by Dana Davis
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I didn’t do one in the first place. There’s no way we can set it to detect just a hitchhiker. Any way you can tell the spooks to get lost for a while, Scarlet?”
Liam suddenly stood and groaned as an inky black shadow slipped from his body, like an amoeba splitting in two. Noah and Jay reached for him as he staggered.
“No!” Scarlet cried. “Don’t touch him!” She grabbed onto Daisy and pulled her back until they bumped into the coffee table as the others scrambled away from Liam.
“Holy crap! Is that the hitchhiker?” Daisy realized that in all this time, she hadn’t bothered to ask what one looked like. She hadn’t seen anything as it fled the redneck boy in the cemetery. She just assumed it resembled the ugly visage it had left on the floor of her hospital room. I don’t smell that rotting vegetation now.
Scarlet shook her head and cursed in Spanish. “No. That’s – something else.”
“Something else? What does that mean?” Daisy watched in horror as the shadow figure undulated, trying to break free of Liam’s body. But it was tethered to the man, a thin black line connecting the two. Liam fell to his knees then pitched to the floor and curled into a fetal position. Perky barked at the prone man and Daisy handed him to Noah. “Scarlet, what the hell is that thing?”
Before the medium could answer, Gerty appeared near the patio slider, wearing her white dress and apron. Daisy started to acknowledge her but didn’t get the chance because Gerty said something and the screeching sound filled the room. Daisy slapped her palms over her ears until it stopped.
“She can’t hear you yet, Gerty” Scarlet said. “But thanks. I’m on it. Just get ready.” The ghost nodded, gave a wan smile to Daisy, and disappeared. “Anybody got a phone?”
“I do. What the hell’s going on?” Bridgette said. Her cousin’s eyes darted around the room and back to Liam, and Daisy realized she couldn’t see the shadow thing.
Which means Noah and Jay can’t either.
“Call Kali,” Scarlet said. “Tell her to get her cute little necro ass over here right now. And keep away from Liam. All of you.”
“Scarlet, damnit. What is that thing?” Daisy started to move forward for a better look, but the medium’s arm flew out in front of her as though she were a child about to run into traffic. “You sure it’s not the hitchhiker?”
“No, it’s not.” Penetrating brown eyes moved to her. “I wondered if you were gonna be trouble. Looks like I was right.”
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* * * *
Chapter 20
Steal My Sunshine
Daisy watched Liam squirm and moan on her tile floor as the shadow creature tried to separate from him without success. That’s gotta hurt like hell.
Noah started out of the room with Perky. “I’ll put him in the bedroom.”
“Thanks, Babe.”
Bridgette said goodbye to Kali and pressed off her phone.
“Does she need a ride?” Daisy said.
“What? No. She’s got her car back.” Bridgette’s gaze was on Liam. Then, before Daisy could stop her, she grabbed Scarlet by the arm and yanked her around. “Why don’t you fucking do something?”
The medium leveled her gaze. “Because if I try anything without Kali’s help it’ll just make things worse.” Her dark gaze moved to Bridgette’s hand around her arm. “Now will you please let go of me?”
The redhead swallowed and released Scarlet’s arm. “Sorry. But he’s been through so much shit for so long.”
Jay moved to Bridgette and placed a comforting hand on her back. He ran his other hand through his thick hair and several tiny mesquite leaves fluttered to the tile floor.
Where the hell have those two been? Before she could ask, Noah returned and stood next to her. She put her hand in his and took comfort in his presence. Her gaze moved Scarlet. “There has to be something we can do.”
“Not without Kali.”
Daisy had another thought. “Maybe it wasn’t the hitchhiker that attacked him earlier. Maybe it was this thing.”
“I doubt that.”
“Why can’t you tell me what this thing is?”
“Because I won’t know for sure until Kali gets here.”
“Oh.” Daisy looked over at her cousin, who now stood next to the bar watching Liam. Something in the redhead’s gaze caught at her heart. She loves him. Bridgette’s green eyes pinned Daisy where she stood. Splendid. She’s got her senses open. “Uh, maybe we should try those ward spells while we wait. Can’t hurt, right?”
Scarlet turned to her. “Not yet. We need to get this taken care of first.”
Liam continued to writhe on the floor, making Daisy’s anxiety rise up like a hot air balloon, and she silently wished for Kali to hurry.
“Fuck this.” Bridgette moved toward Liam but Scarlet got in her way. “Touch him now, witch, and you’ll kill him.”
Daisy didn’t like what she saw in her cousin’s eyes. “Bridge? Bridgette.” The redhead took a step back from Scarlet. “I’m so sorry about Liam, Bridge. We’ll do everything we can to help him.”
“You better.” But Bridgette wasn’t talking to Daisy. Her hard gaze still rested on Scarlet. After a moment, she turned and moved back to the bar.
Liam moaned again.
Hold on, Chesh. Help is on the way. “Scarlet? Are you absolutely sure we can’t do something before Kali gets here?”
“No. Nothing.”
Everyone stood around like spectators at an accident, watching the poor man for what seemed an eternity before Daisy heard a car pull up outside. Bridgette was closest to the kitchen so she hurried into the front room to let Kali inside.
The Asian woman strode in, moving like a dancer, back straight and a determined look on her face. Even with no makeup, she was a knock-out. “This better be good, Scarlet. I have a performance tomorrow night. She glanced at her watch. Tonight, whatever, and I need to get some sleep.” She stopped short when she crossed through kitchen and saw what lay on the floor in Daisy’s family room. She uttered several words in Chinese, curses probably, and pointed a thin arm. “Is that—”
“Good enough for you?” Scarlet said.
“How did—” her dark eyes settled on Daisy. “Oh yeah, right.”
“I need confirmation. You up to this?” Scarlet’s tone implied she expected the necro to help.
Kali put her sequined purse on the dining table and moved closer to Liam but still out of his reach. She looked nervous. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Good.” Scarlet pointed. “You boys move this coffee table.”
After Noah and Jay moved the antique trunk with the glass top that served as Daisy’s coffee table, Kali’s foot reached out and hooked a floor pillow, pulling it beneath her. She folded herself into a sitting position.
Damn. Wish I was that graceful.
Scarlet sat next to the necro on another pillow. Kali rested hands on her knees, closed her eyes, and mumbled something, while Scarlet uttered calming words to Liam. Kali’s voice was so soft, Daisy couldn’t tell what she said.
When the necro’s eyes opened, they had a glassy look, like she was only partially here. She stared at Liam and the shadow thing attached to him for several moments before reaching a hand out to Scarlet. “We’ll need Daisy for this.” Her voice was a bit slurred, like she’d been drinking.
“She’s too new, Kali.”
“We need her power.”
Daisy crossed her arms. “Need my power for what, exactly?”
“You’ll see.” Kali said in a slurred voice and she motioned to the floor. “Get down here. We don’t have much time.”
“Daisy?” Noah grabbed onto her arm.
She turned and gave a nervous smile to her husband. “I’ll be all right, babe.” I hope.
“Hurry up,” Kali said in her slurred voice. “The rest of you stay out of the way. Please. And whatever happens, don’t interfere.”
“That means you, Bridgette,” Scarlet said. “You wan
t Liam back, you keep out of this.”
“Fine. Just do it.”
Daisy gave a wan smile to her cousin and sat next to Scarlet, who looked unhappy about her being there, as Jay and Noah moved to the couch. Bridgette remained standing but she inched close to the dining table, a look of pain in her eyes.
She’s lucky she can’t see what I see. “I hope you two know what you’re doing.” Daisy jumped when Scarlet took her hand and a spark shocked her skin. The medium and the necro were already holding hands, creating a magickal connection like they had in the cemetery when Daisy crossed over to the afterlife. Only Daisy hadn’t been part of that link. Before she could dwell on that, her vision tunneled and panic surged through her. “Kali?”
“You’re safe. You can’t cross over without the right rituals and spells. Focus on Liam.”
Scarlet gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and she forced herself to sit still and wait for whatever was to come next.
At first, nothing happened and she wondered if Kali had been wrong about her added power helping. But after a moment, her vision grew hazy, like looking through a dirty window after a monsoon dust storm. A black aura flickered into view around Liam. The poor man looked like someone had drawn an outline around him with a fat magic marker. The shadow thing attached to him began to take shape as Daisy watched. It began to look more human. More solid. More like Liam. In fact, it started to look exactly like Liam.
She wanted to ask what or who the shadow was but her voice wouldn’t work. Scarlet’s hand tightened around her own, as though the medium were afraid she’d break loose and run away.
In her mind, Daisy heard a voice but she couldn’t make out the words. What? Did somebody say something?
We need to sever them.
So this must be what Bridgette hears when she uses her telepathy. Kali?
Yes. The necro’s mental voice sounded alert. No slurring at all in Daisy’s mind. Concentrate, Daisy. We need your help to separate the two.
Her heart raced with that thought. The last time she separated an entity from its human host, the results were tragic. The entity went back to wherever it had come from but the human host had died. Okay, so he had tried to steal her soul to get at her powers but she still didn’t like killing anyone. Kali? Why does the shadow look like Liam?
It’s his twin.
What? How? When did he get a twin? Is the twin dead?
All good questions, witch. Scarlet’s voice inside her head that time. But if we chat it up now, Liam’s a goner. He shouldn’t have lasted this long.
Daisy forced the questions to the back of her mind and focused on the prone, writhing man in front of her. Something tugged at her, sucking at her energy much like Rebecca had with her psi-vamp powers, and she started to pull her hand from Scarlet’s grasp.
The medium’s grip tightened. It’s okay, Daisy. What you’re feeling is just your aura reaching out and blending with ours. It won’t hurt you. Just relax and let us guide you.
She swallowed hard and tried not to resist, even though every fiber in her body wanted her to run far away from these two women. Her body began to tingle all over until she thought she might go mad from the sensation. Are we doing that?
Yes. Now quiet your thoughts and let us work.
Daisy cleared her mind as best she could, considering the tingle of her skin and the freakish black thread that surrounded the three of them now. My aura is black? Holy crap! Daisy didn’t know much about auras but she guessed a black one probably didn’t mean rainbows and unicorns. Ghosts have black outlines. Am I dying?
Your whole aura’s not black. Scarlet’s voice again and she sounded insulted. It’s just a tiny part.
Well, that’s something. After a moment, the black thread that represented Daisy, Scarlet, and Kali’s auras as a single implement reached out toward Liam’s shadow twin and surrounded it – him.
Daisy marveled at the other women’s control, especially considering that Kali only recently began using her necro powers after a long hiatus. She wanted to see if she could control the thread but didn’t dare try it for fear of damaging Liam. Hard as it was, she simply watched as the black thread wound around the shadow twin, until his own outline grew darker and wider. The thread tightened around him, snug at first, then it began to squeeze. Daisy started to panic when she felt him struggle and tug at her aura.
Be still, Daisy! Scarlet’s mental voice sounded like it came from the end of a long tunnel.
The admonition prickled but she dismissed it. Okay, you can do this, Daisy Rhiannon. You’ve been through worse and survived. Just relax and let them work. She took in a deep breath to help calm her nerves.
Without warning, the black thread whipped the shadow away from Liam’s writhing body and the two separated with a loud snap. Liam went limp but the shadow fought like a trapped animal. Daisy couldn’t stop the panic this time. Out of an instinct for survival, her aura began to pull back.
No, Daisy! Kali’s mental voice came to her in alarm. Don’t let go. We have to get him crossed over or we’ll lose him. You have to stay connected. I need your power.
Daisy’s aura seemed to have a mind of its own and panic pulsed through her as it continued to retreat back toward her body. I can’t hold on!
Yes you can. Scarlet’s voice again. Envision that part of your aura thickening as it extends outward. You have to stay connected or we’ll lose the twin and he’ll be trapped between worlds.
Great. No pressure then?
When Daisy hesitated and almost gave into her instincts to retreat, Scarlet’s voice grew loud and adamant. Claim your power, witch! Command it! Now!
Okay, okay! Stop yelling at me. With rising anger, she mentally envisioned her aura thickening as it reached outward from her body, just as Scarlet had instructed.
At first, nothing happened. Then, like a rubber band pulled tight and released, it snapped into place around the shadow twin, causing her entire body to sting with a small electrical charge. But the connection was stronger now. She was stronger. She no longer felt like a passenger on this strange quest. The oddest part was how she could still see this world but also peer into the afterlife. The momentary feeling of weightlessness, the familiar mist she’d experienced there, the lost sense of time – It all came back to her in a rush.
You’re okay, Daisy. Kali’s mental voice sounded distant but strong. You won’t cross over. Just hold on.
She held on with all her mental might, but straddling two worlds caused her to grow lightheaded and breathless. I feel separated.
That’s normal, Scarlet said.
Holy crap! Is this what you two went through to help me cross over back at the cemetery? Neither of them answered. Guilt threatened to undo her concentration but she shoved it down.
The thread pulsed around Liam’s shadow twin like a black holiday bulb on the twinkle setting. Daisy studied Kali, trying her best to focus on the living world through the mist of the afterlife, the two worlds overlapping. After a few seconds, she saw Kali more clearly. The necro’s body trembled and she looked to be in pain.
She heard faint voices from outside her body and recognized Noah and Bridgette. They were arguing about something.
Scarlet tugged at Daisy’s hand. Focus, Daisy.
She brought her attention back. What’s she doing? Is she all right?
Hush. Let her work. Just let her take whatever power she needs from us. The rest is up to her now.
Perspiration ran down Kali’s temple and beaded above her lip, as she sat with her eyes closed and mumbled something Daisy couldn’t make out. Her body began to tremble violently as though seizures had taken her. Daisy wanted to help the woman, but she forced herself to stay put as her own strength began to drain.
Sweat trickle down Daisy’s cheeks and back now. Her breath became shallow and labored as she struggled to hold her aura in place and give Kali enough time to do whatever it was she was doing just now. Almost on the brink of passing out, she couldn’t seem to form more than a brief
thought.
Finally, Liam’s shadow twin stopped struggling and stepped into the mist, crossing into the afterlife. There, he looked like a miniature version of Liam, no more than a toddler. A large woman in a white dress and white apron took his hand and Daisy recognized Gerty.
She offered a smile to the dead woman just before something slammed into her and she collapsed.
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* * * *
Chapter 21
Ordinary World
Daisy awoke in her bed with Noah, Scarlet and Kali gathered around, shutters closed and the bright ceiling fan light on. She felt weak and hungry. “What happened?”
Noah sat on the edge of the bed, causing it to jiggle. “You passed out. Are you okay?”
It was still dark outside so she didn’t think she’d been out too long. Perky lay on his pillow and his head popped up when he saw Daisy, but he didn’t get up. Poor Perky-poo. He must be exhausted like me. “Yeah, I’m okay but I’m starving.” Her stomach rumbled as though accentuating her words.
Noah looked relieved. “Bridgette’s fixing something.” His face screwed into worry again. “You sure you’re okay?”
“I told you she’s fine, Noah,” Scarlet said. The medium looked tired but not anything like Daisy felt. “I wouldn’t let her do anything that would damage her.”
Yeah, bet she’d tackle me before letting me do something stupid with my new medium powers. She took in a long breath at that thought. I’m a medium. I’m really a medium. Holy crap. Acceptance? Which step is that? She glanced at Kali, who simply watched her from the trunk at the end of the bed. The necro looked energized, refreshed.
A faint sound of utensils clanging together came from the kitchen and Daisy’s gaze moved to the doorway. Bridgette. I’m worried about her. “Kali, how’s Liam? Is he okay?” She noticed someone had repositioned the blue sheet over her dresser mirror. Good. I’ve had enough of the afterlife for one day. She opened her mouth to ask about Liam’s shadow twin but her throat grew warm and nothing came out. Damnit. I’ll have to get Kali alone for details.