Reborn (28 page)

"She sleeps until you return."

"With her eyes open?"

"I promise you, she's fine."

"It seems I don’t have a choice, but to do your bidding, witch."

"There's always a choice."

In that moment, an icy tendril shot through my palm, into my wrist, traveled up my arm, and settled in my chest, where it defrosted into a temperature somewhere around normal.

"What was that?" I asked, still held in her grip.

"Open your mind. I have given you a gift, a skill, really."

I concentrated and felt no different than I had before entering this cursed room, other than the new, lingering awareness that something strange now inhabited me.

"You will find the skill when you need it."

"So, is that it? Is the curse lifted?"

In a flash, a grin spread across her face. "Curse? Oh no. That is your link back to me. When I get what I want, you will receive the information you seek about Desiree, and then…" She released my hand and slid hers up my wrist in a flirtatious gesture. "I might lift that nasty curse from you. It does make you rather ornery."

I snatched my hand away from hers, and reluctantly lifted my other from Melba's. As I was about to get up to leave, Celeste stood, blocking the closed door.

"Not so fast. I haven't yet told you what I want from you."

I'd almost forgotten about the price.

She pulled a small object out of a drawer in a table next to the door and held it out to me. "Take this box." She fondled the top. "Its wood comes from the remnants of a burnt stake a witch lost her life at. Go back to Savannah, to Bonaventure Cemetery, and fill it with graveyard dirt."

My mind whirled. All the way back to Savannah, alone. And what could she possibly want with dirt from a graveyard?

"But Solomon, you must only bring the dirt from the grave of Madeline Jacobs. And it must be retrieved between the hours of midnight and 3:00 a.m., when the veil to the outerworld is at its thinnest."

"What's so special about her?"

"She was known as the Black Witch. The first of her kind to cross Hoodoo and European witchcraft. Not many have tried since, successfully. Ordinary people don’t know her history. If they did, she would be on top of the Bonaventure tour guide. As it is, you won't find any info on where she's buried on the internet."

"Why don't you go get it yourself?"

"I'd never make it past the gates with those—"

I studied her carefully, catching her switch direction mid-sentence.

"Let's just say, graveyards are not my thing. They're creepy." She ended the lie with a devious grin and opened the door for me to leave. A chill air blew around me, penetrating my still damp T-shirt. But there was something I had to know before leaving.

"What exactly are you?"

Her expression turned dark. "Something beyond your scope of understanding. Now be on your way. And, Solomon, I will know if what you bring back is not exactly what I want."

With one last look at Melba, I bolted from the house and into the downpour.

Many thanks…

To my co-writer Aiden James for bringing me in on this series, and for having complete faith in me.

To the entire Curiosity Quills team for being super supportive and for transforming my jumble of words into a high quality book.

To my editor, the all-knowing Mary Harris. It’s always a pleasure.

To all Curiosity Quills authors who have become my virtual family. Thanks for all your help and support.

And to the readers for accompanying me one step farther along the path of my dreams. Let’s walk slowly and treasure the moment, shall we?

~Lisa Collicutt

Aiden James
is the bestselling author of
Cades Cove
,
The Judas Chronicles
, and the
Nick Caine Adventures
(with J.R. Rain).

Aiden resides in Tennessee with his wife, Fiona, and their two sons, Christopher and Tyler.

To learn more about Aiden James and his latest books, please visit his website:
http://aidenjamesfiction.com
.

You can also follow him on:

• Facebook:
  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aiden-James-Paranormal-Author/186876114703747
  
• Twitter:
  https://twitter.com/AidenJames3
  

Lisa Collicutt
likes to write dark and twisted tales of magic and romance. She has a passion for Young Adult and New Adult Paranormal.