The Devil's Third
Authors: Rebekkah Ford
The Devil’s Third
Book 3
by Rebekkah Ford
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, events and incidents portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner.
Copyright © 2013 by Rebekkah Ford
Printed in the U.S.A.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright laws.
First Edition November 2013
Dedication
I dedicate this book to my fans. Thank you for your support. It means the world to me. You’re awesome, and I heart you.
Acknowledgment
I would like to acknowledge my mom. I know you’re no longer in this world. I know you’ve done a lot of rotten things in your life. I know you should have never had kids . . . but you did. I also know in your own way you loved me and Angel. When you weren’t wrapped in your own selfish universe, you were a hoot to be around. You were my friend, and despite all the tears and heartache you caused my sister and me, I loved you. You are my mom, and I have no doubt in my mind you would have loved this trilogy. I also would like to acknowledge the fact you taught me how to have an open mind, and you didn’t care whom I fell in love with: a white, black, green, blue, boy or girl, it didn’t matter to you. What mattered was if the person was good to me. I’ve always appreciated those things about you, and I hope wherever you are you’ve found your peace.
Love,
Rebekkah xxx
Table of Contents
THE DEVIL’S THIRD
Chapter One
Paige
Nathan, Carrie and Tree stood, staring at me–slack jawed. An ominous wave of energy seemed to roll into the living room, crashing through the middle of our loose circle. Something inside me buzzed, my flesh breaking out in goose bumps.
I said it again, “
Africa
.”
A loud boom shook the house and rattled the windows, causing Carrie to shriek, startling me. At once, a steady flow of rain battered against the rooftop like an army of tiny feet running into battle. Then a deafening crack erupted above my house, flickering lights before plunging us into darkness . . . well, Carrie and Tree. Nathan and I could see in pitch black conditions–one of the many perks of being immortal.
The hair on the nape of my neck rose, and I couldn’t help but laugh nervously at how like a crazy, scary movie this moment was. I thought how coincidental and creepy to have mentioned the name of the continent King Solomon’s incantations were hidden in, only to have it punctuated with Mother Nature’s display of power.
For thousands of years immortals, dark spirits, and a handful of humans had been searching for Solomon’s ring and incantations, which together could control the dark spirits. It was believed the invocations couldn’t be found without the ring first. Therefore, finding it was top priority, but now that Bael had it and was the oldest known dark spirit of them all, unrest settled in my murky world. Lucky me, I happened to be the only one who could find the incantations, thanks to my ancient bloodline of witches, and my grandmother Kora who transferred Solomon’s power out of that ugly piece of jewelry into me. Trust me. It was a fugly piece of ornamental wear. I saw it when Bael showed me, and now he knows I hold the power instead of it.
“Did you do that, Paige?” Carrie asked, the whites of her eyes gleaming.
“No,” I said, feeling a bit scared, thinking this might be an omen to what was to come. Nathan wrapped his arm around my shoulders, holding me close.
“Cool,” Tree said. “It was like Thor just slammed his hammer down as if to say ‘Hell, yeah, they’re there!’”
Carrie rolled her eyes. “You’re such a dork.” She laced her arms around his waist and leaned against him. “But you’re my dork, and I don’t like this. Turn the lights on, Paige.”
“I can’t. The power is out.”
Even if I could, I wouldn’t
, I thought. Not after what happened the last time I turned them on with my mind, how sick and nauseous I’d felt. No thank you. I didn’t want to experience that again. “Why don’t you and Tree sit, and I’ll get some candles.”
“I’ll get them.” Nathan squeezed my shoulder and went into the kitchen. I could hear him rummaging in the drawer and thought about him living in the 1800s without electricity. I bet he felt a bit nostalgic right now. He didn’t seem put out like Carrie did trying her cell phone.
“Damn it.” She dumped it back in her purse and frowned at Tree. “No cell phone service.”
“Good,” Tree said. “At least we won’t be distracted by calls while we talk about why Paige thinks Solomon’s spells are in a cave in Africa.” He led Carrie to the love seat, and they sat.
“My phone isn’t a distraction,” Carrie muttered. “And I love it.”
I sat on the couch across from them while Nathan placed candles around the living room, lighting them. The orange flames flickered erratically, casting shadows on the walls. Carrie anxiously looked around, appearing on edge with the howling wind rattling the windows and the rain whipping across them. It was odd behavior for her; she’d never been afraid of the dark or storms before.
Tree placed his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay,” he whispered in her ear, then answered my questioning eyes. “Ever since she got Aosoth’s memories of where a dark spirit goes when they’re cast out, she’s afraid of the dark and storms.”
“Why storms?” Nathan asked, sitting beside me, resting his hand on my leg.
“Because they can be violent and unpredictable,” Carrie answered with a shudder.
I could totally sympathize with her, remembering when Nathan, Ameerah, and I went to the negative place Nathan sent Aosoth to. I remembered not being able to stand the feeling of being heavily weighed down, and it felt like I was in a pit of thick, gooey mud. Not to mention I was uncomfortable as hell. I didn’t feel any pain though, or what it was actually like for a dark spirit to experience that, but with Aosoth’s memories, Carrie could.
Poor Carrie.
Then I thought of something Nathan and I should have caught when Carrie told us about having those memories. Aosoth once informed Nathan and me she had never been cast out, so how could she have those memories? Then I remembered Carrie telling us when Aosoth inhabited a Nazi, she got shot, which hurled her out of the body straight to a dark area. So that place had to have created the memory. I decided to ask Carrie to make sure. “Carrie, was Aosoth ever cast out by an immortal before, besides Nathan that is?”
Carrie shook her head. “She likes to switch bodies a lot and has been too crafty to have that happen to her. But remember, I only have some of her memories.”
“How do you know it’s in Africa?” Tree asked me, changing the subject.
I shrugged. “Just a feeling.”
Nathan turned to me. “Can you describe the cavern?”
“I was underground,” I said, looking into his deep blue eyes, then shifting my gaze onto Carrie and Tree. “Alongside me was a stream. There were arched portals, columns, and pillars carved out of what looked like limestone. The ceilings were high and eroded.”
Carrie gave me a doubtful look. “Are you sure it was a cave?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” I wished Carrie would trust me, and Tree looked just as skeptical. I glanced up at Nathan, and he smiled. There was no doubt in
his
face. Well, at least Nathan had faith in me. “You two don’t have to believe me,” I said to them, hearing the hurt in my tone. “But I know it’s a cave, and it’s somewhere in Africa.”
Tree shifted in his seat. I could tell he knew they had hurt my feelings by the guilty way he moved and the
I’m sorry
look he threw at me. “It’s not like we don’t trust you, Paige,” he said. “I know there are holes in the earth like what you’ve described, but it sounds like a place in a fantasy book where goblins would live.”
I grounded my teeth and made a face, appalled at his comment. “I can’t believe what you just said after everything you and Carrie now know.” My voice was raised in annoyance. I leaned back, then yelped. My back was still sore from the bullwhip Roeick used on me. The throbbing pain had finally gone away, but the sucky part was forgetting about the wounds until something touched them.
“Are you okay?” Nathan asked.
I nodded and fixed my eyes back on Tree, my temper flaring “–Like dark spirits inhabiting soulless humans,” I continued, “me being able to communicate with animals, me being able to turn the lights off and on with my mind, portals around the earth, and huge apelike creatures crossing over from their world to ours. So just because the cave sounds like something straight out of a Tolkien novel, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist!”
Tree raised his hands in surrender. “Whoa, I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too” Carrie said. “It’s just sometimes hard to believe this stuff is true.”
I sighed and rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. “I know what you mean.”
A bright flash sparked behind the curtains, followed by another loud peal of thunder. It was still pouring outside, and I could hear the rain pounding on the ground and a channel of water rushing down the street. I wondered mindlessly how long this storm would last and about the outside of Nathan’s house being a muddy mess. He would to have to build a walkway or something, after everything got back to normal.
I had to laugh at myself for even thinking that. What the hell was wrong with me? I would never lead a conventional life again. I’d known that when I accepted immortality, and at least I could be with Nathan, frozen at the age of seventeen, for an immeasurable length of time.
Then, of course, I thought about Brayden. How could I not? Like me, his youth would never fade on this earth–always seventeen. I wondered if he came across Cassondra yet, and if she would tell him Nathan had broken her neck. And if she did, how would Brayden react? Knowing Brayden like I did, he’d probably think she deserved it after what she pulled on me. But then again, I wasn’t too sure because of her being his mentor and him buddying up with Anwar and possibly Bael, which made me sick to my stomach. I mean, how could–
“Hello. Earth to Paige,” Carrie said, waving her hands in the air, snapping me out of my internal babble.
I blinked. “Huh?”
“I was wondering if you had a sudden connection to the spiritual world when you didn’t say anything.” She sounded amused, and when I gave her a blank look thinking
why would she think that?
Her amusement surfaced into a smile. She continued, ticking the examples she laid out on each finger. “You get premonitions you can hear. When you played a song for your dad on your whistle, you visited with him. Your grandmother Kora appeared before you, and your mom whispered to you when we were on Cannon Beach.”
“What about when she saw her parents after Aosoth tried to kill her,” Tree commented, and I felt Nathan flinch. I took his hand, lacing my fingers with his.