Chapter Nine
“That story Mother told us when we were kids. The one about Dehbuck. It wasn’t a story, was it?”
They’d been driving for almost two hours. Sera had breathed a sigh of relief when a fire truck had screamed by heading toward her house. One of the neighbors must have called it in.
Hank pulled his front paws from the top of the back seat and nuzzled Jazz. “No. It’s our family history. Remember I said you weren’t a witch?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re from an ancient line of diviners known as Dehbucks. We’re tasked with protecting the Soul Keeper’s Box and ensuring that the bad souls within stay put. Adding new ones if we have to.”
“I’m not sure I want to hear any more.” Sera squeezed the steering wheel so tight she couldn’t feel her fingers and stole a glance at the box sitting on the dash. Bile rose in her throat as realization dawned.
“Hank…”
“Yeah?”
“I opened the box, didn’t I?”
“Don’t go there right now, Ser. Let’s just get Jazz somewhere safe.”
She slammed her fist down on the steering wheel. “Enough with the fucking riddles and mysteries. Tell me what happened. What I did.”
“Yes, dammit. You opened the box.”
Hank’s words hit her like a bucket of ice cold water in the face. Sera gasped. She tried to suck air into her lungs, but she couldn’t breathe. The scenery passed by the car in a blur, but to Sera it seemed as if she was frozen in place, immobile. Hank was calling to her, but his voice was so far away she couldn’t make out what he was saying.
The blaring of a horn caused Sera’s instincts to take over, and she jerked the wheel just before she slammed head-on into an oncoming car. Her lungs finally filled with air, and her vision cleared. But it did little to stop her body from trembling uncontrollably. Shock. I’m going into shock.
“Jesus, Sera, you almost killed us. Snap out of it, or so help me God, I’ll bite your ear off.”
She swallowed several times. Concentrated on breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. “I’m okay.”
“Bull shit. You torched your husband to keep him from killing our baby sister. I’m not sure you’ll ever be okay again.”
“I’ll be a lot better if you tell me I didn’t cause all this by opening the box. That I’m not the reason our mother died, that Connor tried to kill Jazz.”
“Of course you didn’t.”
“So you’re telling me I just happened to fall in love with a psychopath who knew about the box that our family guards?”
“Why do you think the box needs watched over in the first place?”
“I swear to God if you don’t start giving me straight answers instead of spouting off I’ll take you and have you neutered.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Try me.”
“Fine.” Hank let out a whimper. “But first, I need you to understand that you didn’t cause this. Mother never taught you about the box. You were just a kid. The things you saw when you opened that box horrified you. You had nightmares for weeks, when you’d sleep, that is. Mother was beside herself with guilt, so when you begged her to take it all away, she did.”
Images of dark shadows flashed in Sera’s mind. Figures so horrifyingly evil Sera shuddered, tried to will the memories away. How much more terrifying they must have been to her as a child. Child. A thought crossed her mind “Hank, if Mother erased my memories and bound my powers, then that means I was useless as the Soul Keeper.”
His silence said it all.
“That’s why she had Jazz.”
Had she really expected him to answer her? Her stomach clenched. She was the reason all this had happened to poor Jazz. Why she’d lost her mother. Why she’d almost been sacrificed.
“I know where your mind’s going, and you can knock it off.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Easy for you to say.”
“Mother could have given the legacy to you when you were older. It isn’t like we weren’t well into our teens when she had Jazz.”
That was true. So why had she made the decision to have another child rather than teach Sera her heritage? Now that Muriel was gone, Sera might never know.
They passed a sign that said 250. Sera glanced out the rearview mirror. She breathed a sigh of relief when nothing but empty road stared back. No headlights gaining on them. No sirens barreling toward the car. They’d driven almost a hundred miles. Was that far enough? Would a thousand miles be far enough?
Thoughts of Connor made her wonder what she was missing. “That still doesn’t explain how Connor knew about the box.”
“The same way we do. Stories passed down. Legends. The Fountain of Youth springs to mind.”
“That story is about the box?” Connor’s words echoed in Sera’s head. “I could keep you and my immortality.”
“Yes.”
Her heart skipped several beats, stuttered in her chest. “I’m guessing if Connor knows about the box, so do others. So even if Connor doesn’t come after it, someone else could.”
“I would imagine so. Our destiny is to ensure the evil trapped within the box doesn’t get out. Just as important is making sure the box doesn’t end up in someone else’s hands.”
“Does Jazz know the story?”
“I have to believe if Mother told us, she told Jazzie. I sure wish she’d wake up. She doesn’t look so great, Ser.” He whimpered and licked the little girl’s face.
A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. The adrenaline was receding followed by fear and terror that it was too late to save Jazz. No! She has to be okay. I can’t lose her too.
Her nerves were shot. Sera wheeled the car to the side of the road and slammed on the brakes. She was opening the door before she threw it in park.
“Sera! What the hell are you doing? We need to get out of here. Now!” Hank bound from the car after her.
She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.
“Sera!”
“Shut the fuck up for a minute. I need a second.” She collapsed to the ground and dropped her head between her knees. She grabbed the sides of her head and started rocking back and forth. This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening.
“Hank, I’m scared.” Jazz’s voice seemed far away. Foreign.
Sera’s head jerked up. Relief washed over her as she saw the little girl climbing from the car, her night gown fluttering in the wind as she ran to Sera.
“Jazzel Dazzle! You’re okay!” Hank jumped around excitedly, tail wagging.
Tiny little fingers twined around Sera’s neck, and she squeezed the little girl as tightly as she could, afraid to let her go. Jazz began to cry. Warm dog breath invaded Sera’s senses as Hank nuzzled his way in to give Jazz kisses. Sera wasn’t sure what ripped at her heart more: Jazz’s crying or Hank’s whimpering.
I don’t know what to do. Oh my God. I killed my husband.
“I’m scared, Ser-Ser.”
Sera held the little girl back and stared into her eyes. “It’s going to be okay. I just need a minute.”
“I want Mama.”
“Me too, baby. Me too.” Sera stiffened. “Jazzy, is Mama here?”
The little girl lifted her head and glanced around. “N-n-no.” She wiped her arm across her nose.
“If you call her, will she come?” Please let her come. Please.
Jazz shrugged.
“Try, Jazzel Dazzle,” Hank said.
“Mama! Mama!”
One heartbeat. Two heartbeats.
“She’s here! Mama!” Jazz jumped up and down, relief awash on her little face, her gaze settling on something across the road. When she started toward the road, Sera grabbed her hand.
“Baby… can you see Connor?”
Eyes wide, caution reflected in their depths, Jazz glanced around. “No.”
Sera took the little girl’s hands in hers and squeezed. “Concentrate real hard and see if he’s here.??
?
“Mama says he isn’t here, and I don’t see him.”
“Does Mother know—” Sera snapped her mouth shut, unable to bring herself to ask if Connor was dead. She took a deep breath and swallowed. “Does she know where he is?”
Jazz furrowed her brows. This was crazy. Sera had no right to put that much pressure on the child.
“She said, ‘Hurry,’ and, ‘Now,’ and… She’s talking too fast. I can’t understand.”
Sera stood and scooped her sister up in her arms. “That’s okay, Jazz. Let’s get you back in the car and buckled in. We’re going to go back and check on Connor. Make sure he’s all right.”
Hank grabbed her by the pant leg at the same time that Jazz screamed, “No,” in her ear. She nearly dropped the little girl from shock and pain.
Sera wrangled the little girl into the car as she tried to shake the dog off her leg. “We have to go back and make sure Connor is okay, call for medical help. And more importantly, have him arrested so he can’t get his hands on Jazz ever again.”
“Listen to yourself, Sera. Going back is the worst thing you can do right now. We need to put as much distance between that bastard and us as possible.”
“Don’t call people names. It hurts their feelings,” Jazz said.
“Hank, I can’t just leave him there, injured. I love—” She choked, unable to finish the sentence. The man had tried to kill Jazz. She hated him with a passion.
Only she didn’t.
He was the love of her life. Trying to convince her heart otherwise was useless. And if she’d killed him or if she let him die, she’d never forgive herself. She had to believe the Connor she loved still existed. Hope he would come to his senses.
“Get in the car, Hank.”
“I won’t let you take Jazz back there.”
He was right. She could never put Jazz in harm’s way again. Could hardly bear the thought that’s she’d already put the girl in danger, albeit unknowingly.
“Seraphina.”
A cold shiver ran up and down her spine. She whirled around and came face to face with her mother.
“Mom,” she whispered. Tears welled in her eyes. Sera wanted to throw her arms around Muriel and hold her tight. “I don’t know what to do.” She crumbled to the pavement.
“Knowing’s the easy part, darling.” Muriel glanced inside the car and smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. She blew a kiss to Jazz and, in the blink of an eye, was gone.
Sera slid behind the wheel, closed the door, and put the car in drive. Her heart thumped in protest as she drove away from her home, away from Connor. But she had to let him go. At least for now. He’d meant to harm Jazz, had come too close to succeeding. She had to protect the little girl. Keep her hidden as far away from Connor as possible.
She stole a sideways glance at Hank, who alternated looking out the side window and the rear window. His punishment would be over in a year and a half. Then Sera could leave him to care for Jazz while she found Connor. She had a gift too. Somewhere inside her. One that wouldn’t have led her down such a destructive road as to let her fall in love with an evil murderer. No, there’d been good in his eyes.
He loved her. Sera knew that without a doubt. And she adored him.
She glanced in the rearview mirror at Jazz. But he’d thrown it all away the minute he tried to hurt her sister.
“You okay, Jazzel Dazzle?” Her voice hitched, cracked. She was on the verge of tears again.
“I’m hungry. Can we go to McDonald’s?”
Kids were so resilient. How Sera wished some of that would rub off on her. In that moment, her heart shattered into a thousand pieces, the shards stabbing her chest with every breath she took.
“Sure, baby. The first one we see.”
Please let me keep her safe. Please help me ensure she’s a happy child.