The atmosphere in the house shifted from uncomfortable and tense to optimistic. All four bedrooms were occupied, and Boone offered to take the smallest, without furniture, choosing instead to use a newly purchased air mattress. He was the only one looking at this as an adventure, which I secretly loved. His excitement was infectious, and it relaxed me, in spite of all the drama. Abby was determined, while Jason seemed solemn. I didn’t need them to constantly remind me of what was at stake.
Their presence filled me with anxiety. I didn’t trust Catherine. Worse, I was afraid for my friends. Without a doubt, I knew she’d hurt them in order to get what she wanted, and she’d enlist the help of our enemies to do it. I didn’t fully grasp the nature of her relationship with the other entities, or how the three of them were connected, but it scared me. The risk of danger beat into me, a steady rhythm much like a heartbeat. I didn’t rest. Instead, I roamed the halls, weary with the premonition something was going to happen.
I paused outside the door to what had once been my stepsister Suzie’s room and listened to Abby’s deep, even breaths. By the time she returned with her stuff early this morning, she and Boone delayed trying to track down anyone with knowledge of voodoo in favor of sleep and clear heads. She said it hadn’t been difficult convincing her mom to let her stay with me either. Barb had always been so kind, giving me a sense of family when mine treated me terribly. Abby said all she’d had to do was mention how lonely I’d been in the big mansion by myself, dealing with reporters and a high profile romance, and her mom relented, agreeing that us being roommates was a wonderful idea.
Of course, I was positive Abby hadn’t mentioned having two male houseguests.
Jason claimed the room across the hall, which had been Anna’s, and I laid my palm flat to the door. It hurt, having him so close, but struggling with all I’d been forced to witness between him and Catherine. He hadn’t mentioned it again, keeping to himself, locked inside his head. I didn’t want to blame him. I only hoped once I had my life back, those feelings would change.
Boone had ventured outside, ignoring my arguments, determined to experience something and claiming his internal clock had a different schedule than most people’s because of his hobby. His hope? Find a way to lure the dark entities out of their hiding places. He was confident he’d find a connection between them and unearth how Catherine got her power. Of my three friends, somehow, I had the most faith in him. Totally unexpected.
Lastly, I ducked through the door into the master bedroom. Pausing near the end of the bed, I envied Catherine as she slept.
It did feel a little wrong to be standing there, staring at her, but I couldn’t force myself to leave. My gaze bored into her, ignoring the temptation to try and reclaim what was mine. The black hole of anger woke up, a yawning chasm coming to life inside me. I pictured her with scratches down her cheeks, with her mouth sewn shut and every finger broken. The rise and fall of her chest taunted me, each motion representing one more piece of me she’d stolen.
Startled by the ghastly thoughts, I snapped out of it and retreated, only to notice a presence in my mind.
“What do you want?” I asked in a low whisper, trying to keep my fright hidden. I would not let this man see how deeply I was afraid of him.
“Only to give you what you so desperately desire.”
The voice chilled me, crawling over me like a thousand ants, despite its friendly tone. Logic screamed at me to run. I didn’t. If Catherine wasn’t going to give us answers, maybe I’d find them elsewhere. He’d reached out to me more than once. It was time to discover why.
“You offered her the same deal, didn’t you?” I whispered.
Nothing appeared in the room, but I still felt it. Making a complete circle, I searched for a figure, but only found normal shadows.
“Consider it a mutual agreement, a contract. Nothing comes without a price. Catherine understands it. Soon you will, too. I am not your enemy.”
I startled. The voice came from right beside me, so close his breath brushed my skin.
“I’m not her,” I argued, although not with as much fervor as I hoped. “You can’t manipulate me.”
“No one can exist without darkness inside them. Where there is light, there must also be the absence of it.”
I hated riddles. “Why are you here?”
“In a dying slave’s last moments, she cast a curse to summon a loa. I answered the call. And because of it, I am trapped, but I have found ways to entertain myself.”
“A loa? What is that?”
“A very powerful spirit dedicated to serving our god. I had no choice once she cast her curse.”
“And is terrorizing my family part of the curse?”
A laugh filled the air around me, coming from all sides.
“For her, yes. For me? A chance to spread my wings in a new place and experiment.”
“Care to elaborate?” He didn’t, but this time I heard footsteps to my left. “Come on, give me something.”
“I can give you your life back. You know it’s true. I did it for Catherine. That should be all the proof you need.”
“She did it by hurting people.”
“My dear, sweet Quinn. Would you not do anything to succeed? If all that stood between you and being back in your body was to dispose of someone, are you telling me you’d choose to remain in this life?”
Denials were hot on my tongue, but I hesitated. The longer I stayed like this, the more desperate I became. The entity chuckled, and a piece of my hair moved, as if he touched it gently.
“It gives you something to think about, does it not?”
There was a whoosh, and I caught movement from the corner of my eye. In the mirror hanging above Catherine’s dresser, a fleeting image of a dark-skinned man in a top hat flickered then vanished.
The urge to growl in frustration was hard to ignore. I knew I needed to ask more direct questions. The problem was I didn’t want to give the impression of being desperate. He fed off those feelings.
Tossing caution aside, I asked, “What would you ask in return for giving me my life back? I mean, it doesn’t seem as if you’re letting Catherine walk away so easily.”
“A life for a life.”
The simple power of his answer shocked me. I waited for an expansion that never came. As the meaning sank in, my horror grew. If it meant what I assumed it did, Catherine had blood on her hands. It shouldn’t surprise me, considering her part in my mama’s death.
“Your mother should not have died. Catherine does not know to go after weak prey. Her actions over the years have displeased me many times. She is too rash, too disobedient, selfish.”
“Are you saying I am weak?”
I jumped as an icy fingertip trailed down my arm.
“Of course not, love. The unfortunate woman named Marietta was weak. The night you attacked us, you opened yourself up. That mistake made you weak. Catherine took advantage of it.”
“Was her plan always to force me out?” I remembered when she haunted my stepmother Catherine would tell me she coveted my life. I always assumed it meant she wanted me dead. Found out the hard way, didn’t I?
“No, your actions pushed her in another direction. In the beginning, Marietta had the social standing and money Catherine desired. You took that from her, so she went for the next best thing. In her mind, you were even better because you are near the age she was upon her death. Even with all the terrible atrocities she has done, she clings to her humanity. It is her worst obstacle.”
He breathed in my ear again, and I stepped away. I recognized the truth in what the presence said. I served myself up, a tempting sacrificial lamb, ripe for the taking. It made me mad, but as that set in, I also realized he intended to test my boundaries. Over the last couple days, I’d come to understand he only managed to weasel his way inside my head when I was overcome with emotion. He used it, forced me to look at the ugly truths in the face.
“Do you have a name?” Silence. “Then give me the woman’s name. Show me you’re actually willing to cooperate.”
Taunting him frightened me, using his thirst for me against him. I imagined he had a schedule, that he enjoyed drawing this out, making me guess who or what he was. But I banked on him being cocky enough to flaunt his knowledge.
“Cora.”
The way he said the name carried a sinister quality and I shuddered in response. “Okay, thank you for giving me that, at least. Anything else? Did she live here?”
“Yes, as a slave, as chattel. You know her son. You’ve befriended him over the years.”
My mind reeled as I struggled to grasp who he meant. Then, it hit me. “George?”
“Isaiah is his name.”
This time, the voice came from behind me, and I spun around. I couldn’t stop my question. “What would you ask of me?”
“All in good time, love. I will offer my assistance three times and three times only. You’ve already denied me once. So I shall ask you again. Will you let me help you? Let me return you to your lover’s arms.”
I wanted to refuse him, to tell him to screw off, but there was a moment where I considered it. Could I live with myself if I hurt another human being?
“I, I can’t. No.”
“So be it. Just remember, time is running out. You have one more chance. One last shot at happily ever after.”
I nodded absently as a rustling sound caught my attention. Catherine was waking up. Her bleary eyes landed on me and widened.
“What are you doing here?”
Let me show you what we can accomplish together. This time the voice flashed through my mind.
Somehow, without summoning it, anger flared inside, hot and hungry. There wasn’t time to react because almost immediately Catherine clutched her head in her hands and started screaming at the top of her lungs. Her cries were filled with pain, and a small part of me enjoyed it. Shaking my head and backing away, I shoved the satisfaction aside.
“Stop it!” I called out. “I didn’t ask for this!”
Soon, when she has taken everything, you will. And I’ll be here waiting, love.
Again, I saw his reflection in the mirror. This time, noticing a gold-toothed smile, but he disappeared too quick for me to get any other details. The door beside me slammed open to reveal Jason and a sleepy looking Abby. Instantly, the screaming stopped. My entire body trembled, and I caught the indecision in Jason’s expression. He stared at Catherine, as if torn between wanting to make sure she was okay and letting her suffer alone.
“What was that?” he asked.
Catherine raked her mussed hair from her red face, locking her agonized gaze on me.
“Quinn. She let him hurt me.” Her voice wavered, and she shuddered, directing the next part at me. “Do you think he is a tame little spirit you can simply have a chat with whenever the mood strikes? You’re such a stupid girl.”
Her remark brought me forward, out into the center of the room. “Well, you’re not giving us the information we need, so why not try a different angle? Don’t blame me for this.”
“I’ve told you over and over, there are things I cannot and will not talk about, not to you. You should respect that.”
“Respect?” Jason interrupted. “How can you utter the word without bursting into flames? You stole from Quinn, you hypocrite. How can you ask for a courtesy you’re not willing to give?”
Catherine didn’t answer. She threw the blankets aside and, weaving a bit, stomped into the adjoining master bath, slamming the door in her wake.
“She makes Quinn’s stepsisters look like friggin’ angels,” Abby muttered.
Jason nodded halfheartedly, scanning the room and passing right over me. “This is so far beyond the realm of possibility. I...I don’t even know what to think anymore.”
Without another word, he fled. Abby watched after him, a frown on her lips.
“Don’t worry about Jason, Quinn. It’s a lot to adjust to. He’ll come around.”
I was beginning to wonder if it were true. The further I got into this mess, the further I felt from the girl who’d started falling for him in the first place.