“You knew, didn’t you? My arrest was all just a ruse,” I say, shaking my head. The adrenaline rush is starting to wear off and I can’t believe anything I’m hearing. It’s like I’ve stepped into an alternate universe.
Diana shifts her gaze to me and smiles sweetly. “I wouldn’t be world-renowned if I didn’t figure it out. Besides, I promised I’d take care of you, didn’t I?”
I raise my eyebrows in agreement. Part of me is flooding with relief…but the other half is hurting for Colton. He’s not a bad guy—far from it. But his feelings clouded his judgment.
“What’s going to happen to him?” I ask, suddenly scared for him.
Diana tips her head. “That’ll be up to him.”
Blake steps around Colton, so he can open the back door to the SUV. “If he cooperates, we might be able to get his sentence lightened. So, I hope you’re ready. You’re gonna need to help us undo this mess, kid. ”
Colton nods, refusing to look up to any of us.
“The spellwork isn’t going to be any fun, that’s for sure,” Diana mutters, practically prancing over to the vehicle.
Colton’s eyes widen as he glances to Diana, but he doesn’t say anything. What was the spell like to raise the dead in the first place? Was it like the resurrection I performed on Cat?
Blake points to the seat and Colton promptly sits down.
As Colton’s door clicks into place, Cat springs into action. “Hold on. I’m coming with you. I’m not letting him go alone.”
Before any of us knows it, she’s hopped into the back seat alongside her brother.
Diana nods, as if totally expecting her outburst. She looks to each one of us before saying, “Well, it’s been a blast, but it looks like we all have our work cut out for us. See ya around, kids. Good luck. I trust you’ll be able to get this next step done.”
With that, she hops into the passenger side and closes the door. The black SUV speeds off, leaving Wade, Dominic, and me in a stupor.
Rubbing at my left wrist, I turn to Wade. His expression is distant as he eyes me wearily.
Taking a deep breath, I say, “Wade, I know you’re probably…”
He cuts me off, raising a hand. His jaw clenches and his voice is tight. “Not now, Autumn. It’s not the time. We still need to find my grandpa.”
I blink back my regret and bite my lip to keep it from quivering.
What have I done?
Dominic’s eyebrows raise and he steps forward, taking the lead. “Alrighty—on that note…let’s get moving. It’s almost dark. Like I said, he’s out that way, but I don’t know for how long.”
I nod, unable to form any words that could relieve the tension that’s settled between my heart and stomach. Instead, I look over my shoulder as the SUV vanishes from sight.
How did I not see what was happening with Colton? Had I just realized how deep his feelings were, maybe I could have prevented all of this… Was I just too wrapped up in my feelings for Wade to see the truth? Or worse…was I too afraid to face Colton’s feelings because I already knew? It’s not like the kiss hasn’t been weighing heavily on my mind since it happened. Yet, I chose to ignore it and try to let it slide so I could pretend like it never happened.
A horrible truth erupts in the pit of my stomach. Not only have I let Wade down…I let down Colton, too. Had I been honest from the beginning, none of this would have happened.
This is all my fault.
Chapter 23
A Death Wish
“So, not to be a complete moron or anything—but have you thought about how you’re going to restrain gramps once we find him?” Dominic asks, flipping on the flashlight from his phone.
I shoot Wade a sideways glance and he shrugs. “Guess we’ll deal with that once we get there.”
“Reassuring,” Dominic mutters, stepping out in front and taking the lead.
Cringing internally, I’m right there with Dominic. The last time we were near Wade’s grandpa, he was pretty spry for a dead guy. And damn scary.
“We handled him just fine last time. I’m sure we’ll be able to handle him this time,” Wade says nonchalantly as he shoves his hands in his pockets. “Besides, he’s outnumbered three to one.”
“Didn’t know there was a rule on the number of people it takes to wrangle a dead guy,” Dom mutters.
The sunlight has all but dwindled and the March evening chill has settled in. Pulling my coat in tighter, I shudder against its bite. My toes are already aching from the cold.
Unable to calm my mind, I let my thoughts tumble around like they’ve been put into one of those gemstone tumblers and it’s been left on too long. I can’t help but worry about Colton and what’s going to happen to him now. But I’m also apprehensive about what we’re up against.
One piece of the puzzle has fit into place—we know who’s been behind the attacks. But what had Abigail said? We still need to get all the bodies into the catacombs and consecrate the cemeteries to stop them from continuing to rise. It feels like a huge expanse we’re trying to cover, and I feel totally unequipped to be able to handle it. I must not be the only one, either. Both of the guys continue walking without much in the way of discussion.
“How much farther?” Wade finally asks, pulling his collar up to protect his neck.
Dominic points ahead of us. “See that hill over there? What’s back there?”
I peer over his shoulder, trying to get a better look. From here, the only thing I get the sense of is how creepy the trees look in the light of his phone. It reminds me of The Blair Witch Project. I’d rather be doing anything else.
“I don’t see anything…” I say, moving forward with even less enthusiasm.
“Yeah, me either. But I keep getting the impression he’s out that way,” Dominic says.
“Isn’t this where we were looking the other day?” Wade asks, speaking his first words directly to me in the past half hour.
My heart lightens and I nod. “Yeah, but we’re a bit farther now. I don’t think we made it quite this far.”
The memory of that day rushes at me like a freight train. It had been a good day—a sexy, kinda romantic day. Well, until grandpa showed up, anyway.
I shudder away the remnants of that day and breathe out my trepidation. This might not be how I’d wanted things to play out, but hopefully it will all be over soon. At least the truth is out there now, and I don’t have to carry the burden of it anymore. When this revenant thing is done and dusted, hopefully Wade and I can work everything out.
Please, let us work this out…
Unfortunately, a niggling feeling in the back of my mind makes me uneasy. Colton mentioned Wade wasn’t allowed to be with me, and Dominic said something to that effect last year. It seems like everyone knows more about what Wade is than I do.
My gaze drifts over to him and again, a twinge of guilt and anxiety blossom through me. His dark hair flutters in the breeze and he keeps his eyes trained only on the path ahead. He hasn’t even tried to hold my hand once. I drop my chin and tuck my hands in my coat pockets.
For the next few minutes, only the sound of our feet crunching in the snow breaks the silence. Then, in the distance, an owl hoots, making me nearly jump out of my skin.
Dominic chuckles under his breath. “Kinda jumpy for someone who raises the dead, aren’t ya?”
I scratch at the side of my temple and make a face. “Yeah, well, I’m not exactly used to it yet. And I’m not overly looking forward to any of this, so…”
“Shhh… Do you hear that?” Wade says, holding up a hand and cocking his head to the side.
At first, I don’t hear a thing, but after a few seconds of holding my breath, a faint thumping echoes across the snowy landscape.
My eyes widen. “What is that? Do you think it’s your grandpa?”
Wade shrugs. “Hell if I know. I can’t say he normally made a sound like that.”
I shrink back, feeling stupid.
“We’ll know soon enough. If my abilit
ies aren’t completely off base, he should be right over this crest. You ready?” Dominic says, lowering his voice.
“As ready as we’ll ever be, I suppose,” I say, shrugging. It’s not as if I want to stand outside all night. In fact, I’d rather hurry this up so I can talk to Wade.
Together, we make our way the remaining few feet up a small hill, holding onto barren trees for support so we don’t slip back down. The ground beneath our feet is disheveled and slick, as if someone—or something—has been here in the not-too-distant past.
When we reach the top, down on the other side is an enormous oak tree bigger than any tree I’ve ever seen before. Its trunk had been mostly obscured by the hill, showing off only its branches. However, its wide base spans at least five feet in diameter, probably more. Those large, gnarly branches claw upward, breaking off into hundreds, maybe thousands, of smaller branches.
Just beside the tree, as if it were built as a support, is a small stone entrance. It’s barely noticeable, but scattered on the ground are large icicles and a smattering of snow. When the icicles were intact, they would have easily hidden the entrance to the casual observer. I know I would never have thought twice had I seen it. Hell, in the summer, it’s probably equally hidden by all of the brush.
The dark mouth is no wider than two feet across and roughly five feet tall. But it’s just about the right size for a person…
Dominic casts a leery grin my direction, then shines the flashlight at Wade. “Well, it’s your grandpa. You go first.”
Wade scowls, dropping his arms to his sides and stepping in front to take the lead. I follow him, refusing to allow the panic welling up inside of me to win. We did deal with him before and I’ll be damned if I make Wade handle things alone.
As we get to the entrance, Wade pulls out his own phone and turns on the flashlight. Glancing over his shoulder, he says, “Stay behind me. If he runs at us like he did last time—just go. I’ve got this.”
My mouth drops open. “Got this? In what universe do you have this?”
Why doesn’t he want me here? Does he have a death wish now?
Instead of answering me, he turns back around, facing the way of the tunnel. Our curiosity doesn’t take long to catch up with us. The tunnel is barely longer than a room’s length—maybe ten or twelve feet. It’s made out of the same stone and mortar work as the resurrection chamber in my house...only at the other end is a large, ancient-looking wooden door. Ornate black iron details are strewn across its surface like some sort of incantation. And maybe it is.
Right in the middle of the door, bumping into it over and over again, is Wade’s grandpa.
“Is that—?” Dom whispers behind me.
I nod, refusing to take my eyes off him for fear he’ll turn around and run this way. Wade and I know first-hand how fast he can move and how strong he is.
Reaching for Wade’s shoulder, I lean in. His scent of sandalwood and soap tickle my senses and twist my guilt. Shoving it back down, I say, “What’s he doing?”
Wade shakes his head and shrugs. “I don’t know… I’m still new to revenants. It looks like he’s trying to get in, though.”
“What is this place? How did it get here?” Dominic whispers feverishly. “I can’t get a single read on it. It’s like a black hole to my ability. Is this part of your property still?”
“I’m not sure,” I say, running my fingertips over my mouth. “I’ve never seen it before—but…”
“It’s gotta be the entrance to the catacombs,” Wade says, finishing my thought.
I nod in agreement.
Dominic’s eyes practically fall out of his head. “The what now?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll fill you in later. All you need to know is this is the perfect place for him to be. It actually helps me out a lot because I need to get him inside,” I say, stepping around Wade as I try to get a better view of the door.
The handle isn’t evident, nor is any kind of a lock. Instead, the massive gateway looks impenetrable. I need to figure out how to open the door, and hopefully I’ll be able to convince Grandpa to follow me—or at least go inside of his own volition. Maybe once Colton does his side of things, Grandpa will be totally compliant until he’s been released to the catacombs.
“You wanna get that guy in there? That’s a special kinda crazy,” Dominic whispers. “I wouldn’t go anywhere near that place. Bad mojo…”
“Thanks,” I mutter, making a face.
“Well, we can’t just stand here and stare at him all day. If that’s the door to the catacombs, we need to get it open and get him inside.” Wade walks forward, his arm outstretched.
Reaching for him, I yank him back. “No, you can’t go in there. I’m not even sure you should touch the door.”
“What? Why?” Wade says, his eyebrows pulling in.
“Your job has to be finding out how to consecrate the cemeteries. Remember?” I say, trying to calm the thumping of my heart.
“I’m kinda with Wade on this one. Why can’t we help with this first?” Dominic asks, tipping his chin toward the doorway.
“Because only the dead shall enter,” I say, frowning.
Dominic snickers. “You’re not dead.”
“I know that,” I say, shooting him a look of irritation. “But my family is an exception.”
“Lucky,” he says, quirking an eyebrow sarcastically.
“Look, I didn’t make the rules. I just know that if either of you try to enter the catacombs, your souls could be lost. It’s a magical labyrinth in there—and if your soul isn’t being properly guided, you could get trapped in Purgatory. So, trust me, you don’t wanna open that door, okay?” I turn to Wade, whose expression is quizzical, but he doesn’t say a word.
Suddenly, Wade’s grandpa stops thumping against the door. The silence immediately fills the space and pushes a shot of adrenaline through my system. Wade crouches, taking a stance I’ve only ever seen football players make, while Dom doesn’t move a muscle. Twisting around on the spot, Wade’s grandpa flits his hazy white eyes over the three of us and releases the most horrifying high-pitched scream.
Dominic’s mouth opens, his own scream mingling with the sound of the revenant’s. I open my mouth at the same time, but no sound escapes, no matter how hard I try.
Wade, on the other hand, looks up to the ceiling of the small interior space and yells, “Dad—”
Chapter 24
A Guarantee
Black smoke billows behind us, consuming the opening of the tunnel as it sends dark tendrils out in every direction. Like the darkness of a black hole, no light comes in or out when both Wade and Dominic shine their flashlights into it.
Then, materializing out of the darkness, is the man I’ve seen twice now. The pure panic and fear in the tone of Wade’s voice must have been enough to summon his father—whatever he is. His silver eyes survey the scene with deep discernment, and apprehension is painted across his features. When his eyes pause on the revenant behind Wade, his jaw clenches and eyebrows lower. When Wade’s dad raises a single hand, the revenant’s cry ceases, and he drops into a strange, silent trance.
“What’s going on here?” Wade’s dad says, his voice a pile of gravel as he turns to Wade. The darkness that brought him here vanishes as if sucked through a vortex in his back.
Wade takes a deep breath, straightening his shoulders as he walks toward him. “Things have worsened, as you can probably see. I know you said not to,” He starts to turn around, pointing toward the revenant of his grandpa.
“And yet, here we are,” his dad says, blinking slowly and flitting his gaze to me long enough to send a wave of anxiety rolling through me.
I swallow hard, trying to muster the courage to be more confident than I feel. “Someone has been raising the dead. We know you were a suspect the last time this happened, but it wasn’t you.”
For the first time, a hint of surprise flashes across his dad’s features. “And how would you know this?” His eyes land squarely
on Wade, who drops his gaze to the ground and shakes his head imperceptibly.
I narrow my eyes and jut out my jaw. “Look, I don’t know what you did back then or why, but we need your help now to consecrate the cemeteries involved. Wade believes this is something you can do.” Squirming under the weight of his stare, I add, “Is…is it something you can do?”
Wade’s dad is far more commanding of the space than any of us. Even Dominic shrinks back as Wade’s dad steps toward me. “I told you I would be back. It appears your meddling has caught up with you, has it?”
I shake my head vehemently. “This wasn’t me.”
His eyes narrow down to silver slits, but he tips his head to the side. “Surprising. This has the stench of your family’s tampering all over it.”
I practically snort. “Stench of my family’s tampering? Excuse me? What is your problem?”
Wade steps between me and his dad, splaying his arms out wide in protection. I peer over his shoulder, refusing to cower. No matter who this guy thinks he is.
Wade takes a tentative step forward. “It wasn’t her. The guy who did it is in custody and is working to reverse the spell. But Autumn’s right. We need your help to consecrate the graves so the cemetery returns to its tranquility. All things considered, I know I can’t—”
Wade’s dad raises a hand, cutting him off. “If you are asking to change my mind…”
“No—nothing’s changed. I just mean, I know I can’t, but you can. Autumn is doing everything she can to put things right and she’s only got half of the pieces. Please, just help us,” Wade says, dropping his arms by his side.
“The revenants cannot return to the cemeteries…” Wade’s dad begins.
Wade nods. “We know. Autumn is going to lay them to rest inside.”
As if this makes total sense, he drops his chin in apparent understanding. “Fine. So long as his remains are taken within, I will do as you wish. But this doesn’t change anything—”
Soul Legacy: A Supernatural Ghost Series (The Windhaven Witches Book 2) Page 17