Carnal Sin

TWENTY-SIX

Wendy gloated as she strode through Velocity casting a protective spell. She smiled, pleased that everything was coming together better than she’d planned-considering the disasters that had occurred over the last twelve hours. Losing Rachel as a vessel had been devastating, and having Raphael Cooper and Moira O’Donnell steal her chalice-Wendy was more than a little furious. That chalice had been in her coven for generations. If her mother were alive, she’d be irate that her precious chalice had been stolen by another coven.

Nicole emphatically believed that Moira wasn’t practicing magic and intended to destroy the chalice, and even the idea of destroying such an immensely powerful and valuable tool was lunacy. Moira was likely rogue, not aligned with any of the loosely knit covens, which was why Fiona O’Donnell wanted her head on a platter. Dead or alive was the word on the street, with rewards either way.

Living prisoners made better bargaining chips. There was no doubt in Wendy’s mind that Moira had valuable information on how to gain power to leverage into a high position within Fiona’s growing circle of covens. It would be fun to play with Moira, torture the information from her, use Wendy’s newfound talents to make up for the embarrassment of losing the chalice, for having to make another agreement with her new demon.

Nicole was weak; no matter what her sister said, she’d obviously been banished and had come running home. Wendy had never been weak. She didn’t need her sister, but it would be nice to use her.

Wendy finished casting the protective spell around the empty club so that she would be forewarned if anyone drew near. Only a few more hours and the demon would be able to locate Grant Nelson, but Wendy wanted him in a special place. She’d spent half the day preparing Kent Galion’s house for the ritual. Wendy needed space to give the demon what she wanted-an agreement she wouldn’t have had to make if Moira hadn’t stolen the chalice. And Moira wouldn’t have been able to steal the chalice if Julie hadn’t hidden Grant Nelson from them last night.

Wendy did not like being made the fool. Julie deserved everything she got. If she survived the night, when the demon left her body Wendy would call on an incubus to deal with the traitor. She’d watch Julie suffer until she begged to die.

Wendy had wanted to die many times. Her mother, Susan, was not a kind woman. Punishments were never as simple as spankings and time-outs. When Wendy was sixteen, she’d been raped by an incubus when her mother found out she’d been practicing sex magic outside of the coven.

Susan Donovan didn’t tolerate betrayal, insolence, or anyone in her coven seeking power outside of her authority.

But Wendy grew up and got strong. She seduced the men in her mother’s coven-weak fools, every one of them-even seduced the magician who’d taken her virginity on her fourteenth birthday. She’d been a sex slave for them, but she’d had her retribution. Wendy practically glowed with pleasure remembering her mother pleading with her to stop the ritual that ended with her grisly death.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, Mother dear.

Nicole walked onto the empty dance floor as Wendy finished the protective spell. Nicole the ignorant. Nicole the stupid. Nicole the baby. Her sister had never appreciated all she’d done for her, freeing her from their horrid mother’s control. Nicole had wanted to simply kill Susan, but where was the fun in that? What was the fun if Susan didn’t suffer what Wendy had suffered times three!

Nicole asked, “What are you doing?”

“I cast a protective spell.” Stupid.

“Pam called. Grant Nelson’s partner just drove up in front of her house.”

“Pam knows what to do,” Wendy said.

“But-”

Wendy put up her finger to silence her pathetic younger sister. “I’m going to show you how easy and enjoyable victory is when it is properly orchestrated by a talented magician. Maybe you’ll learn something.”

Julie couldn’t find Moira O’Donnell. She’d checked out of her hotel and Julie had no idea where she’d gone. She thought Moira must have a powerful protective spell around her aura, because Nicole had said that even Fiona O’Donnell couldn’t locate her, and rumor had it that Fiona could find anyone practically at will.

She might not be able to find Moira, but she could find Grant. She focused on his image. His name, his face, his energy signature. She relaxed her spirit, floated, and soon she was moving directly toward him. She let herself be carried along the astral plane, the freedom intoxicating, even with everything that had happened.

Without her voice, Julie didn’t know how to communicate with Grant. Though she had great control over astral projection, she’d avoided communicating with anyone, living or dead, because of the inherent dangers to her life. Communicating took extreme focus and energy that could be replenished only once her spirit reunited with her body.

The astral body was always attached psychically to the physical body. As long as her astral projection had energy, she would be fine. But if she lost her strength, or if her spirit or physical body was injured, she’d snap back into her body-the invisible, indestructible thread pulling her back. If the demon still had her body when she returned, she’d never get out. And she wouldn’t be able to stop the demon from killing Grant.

Julie continued to concentrate on Grant. Pictured him, imagined touching him, kissing him, being with him. Her body flew without conscious thought over the city. This complete and total oneness with the air could not be replicated inside the confines of a physical body. No one who hadn’t experienced astral projection at its purest could possibly understand or appreciate true inner balance. It was as if the symmetry between being human and being a goddess was achieved only when Julie was a spirit. The more she participated in the natural oneness with earth, the more she craved it. Except for the not insignificant fact that her physical body was vulnerable when she was separated.

She shivered as if wrapped in a cool breeze and found herself floating above the Los Angeles County Morgue.

At first, Julie thought her reflections had turned her melancholy, but she was dangerously wrong.

The closer she got to the morgue, the more apprehensive she became. Her spirit kept fighting her will, trying to fly away, and she fought back, knowing Grant was inside.

For a split second she thought he was a corpse. Ignoring her instincts, she descended into the morgue.

Everyone looked at her.

There were specters here, remnants of the dead who had come through. Certainly not all of the dead; otherwise the place would be overrun, since hundreds of bodies came through the morgue each week. But even a dozen apparitions were fearsome, and they saw her. They not only saw her, but they knew she was alive.

One ghost walked toward her. It was a girl in her early teens, and she looked sad.

Why are you here? she asked Julie.

I’m watching that man. He’s in danger. She gestured to where Grant was talking to a petite black woman. Julie was relieved that he was still breathing.

The girl looked at Grant and frowned. He is dying.

Julie shivered and resisted the urge to go to Grant. How do you know?

Look. You have to look for the colors. He’s dark. Dying.

Julie took the ghost’s word on it. Why are you still here?

The ghost looked around at other apparitions. I don’t know. I’ve been here awhile-my body is in the other room.

She motioned, and Julie saw the deep freezer. On one slot was a small sign:

DOE

They don’t know who you are.

She shook her head sadly.

Everyone here is unknown?

No. Most spirits come and go. They’re attached to their bodies, can’t seem to leave them. When their body goes, so do they. Most of the bodies who come through don’t have spirits with them. I have no friends anymore. I want to leave but don’t know how. I’m scared. Can you help me?

I’ll try. What do I do?

The girl looked as if she was about to cry. I don’t know.

When I get back to my body, I’ll figure it out, okay? Julie didn’t know if she’d survive, let alone be able to figure out how to find peace for this girl, but she’d try. What’s your name?

The girl brightened. No one has ever asked me before. I’m Amy Carney.

I’m Julie.

The others hate you, you know.

I’m not going to bother them.

The girl shook her head. They don’t care. You’re alive. They’re not. I’m not. I just don’t know why I can’t leave. I don’t know why I can’t go to Heaven. Is it because I’m bad?

Of course not.

This girl could not possibly have done a fraction of the bad things Julie had done over the years. More than anything, Julie wanted to fix everything, starting with saving Grant’s life.

You need to go before he sees you.

Was she talking about Grant? Julie looked at him. He was viewing Nadine Anson’s body. A chill ran through Julie’s noncorporeal form.

He saw you. Julie, go! Now!

Julie had no idea what Amy was talking about, but all the ghosts disappeared, including Amy. All the ghosts, except for one.

It was a man, old and deformed, and it stared at her. For a moment she was frozen, but then she thought, what could a ghost do to her?

Mine, he said.

Julie didn’t want to find out. Whatever he thought he could do, Julie realized she was vulnerable. The ghost could see her, but she had no way of defending herself. She rose to leave, but the ghost rushed at her. She flew as fast as she could out of the building, but it chased her. Faster.

She thought she was clear, blocks away from the morgue, and she stopped flying, fearing having expended too much energy. She needed to calm down or risk not having the strength to communicate with Grant.

She felt the spirit rush at her.

Mine.

Its icy darkness wrapped around her like a snake, squeezing her, trying to mingle its dead energy with her living aura. Julie was drifting, helpless and terrified.

Her fear fed the entity, and it whispered darkly: Mine.

No! She gathered all the psychic energy from the air around her, used all her magical strength, and repelled the evil spirit. Like a slingshot, it flung back to the morgue, to whatever tangible item or body it was attached to.

Julie drifted down to earth, weakened. She’d had no idea what she would encounter at the morgue, or that the dead could see her. It seemed impossible, but of course it wasn’t. She had once thought so much of what she was now able to do was impossible. But nothing was; she could do anything. She could be anything.

Yet she would be nothing if she couldn’t get her body back.

She didn’t dare go back inside the morgue, but she floated lazily to the parking lot until she found Grant’s car. Inside it, she relaxed for the first time since leaving her body. She’d wait here for him, and hopefully figure out how to save him.

He is dying, the ghost-Amy-had said. Dying.

Please, whoever’s listening, help me save him.