Bitter Demons (8 page)

Jackson’s motorcycle sat out in the front yard. I didn’t want to go inside and risk getting caught there for hours waiting to be questioned by the police. Instead, I leaned against his motorcycle and waited.

Several police officers roamed the woods and the outside of the house with bright flashlights. I doubted they would find any significant evidence. Somehow, Caroline had gone up to that room and simply disappeared. There wouldn’t be any sign of a struggle in the woods. The only real evidence was the feather I held in my pocket, and Caroline’s family didn’t seem to think it was significant.

What was that bird doing in the bedroom? I couldn’t be certain, but it had looked eerily similar to the crow I’d seen hovering in the window of the girls’ locker room earlier in the week. Was I just imagining things?

When Jackson emerged from the lake house, there was a worried look etched on his face. I opened my mouth to explain what had happened, but he put a finger across my lips.

“Not here,” he said. “Too many ears listening to every word. Get on.”

We rode together through the dark woods until we came out to the highway. I held tight to his body, looking for comfort in the solid feel of him. I laid my head against his back and closed my eyes until I felt the bike slow and turn to the left.

“Where are we going?” I shouted over the sound of the motor.

Jackson only nodded forward into the darkness ahead. The motorcycle’s one headlight shone down a dirt road that ran beside an open field on one side and a row of dense pine trees on the other. When he got to the edge of the field, he turned left down a small pathway through the trees.

He finally stopped once we had moved into the trees a way and out of sight of the main road. He turned off the bike and extinguished the light. The moon was bright enough that I could make out the anger and worry on his face.

“Was she still you when she was taken?” he asked, pushing out the kickstand with the toe of his boot and removing his helmet.

I stepped off the bike and took off my helmet, too. “I don’t know. She was up in that room waiting for me to come up there so we could switch in private without there being two of us at once. When I got upstairs, I heard her scream, but it was too late.”

Jackson balled up his left fist. “I think you might be in serious danger.”

I nodded. “I know. But who would be after me?”

“The Others?” he said. “After your confirmation ritual, the fact that you’re the upcoming Prima is a bit more common knowledge. If they were prepared to kill you at the hospital that night, it makes sense that any surviving local members would want you dead.”

“I don’t think it’s the Others,” I said. I pulled the black feather from my pocket and held it out to him. “I found this on the balcony right after Caroline disappeared.”

“A feather?” He shook his head. “Why is that important? Couldn’t this just be from any random bird?”

“No,” I said. “I’ve seen this bird before.”

“Where?”

“In the gym earlier this week when I overheard Brooke complaining to Allison about me being the future Prima.”

“You’re sure it was the same bird?”

“Well, I didn’t put a homing beacon on it or anything,” I said, then took a deep breath. It wasn’t Jackson I was upset with. “I can’t be sure, but I think it was the same one. It had these blue eyes that looked… strange. Too bright for a bird, you know? I feel it in my bones that this bird is somehow connected to Caroline’s disappearance.”

“Unless it was the world’s biggest crow, I don’t see how it could have carried her off or anything.”

“There has to be some kind of strange magic involved,” I said. “Do you think a witch’s demon could take a solid form like that?”

He ran a hand through his hair, thinking. “I’m not sure,” he said. “When…”

He started to say something, then let his voice trail off.

“When, what?”

He sighed. “When your mother was alive, after she was joined with Aerden, I sometimes saw him take the form of a bobcat.”

“Actual, physical form?” I asked, my heart racing. I thought of how Brooke’s shadow had taken the form of a horse. “Or just a shadow?”

Jackson nodded. “Actually a bobcat,” he said. “I only saw it a couple of times, but I knew it was my brother. I could just feel it.”

I wanted to ask him more about my mother, but I needed to keep my mind on Caroline. I owed her that much. “So the crow could have been a demon, following the commands of a powerful witch. Maybe the witch was already gone by the time I got there.”

“Maybe. But who would have a reason to hurt you or Caroline?”

“That’s the question we have to answer,” I said. “Jackson, you can’t tell anyone about me and Caroline switching places with that glamour.”

“I know,” he said.

I stopped pacing. I’d expected him to argue with me. I thought he’d tell me I needed to go to the Order with all the information and let them protect me. “You agree with me?”

“If you tell them the truth, they’ll put you away,” he said. “Or worse.”

“Worse?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “We can’t let that happen.”

I touched his shoulder and he softened. “What could they do that would be worse than locking me away for two years?”

Jackson looked up at me in the dim moonlight. The fear in his eyes pierced through me like a dagger made of ice.

“They could join you with Aerden early,” he said.

The force of his words hit me, and I nearly collapsed onto the ground. Jackson reached out to catch me. He pulled me into his arms.

“Could they really do that?” I asked.

“It’s rare because of the dangers involved, but it’s been done before,” he said. “It wouldn’t kill you, but it might make you insane.”

“How could they risk it?” I shivered in his embrace. “Don’t they need me to produce an heir?”

He laughed at that and I felt his warm breath on my neck. “They probably want you to produce several heirs,” he said. “The more the merrier.”

“And how would they expect me to do that while I’m crazy?”

The question hung between us, and I suddenly didn’t think I wanted an answer. I felt sick to my stomach. Perhaps there was no end to the horrors the Order was capable of if they were pushed to the limits.

“We can’t tell them,” I said. “We need to figure this out on our own. Whoever took Caroline might have hurt her, but they haven’t killed her. We have to find her and bring her home.”

Jackson grabbed my shoulders and pushed some distance between us so that he could see my face. “No,” he said. “All we need to do is make sure you’re safe.”

“We can’t just let her die,” I said.

“We won’t. She has two towns looking for her, including her very powerful mother,” he said. “Let them find her and rescue her. You’re all that matters to me.”

I stood and walked to the edge of the forest. He wasn’t telling the whole truth. I knew he cared about his brother more than anything else. All he cared about was keeping his brother safe - and that meant keeping me safe.

“I think we need to concentrate on finding out more about this feather,” I said, not turning to look him in the eye. I didn’t want him to see how hurt I was.

“We can do some digging,” he said. “But that’s all. Nothing dangerous.”

“They want to put a guard at my door and keep me locked in my room,” I said. “I hardly think there will be much opportunity for dangerous right now anyway.”

“I should get you home, then,” he said. “Ella Mae and Mrs. Shadowford are probably going to be waiting for you to make sure you’re safe. Did they know you were riding home with me?”

I nodded. “I told Mrs. Ashworth to call them before I left the lake house.”

“Everything is going to be okay, Harper,” he said. “But we have to be suspicious of everyone. Keep your eyes open for anything unusual like someone watching you at school or saying something strange.”

I felt overwhelmed. How many people in this damn town wanted me dead?

“I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.”

“I know,” I said.

He kissed my forehead, then drove me home.

The fact that Jackson’s kisses had gone from passionate to pecks on the forehead was not completely lost on me. I blamed myself for the way I’d pushed him in the orchard to tell me more than he wanted to tell. When he dropped me off at home, he hugged me tight, but there was no passion.

I longed to feel his lips on mine. Anything to wash away the memory of Caroline’s scream.

“Will I see you tomorrow?” I asked.

“I’m going to try to stay as close to you as I can,” he said. “I don’t know who they’ll post as your guard, but whoever it is probably won’t be a big fan of me hanging around.”

I suddenly remembered the horrible things Meredith had said about him. In the horror of the night’s events, I’d completely forgotten about it. Now hardly seemed like the time to ask him why the Order called him Wrath. It would have to wait.

“Thanks for being on my side,” I said instead. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

He smiled and ran his thumb across my cheek. “Try to get some rest,” he said. “I’ll find a way to see you tomorrow.”

We said goodbye, and I headed inside Shadowford Home. Even though it was after midnight, Mrs. Shadowford was waiting for me. The second I stepped in the door, she called out to me from her suite of rooms down the hallway.

I stepped inside her door. The room was darker than usual, her lights dimmed to a deep amber. “Yes?”

“What took you so long to get home? Mrs. Ashworth called half an hour ago.”

“I had to wait for Jack-“

“I don’t want to hear your excuses.” Her sharp tone caught me off guard. She squinted toward me in the half-darkness. “Everyone speaks of you as if you were some kind of messiah, returned to save us all from our own weakness. But I think you are a plague on this town. Death follows you like a dark storm-cloud.”

My knees locked in place and I tried to keep my hands from shaking. Mrs. Shadowford’s tone dripped with hatred.

“We’ve seen nothing but heartache since the moment you first arrived,” she said, her beady eyes locked on mine. “And here I sit, my hands tied to do anything about it. But mark my words, young lady. You will soon be under my control. Once the council sees the kind of girl you really are, they’ll give me permission to take more drastic measures to keep you in line.”

I swallowed, but my mouth was so dry. I knew Mrs. Shadowford wasn’t particularly fond of me, but for the most part, she’d stayed out of my life except for the occasional question or instruction. I had no idea what kind of drastic measures she was capable of enforcing, but it didn’t sound like fun.

“I’m tired,” I said, holding my voice steady. “I’m going to go to bed.”

I turned to leave, but the door slammed shut so fast, I could feel the rush of air blow my hair off my shoulders. Slowly, I turned back to her. Mrs. Shadowford’s wrinkled hand was raised high in the air. She balled up her fist and brought it down on top of her desk with a smack. I jumped as several items in the room began to shake.

“You will not turn your back on me like I am some servant,” she said. Her anger radiated out through the room. Picture frames vibrated against the wall. The beads on a small lampshade on her desk began to shake. “Until you become Prima, you are still under my supervision in this household. Do you understand me?”

I nodded and took a step back.

“You will go up to your room and not come down until you are called for,” she said. Her fist was still clutched tight, her wrist shaking from tension. “Your meals will be brought up to you. Now go.”

The door opened on its own, and I pushed through as fast as I could. I ran up the stairs and down the hall to my room. Courtney must have been waiting for me, because the second I hit the top step, she came rushing from her room.

“What happened?” she asked, breathless and wide-eyed.

I threw a glance over my shoulder. I couldn’t afford to stand around in the hall talking, but I wasn’t sure I was allowed to have visitors in my room either. The last thing I wanted to do was piss Mrs. Shadowford off more than she already was.

“I can’t talk about it,” I said. I slipped into my room, but left the door open.

Courtney started to follow, and I put my hand up to stop her. “What?” she asked.

“I’m not sure you’re allowed in here with me,” I whispered. “Mrs. Shadowford’s really upset with me, and I don’t want to risk making it worse.”

“Gosh, what did you do?” She leaned forward, matching my tone of voice.

Across the hall, Mary Anne’s door opened a small crack. Courtney and I both turned at the sound of the squeaking hinges. She was dressed all in black, as usual. Her black hair fell across her face, and her eyes were ringed with red, as if she’d been crying. Her eyes locked on mine. She gasped.

“Harper?”

She looked surprised to see me.

“Yes?” I said.

She slapped her hand across her mouth and shook her head, then slammed her door shut.

“What was that about?” Courtney asked. “Harper, what’s going on?”

“I’m not sure,” I said. I stared dumbly at Mary Anne’s closed door. The way she looked at me when our eyes met… Did Mary Anne know something about what happened tonight? Why would she have been surprised to see me, unless she never expected me to come home? She wasn’t at the party, so how would she have heard? If Courtney didn’t know, I assumed Mary Anne didn’t either. But now, I wasn’t so sure.

“Is there anything I can do to help? Can I get you something to drink or anything?”

I shook my head. “It’s been a long night. I think I just want to get some rest. But can you do me a favor?”

“Just name it,” she said.

“Come by my room in the morning,” I said. “I might need you to deliver a note to Jackson.”

I sat down at my desk once she was gone and wrote a short note to Jackson.

What do you know about Mary Anne?

I couldn’t sleep. All I could think about was Caroline, scared and alone, possibly being tortured. And it was all my fault. I tossed and turned until the sun rose outside my window.

I decided to run a hot bath when there was a knock on my door. I threw on my faded robe and opened the door, unsure who to expect.

“Good morning.” Courtney moved past me, carrying a tray full of food. “I convinced Ella Mae to let me bring up some breakfast for you.”

“Thanks,” I said. The fresh fruit and yogurt looked delicious, but my stomach was still in knots from the night before. “Just set it down on the bed, and I’ll get to it in a sec.”

“Are you feeling alright?”

I sighed. “Did Ella Mae tell you what happened last night?”

Courtney shook her head.

I sat down on the edge of the bed and picked at a green leaf on top of one of the strawberries. “One of the cheerleaders from Cypress was kidnapped at the party last night.”

Courtney put a hand to her chest. “Oh my gosh,” she said quietly. “Did you know her?”

“I’d just met her yesterday,” I said.

“I don’t get why you’re in trouble, though,” she said.

It was hard to explain these things to Courtney when she didn’t really know the whole truth about Peachville. Or at least, I didn’t think she knew. We had all been brought to this house because we were special, right? I already knew that Courtney had some magical powers. More specifically, I’d already learned that she could move items with her mind and she could recharge a witch who had used up her power. Still, that didn’t mean she knew about the demon gate or the fact that the town was inhabited by a powerful coven of witches.

Frankly, I didn’t want to be the one to tell her, either. After how crazy it made Agnes, I didn’t want to risk another girl being mad at me for being chosen over her. I didn’t know how it worked or why the Order chose one girl over another, but I was fairly certain that despite any magical abilities, Mary Anne and Courtney weren’t ever going to be invited to join the cheerleading squad.

“It’s complicated,” I said. “I’m not really sure I should talk about it.”

Courtney’s gaze dropped to her hands. I felt bad about shutting her out. I could tell she wanted a friend, and I really owed her after she recharged me the night I went upstairs to steal the memory spell book. But I had no choice. I’d already gotten one girl kidnapped. I didn’t need to pull someone else into my crazy life.

“I get it,” she said, her dark blonde hair falling down over her face. “Did you have something for me to take to Jackson?”

I walked over to my desk and grabbed the folded note. I hesitated before I handed it over to her. Could I really trust her with this? I wanted to believe that she was on my side, but every time I trusted someone, they either turned out to be a psycho or they turned up dead.

“I won’t read it,” she said, holding out her hand.

I handed her the note. “I know,” I said. “I just don’t want to get you in trouble.”

Courtney smiled. “I’ll be okay.”

She stuffed the note in the pocket of her jeans.

“I’ll let you know if he writes back,” she said.

When she was gone, I sat on my bed and ate some of the breakfast. Courtney was so quiet when I first got here, but after Agnes died, she really came out of her shell. Still, I hadn’t seen her with any friends at school or anything. She never talked about any of her friends, either. Did she even have any?

Maybe that was why she always seemed so eager to help me out or talk to me about what was going on in my life. She’d definitely tried to reach out to me several times. She’d even trusted me with her magic secrets. I suddenly wondered what Courtney’s real story was. And Mary Anne’s too, for that matter. I mean, here we were, three girls living in the same house day in and day out, yet we hardly knew a thing about each other’s past.

There was a reason each of us were brought here. According to Morgyn, it was because we were all either adopted or motherless, and we all showed some kind of tendency toward magic. But where were Courtney and Mary Anne from? Did they have families out there? Or were they adopted like me?

Could their past have something to do with Caroline’s disappearance? I didn’t have anything connecting Caroline to this house, but the look on Mary Anne’s face last night made me think she was hiding something. To me, finding out more about the girls I lived with might be the first step toward figuring out who wanted me dead.

If Agnes was smart enough to figure out why she was brought to Shadowford, why not Mary Anne and Courtney? And I’d already learned firsthand what that knowledge could do to someone who wasn’t chosen to join the Order. It was enough to make Agnes want me dead. Was one of the other girls living here just as angry?

Whoever took Caroline really wanted me. I was sure of it. I pulled a notebook from my bookbag and started a list. At the top, I wrote MOTIVE in capital letters.

Who had motive to hurt or kill me?

The Others went to the top of the list. After all, I’d killed three of their top local members. That wasn’t exactly public knowledge or anything, but I couldn’t be sure no one knew what happened that night at the old Brighton Hospital. The Others seemed to think all demons were evil and any witch who joined with a demon was equally evil. They wanted to end the Order of Shadows, and for them, killing me would be a huge victory. Yes, they had motive for sure.

Mary Anne and Courtney were next on the list with a big question mark beside their names. I needed to dig deeper into their past to try to find out if some hidden motive lurked in there somewhere. Plus, I needed to find out just how much they both knew about this town and why they were brought to Shadowford in the first place.

I tapped my pencil against the edge of the notebook. Who else might have a motive to want me dead? After last night, it was clear that Mrs. Shadowford didn’t want me here, but wasn’t she a member of the local Order? If she went through her initiation here in Peachville, then her life depended on mine. That automatically ruled her out, unless she was suicidal.

I wrote her name on the list anyway. There was always a possibility she was never joined with a demon from the Peachville gate. Maybe Jackson would know.

I spent the rest of the morning trying to think of any reason someone would want me dead. A morbid task for a cold, dreary morning. When all was said and done, I had a total of 5 entries on my list.

MOTIVE

1. The Others

2. Mary Anne and/or Courtney ??

3. Mrs. Shadowford (Peachville demon gate?)

4. Rival demon gate with reason to hate Peachville

5. Some mystery person (Crow?)

Overall, it wasn’t the most impressive list. There were just too many unknowns at play. The jeans I wore the night before were crumpled up on the floor. I leaned down and fished the black feather from the pocket.

Somehow, that feather was the key.