by Deanna Chase
“Kane,” Bea said, “stand next to Jade. You’re needed for this.”
He did as he was told, his elbow brushing up against me. His solid presence fortified me in a way I couldn’t explain. Magic pulsed through me, and my head cleared. There was only one thing on my mind—finding Kat, Pyper, and Charlie.
Bea stretched her arms out to both sides. “This is going to be a little different than the summoning in the past. I have a hunch that whatever is happening, is happening to all three of them at once. Which means their energy will be connected. So actually summoning them at the same time will be more useful than summoning each one individually.”
“Okay,” I said. “Do we each need to think of a different person so that they’re all captured in the spell?”
“Yes,” Bea said. “Kane should concentrate on Pyper. Lucien on Kat. And both Rosalee and I will focus on Charlie, since neither of us have a strong personal connection to her.”
“I have a connection with Charlie,” I said. We’d worked together quite a bit in the last year and were good friends.
“But you’ll be leading the spell. You need to focus on each of them at different times, but we’ll do the heavy lifting.” She glanced around at us. “When Jade says the word ‘sacrifice’, each of you needs to slice your hand or finger and feed the earth with a drop of your blood. Make sure to concentrate on your person.”
Everyone voiced their agreement and when Bea stared at me pointedly, I raised my hands high in the air. “From north to south to east to west, heed my call. We, the New Orleans coven, seek the presence of our loved ones.”
All the candles on the circle lit with a surge of power. Lucien’s eyes met mine, and magic filtered from me to Bea and Rosalee and on to Lucien. The current ebbed and flowed, mixing our magic and strength until the light illuminated the circle with our combined energy.
I tilted my head back and called, “From north to south to east to west, we offer a blood sacrifice in exchange for knowledge. To speak to those we seek.”
From the corner of my eye I saw Kane slice open his palm. The surge of energy in the coven’s collective told me the others had done the same. I raised my arms higher and focused on Kane and Pyper. Then Bea and Charlie. Lucien and Kat. And finally Rosalee and Charlie again. With determination and will, I imagined the three of them standing in our circle.
The wind picked up, and the ominous sound of magic crackling through the air made my hair stand on end. One glance told me everyone else was affected the same way. If someone were to plug us in, we could’ve probably powered the entire city.
“Now, Jade,” Bea demanded over the rushing of air.
“Come forth. Show yourselves. Reveal the ones we seek.”
The air stilled suddenly, and all I heard was the pop of magic sparking in the air. I glanced around, seeing nothing but the illuminated circle and my fellow witches. Then the wind picked up once more, and all the candles blew out. The magic died, and the five of us stood there in the pale glow of the moonlight.
“What happened?” Rosalee asked, confusion clear in her tone.
“Nothing. It doesn’t appear—” Another loud snap of magic cut Lucien off, followed by a thundering boom.
I kept my arms raised in the air, magic pulsing at my fingertips. But then I saw it. The vague outline of a person, followed by another shadow.
“There she is,” Lucien said, his voice full of emotion.
I followed his gaze and made out the outline of Kat. She was standing upright, her hands clutching a railing. Her face was full of exuberance as she talked and talked and talked. Only we couldn’t hear her, and I had the impression she was giving some sort of monologue.
To her left was Pyper. She was sitting at a desk, typing faster than a demon on speed. Her fingers were flying so fast, I could barely see movement.
“Where’s Charlie?” I whispered to Kane.
He pointed toward Rosalee. Right at her feet was an outline of someone huddled into herself. She was rocking back and forth as if in a tragic trance.
I glanced at Bea. “Why can’t we talk to them?”
Her face morphed from confusion to utter rage as her lips turned down and her eyes clouded with hatred. “Show yourself!” she demanded.
A tinkle of laughter reverberated through the circle.
Someone else was there. The magic pulsing in my chest intensified as I focused on the laughter. Another high-pitched giggle sounded from near Bea. I narrowed my eyes, palmed a ball of power, and said, “The leader of this coven respectfully requests the honor of your presence. Please show us who lies behind the veil. Reveal yourself.”
The tall, blond Goddess from the club solidified in front of Bea. She had her hand held out, her fingers crooked as if she was trying to coax something from Bea.
“Step away,” Bea demanded.
And to my surprise, the Goddess did as she was told. “I was only studying your impressive magic.” Her tone was light and airy, her smile pleasant. A shimmer coated her body, and it was then I realized she hadn’t solidified at all. We had trapped her essence in the circle but not her physical body. That meant there was nothing we could do to fight her, but we could keep her there.
“You’re not fooling anyone, you…spirit stealer,” I shouted. I wasn’t sure how she’d done it, but the only way she could’ve ended up in our circle was if she had control of our friends’ spirits.
“Oh, you’ve figured it out then.” She tossed her hair to the side. “They aren’t really who I was after, but they’ll do in a pinch.” The Goddess sauntered over toward Kane and me. She stopped right in front of him and reached a finger out as if to run it down his chest. Only, the circle’s barrier stopped her and a bolt of magic shocked her. She yanked her hand back and scowled at me. “I was going to offer to make a trade, but now I think I won’t.”
“Trade for what?” I asked, ignoring her blatant taunt.
“Your incubus, of course. He’s so…” She smacked her lips together. “Delicious. Too bad you showed up in his dream last night. I had plans.”
That bitch. She’d been impersonating Pyper to get to Kane.
“Release them,” Kane ordered. “They don’t have anything you want.”
Her eyes danced with amusement as she regarded him. “Now that’s where you’re wrong, handsome. They might not be you and they won’t help me with my ultimate goal, but they do have value.”
“What’s the trade?” His tone was cold, full of impatience.
She took two steps back and waved at them. “The trade was the three of them for you.” She glanced at me and shook her head. “But I can see you two are far too connected. The witch has tainted your incubus magic. Pity.”
“I’ll do it,” Kane said.
“No, he won’t!” I clasped my hand around his wrist as if that would stop him.
“Jade,” he warned.
“You can’t do this.” It wasn’t that I was scared for him, though I was. But the bigger problem was we didn’t have any idea what this being was capable of or why she wanted him. Kane’s energy was somehow tied to the shadow world. Weird, unnatural energy that wasn’t all his. Trading him for our friends could and likely would be an even larger disaster.
“Enough.” Bea lowered her arms and peered at the Goddess. “Who are you, and what exactly are you after?”
She laughed and flittered away toward Rosalee. Studying the small witch, she tilted her head to the side and winked. “You’re adorable.”
“And you’re crazy.” Power pulsed around Rosalee. She wasn’t going to put up with any shit from the Goddess. Good for her.
“I know who she is,” Lucien said, his voice full of hatred.
The Goddess moved to the center of the circle and sat down cross-legged, waiting for him to continue. “Oh, this should be really interesting.”
“You’re Genesis, the younger sister of the Goddess of Spirit. You’re everything she isn’t.”
All the humor left the Goddess’s expression and s
he stood, her hands on her hips. “How did you know that?”
Lucien narrowed his eyes and glared.
“Tell me, witch. Or I’ll take her spirit now.” She pointed toward Kat, apparently knowing exactly how much Kat meant to him.
Hatred radiated off Lucien in the form of a red smoke cloud. “Mythology is one of my hobbies. You look just like your sister. Only, she’s kind and watches over people. Helps them grow and better themselves. You’re the opposite. You feed off spirits in order to stay young.”
The Goddess flew into the air, twirling in a fit of rage.
But she had nowhere to go. Our circle had her trapped. The five of us stood strong, unwilling to waver. She flipped and dove, shot back up, and came hurtling back down.
“Way to have a complete fit,” Rosalee mumbled.
I cast my coven mate a warning glance. The last thing we needed was to piss her off any more.
“Let me go,” Genesis demanded.
“Free our friends, and we’ll consider it,” I said calmly, realizing that as long as she was in a snit, we weren’t going to accomplish anything.
“No!” She stalked over to me, her finger pointed in my direction. “I’m in charge here.”
I glanced around at my fellow witches. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“No? I am.” She waved a hand in Pyper’s direction, forcing her to type even faster. “Free me, or I’ll work them all to death.”
“Don’t do it, Jade,” Bea warned. “She’s not strong enough to do that.”
I caught my mentor’s eyes, searching for the truth. Bea was much more experienced than I was and I didn’t have a reason to doubt her, but already our friends were suffering.
Genesis glared at Bea. “You’re a trouble maker.”
Bea sent her a smile, and I knew right then Bea was right. Genesis was mostly talk. I wasn’t letting her out of this circle without striking a bargain.
“Free our friends, and you can go,” I said again.
Genesis growled. Actually bared her teeth and growled at me as she stalked over to where Charlie was curled into a ball. “I’ll give up this one. The other two are mine.”
My heart skipped a beat. Progress. “All three of them. You don’t need them for anything. They aren’t magical.”
“I do. They have spirit.” Her eyes went wide and her lips twisted into a maniacal smile. “They’re rich with it.” She waved at Charlie. “Take the deal, or I’ll suck her dry right here.”
“What—”
The Goddess reached both hands out toward Charlie. A force shifted in the air, and energy flowed from Charlie to the Goddess. Genesis’s complexion brightened and a glow started to outline her body.
“Stop!” I cried. “Stop it. It’s a deal. You can go free if you release Charlie.”
Lucien gasped, and Bea sucked in a harsh breath. But that was too bad. I wasn’t going to stand there and let her kill Charlie before my eyes. And I couldn’t stop her. Not with her there only in spirit.
The Goddess lowered her hands and moved back to stand in front of me. “How can I know you’re telling the truth?”
“You’re just going to have to trust me.”
“I don’t think so.” Genesis moved over to where Kat was still silently speaking into the void. “I’ll release the one you call Charlie, but if you don’t free me and cease this calling immediately afterward, I’ll drain this one.”
Lucien’s rage filtered over me from the other side of the circle. I couldn’t deal with him just then. Nothing on this planet would stop me from keeping Kat safe. “Fine. Let Charlie go.”
The Goddess walked back over to Charlie, leaned down, and blew into her face.
Sparks of light flittered over Charlie’s skin as a silver cloud, in the shape of a short woman, radiated from her and evaporated in the air. After a moment, she uncurled and glanced around at all of us. “Jade? Kane?” she said, her eyes full of fear and confusion.
“Charlie. Are you all right?” I asked.
She wrapped her arms around herself and glanced around again. “Yes. I think so.”
I reached into the circle, my hand breaking the barrier. “Grab hold.”
Charlie slowly reached out, and I nearly cried when our hands united. She was solid. The Goddess had released her and in doing so, she’d left her in my circle.
“Hold on tight, okay? No matter what happens.”
Charlie nodded, threading her fingers through mine.
“Release us, witch,” Genesis demanded. “Now.”
The way she was eyeing Kat, I had no doubt in my mind she’d drain her. If she sucked Kat’s spirit out, there was nothing any of us could do. My heart ached at the realization of what I had to do, and a choked sob got caught in my throat. I wasn’t going to be able to save all three of them. Not in that moment. And if I tried, I’d lose my best friend.
A sharp pain stabbed me in the chest as my resolve solidified. There wasn’t any other choice. I had to do this now. With tears streaming down my face, I threw my free arm up in the air and shouted, “Libero!”
Genesis smiled as her body started to fade into the night. And a second later, there was a flash of magic as the Goddess vanished, taking Pyper and Kat with her.
Chapter 14
Everyone was silent as we stared at the empty circle. I clutched my chest, trying to keep my heart from shattering into a million pieces. My two best friends were gone again, taken by a spirit-eating Goddess. And Lucien, my second in command, was glaring at me in judgment.
“Charlie,” Kane said as he wrapped her into a hug.
She clung to him and buried her face into his shoulder, trembling with shock. “I don’t know what happened.”
He shook his head. “Neither do I, but you’re safe now.”
“But Pyper…and Kat.” Their names were barely audible as the reality of whatever she’d went through hit her hard. “They need help.”
“I know,” Kane soothed. “We’re working on it.”
Lucien stalked over to me. “Are we? Working on it? How could you let her go and take them with her?”
I pressed my fingers to my tired eyes. “What was I supposed to do, Lucien? The Goddess was going to kill someone. I did what I could. Now we have to figure out where to go from here.”
“But Kat—”
“Stop!” I said. “Don’t make this harder than it already is. I love her, too, you know.”
Lucien clamped his mouth shut, either too fed up to argue with me or too disgusted. I didn’t care. I just needed time to think.
Bea came up beside me and touched my hand.
I met her worried gaze. “Are you going to judge me, too?”
She shook her head sadly. “No, Jade. You did what you thought you had to do.”
I nodded. “Yes. I did. You have to know I’d never—”
“I know.” Her voice was full of pity, which pissed me off. It shouldn’t have, but it did. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“Jade?” Kane put his hand on the small of my back.
I looked up into his worried eyes.
“I want to bring Charlie back to the house with us tonight. Is that all right?”
I nearly cried at the tenderness in his tone. “Yes. Please. I want to be sure she’s safe, and it would be nice if we could talk to her about what she’s been through.”
He nodded and wrapped his arm around my waist. “Then let’s get out of here. She really needs a quiet place to pull herself together.”
I spotted Charlie standing off to the side away from Bea, Lucien, and Rosalee. She was pale and appeared as if she might pass out at any moment. Raw anger and helplessness warred in my chest for what she’d been through. Charlie worked for Kane and knew about some of our supernatural adventures, but she rarely witnessed them, and she’d never been in the line of fire before. Why had Genesis targeted her? Had she just been there for the taking?
“Let’s go.” I took off in Charlie’s direction and slipped my hand into hers.
“Hey, you. Let’s get you home.”
Her head snapped up and she stared at me with wide, panicked eyes. “Kane said he wanted me to go to your house.”
I nodded slowly, desperate to force some calming energy into her, only there was nothing calm about my state of mind and I had nothing to give her. “Is that okay?”
The panic fled and the tension in her shoulders eased. “Yeah. I don’t really want…” She stared off into the trees and shrugged.
“Understood.” I tugged on her hand, and the three of us made our way back to Lucien’s Jeep. Bea, Rosalee, and Lucien followed shortly. We now had six people instead of five, so I sat on Kane’s lap and no one said a word on the way back to Bea’s.
Lucien pulled to a stop in front of her house but didn’t kill the engine. “I’m going home to do some research.”
“Okay. Thank you,” I said.
He gave me a curt nod and as soon as we piled out, he took off with Rosalee in the passenger seat.
“I’ll call a cab,” Kane said.
“Come inside while you wait,” Bea said.
Charlie and I followed her while Kane made the phone call.
“It’s okay. It’s safe here,” I said to Charlie and led her into the house.
Lailah jumped off the couch as soon as the door opened. “What happened?” Then she spotted Charlie and ran full force, catching her in a hug. “Thank goodness. Where were you?”
Charlie stared at me over Lailah’s shoulder and shook her head.
“Lailah,” I said gently and tugged her away from Charlie. “Let’s all sit at the table, huh? Bea?”
My mentor glanced over at us.
“Do you have more tea and something Charlie could snack on?”
“Of course.”
I guided Charlie over to the table. She sat and stared straight ahead.
“What happened?” Lailah asked calmly, her normal professional demeanor sliding back into place.
I went through the summoning and when I got to the part about Genesis, she held her hand up.
“You mean a lesser Goddess is targeting them?”
I nodded. “Yep. Lucien knew who she was and she didn’t deny it.” I lowered my voice and leaned in. “She feeds on a person’s spirit in order to stay young and beautiful.”