Chapter Nine #2
“Trey, that’s too dangerous. Even I don’t know if I can set them free from wherever he’s put them. IF they even exist anymore. It’s best you stay here. We don’t know if he’s destroying them, or not.”
Bexley knew they had to tell them.
“I’m going to break some bad news for you,” she said. “I’m sorry that I have to tell you this, guys, but Wynter has died.”
The house went deathly silent.
The stillness there said it all.
Then, Bex heard crying.
Bethany’s sobs cascaded through the house and echoed around them.
“HE. HURT. OUR. WINTER?” Trey asked, finding her name on the radio.
Bexley nodded.
“Yes.”
The dial spun.
“POOR. RIDGE. I. WANT. HIM. TO. KNOW. THAT. WE. WILL. KEEP. OUR. EYES. OPEN. FOR. HER. ON. THIS. PLANE. TELL. HIM. WE. ARE. SO. SORRY.”
Trey was trying to console Bethany. She loved Wynter and spent a lot of time with her when she was in the office. He hated that his woman’s heart hurt.
Bexley reassured him.
“We’ll get her justice.”
Trey hoped so. If he could get the hell out of this cage, he’d go find the person doing this and teach them one hell of a lesson. The dead were NOT amused.
Not.
At.
All.
The dial spun, but he said nothing else about it.
Giving Avalon the tea, she placed it in her hands so she could feel it.
“Thank you. I’ll be much more useful when Nate is back. Then, I can see. I’m dying to see the inside of your home. It looks so magical from the outside. Your gardens are beautiful.”
She thought so.
“Thank you. We’ve been working on it since finding each other. He’s my hero, and I couldn’t imagine a day without Raven.”
Because she was tired and needed to rest herself, Bex sat beside her.
Immediately, Avalon knew she had questions.
“Go ahead and ask. I don’t mind.”
Oh, well, Bex was a curious creature, so she might regret telling her that at some point.
“What’s it like being you? Were you always this way? How did you know you were Oracle? Can you do magick? Are we in danger? You’re not going to take Lucian, are you? Can we beat this?”
Avalon laughed.
Well, holy shit.
That was a list and a half.
“Okay, well, you had a lot on your mind,” Avalon admitted. “Quite a lot.”
When Bexley heard the door open, she looked over and saw her husband with Nate.
“Everything good?” he asked, coming in and kissing his wife on the cheek.
She smiled.
“I was just talking to Avalon.”
He laughed.
“Asking a million questions?” he asked, knowing his wife, and how she rolled.
The room felt heavy, and he was curious as to why. The sadness there was palpable.
“Yes,” she said. “I mean, not a million—but a few. I told the dead about Wynter.”
Ahhhh, that explained it.
“I’m sorry, Trey and Bethany, for your loss,” Raven admitted. “I know you guys were close.”
Trey said one thing.
“SET. ME. FREE.”
Yeah, that wasn’t happening and for two very valid reasons. They weren’t sure if this thing could take down Trey and Bethany, and also that Tori didn’t want to lose her guides.
There was no point in risking it.
“No,” Raven said. “End of discussion.”
The dial spun, and Nate was watching the interaction, curiously.
“I. DON’T. LIKE. YOU. WITCH. SET. ME. FREE. SO. I. CAN. BE. NEAR. MY. SISTER.”
As soon as he said it, the sugar bowl that was on the island slid, and Raven caught it before it could crash to the ground.
“Trey, there’s no point in being bitchy. It’s for your own good.”
The dial went insane.
Raven apologized.
“I’m sorry about that,” he admitted. “The dead get cranky, and it’s like dealing with CHILDREN!” he said.
Avalon shrugged.
“I understand, since I deal with them in the static all of the time,” she stated. “I’m not upset by them.”
Well, thank Goddess for that.
Avalon could hear the chair beside her move, and she smelled her husband’s cologne. Nate was back, and she wouldn’t be blind anymore.
When he reached for her, she could feel his worry. So, she reassured him.
“I’m good, Nathaniel.”
He laughed.
“I hate leaving you alone. I know how much mischief you can get into,” he said, putting his hand on her thigh. Once they were connected, she was able to see again.
Through his eyes.
“I was just having tea. Oh, and talking to Trey.”
When she turned her head, she scanned the room, and she could sense them not far away.
“Ah, there they are.”
Nate was looking in the same direction as his wife was so that she could get the full scope of the room. He’d learned how to make it as easy for her as possible.
Now, the witch was curious.
“What do you see?” Raven asked.
She smiled.
“Trey is handsome, and Bethany is beautiful. I can also see Agatha, who is sitting in that rocking chair, the Captain who is pacing, and then four other spirits. Dallas, Mary Ann, Mary Beth, and Jake are here, too. You guys can come closer,” she said. “I don’t mind. I’m not afraid of any of you.”
Raven couldn’t see them, but he knew when they were close. The energy shift in the room let him know where they were, along with Trey’s temper tantrum.
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t going to be thrilled to return the dead back to their anchors. It wasn’t that he didn’t like them, but he enjoyed showering ALONE, and not with Bethany leaving messages in the mirror steam.
He was crazy like that.
As Raven watched Avalon, the hairs on his arms stood as the dead moved closer to her.
The radio came to life.
“THE. ENERGY. FROM. ORACLE. FEELS. SO. GOOD. I. LIKE. IT,” Trey admitted.
From beside her, Nate let his wife do her thing. Apparently, spirits on this plane also liked being near her. She had to lock down the garden on the other plane, simply because the dead would inundate her there.
Here, it seemed to be free game.
When Avalon turned her head, she stared right at Bexley.
“Your son is about to cry,” she said.
The second it was out of her mouth, they heard the baby monitor turn on, and the cries of their son.
“Agatha wants to go help you,” Avalon offered. “She misses the ones she raised. Can she go with you?” she asked, helping the dead woman.
It was clear she didn’t understand how to use the radio app on Bexley’s phone.
Honestly, Bexley didn’t mind. When they were around, Jonathan would watch them and laugh. It was clear he was dead friendly.
Ahhh, to be a child and see them.
She hoped he kept that gift.
“Sure. Come on, Agatha. I’m going to have to find a way to see her. I don’t want to walk through her or miss her. They can haunt my house anytime.”
Raven laughed.
“Oh, let’s not go that far,” he stated, again, wanting to be able to romance his wife without Trey offering ‘advice’.
Now, he saw why Julian got annoyed.
The last thing a man wanted was some dead dude counting hip thrusts.
One and two and three and four…
It was disturbing.
As she walked away, that’s when Raven spoke.
“Between witch and psychic, how bad is this going to be?” he asked, keeping his voice low. “Do I need to send my wife and child away? Because I’m not willing to risk them in this fight. I’ll risk my own life, but never theirs.”
Avalon sipped her tea.
She could see him through Nate’s eyes, and this man’s face gave away his worry. There were lines etched around his features, as he carried the weight on his shoulders.
It had to be a great weight, too. He was protecting everyone with his magick.
As for his questions…
“It has the potential to be horrendous,” she stated. “I’m unraveling fate, as I’m trying to help re-weave a new outcome,” she stated, not telling him too much.
It was against the rules.
Whose rules?
She had no idea, but she didn’t like to risk someone’s outcome changing all of her work to save people. At that moment, Lucian was going to die, still.
At her reply, Raven didn’t look happy.
And no one blamed him.
Still, Avalon had to keep her objective in mind. There was a far bigger risk coming.
“They will be safe here, but if I were in your shoes, I would move them to your shop. The dead will be okay here. The living…it’s risky.”
That was all he had to hear.
Well, then, tomorrow, his wife and child were going to be selling jewelry and keeping their asses in his protected space.
Bet.
On.
It.
Honestly, it was better safe than sorry, and Raven was grateful she was giving them the heads-up. If the dead were a lure to his home, the last thing he wanted was Bexley and Jonathan here as collateral damage.
“Will tomorrow be okay to move them?” he asked. “Or should I do it tonight?”
Avalon’s energy was calming, and she reached across the counter and touched the man’s hand.
He felt it.
There was an influx of calm, and it wrapped around him.
Someone knew how to utilize the energy around her to do her bidding, because now, he didn’t feel anxious, even though he knew he should.
“Tomorrow will be fine. Whoever this is…they are on the hunt. He’s found the next one. I can hear her spirit screaming in the static. Soon, she’ll be extinguished.”
Raven didn’t like that.
“Is it another psychic? Can’t we do something to save her?” he asked, hating that they were helpless.
Avalon sighed.
“It’s too late. He’s already marked her. There’s nothing any of us can do but find him. Then, he’ll pay for his crimes.”
Oh, Raven hoped.
“What do you know about her?” he asked, that PI in him creeping out from under the witch to do his job.
“She’s a witch like yourself, and he’s angry about that. He’s definitely keeping the pattern going because he’s afraid of them. He’s afraid of Genesis, Lucian, and myself too. He was taught to hate us, and he wants what we have. His revenge is fueling him.”
Raven lifted a brow.
“Power,” she stated. “He’s angry with Genesis, and he wants to break her. I wish I could see him clearly, but he’s masked himself well. He’s using all of his gifts to stay in the shadows. We’ll need to get him to step out of them to catch him.”
Raven hoped they could do that.
As for people having preconceived notions about someone, he lived that every day. If he had a dollar for each non-witch who thought that he was evil…
He’d be rich.
Too many people believed witches were Devil worshippers. Only, they didn’t have a Satan in their religion. There was just energy with the gods and goddesses.