“No,” I whimpered. “No, no. Please don’t hurt them.”
Liam ignored me. He swiped the air and the gags fell from their mouths. The ropes around their hands and feet slid off.
“The doll.” Peter pointed to the grass. “It’s stabbing her.”
Liam’s eyes shifted to where Peter was pointing. Liam levitated the doll. My little replica floated through the air until Liam snatched it. He pulled out the knife and the pain vanished.
“What a striking resemblance to my Alexandria. It looks like someone’s been playing with Voodoo,” Liam said. “I bet I can guess which one of you that is.” He held the tiny doll close to his lips. “Auntom hierora monsoin.”
The doll disintegrated into ashes.
I squeezed my eyes, expecting to burst into oblivion, but I felt nothing. Liam wasn’t here to hurt me. Tonight, he was my rescuer.
He strolled over to Vanessa with the knife clutched in his hand. “In my opinion, Voodoo is inferior. I mean, humans can do it.” He stabbed the knife into Vanessa’s thigh.
She whimpered.
Liam pushed the knife down until the hilt touched her skin. Blood bubbled around the blade and oozed down her leg.
“You always have to have trinkets with you,” Liam said. “Chalk to draw symbols. Pieces of hair. Bones. Dolls. Inferior, don’t you agree?”
Mo rolled to his knees and shot off the grass.
Liam lazily turned his head. “Andolee Cofipho.”
Mo’s track star stride slowed to a feeble walk. The top half of his body folded forward onto his legs at an unnatural angle. He burst into flames so quickly that his screams only lasted a few seconds.
“I hate hunters.” Liam cracked his knuckles. “They, too, are inferior.”
Redhead hyperventilated.
“Alexandria, are you all right?” Liam kneeled beside me. Bright green eyes roamed over me from head to toe. No emotion was visible, but he quickly stood up. “Who brought the whip?”
Vanessa glanced at Redhead.
“You.” Liam stalked towards Redhead. “Did you whip Alexandria?”
“No.” Redhead scooted back. “No, no, she did. I didn’t touch her.”
“You’re a hunter, right?”
“Yes.”
“And what is your weapon of choice?”
Redhead swallowed. “A whip.”
“Have you ever been whipped?”
“No.”
Liam’s face broke into a devilish grin. “When a whip makes contact with the skin, it essentially pulls the flesh off with it. Did you know that?”
Redhead nodded.
“Look at my beautiful Alexandria. How many times do you think she was whipped?”
“I wasn’t counting.”
“Take an educated guess.”
“Twenty or thirty?”
“I’d say closer to thirty,” Liam said. “Now, maybe you can explain it to me, because I can’t understand. How could someone be stupid enough to whip the skin off my pure blood?”
“I didn’t do it! I swear! Liam, it was her. She did it.”
“But it’s your whip. And I’m assuming it’s been used on other witches. Has it?”
“Yes, but I didn’t whip her! Vanessa did!”
“Did you stop her?”
“No.”
“What did you do?”
Silence.
“What did you do?” Liam calmly repeated.
Redhead swallowed. “I held the doll.”
“Ah, you incapacitated Alexandria so she couldn’t tear you to shreds. You do know that she’s capable of ripping your skin off, don’t you?”
Redhead nodded.
“Alexandria’s too kind. She doesn’t like to hurt people. But, see, I don’t mind hurting people. Actually, I quite enjoy it. Especially someone who harms my pure blood.”
“I didn’t….”
Liam slashed the air with his hand.
A chunk of skin slid from Redhead’s forehead. She screamed.
“You could’ve saved yourself,” Liam said. “If only you would have protected Alexandria.” He slashed the air multiple times.
Redhead screamed as pieces of her skin fell from her body. I closed my eyes. The screaming grew louder and louder, until there was only silence
“Alexandria, open your eyes.”
I opened them, but I couldn’t look in the direction of Redhead’s body.
Liam’s hand went under me. I winced. He slowly lifted me to a sitting position. I bit back my screams. Any movement tore the remaining shreds of skin from my body.
Liam assessed my injuries. “You did quite a job on her, Vanessa.”
Vanessa exhaled.
His hands hovered inches over my bloody body. He whispered a spell. It reminded me of when I’d fixed my frost bitten toes. A cool tingling sensation spread over my skin. It crawled over my body and through the gaping lash wounds. Soon, the coolness overpowered the stinging left by the whip.
The open gashes grew together sealing the skin closed. The bright red slashes faded to light pink scars. My skin was sore, but the pain was gone.
“Good as new,” Liam said.
I ran my finger over the healed skin on my arm. “Thank you.”
“I see your aunt wasn’t willing to cooperate.”
“I’m sorry.” Vanessa crawled over to Liam. The knife jutted out of her thigh. She clutched her hands together. “Please, show mercy.”
Liam levitated Vanessa. She flew forward. Her feet inches off the ground. “Mercy is for those who have a heart.”
“Liam?” I stumbled to my feet, not sure what to do. I couldn’t stop him.
Liam plunged his hand into Vanessa’s chest.
She screamed.
Liam’s hand was wrist deep inside of her chest. He violently yanked and ripped her heart out of her body. He held the bloody muscle in his hand. “And now, you don’t have a heart either.”
Vanessa blinked. She glanced at me for a split second. Then her eyes rolled back into her head. Her body slumped forward. Liam released the levitation and she crumbled to the ground.
“I believe you need this,” Liam said to me.
“You tore her heart out,” I whispered. My chest heaved uncontrollably. I couldn’t find my breath. “Her heart. You tore it out of her body. You tore it out.”
“Do you want this?” Liam held up the organ. “You do need this very important ingredient to unspell your father, do you not?”
“I do.” I glanced down at my murdered aunt. A bright red hole filled the center of her black and white polka dot dress.
“Then take it.”
“I….”
“You and your friends should go. I’ve a mess to clean up.” Liam handed me the heart. It was still warm. I swallowed down the bile rising in my throat.
“Vanessa was going to kill you. And those two.” Liam pointed at Peter and James. “She tortured you. Whipped you.”
I was unable to peel my eyes away from the human heart sitting in my palm.
“Yet, you’re still uncomfortable with using her heart.”
“I am.”
“Would you have taken it from her if you had the chance?”
“I came to New Orleans to persuade her, but she had an Il Gaurdenarium spell on her house. And I couldn’t enter.”
“Maybe you were fooling yourself,” Liam said. “Unspelling your father seems to mean quite a lot to you.”
“When she was about to hurt Peter and James, I told her I’d rip her heart out.” Guilt rushed over me. How could I’ve said such a horrible thing?
Liam laughed. “You’re only dangerous if your loved ones are in harm’s way?”
“That’s not so bad.”
“Killing is killing. Regardless of your motive.”
“How did you know we were here?”
“I knew you wanted to negotiate with Vanessa. So I decided to pay the Big Easy a visit, too, in case something happened. I had a spirit in that chauffeur to keep an eye on you.”
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The chauffeur always wore sunglasses. I never saw his eyes. “I guess I’m lucky you had me followed.”
“I wasn’t concerned until you were dumb enough to come out to the middle of the bayou. Then that Vega twin killed the driver. I lost sight of you once he was dead.”
“What happened to Gabriel?”
Liam’s face went dark. “They scattered like roaches and he slipped away.”
Peter handed me the black velvet bag that once held my Voodoo doll. I slipped the heart inside. My palm was red with blood. I wiped it on my clothes, but my yellow dress was already stained with my own blood.
“Enjoy the time you have with your father,” Liam said.
It wasn’t a threat of my impending sacrifice. It was an honest piece of advice. “Thank you for saving us.”
Liam nodded.
Peter’s arm went around my waist. He led me away from Liam and we followed James around the side of the house. I said a quick prayer for the murdered chauffeur and a tiny one for Vanessa. Even after everything she did, she was still my aunt.
“Are you okay?” Peter asked.
I nodded. “You? James?”
James swallowed. “That was a close call.”
“Too close.”
Peter ran his hand over my arm. “The scars are fading so fast.”
I flexed my back. “I can barely feel them anymore.”
“Even the scar from your fight with Olivia is gone.”
I touched my cheek. I’d forgotten about that one. A loud explosion shook the ground. Flames ignited over the house.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Peter slid into the driver seat. The keys were in the ignition. “Where to?”
James sat forward in the backseat. “We need a cemetery.”
“Where are we going to find a cemetery out here?” I asked.
James tapped the seat. “We have to head back to New Orleans, right? Let’s go to the big one. At least we know where it’s at.”
“The big one?” Peter shifted the car into drive.
“St. Louis Cemetery Number One,” I said.
CHAPTER 28
The St. Louis Cemetery Number One was arguably the most famous cemetery in New Orleans. The oldest existing cemetery spanned the distance of one block and was steps away from our hotel in the French Quarter.
Sneaking into the cemetery was difficult. It was two in the morning, but the city was full of people partying in the Quarter. We nonchalantly stood watch until the coast was clear and then hopped (with a little levitation help) over the cement fence.
The cemetery didn’t have tombstones in the traditional sense. Here, all the graves were above-ground. The vaults loomed over us like a miniature crumbling city.
“Where do we go?” Peter whispered.
“I don’t think it matters,” I said. “We’re on hallowed ground now. But let’s go further in so no one can hear us.”
We walked down the narrow sidewalk. Peter grabbed my hand and we followed James. It was dark - the only light came from the street lamps outside the cemetery. The deeper we went inside the cemetery, the fainter the outside noises became.
James tapped one of the vaults. Dozens of “XXX” were scribbled all over the giant mausoleum. “This is the Glapion family crypt.”
“Who?” I asked. “And why would anyone deface a grave like that?”
James shook his head. “I read in that travel book that people believe Marie Laveau is buried here.”
“The Voodoo Priestess?” Peter asked. “The one that was a witch, too?”
James nodded. “Those ‘XXX’ marks are from visitors paying homage to her. You make the mark and, supposedly, her spirit will grant you a wish. Do you have something to write with?”
Peter grabbed my waist. “Haven’t we had enough Voodoo for one night?”
I reached into my bag of ingredients. “Voodoo isn’t evil. It’s like Celeste said - it’s a religion. What Vanessa did was evil - Voodoo or not. Besides, from what I’ve heard about Marie Laveau, she helped a lot of people.” I handed James a piece of chalk.
He scribbled three white Xs on the side of the vault.
“We should do the reversal here,” I said. “Maybe we can get a little help from Marie.”
I unpacked the bag I’d brought from the hotel. The spell reversal listed a small number of necessary ingredients. I unfolded the paper and started preparing.
Three candles in a triangle lit our small section of the cemetery. I drew a chalk circle inside the triangle. I scribbled a smaller circle inside the big circle. The velvet bag containing Vanessa’s heart sat on the concrete like the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room. I felt like the murderer in the Tell-Tale Heart. The guilt was driving me insane, so much so that I swore the heart was beating.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I ignored the bag.
A lock of Ethan’s hair, a bundle of rosemary, one tablespoon of salt, wax and a bulb of garlic went outside the small circle. I held the paper to the light to read the next steps. Thump. Thump. Thump.
“James, do you still have that pocket knife?”
“What do you need a knife for, Lex?”
“I need a couple drops of blood.” I cut a line in my palm with James’ knife.
“Which way is North?”
Peter looked up at the sky and pointed to my right. “That way.”
I pressed my bloodied palm against the cement. A red imprint of my hand covered the top of the chalk circle. I pressed down three more times around the circle to represent South, East and West.
“That should do it.” I exhaled. “Last ingredient.” I reached into the soft velvet bag and pulled out the heart. It was cold and sticky in my hands.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It’s not beating. It’s only in my head.
“Think of your dad,” Peter said quietly.
I nodded. Images of Ethan lying in the bed materialized. Day after day for seventeen years. I placed the heart in the inner circle.
“Stand back.” I tucked my legs underneath me. I closed my eyes and placed my hands over my head with my palms pointed at the sky.
“Divinicium Comtantus Ethan Longfellow. Commentius Preiovexium Ominio Whalevia Ethan Isaac Longfellow.”
Thunder crackled overhead.
“Divinicium Comtantus Ethan Longfellow. Commentius Preiovexium Ominio Whalevia Ethan Isaac Longfellow.”
Bright lights flashed behind my eyelids. Drops of rain fell from the sky. One more time.
“Divinicium Comtantus Ethan Longfellow. Commentius Preiovexium Ominio Whalevia Ethan Isaac Longfellow.”
I opened my eyes.
Thunder shook the cemetery. Hot blue flames rose off the ground in the center of the small circle. Rain poured to the Earth in thick sheets. The water doused the candle flames, but Vanessa’s heart burned blue despite the storm.
Rain washed away the chalk and blood, but the heart continued to burn. The organ shrunk in size. The blue flame rose as the fire consumed the last piece of my aunt’s heart. The fire dissipated and only a charred blemish remained on the sidewalk.
“That’s it,” I said.
Peter lifted me to my feet. His wet hair was plastered against his forehead. “Let’s get out of here.”
We raced through the maze of giant vaults. The relentless rain created a river of rushing water. We climbed the cement fence and scurried into the now empty street. We ran all the way back to the hotel.
I was insane with worry. I fumbled with the hotel key and rushed inside. Did the spell work? Did I do it right?
My cell phone was on the bed. One missed call. One voicemail message. I smashed the phone against my ear and listened to the message. I held my breath. The phone slipped out of my hands.
“Lex? What’s the matter?”
“Alex?”
My lips were numb. I had to bite them to make them work. “It was Emma.”
Peter stepped forward. “What did she say?”
“Eth
an,” I whispered. My hands trembled and my heart pounded in my chest.
“What happened?” James asked.
I exhaled. “It worked. The spell reversal worked. Ethan’s awake.”
CHAPTER 29
I’d never been more terrified in my life.
Even after everything I’d been through over the last six months, nothing quite compared. I stood on the porch holding my keys. I couldn’t make myself unlock the door. I was frozen solid, despite the warm weather. We’d driven straight from the airport in Boston to Ipswich, but now I was too terrified to go inside.
“Are you sure you want me to come in with you?” Peter asked. “It won’t hurt my feelings if you want to go alone.”
“Mine either,” James said. “Isn’t this a family thing?”
“Dude, you live with them,” Peter said. “You’re practically family. I’m thinking older brother.”
James rolled his eyes. “Are you scared to meet your girlfriend’s father?”
I swallowed. “Please don’t make me do this alone you two.”
Peter grabbed the keys from my hand and unlocked the door. “I’d never make you do anything alone.”
I immediately noticed a difference inside. The foyer wasn’t so gloomy. The dust was gone. The feeling of loneliness and sadness replaced by… hope? Happiness?
“Grandma?” I called out. “Mom?”
“In the front room,” Grandma Longfellow said.
I bent at the hip and placed my head in between my knees. The vase vibrated on the corner table. Peter rubbed my back. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered.
“You can do this,” James said.
My stomach dropped. “What if it’s weird? What if he doesn’t want anything to do with me? Why would he want to deal with all of my witch drama?”
Peter put his finger to my lip. “It’s going to be okay,” he repeated.
I exhaled.
We walked down the hall that connected the foyer and the front room. I hesitated, but Peter nudged me. We stepped inside. Like the foyer, the living room was transformed. For one, it was clean. The air in the house was different. It felt alive and hopeful.
I didn’t see him at first. Grandma Longfellow walked toward us. She opened her arms and I walked into her embrace.
“Thank you, thank you,” she whispered.