Haven of Nightmares (Littlemoon Investigations Book 5) (29 page)

“You’re hired.”

Julian shook his head. “You are going to get us in trouble one day by doing that.”

She didn’t care.

“Wait! What?” Mattie stated. “I’m hired to do what? Work for you?”

Tori explained, “Our teams are unique. We like to pair our investigators with someone who will have their back. Who is going to watch your flank more than someone who loves you?”

Roman was surprised. “You’re really hiring her for me after I wanted to walk?”

She grinned. “What’s the majority of our work, Roman?”

“Research.”

“She’s a freaking librarian! Who better to lock in an office and make read. Finally, when we ask for research, there won’t be moans, groans, and complaints.”

He laughed. “You have a point.”

“If you want the job, and to be Roman’s partner, it’s yours,” Tori stated. “It would be our pleasure to have you on our team.”

She nodded. “I would love that.”

Roman hugged Tori. “Thank you. It means the world to me that you and Julian have my back.”

“We’re a family, Roman. Littlemoon Investigations is about family. It’s about having each other’s backs.”

He was smiling, and more of the stress that had been on his shoulders was lifted from them.

Mattie was coming home with him, and they would be working together.

“Now, how about we head in, eat the pizza we picked up, and get to reviewing today’s interviews?”

“I’d like that,” Roman offered, taking Mattie’s hand in his.

They followed Julian in.

It was time to start the rest of their lives.

Well, as soon as this mess was settled once and for all.

       
         
* * *
  L   i   t   t   l  e  m  o  o  n  * * *

He was scared shitless.

The Littlemoons were digging around town, talking to reporters, and trying to find the dead women.

With the older ones, he was pretty sure he was safe.

It was the newer ones that scared him. What did he know about forensics?

What if he had left something on the bodies?

He had to do something.

So, he went to the one person who would always have his back. He went to the woman who told him about the spell all those years ago.

She would know what to do.

“I’m in trouble.”

Patting his cheek, she tried to comfort him. “It’s okay. If you did the spells correctly, nothing bad will happen. I told you that it’s reliable. After all, look what it got you so far.”

He wanted to believe it.

“I only wanted love. I didn’t know it would progress to this. I have to do something.”

She understood. “It’ll be okay. I promise. I’ll give you another spell. You’ll need to spill the blood of someone though.”

He hated this.

Why had he done it in the first place?

Oh, yeah. He did it to get love.

“Who?”

“For this one, it needs to be a male. You need to scare them. You need to make them afraid. They’ll leave.”

He watched as she wrote it down.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Have I ever been wrong? All those years ago, was I mistaken?”

He shook his head.

“Did it get you a woman who loves you?”

“Yes.”

“Are you happy?”

“Yes.”

“How’s your sex life?”

“It’s beyond words. I feel like I’m under her spell.”

She laughed. “Then it is as you wished.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I should just listen,” he stated.

She ran her manicured hand up his chest. “You’re safe, my love. Let me show you how safe you are.”

With that, she shoved him back onto the couch, hiked up her dress, and straddled his lap.

“God! Yes! I need this.”

“Sex magick is always the best. Let me rock your world. Then you’ll see how safe you are.”

He felt the zipper on his jeans lowering, and he wanted her in the worst way. For years, they had this. When everything else seemed rocky, there was always this intoxicating heat.

It was their secret.

It turned them both on.

With each time, the addiction grew.

When he felt her slide down his erection, burying him in her body, he was at peace.

She was the only reason he could pull this off.

As she rode, the demons disappeared.

“Will you kill him for me?” she asked, as she ground herself down against him, stealing his breath.

“Yes.”

“Louder,” she ordered.

“YES!”

She rode him hard, rewarded him for the loyalty, and got him off.

When he came, he was calm.

It all happened so fast. It was like it never happened. He couldn’t remember how it started, or why he was there.

“Better?”

He knew what she wanted to hear.

“I needed that.”

“Haven’t I always told you what was right and wrong?” she asked, touching his cheek. “Haven’t I always led you down the right path?”

“Yes, you have. I only have you. Finding you was a blessing.”

“Well, my love, go offer up that man on a silver platter for us. Make him scream our names.”

He waited until she got off his body to zip himself up. “I love you. Thank you for being right all these years.”

Her laughter filled the room.

Then she was gone.

       
         
* * *
  L   i   t   t   l  e  m  o  o  n  * * *

As they sat in the family room where Roman grew up, they talked about everything they had learned. Most of it was a mishmash of details, none of which got them any closer to the killer.

“Tomorrow, Detective Rose might have something,” Tori offered. “He texted that the ME will be done sometime tonight.”

“Good, because we need to tie this all together,” Julian offered.

“I don’t know where to even go with this,” Roman stated. “This is harder than digging for a story.”

Tori laughed. “Did you think it wasn’t?”

Mattie dropped her head to his shoulder. “I read a lot of books and maybe this is way off, but could the victims all be connected?”

Tori scribbled down the three names on three separate pieces of paper.

“Let’s pull it apart and see.”

Roman rolled his neck. “Okay, this is just digging,” he said to himself.

“We know Devora was having sex with you and your father,” Tori stated.

“Yeah, great. I won’t get that out of my head.”

Mattie kissed him on the cheek in reassurance.

“Rylee was your sister.”

“Right.”

“Felicity Sepp is the odd girl out,” Julian stated. “Did you know her?”

Roman thought about it. “I don’t really know. I was all about my friends and getting laid. Sorry, sunshine,” he said to Mattie. “That sounds really bad when I say it out loud.”

Tori laughed. “Yeah, it did.”

“It’s okay, Roman. It was our past. Let’s leave it there. It can’t hurt us anymore.”

“She wasn’t my friend,” he offered.

Tori thought about it. “Did Rylee and Devora hang out?”

Mattie laughed. “No one
‘hung out’
with Devora. I was her sister and I wasn’t allowed to even look at her.”

Roman agreed. “She was the girl all the guys fantasized about. For the longest time, I was surprised that she was with me. Now I see that it wasn’t me she wanted. It was access to my family.”

Tori pointed at Devora’s name. “What if she wasn’t the only one?”

They all looked at her.

“Let’s face it. There was some hinky shit going down here,” Tori stated. “What if this is about your family? What if all along, we’ve been thinking, along with the police, that this wasn’t focused on the Remington’s?”

He didn’t know what to say.

“What if Devora wasn’t the only one your dad was getting naked with?”

He thought about it. “God, I never thought I’d say this, but I hope he was only having sex with my girlfriend.”

Tori focused on Nyx. “We know this spirit has created a void and is angry. What if it’s not all about the dead victims? Maybe they’re angry, but what if it’s more than being murdered. Could this be about sex, lies, and dirty deeds?”

“It would have to be big. Right now, Bethany and Trey are fighting hard to keep the angry spirit of Betty Remington off our backs. She’s strong.”

“I know I’d be pissed off if my husband was boning students left and right.”

“As you should be,” Julian stated. “What we’re going to have to do is figure out how nine dead women connect, why we have herbs on the bodies, and who is doing this.”

“It’s not going to be easy.”

“My father’s office hasn’t been touched since my mother died. We can search it.”

“We may be way off, but we need to figure out what the hell is going on.”

Just as Tori was going to say more, she could hear the music. It was a warning.

Nyx stood. “She’s here,” she stated, placing her hands over her ears as she dropped to her knees.

It looked like they were about to channel the dead.

Beau was beside Nyx, holding her in his arms. He soothed her, running his hands up and down her back.

“She’s angry,” Nyx whispered.

Tori grabbed the salt from the coffee table and drew a circle on the floor. “Roman, get yourself and Mattie in it. Stay in it!”

He didn’t hesitate.

Once inside, he began worrying about his friends. The room was awash with wind, anger, and screams—most from Nyx.

She was in pain.

Then she was on her feet, moving toward Roman and Mattie. “You killed my family!” she hissed, stopping just outside the salt circle.

“Mom, stop!” Roman ordered. “Why are you doing this?”

Nyx tipped her head, and her eyes were oddly blank. She wasn’t in control anymore. This was the most dangerous part of her job, and Tori knew it.

“He betrayed me. He betrayed all of us!”

“Who killed the girls?” he asked, trying to get anything from her that he could.

“Evil. Spells. I found it all.”

“Dad?”

She laughed, and while it was Nyx’s voice, it was evident it really wasn’t. The sound was twisted, perverse, and horrible to hear.

“No, he decided to sleep around. He killed all of us.” Then she focused on Mattie. “You slept with my husband.”

“Mom, this isn’t Devora. It’s her sister. You’re trying to hurt the wrong person.”

The room exploded in lights.

It was like a sonic boom.

That was pure unadulterated anger.

When everyone opened their eyes, the salt was gone, and both people were no longer protected. 

“She has to die.”

Roman stood in front of her.

When his mother’s angry spirit went for his throat, using Nyx’s hands to strangle him, Mattie did what she had to do.

She shoved him out of the way.

He wasn’t ready for it, and he fell out of the way. Immediately, Nyx was on Mattie, squeezing the life from her.

Then she began howling in pain.

Tori focused on the woman. Nyx wasn’t alone.

There were other spirits.

Six of them, and they were burying their fingers into Nyx’s body.

She bowed, setting Mattie free. Roman pulled her into his arms to protect her.

Beau moved toward Nyx, seeing her in so much pain. “Baby,” he shouted, grabbing her hand as he prayed she wouldn’t die.

“Ghosts,” whispered Tori, as she watched the spirits drag away the entity squatting in Nyx’s body.

They heard the screams.

They saw the blood running from Nyx’s nose.

Then, as quick as it started, it stopped.

And Nyx Nightingale didn’t move.

On the floor.

As still as death.