Chapter 26

Sean closed his eyes against the ancient illustrations of the final sacrifice to raise Bho-Ahp, still lying open on the coffee table. He didn’t want that to happen to Catlyn. Spending time with her over the past few days, he found he was falling in love with her against his better judgment.

The memory floated to the surface of their day at the botanical gardens. As she sat on the edge of a pond, watching the koi, her contentment had struck him. He’d switched on his witch-sight and gasped at her beautiful aura. The gold and silver of it had extended several feet from her. A definite feline energy surrounded her, but he couldn’t see anything beyond her blazing aura. He’d wanted to bask in that beauty.

Taking her to the gardens had been a sudden impulse as an early birthday gift to himself, especially since he’d had a rare day off from work on Saturday.

The soft thump of Catlyn closing the book drove away the pleasant memory. Sean gazed into her beautiful green eyes, and a smile curved his lips at the blush blooming on her face. An unfamiliar sensation of warmth seeped from his heart—one he hadn’t ever expected to feel after Ginny. As he stood, adjusting his trousers, it hit him like a sledgehammer. His feelings were more than lust.

As Sean drove Catlyn back to Jade’s home, he kept glancing at the old tome on her lap. The images of the last ritual sacrifice replayed in his mind. He would do everything in his power to stop it from happening to Catlyn, including tying her up or tossing her in a jail cell. The book intrigued him. If his grandmother had told him the truth—and he didn’t doubt it—it seemed to be a history of his people.

“Where did you get that?” He indicated the book with his chin. “It’s ancient.”

“It was weird, even for me,” Catlyn said with a laugh. “A few years ago, I was in an old, used bookstore in Eureka. I was minding my own business, browsing the fantasy romance novels, when a book fell off a shelf and bonged me on the head. I looked around, thinking someone had pulled it out and dropped it by mistake, but no one was nearby. When I picked it up, I felt a tingling sensation pass from the book, into my hands, and spread throughout my body. I knew I had to have it. The shop owner didn’t remember he had it in stock and charged me a ridiculously low price for it.” She shook her head and gazed out the window. “I’ve always wondered why it made its way into my possession. I’m not part of any secret society. If these Sentinel Witches still exist, I haven’t met any of them.”

Sean snorted, and when she gave him a confused frown, he changed it into a cough. Her godmother, Jade, was a Sentinel. It was her secret to share with Catlyn. If she hadn’t, she must have good reason. Although, he doubted her secret would remain hidden much longer.

“Does it tell us how to stop the ritual and keep Bho-Ahp from coming into our world and wreaking havoc? If Hitler was his last incarnation, and it was bad then, can you imagine how much worse it will be now? Especially in today’s age of computers, nuclear bombs, and global media.”

“I’ve been trying not to think of that. It’s terrifying.” She picked up the book and dropped it back onto her lap. “I’ll have to read it again, but I don’t recall there being any magical solution. These Sentinels have attempted to destroy Bho-Ahp for centuries—perhaps even eons. Yet, here he is again, pushing his way into our world. So, I doubt we’ll find an answer in here.”

Sean made sure she safely entered Jade’s house, then he checked in with the guards stationed around the property.

As he drove toward his parent’s home, Sean ruminated about Catlyn’s book and wanted to get his hands on it and read it. He might learn more about his heritage from it. Why does she have it? Is she a Sentinel, and like me, just doesn’t know it? A shudder passed through him. From what they’d learned, Michael would attempt to abduct Catlyn soon. According to the book, her torture would be more horrible than the previous ones, if that were even possible. Sean vowed to stop it.

His drive took him past the Red Orchid. A sudden urge pressed on him to find Michael and bash in his brains. He had time to stop and still arrive at his mother’s for his birthday dinner. Flipping a U-turn, Sean drove to the club. A slow drive through the club’s parking lot revealed a distinct lack of Michael’s or his cronies’ cars. Sean checked with the club manager, and Joshua hadn’t seen Michael since he’d attacked Catlyn.

Sean pulled into his parent’s driveway and sat there, thinking about what his grandmother had told him his father had done to him. How could he have stolen my memories and lied about my heritage? I’m out of my depth and putting an innocent woman’s life in danger because of my ignorance. All because he was scared! His sister, Rachael, finally came out and dragged him inside. Sean struggled to have a civil conversation with his dad. He felt obligated to stay through dessert, since his mom had made him a German chocolate cake for his birthday.

The next morning, Sean’s guts writhed with anxiety about Michael not being at the club since his attack on Catlyn. Sean drove by Michael’s house, knowing he risked a reprimand. But no one was there, not even the housekeeper. He drove to each of Michael’s friend’s houses and found the same thing. All of Sean’s innate warning bells screamed at him. If this ritual sacrifice was the last big one, Michael and his cronies would have more preparation to do for it.

When Jerry tried to call them, their cell phones went directly to voice mail. The GPS on the phones showed they were at their homes, so did the lo-jack on their cars.

Throughout the day, Sean called Catlyn to ensure Michael hadn’t abducted her. He called so frequently that finally, her phone would ring once and she’d answer with, “Yes, Sean, I’m here and alive,” before he even said hello.

That evening, he stopped at her favorite Mexican place and picked up food before heading to Jade’s.

“I have a peace offering.” He gave her a timid smile and held up the bag when she answered the door.

She smiled and grabbed the bag from him. “Awesome, I’m starving! I’m not upset, Sean. I know you’re worried.”

She led him down the stairs and into the cozy family room. A giant flat-screen television dominated one wall with surround-sound speakers in each corner. A pub table sat in one corner with a good view of the TV over the couch. She placed a couple of place mats on the table, then opened the bag and divvied up the food.

After a few bites, he asked, “Have you found out anything yet?”

She shook her head and loaded a tortilla chip with beans, rice, and salsa. “Only that I’m screwed. These daemons are difficult to kill. It takes a special knife, made from quartz crystals, dipped in an herbal solution, and charged in the full moon. I don’t have any of those things. Besides, I’m not a fighter. I don’t even like to kill bugs.”

“Maybe I can look through it?” He raised an eyebrow and tried to keep his voice calm. He had such a knife. At the thought, his back where it rode next to his skin warmed. “I might notice something you missed.”

She considered it a moment before nodding once. “Sure. I’m too close. All I can see when I read it is me hanging over a pentacle, and being horribly tortured, while I’m still alive and screaming. The more the sacrifice screams in pain, apparently the more Bho-Ahp likes it. Sick bastard.”

Sean shuddered. He’d seen the aftereffects of that torture. The pictures didn’t show the horror of the real thing. “Michael has disappeared and so has his cronies.”

“That can’t be good.” Catlyn put down her fork.

“My thoughts too. Promise me you’ll stay here and inside? We can at least make it more difficult for him to get to you.”

She pursed her lips, her face paler than normal. “I will. But I doubt it will matter.”

Sean glanced at the immense TV with rows of DVDs lining the shelves on either side of it. “Let’s watch a movie,” Sean suggested. “It’ll take your mind off things.”

“Sure, what do you like to watch? Jade has a wide variety to choose from.” Catlyn slid off the tall chair and gathered the trash.

“You choose. I’m up for almost anything.” He wandered over and glanced at the titles. “But not horror, okay? We have enough of that in real life to contend with.”

She shuddered. “I agree.”

He settled onto the comfy couch and watched as she searched the movies, then plucked one out.

“How’s this?” she asked, holding it up with a raise of her eyebrows.

Sean chuckled at the light romantic comedy she’d picked. “That will do. I could use a laugh.”

Catlyn put the movie on and sat on the opposite end of the couch. Before long, both her cats wandered into the room. The orange tabby curled up in her lap, while the gray one perched behind Sean. He reached up and petted her. A few moments later, the cat eased onto his lap, purring.

“Huh. Mittens usually doesn’t like strange men,” Catlyn said, glancing over. “You must have good energy, Sean.”

Ducking his head and smiling, he continued to pet the cat. It reminded him of his grandmother’s Cait Sidhe. He switched into his witch-sight and sighed with disappointment. Mittens was simply a cat.

When he left that night, he had the book tucked under his arm and a smile on his face. Even with all the terrible shit in the world and surrounding them, he’d had a good time watching the movie with Catlyn.

The heavy tome weighed on his mind. It excited him to learn about his history as a Sentinel Witch. He had to stop the gruesome ritual Michael had planned. Bho-Ahp’s evil couldn’t be allowed into the world again. In the morning, he’d call his Granny Eileen. She had to know more about it than she’d let on so far. He grimaced. Of course she did. The old woman loved her secrets.

After Sean left, Catlyn lay on her bed, her cats curled up next to her. She put aside the novel she’d been attempting to read. The gruesome images of the final ritual for Bho-Ahp to cross into their world kept intruding on the story. She wished she hadn’t read about it in the Sentinel’s journal.

Dropping her face into her hands, she considered what she’d learned. Bho-Ahp materializing on this plane of existence would plunge the world into chaos and violence. Millions of people would die, while the Daemon King would enslave the rest. She couldn’t allow that to happen.

Maak’s presence pushed closer to the surface.

“Is there a way to stop Bho-Ahp?” Catlyn asked, hopeful, but not expecting an answer from the being who shared her body.

“Yes, it’s one reason why I am in this dimension.”

Catlyn jumped when the massive white tiger appeared before her and sat on her haunches. Maak’s head was level with her own.

“The Goddess chose you for this task, and I agreed to help. Together we will do more than stop Bho-Ahp. The daemon believes you are the key to bring him across the portal. But with me here, we can destroy him.” Maak’s intense hatred burned through Catlyn.

Catlyn remembered her vision of being a High Priestess, protecting the world’s portals. “Why me?”

“You have faced Bho-Ahp before, in other lifetimes. Your encounters always ended in failure. However, this time you will succeed because now I am here to help you.”

Her chest tightened and her stomach knotted at Maak’s words. While Catlyn had read the Sentinel’s tome, she’d experienced several incidences of déjà vu. Maak only confirmed what Catlyn had sensed.

“Not to be rude or anything, but how will it be different with you here? The Sentinels have tried to destroy him for centuries, and they’ve failed every time.”

“We will succeed precisely because I am with you.” Maak flexed her front paws, her long claws extending a moment before retracting. “I am not fully in either the physical or the non-physical plane. We must attack Bho-Ahp simultaneously from both realms. While I fight the daemon in the non-physical, you will fight his physical host.”

“Why now? What’s changed? Why haven’t you come to help before this?”

“I was not ready.” Maak shared an image of her as a young cub. “Nor were you.”

“I’m not ready now,” Catlyn protested. She stood and paced around the room. The space limited by the presence of the tiger. “I’m not a fighter. I don’t have a clue how to fight Michael or Bho-Ahp.”

“That isn’t true. You have training. You know what to do.”

Doubt assailed Catlyn. Most of her magical training focused on healing people, not to fight or harm them. Her minuscule martial arts training she’d done with Jade might help, but she hadn’t ever been in a real fight. Just because she’d fought Bho-Ahp in a previous life didn’t mean she could fight him—and win—in this one.

“I don’t know what to do!” Catlyn wailed. “I can’t do this.”

“You must!” Maak stalked toward her, her tail flicking in agitation. “Remember your vision of becoming the High Priestess. That power, and more, is within you. I will help you access it. You can do this, otherwise, I would not be here. The Goddess has called us to fight this evil, and She will provide the way for our success. But we must hurry. There is not much time to prepare before the final ritual.”

Maak paused and when she spoke again, regret filled her voice, and her cerulean-blue eyes held something akin to pity. “You need to be part of the ritual for us to destroy Bho-Ahp. It will be our only chance. He is weakest when transferring into a new host.”

Maak’s implication slammed into Catlyn. She broke out into a cold sweat. The room swirled around her, and she stumbled, leaning heavily on the bed’s footboard. Maak was suggesting she place herself in mortal danger in an attempt to kill a monster, a daemon. One no one had managed to kill in centuries—perhaps eons. Catlyn had always believed she had a specific reason, a purpose, for her life. Was this it? To protect the Earth from Bho-Ahp’s evil?

“I’m to be bait.” Catlyn’s heart raced as cold fear slid down her spine. The scenes from Sean’s crime photos zipped through her head. She could only imagine the agony and terror they’d endured while Michael tortured them. The final ritual promised to be much, much worse. Her stomach lurched, and she ran to the bathroom and retched, emptying her stomach until only bile came up.

After cleaning up, she returned to the bedroom where Maak waited. Boots cautiously peered at her from over the edge of the footboard, while Mittens curled up between the tiger’s massive paws.

“Do … do you have a plan?”

Maak dipped her huge head, not meeting Catlyn’s eyes. “Indeed. I do.”

As Maak detailed her plan, Catlyn bit her lip to keep from screaming in terror. Her part in it would test her strength of will to the limit, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Even as she trembled in fear, she changed into workout clothes to begin her intense training with Maak. Relieved to discover her fight with Bho-Ahp would be magical instead of physical, Catlyn dove wholeheartedly into her lessons. For them to succeed, she needed to learn so much from her past lives. All before the black moon on Friday. Her training built upon the magical foundations she’d learned from Jade and involved sigils, chants, and her personal magic.

It would be just her—and Maak—against the daemon prince.