The Devil's Third (3 page)

With the smug smile still plastered on her face, she shot back, “Have you ever seen Paige barefooted outside in the woods playing her whistle and how much joy it brings her?” When he didn’t respond, she continued. “Did you know she secretly desires to dance around a bonfire at night . . . naked, while playing her whistle beneath a full moon?”

“Carrie!” I gaped at her, feeling the heat in my cheeks. I couldn’t believe she told him something personal I’d shared with her. That was something I wanted to keep between her and me.

She shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, Paige. I had to mention it to prove my point.”

Nathan turned to me, shocked. “Is it true what she’s saying?” When I nodded, he turned back to Carrie, who wasn’t finished making her point.

“Did you know she talks to the moon and feels right at home in the forest?” She paused, waiting for Nathan’s rebuttal, and when he didn’t respond, she went on. “Of course you don’t know, but you know what?
Brayden
does.”

I gasped at the same time Nathan jerked his head back, as if Carrie slapped him in the face. “Carrie!” What was wrong with her? She knew how sensitive Nathan was when it came to Brayden. That was downright mean. I glanced at Nathan. His eyes were focused on his lap, his face a pinkish red color. I locked eyes with Tree, and he shook his head, frowning in disapproval.

“It’s true,” Carrie said, defensively. “I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, Nathan, but your assumption about Paige not being born a witch is dead wrong. She’s been subconsciously following their beliefs her whole frickin’ life.”

“You didn’t have to be rude about it,” I snapped, glowering at her.

Nathan sighed, his eyes flicking on her. “You’re right. I stand corrected. I didn’t know those things about Paige.”

Carrie sat back, grinning in triumph. “You’re damn right I’m right.”

None of us said anything, and an uncomfortable silence fell among us. I didn’t know what Carrie’s problem was, but I didn’t like it and told myself if she kept it up, I’d tell her to leave. That would be a first. I mean, Carrie and I have had our fights before, but I’d never kicked her out of my house. It crushed me to even think about it.

The rain was still hammering the roof and pavement outside, and shadows from the candlelight danced across the walls. The tension in the air floated around us like thick smoke signals of a broken truce. I wished Carrie would just say she was sorry, but I knew how stubborn she was–to a fault. There was no way she’d try to amend her behavior with a rueful apology when she believed strongly in the rightness of her actions. That was the thing about Carrie; she could be brutally blunt. And for the first time since Nathan had met her, he became her target.

I hated this and felt sick to my stomach. I knew there was only one way to extinguish the tension, but I really, really, didn’t want to do it; however, there was no other option.

Not really knowing what I was doing but following my gut instincts while hoping I didn’t make an ass out of myself, I took a deep breath. Clearing my mind of all thoughts but one–
Grandmother
, I rose to my feet and moved to the edge of the room, ignoring the weight of their eyes on me. With my feet spread apart, I raised my hands above my head and visualized my grandmother. I somehow knew the theatrics of my actions weren’t necessary, but I went with it anyway.

I took another deep breath.

Closing my eyes, I tilted my palms and faced heavenward. In a strong, commanding voice, I said, “In love and pure light, I call forth Grandmother Kora to join us in this room!” To my surprise, a tingling sensation developed on my palms and at the crown of my head, moving up my arms and through my body, leaving an energizing warmth in its wake. “In love and pure light, I call forth Grandmother Kora to join us in this room!” I repeated in the same forceful voice.

Carrie gasped, and Tree said, “Holy shit!” I opened my eyes.

In the center of the living room, a glowing basketball sized orb hovered in the air. Bright, beautiful colors were swirling inside it: violet, pink, orange, green, blue. It was like a living lava lamp in a white round ball.

I dropped my hands and smiled, feeling an overwhelming connection to it. “Forgive me for disturbing you, Grandmother, but I need some answers.” I realized then, I didn’t have any questions prepared. But then one popped in my mind, something that had been troubling me for quite some time, causing a lump to form in my throat.

The orb plummeted to the floor. When it bounced up, my grandmother appeared before us in the same white cloak she’d worn last time. She looked exactly as she had then, with her long, fiery hair framing her delicate face. I could hear the sharp intake of Carrie’s breath and her whispers how beautiful my grandmother was. Then there was Tree, staring at her in awe, mouthing, “Wow.” Nathan, on the other hand, rose to his feet and stood beside me, facing my grandmother. He draped his arm around my shoulders and smiled at her while giving her a slight welcoming nod. She returned his gesture, then focused her attention on me.

“There is no need to ask for forgiveness, my child,” she said. The timbre of her voice was like melted chocolate in my mouth–smooth and sweet.

“Grandmother, this is Carrie and Tree.” I flicked my hand at them. “They’re my best friends and family.”

“Yes, I’ve heard about you two,” she said.

I wrapped an arm around Nathan’s waist. “Of course, you already know Nathan.”

“You have?” Carrie squeaked, sounding nervous. “Anything bad?”

Grandmother chuckled and waved a hand like she was clearing the air. “No, no, child. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you two. In fact, it brings both Gordon and Marissa great comfort to know you’re rooted in friendship and love in Paige’s life.”

Hearing my parents’ names made the lump in my throat grow to where I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to speak, but I attempted it anyway. “How are they doing?” The raspy part of my voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. Nathan gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze.

She smiled reassuringly. “They’re wonderful, but they do worry about you and vow to stay in Summerland to be closer to you.”

“What’s Summerland?” Carrie asked.

“It’s a realm closest to earth,” my grandmother told her.

“What am I?” I blurted before my throat became too tight to ask the question that had been plaguing me.

She turned to me and glided across the room. The flames on the candlesticks spit and jumped as she floated past the coffee table. She stopped in front of Nathan and me, her soft emerald eyes pouring into mine. She raised a hand to my cheek, causing it to tingle.

“You, my child, are a skeleton key,” she said with great reverence.
Skeleton key? What the hell was that supposed to mean?
When she saw the confusion on my face, she stepped back, and went on to explain. “You can unlock the spiritual doors closest to this realm.”

“How do you know?” Nathan asked.

“I’m not permitted to say.” She shook her head and a twinkle entered her eyes. “But I can tell you it came from a most reliable source. When the time is right, your question will be answered.”

“How come dark spirits had entered Paige’s dream?” Tree asked.

Boy, I was so glad he asked because I would have totally spaced it.

Her image flickered. She glanced down at herself, frowned, and lifted her gaze to Tree. “I don’t have much more time, so I must be brief.” Her eyes shifted on mine. “At night, when you sleep, the astral body withdraws from the physical. Most of the time the conscious mind shuts down, so you’re unaware of what’s really going on. Anyway, there are different levels to the astral plane. Close to the earth is the etheric plane, which is a dim and misty region. This dimension blends into the astral plane–Summerland. Usually, when you’re sleeping, you remain at the etheric level, and there are parts of this level where the dark spirits roam. The night you encountered those entities, your spirit happened to stumble into their dark region.”

Out the corner of my eye, I could see Carrie shaking and Tree curling his arms around her. The thought of dark spirits having their own realm outside of earth never occurred to me. I mean, of course I knew about Hell, but I’d never believed in the whole fire and brimstone nonsense. But now that I knew there was a Hell-like place–minus the fire and brimstone–where malevolent beings could infiltrate your dreams, if your spirit wanders into their territory, seriously made my skin crawl.

Nathan shifted his weight and ran a hand through his hair. “How can Paige prevent it from happening again?”

My grandmother’s image was still fluttering, but faster now, and I could see the anxiousness and desperation mar her beautiful face.

“Say a prayer of protection,” she quickly said, addressing all of us. “You can create your own, but be diligent about it. As you say it, use visualization to cement it into your spiritual consciousness.” She took a deep, hurried breath, and turned her full attention on me. “I’m sorry Bael found out what I had done to you. I’d never meant to have put you in this compromising position.”

I averted my gaze from her sad eyes as a collage of feelings whipped through me: sorrow, frustration, anger, resentment, understanding, and love. She waited for me to respond, her image flickering like a strobe light. So I looked at her and said the only thing I could, “I know.”

“This is the last time we’ll meet,” she said, trying to hold onto her image long enough so we could still see her, bringing tears to my eyes. “I’m moving to a higher dimension, where you can’t reach me. But before I do, I need to ask your forgiveness.”

Stunned, I blinked back the tears. For a split second I wondered if I didn’t forgive her, would she stay in Summerland? Because if she did, then I’d be able to see her again. But it was a selfish thought, and I wouldn’t want to do that to her, regardless of me hating what she had done to me. So I looked her square in the face, managed a small smile, and said, “I forgive you.”

Right when I said those three words, her face glowed with pure joy. Her happiness expanded, pouring into the room. She was now as solid as I, but beaming, overwhelming us with her joy. All four of us laughed, and she joined in.

And then she began to shimmer like glitter sparkling in the sun. I could hear Carrie stifling a sob, whispering, “Omigod.” Because behind Grandmother appeared a threshold to a wide-open door. Beyond it was a meadow filled with brilliant, beautiful flowers that put the colors on earth to shame. The sky was a tranquil, lilac color. I could see shadowed figures waiting for her, and past them were gorgeous, snow capped mountains. And in that moment, I envied her.

She turned to me, her expression filled with excitement. “I’ll look after you. This isn’t a goodbye because although my spirit can’t manifest in your world, eventually I’ll be able to learn how to communicate with you on a higher level, like your Guide.”

My throat was too tight to respond, so I pointed to myself, crossed my arms over my chest, and pointed at her.

She smiled. “I love you, too!”

A flash of white light sparked out of her chest, exploding her into beautiful pieces of incandescent colors, like broken stained glass. It scattered in the air, briefly illuminating the room in a rainbow of colors. In awe, we watched it come together, forming back into an orb. It flew through the doorway leading to the meadow. The door slammed shut, leaving behind an air of finality. My grandmother was gone, taking the portal with her.

Chapter Three

Nathan

In all my life–all hundred and seventy-three years of it–I’d never had a glimpse of the hereafter. Now I couldn’t help but think about my family, wondering what they were doing and if any of them were still in Summerland. The thought of asking Paige to contact them crossed my mind. I peeked at her but then felt guilty for even considering it. She stood, shoulders slumped, looking sad and lost in the direction Kora had left.

Damn.

Here I was thinking of myself when Paige just lost her grandmother and will never see her again. At least in this life she wouldn’t. I took her hand and led her to the couch. When we sat, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, careful not to touch her back. She clung to me as if her life depended upon it, as if she were afraid I’d disappear as well. It broke my heart.

Carrie was leaning on her knees, sniffling in her hands, chanting in a low whisper, “It was so beautiful . . . so beautiful . . . so beautiful.”

“I’ll be right back,” Tree said to her. He picked up a candle, curled his hand around the flame and left the room. Carrie didn’t move, her face still buried in her hands. Shortly after, Tree returned with a roll of toilet paper. He tore some off and handed it to her. She took it and blew her nose. “Here.” He tossed the roll to me. It arched in the dark space between us, and I snatched it midair.

“Thanks,” Paige said when I handed her a wad. She wiped her nose and turned to Carrie and Tree but didn’t say anything.

Carrie lifted her watery eyes to us. “I’m sorry”–for a second I thought she was apologizing to me. I raised my hand to wave it off and then realized she was talking to Paige, not me–“about your grandmother.”

Paige looked down and wiped her nose again.

“That was intense,” Tree said, swiping a hand across his face, releasing a slow breath. He looked at me, concern shadowing his face. “I’m guessing nobody knows Paige is a skeleton key except us, but what would happen to her if somebody finds out?”

“They won’t.” The words fell from my mouth in a fervent rush. Every muscle in my body tensed, and my heart raced at the thought of Paige being a perpetual target to those who’d want to either destroy her for having those abilities or seek a way to claim it for themselves by imprisoning her and doing unthinkable things. My blood boiled just thinking about it.

No. I wouldn’t allow it to happen.

Sure, Paige had the power of Solomon’s ring in her, but the power to control the dark spirits was impotent without the incantations. Once we found the incantations, Paige could use them to control the dark spirits and rid this world of them. However, now that Bael was aware the power of the ring resided inside her and not Solomon’s ring, I was almost certain he’d want those incantations destroyed or Paige dead. If he wanted the latter, we were in deep shit.