Shadow Bend (Witches of Sanctuary Book 3) Read online

Once I catch myself on the counter, I narrow my eyes at her. Her distraction technique is futile and extremely obvious. “What’s wrong with Julien?”

  “Nothing.” It sounds so much like a lie that Abby can barely get the word out.

  My breath catches in my throat. I’m not naïve enough to believe he’s still not upset about Reid and me, but the way Abby is intentionally trying to avoid the topic of him has me concerned. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “He’s fine, Willa. Lyric is with him.”

  “Then why can’t they come over and have breakfast with us?”

  Abby winces, her face contorting into a painful mask. “I don’t think he wants to see you right now.”

  “Oh.”

  It stings. I deserve it, but it still hurts.

  Sadie touches my wrist. “I don’t think he wants to see anyone right now,” she says, as if that will somehow make it all better.

  It won’t.

  There’s a loud bang on the door and we all turn around. Sadie lets go of me to go answer it. I would go with her, but Abby is intentionally blocking my way. Sadie’s talking to someone, and I ease a little closer to Abby so I can hear, but I can’t understand what she’s saying. The conversation is long, and I quickly grow impatient. I finally give Abby a gentle shove and go through the door to the living room.

  Sadie is at the door, blocking it with both hands propped against the frame. I spot Leo the same time he sees me.

  “I need to talk to her,” he yells, ducking and weaving around Sadie’s figure.

  I run to the door and pull Sadie’s arm down. “What’s going on?”

  Leo’s eyes are round like he’s been in a panic. “I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

  Sadie eyes him suspiciously. “Not important enough to tell me so I can decide whether it warrants a visit.”

  “It’s okay,” I tell her, and she finally moves out of the way and lets Leo come inside.

  He closes the door, shivering. He has a heavy black coat over his suit, but his lips are still a shiny blue. He rubs his hands together. “I just got back from seeing my brother. He’s been going through all the books and items Talbot collected for us from the Bessette house.”

  “And?”

  “And, apparently, there is something missing. Something very important that belonged to my family. We thought it was stolen along with the books, but Talbot assured me his family doesn’t have it.”

  “What is it?”

  “A blade.”

  Abby is at my shoulder now, still unhappy Leo interrupted her party. “Why is it so important?”

  Leo is slower to answer this time. He pauses, choosing his words wisely. “I’m a Guardian. The blade was given to my family by Contessa and Elizabeth to protect you.”

  “We’re going to break the curse tomorrow. We won’t need your services anymore.”

  Leo sighs. “I just need to know if you’ve seen it, or heard of it. It has a red ruby in the bottom of the handle.”

  I shake my head. “No, I haven’t seen it.”

  He nods solemnly. “Thank you. That’s all I needed. I’m sorry to intrude.”

  He moves back toward the door, but I catch his arm. “Will you be at the ceremony tomorrow?”

  “Of course.” Leo gives me a quick and very awkward hug. “I’ll see you then.”

  He’s out the door before we can say anything else. The wind whistles inside, but no one goes to shut the door. We all stand there, staring at each other.

  Finally, Abby is the first to speak up. “Is it just me, or is he rather strange?”

  “No, it isn’t just you,” I say, letting out a gush of air. “He’s hiding something.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “He’s been different ever since we went inside that door and retrieved the fruit. He hasn’t hit on me. He hasn’t smiled at me or anyone else.”

  Sadie finally shuts the door. “He does seem rather twitchy.”

  “Yes,” I say, staring at the closed door.

  Something has Leo Galloway and his cocky I-own-the-world attitude on mute, and that makes me nervous. If it wasn’t snowing, I would drive to his stupid castle and force it out of him. I don’t want to risk getting stuck in the snow and missing the ceremony tomorrow, though. It has to be my first priority.

  Leo can wait. Julien can’t.

  Chapter 14

  INIQUITY

  Six hours.

  The snow is so deep. It’s a struggle to climb the hill, even with my boots. I’ve never seen snow like this. And the cold. It seeps through the leather like a fire in a brush field. My toes burn with it. I can barely make my exposed fingers clutch the Book of the Moon in my hands. Thankfully, the boys have cleared the snow out from around and inside the circle. The stones are clearly visible. Lyric stands at the edge of the circle, shivering likes he’s been out here for hours. There’s a shadow in the distance. It hovers between the trees. It’s Julien.

  Reid and I finally trudge our way up the mountain. I’m out of breath by the time I make it to Lyric. “Is he okay?”

  Julien’s features are expressionless. His entire body shakes, but his hands are steady. He is concentrating really hard to keep it together.

  Lyric turns so Julien can’t see the seriousness on his face. “He’s just ready, Willa. I think we all are.”

  Julien doesn’t come any closer. He stays there like a statue beneath the snow-laden limbs of the poplar trees. Reid nudges my arm, and I know we have to get started. The timing has to be exactly right for this to work. The flames around the circle burst to life right before I step across them. The book in my hand flies open to the page of the spell as if it knows why we’re all here. Reid joins me, and his book does the same. Someone has brought two wooden book stands and a small table and placed them in the middle of the circle. I perch myself beside one of the stands, shaking, not necessarily from the cold. My nerves start to get worked up.

  We stand there in the middle like that, books in hand, next to each other. Everyone else slowly makes it up the hill behind us. They gather around the circle. Even Leo in his dapper suit and leather shoes made the bitter cold hike up the mountain to watch. I look to the sky, through the white limbs of the trees. The clouds from this morning have moved out. The sun sits in the west and the moon stands just above me, barely visible.

  I motion to Sera. “Bring the ingredients into the circle and set them here between us.”

  She carries a large ornate box into the circle and sets it down in front of the table. Reid opens the top, revealing the black fruit, chalice, and bottle of spring water.

  Sera steps out of the circle, and I glance at Reid. “Go on,” he whispers. “You’ve got this.”

  I clear my throat so I can talk loud enough that Julien can hear me from his spot under the tree. This is it. It’s finally time to end the curse that has plagued this town for hundreds of years. My voice stalls, and I have to clear my throat again to finally coax it out. “The Innocent of the Sun will take the black fruit from the Raven’s tree and combine it with water from the Elder’s spring.”

  Reid adjusts his book on the stand next to him. He takes the bottle of water out first, placing it on the table. He unscrews the lid and sets it aside. Then he picks up the knife and the black fruit. He slices through the middle, and a black liquid begins to drain out of it. He holds it over the bottle of water and lets it drip into it. The water starts to bubble and swish around like a heavy current has been let loose inside the bottle. Reid puts the fruit down and steps away from the table.

  I glance back down at my book, even though I know the spell by heart. “The Innocent of the Moon will pour it in the Chalice of Franz E’tour.”

  I carefully prop my book on the stand next to me, and go to remove the chalice from the chest. I position it on the table so everyone can see it. They’re all watching me. Lyric is even on the tips of his toes, taking in every minute movement I make. My hand trembles when I pick up the bottle of black water. I attempt
to hold it steady as I pour it into the chalice.

  A gray smoke billows from the chalice as sparks snap in the air. If I ever doubted these things had magic, I know now. Once the bottle is empty, I put everything but the chalice back into the chest and close the lid. Reid comes and stands next to me, placing his hand on my shoulder.

  My voice breaks and cracks with each word, the emotion and anticipation bubbling inside of me. “Each member of the three Haunted families must drink from the chalice in the order of their original downfall.”

  The sun sinks lower in the sky. It’s halfway hidden behind the mountain in the distance, casting a red glow over the valley. They all wait for me. “Bessette.”

  Grady looks at Abby. His blond curls are disheveled, and he’s grown thin despite the copious amounts of food Reid takes to him every day. She won’t look at him, or can’t. His gaze drops to the ground, and he walks toward me into the circle. He stops in front of the table, staring down into the smoldering cup. “Maybe this will finally make me the man I should have been for her.”

  I give him a slight smile. At least he feels guilty. That’s a good start. “Can’t hurt.”

  He takes in a deep breath and picks up the chalice. “I wish Roux could have been here. I wish I could have known them all without the shadow inside them.”

  He places the chalice to his lips and drinks. That’s one down.

  “Stand over here,” Reid tells him when he places the chalice back on the table. “But don’t leave the circle.”

  I take a deep breath. “Prescott.”

  Erika pulls down the hood of her heavy coat and labors through the snow. She stops to shake it off her boots inside the circle. She approaches the table and removes her gloves, sticking them in her pocket. She picks up the chalice and smiles over it at me. “For Ezekiel,” she says, holding it up in a cheers-like fashion.

  She takes her drink then goes to stand next to Grady. And suddenly it’s time. Only one left. Emotion floods me. I have to give myself a moment to keep from crying when I say his name. “Cote.”

  Julien’s walk to the circle takes longer, not because he’s so far away, but because he doesn’t seem to be in any hurry. When he finally steps across the threshold, his gaze catches mine, and I realize why. He’s crying too.

  I want to hug him. I also want to scream at him. More importantly, I want to keep the promise I made. I will set him free of this…all of this. Even if it means I lose him a third time, I want Julien to be free of this shadow. He picks up the chalice and drinks.

  “At dusk when the Sun and Moon exchange, their fate will be chosen.”

  Julien puts the chalice down and goes to stand next to Erika and Grady. The sun is only minutes away from setting. Everyone looks at each other, not sure what to expect. Julien’s eyes are round with worry. “It will be okay,” I mouth to him and he bites his lip to keep from crying again.

  Grady is the first to drop to his knees, followed by Erika’s shrill scream. Julien tries to resist, but within seconds, he’s on the ground too. They’re all screaming.

  Julien clutches at his chest, his gaze shooting up to me. “I told you it was still inside me.”

  He screams louder, and I run to him. “What’s happening?”

  Julien’s hand grips mine for dear life. “My chest,” he manages to get out between gasps. “It’s like I’m on fire.”

  Erika is on the ground, grasping at her heart, and Grady is too. Abby stands at the edge of the circle, wanting to come in, but she can’t. The circle won’t allow anyone to enter. Julien’s entire body twitches in pain. He holds out his hand, turning it over to expose his wrist, and that’s when I see it. The black tint in his veins. It moves fluidly under his skin. I push his sleeve up, following it until I lose track at his shoulder.

  Erika gasps for air. Reid goes to her, but there isn’t anything we can do. The sky lights up a vivid red above us, the clouds a mirror image of the fury in Julien’s eyes.

  His voice is but a croak. “My heart.”

  His fist tangles in the fabric of his shirt. I lay him down on the ground and push it up. The potion has spread through every vein in his body like a venom. All traces lead back to his heart. He grabs my hand and pushes it against the thud in his chest as if it’s an open wound.

  “Willa,” Reid says, trying to keep Erika still. “I think Grady might be dying.”

  I don’t take my hands from Julien, but I can see Grady. His breathing is labored and slow. Julien gasps again, and the rhythm of his heart changes. There’s more time between each beat, as if his blood has gone thick and it takes more effort to push it through his veins.

  I touch his cheek. “Julien?”

  He can’t talk. Fear widens his eyes.

  I grab his face with both hands. “No. No. No. Stay with me.”

  He can’t even manage to scream. His breaths are nothing more than a gurgle. Everyone outside the circle yells, but I can’t hear their words. The circle has rendered them mute. All I can see is their horrified faces as they realize the same thing I do.

  Death can’t be their fate. Can it?

  Tears blur my vision. “No.” I yell it to the crimson sky above me. “No. This will not be their fate.”

  Not my Julien’s fate.

  I’m on my feet, still staring up at the sky. The blood color taunts me. Winds whistles in the trees, but I quickly confine it to the circle as the thunder roars inside of me. My hand reaches for the clouds, my anguish prepared to wipe them clean. Reid stands, steadying himself next to me against the vortex forming around us. This time, he doesn’t stop me.

  Reid closes his eyes, his power lending to mine, and my Sun unleashes me. Reid strips the floodgates around me down, and everything inside me rushes out. “The Haunted will not die tonight.”

  The vortex pulls the color from the sky, staining the wind around us. It only encourages me. My confidence rises with my hands, pulling the light from the sky. Lightning strikes all three of the Haunted as their bodies lie still on the ground in front of me. I feel it hit them, like it’s an extension of my own hand. I pour every ounce of power into them until there is nothing left but my tears. My legs collapse beneath me, and I’m spinning, or maybe it’s the ground beneath me.

  Cold wind chaps my cheeks as the fire around the circle flames higher. Reid grabs me. I know him because it’s his voice I recognize calling my name. The familiarity of his features steadying my vision. “Wilhelmina?”

  Every part of me is limp. I try to raise my hand to touch his face, but it doesn’t move. “It’s okay,” he says in my ear, and I close my eyes for a moment, willing it to be true. When I open them again, I stare up at the sky. It’s dark now, a perfect star-filled night. The flames extinguish around the circle, and the others rush in.

  Lyric goes to Julien, pulling his brother’s body into his arms. Julien hasn’t moved since I let go of him. Lyric checks his pulse. “He’s breathing.”

  “Erika too,” Sadie yells, pulling Erika’s small frame into her lap.

  “They’re asleep,” another voice yells above the chaos.

  I’m awake enough to glance around and realize it’s Leo. He tugs the front of his suit together like he’s just finished a business deal, but there is something telling on his face. He appears almost sad.

  “They will wake soon, but for now, take them home and let them rest.”

  Reid’s voice is low and stern above me. “How do you know this?”

  He clears his throat, straightening his shoulders before stepping forward to look down at me. “There was more written about the curse than I told you. I lied to Willa when she asked me, but I took an oath. My parents died keeping theirs, so it was only right I do the same.”

  Abby stands, her hands planted tight on her hips. “Then tell us, Guardian. What just happened here?”

  Leo’s voice is soft and sincere. “Their fates were chosen. It was Wilhelmina’s choice all along. She could have let the shadow take them, but she didn’t. Only the strongest of yo
u could save them, and she did.”

  “And now they are free?”

  Leo’s gaze drops to the ground, and then it raises to me. He looks sad. Burdened. “Yes, the Haunted are free.”

  Reid’s embrace tightens around me. “What does that mean?”

  Leo ignores him and takes a step toward me. He bends down so he can look directly in my eyes as he takes my hand. “I will be here when you need me, Wilhelmina. I meant what I said that day on your porch. Remember that.”

  Leo pulls a chain from around his neck. It has the symbol of the tree emblazoned inside a circle. He turns my hand over and places the chain in my palm. “My parents failed your mother, but I will swear another oath, Wilhelmina Daniels, to you, right now. I won’t fail you.” Leo stands back up, brushing himself off as if keeping his suit clean is the most important part of the day. “Let’s get them all inside. I need to let my brother know the spell is complete, then I need to find my blade.”

  Chapter 15

  CELEBRATIONS

  All my muscles hurt, and I can’t seem to shake the cold. I sit in a chair next to Sera’s blazing fireplace, yet the heat can’t seem to reach me. I sink further into the heavy blanket Reid wrapped around me, trying to sort through the fog in my head. My hand clutches around the pendant in my palm. Leo Galloway’s pendant.

  His words…that look on his face…I’ve never seen someone so unhappy to see a curse end. Sadie appears in front of me, holding a steaming cup of something. “Drink, Willa. It will help you feel better.”

  I try to sit up, but I don’t have the strength in my arms to accomplish it. “Will it warm me up?”

  “It should.” She pushes the cup toward me, and I struggle to free my hands from the blanket to take it. I won’t let the pendant go yet. Something about it seems important. I drink Sadie’s potion, and it does help. I stop shivering, at least, but I still feel tired and weak.

  Reid talks to someone in the next room, and I try to sit up to see who. It’s Lyric, and when they catch me eavesdropping, they move their conversation toward me.