. She could see it flickering around him, teasing her banshee instincts. So simple to reach out with her powers and tug it free from the mortal coil.

  No! The murdered souls of Finn Spark's victims gathered around her, just as strong and angry as the spirits she'd seen surrounding the police car that held Jacob Fortensky. No. Get Finn. We want Finn.

  Jacqueline turned away from the man and continued on her journey.

  "Where are we going, ladies?" she asked.

  To your lover's house. That's where the murderer is hiding.

  "Figures." Jacqueline's mouth twisted into a maniacal grin. "He'll try to lie to the one man who trusts me completely. Big mistake."

  But was it?

  What if he didn't believe her?

  The thought angered her, and she wished there was some way to get to Toby's faster than her car.

  Her feet lifted off the ground, and for a moment, she teetered in the air.

  "I thought this was something I could only do in the astral dimension," she said. "That's what Death said."

  But who could really trust Death?

  Thoughts of Matilda flashed through her head, spurring on her anger. And the angrier she got the more her body lifted.

  Use your anger, Jacqueline, the murdered girls urged. Use it to avenge us.

  "Yes," she whispered, letting the feeling flood her, though some part of her knew it was wrong to be controlled by it.

  She visualized where she wanted to go and to her amazement, found herself there in under a minute. Toby's house looked serene below her, but the murdered girls chattered in excited voices, persistent bees buzzing in her head. Jacqueline lowered to the ground, observing the area.

  "Is he in there?" she asked.

  Finneus is here.

  Before Jacqueline could question the voices further, the front door opened and Toby stepped out. Surprise flickered in his eyes as he took in her appearance, though he said nothing. Instead, he shoved his hands deep in his pockets and sighed.

  "Hey, babe."

  "Toby." She tried to keep her voice even. "I need to talk to Finn."

  "Okay," he agreed. "But first, you need to drop your banshee look."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Have you peeked in the mirror, Jacqueline? You know I love you, but this isn't my favorite look for you."

  With a wave of his hand, a full length mirror materialized next to her. She stared in it, startled by what she saw there. The skeletal face, the flashing green eyes, the way her short, blonde hair had lengthened and grayed--now she knew why the people outside the hotel had run from her.

  She held up a hand, flexing the fingers that ended with sharp talon-like nails.

  Where had they come from?

  "Holy crap," she said, shuddering as the mirror disappeared.

  "Interesting choice of words. I don't think we'll be seeing your Banshee style of dress on the runways of Paris next season." Toby moved closer to her. "Any chance I could see you--the real you?"

  "Maybe this is the real me."

  "No. You're a human. Not a banshee. You have the power to make the choice."

  Make the right choice, Jacqueline. The girls swarmed around her, impatient and frustrated though Toby couldn't see them. Make the choice to rid the world of Finn.

  "First, let me talk to Finn."

  "Sure. Just change back to your human self."

  "Toby, I don't have time to argue with you."

  "Then don't. Change back."

  "I need to have my guard up. He's evil. I found a dead hotel maid in his room."

  "That doesn't mean you should be the one to provide justice." Toby frowned. "You're a reaper who takes souls that have passed on to the other side. That's your job. Not to take souls from the living."

  "Please, Toby. Just let me talk to him."

  "What were you doing at his hotel room anyway?"

  Impatience had her stomping her foot and she glared at him. "If you must know, I was there to find out a way to get in touch with the Brotherhood. I was trying to protect you."

  "Protect me?" Toby laughed
softly. "I can handle myself. And if it's the Brotherhood you want, you should have just asked. I hold a seat on their council."

  "What?" But it made sense. He was the head of his wizard family--the only survivor that she knew of. "Then why haven't we been contacting them? We could find out what they really want with me, could end all this worry."

  "Jacqueline, I know what they want. They want to lock you in a cage and only let you out when you are useful."

  "I'm too powerful."

  "Too powerful for one or two wizards," Toby agreed. "But for a whole council who is prepared to meet you? I doubt it."

  "Fine. But I want Finn. He should be punished."

  "Yes. But not by you."

  Toby crossed to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. She trembled and felt some of the anger slip away as she looked into those deep blue eyes that begged her to come to her senses. He ran a hand along her sunken cheek, the touch of it soft and warm.

  "Jacqueline, you've got to let this go. Finn is not your responsibility. You were able to stop yourself from killing Jacob Fortensky. You can do it again."

  She looked away, hoping he didn't see the guilt in her face.

  "She did kill Fortensky." Gabe stood on the porch, having come out unnoticed by them. He shook his head, a hint of sadness on his face. "I can't say I blame her though. If she hadn't, I would have."

  Jacqueline shot him a baleful look that didn't go unnoticed by Toby.

  He turned his head and looked at her closely. Lifting her chin, Toby inspected her eyes as if he could see all her deeds shining in them. As he did so, Gabe spoke again.

  "She yanked his soul free when you weren't looking. Makes you wonder about Matilda, doesn't it?"

  Toby stiffened and Jacqueline shook her head, frantic.

  "No. No, Toby. I didn't do anything to her. Death did. She appeared to me and killed Matilda as punishment." Jacqueline clutched at Toby's arms before he would have turned away. "Please. You know I wouldn't harm her."

  "Punishment for what? Go on. Say it!" Toby's voice filled with ice and anger as she hesitated. "I want to hear you say what happened to Fortensky."