Shadow Bend (Witches of Sanctuary Book 3) Read online

  I rub my eyes to try and keep myself awake. “And?”

  “I think we should get you to your room.”

  “You think that’s really necessary?”

  “Louie sent all our staff home before you arrived, and we’ve locked the gates, but I don’t want to take any chances, Wilhelmina. Not with you.”

  I stand and stretch. “Fine. I could use a nap.”

  Reid goes with me to my room, and I change into my pajamas in the bathroom. I crawl into bed just as the sun disappears behind the horizon. Reid pulls the curtains closed, but not before checking the locks on the windows. We collectively hold our breaths for a few moments, waiting for an explosion, but nothing happens. Finally, I settle in on the bed. I pull the pillow closer under me, holding it tight, my eyes already heavy.

  And I sleep.

  Chapter 18

  STRANGE DREAMS

  I blink. My eyes are heavy, even more so than the normal morning experience, and my breathing is labored. My hand clutches my chest, trying to slow the manic beat of my heart. My body lurches forward, but hands grab hold of me and keep me still. My eyes finally manage to open. Reid and Sadie each hold one of my arms, forcing me still, but I continue to struggle.

  My thoughts are fuzzy, and I don’t know why. I’m not even sure where I am until I see the All Saints symbol on the wall, and the memories of Castle de Galloway from the previous day flood back to me. I’m still confused. The last thing I remember is going to bed. I put on my pajamas, and scrubbed my make-up off as per my usual routine. I fell asleep to the sound of a heater humming in the distance.

  I glance down my body. I’m not wearing my pajamas.

  Definitely not my pajamas.

  A vibrant red dress that barely covers my thighs and clings to every other inch of me stares back up at me. It’s my dress. The same red one I wore to dinner with Leo. I don’t recall changing clothes. I definitely don’t recall bringing that wretched red dress with me to the castle. “What the hell is going on?”

  I glance around the room, searching for an answer. They all look back at me, wide-eyed and full of questions themselves. Especially Reid. He looks exceptionally worried. Then I spot Julien in the background. His hair is a mess, and his clothes don’t exactly match. He sits in an ornate armchair with his head in his hands.

  Reid’s grip tightens. “Wilhelmina? Is that you?”

  I blink again. “Yes. What’s going on? Where are my pajamas?”

  Sadie moves around in front me, blocking Julien from view. She bends down so I can see nothing but her face. “What do you remember, Willa? Tell us, what is the last thing you remember?”

  I try to sit up, but their hold on me is strong, and they don’t loosen it at all. I try to focus on Sadie’s face. “Getting in bed. I washed up and put on my pajamas.”

  “Nothing else?” It was an unfamiliar voice. I look around to find it, but it’s not until Sadie moves that I see Louie. He steps closer to me. “You don’t remember any voices? Someone talking to you?”

  I shake my head. “No. I fell asleep listening to the heater. What’s going on?”

  Reid’s grip finally loosens along with Sadie’s, and I can sit up. I try to straighten the bottom hem of the dress that keeps riding higher up my thighs. Reid sits next to me. “We’re not sure what happened to you tonight, Wilhelmina. Not yet, anyway.”

  “How did I get into this dress?”

  Reid’s lips tighten, and he glances over at Julien. He immediately looks up as if he can feel Reid’s glare on his skin. “She was wearing it when I opened the door.”

  My brows draw together. “I went to your room?”

  Julien nods. “You knocked on my door just after midnight.”

  Worry and concern builds inside of me. “Why don’t I remember that?”

  Sadie shrugs. “I don’t know.”

  I scoot up, eager to hear what else Julien has to say. “What happened after I knocked on your door?”

  He looks away. “You asked to come inside, so I let you. But you were different. I could tell something wasn’t right.”

  Reid’s jaw tightens. “Obviously. Look at her.”

  Reid grabs a shirt out of my bag on the floor and wraps it around me. I gladly accept it, tugging it down to cover as much of myself as possible. He takes my hand, pulling me into his side. “We’ll figure this out, okay?”

  “Yes,” Louie says, nodding. “I’m going to look into it. I found a book that might help us. Let Wilhelmina rest, and we will discuss this more in the morning.”

  Sadie falls in behind Louie, a determined look on her face. “I’ll help you. I have trouble sleeping anyway.”

  Louie pauses, but then a small smile forms on his lips. “Sure. I would appreciate the help.”

  They leave, but I’m still rubbing my head, trying to get my thoughts straight. How could I not remember leaving my room? Changing clothes? I glance up at Julien again, and he intentionally looks away. He isn’t telling me something.

  Reid rubs the side of my shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you back in bed.”

  Everyone leaves except him. I search through the room for my lost pajamas and find them neatly folded in the bathroom. It’s odd. I never fold my pajamas. I’m more of a “leave them on the floor near the laundry hamper” kind of girl. I put them on anyway, and go back into the room. Reid sits on the edge of the bed, and I crawl up the end toward him.

  “I’m a little freaked out,” I admit, maneuvering myself underneath the covers.

  He takes my hand and holds it tight. “Me too. I mean, I don’t exactly like waking up to find you outside my door in Julien’s arms.”

  I cock my head to the side, a little shocked by the image.

  He shakes his head at me. “It wasn’t what you think. You were fighting him, trying to get away.”

  “Oh.” I hang my head anyway. I don’t like any of it. It’s terrifying. I could have done horrible things and had absolutely no control over it. I could have been like Mrs. Morrow and tried to hurt all of them.

  His fingertips touch my cheek. “We’ll figure this out. We always do.”

  I nod. “Will you stay with me?”

  “Of course.”

  He slips off his shoes and snuggles in next to me. I lay my head on his chest, my mind reeling. I keep seeing that look on Julien’s face. He knows something, and tomorrow morning I will have to make him tell me. Reid falls asleep before I do. The room is quiet except for the low thrum of the small heater in the corner. I stare up at the ceiling, unable to close my eyes. The fear of not knowing if it will happen again consumes me.

  Laughter echoes somewhere out in the hall.

  I scoot over onto my side of the bed and snuggle deeper down into the covers. Reid doesn’t blink, and I smile at the sight of his sleeping figure.

  Laughter again, closer this time.

  I sit up, curious now who would be up at this time. Surely, it isn’t Louie and Sadie. They were going to his study in the library.

  Laughter. It’s right behind me.

  I flinch, jerking forward in the bed so I can turn around, but nothing is there except the faded headboard. I slip out of bed and run my hand across the wall. It couldn’t have come from the other room. It was too loud. Too clear.

  Wilhelmina.

  I instantly glance at Reid as the voice fills my head, but I know it’s not him. He’s asleep, and the voice…is a woman.

  I step away from the bed, and I hear the laughter again. It’s in my head. Deep, with a cruel ring.

  Dear Wilhelmina. Are you afraid?

  My hands clutch my head. I turn around in circles, but there is no running away. No way to stop it. Everything turns black, and a vision fills my head. I see myself putting on the red dress in my bathroom and folding my pajamas. I stare at myself in the mirror, and a twist in my lips turns my smile wicked.

  The vision changes. Julien stands in front of me on the other side of the door. He lets me in, and I see myself talking to him, smiling at him…touc
hing him. My fingers run down his arm and touch his cheek. He’s confused, I can tell, but the vision doesn’t stop.

  I kiss him.

  Pain. Hope. It flashes so deep in his blue eyes, but I don’t stop. My lips are greedy and encouraging, and Julien is too surprised to stop it. He falls back against the wall, my hands wrapping around his neck. His fingers graze the hem of my dress at my thigh, bringing it higher up my leg. For a moment, I think the worst…this is about to go too far.

  It’s already gone too far.

  His hand pauses, about to push the hem further up, pull me closer to him, but he doesn’t. He grabs my hips and pushes me back.

  Suspicion is in his stare. His lips move, asking me something, and I answer. Whatever I say, he doesn’t like, because his features turn angry.

  The vision fades, replaced by the echo of the woman’s laughter until it, too, goes silent. I glance down to find myself sitting on the floor against the bedroom door. My head is in my hands, and I’m shaking all over. I scramble to my feet to find Reid, to make certain he’s okay, but he’s still asleep.

  I should wake him. I should tell him about this woman in my head, but I can’t yet. I have to know if that vision was real. Did I really kiss Julien?

  I rush to find my shoes, my hands still jerky as I put them on. I silently sneak out of the room and rush down the hallway. Julien’s room is on the other side of the castle. I take a shortcut through the courtyard. It’s snowing now, but I don’t bother to cover my head. I have to find out the truth. Something horrible is happening to me, and I have to figure out what’s going on.

  A sting of panic runs down the side of my neck as I knock on Julien’s door again. I glance behind me, sure I’m about to wake up the entire floor, but I can’t help it. I need answers, and it can’t wait until daylight. The door pops open. Julien rubs a hand down his tired face. His eyes widen when he glances up and realizes it’s me.

  “Wilhelmina?” He panics too, halfway closing the door as if using it as a shield. “I can’t do this again, Willa. I’m a good guy, but I’m not a saint. Not even close.”

  My eyes narrow at him as I place my hand around the side of the door and attempt to pry it open. “What are you talking about?”

  He holds the door steady, unwilling to let me open it completely. He studies me intently, and I shoot him my usual glare. He eases the door open and checks my attire. When he spots the pajamas, he seems satisfied and allows the door to open, but I can tell he’s still cautious.

  I point inside. “Can I come in?”

  He’s slow to answer. He checks my eyes as if he might see something in them. “Of course.”

  He shuts the door behind me, and I run a hand through my damp hair. I go to stand behind one of the chairs, holding onto it for support. “I need you to tell me what happened earlier tonight.”

  He crosses his arms over his chest, a clear defensive move. “I told you what happened.”

  “I think you left something out.”

  He bites the inside of his cheek and looks away. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because I know, Julien. I know I kissed you.”

  His gaze darts back to me, and his hands fall to his sides. “How?”

  “I saw it. It was in my head like a movie being played back to me. I showed up here, you let me in, and then I kissed you.”

  “Wilhelmina…”

  “You stopped it, though. Why?”

  He walks across the room and sits on the bed, clearly deep in thought. He shakes his head as in disbelief of what he’s about to say. “It felt wrong, Willa. I could tell something was wrong about it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He takes in a deep breath and lets it go slowly. “When you kissed me in the chapel that night…I knew you loved me. I could feel it in the way your lips moved and in your touch.”

  I stare down at the floor, and he gets up to come to me. He lifts my chin. “I don’t know what happened earlier, but I could tell that wasn’t you kissing me.”

  “It wasn’t me. It was some woman…some woman whose voice is in my head.”

  His brows draw together. “You’re hearing voices?”

  “Just one voice. A woman laughing, and she knew my name. Then I started seeing these visions of what happened earlier tonight. She thought what she made me do was funny.”

  His fingers grip my forearms, holding me tightly in position. “Willa, this voice…did she say anything else?”

  “She asked if I was afraid.”

  Julien’s eyes slowly close. “Afraid of the things you truly want?”

  “Yes. That’s exactly what she said. How do you know that?”

  He jerks me to him and kisses my temple. “We need to go find the others right now.”

  He tries to guide me to the door, but I stop him. “Wait. Do you know what’s happening?”

  His fingers brush my cheek. “Trust me, Wilhelmina. We need to go find the others.”

  Chapter 19

  THE VOICE

  I follow Julien through the dark courtyard to the main house. We slip inside the back door, and I close it behind me quietly. A soft, soothing melody drifts down the hallway. We follow it through the parlor to a small study in the back corner of the house. The room is dark except for one small desk lamp. Sadie and Louie sit side by side, their heads almost touching as they read a tattered book on the table. Sadie glances up first, her eyes wide at the sight of us. “Oh, no. Not again.”

  Julien pulls me into the room. “No, she’s fine. But she did have another episode. This time she heard a voice.”

  Louie immediately stands. “That’s not good.”

  Sadie follows him. “I should go get the others.”

  “Yes,” Louie agrees, “I think this is something they all need to hear.”

  Julien glances at the book on the table. “I don’t need a book to tell me what’s happening to her.”

  Louie pats Julien on the shoulder. “Maybe so, Cote. However, it might tell us why it’s happening.”

  Sadie disappears, and I tuck my hair behind my ear as Julien rounds the desk to look closer at the book on the table. “What is this?”

  Louie motions for Julien to take the book. “It’s a diary.”

  Julien picks it up, flipping through the first few pages. “Whose is it?”

  Louie shrugs. “The gentleman’s name was Philip, but that doesn’t matter.”

  I walk over, and Julien hands me the book to inspect. “Why doesn’t it matter?”

  “Phillip was of no importance. He was a simple farmer with a small family. No grand accomplishments worth noting.”

  I flip through the pages, touching each one. The book is worn and must be old. “Then why spend your night reading through it?”

  Louie’s smile is soft. “Because Philip lived in Sanctuary. More particularly, he lived there in 1802.”

  I hand him back the book. “What’s so important about 1802?”

  “Let the others get here, and I promise I’ll explain.”

  Reid rushes through the door, as if he ran in order to be the first one there. He deflates at the sight of me. “I woke up to find you gone. I panicked. Luckily, Sadie met me at the door and assured me you were okay. But I needed to see for myself.”

  He eyes my clothes. I would have to tell Reid what really happened in Julien’s room, but right now isn’t that moment. I give him a quick hug as the others arrive.

  Reid grabs my hand. “Sadie said you had another episode.”

  “Yes, but this time it was different.”

  “How?” Reid’s eyes are worried. “I was lying right next to you.”

  “It was all in my head.”

  “She heard a voice this time,” Julien says, sticking his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “It was a woman, and she talked to her and showed her visions.”

  “Why would she do that? Or better yet, how?” Reid flings his hands around, clearly frustrated and scared.

  I take them in mine. I’m sc
ared too, but I don’t want him to see it. “Julien says he knows.”

  We all turn to him, and his face is solemn. Julien frowns. It’s set deep in the features of his face like it might never go away. “The voice Wilhelmina heard is the same voice that used to be in my head before she banished the shadow out of me.”

  “What?”

  “It’s the same evil that made me one of the Haunted.”

  Abby rounds the side of the desk so she can see Julien better. “How do you know that for sure, Julien?”

  “Because of what it said to her.”

  My hand touches my heart. I remember the words so clearly. “Don’t be afraid to take the things you truly want.”

  Julien’s lips purse, his eyes downcast. “It’s the same thing it used to say to me. It’s a woman’s voice. The shadow is a woman.”

  Reid crosses the room to Louie. “Is this right? Can this be true?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Louie says, holding the diary to his chest.

  Sadie is in a panic now. “But we banished the evil from Sanctuary with the Spell of Iniquity.”

  Julien shakes his head. “Wilhelmina banished it from the Haunted.”

  “No,” Louie interrupts. “It’s worse than that. Wilhelmina simply set it free.”

  Reid places his hand on the desk as if using it for support to keep himself standing. “Tell me how you know this.”

  “Let’s sit down,” Louie says, motioning everyone into the parlor. “I need to read you something.”

  The parlor is the largest room in the small house. There is a roaring fire in the hearth, and we each find a seat in front of it. Louie sits on the floor in front of the flames, holding the book up for everyone to see. “This diary belonged to Philip King. He was a farmer in Sanctuary back in 1802.”

  Reid eyes it curiously. “That’s back before the curse was placed on the Haunted.”

  Louie nods. “Yes. The original three would have been only teenagers then.”

  Julien lets out a curt laugh. “It’s weird imagining Estelle, Luther, and George as children. Or trying to picture them before they became the Haunted.”