On Pins and Needles: Sierra Fox, Book 3 (17 page)

“The thought of having you beside me in the field has always excited me,” I said with a grin. “But I don’t want you to be my fulltime bodyguard.”

“I think I’d do a great job.”

“Papan, that’s not the point.”

“Besides, I want to be whatever you need.”

Oren’s chair screeched. “Okay, you two, I think you need to take this conversation upstairs and away from me.”

“Are you heading home?” I asked.

“No, if you don’t mind, I’ll stay here and keep deciphering the text. I can catch a few hours of sleep on the couch.” He looked down at the laptop. “Like I mentioned before, I can’t copy the file.”

“You can take the laptop home if you like.”

“If it’s all the same, I’d rather stay here.”

I suspected he wanted to stay as close as he could now that I’d confessed everything. “You know, there
is
a way to stop these idiots from using me.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Papan asked.

“I need to get the full extent of my powers without their involvement.”

“You just said it wasn’t possible without Pepita. And if we can’t get to her—”

“Oren, that’s not entirely true. Since we know where she is, all we have to do is get my grandparents away from the shadows.”

Oren snorted. “You make it sound so easy when we all know that’s virtually impossible.”

“Hard, yes, but not impossible…” I met his gaze. “The one thing I’m now sure of after crossing into the ghostly patch is that if spirits can go into it, there’s got to be a way for me to do the same. Shadows cross in and out of our world all the time, so I just need to find a way to get in.”

“And that’s where the word impossible comes into play.”

“I didn’t figure you for a pessimist.”

“I think he’s just been realistic, Fox.”

I glared at Papan. “Not you too! Think about it. If I can help Grandma move on, I’ll get my powers and the
Obscurus
gets nothing.”

Oren rubbed his whiskered cheek. “As insane as it sounds, the theory might be probable. It would require intense research, though.”

“Without even knowing where a portal is, no one’s going anywhere,” Papan said.

I sighed. “Yeah, I know. It’s just an idea at the moment.”
 

“Come on, Foxy. I think it’s time you get some rest.” He winked.

My lips spread into a grin. “I like the sounds of that.”

“Good, then it’s settled,” Oren said. “You two need to let me be.”

I looked at Oren. “By the way, I don’t mind you staying, but I think you’ll be more comfortable in Grandpa’s room.”

He looked at me, one eyebrow raised. “Are you sure?”

I nodded, even if I wasn’t really.

Oren smiled and stood. “In that case, I’ll head down right now so I can be as far away from your room as possible.”

“Good night!” I called. “Try to find a way to get into the shadow patch.” If he didn’t, my backup plan was to speak to Burr, the Tailor from the Patch Watchdog.

When Oren was gone, I casually strolled up to Papan.

“So having me by your side excites you, huh?” he teased, with a sparkle in his eyes.

“It also scares me.”

“Why would it scare you?”

I took another step, bringing my body up against his. I tilted my head back and met his shiny green eyes. “Everything about being with you has always excited and scared me because the idea of it is so…exhilarating.”

Papan took my hand. “Why don’t we head upstairs and I’ll show you just how exhilarating I can be?”

I pulled away, raced out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Before I could reach the bedroom, Papan had scooped me up and kicked the door closed behind us.
 

When he threw me on the bed and stripped my clothes off, he showed me a whole new meaning to
exhilarating
.
 

Chapter Seven

I placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of Willow. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” She wrapped her hands around it and smiled. This morning her long straight hair was held away from her face by a ponytail. She was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a red and black flannel shirt. “I haven’t had one of these in so long.”

“You’re welcome.” I had to admit that having my half-sister stay with me was bringing out a side of me I thought wouldn’t resurface after what happened with Ebony. I’d tried calling my friend this morning, but she hadn’t answered. I wasn’t going to give up on her and left
another
message.

I handed Oren his cup of tea and returned to the kitchen counter to take Papan’s mug and a plate full of toasted sandwiches. I placed everything on the table before clutching my own coffee. I sat down next to Papan and across from Willow, glad I’d decided to sneak out of bed early. Papan caught up with me in the shower, but I couldn’t stop to think about
that
right now. Not without blushing.

“Did you sleep well in the old man’s bedroom?” Papan asked Oren with a grin.

“I did, nice of you to ask.”

“What about you, cutie, did you have a nice night?” he asked Willow.

Her face turned red as she nodded and avoided looking at him. “I haven’t slept so well, or for so long, in ages.”

I bit down on my tongue to keep from asking where she’d been staying for the last few months. Right now we had to start from the beginning.

“Okay,” I said. “We all had a nice night but now need to discuss what we’ve been putting off. Willow, I know this is probably going to make you uncomfortable but the clock’s ticking and if we’re going to help you, we need to find out what’s going on.”

“I’ll tell you whatever you need to know.”

“Why don’t we start with why you ran away from home?” Oren suggested before sipping his tea.

Willow took a drink from her mug before placing it back on the tabletop and sitting back in the chair. She crossed her legs and said, “I ran away because I couldn’t take it anymore.”

My heart sank, because I instantly jumped to the obvious conclusion. “Was your dad abusing you?”

“Not sexually, if that’s what you’re asking, because that’s what most assume when a teenager who lives alone with her father runs away.” She met my eyes. They were sad and filled with disappointment. “But Dad never touched me. He was an awesome father, until he noticed I was changing.”

Okay, her last statement totally contradicted the first one.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” I said.

“My father’s never had any problem getting a woman. He has a string of them, and a little black book he keeps in his office drawer. He doesn’t think I know about it but I’m not stupid. I’ve heard the noises in the middle of the night and to be honest with you, I never cared. I was actually happy for him—glad he found others to fill in the gap my mother left when she died.”

So far, I had no idea where this was going.

“But last year when Stitches died, something happened. I didn’t let him go until the very last breath…he was all I had left to remind me of Mum.”

“What do you mean by that?” Papan interrupted the flow. “And who’s Stitches?”

“He’s a dog,” I answered.

“Yeah, Stitches was my dog,” Willow said to Papan. “My father freaked out when Stitches died, but it also confirmed what he’d always secretly wanted.”

“What was that?” Oren sat forward, placing his elbows on the table.

“When he died, I did too.”

“What do you mean, Willow?” Oren asked.

I recalled what she told me the first time we met. She claimed she’d died several times already.

“I mean that my dog died and so did I, but I came back…and he didn’t. Dad said I died for a few minutes and he knew because I didn’t have a heartbeat, wasn’t breathing, and my lips were turning blue. But I came back and brought Stitches’ spirit with me, though I don’t know how I did it.”

Papan squirmed in his chair beside me.

“So you died at the exact moment your dog did, but you returned?” Oren asked.

She nodded.
 

“You said you confirmed something your father secretly wanted. What was that?” Oren was really firing the questions.

Her blue eyes took on that freaky shine again, but she shut them and answered the question. “He was hoping I could bring back the dead. He said it was something his family had been doing for hundreds of years, but because he was male he missed out. His grandmother could do it and he always wished he could too.” She opened her eyes and stared at me. “It was awful, because he wanted to test the theory and used me to bring a few spirits back. But it wouldn’t work the same. I don’t know why—it’s just something I can’t control.”

“What did your father make you do?” I asked, a lump forming inside my throat.

“He wanted me to learn how to bring back the spirits of the dead so I could control them.” She lowered her eyes. “He knew a woman who could teach me.”

“Did you ever do this successfully?” Oren asked.

Willow shook her head. “I couldn’t and the woman said there was something wrong with me. That’s when my father told her Mum had spook catcher in her, and the woman started acting all creepy. She’d drop in when Dad wasn’t home and eventually got with my father. She somehow convinced him to let her move in. I hated her—she made me feel dirty and sometimes I’d find her standing over me in the middle of the night.”

“What’s this woman’s name?”

She squinted. “I don’t remember. I knew it, but when I left home I just forgot.”

“What happened to your boyfriend?”

Tears shone in her eyes. “Jamie knew about what was happening at home and he helped me escape.”

“Were you being held prisoner?” Papan asked this question.

“Sorta. I couldn’t go anywhere and sometimes the windows and doors wouldn’t even open, but Jamie helped me by breaking in through the back door and getting me out of there. We jumped into his car and drove off, but he lost control and we crashed. I died at the same time he did, but of course came back.” Tears rolled down her cheeks again. “I ran away then, and stayed with Ronnie for about a month. She hid me in her bedroom and then in the garage, but when her mother found out and threatened to call my father, I ran off again.”

“So you’ve been out on your own for a month now?” Papan asked. “Has anyone been following you?”

She nodded. “I noticed some shady people watching me sometimes, and kept running and hiding. It was a lot easier to do in the city than in the suburbs. That’s when I remembered Sierra…” She looked at me. “And thought I could come to you for help.”
 

“I’m glad you did, but it would’ve made everything a lot easier if you’d just told me what was going on from the beginning.”

“I know, I’m sorry…”

I turned to look at Oren. “Well, which one is it?”

“Definitely necromancer,” he said with a sigh.

“What’s that?” Willow asked.

Oren turned his attention to her. “It looks like you’re a necromancer—a person who can communicate and summon the spirits of the dead. In the wrong hands, you can become a very powerful weapon.” He gave me a dark stare and I knew exactly what he meant. If the
Obscurus
found out about her they’d have two weapons from the same bloodline. “It’s why you’ve got your dog and boyfriend attached to you.”

Her eyes widened. “You can see them?”
 

“I’ve seen them,” I cut in. “Whenever I mention your father, a young boy and a dog appear around you. I’m pretty sure they’re poltergeists.”

“You said that before, back at your office. How did it happen?”

“It looks like every time someone you love dearly passes away, you die with them. And when you return, you bring back a piece of them with you,” Oren explained.

“It doesn’t make sense why they’re poltergeists, though,” I added.

“Actually, it makes a lot of sense.” Oren was in professor mode and I didn’t want to interrupt him. The more we knew about this situation, the better. “Willow’s a young girl and the young people she loses return to her in the form of poltergeists because that’s what happens with a lot of juvenile spirits. The fact she’s a necromancer and her skill obviously works with her emotions makes her a magnet. Don’t forget she’s also got a bit of spook catching and witch blood in the mix. Just as you’re not an average spook catcher, she’s not just one thing or another. You two are a cocktail mix. Your main source of power isn’t going to be the same as anyone else’s. You’re both more than the average catcher or necromancer.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “You sure know how to deliver freaky news to a girl.”

Willow laughed. “I’m just glad someone knows what’s wrong with me, but I’m pretty sure my father isn’t a witch.”

I avoided her eyes, not keen to get stuck into the whole family thing.

“There’s nothing wrong with either of you,” Papan said with a shake of his head. “You’re both special in your own way. Sure, you have to admit that it’s
freaky
because one of you can see, interact, and control the dead. While the other dies with the ones she cares about and then carries them around with her. Strange, but beautiful strange…”