Desert Magick: Phoenix Lights Read online

  “Liam’s fine.” Kali’s dark eyes were bright and alert and she offered a smile. “He’s tired but Bridgette said he’s back to normal.”

  Relief flooded through Daisy like a giant wave and she relaxed against the headboard as Noah caressed her hand. “I’m so glad.” Bridgette stepped into the room with a tray and made a beeline for the bed. Daisy eyed the sandwiches and bottles of water. “Thanks so much, Bridge. I’m starved.”

  “Scarlet said you would be.” The red-head looked tired yet relieved, like a mother who’d waited up for a delinquent teen. “Here, eat.” She handed out the food.

  Daisy took a bite, smelling the tuna before her teeth sank into the bread, and swallowed it down with a chaser of water. I never thought a tuna sandwich could taste so good. She felt guilty about the next thing she wanted but didn’t think her curiosity could wait much longer. “Um, I need to talk to Scarlet.” Noah’s face pinched with worry and she reached up to caress his cheek. “I’m okay. Really. But I need to find out some things and I can’t with you and Bridgette here.”

  “I need to get Liam back anyway,” Bridgette said. She didn’t sound offended and Daisy guessed her relief over Liam outweighed everything else just now. The redhead turned to Scarlet and pointed a long finger. “If anything happens to Daisy, I’ll hold you personally responsible.”

  Daisy smiled but it faded when she realized her cousin proposed a serious threat. Okay, guess she’s still worried. “Bridge.”

  “Don’t Bridge me. Scarlet’s your mentor and I expect her to protect you.”

  Blood rushed to Daisy’s face. “I don’t need a protector, Bridgette Kelly McDougal.”

  “Actually,” Scarlet said in a soft voice. “Bridgette’s right. You do need a protector. Until you’ve got more experience.”

  “What? Why?”

  The medium waved a dismissive hand as she placed what was left of her sandwich down on a small plate. “Spirits can be a handful. You have to know how to deal with them. Mediums who don’t get proper teaching can, well, go a little nuts. You have a lot of power, Daisy, but you don’t know shit about the afterlife.”

  “True,” Daisy said in all seriousness, surprised that she admitted it aloud. “But being a witch isn’t chopped liver. I’m no stranger to difficult moments.” Understatement.

  Before Scarlet could speak, Bridgette motioned for Daisy to eat. “Fair enough. You can be in charge of all things witch-related and Scarlet will be your boss when it comes to the afterlife crap.” A hand flew up when Daisy opened her mouth to protest. “Zip it, Cousin. If I find out you’re trying afterlife stuff without her approval, I’ll personally kick your ass. And you know I do a mean itching spell.”

  Daisy stared at her. Then, not finding a valid argument to that comment, continued to eat her sandwich.

  Bridgette smirked and gave her foot a light smack. “Good girl. Now, how about those wards?”

  Daisy shook her head and swallowed the last bite of her sandwich. “We can’t. Every ghost coming in here would set them off.” She downed the bottle of water and put it on the tray with the empty plates. I don’t think any of us have ever eaten that fast.

  “You sure, Daisy? What about the hitchhiker?”

  “He’s not strong enough yet,” Scarlet said. “He went after Liam and lost. He missed a meal. He needs more strength to take over Daisy so he won’t be coming here tonight.”

  Well, that’s a relief. Sort of. I guess. Except it means that ethereal nasty is planning to suck the life out of another mortal.

  “Kali?”

  The Asian woman looked over at Bridgette. “Scarlet’s right. It still needs to feed.”

  Bridgette looked satisfied. “Okay then. Jay and I will take Liam back to the hospital. Then I’m going home and kick some siren ass. Just for fun, of course. Then sleep.” She scooped up the tray with the dirty dishes. “I’ll be back in the morning. Come on, Kali, I’ll walk you out.” She strode out of the room with the necro following.

  “Kali?” The necro turned back to Daisy. “Thanks for helping.” Again.

  “Like Marge said, I’m like family now.” She smiled and hurried out of the room.

  Scarlet shook her head. “I’ll say one thing about you witches, you’re almost as obstinate as mediums when you get a bone to chew on.”

  “You have no idea.” Daisy chuckled, thinking of just how much Simon and Cleo would regret coming here, and turned her gaze on her husband. “Noah, can you go in the other room for a while. I need to find out a few things.”

  “Sure, honey. But don’t be too long. It’s very late.”

  “I know. Just a few minutes then we can go to bed.”

  He kissed her then left the room, shutting the door behind him, and Daisy focused on the medium. “Okay, spill it, Scarlet. What the hell happened? What was that shadow twin all about?”

  “Liam lost his twin brother in infancy. When he lived half in the afterlife and half in this world for all those years, the twin stayed near him. It’s natural for the two to be together. And when you brought Liam back with you—”

  “The twin came too. But I never saw him when I was in the afterlife.”

  “No, you wouldn’t have seen him if he didn’t want you to.”

  Yes, I remember something about that now. Spirits can stay out of sight when they want to. Who told me that? I can’t remember. Maybe it was Gerty. “Are you sure he died in infancy? I mean, I saw him with Gerty when we crossed him over and he was a toddler.”

  “It’s easier to help him as a toddler than as a baby. Souls choose certain aspects in the afterlife. To an extent anyway. Sometimes they need to learn something. Or get through something they carry with them from this side when they die. It’s a little more involved but you get the idea.”

  Liam had appeared to Daisy as the Cheshire Cat. She still wasn’t clear on the whys and hows of it all, even after visiting there herself. Scarlet’s right. I don’t know shit about this medium business. Her heart went out to Liam’s shadow twin, who’d lost out on a life with his brother, but she was glad Gerty was looking after the boy in the afterlife. “And Liam’s okay?”

  “Better than okay, in my opinion.” The medium, who still sat on the trunk at the end of Daisy’s bed, rested her hands on the footboard. “When he came out of the separation, he started talking to several ghosts we’d attracted.”

  “Really? He got his medium powers back?” She wondered if they’d transferred from her back to him, but movement in the closet put a hole in that theory. Guess it wasn’t Liam’s powers latching onto me that made me a medium. Maybe I am legitimate. Though something inside her still found that disturbing. Scarlet was related by marriage. I don’t have any mediums in my direct family line.

  “Daisy, Liam doesn’t remember anything about his twin. Which is probably for the best, considering what he’s been through. So don’t say anything to him about it. I doubt the fates would let you but just in case.”

  Daisy nodded. “Does he still remember that an entity tried to take him over at the hospital?” She suspected that “bad man”, as Liam called it, was the hitchhiker.

  “Yes, he remembers that.”

  “I don’t understand something. How did he lose his medium powers in the first place?”

  “His twin used his medium energy to remain here with him, so Liam was unable to see spirits while they were bonded.”

  “Would that also make him appear as a mortal to the hitchhiker?”

  “Yes.”

  “So that’s why it tried to feed on him.”

  “That’d be my guess too.”

  If the hitchhiker had been successful in merging with Liam, the bond would’ve been permanent until the host died. Which was why the entities fed only on mortals until they got strong enough to merge with a paranormal. When the host died, both went to the afterlife and the hitchhiker would have to wait around for another chance to piggyback his way into the living world.

  “How long can a hitchhiker wait around? On the
other side, I mean.”

  Scarlet shrugged. “As long as he wants.”

  Then she asked a burning question, one she’d been dying to ask ever since her own trip to the afterlife. “Tell me everything you know about reincarnation.”

  Scarlet laughed. “We’re not gods, Daisy. All we’re allowed to know is that reincarnation is possible. There’s only one way to get details, even for a medium, and that’s to leave this current life. Permanently. Which I don’t suggest.”

  Well, at least I know it’s possible. But then, witches were raised to believe in reincarnation, so it hardly came as a shock to her. We may not be gods, but Zoey’s ancestors were called that once upon a time. I wonder if she knows something. Whether Zoey’s Dream Catcher box would let the girl tell Daisy anything was another matter altogether.

  She thought back to the sirens and how scared she’d been when they had her, Noah and Kali. Did Zoey’s box hear my wishes, my hopes to get away? A sudden odd sensation filled her, like a cobweb touching her chest. It was gone as quickly as it came. What the hell was that? She thought of Zoey and the box again and the sensation returned for just an instant. When she tried to tell Scarlet, her throat grew warm and the words wouldn’t come out. Well now, that’s very interesting.

  Back to Top

  * * * *

  Chapter 22

  Rise and Shine

  Daisy, hair still damp from her morning shower, packed Noah’s lunch in the thermal bag, her mind hashing over her current predicament. The stronger the paranormal entrée, the more mortals a hitchhiker needed as appetizers. Since it could only take over one paranormal in this incarnation, it would be feeding on mortals until it was strong enough. And I’m to be the paranormal main course. That thing’s not going to give up until it gets me. Thanks a bunch, Kachina, for ramping up my paranormal awesomeness. I just love having crazy-ass things try to take over my body.

  Once the bonding was complete, the hitchhiker would be trapped in her body until she died, then they’d both cross over to the afterlife. Poetic justice, maybe? The Fates’ sick sense of humor? Karma? Whatever the reason, it seems appropriate. I’m the idiot who let that thing loose.

  She shivered at the thought of being a hitchhiker’s lackey. The more potent a paranormal host, the longer that host lived, and the more destruction the hitchhiker could cause. And I really don’t want that to happen.

  Daisy glanced around her home. Everything seemed normal at the moment, not a ghost in sight. Scarlet stayed over, just as she promised, and was in the shower now, the faint sound of running water filtering in from the hallway. Bridgette and Jay had taken Liam back to the hospital last night before heading home and would arrive here any minute. The man would be safe at the hospital with so many paranormals to watch after him.

  I’m sure Bridgette infused a protection amulet for him too. Besides, now that Liam had his medium powers back, the hitchhiker would stay far away from him. I’m the medium it wants. I’m the one it’s attracted to. Oh, goodie.

  Daisy hated keeping secrets from Noah and wished she could tell him about Liam’s shadow twin, but every time she tried, some unseen force strangled the words from her, making her voice useless until she focused on something else. Noah didn’t seem to mind her not sharing certain aspects of her new powers, but Bridgette did. Maybe one day she would be allowed to tell them more. For now, she had other things to worry about.

  Like that shadow I just saw inside the laundry room. Damn. So much for a normal morning.

  “You sure you don’t want me to stay with you?”

  She jumped at Noah’s voice and pulled her thoughts back to the kitchen as he hurried in from the hallway with Perky trotting behind. She moved around the island and embraced him. “I’m fine, babe. That thing’s not strong enough to take me yet.” Guess that’s one good thing about having ramped up powers. Except for the part about it killing more mortals to get strong enough to come after me. “Scarlet and Bridgette will be with me all day. We’re just going to the museum. See what we can find on that petroglyph. I’ll keep my phone on.” She reached up and placed her palm against his freshly-shaven cheek. “Besides, someone in this family needs to get paid. My sales don’t bring in that much and we have to eat.”

  True enough. Rent from her mom’s former house covered their mortgage on this home, just barely. And we’re not about to delve into our inheritance. We’ll need that someday for retirement. Healthy witches could live a couple of decades past one-hundred, much longer than most mortals. Not to mention our kid’s college tuition. Whenever we have one. She was glad Noah had dropped that line of questioning. He and Bridgette had practically ganged up on her about having a kid until her recent afterlife trip. They’re probably just waiting for the right time to bring it up again.

  One corner of Noah’s mouth lifted. He took her hand from his cheek and kissed the palm. “Okay, honey. If you’re sure. But I want you to check in with me. I can’t work if I’m worried about you.”

  “I will. I promise. You have your amulet?”

  She had re-infused the crystals originally bought for the crossing over ritual with a minor protection spell just before bed. One good thing that had come out of Bridgette fleeing Simon and staying with Cousin Sally in Canada for a while. Before then, Daisy, like many witches, had ignored amulets as useful magickal tools. They were sold as novelties in occult bookstores to keep mortals from learning about real magick and the paranormals that lived alongside them.

  Thank you, Cousin Sally, for not being a snob like the rest of us witches. Amulets held only a tiny fraction of magick and could never replace actual spells, but she’d take any added protection she could get. She didn’t know if they would deter a hitchhiker, but they certainly couldn’t hurt.

  Thankfully, Noah was of no use to her non-corporeal nemesis. His paranormal blood protected him from being a snack and his lack of active powers would keep the hitchhiker from bonding with him. But he was flesh, blood and bone, like anyone, and Daisy felt better knowing he wore a protection amulet.

  Noah tapped his chest near one of his shirt buttons. “You sure I can’t just keep it in my pocket? I’m already wearing this stupid ring.” He held up his right hand to show the turquoise ring blessed by a tribal elder. “I feel silly wearing a necklace.”

  “No, macho man. It works better if it’s against your skin.” She gave him the lunch bag.

  “Fine. But I draw the line here. So, don’t go creating any lipstick or nail polish amulets.”

  She smirked at him. “Oh, I don’t know. That time we glamoured you into a coed was pretty damn funny.” She, Noah and Bridgette used the coed disguises to get into the museum and steal the ancient Kachina. Was that only a few months ago? So much has happened since then.

  “Cute, but I mean it. I’m done being a girl.” He planted a lingering kiss on her mouth, reminding her that he was most definitely a man. “I’m off to the old grindstone. Stay out of trouble, wench.” He gave a friendly smack to her butt and she giggled.

  She walked with him through the laundry room, thankful not to see any ghost just now, and stood at the door to the garage to watch him leave. One down.

  The dog was waiting for his breakfast when she stepped back into the kitchen. “All right, Perky-poo. I’ll get your chow. Then you’re going to spend the day with Opal and Sally. Won’t that be fun?” Perky looked up at her with anticipation as she filled his bowl with dried dog food and put it onto the floor next to his water.

  Scarlet began yelling at someone, sending Daisy’s heart into her throat. She ran to the guest bathroom and rapped on the door. “Scarlet! You okay?”

  A few mumblings. “Yeah, I’m fine.” The medium opened the door with a frown. Her hair was wet and a towel wrapped her body. “You make the damndest dead friends, witch. I’ll say that much for you.”

  Daisy started to ask what Scarlet meant when laughter made her jump. She turned to see punk girl Lisa standing in the hallway a few feet from her. “What did you do? No, don’t answ
er that. You’ll probably burst my eardrums.” She turned back to Scarlet and gave a questioning look.

  “She thought it would be funny to rip the sheet off this mirror and let her male friends have a peep. Are we alone?”

  “What? Oh, yeah. Noah just left.”

  “Good.” Scarlet stepped into the hallway, forcing Daisy to move back. “You better hope you’ve been reincarnated by the time I’m dead, or so help me, I’m gonna come after your ethereal ass and kick it all the way into your next life.” Punk girl feigned terror then laughed and disappeared. Scarlet turned back to Daisy. “Sassy little shit. I might not wait until I’m dead. I might get Kali to go over there and kick her punk ass for me.”

  Daisy smiled, relieved that this was just a jokester ghost. “Her name’s Lisa. When I was in the afterlife, she bragged about playing jokes on the living.” It was nice to be able to talk openly about this stuff now that the others were gone.

  “Let me guess. She made a bed sheet rise like someone was sitting under it, Freddy Kruger style. Or made somebody’s TV turn to snow during Poltergeist.”

  “The Poltergeist one. How’d you know?”

  “Some ghosts aren’t very original, especially the younger ones.” Scarlet gave a cursory glance around the hallway then stepped back into the bathroom. “I need to get dressed.”

  “Right.” Daisy strode down the hall and had just reached the master bedroom when she heard the front door open. Her heart threatened to thump right out of her chest.

  “It’s just me!”

  Bridgette. Thank the universe. You nearly gave me a coronary. The redhead’s boots clicked on the tile floor, and after a moment, she came around the corner with a smirk. Yeah, I knew you heard me, you redheaded sneak. “How’s Liam?”

  Her cousin’s smirk faded. “Doesn’t even remember leaving the hospital.”

  So, he really doesn’t know his twin was with him all that time. Thank the universe. That poor man doesn’t need any more traumas. Bridgette didn’t respond. The Fates are at it again. “What’d you tell Hattie?” Daisy headed straight for her closet.