Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between

  I gagged, covering my mouth, holding my breath to fight back nausea.

  “I invite you to use my voice to speak,” Sonja said calmly.

  I watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  Jacob vanished—there one second and gone the next—and Sonja’s body started to twitch violently. I peered at Goose in a panic, but he was calm. Sonja’s stopped moving, and when her lids lifted, her eyes were as white and as opaque as Jacob’s.

  “What happened to you, Jacob?” Goose asked.

  A detached, male voice came from Sonja’s mouth. “The dark man appeared and I followed. I don’t remember how I got on the ground. The chains holding my hands and feet burned. I couldn’t move.”

  “What is the dark man, Jacob?”

  “Evil.”

  “Who is he?”

  “He is death.”

  “Where did he take you?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What do you remember?”

  “Pain.”

  Joseph called out from the other room, “Why can’t he answer these questions?”

  “Because he doesn’t know.” Goose kept his tone level and quiet, as if addressing someone next to him.

  “We need more information than this,” Joseph vented in frustration.

  “Jacob,” Goose addressed him again, “we have someone that can communicate directly with you by touch. But she is not a gateway, and you must leave her when she obtains the information necessary. If you fail to do this, we’ll be forced to exorcise you, and your spirit will remain locked between the two dimensions. Do you understand?”

  Time elapsed before he answered, “Yes.”

  Everyone, with the exception of Sonja, stared at me. I shook my head, laughing uneasily. “Nu-uh. No way am I doing that shit again.”

  “He won’t have access to your memories this time,” Goose said. “That only occurred because of Baxter’s unique ability. All you will share are his memories and thoughts, and more importantly, you will see the face of this person he calls the dark man. We have to know what he looks like, Rhiannon.”

  I groaned, closing my eyes. I didn’t want to wimp out with everyone watching.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Enter the circle,” he instructed.

  “What?” I snapped in disbelief. “You just told me not to enter that thing.”

  “The plan has changed.” Goose’s eyes were slitted in annoyance, but his voice stayed steady. “Stop being a baby and enter the circle.”

  “Why can’t he just step out and come to me?”

  “For the same reason Disco and Joseph were instructed not to enter. This entire room is blessed.” He lifted his index finger and rotated it around his head. “He cannot leave the circle. That is the only area in the room in which he is allowed. He’s borrowing Sonja, but only so long as she allows it. She can break the contact at any time.”

  “This is some fucked up shit,” I muttered, rising to my feet.

  I wished Ed was inside the circle with my check now. I deserved that kind of compensation for walking into a magic circle with a “possess me” bulls-eye centered on my chest. I didn’t look at Disco. If I saw anything less than total confidence from him, I wouldn’t have the balls to do this.

  I held my breath, closed my eyes, and stepped into the circle. The room changed, a heavy and oppressing atmosphere shrouding me. My breathing increased and the tempo of my heart accelerated. I removed the ponytail and let my hair fall free, running my fingers through the tangles to soothe my nerves.

  Sonja slumped forward and back. Her eyes opened; the normal icy crystal blue greeting us. The pressure inside the circle intensified and I had to fight the compulsion to step out. Jacob’s form reappeared inside the circle. His dead eyes focused on me, and he started over. I realized why I didn’t notice his injuries before at Shooter’s. His shirt was black and blended with the hole in his chest. His short sleeves displayed the wounds on his wrists clearly, the flayed flesh spread outward to reveal solid bone.

  “Oh God.”

  He didn’t lift his hand, stopping mere inches away. I stared straight ahead. I didn’t want an up close view of his innards again.

  “You will have to touch him, Rhiannon.” Goose’s voice sounded miles away. “Baxter reached out because his ability dictated touch. Jacob didn’t have an ability that required physical contact.”

  “Oh man!” I squirmed, extending my fingers. My shoulders crowded my neck and my spine curved in revulsion. I decided to touch his face. It was as good a place as any. At least the skin remained unmarred by injury.

  At the first tentative contact, I saw a face I couldn’t place, but it was one I’d seen before. The man was dressed in a simple black suit and tie, his body tall and thin. His black skin was dark and smooth, a narrow face distinguished by perfectly proportioned features and large oval eyes a lovely shade of jade.

  A frame of blackness, then another image quickly replaced it. I was face up on the floor of darkened room, no windows, no doors—just concrete and the strong fragrance of Clorox and blood. My ankles and wrists protested in agony. I could feel the burning as the thin metal strand melted away the skin and grated into bone. I couldn’t remember how I’d gotten there. I was missing a block of time. I struggled against the bindings and stopped; each movement sent the chain into the bone.

  The dark man came, wearing nothing but solid black pants. He began to chant in a strange dialect, and I struggled against the bindings, fear seeping inside my chest when he produced a silver blade from behind his back. The blade shimmered in the blackness, glinting with each rotation of his wrist. The tip was sharp, a clean edge meant to slash. The thick silver spine was etched in a circular design that ran to the silver bolster, the handle a deep black material, like stone.

  I looked into the face of the man with the milky green eyes. He was smiling as he brought down his hand with the knife. The razor edge slid into my welcoming skin like butter. I screamed and the dark man closed his eyes, head falling to his shoulders as he looked to the ceiling.

  He lowered his face with the movement of the knife. I felt myself splitting—a painful slicing that stung and tortured. Pressure radiated from my chest in a dull agony when he contacted bone. I screamed again, thrashing against the bindings. The blade was placed on top of the fresh skin on my chest, and I opened my eyes in horror.

  He brought himself to his knees, plunging the metal into my sternum, tearing through the skin and bone in a horrible crunch that reverberated through the room. I wailed, screeching in anguish, each new broken bone as painful as the last.

  A deeper slice took my breath away, somehow more devastating. A slurping sound followed and my life began to ebb. The blackness surrounded me, but not before my dying eyes saw the heart cupped in his hand—my heart—and it was still beating.

  “It looks terrible, doesn’t it?” Jacob’s voice was much deeper then Sonja could project.

  I snapped to attention and I saw him standing across from me. He was perfect, no hole in his chest, his black shirt intact. His dark hair was actually deep brown and his eyes were light, sparkling champagne-hazel. I glanced around. We were no longer where he died. Instead, we stood next to a table at Shooter’s. There were no sounds of wood meeting cues, or balls colliding. We were the only two people in the building.

  “What is this?” I spun around, confused. “Where are we?”

  “I’m afraid I’ve taken liberties with you,” he confessed, smiling just the same. “I’ve done what Ethan asked me not to and merged into your body. Don’t worry. It’s only so we can speak. Right now, we’re locked together in your mind. See”—he motioned at the area around us—”I let you choose a familiar location.”

  “So we’re having an actual conversation?” I felt like I was in the twilight zone. Everything felt so real. I could even smell the talcum powder.

  He nodded and smiled. “It was the only way I could speak directly to you. It’s difficult to formul
ate words through a host body. The brain functions differently. Sort of like two hard drives working with different software. Not to mention, this is a private conversation, two separate entities sharing information independently at the same time.”

  “Wow.” I walked to a table and lifted a cue. It was solid, as was the table. I could shoot a game if I were so inclined.

  “Don’t get too comfortable,” he warned. “That is how you’re tricked and the spirit takes over. You’ll begin to believe all of this is real, and eventually, you’ll forget all about how you got here.”

  “Sorry.” I placed the cue back on the table and faced him.

  “I’ve imposed on you for one reason.” He feigned a wince. “I have unresolved business here, and even if you attempted to release my soul, I would remain because of it. I’m asking you to give your word that you’ll do as I ask so I can finally get some rest.”

  The request wasn’t unreasonable. “What would you like me to do?”

  “Go to the closet in my bedroom. You’ll need to walk all the way inside, to the back. On the top shelf, you’ll see a plain, brown shoebox. I need you to give that box to Gabriel, along with a message. Tell him I found it at a random pawn shop a few years ago and wanted to find the right time to return it to him, but”—he shrugged— “something got in the way.”

  “I thought you were going to tell me to kill someone,” I said, nervous laughter escaping. “Delivering a shoe box is a piece of cake.”

  He shook his head sadly, hazel eyes heavy with regret. “No, it’s not cake, but it’s something I have to do before I can leave this plane and move on to whatever it is that awaits.”

  “I give you my word. I’ll get it to him.”

  “Thank you.” He bowed his head, and hair tumbled around his face. “I’m in your debt. If are such things as guardian angels, I’ll return the favor.”

  “Wait.” I lifted my hand to stop him. There was something I had to ask. “What’s it like, being a spirit?”

  “It’s not so strange. You know what you need to do, and what you need to accomplish.”

  “So, you’re aware… of everything after you die?”

  “Are you aware? Of everything after you’re born?” he responded cryptically.

  The pool hall vanished and I heard Disco’s voice, drowning out all the others. I was back inside the circle, slightly dazed but standing on steady legs. I blinked rapidly as I acclimated to the change in scenery. Goose and Sonja were pulling things out of several cardboard boxes, sorting through the contents frantically.

  “You told her to go in there!” Disco screamed. “What were you thinking?”

  “I found the thistle!” Sonja’s voice was thick with panic. “Where’s the sandalwood and yarrow?”

  “We’ll get him out of her! I didn’t think Jacob would do that!” Goose screamed back, sifting through the box before angrily tossing it to the side. “Where the hell is it? The yarrow should be in there!”

  I hid my grin, but allowed myself a huge, inward smile. Now they cared. Step in the circle Rhiannon. Go get possessed Rhiannon. I took a peripheral peek at Disco and Joseph. Joseph was watching, but it was obvious he didn’t give a shit. I didn’t mean squat at the end of the day.

  Disco’s expression, on the other hand, made my heart ache.

  Concern, worry, and anger marred his beautiful face. He would eat Goose’s goat when this was all said and done. I was surprised the revered necromancers didn’t notice Jacob had gone. The room felt entirely void of energy.

  I took a deep breath and turned to Disco. His lids lifted in trepidation and doubt, his lovely eyes darkening. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, and the look disappeared. He started forward and then glared at the entranceway, unable to cross the threshold of the blessed room. Since he couldn’t come to me, I went to him instead.

  Goose and Sonja were still squabbling with each other when Joseph saw me, green eyes flaring dangerously. “She’s been taken over,” he snarled.

  “What?” Goose and Sonja asked concurrently. They whipped around and gasped.

  “Don’t let her leave the apartment!” Goose shouted.

  The minute I was clear of the barrier, Disco yanked me into his arms. His body stiffened and he held me at a safe distance, staring down guardedly. I tried not to notice the emotion inside their depths, but some of it seeped past anyway.

  His voice mirrored his confusion. “Rhiannon? Is it you?”

  “Yes, it’s me. If Ethan and Sonja would mellow the fuck out, they’d know it, too. Jacob left. He passed over to that bright shiny place in the sky.”

  Disco glanced over my shoulder, body still tense. He didn’t totally trust me, but that was cool. I wouldn’t trust me either.

  “He’s gone,” Sonja confirmed, sounding pissed. I’m sure she didn’t like being caught with her panties down—poor girl.

  Disco yanked me to his chest, and I went into his welcoming arms without argument. It felt good to lean on someone else for a change. After tonight, I deserved the break. Let someone else be strong. Tomorrow I could return to being the hard ass bitch everyone expected.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The night wasn’t a total bust, but with my luck, that was bound to change. After everyone recovered from my Linda Blair stunt, and I explained what I had seen—sans the private discussion with Jacob—we called it a night. Everyone was anxious about the dark man, especially me.

  I couldn’t shake that nagging feeling I knew him from somewhere.

  Disco had a car at the ready to take him home, and he offered me a lift. I knew it was a ruse. Disco could run faster than the car would move down the street. He just wanted to get me alone again. Even still, I accepted. There was no time like the present to get my promise fulfilled. Jacob deserved to rest peacefully, and I wanted to see what was so important.

  When I told Disco I needed to go to Jacob’s room, he was suspicious and asked questions that I refused to answer. He stopped speaking to me after that, and the drive to his home was agonizing.

  We pulled into the gated drive and I could see the mansion in the distance. I wasn’t aware places like this existed in New York. It was enormous, with a red brick exterior and windows that gave the visage of watchful eyes.

  The driver pulled up along the circle and I didn’t wait for him to open the door. I climbed out and raced up the stairs. One bonus with Disco, he was so fast I never had to be concerned about waiting for him to catch me. Nala opened the door before I reached it, that friendly smile welcoming inside her gorgeous face.

  “It’s wonderful to see you, Rhiannon.” She greeted me and stood aside, smiling past my shoulder. “Welcome home, Gabriel.”

  “Escort Rhiannon to Jacob’s room, please.” Disco strode past us, gliding down the hall to the left.

  “What is that about?” Nala’s asked, frowning.

  “We contacted Jacob. He had a request before he crossed over. I need to go to his room.”

  She nodded to the stairs. “Follow me.”

  She led me up the winding staircase and to the right, the wood barely creaking under our feet. Paintings, antique furniture, and tapestries adorned the painted walls. Heavy drapes along the hallway obscured the windows.

  We passed two doors before Nala came to a stop. “This is Jacob’s room,” she said softly, reaching for the handle. Stepping inside, she flicked the light switch and waited for me before closing the door behind us. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you looking for?”

  “It’s back here.” I walked to one of the two doors in the room, hoping I didn’t accidentally pick the wrong one. Pulling open the door, I looked for a switch. My vision was finally beginning to fade, and I couldn’t see as well in the dark anymore.

  “Here.” Nala brushed past me and turned on a light, flooding the room in a yellow glow. I hurried to the shelf along the back wall. The brown shoebox was right where he said it would be.

  “I need that shoe box.” I pointed at the shelf. “Can you reach it??
??

  “Sure.” Nala motioned for me to step aside. She leapt on the pads of her feet like a large cat, grabbed the box, and landed quietly on the cream Berber carpeting.

  She handed the box to me and I ran my hand along the cardboard surface. It was a plain old shoebox, nothing special. Yet something inside was so important Jacob risked being stuck between two dimensions to tell me about it, and that made the contents invaluable.

  I carried the box into the bedroom, sinking down on the bed. Nala stood close by, watching. “I don’t know if I can open it,” I said, inhaling a breath of courage. I placed the box in my lap and lifted the lid. Various colored pieces of cloth were scattered inside. I pulled them out one by one, until I uncovered a rectangular blue velvet box at the center.

  I lifted it carefully and popped open the lid. A bracelet was nestled inside, the platinum metal radiant and untarnished. The squares that made up each link held square blue sapphires with two tiny round diamonds flanking each one.

  “Oh no.” Nala sank down beside me on the mattress.

  “I don’t get it.” All of this to return a pretty piece of metal and gemstones?

  Nala looked from me to the box and back again. She drew in a deep breath, exhaling softly. “Years ago, Gabriel met a young woman named Sienna. They were an item for several years before she got into trouble.” Nala smiled sadly, reaching to touch the bracelet. I handed her the box and she drew it into her hand. “Sienna became involved in very dark magic, conjuring and summoning demons. Before long, she was indebted to one.”

  “Demons,” I echoed in disbelief.

  “The world isn’t the place you imagined, Rhiannon. I’m about to tell you something that will get me into a spot of trouble with Gabriel. But you have the right to know, and I refuse to keep you in the dark any longer.” She lifted her head and met my eyes. I nodded, encouraging her to speak.

  “The first vampire was created from a demon named Ahriman. He raped the human witch that summoned him using the guise of glamour. He appeared before her as a handsome, lost traveler, only revealing his true form after his evil seed found life in her womb. The witch died during the birth of her son, and Ahriman took the boy with him to hell. He shared his story with other demons whose names had been spoken, and therefore, were bound to cross dimensions to the people that summoned them.”