The Awakening: A Sisterhood of Spirits Novel (12 page)

Shade put her hands up in surrender. “Okay.”

Tiffany grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bathroom. “Breathe,” she said and forced Sunny to sit on the side of the bathtub before placing one palm on her heart and the other on the top of her head.

Sunny felt some of the anger ebb.

“Again,” Tiffany ordered. “You know the drill, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Repeat.”

Sunny felt the first tear slide down her cheek, then another, but complied. Her throat wanted to close around the lump of frustration and hurt in it. She hated to cry when she was mad. It made her feel weak and vulnerable, even though she knew the process was a cleansing one.

“That’s it. Let it go,” Tiffany soothed her. “Let it drain down your legs into the floor.”

A few moments later, Sunny felt almost normal, if a bit depleted from the experience. “I’m okay now. Thank you.”

“Wow, where did you pick up this dark energy?”

Sunny instantly made the connection. If she hadn’t been so mad, the entity wouldn’t have been able to push her buttons so easily. Which, of course, could be an excellent explanation for Jordan’s explosive reaction and strange behavior.

Now that she was calmer, she felt some shame at how she’d blurted to Jordan there was a demon in the apartment. It was against her code of personal honor to use her gift in that way, to scare or harm someone. “Oh, Tiff, I was awful.” She covered her face with her hands. “I told her there was a demon in her apartment.”

“Who?”

“Jordan.”

Tiffany looked confused.

“Hot lady cop from a couple of weeks ago. Officer Lawson.”

“Ah.”

“I ran into her again the other night.”

“And?”

“Tiffany, she confuses me. She brought me home after I twisted my ankle, and I could have sworn there were major sparks. If my mother hadn’t shown up, I’m pretty sure we would have followed up on them. I’ve dreamt of her almost every night, and it’s driving me crazy. Anyway, after I did the walk-through of Steve’s apartment, the door across from him looked off to me. I was drawn to it even as I felt I should be running. I knocked, Jordan opened the door, and I was so surprised and happy to see her, I didn’t feel the wave of darkness until it hit me and I went to my knees.”

Tiffany leaned closer. “Then what happened?”

“It all happened so fast. I was sitting on the couch ready to warn her about the entity in the apartment when she dropped to her knees. I thought she was going to kiss me.”

“And that pissed you off?”

“No, that’s when I realized she didn’t look right. Her eyes were a little glazed, and she grabbed me.”

Tiffany stiffened. “That bitch hurt you?”

“It wasn’t her, Tiff. There’s something in that apartment, and it’s ugly. It seemed to take control of her. Then something moved a chair and she turned on me, yelling about how we set this up to drive her crazy. She said some horrible things about us and I lost my temper.”

Tiffany smiled. “A rare occurrence.”

“My emotions are all twisted up. I don’t know what Jordan is really feeling, and I hate that I care so much. I mean, really, I’ve only seen her a couple of times. I have no idea where this is all coming from.”

“That surprises me. You usually always know what others are feeling. Why do you think that is?”

A light tap on the door saved Sunny from answering. Shade poked her head in. “Everything okay?”

Sunny soaked up the concern and love in the small space. “Yes, it will be. I just got blindsided by some dark energy in an upstairs apartment. I’m fine now.”

Tiffany patted her hand and left her alone with Shade, who pulled her to her feet. “We okay here?”

Sunny met her gaze. “Always.” She let Shade drop her arm around her shoulders and lead her to the table where Steve, Agnes, and Tiffany waited. “Sorry about the meltdown.”

“It’s okay, dear. Do you want some whiskey?”

Sunny let her amusement wash the last of her agitation away and declined the offer.

“Do you want me to set up the equipment?” Shade asked.

Sunny thought about it for a second. “Not just yet. After what just happened upstairs, there’s more to this than I was aware of. It’s late, and I have a feeling it’s going to take more than one trip.”

A little moan came from Agnes, and her face went white. “Crap! I was hoping we could just get rid of them.”

Sunny hated to disappoint Agnes, but she made the decision to exclude her from the investigation itself. She hadn’t anticipated there being so many souls here, and she certainly hadn’t expected to run into Jordan or the dark entity in her apartment. It had thrown her off. Sunny realized she’d become too complacent and comfortable, since she’d been able to handle every other client case over the last year with ease. If she had been on top of her game, she wouldn’t have been caught unawares by the black energy. This was going to take much more preparation than she’d done this evening, and she was still shaken from the experience itself.

“Agnes?” Sunny said. “Honey, you can’t be here when we do our investigation or communicate with the spirits. We’re going to have to come back, and I would like for you to be somewhere else, okay?”

“Oh, sweet baby Jesus, thank God! I was trying to be brave, I really was, but this shit scares the hell out of me.”

Sunny laughed. “Well, okay then.” She was relieved. Sometimes clients argued the point and wanted to be there no matter the consequences, and truthfully, that only put more pressure on her and her team. Steve looked disappointed, and she hastened to reassure him that they could still use his help. She’d seen his electronic setup earlier, and the complex was large enough that he could assist somewhere out of the way.

Tonight, they would cleanse Agnes’s apartment, but Sunny knew it was a short-term solution and more for the landlady’s peace of mind than to fix the hauntings themselves. She looked over to Tiffany and nodded.

Shade picked up a case of equipment to bring back to the van and left. Tiffany grabbed her large tote bag and unpacked some crystals and loose sage leaves to spread in the corners while Sunny lit her sage stick and burned the whole thing, inviting only positive energy to stay.

“That smells like wacky tobaccy.” Agnes looked almost hopeful. “Is it?”

“No, Grandma, it’s not marijuana.” Steve pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Oh,” Agnes said. “Pity.”

Chapter Eight

A piece of loose gravel from the parking lot stuck in the bottom of Jordan’s boot, making a horrible screeching sound on the cement of the path to her building. She stopped at the door and kicked her foot against the frame to dislodge it before stepping into the dark foyer. The lightbulb must have burned out.
Yeah, but on all three floors?
The total blackness above showed there were no lights on the landings above her either. She felt along the wall to the staircase and began ascending, a tread for each beat of her heart.

The higher she climbed, the heavier her body felt. She really hated the dark and wished she’d been in uniform because then she would have had her gun and Mag flashlight within reach. She moved as quickly as caution allowed her.

Jordan.

The voice whispered directly in her ear, sending cold fingers along her neck. Jordan swung her fist and connected with—nothing. Her throat constricted, and she reached for the revolver she wasn’t wearing.

“Who’s there?” Her voice sounded strange, muffled in the heavy darkness. She reached the top of the stairs and took the five steps to her front door, fumbling in the dark to get her key into the lock. A high-pitched giggle came from behind her. Jordan startled and dropped the keys. She dropped to her knees and ran her hand along the carpet, panic making her movements jerky. A bead of sweat slid from her forehead, down the side of her face.

“Steve?” She found the keys and quickly stood so she could place her back against the door. “Not funny, asshole.” She spun around, unlocked the door, and barreled through it. Jordan reached for the light switch and flipped it. Of course, it didn’t work. She hated this place. She really, really did. It might be time to look for somewhere else to live.

Her flashlight was in the bedroom. Keeping her back along the wall, she sidestepped to the doorway. The drapes she’d just hung were open and she adjusted her eyes in the glow of the streetlight. It was so quiet, the hideous buzzing of the vapor bulb pricked at the nerves under her skin.

Jordan stopped and stared. There was someone in her bed. The covers were messy, and a form was clearly outlined under them. She strained her eyes in an attempt to see better until she felt they might pop out of their sockets. She grabbed the flashlight from the nightstand and slid her hand along the long handle until she gripped the widest portion and it became a weapon.

She slowly raised her right arm over her head, ready to beat down the intruder the second there was movement. She hesitated when she saw the long lock of blond hair visible against the contrast of her dark blue sheets. She knew that hair; she’d been fantasizing about it extensively of late. A small white hand peeked out from under the comforter, the nails painted blood red. “Sunny? What are you doing here?”

The fingers on the hand twitched in response, but the body remained still. Jordan set her flashlight down and cautiously peeled back the covers. She moved the curtain of hair hiding the face and screamed.

Terror shot through her nervous system, leaving her body paralyzed and her mouth frozen open.

Her mother’s dead face stared back at her.

Jordan’s eyes shot open and she found herself sitting upright. Sweat dripped down her back, and she felt the drops that fell from her face puddle between her breasts. The bottom sheet was twisted and damp beneath her. Jordan gulped air and tried to stop her teeth from chattering while she swallowed the bile that rose into her mouth. The clock’s red numbers glowed in the room: 3:15. She placed a hand on her forehead, felt the tremors in her fingers. What was happening to her?

Chapter Nine

Sunny looked around in the dark and tried to place the sound that woke her. What time was it? Three fifteen. The witching hour, the time of morning when the veil to the spirit world was the thinnest. The cats still slept soundly beside her. Something felt off to her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Mazie?” she called out in a whisper. “Is that you? We talked about this. You have to let me sleep.” Sunny closed her eyes but didn’t find any trace of Mazie. Just dreaming, she told herself before shifting to find a comfortable position to go back to sleep. Still, she felt uneasy and her chest hurt. Sunny concentrated on her heart chakra, the center of energy where she felt pain, and cleared her mind of stray thoughts. She imagined an emerald green circle, spinning around and around until a perfect fan of green petals turned clockwise and the pain lessened. Her last thought before falling back to sleep was of a slender blond woman standing by the side of the bed. She said two words and then dissipated into smoke.

Help her.

*

In the morning, Sunny doubled her meditation time and took a saltwater bath to clear any lingering negative energy or stray emotions that didn’t belong to her. When she was done, she took her time dressing, choosing a long witchy dress that always made her feel pretty, and chose a silver necklace with a center moonstone. It was her personal favorite for busy days. It helped attract good emotions while protecting her own.

There. That was more like it. She felt more herself than she had for days and smiled at her reflection before leaving the third floor, ready to start her day.

Sunny had three readings this morning, and her clients deserved for her to be in a good, clear space for them.

What about your needs?
Sunny caught the sharp edge of the question before it could pierce the blue light of protection she’d just placed around her and turned it away.

Sunny smelled her mother before she found her sitting with Shade in the kitchen. She hadn’t heard either of them come in. While it was her mother’s habit to be here early in the morning, it was never Shade’s. “What’s up?”

“We’ve been talking, and I’m worried about you.” Her mother’s face clearly showed signs of strain, and for the first time since Sunny could remember since her father died, she looked her age. The absence of her charged personality left her a little gray around the edges, as if her internal light were on a dimmer switch.

Sunny’s concern brought her immediately to her mother’s side. “I’m fine, Mom.” The second her hand touched her mother’s shoulder, anxiety ran up her arm to settle in her throat. Sunny stepped back from her mother’s emotion.

“I can’t help it this morning.” She took a sip of the tea she’d already brewed. Sunny could see her carefully weighing her words before speaking. “Shade? Why don’t you go first?”

Shade cleared her throat. “Okay. I was driving by the other night when Jordan was leaving.” She held her hand out. “And before you ask if I stalk much, the answer is no. I’ve been having really weird dreams lately. It makes me feel better to check on you and Tiff before I go home.”

Sunny pulled a chair to the table and sat. She’d better hear what Shade had to say. Her dreams could be prophetic. “What did you see?”

“They started a couple of weeks ago, right after the Barbieri job.”

Right after we met Jordan
. Sunny caught the words that weren’t said out loud. Shade’s eyes were clear and full of accusation. “Please continue.”

“I can’t remember all the details, but it always starts with the dark tunnel. I can hear you crying for help somewhere in the darkness. Every time I run toward your screams, the direction shifts. I run and run, and I can’t ever find you.”

“How awful.”

Shade paused and looked at Sunny’s mother, who nodded for her to continue. “Last night’s was the worst. It started just like the other ones, where I was running and searching, but the screaming cut off.” She snapped her fingers. “Just like that, and I was alone in the tunnel. I could hear large wings flapping in the darkness.”