A Strange There After (18 page)

Jason’s eyes widened in shock, and ice shot
through my limbs. Even when he blinked the surprise away, I got the
feeling it wasn’t fully gone.

“Enough,” he said. “This isn’t about her.
It’s about you. You didn’t answer the question about this dark man
and what he gave you.”

I answered for her, knowing full well he
wouldn’t hear me, and shared some of what I’d concluded on my own.
“He provides Catherine with her power. I’m not sure how, but he
does.” A memory surfaced. “Voodoo! Abby, you need to find someone
with knowledge of voodoo. They might be able to give us some
information. Me and Boone talked about it the other night. It’s
worth a shot.”

“Shut up!” Catherine shouted, and I smiled in
triumph.

It wasn’t often anyone managed to lure her
into breaking her stony façade, much less twice in such a short
time. If pushing her got me what I wanted, I wasn’t afraid of doing
it. Sure, she could hurt me or the people I loved, but those were
the risks I had to take.

Jason looked at Abby. “What did I miss?”

“Quinn said we needed an expert on voodoo.
Catherine is getting her power from this dude they’re talking
about, and it might be connected.”

“It won’t work.” Catherine’s words lacked
their usual bite, which meant we were on the right track.

“Can you find one?” Jason asked Abby.

“Absolutely. It’s a pretty common thing here.
I can do some research, make a few calls,” Boone offered.

Catherine crossed her arms, sinking into the
chair, her face hard as stone and pale with fright.

“Thank you, Abby,” I said.

“You’re welcome, ghostie.”

Her answer brought a slight laugh from my
lips. I glanced at Jason, who appeared to be battling the urge to
speak. When he didn’t, I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or
sad.

He gave his attention to Catherine, staring
at her full on.

“I’m making one thing clear, right now. I
don’t trust you in this house alone, Catherine. Starting tonight,
I’ll be staying here, too.” He turned his back on her, not giving
her a chance to object. “What do you say, Abby? Feel like moving in
with a movie star, a few ghosts and a psycho?”

“Absolutely.”

“Don’t count me out,” Boone said. “There’s no
other place I’d rather be.”

Chapter
Nineteen

The atmosphere in the house shifted from
uncomfortable and tense to optimistic. All four bedrooms were
occupied, and Boone offered to take the smallest, without
furniture, choosing instead to use a newly purchased air mattress.
He was the only one looking at this as an adventure, which I
secretly loved. His excitement was infectious, and it relaxed me,
in spite of all the drama. Abby was determined, while Jason seemed
solemn. I didn’t need them to constantly remind me of what was at
stake.

Their presence filled me with anxiety. I
didn’t trust Catherine. Worse, I was afraid for my friends. Without
a doubt, I knew she’d hurt them in order to get what she wanted,
and she’d enlist the help of our enemies to do it. I didn’t fully
grasp the nature of her relationship with the other entities, or
how the three of them were connected, but it scared me. The risk of
danger beat into me, a steady rhythm much like a heartbeat. I
didn’t rest. Instead, I roamed the halls, weary with the
premonition something was going to happen.

I paused outside the door to what had once
been my stepsister Suzie’s room and listened to Abby’s deep, even
breaths. By the time she returned with her stuff early this
morning, she and Boone delayed trying to track down anyone with
knowledge of voodoo in favor of sleep and clear heads. She said it
hadn’t been difficult convincing her mom to let her stay with me
either. Barb had always been so kind, giving me a sense of family
when mine treated me terribly. Abby said all she’d had to do was
mention how lonely I’d been in the big mansion by myself, dealing
with reporters and a high profile romance, and her mom relented,
agreeing that us being roommates was a wonderful idea.

Of course, I was positive Abby hadn’t
mentioned having two male houseguests.

Jason claimed the room across the hall, which
had been Anna’s, and I laid my palm flat to the door. It hurt,
having him so close, but struggling with all I’d been forced to
witness between him and Catherine. He hadn’t mentioned it again,
keeping to himself, locked inside his head. I didn’t want to blame
him. I only hoped once I had my life back, those feelings would
change.

Boone had ventured outside, ignoring my
arguments, determined to experience something and claiming his
internal clock had a different schedule than most people’s because
of his hobby. His hope? Find a way to lure the dark entities out of
their hiding places. He was confident he’d find a connection
between them and unearth how Catherine got her power. Of my three
friends, somehow, I had the most faith in him. Totally
unexpected.

Lastly, I ducked through the door into the
master bedroom. Pausing near the end of the bed, I envied Catherine
as she slept.

It did feel a little wrong to be standing
there, staring at her, but I couldn’t force myself to leave. My
gaze bored into her, ignoring the temptation to try and reclaim
what was mine. The black hole of anger woke up, a yawning chasm
coming to life inside me. I pictured her with scratches down her
cheeks, with her mouth sewn shut and every finger broken. The rise
and fall of her chest taunted me, each motion representing one more
piece of me she’d stolen.

Startled by the ghastly thoughts, I snapped
out of it and retreated, only to notice a presence in my mind.

“What do you want?” I asked in a low whisper,
trying to keep my fright hidden. I would not let this man see how
deeply I was afraid of him.

“Only to give you what you so desperately
desire.”

The voice chilled me, crawling over me like a
thousand ants, despite its friendly tone. Logic screamed at me to
run. I didn’t. If Catherine wasn’t going to give us answers, maybe
I’d find them elsewhere. He’d reached out to me more than once. It
was time to discover why.

“You offered her the same deal, didn’t you?”
I whispered.

Nothing appeared in the room, but I still
felt
it. Making a complete circle, I searched for a figure,
but only found normal shadows.

“Consider it a mutual agreement, a contract.
Nothing comes without a price. Catherine understands it. Soon you
will, too. I am not your enemy.”

I startled. The voice came from right beside
me, so close his breath brushed my skin.

“I’m not her,” I argued, although not with as
much fervor as I hoped. “You can’t manipulate me.”

“No one can exist without darkness inside
them. Where there is light, there must also be the absence of
it.”

I hated riddles. “Why are you here?”

“In a dying slave’s last moments, she cast a
curse to summon a loa. I answered the call. And because of it, I am
trapped, but I have found ways to entertain myself.”

“A loa? What is that?”

“A very powerful spirit dedicated to serving
our god. I had no choice once she cast her curse.”

“And is terrorizing my family part of the
curse?”

A laugh filled the air around me, coming from
all sides.

“For her, yes. For me? A chance to spread my
wings in a new place and experiment.”

“Care to elaborate?” He didn’t, but this time
I heard footsteps to my left. “Come on, give me something.”

“I can give you your life back. You know it’s
true. I did it for Catherine. That should be all the proof you
need.”

“She did it by hurting people.”

“My dear, sweet Quinn. Would you not do
anything to succeed? If all that stood between you and being back
in your body was to dispose of someone, are you telling me you’d
choose to remain in this life?”

Denials were hot on my tongue, but I
hesitated. The longer I stayed like this, the more desperate I
became. The entity chuckled, and a piece of my hair moved, as if he
touched it gently.

“It gives you something to think about, does
it not?”

There was a whoosh, and I caught movement
from the corner of my eye. In the mirror hanging above Catherine’s
dresser, a fleeting image of a dark-skinned man in a top hat
flickered then vanished.

The urge to growl in frustration was hard to
ignore. I knew I needed to ask more direct questions. The problem
was I didn’t want to give the impression of being desperate. He fed
off those feelings.

Tossing caution aside, I asked, “What would
you ask in return for giving me my life back? I mean, it doesn’t
seem as if you’re letting Catherine walk away so easily.”

“A life for a life.”

The simple power of his answer shocked me. I
waited for an expansion that never came. As the meaning sank in, my
horror grew. If it meant what I assumed it did, Catherine had blood
on her hands. It shouldn’t surprise me, considering her part in my
mama’s death.

“Your mother should not have died. Catherine
does not know to go after weak prey. Her actions over the years
have displeased me many times. She is too rash, too disobedient,
selfish.”

“Are you saying I am weak?”

I jumped as an icy fingertip trailed down my
arm.

“Of course not, love. The unfortunate woman
named Marietta was weak. The night you attacked us, you opened
yourself up. That mistake made you weak. Catherine took advantage
of it.”

“Was her plan always to force me out?” I
remembered when she haunted my stepmother Catherine would tell me
she coveted my life. I always assumed it meant she wanted me dead.
Found out the hard way, didn’t I?

“No, your actions pushed her in another
direction. In the beginning, Marietta had the social standing and
money Catherine desired. You took that from her, so she went for
the next best thing. In her mind, you were even better because you
are near the age she was upon her death. Even with all the terrible
atrocities she has done, she clings to her humanity. It is her
worst obstacle.”

He breathed in my ear again, and I stepped
away. I recognized the truth in what the presence said. I served
myself up, a tempting sacrificial lamb, ripe for the taking. It
made me mad, but as that set in, I also realized he intended to
test my boundaries. Over the last couple days, I’d come to
understand he only managed to weasel his way inside my head when I
was overcome with emotion. He used it, forced me to look at the
ugly truths in the face.

“Do you have a name?” Silence. “Then give me
the woman’s name. Show me you’re actually willing to
cooperate.”

Taunting him frightened me, using his thirst
for me against him. I imagined he had a schedule, that he enjoyed
drawing this out, making me guess who or what he was. But I banked
on him being cocky enough to flaunt his knowledge.

“Cora.”

The way he said the name carried a sinister
quality and I shuddered in response. “Okay, thank you for giving me
that, at least. Anything else? Did she live here?”

“Yes, as a slave, as chattel. You know her
son. You’ve befriended him over the years.”

My mind reeled as I struggled to grasp who he
meant. Then, it hit me. “George?”

“Isaiah is his name.”

This time, the voice came from behind me, and
I spun around. I couldn’t stop my question. “What would you ask of
me?”

“All in good time, love. I will offer my
assistance three times and three times only. You’ve already denied
me once. So I shall ask you again. Will you let me help you? Let me
return you to your lover’s arms.”

I wanted to refuse him, to tell him to screw
off, but there was a moment where I considered it. Could I live
with myself if I hurt another human being?

“I, I can’t. No.”

“So be it. Just remember, time is running
out. You have one more chance. One last shot at happily ever
after.”

I nodded absently as a rustling sound caught
my attention. Catherine was waking up. Her bleary eyes landed on me
and widened.

“What are you doing here?”

Let me show you what we can accomplish
together.
This time the voice flashed through my mind.

Somehow, without summoning it, anger flared
inside, hot and hungry. There wasn’t time to react because almost
immediately Catherine clutched her head in her hands and started
screaming at the top of her lungs. Her cries were filled with pain,
and a small part of me enjoyed it. Shaking my head and backing
away, I shoved the satisfaction aside.

“Stop it!” I called out. “I didn’t ask for
this!”

Soon, when she has taken everything, you
will. And I’ll be here waiting, love.

Again, I saw his reflection in the mirror.
This time, noticing a gold-toothed smile, but he disappeared too
quick for me to get any other details. The door beside me slammed
open to reveal Jason and a sleepy looking Abby. Instantly, the
screaming stopped. My entire body trembled, and I caught the
indecision in Jason’s expression. He stared at Catherine, as if
torn between wanting to make sure she was okay and letting her
suffer alone.

“What was that?” he asked.

Catherine raked her mussed hair from her red
face, locking her agonized gaze on me.

“Quinn. She let him hurt me.” Her voice
wavered, and she shuddered, directing the next part at me. “Do you
think he is a tame little spirit you can simply have a chat with
whenever the mood strikes? You’re such a stupid girl.”

Her remark brought me forward, out into the
center of the room. “Well, you’re not giving us the information we
need, so why not try a different angle? Don’t blame me for
this.”

“I’ve told you over and over, there are
things I cannot and will not talk about, not to you. You should
respect that.”

“Respect?” Jason interrupted. “How can you
utter the word without bursting into flames? You stole from Quinn,
you hypocrite. How can you ask for a courtesy you’re not willing to
give?”