Voodoo Kiss

Chapter 15



The Scottish air smelled clean and crisp, like after a brief summer shower, but without the earthy scent of soaked wood. I closed the backdoor behind me and hastened my pace to the nearest tree in the distance—a gnarled old thing stretching proudly against the black canvass of the night, battered from years of changing seasons and stormy weather, but not yet beaten. Millions of stars dotted the sky above. The moon built a perfect crescent over my head, its light illuminating the paved path beneath my feet as I left the safety of Aidan's mansion behind me.

As expected, the crow sat perched on a low hanging tree branch, already waiting for me. I felt silly leaning against the thick trunk, my gaze fixing on the unnaturally large bird, my fingers fidgeting with the hem of my sweater. Even though it was summer, a freezing breeze crept up my naked legs and my skin turned into goose bumps. I crossed my arms over my chest to keep warm.

Gosh, I had never felt so stupid in my entire life. I took a deep breath to steady the sudden onset of nervousness. Surely I had done harder things than talking to a bird and yet I didn't seem able to utter a word. Eventually, after a few long minutes of staring at each other, I said, "Hi."

The crow's head bobbed to the side, beak opening as though to speak back to me.

"You've been following me around a lot." The bird flapped its wings. I smiled, getting into it, even though I still felt silly. "Why don't you just spit out what you're trying to tell me?"

The crow's loud caw sliced through the silence like a knife, startling me. My heart jumped in my throat as it flew over my head and landed at my feet. I kneeled down and held out my palm, unsure what to expect. Another caw, and the bird inched closer. Its feathers, black as coal, seemed to soak up the light around us. The shiny eyes shimmered like dark puddles in the moonlight. I gazed into them. Something was there—dark and menacing and foreboding. Lurking beneath the surface of my perception was the answer I had waited for, and yet I couldn't grasp its meaning.

"You want something," I whispered. The crow cawed and spread its wings. "Whatever it is, you'll have to queue up like everyone else because it seems everyone wants something from me."

The crow let out a shrill, piercing sound. The earth began to quake. I had to grab on to the tree to support myself. In horror, I watched something pitch-black, darker than the night, enveloping the bird. It looked like thick smoke swaying in the wind, inching closer toward me. Uneasiness settled in the pit of my stomach. I knew I should turn around but couldn't. Literally. My legs were frozen to the spot. I willed them to move, but my feet wouldn't obey my brain's command.

A murmur filled the air, like hundreds of voices that merged into one, making it impossible to tell whether they were male or female. And then the flapping of wings started, louder than ever before, reminded me of a morbid melody. Something wasn't right. I tried to scream, but no sound escaped my throat. When I finally came to my senses and realized what was happening, it was too late. The earth cracked just an inch or two, but the fissure grew in length and width until it built a large gap that reached as far as I could see back to the house. The crow swooped over my head and flew headfirst down into the gap.

Still unable to move, I frowned as I peered into the impenetrable darkness at my feet. Time seemed to stand still. Even the wind had stopped. The only noise came from my labored breathing. And then the earth began to shake again and the air around me changed from the fresh-smelling scent of trees and leaves to the scent of disease and decaying bodies. I held my breath as I kept staring down. I feared something would creep out, and yet my curiosity wouldn't release her hold on me and kept me glued to the spot. I wanted to know what was down there. My heart hammered like a drum in my ears. In spite of the cold, beads of sweat covered my body and trickled down my back in thin rivulets that soaked my clothes.

Something was heading for me. I stared ahead but couldn't see a thing, and yet I could tell it rose from the depth of the earth with unnatural speed, heading straight for me.

Run! Run now! A voice yelled in my head. The flapping of wings grew louder and more ominous. A cold sensation hit my face. The wind had started to blow again, but it was coming from the wrong direction. It blew in from below me, carrying that scent of disease and decay, blood and—burned flesh. My stomach clenched in response. A yelp escaped my throat as I stumbled backward, my back hitting the tree trunk. Grazing my palms on the coarse bark, I steadied myself and then tore through the trees as fast as my muscles would let me.

The sinister presence followed close behind me. My head jerked back every few seconds, my gaze searching the night even though I knew I wouldn't be able to discern darkness from darkness. And dark they were, both the night and the creature. As I kept running through the bushes, twigs snapped under my feet and scratched my legs. I winced at the searing pain in my thighs and the burning sensation in my lungs.

Something touched my back. I screamed and turned, kicking and punching against the warm shield.

Strong arms enveloped me and drew me close, forcing my wrists to keep still. Through the haze in my mind and the fear gripping me, I made out Thrain's voice, "Shush. I'm here, sweetheart. Now, breathe." He began to rock me softly as he cradled my head against his chest. The steady beat of his heart calmed me a little.

I peered up into his green gaze, shining unnaturally bright in the night. "I saw it." My words sounded muffled and indiscernible.

"It's okay. Everything's all right. You're safe with me. Come on, breathe with me." His palms started to rub my back, up and down, soothing me. My body relaxed but the shaking didn't go away. "Come on, breathe with me. In and out."

My chest rose and fell as I tried to get a grip on my nerves. The heat from his body warmed me in the chilly breeze.

"Better now?" Thrain whispered. I nodded and looked over his shoulder. The strange, fog-like darkness was gone now.

"Thrain? Did you see it?" I searched his gaze.

He shook his head. "No. Tell me what you saw."

I could feel my body stiffening again as though fighting the memory in my head. "I tried to talk to the bird when the earth cracked and something rose from below."

"A demon?" His voice betrayed surprise, disbelief.

"Maybe," I said softly. Looking up, I noticed his smile was gone. I moistened my lips as I tried to make sense of the array of thoughts and pictures in my head.

"That doesn't make any sense. What would a demon want?"

Why was it so hard to believe? I didn't usually care what others made of me, but Thrain's opinion mattered, even though I knew it shouldn't. If he didn't believe me who would? "Maybe he wants the same thing as everyone else," I finally added, hoping Thrain would catch the drift.

He lifted me up in his arms in one fluent motion. I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding tight but keeping a bit of a distance between us. "Let's go back to the house and we'll talk there. If what you say is true, you're not safe out here." He didn't wait for my approval, just took off through the night, moving like a sprinter aiming for gold. I realized I must've been running for a long time because I couldn't see the house. We moved so fast the woods became a blur, yet he didn't even seem to break a sweat. Eventually we reached the house but he only put me down inside the kitchen, then went about pouring me a glass of water, instructing me to finish before recalling the event. I did as he said, still miffed at the idea he might not believe me.

"I got you something to eat." He pointed at the tray across the oak table and sat down on one of the chairs, motioning me to sit next to him. I lifted the lid to peer at a variety of sandwiches. I was hungry but didn't take him up on the offer. Even though my tiny breakfast barely covered a day worth of meals, eating was the last thing on my mind.

"I'm a bit tired. I think I'll eat upstairs." Even though a sandwich barely covered a day worth of food, eating was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts to analyze what just happened. But Thrain didn't seem keen on the idea.

"No, Sofia. This is something the others need to know now." He grabbed the tray with one hand and squeezed the other under my elbow, forcing me up. I struggled in his grip but gave up as I realized if a guy could sprint through the woods carrying my weight, I was wasting my time and effort resisting his wishes.

I sighed and let him lead me to the library. I wasn't even surprised to find everyone was still there, still sitting on the same spot as before, still staring at us when we dropped down on the couch and Thrain placed the tray in front of me, his gaze urging me to eat. I shrugged and started chewing on a sandwich. It was so silent, the sound of my cutlery and plate reverberated from the walls. My chewing reminded me of a siren they could probably hear in China. My stomach grumbled in agreement as I shoveled down the food, ignoring the unnerving calm. A few bites in, Cass broke the silence and the questioning began. What had I seen? What had I been doing before seeing it? What did I make of it? To that question I had no answer, but Thrain seemed to have made up his mind already.

"A demon chasing her—" He ran his fingers through his hair, lingering at the back of his head as though to massage a tensed spot.

"It is strange," Cass agreed. The soft skin around her eyes had visibly darkened, giving her a gaunt expression.

I finished my meal and wiped my mouth with a napkin, then pushed the tray aside. Clare jumped up and mouthed something that sounded like she'd be right back. I watched her grab the tray, which made me feel instantly guilty. I barely knew her and yet I could already see the dynamics here. She did most of the work while the others sat around. Even though she was the most striking one out of the bunch, she was also the one that seemed to blend in with the furniture. There was something depressing about her, something that made me want to burst out in tears whenever I looked at her. It wasn't a nice way to feel about anyone and yet I couldn't help myself. By the time she returned a minute or two later, I had already forgotten about her, which strengthened my opinion that, as stunning as she was, something grave had happened to her that had robbed her of any passion.

"Rebecca had help," Aidan said.

Cass nodded. "From the Shadows. We know that already."

"No." He shook his head. "They were only after the book, but Rebecca was after Theo."

"But Theo and Rebecca were in Distros long before you and Amber showed up. Why didn't she just attack Theo at the first opportunity when you weren't there? It would've been a lot less complicated."

"I think she didn't know who Theo was—until someone told her," Aidan said. "After our arrival, I guarded the perimeter, meaning she had no chance to get anywhere near Theo."

I peered from one to the other, soaking up all the details. But my confusion persisted. "Who are the Shadows?" The moment I asked, I knew the answer already. Shaman warriors with eerie black eyes. Dark magic. Astral travel. And then a pact. I shook my head, begging my mind to glue the pieces of the puzzle together. But they remained seemingly unrelated flashes in my head.

"A group of immortals we've been fighting for centuries," Aidan explained grimly.

"They astral traveled to Hell and put a spell on the whole dimension so no one would hear my cries for help, or Dallas's for that matter," Cass said. From the frown on her face I could tell they weren't exactly her friends.

"Are they involved?" Clare asked.

I nodded. "They were involved a long time ago."

Four pairs of eyes shifted toward me. "You know them?" Aidan asked.

"I think I did once." I pressed my fingers to my temples to catch another glimpse of the pictures in my head, but the memories didn't return.

"What are odds, huh?" Amber said, regarding me. For the first time, I noticed something in her eyes. Respect. Awe. Like she hadn't really taken me seriously until now. I found myself smiling confidently, even though confidence was the last thing I felt inside. Amber continued, "How did you meet them?"

Void. I shook my head.

"Do you just happen to know about their existence, or did you actually get to talk to them?" she persisted.

I shook my head again. "Can't remember."

Thrain wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer. I leaned against him, thankful for his support. I dropped my gaze, then looked at the carpet awkwardly, noticing two tiny red stains. Spilled wine that could be weeks, months or even years old. The silence was an awkward one.

Eventually, Cass resumed the conversation. "Gosh, this is sort of getting us nowhere. Our suspects so far are a crazy vampire—" she held up a finger "—a group of morons that wouldn't know friendship if it bit them in their ass—" she held up another finger, then a third "—and, last but not least, Thrain's suggestion of a demon, which about covers all of Hell. Throw in a few succubi and we're only looking for the entire paranormal world."

"You've got a point," Thrain said. "As long as we don't have any other clues, everyone's a suspect. Let me show Sofia to bed and then we can talk some more."

Cass winked. "Make sure it's to bed, not into bed."

Heat scorched my cheeks, and not for the first time. I was slowly starting to look like a huge shrimp. "Are you sure I'm not missing anything? I'm not really that tired." Actually, I was because I hadn't slept in a long time, what with all the travelling and time differences.

"We'll be all right. Get some sleep. You might not get it again any time soon," Cass said.

I smiled and said goodnight even though I knew I was probably the only one who would go to bed. Thrain accompanied me up the stairs to the bedroom I had been assigned. In the hall, I found myself standing in front of the door with him holding my hand as he gazed down into my eyes. We stared at each other in silence, my face still flushed though I doubted he could see it in the soft glow of a night lamp. It seemed we had both lost the ability to talk; either that or the silence suited us more than the pressure of speaking meaningless words that wouldn't make a difference in who we were and what our purpose was on Earth. We belonged together. It wasn't so much a discovery as a fact. I didn't need to tell him. I knew and felt in my heart that he was thinking the same.

"Sofia." His warm breath caressed my skin as he inched closer and wrapped his arms around me. I let him draw me to his chest and pressed my head against his shoulder, my fingers drawing slow circles on his arms. His mouth covered my neck in soft kisses that sent shivers down my spine.

"We should make a deal." I smiled at his raised eyebrows. "I want you to tell me something about you every time we kiss. This way we can at least follow the usual protocol of getting to know each other before jumping in with both feet."

"Sounds like a good deal, but only if you promise to do the same." His lips lowered onto mine. I parted my lips for him and melted into his arms. His intoxicating scent hit my nostrils, making me dizzy. A soft moan escaped my throat, but instead of making me feel silly for giving in so quickly, he broke off our embrace and took a step back. His heated gaze settled on me as he ran a hand through his hair.

"What?" I asked, self-consciously.

"You're hot."

"Is that what you like about me?" I loved the compliment, but guys always wanted me because of my looks. Usually, it was either my blonde hair or my long legs. I wanted Thrain to be different. I wanted him to be attracted to my inner being, not to something that would fade over time.

His big hands cupped my face, forcing me to look at him. I hoped my eyes didn't betray the hope inside me. "I don't like you because you're hot or because we share a bond. I like you because you're smart and tough. You have values that are rare in our times, like being responsible way beyond your years and wanting to achieve something in life."

"Thank you," I whispered.

"You said you wanted to know more about me." I nodded sensing a big revelation that wasn't easy for him. Thrain took a deep breath and continued, "I've been a nomad for centuries. I don't think I've ever settled down in one place for longer than a few months—until I met you. When this is over I want to be near you, wherever you are. And if you don't want me, then I'll wait in the shadows until I've conquered your heart and you find me worthy of your love."

He was already conquering it. I had never felt closer to anyone in my entire life, as though we were one and the same being. "I'd like that very much."

I, too, would wait for him because I wanted to be with him. I wanted to fall asleep and wake up in his arms. He kissed my mouth softly. I parted my lips to grant him access. His soft lips sent shivers down my spine. He pulled away softly. "Now, it's your turn." His eyes met mine. His encouraging grin urged me to look inside myself and find something I wanted to share with him, something that would help him feel as close to me as I felt to him.

I cleared my throat, considering my words. "As a child I used to daydream of getting lost in the woods and being found by a dark stranger. I remember the way I pictured his eyes: green with brown speckles, surrounded by black lashes that would give him a mysterious look."

He laughed out loud. "I hope it's me. It would mean your first prediction came true. I want to know everything about you."

I let my childhood memories flood my mind as I traveled back in time. "My father left my mother for a woman he met on a rare visit to the city to stock up on provisions. Her name was Marie and she was an actress filming a movie. When she returned home, he left with her and I didn't see him for years. I hated him for what he did to me and my mom for a long time."

"Is that why you find it so hard to open your heart to anyone?"

His question took me by surprise. I laughed uncomfortably. The need to negate his statement flared up. I decided against it because, thinking of it, he had a point. I didn't want to fall in love with a guy, settle down and start a family. The trip to Brazil with Gael was about the only plan I had made with a man, and that wasn't even a plan because he had surprised me with the flight tickets. Guilt grabbed hold of me. Gael. I had liked him but was never in love with him. He was already forgotten, as though he never existed. I hadn't even checked my emails to read his response.

"It's okay," Thrain said, misinterpreting my silence. His fingers rested on my lips as though in order to keep me silent. "We'll take it slowly. We don't need to make any plans if you don't want to. Will you be okay alone in your room?" I nodded. He placed a soft kiss on the tip of my nose. "If you need me I'll be downstairs. Sleep well."

"Thanks." I watched him stroll down the stairs carrying his head high. His pace was confident the way only a guy, who knew he was everything a girl could ever desire, would carry himself.