Voodoo Kiss (23 page)

The house was dark. No sound that would betray anyone's presence. I couldn't believe how naive I was for trusting a guy I met less than a week ago. Come to think of it, what did I actually know about him? He was a demon and they usually came with a bit of a tendency toward murder, or so legends said. My heart hammered hard in my chest as I headed for the kitchen. I couldn't remember whether the door could be locked from the inside, but I figured if there was no key, I stood a better chance hiding in the woods than inside the house with a killer searching for me. My hands patted the lock only to find there was no key. Damn it.

I opened the backdoor and took off into the night like the wind, making sure I closed the door behind me in case the guy followed. My breathing made a whistling sound as I shimmied through the bushes and trees, not paying attention to the cold that crept up my legs and turned my skin into goose bumps. I ran for a few minutes before I dared to look over my shoulder. The trees looked like huge, ominous shapes in the darkness. Stopping, I pressed my back against a thick trunk and held my breath to listen. Nothing stirred. I got rid of him. Now what? I couldn't return back to the house, but just my flannel PJs and sweater wouldn't be able to keep me warm against the cold for long. Sooner or later, I would freeze to death.

A twig snapped to my right. I turned my head sharply. Only too late did I see the dark shadow from the corner of my eye. Something hard hit my temple, sending me flying into a bush. I groaned and pushed up on my elbows, paralyzed with fear, the pain banging against my skull making me dizzy.

"Hey, are you looking for me?"

My head shot up at the familiar sound of my own voice. How did I speak when my mouth never opened? I hadn't even formed the words in my mind. And then I saw her standing near a tree. The moonlight caught in her dyed black hair and made her pale face look even paler. She wore a white flannel shirt that hung down to her knees, rolled up at the sleeves to reveal thin forearms. My breath caught in my throat. She was the spitting image of me. Even her nightwear looked like what I was wearing. But how could it be, unless I was dead and looking at my own body? But shouldn't my body be lying on the ground with me hovering over it instead of the other way round? My stomach turned. I felt so dizzy from all the pounding inside my head, I feared I'd be throwing up any minute.

"Sofia? I've been looking for you," the figure standing a few feet away from me said. I turned my head, seeing Gael standing there. The tip of his knife was inches away from my throat. Scared, I peered from him to the girl, who looked like me, and then back to Gael.

"What are you doing, Gael? Why did you hit her?" the girl asked in a thin voice that betrayed her fear. She inched closer and reached out to touch Gael's arm. The air crackled and a tiny spark flew from his skin. Frowning, she pulled her hand back.

"I didn't hit your friend. She fell," Gael said. "It's freezing out here. Come on, let me take you home." Gael reached for me and yanked me up by my arm, sending a pang of pain through my already aching body. Dragging me behind him, he took a few slow steps toward her, his blade still lingering near my neck. Who was the girl? Where did she come from? And most importantly, why did she look like me? I couldn't make any sense of the whole situation, and yet I could tell something wasn't right. Gael wasn't here to help me—or her. Not when he wielded a knife. I opened my mouth to warn her when she turned her gaze toward me, and I saw something there. A flicker, like that of a television set with bad reception. For a fragment of a second, the girl's face seemed to shift, only to turn back into my spitting image. Lost for words, I closed my mouth again and remained silent.

"You're cold," Gael said. "My car's nearby. I'll drive you back to the house."

"Thank you," she whispered. "It's freezing out here." Her gaze moved from Gael to the knife in his hand, hesitating again.

"You're coming with us," Gael whispered to me. "We wouldn't want you to freeze to death." The girl didn't comment. "You lead the way," Gael said to her. She nodded grimly and started walking.

Gael's hand clasped around my elbow as he guided me forward. His other hand still held on to his knife, knuckles turned white. Walking back to the house would've been the better choice instead of trekking through the woods, and yet Gael seemed to move us away from it. The farther we trekked, the more I knew we were in danger, but could two women take out a guy with a knife? I had never been particularly strong and she didn't look like a bodybuilder either. I knew if I ran he'd catch me in a heartbeat, what with my spinning head and my frozen body that could barely move. Time to come up with a plan, and fast, before something bad happened. I peered around me for a weapon that I could use. Maybe a large stone or a thick branch to knock him over the head with. If I could swing a guitar, I sure could swing a branch to take down a guy.

"Over here." Gael pointed to a large black vehicle that blended into the night. A gust of wind blew the scent of incense and lavender into my face. I followed Gael down the incline and stopped in my tracks. Behind the vehicle was a large circle with stones set up to mark the edges. In the middle, branches and dried herbs formed a large nest, like that of a bird.

"What the—" My voice caught in my throat as the guy knocked me to the ground, then grabbed hold of my long hair and dragged me to the middle of the circle. I let out a shriek and tried to grab hold of his wrist to push him away.

"Did you really think I'd fall for your cheap trick, witch? All those months playing your friend weren't for nothing," he hissed as he pushed me to the ground. Tiny gravel cut through my PJs and grazed my skin. I tried to crawl away but he grabbed hold of my leg and pulled me back in, twisting my ankle in the process. It was the same one I twisted while running away from Devon not long ago. I cried out in pain as tears filled my eyes.

"Hey, I'm Sofia. Let her go," the girl shouted.

"If you're Sofia, why don't you enter the circle?" Gael's tone betrayed his arrogance. Anger rose inside me, making me want to slap that grin from his face. The girl lunged forward only to fall back as soon as she hit the invisible barrier around the circle. Gael laughed. "No? Didn't think so. Because only the real witch could enter. Whatever you are, you're no match for me."

The girl growled, and for a moment her face began to flicker again as she lunged forward, throwing herself against the invisible shield around the circle, only to be thrown back. I could see the frustration on her face, the frown lines on her forehead, the rage in her eyes. She kept circling the invisible shield, throwing herself against it in the hope to find a weak spot, but she couldn't enter. My gaze moved back to Gael. Madness glittered in his eyes, and I knew I had to stall for time if I wanted to live.

"Why did you take me to see Madame
Estevaz
?"

My question took him by surprise. He smiled. "She was supposed to see your past to make sure you were Esmeralda's incarnation, but she failed me. Unfortunately for her, a betrayal doesn't go unpunished in my family."

"Why did you kill her?" I remembered the dark entity around me, clutching my soul, marking me. Was it the same one that had taken my life all those years ago?

"She had to die because she recognized you. Said she wouldn't help me kill a priestess, so she triggered your memories so you could use your powers." Gael grinned. "They aren't much use to you now, huh?" His raised his blade over his head.

I struggled to get up as panic gripped hold of me. My gaze fell on the sharp metal engraved with silver symbols. Maybe he wasn't all bad and had an excuse like finding out about my abilities and thinking I might be able to resurrect his brother. I moistened my lips to gather my voice. "Please, if you want to talk to Derrick I have friends who can help."

"Derrick was an idiot," Gael hissed. "He whacked the wrong Romanov witch. Luckily, little Theo did the job I should've done a long time ago."

"You wanted to kill your brother?"

"I should have," Gael said. "He almost messed up my big chance. You see, legend says only the Blade of Sorrow can kill you, but we hadn't found it yet. Not without a bounty hunter's help. He wouldn't wait so he tried any knife before I could stop him. He said it would work and I believed him. Theo and you looked so similar, the same height with your long, blonde hair. The moment Theo died, I knew he had the wrong sister."

I hadn't dyed my hair black yet, and it had been dark that fateful January night. Mixing us up made sense. A pang of guilt surged through me. So my stepmother, Marie, was right. Theo's death was my fault. If I took a taxi and didn't arrive late, Theo would still be alive. The rage I had been nourishing for the last few months turned against him, against myself, against fate for being so cruel and letting me make such a stupid mistake.

"You said he almost messed up your big chance," I said. "The chance for what?"

"Your powers."

I raised my chin, sensing my chance to escape the psycho. "You can have them. I'll give them to you willingly. Just let me go." Somewhere outside the circle I thought I could hear someone's voice—maybe the girl from before—but I couldn't let anything divert my attention, not with Gael being much stronger than me. Slacking in concentration wasn't an option if I wanted to make it out of this situation alive.

He shook his head, still grinning. "And how do you propose to do that?"

"I'll figure something out," I whispered.

"I have a better idea." He took a step forward, the blade in his hand shinning menacingly with the promise of a long and painful death. "I'll cut it out of you, and then I'll get what I want. What I deserve." Without so much as a warning, he lunged for me. I kicked, aiming for his abdomen, but only hit the air as he ducked out of the way. The blade hit my left shoulder and I cried out in pain. My fingers moved instinctively to the gash. For a moment I just stared, horrified, at the red liquid that shimmered almost black in the darkness, trickling down my arm. And then the real pain began. Pulsating pain that came in hot waves and seared my flesh. I bit my lip to keep myself conscious, but my vision was already blurry and my brain numb, threatening to descend into that darkness I kept seeing in my dreams. Death. Maybe the darkness had been a warning or a prophecy telling me what lay before me. My lungs burned as I breathed in and out the cold Scottish air. I begged my brain to remain lucid, but I knew I didn't have much time. I had to find a way to get away from him.

"Gael," a male voice called calmly. Gael turned his head at the resolute tone and I followed his line of vision to the Shadow, Devon, standing next to
Thrain
. The girl looking like me was gone. I had no idea where the two had come from and where the girl had disappeared. It was strange to see
Thrain's
beautiful face resemble an angry mask. As striking as Devon was,
Thrain
took my breath away even through the hazy curtain of pain surrounding me.

"I'm almost done," Gael whispered. His voice came raw, intense. I could sense the darkness in him, hurrying him along, and yet I knew he waited for something, but I didn't know what that something was.

"You'll always be a bastard, never one of us," Devon said, calmly.

"No." Gael shook his head and peered up at the low moon disappearing behind the clouds. "Once I have her powers, I can transport the Queen's soul into another Shadow's body. Her pain and suffering will be gone forever. I'll do it, I'll help her and then she'll let me join."

"She won't." Devon inched closer and pulled out a sword from under his cloak.

"Please help her. I'll do whatever you want,"
Thrain
pleaded.

"Anything?" Devon asked.

Thrain
nodded. "You have my word."

"A demon's word. I wonder what it's worth," Devon said, raising the sword over his head. I could see his lips moving, murmuring. The earth began to move under our feet.

"No!" Gael shouted. "You don't need her. She'll never join you, but I will." In that instant, a soft ray of light caught in his blade. It was the first ray of the rising sun Gael had been waiting for. He raised his blade higher and I could see he was ready to strike. My scream found its way out of my throat a moment before he brought the blade crashing down. My vision blurred. I felt dizzy and nauseous again, but it was nothing compared to the pain spreading through my body. The jerk had stabbed me, that was my last thought before darkness gathered around me.

Pain rippled through my body in long pangs that made breathing difficult. My muscles contracted, the effort drenching me in sweat. From the periphery of my mind, I knew someone was around me, holding my hand, whispering soothing words in my ears, begging me to come back. I smiled because I remembered
Thrain
. Our kiss, our night together. It had been so special, so beautiful. I wanted it again, that perfect moment of hope and happiness that seared my heart and soul every time our gazes connected. So I held on and fought when that darkness threatened to pull me in.

When I finally opened my eyes, I squinted against the glaring brightness, wishing someone had thought of closing the curtains. And then I realized
Thrain
wasn't there. It was Devon standing next to my bed, dark and broody, dressed in his usual black attire. Behind him, Aidan leaned against the wall. And next to him was a familiar face I couldn't immediately place. Tall guy with dark bed hair and blue eyes, Aidan's spitting image but a bit bulkier, clad in blue jeans and a crumpled shirt.