Beautifully Broken (19 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Darkness moved around us. An otherworldly slithering swished over our heads. The raised skin on my arm became inflamed. Shadows separated, scattering from their hiding spot near a pile of driftwood. Ghastly howls spewed from the black entities. They coiled like snakes, waiting in the surf’s mist.

Trent gave my hand a squeeze and the cold dread started to leave me. The best part about being with Trent was that he made me forget the paranormals. The horror my life had become. And for that long second, all my revolving thoughts, the sinister whispers, and terror trapped in my heart vanished. Nothing but the sound of his gentle, soothing voice to chase away the pain. “You’re the sorta sweet girl I could seriously hang with.”

 
“Cool beans!” Crimson seeped into my cheeks.

Ugh. Did I actually just say that?

His chin quivered and he laughed. “You’re such a dork, but a sexy one.” His hair fell across his forehead, and his thigh brushed against mine. Tingles shot up my spine. The moon appeared from behind a blanket of clouds, long enough for me to glimpse his lips twist into a lopsided grin.

My gaze fell on the dark growling shapes, and I stiffened. If Trent noticed, he didn’t say anything and he shifted to stare at the waves lapping against the shore. I slightly turned away from him and shook a fist at the shades.
 

Humph! Nothing is gonna ruin my date with Trent. Especially you menacing creatures!

My eyes blazed with anger. I squinted and folded in my upper lip, attempting to look mean. I snarled. Magick swirled around me like an ocean breeze, tossing my hair wildly. I pointed at the little shapeshifters, and a flash of power from my fingertip zapped them.

Little hounds slunk back into the darkness. Red eyes glinted from beneath the wood.

Trent twisted to face me. “Were you just snarling?” A hint of humor shaded his words.

“What?
No.
Just…uh, clearing my throat.” I pretended to hack up a hairball. “Allergies.”

The mystical energy prickling my skin dissolved, but I could tell my hair still had a touch of static electricity. I smoothed it down with a hand.

“You wanna go home?”

“Nope. I’m good.” I smiled and blew out a breath, willing myself to ignore the shades. “I was wondering why your family decided to come back.”

“It’s no secret, I petitioned to be emancipated. In fact, I’ll inherit the estate on my eighteenth birthday. In my mother’s will, she left me Ravenhurst, and it’s killing my father that it’s mine. There’s not much he can do about it. Maybe the bastard’s afraid I’ll kick him out.” He laughed darkly. “He’s away on business
again.
I think he’d prefer to go on pretending I don’t exist. Fine with me.”

“I know how that feels. My mom has been ignoring me for years. It sucks. The worst part is I don’t even know what I did to make her hate me so much.”

He heaved a
sympathetic
sigh. “Maybe you didn’t do anything. Maybe they just suck at being parents.” He ran a hand through his impeccably ruffled hair. “It’s good to finally be home. My mother loved Ravenhurst. That’s the reason I wanted it renovated this summer.”

“I totally get it. It’s a sweet way to honor her memory.”

He shrugged. “Let’s talk about something else.” His eyes discovered mine, and his voice shifted to warm and intimate. “There’s so much I still don’t know about you. What are your hobbies? Interests? What do you like to do with your free time?”

“Mostly hang out. Read. Do girly things. Y’know like pedis and shopping and stuff.”
And study witchcraft, demonology, and in my free time, I’m learning how to defeat evil.

I stood and grabbed his hand, tugging him to his feet. We fell into a casual stride, and he laced his fingers with mine, sending a surge of unexpected anticipation through me.

 
“What are your plans after high school? College?” he asked.

 
“Yeah, I wanna go away to school. I plan to study architecture. And you? Always want to be a doctor?”

Trent stopped walking and bent to grasp several rocks to throw into the sea. “Yeah, I find the human body fascinating. I plan on being a surgeon…but not if my dad has anything to say about it.”

“What does he have to do with it? Besides paying for college?”

“I have my own money. I don’t need his. My mother left me enough.” Trent gazed into the distance, his cheeks flushed with anger. He threw the pebbles into the surf as though he was pitching a baseball game. “He’s an ass,” he added through gritted teeth. Obscure emotions clouded his eyes. He gestured for us to sit upon another piece of driftwood.

We sat facing the ocean and the glowing city lights across the bay. Strong sea breezes caressed my hot cheeks and tangled my hair. My gaze rested on his face. Eye candy like him was hard to ignore. The
urge
overcame me again. Trent was so gorgeous that I had the urge to kiss that generous mouth, taste those lips, and run my fingers through his tousled mane. Strong emotions flowed within me. Everything between us was becoming so intense. It was incredible and also a bit alarming. But not scary.

I mentally sighed.
I’m sixteen, and I’ve already found true love.

As though urged by the same force, Trent cupped my chin and turned my face toward his. He leaned into me. I tilted my head, opened my mouth, and lowered my eyelids. Our lips a breath apart. My pulse pounded. His arms encircled me, our bodies squashed in a tight embrace. His lips lowered to my mouth. His tongue lightly played with mine. A delicious sensation I didn’t want to end. I relaxed in his arms and inhaled his delicious scent, basking in the sense of security I experienced whenever I was close to him. His kisses erased any thoughts of a world filled with monsters. My life was still a scary, dangerous mess. But during that kiss, I had been able to stop thinking about it. The kiss went on and on until he withdrew. He scooted away from me and tugged hard at his earlobe. Wind whipped a cold chill between our bodies.

“Something wrong? Is it me?” I asked.

He turned away with a shrug. “No. I like you, but—”

“Why do you keep doing that?”

His jaw went tight. “Do what?” he said, his voice cold.

“Errr, you’re so friggin’ Mr. Hot-and-Cold.” I shoved his shoulder, barely moving him, and he leaned back, but still wouldn’t look at me. “Trent, focus. We are alone on a beach with a full moon and stars. Can’t get much more romantic than this. We’re making out—and now you’re getting all weird again!”

“Sorry. I just—”

“Fine. Whatever. I just don’t get you!” I folded my arms across my chest. I could taste the bitterness in my words, sliding down and stinging my throat like bile. My eyes were glued to the sand. Rejection sucked.

He touched my arm. “Will you let me finish? Please?”

The softness in his voice stilled my tongue. I sighed and doodled with my toe in the sand, making circular patterns. The seconds ticked by. My eyes met his again. He smiled, his mood shifting like sunshine breaking through the rain.

“Am I overreacting?” I cast my eyes downward again.

“No, I…” He stopped speaking. I flashed a quick glance up to see his face had softened.

His finger slid over my cheek, across my jaw, before caressing my parted lips. My breath came out in shallow little pants. I almost melted into the sand. He inclined his head until his lips touched mine again. He kissed me vehemently. Sensations coursed through me, unsettling and staggering. Our arms wrapped around each other. Trent kissed my neck, his lips lingering at the hollow of my throat like those of a vampire, which pretty much shorted out all coherent thought. My fingers found their way underneath his shirt. My palms burned everywhere I touched his bare skin. Biceps, abs (yes, he had a six-pack), and the tendons in his neck. Skin smooth. Rippling beneath my touch. Tingles shot down my arms, plummeting my heart and mind into a downward spiral of emotion. An emotion I didn’t recognize. Intense and consuming. Unquestionably strong. Almost stormy. Tender and timeless. In his arms, I felt soft and vulnerable. Dark and fiery. A moment later, we stopped kissing, but pressed our foreheads together.

I slouched, sighing. “What were you gonna say, you know, before?”

Oh, God, what is wrong with me? Ruining the moment. Again.

 
“All this—
you.
I don’t wanna mess things up.” He took my hand, turned it over and trailed a finger along the etched lines of my palm.

“So? What’s my future?”

For a long second, he gazed intensely into my eyes. “You’ll never meet another man like me.”

Duh.
Like I needed my palm to tell me that. Yet somewhere deep inside me I knew it was eerily true and I shivered. Or maybe it was the cold blowing off the ocean.

“Do you want my jacket?” Trent shed his coat, draping it over my shoulders.

I shivered again. It smelled incredible. A unique scent. Sweet, with something that danced on the edge of salty and sharp—a smell only guys had—a smell that enveloped me, and made my muscles unwind. My heart beat a little faster. Blood rushed to my cheeks.

His studied my palm. “This is your lifeline. It’s long. Hmm, interesting.”

“What?”

Leaning to peer at my hand at the same time he did, our foreheads collided. We rubbed our temples and cracked up.

“This one to the left is your heart line,” he said, “telling me you’re a romantic.”

“Yeah. A big fat sappy one.” I put a finger to my lips. “Shhh. Don’t tell anyone.”

He chuckled. “Never.”

“Now let me read yours.” I grasped his warm hand and pretended to study it. “Oh, no.”

“What?” He leaned into me, brushing his thigh against mine.

“You will marry a dark haired girl who wears pink Doc Martens someday.”

He laughed. “So…are you always this cute? Or is this especially for me?”

“Just you!” I bumped his shoulder with my own and dropped his hand. “You know, you’re like the first person who has made my heart beat slower and faster at the same time.” I put my hand on his chest and felt his heartbeat. I moved my mouth toward his, and he kissed me, his lips firm and warm. My eyes glided shut, and my arms wrapped around his neck. The kiss grew hotter and longer. An ache stretched over my body. When he released me, my stomach had major butterflies. We parted reluctantly, as if pulling away was physically painful.

Dang, he’s hot and smoldering.
Smart and sinfully sexy all at once.
Who could resist him? Who would want to?

Trent clasped my hand, his fingers sliding under my sleeve. The caress of his fingertips near my scar sent strange pulses through me that I couldn’t shake. Yanking my arm from his grasp before he touched the scar, I clutched it to my chest.

“Did I hurt you?”

“No…it tickles.” I leaned back and said quietly, “It’s late and I promised I’d be home by midnight.” I stared at his perfect face, at his smooth features and the slanted eyebrows over those incredible emerald eyes.

Trent stood and swiped at the sand clinging to his jeans. He bent to grab his shoes and tossed me mine. I slipped them on, then clutched his hand. “I had a good time tonight, Trent.”

“Me too.”

We were pensive on the drive home. Trent parked and walked me to the door. He kissed me hard, his mouth savoring mine. “You can come back to my house. My uncle should be asleep,” he said, his breath warm near my ear. He kissed my neck. “We can just cuddle.”

My eyes became heavy-lidded before it dawned on me what he was actually implying.

Cuddle? Ha!

I moved awkwardly from his arms. “I gotta work tomorrow. It’s my duty to get the bagels to the crew by seven,” I said.

“Well then…another time.”

He hugged me tight, briefly caressing my lips with his fingertip. His touch made me shivery and breathless.

“I wanna hang out with you again.”

“Can you repeat that in my hopeful ear?”

“You’re sweet and smart and beautiful. I like you.”

Yay!
A big dopey grin spread across my face. “Seriously? If I tell you I like you too, can I keep you forever?” My voice sounded husky and lower than usual.

“We’ll see…” He turned and sauntered toward his Mustang.

“Wait!—when?” I asked, feeling like I was walking a dangerous edge. Inside I was doing a happy victory dance.

He glanced over his shoulder, smiling. “Soon.”

Sneaking inside the house, I tiptoed to my room, and stripped off my clothes. I tugged on a nightgown and slipped into bed. Thoughts of Trent almost made me ignore the undercurrent of worry still bubbling in the back of my head as I replayed the evening in my mind, the way he held me, touched me, his facial expressions, our conversation, and the way he kissed me.

Oh. My. God. Ariana was right.
I am a smitten kitten.

 
For the first time in six years, I reached over and turned off the bedside lamp.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

While I sat on a blanket beneath the shade of one of Ravenhurst’s oak trees—reclining on my hands, face toward the sky, and my shiny pink Doc Martens crossed at the ankles—the clank of an approaching car made me smile. A Volkswagen parked in the driveway. Casually attired in denim cutoffs, a black tube-top stretched over her ample chest, and flip-flops, Ariana warmly smiled as she materialized from the Bug. Jada emerged from the passengers’ side looking sporty and muscular in a white polo shirt and khaki shorts. The rebel and the preppy.

I walked over to them. “Hey Ari! Jada! What’s up?”

“Thought we’d stop by—wow!” Jada gaped at Ravenhurst. She dumped a flat box on the hood of the Bug and came to stand beside me, then asked in a lowered voice, “Any more spooky stuff happening?”

Oh yeah. Big time.

“Nope.” I lied. Gardeners pruning the magnolias glanced in our direction. I gave her a
let’s-not-talk-about-it-now
look. “I’m glad you guys came by but—”
 

“But what? Why you all scowly? “Ariana asked.

My voice dropped in volume. “Because since Paige’s death, I’m not sure it’s safe here.”

“That’s one reason we came by today. To help you get some answers. But first, how about a tour?” Jada asked. “Holy crow! This place is wicked.”

I paused, and for a second the only sounds were the soft rustling of the afternoon breeze in the oaks and the beat of my heart. I should send them off, really. But nothing bad had happened lately. Besides, workmen crowded the place, both inside and out. Even if Shadow Man came, we’d be safe. Besides, now that I had both Ariana and Jada together, I could talk to them about Trent. Texting and phone calls hadn’t been enough.

“Yeah. Sure, I guess…” I pointed to the pool and tennis courts. “Trent loves to play tennis. He’s so good at it. Of course, he’s good at
everything
,” I added with a giggle. “Oh—once the renovations on Ravenhurst are done, Trent’s gonna throw a party while his dad’s out of town.”

“He is?” Jada smiled. “Cool. End of summer party!”

“Yeah!” Ariana said. “I’m so there.”

I laughed. “It should be fun. He’s gonna try to get a keg too.” Naughty boy.

We walked back toward the front of the mansion. Hesitation stilled my tongue. I still wasn’t sure about taking them inside. Afternoon was falling, the light slowly fading. The evening sky a hint of violet on the horizon.
Gleaming time.
My eyes found the flat box Jada had brought that sat on the hood of the Volkswagen parked in the driveway.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“An Ouija board,” Jada said.

I stumbled on a tree root and caught my balance by grabbing Ariana’s arm. I stared at Jada. Ariana loosened my fingers. I’d left a red handprint on her smooth creamy skin. The squirrels weren’t chattering. The light wind died away. Even the birds stopped chirping.

 
“It was
Jada’s
idea.” Ariana pointed at our friend.

“Didn’t you guys watch the
Exorcist
?” I asked.

“Yeah. Super scary,” Jada said.

My eyes narrowed on Ariana. They weren’t here for a visit. They were here to get answers. And could I really blame them? “Are you sure about this?”

 
“Not really. But let’s see what happens,” Ari said.

I chewed my fingernail. “I’m not sure this is such a good idea…” My voice trailed off. “I could get fired—” Or killed. Although I highly doubted a board game would induce Esael to come out and play. An Ouija board wasn’t exactly the go-to source for real witches. Just for kids playing pretend. But what if it did give us some insight into the spirit realm?

“No one will find out. I promise. Your boss is at lunch, right?” Jada grabbed me by the shoulders, her grip tight. “Oh, Shiloh, I feel awful about Paige. Just awful! But maybe the Ouija board can give us answers about the town curse. If this place had something to do with her disappearance, I want to know. Please. I know you probably don’t think it’ll work, but what can it hurt?”

I glanced at Ari. She shrugged. “I’ll do it. If Jada stops whining.”

Jada shoved her shoulder. “I’m not whining…much.” She turned to me. “Come on. Besides, if you don’t do it with us, I’ll come back on my own and do it in that creepy graveyard by myself.”

“That’s blackmail,” I said.

She shrugged. “Call it what you will. But I’m serious.”

A knot formed in my stomach. I couldn’t let her come back alone. She’d definitely be safer if I was with them.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
But I knew Jada. If she wanted to do something, she’d find a way. And I couldn’t let her risk her life at night, alone, even with a stupid Ouija board.

I threw up my hands. “We can do it in the upstairs parlor.” I sighed. “And for the record, this is against my better judgment.”

“Cool. Thanks Shiloh.” Jada marched up the steps and into Ravenhurst.

Ariana and I exchanged a glance and followed her inside. We found Jada in the upstairs parlor, squatting on her heels and setting up the Ouija board on an antique coffee table. The curtains were closed and the room was dark. I sat on the floor opposite her and Ariana sat at the end. Jada pulled out a candle from her purse and lit the wick.

“Ari?” I turned to her and said, “Do you remember that theory I mentioned about the missing kids?”

“Yeah,” Ariana said. “What about it?”

“I had a hunch that their moms were all members of Heritage Founders aka a secret coven called,
Blood Rose Circle
—”

“What’s a coven?” Jada looked at her hands. “My mom’s in that group. So was Paige’s mom.”

“A coven is a gathering or community of witches,” I said. “But I think this coven has gone to the dark side.”

“Maybe we can ask the Ouija board more about it. First we need to get organized, then ask questions.” Jada placed her fingers lightly on the planchette. “We place our fingertips on the pointer like this. Then we wait.”

“Is this gonna work? Most activity is someone subconsciously moving it,” I said.

“Shhh,” Jada said.

Ariana and I giggled.

“Shush, you two.”

A long moment passed, then the candle suddenly flared like a fourth of July sparkler. Ariana gasped. The planchette gradually moved across the board and rested on the letter J before drifting to stop on A.

“J and A,” Ariana said.

The planchette stopped on the letter D next. We looked at each other. Jada’s eyes were huge.

Yeah, right. This was lame. Still, a sensation worked its way up my spine. I decided to go along, and spoke in a commanding tone, “Spirits of Ravenhurst, if you harbor evil within your walls, I request your assistance in revealing their true intentions.”

A draft ripped through the room. The flame of the candle danced. Shadows grew, moved and moaned. Ravenhurst became eerily quiet.

Ariana bowed her head slightly, then muttered something in what I thought was Latin. She convulsed and her eyes rolled into her head so high, only the lower arc of her blue irises showed. “Ravenhurst shelters an ancient evil.” She spoke in a strange, shrill voice. “Restless. Hungry.”

“Quit, Ari. You’re freaking us out,” Jada whispered.

My heartbeat elevated. If Ariana was acting, she was doing one heck of a good job.

Another cold wind creaked the eaves, creating a melancholy sound. It stroked my arms, causing gooseflesh. The candle was doused. The chandelier’s supernatural tinkling chimed loudly throughout the mansion. A warning to those who would upset the otherworldly balance.

Ariana sagged against me, then seemed to awake a bit confused, blinking her eyes.

The wraith in her tattered gown, appeared. Her gray form flickered. Her inhuman eyes, twin flickering sapphire flames.

“Claire.” Grabbing Ariana’s arm, I squeezed her. She looked dazed, but her eyes had returned to normal. Her hand clamped over mine. Ariana and Jada’s eyes were bulging. The pointer jumped to YES. Our hands jolted off the planchette.

“
Oh—oh
,” Jada said in a voice shaky, soft and halting. “It’s…a freakin’ ghost.”

“You can
see
her?” I was dumbfounded.

“Listen girls, someone has unknowingly awoken a sleeping evil within Ravenhurst.” Claire floated closer, imploring us with jerky hand movements. “It is malicious, foul. Insane. Weak in his spectral form. Once corporeal—
nothing
can kill him. We can’t let Esael devour any more children.” The painting on the wall showed through her translucent torso. “Shiloh, learn the old religion. Decide what you’re willing to sacrifice.”

Great. More cryptic messages to decode.

“I warned you.” Her voice echoed in the candlelight. Claire slowly faded. “Offered omens and riddles. Now look into your scars—and put that damned board away!”

She dissolved and footsteps sounded in the corridor. Forceful, loud strides. Supernatural black shapes roiled on the ceiling in a pirouette above our heads. They made low rustling noises. My friends didn’t notice, because their eyes had settled on the open door.

I stared into the hall, but it was empty. The bedroom door across from us made a squeaking noise and slowly opened. The swish of blankets being torn off the bed, followed by the crash of a lamp and glass breaking, startled us. I huddled closer on the floor with my friends. Subzero terror coiled in my gut. The noisy footsteps returned and paused in the doorway.

We were breathing hard and trembling. Heavy panting sounds like that of a thirsty dog came from behind Jada.
It
growled. In the next instant, a translucent shadow enveloped Jada. The thing grabbed Jada’s ankles and dragged her from the room. She clutched the doorframe, screaming.

I sprang to my feet and grasped her wrists, trying to pull her back inside. Rage and terror swiveled inside me, burning my mark. “Ari! In my bag, there’s a squirt gun with holy water. Get it!” I let go of Jada’s wrist with one hand and pointed at what I hoped was the invisible entity. A magickal charge zipped up my arms. My skin vibrated with power. Energy bolted from my fingertip and zapped the evil holding her legs. The blackness shuddered, and for a long second I saw its monstrous form. Mottled black skin, hairless, sharp teeth.

“Shoot the damn thing,” I rasped.

“Shoot what?”

“Just—shoot!”

She aimed at the indiscernible black cloud and shot a stream of water in its direction while I recited, “In God’s name, I banish negative spirits from within these walls. You may not stay—I demand you now to go away!”

Water soaked its body and it roared. The stench of rotting meat plugged the air. Jada’s feet hit the hardwood floor and she clutched at her heart. The squirt gun was knocked out of Ariana’s hand and sailed under the sofa. The room stilled.
 

Jada leaned on one elbow, her breathing fast and labored. “
Ohmygod
,
Ohmygod
. Wh—what was that?”

Ariana hugged Jada, while I stood rooted in place, quivering in disbelief.

Ariana stared at me. “How did you know what to say?”

“I…I don’t know. It just came to me. I grabbed the board and planchette, threw them back into the box, and shut the lid. “That thing is dangerous.”

They bobbed their heads in agreement, their tongues probably thick and useless from shock. After a minute or two, we pulled ourselves together.

Ariana’s hands were shaking, and she shoved them in her pockets. “I’m never doing that again. What
was
that?”

“I’m not sure. Some kind of evil-thingy. Let’s go. Follow me,” I ordered. “We should get out of here—
now
!” I raced down the stairs, a thunder of footsteps right behind me. My heart was still pounding too fast. Sun burst through the front door when I flung it open. I stopped on the stoop, gasping for air, then turned around.

And saw Ariana.

“Where’s Jada?”

Ariana stopped, holding a hand to her side and sucking in ragged breathes. She looked back inside the black yawn that was Ravenhurst. “I don’t know. I thought she was right behind me.”

The warm day became unexpectedly cold as the sun took a fugitive position behind several passing dark clouds. Warm breezes were replaced with cool winds, whipping at my face and hair. Shadows deepened. A shard of deep blackness seemed to part from the others and move toward the porch.

I grabbed her arm. “Ari…” Chills rushed over me. “Where
is
she?”

A summer storm brewed, making the yard look dark and ominous. Among the trees, shadows—primordial things with darkling eyes—whispered. The skies turned eerie and malignant. Rain touched my face.

Hang on—eerie and malignant? Sheesh, I’m getting bad vibes from this place.

We heard someone yell, “Help!” and glanced at each other.

“HELP! We need help!”

Cold dread twisted in my gut. My body shivered. We ran, following the shouts into the side yard. I rounded the corner and stopped short. Stared.

At Jada’s lifeless body.

Dark splatters of red stained the cement pavers. Her skull was cracked, and her brain peeked from beneath the gaping wound. Her lifeless eyes stared right through me.

 
“Call for an ambulance,” I said, fighting to control my roiling stomach.

Ariana pulled out her cell phone from her back pocket and dialed 911.

 
Evans appeared and draped an arm around my shoulders. “Oh, my, this is terrible.”

Hairs on the back of my neck rose, and the sensation drew my attention to Ravenhurst. It squatted there, its formidable size sinister and imposing. Stained glass windows with their dark shutters, like heavy lids over stony eyes, watched us.

Ariana sobbed, hovering near the dead girl lying on the new green grass.

“
El Diablo vive aquí
,” Carlos said beside me, crossing himself.

“What does that mean?” I leaned against Evans, my legs gone rubbery.

“My Spanish is rusty, but I believe he said the devil lives here.”

“What happened?” I asked.

The landscaper—Miguel—swung his gaze my way and yanked at the collar of his shirt. “I came around the corner with the lawnmower and saw the girl leap from the upstairs window.”