Haunted (53 page)

Peter had always been... impetuous, and he was powerful enough himself that it drained her to keep him under control. Yet those were the very reasons she adored him--his lust for physical pleasure and for blood nearly equaled her own.

That, along with his anger, was why she couldn't allow him any freedom, let alone place him in another man's body. It would be much too dangerous, even after her own body was reanimated--something Mama hadn't known about until that final night--and she'd regained the full power that went with it. No, she would have to destroy Peter's soul as she had his body, and content herself with other men. Even Peter's anger excited her and she regretted having replaced his tongue with his genitals--if she hadn't gotten so carried away she might risk it--but he would never forgive her that final humiliation. Theo, find out if anyone else is coming here tonight.

"I'm surprised Craig and Eric didn't come tonight," Theo said, right on cue.

"They intended to be here, but the chief had some things to do first."

"Do you think they're still coming?"

Don't sound so eager! Christabel ordered.

"I don't know. Why?"

"Well, I'd hate to see them drive all the way out here for nothing."

Masters shot her another funny look. "It's not that far. Besides, they've already missed the fireworks."

As Theo talked and flirted, Christabel waited in the recesses of her mind and watched her move in the myriad of parlor mirrors, admiring the body with its lush full curves and graceful posture. She was glad to use it instead of the one she'd intended--Amber's--both because it was so much more sensual and because the girl's resistance, especially since Mama was protecting her, would cost Christabel a great deal of strength.

Locked away in the cellar were the things she needed to reanimate her own body--her physical remains, dolls filled with souls and blood, and the Erzuli doll.

She'd fashioned Erzuli as a sacred repository for her soul and for her power, a place from which she could complete the ritual of death and revival that perfect, everlasting reanimation required. But instead it had become her prison, because Mama had found out how to use it against her. One of her whores, Mariette Cantori. was from the islands and possessed a little knowledge. She'd showed Mama how to remove the goddess Erzuli's influence from the doll and how to trap Christabel's soul in Erzuli after her body's death and before its revival. And that much, her mother had accomplished.

But her mother was a coward. If she wasn't, Christabel's body would be dust and she no more than a simple ghost, unable to do more than flicker a light or send a whiff of jasmine through the house. Since Mama couldn't bring herself to finish what she'd started by destroying her daughter's physical body, however, Christabel retained much of her strength. But because the Erzuli icon remained intact, she was still its prisoner, unable to travel out of the confines of the house, and unable to draw upon her whole power. She could not even materialize as Peter Castle had done as long as she was tied to the doll.

But now, that would all change. To attain life, she needed to properly prepare her old body and to break the Erzuli doll. She would need to use Theo's body to accomplish these things: only after the doll was broken would she be able to reenter her own body. What Mama hadn't known when she'd cast her simple containment spell was that Christabel was powerful enough to possess another's body and forced her to do her will, which meant the possessed Theo would prepare Christabel's corpse and break the icon for her. Once that was accomplished, she would no longer need Theo's body, for she could perform the rest of the procedures herself.

Mama, she thought, you stupid, sentimental woman. Mama had failed to destroy her only because she couldn't bring herself to face a little blood. Instead, after capturing and imprisoning Christabel's soul in the doll, she'd locked the lifeless corpse, undamaged, away in an old steamer trunk. Mama, you’re so weak!

But she was, Christabel had to admit, a smart woman.

Mama had lain in wait for her in the dungeon and after Christabel had gorged to build her new power by murdering everyone in the house, with Peter's gleeful help, they'd come downstairs. He'd thought they were going down to use the victims shackled there to give him the same power and eternal life she intended for herself. She'd told him that she wanted to reanimate him first and his gullibility had been his fatal error. Willingly, he'd let her strap him to the ritual table and had watched as she'd killed the others shackled about the room. She'd done it slowly, sending the souls into the imprisoning dolls with great love and care. Finally, they were all dead except for Peter, and it wasn't until she stood over him with her sharp curved knife that he began to suspect that her promise of everlasting life was a lie. When she flicked the knife across his nipple, severing it, then placed the bit of pink flesh in her mouth and swallowed it, his eyes had grown wide with shock, though he had refused to show any sign of pain. He was a strong man, Peter Castle.

Then, she brought out a perfect porcelain replica of him and wordlessly showed it to him. He knew then that he was destined to spend eternity as her slave, yet still she saw no fear in his eyes, only fury and hatred. His reaction infuriated her, and she gave him a slow, lingering death. During his torture, he swore vengeance against her over and over, until she was forced to cut out his tongue. As he watched, she'd replaced it with his penis. The memory stirred excitement within her which translated to long forgotten physical pleasure as Theo's body unconsciously reacted.

Soon, she would be whole again, and able to experience sensual pleasures fully and completely, rather than muted as she did in her spirit form, or vicariously through another's body. That knowledge made her impatient to begin.

She would require two more things after reanimation was complete. She needed a pure female heart, ripped still beating from its victim. This would be presented to the true goddess Erzuli as thanks for her blessings. The other thing she needed was fresh blood to bathe her body in. The reanimation ritual itself required only the blood stored in the dolls locked in the dungeon, but to complete the cycle, to baptize her new body in the name of Erzuli, she needed to bathe in gallons of fresh, warm, blood. Only then would her body be completely restored to full power, vigor and beauty. Only then would she be invincible. For this, she needed the blood of half a dozen people, preferably more. The people here, now, could provide enough.

She could do it tonight, she realized, her excitement growing. It would be safer than waiting until tomorrow, when others could show up at an inopportune moment. Tonight, all she had to worry about were Eric Swenson and his uncle, and she wasn't really concerned about them: if they showed up tonight, they would supply more of the blood she required. One could never have too much blood…

Quickly, she conveyed her wishes to keep the people here, in the house.

Theo vocalized them perfectly. "Before you leave, Jerry," she said casually, "would you be interested in getting a sneak preview of the dungeon tonight?"

Masters' jaw dropped as Romero turned to her. "Are you serious?"

"She doesn't know where--" Masters began, not bothering to hide his indignation.

"Yes, I do, David," she purred. "Remember, you showed me the entrance the same night we explored the ballroom?"

He didn't reply. Either he didn't want to make a scene, or he couldn't remember enough of that night to know if she was lying or not--Christabel suspected it was the latter.

"Well, Jerry," Theo continued, with a warm smile. "I was just thinking, you've already got your equipment here, and we probably won't be disturbed tonight." She chuckled softly. "You know how word leaks out about these things--tomorrow morning half the town might be here."

"Theo--" Masters began.

She patted his arm. "As David will confirm, examining the room now would be wise--the ghostly activity is almost assuredly over for the night."

Romero considered. "You know, I really want to get some of that activity on tape, so I'd rather film tomorrow, but I think going down for a preliminary check while it's quiet would be a good idea. What do you say, David?"

Masters glared at Theo. "I'm not sure it's such a good idea."

"Wouldn't it be safer, as Theo mentioned, to go down while the ghosts are resting up?"

"Well, possibly…"

"You coming, Jerry?" called the deep voiced crewman.

"You guys go on to the hotel. I'm going to stay a while."

You can't let them leave. I need them.

"Maybe they should bring their equipment downstairs tonight, Jerry," Theo said.

"We'll film tomorrow. Can I get a ride back into town with you, Theo?"

"Of course."

Enraged, Christabel nearly squashed the woman's personality down at that moment, then suddenly decided that it would be easier to manipulate fewer people. She could at least get downstairs and break her tie to the doll, and tomorrow, she could collect the rest of her blood donors.

The crew left, shutting the door behind them. "David," Romero began, "we won't do this tonight, if you don't want to. You said you were tired..."

"May I be frank?" Masters asked, glowering at Theo.

"Of course."

"I had intended to tell you this in private, but Ms. Pelinore has forced my hand. I have no intention of allowing her to accompany us into the cellar." He cleared his throat "Frankly, I didn't want her here at all due to the nature of her, ah, talents."

Theo shrugged at Romero, giving him a tiny I-don’t-understand-him-either smile.

"I don't understand," the journalist said lightly.

"She's too open to the influences here. Too suggestible." He stared directly at her. "She's a danger to herself and to others because she's very easy to manipulate."

"How dare--"

Be quiet! Christabel ordered.

Romero paused. "Theo is easy to manipulate? She seems like an unusually strong woman to me."

"Looks can be deceiving," Melanie Lord said as she and Amber joined the group in the foyer.

Christabel stopped Theo's hand from coming up to strike the petite redhead. You’ll have your revenge later. Like a faithful dog, she instantly acquiesced. "I promise you, nothing will happen tonight," she said calmly. "So, whether or not what David and his... this woman say holds even a crumb of truth, doesn't matter."

"Hell," Masters said lightly. "Hell, go ahead." He shrugged and said, more to himself than anyone else, "Might as well let people who want to go down there go and check it out first." He put his arm around his daughter. "We’ll wait here."

"You're sure?" Romero asked.

"Yes." Masters crossed to one of the cabinets and withdrew a pair of flashlights. "Don't be too long, though."

As Theo and Romero started up the staircase, she put her hand through the crook of the reporter's arm. Though Christabel had continually reassured her that she was perfectly safe, she sensed that the spirit was not confiding everything to her. There was a sense of urgency about the things Christabel directed her to do that frightened her, though not enough to make her hesitate.

Romero's voice, pattering small talk, sounded slightly nervous as they reached the second floor landing and turned onto the third. She responded by hugging his arm more closely and acting as nonchalantly as she could manage, but as they approached the dormer room, her stomach filled with butterflies. She came to a halt at the door, surprised to see that David had replaced the phallic door latch with a locking doorknob.

"Is this it?" Jerry asked, his hand on the knob.

"This is it," she replied, sure it was locked.

Don't worry. Christabel whispered in her mind.

Romero turned the knob and the door swung open. Theo turned on the light and saw that except for the new knob, the room hadn't been touched.

Let me use your body now.

It was almost a relief to have Christabel take over for her and, fascinated, she watched herself adroitly touch a latch hidden on the inside wall of an empty bookcase. A three-inch square of wood slid smoothly away, revealing a chain pull.

She hooked her finger into it and exerted a minimum of pressure. Romero yelped and jumped backward as part of the oak floor slid away. Cold, dry air, slightly sweet and rotten, wafted up as Romero shined his light into the hole, revealing a seemingly endless flight of spiral stairs.

Nervously, Theo stared down into the near-darkness. Don't be afraid, Christabel soothed. I'm going to leave you for a few minutes.

No!

Only a few minutes. Nothing will harm you. Start down the stairs. Go slowly, it’s easy to fall. By the time you reach the cellar, I'll have rejoined you.

Are you sure, Christabel?

Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you.

Theo swallowed and smiled tremulously at Romero. "Shall we?" she asked. Christabel's presence--a fleet, cold zephyr-- left her, and she felt somehow incomplete.

Body House: 1:10 A.M.

"I can't believe you let them go down there," Amber said as soon as Pelinore and Romero were out of sight.