The Witches of BlackBrook (16 page)

“Oh my god, what are you doing? Kit was just here, did she see you?” Trin pulled Jason down the hall and into her assigned room.

“Calm down. No, she didn’t see me.”

Trin tossed his chart onto the counter. “I can’t believe you. Why didn’t Caris tell me you were coming?”

“Because she didn’t know. Christ,
I
didn’t know I’d be scheduling a massage just so I could see my girlfriend, but dammit Trin, I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, but we can’t risk anything right now, Jason,” she snapped as she leaned back against the door.

“I get that you’re worried, but if all I can get is a few stolen moments with you, I’m going to take them, risk or no risk.”

Trin crossed her arms in front of her chest trying to tamp down her anger. Between pretending with Kit, worrying over her sisters, and now coming face-to-face with the fact that she had a man in her life to adjust to, it was all leaving her extremely pent up.

Jason smirked at Trin.

“What’s so funny? This whole situation is screwed up,” Trin said as she smacked his arm, sending a blue shock arcing between them.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the feisty side of you.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Don’t you remember how we defused our frustrations back in the day?”

She bit her bottom lip as memories flooded her mind.

Jason unclasped her arms and raised them above her head, rubbing the vein at her wrist as he slowly and deliberately kissed her neck, the tension in her body releasing with each stroke of his thumb.

The caress of his lips and the kneading of his skillful hands had Trin casting a silencing spell over the room. Never before had she been naked at her place of business, but today, her emotions had been pushed to their limit and she’d be breaking all the rules.

Trin stripped, unabashed as Jason did the same. She guided him to lie back on the table and proceeded to climb atop him with a wicked smile.

“This isn’t how I imagined our first time in this life,” Jason panted as Trin kissed along his neck, “but our souls are connected just as they were centuries ago, and I crave you now as much as I did then.”

“I feel it too.”

Trin crushed her lips to his as she lowered herself onto him. Their passion flared and in a rush the room began to spin. There connection was more than physical, it was spiritual, magical, and Trin could feel the buzz of energy in the air.

Lost in each other, the memories of their time together floated between them as their minds began to link. A lifetime of love sent their spirits soaring as their ecstasy peaked. Trin opened herself in that moment, heart and soul, and knew in an instant what they needed to do.

Refreshed and dressed in her black corseted dress of tulle and satin, Trin waved to Mia, chuckling internally, as she left for the day. Her rendezvous with Jason may have been taboo, but it was worth the risk.

Trin drove straight to the party, hoping a brief appearance would be enough. Preparations needed to be made, and she needed to get to the Hardy’s as soon as possible. There was no need to hide anymore, for the answer came in not being apart, but finally coming together.

Trin took a deep breath and shored up her mental blocks before entering the restaurant. She may be ready to face Kit, but there was no point in doing it here.

Kit greeted Trin with a hug and smile and began to introduce her to her inner circle. Trin had met Harold before, but these were not only people Kit worked with, but apparently, some of her clients and colleagues were in attendance as well. They were all here to acknowledge and award Kit’s achievements within the art community, which Trin now questioned as authentic or not. Even with all the falseness surrounding Kit, Trin thought that when it came to her art, she was the real deal. But now, she questioned whether that was even true. It was impossible to tell when magic and lies were involved.

“Thank you for coming, Trin. It means so much to have you here,” Kit whispered in her ear.

“You’re welcome.” Trin forced a smile.

Grabbing a glass of champagne, Trin retrieved her cell phone from her small silver clutch and frowned at the display. No call or text from Caris yet. Perhaps she’d had other errands to run before heading home? A slow chill rolled across Trin’s skin.

“Everyone, gather around please,” Harold announced from the front of the room. “Thank you all for joining us tonight to honor Kit Callaway. For anyone who has ever had the pleasure of viewing one of her pieces, I’m sure you’d all agree that her art comes straight from her heart and soul. Her classic lines and ethereal concepts spark imagination and will continue to span time, inspiring future generations to come.” Harold raised his glass. “And she’s made my company a lot of money, so cheers!” he joked.

“Cheers,” the crowd responded.

Kit stepped up to the podium, red-cheeked in her white pantsuit. “Thanks, Harold. It’s nice to know how you really feel.” The crowd roared with laughter. “My inspiration comes from the world around me, and I’m so grateful I’ve been blessed with the talent to turn that into something you all can enjoy. It means a great deal to me that you’d accept me and what I do in a society that has such varied tastes. I’ve found my niche and I couldn’t be more honored that you’re all a part of it. Thank you for coming.”

Trin raised her glass, conflicted by the emotions she was feeling. She hated Kit for deceiving her, for being the evil that had kept her from her true sisters for over three hundred years. But at the same time, those shared lifetimes weren’t something one could easily forget. Trin would end Kit for what she’d done, but she was also genuinely proud of her accomplishments here tonight. It was confusing.

“Trin, are you okay?” Kit asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Yes, I’m okay. Your speech was nice. I’m happy for you, Kit.”

“Thanks. Will you join me at the head table? Dinner is about to be served.”

Trin clutched her purse, the phone inside burning a hole through her subconscious. “Actually, I’m going to head home. I’m not feeling all that well.”

Kit frowned and grabbed Trin’s arm. “Maybe a bite to eat would help. You haven’t been taking very good care of yourself lately, sister.”

“You’re right. I’ve been feeling pretty drained lately, so like I said, I think I’ll be heading home.” Trin yanked her arm from Kit’s grasp. “Enjoy your party.”

Trin’s stomach was in knots as she stomped out of the restaurant. Of course Kit knew she was feeling drained, it was her damn fault!

Trin drove straight to the Hardy’s and couldn’t care less if Kit knew it or not.

“Trin! What the hell are you doing here? You’re supposed to stay away until Caris nails down the proper time for our next spell,” Kennedy exclaimed.

“There’s no time for that. I think she has Caris,” Trin rushed to explain.

“What?” Jason rounded the corner of the kitchen.

“Kit saw her with me today at the spa, and I haven’t heard from her since.”

“Dammit!” Kennedy cursed, collapsing onto the couch. She punched Caris’s number into her phone but received no answer.

“Trin. You should go back to the party and keep Kit occupied and we’ll head to the cave,” Jason instructed.

“No! That’s just it.” Trin reached for his hand, igniting a blue spark between them. “Tonight, when we consummated our relationship anew, I saw what we needed to do.”

Kennedy snapped her head in Trin’s direction. “Do tell, sister.”

“The fact that we’ve been staying apart has been our mistake and exactly what Kit has wanted all along. It’s when we truly come back together that we’ll be a threat. A threat to breaking through whatever block she has us on. We need to return to the cave to get Caris
together
. All of us.”

“I don’t understand. We’ve all been together before and couldn’t break through the block? What’s different now?” Kennedy asked.

“I’m different. The physical connection of being intimate with Jason unlocked something within me. I saw clearly what we need to do.”

“What if Caris isn’t at the cave. What if Kit took her somewhere else since she knows we found her lair?” Jason interjected.

“No. She’ll still take her there. You said it yourself, that place is connected to the source of her power.”

“It makes me crazy to address her in the feminine when we all know what
she
really is,” Jason spat.

“He...she...what does it matter? As soon as we find Caris this will all be over,” Trin said with a firm set to her jaw. “The moon may not be full yet, but together, I know we can save Caris and put a stop to this,” Trin proclaimed. “Besides, I’m sick of waiting for her to make a move. Now, if you’d be so kind, can you show me to your supplies?”

Kennedy led the way, showing Trin to their temporary work area and helped gather the items.

“Salt, sulfur, and houndstooth,” Trin instructed.

Kennedy placed the items in the basket and stifled a sob at the thought of Caris.

Trin placed a hand on the basket, understanding the connection. “Breaking through Kit’s block is obviously going to take more than just the three of us being in the same room.” Trin glanced at Jason. “So, while I set up the spell, you two will have to keep her distracted. Keep her talking and focused on your attempts to save Caris.”

“Okay. Monologuing. Got it.” Kennedy smiled.

Trin laughed and turned. “I’ve got everything I need from here, but I have to stop by my house on our way out of town.”

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Jason asked.

“Kit won’t be there. If she’s not still at her party then she’ll be in the cave,” Trin assured him.

“Okay, then. It looks like we’re ready to go.” Jason’s less than enthusiastic demeanor had Trin hanging back.

“Hey? Are you okay?” she asked.

Jason planted his feet and crossed his arms. “I’m worried we’re rushing into this. The idea of any of you being put in danger, just because we’re all mad and impatient has me concerned,” Jason confessed.

“As always, my caring companion.” Trin stared at Jason, seeing Jeremiah’s spirit within. “I know that’s how it seems, but trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

“The last time you said that, you ended up on the pyre,” Jason stated.

Trin placed her hands on his arms, pushing them open so she could step into his embrace. “Our physical connection unlocked the answer for me, and you know better than anyone what I would do to save my sisters. I wouldn’t risk them if I thought we would fail.”

Jason leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. “Yes. You’re right. I know you wouldn’t.”

Trin and Jason walked hand in hand to his truck. Climbing in, they headed straight to Trin’s house.

“What am I looking for?” Jason asked, since he refused to let her go inside.

“A red box sitting on my dresser. You can’t miss it.” Trin smiled.

Jason took Trin’s keys and quickly made his way inside. The house was empty, just as Trin had foretold.

Jason raced upstairs, finding the box exactly where Trin said it would be and quickly returned to the truck. Settled back behind the wheel, he handed the small box across to Trin. “Here you go.”

“Thank you. We’re all set.”

“Are you sure you have everything we’ll need?” Kennedy asked from the backseat.

“I have enough, but it’s not the supplies that will beat Kit, it’s us...together.”

“That sounds vague and completely irrational. We’re going to be facing a centuries old demon whose soul has been fused to yours, and you’re basically saying we should just wing it?” Kennedy shook her head with a quirky grin on her face.

“What I’m saying is you should trust me,” Trin took her sister’s hand and opened her heart and mind. Memories of the three of them together and the magic they used to openly work filled her thoughts. She could sense young Kenna awakening within Kennedy, stirring and ready to join the fight.

Kennedy removed her hand and stared up at her sister. “It’s you, Karina. I felt you.”

“That’s what I’m saying. A portion of me has been released, and it’s the blood bond we share as sisters that will break through Kit’s blocks. And whether she knows it or not, once we all connect, there’ll be nothing she can do to stop us.”

Kennedy smiled from ear to ear, then looked at Jason through the rearview mirror. “Step on it, cousin. We’ve got a demon to destroy.”

Caris worked the ropes behind her back until her wrists were raw.

“You won’t escape, child, so you might want to save your strength.”

“Fuck you! We know who you are...
Kit
, and I know you can feel them coming,” Caris taunted.

A hoarse laughter, like glass on sandpaper, echoed off the cave walls. “You know nothing.”

Caris swallowed past the lump in her throat as she watched the cloaked demon stir his cauldron. A foul green fog slithered from the bowl and coated the floor, rising up to fill the opening of the cave. Solidifying and turning invisible, it sealed the door to her escape or rescue. Tears built behind Caris’s eyes as she thought of what would happen if her family ran into the barrier.

“Please, just let me go.”

“It’s too late for that,” he hissed, tying a gag around her mouth. “You’re right. They are coming, and soon, you will all be mine.”

Jason pulled off the road in the same spot as before. “Okay, it’s about a two hour hike to the cave from here.”

“We don’t have time for that,” Trin snapped. “Give me your hands.”

“What should I do with this?” Kennedy pointed to the basket.

“Put the sachets in your pockets,” Trin replied.

Kennedy emptied the contents into her pants then exited the truck. Gathered in a circle, the three of them joined hands.

“Goddess of the moon, stars, and sun, transport us so that this may be done. Ending the evil, righting a wrong, guided by your loving tongue. Let your words flow through me, as I will it, so mote it be.” The air spun and lightning flashed as Trin was filled with the moon mother’s magic.

The girl’s auburn hair soared upward into a vortex as they were transported to their destination, their feet touching down just outside the cave. Jason shook his head and winked at Trin, giving his silent appreciation of her exceedingly impressive new skills.

Trin cast her thoughts into their minds,
“Give me a moment to scan the cave and then...follow my lead.”

Weary, Kennedy took a deep breath but stood resolute. Jason pulled a talisman from his pocket and slipped it around his neck. Trin beamed. It was a worn leather cord, bearing the ring Jeremiah presented to Karina all those years ago.
“I thought this might help our connection,”
he thought.

Trin caressed his cheek and placed a kiss upon his lips.
“Our connection has never been stronger. I love you.”

“And I you.”

Jason and Kennedy stepped behind Trin as she moved towards the opening of the cave. Using the motion of her hands to gather energy, Trin cast runes by drawing specific glyphs in the air. A blue energy circled before her, pulsing with magic and a piercing focus. She slashed her hand towards the cave and watched as her spell ate up the green barrier blocking their way.

Trin stepped forward, motioning for Jason and Kennedy to follow. Twenty steps in, they rounded the bend and entered the heart of the cave. Caris sat tied against the wall, alive and seemingly unharmed.

Kennedy raced to untie her sister while Jason stood guard, allowing Trin to start setting up the spell in her mind.

“It’s a trap!” Caris cried as soon as her gag was removed.

“Of course it is,” Trin calmly replied.
“Join hands with Kennedy, and slowly move towards me,”
Trin sent into Caris’s mind, surprising her by the sudden connection.

The girls did as instructed, forming a wall with Jason in front of Trin, as she faced the demon’s altar.

“Come out and face us, foul beast. It’s time you stopped your lies and deceit,” Kennedy commanded.

A thick black fog rolled across the floor accompanied by a sinister laugh and two beady-red eyes emerging from the shadows.

“You haven’t seemed to mind the years we’ve spent together. Always happy and well protected. It’s only now that your life is in real danger. I told you, you should have stayed away from them.” Kit’s voice sounded from behind them all.

They all spun around, confused, and saw Kit standing there in her white-pant suit, while the cloaked demon continued to drift at them from the other side of the room.

“What the hell is this?” Jason yelled.

“Stop with the theatrics, Kit. I know it’s you. Drop whatever illusion this is and show your true form,
Heinrich,
” Trin commanded.

“How dare you speak his name!” Kit bellowed, launching herself at Trin.

Kennedy pushed past her sister and in a swift move, blew a cloud of houndstooth into Kit’s face, immobilizing her where she stood. “Be still like the dog you are,” Kennedy spat.

With a quick glance behind them, Trin summoned the witches ladder from her purse and linked hands with her sisters. “Show yourself to the three, demon of old shall it be, strip away the false and fake, only truth will the Goddess take.”

Trin opened her eyes and gasped. The demon remained the same, cloaked and glowering from the shadows, while Kit stood transformed, wearing a pilgrim dress and holding a phantom child.

“Ann Putnam?” Trin gasped.

“That’s right,
sister
. Did you think you were the only witch who was tied to the devil?”

The demon cackled and lunged towards his altar but met an invisible barrier when Trin threw up her hand.

“Explain! Now!” Trin demanded.

“What’s there to say? Heinrich found me long ago, long before you, and in order to spare my life, I made a bargain.”

“What kind of bargain?” Caris spat.

“To hunt witches by pretending to be mortal and in need.” She jostled the small apparition in her arms. “How was I to know that Karina’s spell would pull us all through time, forever linked and dependent upon her energy alone to survive?”

The demon began chanting while it writhed against Trin’s shield. Luckily, just as she’d foreseen, the magic between her and her sisters was silently building below the surface. Trin could feel Karina, Caris, Kara, Kennedy, and Kenna, as if each of their signatures was unique and powerful in and of itself. She had to keep talking while the Goddess’s magic unfused the red connection that was twisted between her, Ann, and the demon.

“So, all this time it was you who found me and invaded my life, not Heinrich?” Trin asked, genuinely curious.

“In a matter of speaking. Heinrich and I are linked, as I am to you, but he’s bound to this cave and depends on me to keep him well fed.” She raised her chin.

“You mean by bringing him blood and magic? Witches to the slaughter,” Kennedy spat, appalled.

“That’s right. As long as I kept the three of you apart and played my role, my bargain remained intact.”

Kennedy looked between her sisters and smiled wide. “Guess you’re shit out of luck then.”

Ann’s eyes fluttered between the girls and the demon. Her failure was clear and so was her panic. She never questioned why she needed to keep the three apart, but now, as the binds that had connected them for so long were being stripped away, she realized she was doomed. Unlinked, she was just another witch for Heinrich to feed upon.

The demon clapped his hands and a resonating boom echoed from the walls, causing Trin’s shield to shake and weaken. Ann floated through the air towards Heinrich’s outstretched hand, her feet dragging in the dirt.

“Please! Save me,” she cried out.

“Get her, Jason. If he drains her now, he’ll gain more strength. We’ll deal with her later,”
Trin sent.

Jason broke from the group and grabbed Ann, while the girls worked to reinforce the shield. Heinrich was stuck behind the invisible wall, once again, unable to move.