“You shouldn’t be here,” she says. She’s not mean, or angry. She’s trying to warn me.
“Who is yelling out?” I ask, opening my mind wider so I can search out. Miss Sophia told me to keep myself closed up, but I want to help Larissa. I know I can help her.
“That young man has been yelling out in torment for a century,” she says, her face turning sad. “Poor boy.”
“Where is he?”
She frowns. “Why, he’s right there. You can’t see him?”
I turn in a circle, looking around me. The voice is getting louder, more frantic.
And then, there he is.
“Are you Douglas?”
He’s out of breath, panting as if he’s just run a hundred miles.
“Yes’m.” He nods. “I can’t find Larissa. She’s lost.”
“I know where she is,” I reply, excited that there is finally something good that I can do with my gift. “I can take you to her.”
“You can?” His eyes fill with tears. “I’ve been looking everywhere.”
“She’s in the house.”
His face falls. “I can’t go in there.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve tried to look in the house, but I can’t go up the back steps.”
Oh, God.
This is heartbreaking. Why would this happen?
But before I can try to help further, absolute darkness falls around us. I can’t see my hand five inches from my face.
“What is happening?”
The red glow is back. The same one from the cemetery.
“I have to help you,” I say to Douglas, who is looking in the direction of the house, his face a mixture of pain and longing.
“It’s her,” he whispers. I follow his gaze, and sure enough, Larissa is walking carefully toward us. She’s scared and hopeful, and then I’m suddenly standing in front of my grandmother.
“Oh my God.”
“Hello, my love,” she says.
“You’re here. Why are you here?”
“Because you need me.” Her eyes are sad, belying the smile on her beautiful face. “He’s here to hurt you, darlin’.”
“Who?”
“He was here before,” Larissa adds, her voice trembling. “When I saw you before, with the other women.”
“The séance,” I say, and she nods.
“I’ve never seen anyone else in the house before then.”
“She can’t see the living?” I ask Grandmamma, who shakes her head slowly.
This is so fucking weird.
“Watch your language,” Grandmamma says sharply.
“Did you find Douglas?” Larissa asks.
“I did,” I reply. “He’s right here.”
“Oh.” Her eyes fill with tears. “I can’t see him. Why can’t I see him?”
“Why can’t she see him?” I ask Grandmamma.
“Because she’s being punished for throwing herself off of that cliff. They’re both being punished.”
“Well, that’s horrible.”
The red glow intensifies. “He’s coming.”
“Who?”
“You know who. Remember your talk with Sophia.”
And then it all comes back to me in a rush. The day at the cemetery, and the story Miss Sophia told me after.
“He wants to kill me.”
“Yes.”
“The way he killed you.”
“Yes.”
“Do you see him?” I ask her. She tilts her head to the side, as if in surprise.
“You can’t?”
I glance around again. “I only see the dead.”
“Oh no,” Larissa says.
“He’s coming,” Douglas says at the same time.
“What is happening?” I shout, terrified.
“They can help you,” Grandmamma says. “Larissa and Douglas can help, but you have to open yourself up completely. You have to accept what and who you are.”
“But I want to help them. This isn’t fair!”
“She’s right,” Larissa says to me. “Your grandmother is right. We can help.” She’s calm now, as if she understands something that once eluded her. “That’s why we’ve been here all along.”
“It wasn’t to find each other,” Douglas adds, as if he can hear Larissa. “It was to help you.”
“They should get each other,” I say softly to Grandmamma, who simply smiles and pats my hand.
“That’s not meant to be, child.”
“You’re living, Mallory,” Larissa says. “You have your love, who is also living, and ready to spend that life with you. Our love is already lost. Let us help you.”
“All you have to do is open your mind,” Grandmamma says. “But once you do, there is no going back. You’ll be permanently open, and you’ll have to learn to live with it.”
“But the alternative is to die,” I reply.
“Yes.”
I glance between Larissa and Douglas, then to my grandmother.
“It’s cold.”
“He’s so close,” Douglas says. He’s not afraid anymore. “I want to end this. I don’t want to be here anymore.”
“Live your life, child,” Grandmamma says and takes my hand. I feel her fear, her love.
“I miss you.”
“I know. And you’ll be with me, but not now. Not like this. Embrace it, and fight back. Don’t let him win again.”
“No.” I square my shoulders, tip my head back, and open my mind completely, then fall to the ground as the wind swirls around us. Larissa and Douglas vaporize, turning to blue mist that moves in a flash to the red, surrounding it completely, and then the red takes over again.
“They’re not strong enough,” I shout, trying to be heard over the roar of the wind.
“They are,” Grandmamma insists. Her hair is a riot around her head, her silver cloak swirling in the wind.
“We’re here!”
Miss Sophia and Lena?
“Evil be gone!” Sophia shouts, and takes Grandmamma’s hand as Lena takes mine. They chant, loudly and growing in volume, words I’ve never heard before. It makes the red light dim and the blue intensify, and just when I think the red will die, it explodes in anger, filling the sky and air around us, surrounding us, knocking us on our backs.
I can’t see the blue at all now.
“Join them,” Lena yells.
“I don’t know the spell!”
“Just say what we say!”
And so I do, listening carefully and learning the spell. By the third time they begin to chant it, I have it down and join in, my voice strong and loud. The four of us levitate off the ground, a storm of wind, railing against the red darkness that shrieks in pain and retreats.
The blue lights are back, stronger and brighter, and together we advance until the red light explodes, like fireworks, into a million sparks.
The wind is gone. It’s dead still as we return to the earth. The blue lights fly above us, then merge together and fly away.
“They’re finally together,” I murmur.
“And he’s finally dead,” Grandmamma says. She blinks fast, and falls to her knees. “Oh God, Sophia. I see the girls. I see the house. I know where they are.”
“Tell us,” I say, holding onto her hands. But she doesn’t have to. Instead, I can see everything that she sees. A dozen girls, maybe more, chained to the wall in a dark basement. They’re naked and cold.
One is dead.
The vision pulls back so I can see the whole house, and the street signs.
I know where they are.
“How?” I ask.
“Because you’ve opened yourself up,” Grandmamma says. “But don’t worry. This is not your life’s work, it was mine. And you’ve just helped me finish. You call Detective Williams and tell her where the girls are.”
“And that’s it?”
“That’s it. For now.” She hugs me tightly. “You’ll always see the dead. You’re a medium and an empath, Mallory. You can
help them, the way you just helped Larissa and Douglas.”
“They saved me.”
“You saved them, too.” She smiles softly. “And you’re about to help me.”
“You? Why do you need help?”
“I need to move on,” she says and brushes a lock of hair off my cheek.
“Beau does that,” I say.
“I know. I like him.”
“You’ve seen him?”
“Of course. I told you I would be here.”
“I’ve never seen you.”
“You didn’t need me until now.” She cups my cheeks in her hands. “You are a beautiful, talented, wonderful woman, Mallory. I want you to live every moment of your life. I want you to enjoy it all.”
“I don’t want you to go.”
“I know.” She smiles gently and looks over to Miss Sophia and Lena. “But just like before, you’re in good hands. And your Beau will be a wonderful, worthy partner for you, darlin’.”
“I didn’t want to say goodbye before. And I don’t want to now.”
“It’s time, love. It’s time to let go. If you’ll let me go, I can move on, to be with your grandfather, and your parents.”
“And your Melissa.”
Tears fill her eyes and she nods, hope shining through her. “I’ve waited a long time to hold her again.”
My heart sinks. “I’m selfish.”
Miss Sophia and Lena are on either side of me now, and I can feel Beau with me, too. I take a deep breath and brush the tears from my cheeks.
“I love you, Grandmamma.”
“I love you, Mallory.”
I look up at the light that’s appeared behind her. “There it is. There’s the way.”
She turns to look and her face lights up. “Oh, look at that. Thank you, darlin’.”
And with that, she walks away. I can see the shapes of people waiting for her. They greet her with hugs and love, and then the light closes, and it’s gone.
“You’re brave,” Beau whispers in my ear. I glance around, but I’m alone.
Yet, I’m not alone.
And it’s time to go home.
Chapter Eighteen
~Beau~
“Where is she going?” Gabby asks as Mallory stands and slowly leaves the dining room.
“I don’t know,” I reply.
“She has the same dilated eyes that she had the night of the séance,” Gabby says as we all stand and follow her through the kitchen to the back porch.
She’s talking to someone, but I can’t make out the words. All I know for sure is, she’s not here. She’s somewhere else.
And I’m terrified.
The phone in Mallory’s pocket rings, so I reach for it and answer.
“Lena, something’s happening.”
“I know, my grandmother and I are on our way. Stay with her. What is she doing?”
“She’s walking out of the house,” I reply. “She’s talking to someone we can’t see. She’s stopped on the stairs and is looking to the back of the property.”
“We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
She hangs up, and I’ve never felt so fucking useless in my life. “I don’t know what to do.”
“We’ll flank her,” Rhys says, standing to the other side of Mallory. “And we’ll keep her as physically safe as possible.”
“But it’s a metaphysical fight,” Gabby whispers, watching with wide eyes. “Thank God the kids aren’t here.”
Mallory walks down the sidewalk to where Gabby had the old slave quarter buildings moved so guests can see them and learn about the history of our plantation, and others in this area.
“Mallory, I’m right here,” I say, but there’s no response. “You’re safe, baby.”
“How can she not hear you?” Rhys asks in frustration. He’s very much like me, a protector. And when someone we care about is struggling, we need to help them.
“I don’t know for sure,” I reply, shaking my head. The wind has picked up.
“There was no storm in the forecast,” Gabby says with a frown.
Mallory reaches out, as if to hug someone. Her mouth is moving with words, but no sound is coming out. Her red hair is a riot in the wind, and her eyes are hauntingly black.
“We’re here!” Lena exclaims as she and an older woman I’m assuming is her grandmother run to us.
“What’s happening to her?” I demand.
“She’s speaking with the dead,” Lena says. “This is my grandmother, Sophia.”
“Where were you when it started?” the older woman asks.
“We were eating dinner inside.”
Suddenly, Mallory whips her gaze back to the house and shakes her head no.
“We have to go in,” Sophia says to Lena. “You and I must hold hands while we hold hers to ground each other. You chant what I do, just follow my lead.”
“If this isn’t safe—” I begin, but Sophia cuts me off.
“She’ll die,” she says fiercely. “He’s here to kill her.”
“Who?” I step back, stunned and panicked at once. “Who the fuck is trying to kill her?”
“The same madman that killed her grandmother,” Lena says. “She’s fighting for her life, Beau. We have to hold her hands, but you ground her the best. I want you to touch her shoulders, and stand beside her so she can fall back onto you if need be.”
“Now,” Sophia says, and the three join hands, and their pupils also go black.
“Jesus,” Rhys mutters and rubs his hand over his mouth. “I’ll stand on this side to steady them.”
I nod and move behind Mallory, placing my hands on her shoulders. Every muscle in her body is tight. The wind is still swirling around us, and the three women are talking, almost chanting in unison, but they’re not making any noise.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Gabby says and slips her hand into Rhys’s. “I think they’re waging a war.”
I nod, my eyes never leaving Mallory. Suddenly, Lena and Sophia blink their eyes and wake up, looking at each other. They both sag in exhaustion, and Rhys steps up to let them lean on him.
“Where is she?” I demand when Mallory doesn’t blink and come back to me right away.
“She’s saying goodbye,” Lena says sadly. “But we killed that horrible piece of shit.”
“Where?” Gabby asks, looking around. “There’s no one else here.”
“Not physically,” Sophia says and wipes her forehead on her sleeve. “But he was here.”
A tear slips down Mallory’s cheek.
“Who is she saying goodbye to?” I ask.
“Her grandmamma,” Lena says.
Finally, Mallory blinks and takes a gasping breath, falling back against me.
“Mal? Baby, are you with me?”
“I’m here,” she says, searching frantically for her phone. “I have to call Lieutenant Williams. Where’s my damn phone?”
“Who?” I pass the phone to her, and she thumbs through until she finds the number she wants.
“The sick shit who kidnapped, raped, and starved little girls just died, and I know where they are.”
“Holy fuck,” Rhys says in shock.
“This is Mallory Adams. I know the location of the missing girls.”
***
“Are you okay, Beau?” Mama asks a few hours later. She brought the kids home to the plantation, helped get them settled, and chatted with all of us for a bit before I took an exhausted Mallory out to my old place in the former carriage house.
“I don’t know what I am,” I reply honestly.
“How’s Mal?”
“She’s asleep out in the carriage house.”
“And why aren’t you with her?”
I shrug and lean on the kitchen counter, crossing my arms over my chest. “I have never felt so helpless as I did this evening.”
“And you’re the fixer,” she says with a nod. “Not everything in this world is fixable, Beau.”
“It’s my job to protect my fam
ily, and I brought a medium right into their house and it scared the shit out of all of us.”
“So it’s Mallory’s fault?”
“I didn’t say that,” I reply in frustration. “But she didn’t tell me what was happening with the psycho who had targeted her. She didn’t tell me how her grandmother died. Those are some pretty big things to forget to mention.”
“Perhaps she just wanted to be a woman enjoying a man, and not a psychic.”
“She’s both,” I reply with a frown.
“Does it make you love her less?”
“It scares me,” I reply, evading the question. “What if it happens again? Or, what if it’s even worse and it puts the family at risk? I don’t know if I can continue with this if—”
I can’t finish the thought, but Mama nods, understanding.
“You’ve always protected us, Beau. Before your daddy died, and even more so after.”
“It’s my job.”
“No, my dear boy, it’s not your job.”
“I’m the eldest, and Papa’s gone. Of course it’s my job to see after all of you.”
“But what about you?” she asks and slams her fist on the countertop, pissed off. “You’re a man. You’re a successful, intelligent, handsome man who deserves to love a woman, and have children, and everything else that goes with that. And rather than pursue a family of your own, you’ve spent your entire adulthood taking care of the rest of us. It’s okay for you to take care of yourself for a change, Beau. We can take care of ourselves.”
“I’m no martyr,” I reply, just as pissed. “I’m just doing the right thing. And I don’t know if bringing Mallory into our family is the right thing.”
“Yes, you do,” she replies, more softly now. “But I think you’re scared of a woman, for the first time in your life. Not because of her unusual gifts, but because you love her.”
“I do love her,” I murmur. “I’m crazy about her.”
“A mother knows these things,” she says with a smile. “What could possibly be wrong with bringing the woman you love into your family?”
“She shut me out,” I reply immediately. “She was in danger, and she didn’t tell me. That’s no way to go into a partnership.”
“It always circles back to trust, doesn’t it?”
I nod and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Always. The ironic thing is, Mal and I have talked about the importance of honesty and trust from the beginning of our relationship.”