Haunted
Page 108
She smiled, voice taking on a high-pitched singsong that I knew didn't come from the Nix. A ghost had indeed crashed the Nix's party—but it wasn't Jaime.
The woman turned and strode into the living room. I moved, breaking the spell. Still pinning me to the stairs, Savannah cast a privacy spell.
"It's not Jaime," she whispered. "She's possessed, some kind of ghost got into her. We were sitting there talking, and all of a sudden she—"
As the footsteps returned, Savannah cast another cover spell. She held me down. Protecting me. I knew it was Paige she was really protecting, but still, the thought of my little girl taking charge like this, escaping from a killer, protecting me… Kris was right. Savannah didn't need my help anymore. She hadn't needed it for a long time.
The woman walked into the hall, and took another look around, snuffling blood.
"Can't hide, sweetie-pie," she said. "Cheri knows all your tricks. Yes, indeed. All the tricks. No one escapes from her."
Cheri MacKenzie. Shit! So that's what happened. The parasitic Nix was getting a taste of her own medicine, having her body invaded by a past partner. Ironic, and I'm sure I'd appreciate it a whole lot more if it didn't complicate matters so much. Was the Nix still in there? What if I risked Jaime's life and found no one inside except Cheri MacKenzie?
MacKenzie took one last look up and down the hall, then strode into the living room. Savannah broke the cover spell. As she did, I noticed blood seeping through her sleeve. I grabbed her arm and tried to push up the sleeve.
"It's nothing, Paige," she said, pulling away. "Where's Lucas?"
The front doorknob turned. Seeing it, Savannah started to leap up.
"We have to warn—" she began.
I tugged her down. "He knows. Let him come in and distract her, then we'll attack from behind."
The door slid open a few inches. But there was no one there. I was about to move when I realized Lucas was hidden under a cover spell. I pointed to the living room and motioned for him to go in, then I cast a cover spell over Savannah and me.
Lucas broke his cover spell and banged the door open. MacKenzie bolted from the living room, saw Lucas, and stopped in the middle of the hall, her back to us.
"Where is she?" Lucas said, striding into the hall.
"Your wife or your pretty young ward?" Cheri purred. "Which one interests you more?"
"Where are they?" Lucas's gaze flew to the knife in Cheri's hand. "If you've hurt them—"
"You'll do what? Tell me I'm a very naughty girl and send me to bed? Then come up and climb in with me? Bet you've thought of doing that with her, haven't you? Your naughty ward?"
I don't know who looked more disgusted, Lucas or Savannah. I motioned for Savannah to approach from the left while I slid across the hall to the other side.
"I'll make you a deal," Cheri said, sliding over to Lucas. "Help me catch her, and I'll let you have her.
How old is she, fifteen, sixteen? And still a virgin. I can tell. Would you like—"
Lucas coldcocked her.
"So much tor distract and attack," I muttered.
As MacKenzie flew back from the blow, I grabbed her and slammed her into the wall. Or that was what I intended to do. But I was in Paige's unathletic body, and Jaime was four or five inches taller. So the slam became more of a shove, and MacKenzie bounced off the wall and rebounded my way, knife raised. Lucas knocked me out of her path.
I hit the floor and cast a binding spell. MacKenzie stabbed Lucas in the thigh. I cast again.
"Binding doesn't work!" Savannah said as she raced toward them. "I already tried. Use something else!"
I cast a shock bolt and flung my hand at MacKenzie. Nothing happened. Shit! Paige must not know it.
What does she know? Think, think… Fireball!
I cast the spell just as Lucas threw MacKenzie into the wall. The ball hit the empty space between them, and nearly singed Lucas's face. He shot me a "be careful" look, grabbed MacKenzie by the right elbow, and squeezed hard enough to make her yelp… and drop the knife. As MacKenzie dove for the knife, Savannah cast a sorcerer pull-spell, and yanked it out of the way. I ran forward and kicked it into the dining room. Paige's body might not be equipped for lightning-fast roundhouse kicks, but it could manage that.
"Oh, Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?"
We all turned to MacKenzie… or what had been MacKenzie. She stood in the middle of the hall, arms raised to the ceiling, tears streaming down her face.
"Have I not served you well, Lord?" she cried. "Did I not do it all for you? Your faithful servant on earth?
And for that you punish me?"
"What the hell?" Savannah muttered.
"She's changed," I said. "It's someone else."
The newcomer turned on me, red-rimmed eyes blazing. "It was you, wasn't it? You betrayed me."
She dove at me. Lucas kicked her legs out from under her and she crumpled to the floor. As I ran for her, Lucas started to cast a spell, and I stopped short, before I got in the line of fire.
Jaime—or whoever was in Jaime—looked up at Lucas, and her eyes filled with genuine terror.
"D-don't hurt me," she whimpered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do it. It was all her fault.
Victoria's. Please don't hurt me anymore."
Lucas hesitated. I started to cast a spell, but he stepped in front of the woman on the floor, who'd begun to sob.
"Wait," he said. "This isn't your Nix."
"And it's not an innocent bystander, either. It's one of her partners. That hurt she's talking about—it ain't from heaven."
He hesitated, then started to step away. The woman leapt up. I lifted my hands in a knock-back spell, and Lucas wheeled to grab her, but she lunged out of our paths and raced into the dining room, heading for the knife. Savannah was closest. She turned and ran after the woman.
"No!" I shouted.
As Lucas ran for the dining room, I cast a knock-back spell, aiming it at Savannah, to knock her away from the woman. But Savannah moved too fast, and the spell missed her by a good six inches, hitting Lucas instead and sending him flying across the room. The woman grabbed Savannah from behind.
The woman turned and strode into the living room. I moved, breaking the spell. Still pinning me to the stairs, Savannah cast a privacy spell.
"It's not Jaime," she whispered. "She's possessed, some kind of ghost got into her. We were sitting there talking, and all of a sudden she—"
As the footsteps returned, Savannah cast another cover spell. She held me down. Protecting me. I knew it was Paige she was really protecting, but still, the thought of my little girl taking charge like this, escaping from a killer, protecting me… Kris was right. Savannah didn't need my help anymore. She hadn't needed it for a long time.
The woman walked into the hall, and took another look around, snuffling blood.
"Can't hide, sweetie-pie," she said. "Cheri knows all your tricks. Yes, indeed. All the tricks. No one escapes from her."
Cheri MacKenzie. Shit! So that's what happened. The parasitic Nix was getting a taste of her own medicine, having her body invaded by a past partner. Ironic, and I'm sure I'd appreciate it a whole lot more if it didn't complicate matters so much. Was the Nix still in there? What if I risked Jaime's life and found no one inside except Cheri MacKenzie?
MacKenzie took one last look up and down the hall, then strode into the living room. Savannah broke the cover spell. As she did, I noticed blood seeping through her sleeve. I grabbed her arm and tried to push up the sleeve.
"It's nothing, Paige," she said, pulling away. "Where's Lucas?"
The front doorknob turned. Seeing it, Savannah started to leap up.
"We have to warn—" she began.
I tugged her down. "He knows. Let him come in and distract her, then we'll attack from behind."
The door slid open a few inches. But there was no one there. I was about to move when I realized Lucas was hidden under a cover spell. I pointed to the living room and motioned for him to go in, then I cast a cover spell over Savannah and me.
Lucas broke his cover spell and banged the door open. MacKenzie bolted from the living room, saw Lucas, and stopped in the middle of the hall, her back to us.
"Where is she?" Lucas said, striding into the hall.
"Your wife or your pretty young ward?" Cheri purred. "Which one interests you more?"
"Where are they?" Lucas's gaze flew to the knife in Cheri's hand. "If you've hurt them—"
"You'll do what? Tell me I'm a very naughty girl and send me to bed? Then come up and climb in with me? Bet you've thought of doing that with her, haven't you? Your naughty ward?"
I don't know who looked more disgusted, Lucas or Savannah. I motioned for Savannah to approach from the left while I slid across the hall to the other side.
"I'll make you a deal," Cheri said, sliding over to Lucas. "Help me catch her, and I'll let you have her.
How old is she, fifteen, sixteen? And still a virgin. I can tell. Would you like—"
Lucas coldcocked her.
"So much tor distract and attack," I muttered.
As MacKenzie flew back from the blow, I grabbed her and slammed her into the wall. Or that was what I intended to do. But I was in Paige's unathletic body, and Jaime was four or five inches taller. So the slam became more of a shove, and MacKenzie bounced off the wall and rebounded my way, knife raised. Lucas knocked me out of her path.
I hit the floor and cast a binding spell. MacKenzie stabbed Lucas in the thigh. I cast again.
"Binding doesn't work!" Savannah said as she raced toward them. "I already tried. Use something else!"
I cast a shock bolt and flung my hand at MacKenzie. Nothing happened. Shit! Paige must not know it.
What does she know? Think, think… Fireball!
I cast the spell just as Lucas threw MacKenzie into the wall. The ball hit the empty space between them, and nearly singed Lucas's face. He shot me a "be careful" look, grabbed MacKenzie by the right elbow, and squeezed hard enough to make her yelp… and drop the knife. As MacKenzie dove for the knife, Savannah cast a sorcerer pull-spell, and yanked it out of the way. I ran forward and kicked it into the dining room. Paige's body might not be equipped for lightning-fast roundhouse kicks, but it could manage that.
"Oh, Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?"
We all turned to MacKenzie… or what had been MacKenzie. She stood in the middle of the hall, arms raised to the ceiling, tears streaming down her face.
"Have I not served you well, Lord?" she cried. "Did I not do it all for you? Your faithful servant on earth?
And for that you punish me?"
"What the hell?" Savannah muttered.
"She's changed," I said. "It's someone else."
The newcomer turned on me, red-rimmed eyes blazing. "It was you, wasn't it? You betrayed me."
She dove at me. Lucas kicked her legs out from under her and she crumpled to the floor. As I ran for her, Lucas started to cast a spell, and I stopped short, before I got in the line of fire.
Jaime—or whoever was in Jaime—looked up at Lucas, and her eyes filled with genuine terror.
"D-don't hurt me," she whimpered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do it. It was all her fault.
Victoria's. Please don't hurt me anymore."
Lucas hesitated. I started to cast a spell, but he stepped in front of the woman on the floor, who'd begun to sob.
"Wait," he said. "This isn't your Nix."
"And it's not an innocent bystander, either. It's one of her partners. That hurt she's talking about—it ain't from heaven."
He hesitated, then started to step away. The woman leapt up. I lifted my hands in a knock-back spell, and Lucas wheeled to grab her, but she lunged out of our paths and raced into the dining room, heading for the knife. Savannah was closest. She turned and ran after the woman.
"No!" I shouted.
As Lucas ran for the dining room, I cast a knock-back spell, aiming it at Savannah, to knock her away from the woman. But Savannah moved too fast, and the spell missed her by a good six inches, hitting Lucas instead and sending him flying across the room. The woman grabbed Savannah from behind.
