Chapter Nineteen #2
“They can’t get free on their own. That would take intervention by some astronomical means. The darkness they’re in now isn’t easily escapable. If they can get out, they won’t be the same. They’ll be a different entity altogether, and need to cross IMMEDIATELY.”
And that sucked.
Wynter was their friend, and they didn’t want this for her. No one’s soul should be tormented forever.
NO.
ONE.
“Great,” Honor said. “Thanks for the cheery update,” she said. “I feel much better. No one in this family better go down to that mess,” she stated.
And they all agreed with that.
Honor’s mother was with Tori and Julian’s ghosts. As a Catholic, Honor would suffer thinking about her mother’s eternal damnation.
“We’ll let you know if we find out anything else,” Tori said.
All they could do was wait.
“Be safe,” Raven said. “And keep your protection on you at all times. Now is NOT the time to fuck around and find out!”
It was rare that Raven spoke like that, so they knew he wasn’t playing around.
“We will,” Julian said. “Tattoos are definitely next!”
And he wasn’t playing either.
Hitting the end call button, it was clear that everyone was frustrated, and they all got it.
This.
Was.
Bad.
After the call, they all sat there silently, thinking about all the ways this could possibly go south.
Because there was no doubt that was the direction it would be taking.
“I feel helpless,” Bishop finally said, and she’d clearly nailed how they all felt about this.
“Same,” Tori added.
Julian felt all kinds of things, but most of it was terror at what could happen.
Demon and HIM were NOT synonymous.
Already, he was planning his exit strategy from Salem because of it. If this even remotely went bad, he was getting his business the hell out of here to save as many of them as he could.
“We need to go to Ridge and Wynter’s home,” Tori stated. “I want to see if we can find her. I can’t just give up and write her spirit off. If we can find her…”
Bishop was willing to try.
“Hopefully, she’s somewhere safe, hiding. Maybe she got lucky. The idea she is in some dark hole where this thing sent her…”
Yeah, she wasn’t telling Ridge that.
And neither were they.
As far as he would know, Wynter was at peace.
“Can we keep that part from her husband? He’s already reeling over the death and cheating. This might end up as his thirteenth reason,” Julian stated.
Yeah, that was a good point.
“I’m good with that little white lie,” Honor stated. “Again, I don’t want to stand over another dead friend.”
Yeah, no one did.
“Ready?” Honor stated as she balled up her sub wrapper so they could go do what needed to be done.
Tori and Bishop were.
Only, Julian…
Not.
So.
Much.
His heart was racing a million miles a minute, and he just wanted their lives to go back to simple private investigator cases.
And to be safe.
Was that so much to ask?
* * * L I T T L E M O O N * * *
Pryce And Connor’s
Home
Same Time
Research
If anything, his wife’s ability to find the slightest detail was kind of sexy, and Connor wasn’t going to lie. Working with her was damn nice.
It wasn’t often that he got this opportunity. Most of the time, he worked with someone else, simply because Pryce had a business to run.
A lucrative one.
She’d taken the dying newspaper, a medium that not many wanted anymore, and not only that, but she’d made it come back to life again.
She was doing him proud, and he couldn’t help but love her and that tenacity.
His wife was one savvy businesswoman.
When she looked over, he was watching her, not the screen, and that clued her in that he was not working.
“Uh, you good, handsome?” she asked.
He laughed.
“I was admiring my wife. You’re beautiful,” he admitted, sincerely.
Because it was true.
As soon as he said it, her heart skipped in her chest.
Connor was a big man, and a very quiet one, too. He’d taken some rough moments in his life, and he’d turned them around. They didn’t call him the teddy bear without reason.
To the ones he loved, he was cuddly. All the Littlemoon kids flocked to him to sit on his lap, play on a swing for him to push, or be read to by him.
The man’s energy was…amazing.
That being said, Connor was also the unspoken protector of the family. As the eldest Littlemoon, the Teddy could go Grizzly in a heartbeat if you tried to hurt someone he loved.
Pryce had never felt more protected in her whole life.
If you wanted to be safe, be with this man.
And she loved him for it.
“Well, admire away. Maybe later, when we have a few less kids running around, that aren’t ours, you can maybe romance me in bed.”
Instantaneously, he grinned.
That sounded like a good way to spend the rest of the weekend, if they could get through this side quest for his brother.
“I think that can be arranged. I do love the idea of a date night IF the family stays intact after this whole case. I don’t like not knowing all of the details.”
Yeah, her either.
What they knew was they had to help, and later, hopefully, they’d be updated even more. They knew Avalon Carter was here, and they knew she was a psychic, but after being sent home last night, it was need to know on the case, and that was ominous.
Never before had Julian closed down the ranks to keep everyone ‘safe’.
Apparently, his own siblings didn’t need to know.
Except for the videos they’d gotten from Lucian and Julian, they were out of the loop. Which was fine as they were playing ‘match the ID’ for them.
“A little less staring at me, and a little more staring at the screen,” his wife suggested. “Then, we can clock out, and cuddle, my sexy Native husband.”
Oh, well, he liked that plan.
He winked at her.
“So bossy. I love that in my wife, or was that ‘I love to be IN my wife’? I get confused easily.”
She giggled.
“Both, I hope.”
Oh, it was definitely both.
“I know something is here,” she said, tapping the screen. I can feel it in your balls.”
He snorted.
“Look who is romancing who,” he joked, knowing that if Pryce was on a trail, she absolutely would get them something. Her psychic gift of premonition was definitely helpful.
“Who did we not connect the dots to?” she asked her husband.
He flipped through the list he was making and the corresponding screenshots.
“There’s that one reporter.”
She was curious.
“Pull him up again. And you’re sure he’s not tied to any of the papers there?”
Connor shook his head.
“I haven’t found anything yet. There is no Kennedy Sinclair at any of the papers. That’s what the driver’s license says. That’s what his ID states when we run his face.”
She asked to see what he found.
So, he showed her.
“He’s from the same town that Genesis is from? That’s what the address on the license is telling us.”
Connor was curious.
“Could that be a fake ID?” he asked. “Like with fake papers that the DMV in Utah didn’t catch?”
She considered it.
“I mean, if he had an ID from another state, and it wasn’t real, and they missed that, he could have put whoever he wanted on the ID. The DMV would assume the ID is real. With money and time, he could buy a new life. I did an expose on the government giving people new lives that way.”
Well, shit.
“If that’s not his real name, how will we figure it out?” he asked.
Her gut was telling her to dig.
“We’re going to keep looking. Let’s see what we can find on Kennedy Sinclair. Maybe he has kids. Maybe there’s a paper trail. Let’s see if we can find that face around where Genesis lived.”
That worked for him.
There was no way the dude could be a ghost.
Right?
* * * L I T T L E M O O N * * *
Also In The Square
At The Same Time
To him, it was all about the chase. Oh, he knew they were coming for him.
That was the risk he’d have to take.
It made the reward sweeter.
For now, though, he was going to keep feeding that need in him to be the most powerful psychic around.
That was his reward, after taking out the trash.
As he watched them walk away, after having their lunch, he knew it was time. Getting up, this time, he didn’t try to hide who he was in the shop.
There was no need.
As he walked in, a cheery woman greeted him.
“Hi, I’m Amethyst. How can I help you?” she asked.
Immediately, he smiled.
“I’m looking for something to bring home to my wife. I’m here on business, and I want to get her a nice little trinket. Can you help me?”
Amethyst grinned.
“Of course! That’s my job, Silly.”
Yes, of course, it was.
Too bad she didn’t know any better. This was not his first time here, and in fact, he was connected to those who came before him.
They’d been here for almost as long as it was recorded.
“Perfect. Thank you. Salem is such a beautiful place. I love it here. Do you know much about the Vanderbilt family, who started it all back before those pesky witch trials?”
She nodded.
“Yeah, I do! We all do. Do you want to hear about it?” Amethyst asked.
He nodded.
“I do. You have a good soul. I can feel it. I knew coming in here would be rewarding.”
She smiled.
“Thank you for the compliment. I was feeling down, but you made my day,” she admitted.
Oh, he bet.
He could feel that sadness and darkness in her. It called to that desire for him to feed the darkness.
“Show me some of your books, and tell me all about it,” he said.
And as she turned, with sleight of hand, he dropped that pentacle medallion bought here, right into her pocket.
Yeah, he liked her energy.
And her soul.
A LOT.
Soon, it would be with the others.
And he’d have more power to take on Avalon. With this one, he’d be stronger.
His goal was right there.
At his fingertips.