Voodoo Kiss (18 page)

"You know that Devon guy's slowly starting to piss me off," Cass said to
Thrain
. "I should've got rid of him a long time ago." He nodded and I wondered whether she meant it literally as in kill him or something. My eyes widened. She just shrugged and slumped into a chair opposite from me. I thought she'd care to elaborate but she just kept staring at
Thrain
who stared back at her. Apart from a frown or two, their faces remained expressionless, but that was enough to tell me they had some mind thing going on. Maybe coming from the same place, Heaven and Hell, made them able to communicate with each other.

"How did you know they were here?" I asked Aidan.

"They can't touch gold. I have infused it with magic and set up a safe perimeter around the house and the property."

I nodded because the latter part I had figured out myself. Nothing new there. He still had to answer my question. "Yes, but
how
did you know they were here?"

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The vampires and Shadows have been entangled in a war for such a long time, he can smell them. Literally," Amber explained.

Aidan shook his head. "It's not just that. The shield works like an energy field. They know about the shield but decided to touch it anyway. I think Devon wanted us to know he was here. Maybe they're after her—" he pointed at me "—but they might not be the bad guys in this particular instance."

"Would you team up with them?" I asked.

"When Hell freezes over." Cass jumped up, knocking the chair over in the process, and took off through the backdoor.

"Cass, wait!" I watched
Thrain
go after her, probably to calm her.

"She was friends with them once," Aidan whispered.

Amber nodded. "Needless to say, being friends with them is like letting the wolf in sheep's clothing near the flock."

"So sorry about Cass's temper. She can be a bit intense," Aidan said.

I nodded. "Figured that much. If I were to turn into a reaper every few hours, I'd probably take it much worse than she does."

"It's not just the reaper thing," Amber said softly. "She can't live without her mate. Literally. If he dies, bad things will happen to her."

I felt compelled to ask what those things were, but social etiquette told me to shut up and let it be. It wasn't my business. If Cass wanted to tell me, she would've done so already. "The more reason to get this over and done with." I was eager to reveal my big secret, ready to give my powers a try, but not because I wanted to. The air was thickening and too many people were already on my tail. Time to keep my word and then think of a way to get out of this forever, preferably with
Thrain
by my side.

"Can you really communicate with the dead?" I asked Amber.

Her brows shot up. "How do you know?"

"I remember you from the show. You were introduced as a necromancer."

"Yeah, that's what I am. Sort of." She moistened her lips, hesitating. "Let's just say, I'm still learning. And it's a long learning process." Aidan threw her an amused look like they had some sort of private joke going on.

"What is it like? I mean talking to the dead."

"Ask her when she's actually given it a try," Aidan said, grabbing her in a hug. From the way she slapped his arm, then perched a kiss on his lips, I could tell they felt comfortable around one another, as though they had dated for ages. And yet Cass had told me they only met a few weeks ago. A pang of jealousy hit me at how loved up they seemed. I wished I'd experience that sort of intimacy one day, that feeling of love and total devotion to someone. Sighing, I turned away to give them a bit of privacy. A moment later, Aidan cleared his throat and resumed the conversation. "I always figured a mortal would have more questions. Amber certainly did when she was—"

"When I wasn't a bloodsucker, albeit one that's on a diet thanks to a lovely spell," she finished for him, tapping a finger on her thigh. "I wonder what'd happen if the ritual were ever reversed."

"You can't reverse a ritual," Aidan said. She narrowed her gaze, ready to argue with him again. I feared I might not get another chance so I decided to return the topic of conversation back to me.

"Actually, I have tons of questions. I just didn't want to sound rude."

"Spill," Amber said, turning away from Aidan and crossing her arms over her chest.

"You said the vampires and Shadows have been enemies for centuries. I know how strong they are, but I haven't seen much from you yet. What can you do apart from teleporting to places?" I bit my lip, avoiding their gazes, unsure whether I had crossed the line. For someone, who tried to avoid sounding rude, the way I had just put my question sounded anything but respectful. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like you don't have any other abilities," I heard myself say, making it worse.

"It's okay." Aidan walked over and patted my arm lightly, his gaze searching Amber's as though to ensure she wasn't going to have a fit. "We have superhuman strength, speed and hearing. And when we feed on someone else's blood, we absorb a life's worth of memories. None of their secrets will remain hidden from us. Not even future ones. We're basically connected with them, meaning we can influence their thoughts."

I nodded, impressed. Then a thought hit me. "So, if you were to drink my blood all my secrets would be revealed to you, and you could turn me into a brainless zombie who follows your every command?"

"All your secrets, knowledge, memories. Everything. We couldn't turn you into a zombie, but you'd have a hard time defying our wishes." He didn't get my hint. Or maybe he did. If he tasted my blood, he could sort through my memories, which in turn meant he could look through my past life and tell me how to use my powers.

"I no longer drink blood, Sofia," Aidan said, sensing my thoughts. "Please don't ask any of us because a tiny drop from the source could turn us into raging maniacs."

I shook my head. "I wouldn't. But is that why the Shadows fear you so much?"

Amber blinked. "It is, isn't it? I always wondered. You know what really sucks? Being a vampire and having to figure everything out as I go along."

"Might be time to open up some sort of support club," Aidan said. His smile told me he was joking but his eyes remained dead serious. Come to think of it, that wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe they could do the same thing for voodoo priestesses.

"I want to use my powers," I whispered the same moment the door burst open and
Thrain
walked in with Cass trailing behind. She raised her eyebrows at me so I repeated the statement, this time a little louder even though I had no doubt she could understand me just fine.

"When?"
Thrain
asked.

"Today. Now."

He regarded me for a long second, his eyes staring me down, questioning the sanity of the idea. "You don't know how to use them."

I nodded. "That's true, but I doubt anyone could ever teach me. Voodoo is an ability, a calling." Don't ask me where I knew that part from. Wisdom just seemed to pour out of me, as though something had happened that kept triggering my memories. I smiled, self-satisfied, for a moment feeling like the important one in this room, not the usual odd one out because I wasn't immortal or as special as the others. I had an ability they didn't possess.

Thrain
opened his mouth to speak when Cass nudged him in the ribs, her gaze throwing daggers. "She's the expert, mate. She knows what she's doing. What do you need, Sofia? We can get hold of anything you want."

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat and tried hard to avoid
Thrain's
disapproving look. He was worried and I couldn't blame him. My mind searched through my vague memories for indicators of what I might need for my ritual. "Herbs—dried lavender and myrrh to banish bad spirits."

"Amber might be able to help out with that part, if she's not running away first," Aidan said.

"Or worse—fainting." Amber snuggled into his arms. "Sorry, can't help you. The last ghost I raised tried to claw my eyes out."

Cass rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. You didn't raise her. In fact, you didn't even realize she was a ghost until I told you."

"Whatever," Amber mumbled.

I shot
Thrain
an amused look. He didn't retaliate. Well, if he didn't want to play along, then he'd have to stay out of my affairs because there was no turning back now. "I'll need blood."

"You mean a drop?" Cass asked.

I hesitated. "More like a bucket."

"Shouldn't be too hard to get in a house full of vampires,"
Thrain
muttered. "Might as well hit the blood bank now before they close, huh, Aidan?"

"I need fresh blood," I whispered. All eyes turned on me. "What?" I shrugged. "Never seen the real deal?"

"We have, but have
you
?" Aidan asked.

"Let me think what else I might need." I dropped down on the couch and turned away, ignoring his question. What could I say? That I had seen lots of blood in my visions and that even the memories of its smell made me sick to my stomach? If I told them, they wouldn't take me seriously. My confidence in my abilities was already non-existent. "Candles and white chalk, a drum and a bell. I think that's it. If I remember anything else, I'll let you know. Now, if you'll excuse me I'd like to retreat to my room while you get everything." I stood and walked to the door with the others staring at me. Reaching the doorway, I called over my shoulder, "Oh, and a blade. And something personal that belonged to Dallas, preferably something soaked in blood."

I didn't wait for their answer, just ran upstairs and locked myself inside the room, my hands shaking as I pressed my back against the closed door, letting my emotions take hold of me. What was I doing? I wasn't this confident voodoo priestess that could hold a ritual to return the soul of the deceased into a body. I needed more time. My hands rummaged inside the drawers to find some cigarettes. When I didn't find one, I slammed the drawers shut and dropped to the floor, pressing my back against the wall. It took me several minutes to calm down and convince myself I didn't need cigarettes. I went to the bathroom and dived my hands into the cold jet of water to cool my skin. Looking in the mirror, I noticed the dark circles framing my eyes. I needed rest, but I couldn't have it yet because I had a purpose to fulfill.

I wanted this. I might not be ready, but I had no time to waste. The excitement at the prospect of finding out what I really was grabbed hold of me, pushing my fears to the back of my mind, my fingers already itching to give it a try.

I barely got an hour of sleep before a knock on the door jolted me out of the scary darkness that seemed to take over whenever I closed my eyes. Groggy and jetlagged from all the traveling around, I sat up and called for my visitor to come in, almost expecting
Thrain
to pop through the door. But it was Amber who brought me lunch, then plopped down on the bed to join me for company. I ate my lasagna and listened to her small talk, my mind half-busy with my own stuff. I still had no idea what I was getting myself into but I figured time would tell. Besides, it wasn't like I had a choice. If I truly and honestly wanted to talk to my sister, I had to figure this voodoo business out sooner rather than later.

"You still want to do this?" Amber asked as she accompanied me to the living room downstairs.

I stopped in my tracks and regarded her intently. "Isn't that what you want? To save your brother from sure death?"

"Of course." She hesitated, and in that instant I saw countless emotions on her face. Hesitation. Doubt. Hope. "I just—" she paused to take a deep breath "—please don't mess up. I don't want him turned into something he isn't, like a flesh eating, brain dead zombie." The last word barely made its way out of her mouth. I smiled at her overactive imagination.

"So you'd rather see him dead?"

Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head vehemently. "No! Never. But I'm pretty sure he would prefer that option."

I nodded and touched her arm gently. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." No idea where that came from because obviously I had no clue since I had never practiced voodoo before—not in this lifetime anyway. However, I was ready to give it a try. It wasn't like I actually believed anything I might be doing would actually work.

She nodded, and for the first time a real smile lit up her face. I marveled at how pretty she looked, and so very British with her chubby face and curves in all the right places. Striking in her own way.

I knew I should be wearing a robe or flowing gown for the ritual, but since I never asked for one of those, I figured my jeans would suffice. Hopefully, the gods and goddesses wouldn't see it as a lack of respect and would still listen to my plight. I accompanied Amber to the library. Gathered around the fireplace, where a hungry fire lapped greedily at dry wood, were Aidan and Cass.
Thrain
sat near the window, the farthest place from me.

The carpet had been removed, revealing a gleaming wooden floor. On the coffee table, pushed to the far left, were the things I had ordered together with a bottle with a red liquid. My stomach clenched instantly and I felt all color drain from my cheeks.