Grave Danger (28 page)

Chapter 15-

“
This has got to be the stupidest idea ever
created,” Corrigan complained as he and Clarissa stood just outside
the LeMoyne complex. She had moved them from the beach to the high
coquina walls that surrounded his home. By simply placing a
geographical image of it in his mind she had been able to decipher
the complex’s location precisely.

“
Normally I think I would agree,” Clarissa
commented as she looked around at the dense forest that obscured
the complex from curious eyes. “But for some reason I’m feeling a
bit reckless. Besides, no ghost around can gloat that they’ve been
inside the belly of the beast and survived. This is like going into
the wilds of Africa and studying the natives. It’s a once in a
lifetime experience.”

Corrigan rubbed aggressively at his forehead. He
wasn’t sure which one of them was crazier, he for letting her
convince him to show her his home, or her, for even wanting to see
inside the ‘belly of the beast’ as she so quaintly euphemized the
lairs of the flesh-eaters. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sneak her
inside the walls. The minute they passed through the gates, his
family would know.

“
You are reckless, there’s no denying that.”
Corrigan pushed in a sequence of numbers on a digital pad set
inside the stone wall hidden by a leafy branch. In a matter of
seconds the steel gates opened to reveal the interior of the
complex.

He turned to Clarissa, assessing her as a
psychiatrist might assess a person with suicidal tendencies. She
certainly must be if she believed that his family wouldn’t react to
her presence in their home as a threat. He was preparing himself
for a most difficult confrontation.

“
You’re sure about this. I wouldn’t blame you
if you went home right now. In fact I think that would be
preferable.”

“
Get over yourself, Corrigan,” she said,
taking a first step inside the gates, “I’d like to ask your family
what they think about the attacks on the livings in the city.
Perhaps one of them might have an idea who is
responsible.”

“
I highly doubt any of them do,” he argued as
he walked in beside her into the complex. Gravel trails led through
the open plan design, leading to the different houses or to the
many gardens throughout. “We only travel across the bride at night
and then stay on the mainland a few hours before returning home. My
family and I have only one mission when we cross the bridge and
that is not to socialize with every supernatural creature we
pass.”

“
Maybe you don’t know the members of your
family as well as you think. They might not share everything with
you, just as I’m sure you don’t share yourself too freely with
them.”

Corrigan didn’t have a response for that. Ambrose
had kept the secret of his meeting with the Eidolon councilmember
to himself. What other secrets did his brothers and sisters keep
from him? And then a terrible thought came to him. Could one of his
brothers or sisters be responsible for the deaths of these livings?
He hadn’t wanted to believe them capable; they knew the price such
a kill would cost them all. But when the beast inside them ruled,
common sense was pushed aside for the thrill of the kill.

As if sensing his thoughts, Clarissa touched the
back of his hand. “I don’t think your family is responsible. It
seems too easy to blame them and I think that’s what makes me
suspicious. There is something more to these kills than just taking
a life. The way they were displayed, left out to be found, it was a
blatant sign that someone wants to stir up trouble.”

“
But you don’t know who. It could just as
easily be a member of my family and the rest of us aren’t aware of
it.”

A figure stepped out from behind a large oak tree.
It was evident by the expression on his darkly handsome face that
he wasn’t pleased to find either of them walking the grounds. Chas
had the notable distinction of being both taller and physically
stronger than Clarissa, but she knew that despite that advantage,
she was the stronger of the two. She wasn’t afraid of him, or his
family.

Ambrose is waiting inside the main house for you,”
Chas spoke, turning to give Clarissa a chilling stare before
continuing, “both of you.”

Chas didn’t care for this ghost girl one bit and her
interference in his brother’s life, or theirs for that matter, was
dangerous for all. Corrigan was more than a fool to bring her
inside their home. Much to his disappointment he could already see
something irrevocable was playing its way into all their lives. The
way his brother took a step to stand defensively between himself
and the ghost solidified in Chas’s mind the truth that Corrigan was
quickly falling for the wrong kind of woman.

“
She’s not here to make a scene. Clarissa just
wants…” His words were quickly cut off by his brother’s harsh
words.

“
Clarissa,” he spoke her name with such
rancor, “So now
it
has a
name. She doesn’t belong on our property and you’re the biggest
idiot dead or alive to bring her here. What the hell were you
thinking?”

Then an evil light came into his sparkling green
eyes. “Oh, I know. You’ve started to have some sick fascination
with dead chicks, necrophilia tendencies and you want to know
what’s going on underneath that skirt. Most likely she’s as cold in
bed as any other corpse in the grave.”

It was too much. Corrigan understood his brother’s
anger against the ghost population at large. They’d been snide
bastards to them all, but that didn’t give Chas the right to insult
Clarissa who hadn’t been a member of her community long enough to
be aligned with the two-faced creatures. She was innocent of their
crimes against his kind and he wouldn’t allow, even his brother and
closest friend, to make crude remarks about her.

Chas continued to taunt them. “Maybe she doesn’t
even have the necessary parts. Likely she’s like some androgynous
doll under her clothes; too prudish to even have the basic
equipment.”

In one unbelievable move Chas found himself flat on
his back in the soft grass, his brother’s angry face looming just
inches above his. The beast inside Corrigan opened his mouth
revealing teeth that could splinter bone and tear flesh in a matter
of seconds. Fingers pressed strongly down onto Chas’s windpipe as
his brother growled like a feral animal.

Corrigan rarely got angry and he had never attacked
any of them, not even Xavier who on more than one occasion deserved
to have a sound beating from someone. The puny conquistador had
more than once nearly severed his head with one of his antique
swords. The man still believed he was a soldier in the eighteenth
century and he took any opportunity to test out his skills on
anyone he thought deserved to be challenged. But Corrigan always
readily accepted his brother’s challenges of skill and never
complained when Xavier blatantly cheated.

Chas grabbed for his throat, pulling at his brothers
hands which were clenched tightly around it. Their eyes met in
challenge. Chas knew Corrigan would never kill him, but this was
Corrigan’s way of showing whose side he now preferred. It wasn’t
his.

“
Get the hell off me, Cor,” Chas barked, still
trying to release Corrigan’s fingers from around his neck. Placing
a little more pressure on his esophagus Corrigan let go.

Chas reacted instantly, pushing at his brother’s
chest and rolling out from under him. Quickly finding his feet
again, he glared down at Corrigan as he remained sitting in the
grass looking down at the ground.

Wiping the grass from his backside, he glared evilly
at Clarissa before turning his attention to his best friend and
closest brother.

“
Shit,” he expelled. “You’ve really gone over
the edge haven’t you? You weigh more than a fucking elephant by the
way. Lay off eating the chunky ones for awhile, it goes straight to
your ass.”

Chas rubbed his neck where Corrigan’s fingers had
bit into his flesh. He could still feel the heat from his near
strangulation. “Man, I hope you know what you’re doing with her.”
He refused to say Clarissa’s name. Giving her a name gave her
respect, and she didn’t deserve his yet.

Chas walked away from them, mumbling under his
breath as he walked the distance to the main house. Already his
brothers and sisters were waiting inside to meet one of their most
hated enemies. Clarissa wasn’t just a whiny good-for-nothing ghost
girl, she was a death bokor. It had taken Chas awhile to realize
that, but when he did he knew that his family’s very existence was
at stake. And Corrigan was fraternizing with the enemy.

Corrigan watched his brother stalk off as he sat in
the grass. He had attacked his brother and all because Chas had
insulted the woman he cared for. And it was the truth. He was
finding himself quickly falling for the enemy. She may not know it
yet or share his feelings, but he had been around this world long
enough to know that Clarissa was a rare jewel among deceiving
rocks.

Clarissa knelt down in the soft grass beside
Corrigan. She touched his shoulder gently. He had stood up to
Chas’s crude words and for her he had attacked his brother and
friend. She could easily see the turmoil inside him. He was torn
between his family’s bitterness toward her kind and his own
feelings for her. Clarissa was surprised to learn that there were
such tender feelings for her; she certainly was growing fond of
him. At every turn he seemed to contradict her hastily got
presumptions about his kind, as he was likely finding the same in
her.

“
I didn’t mean to cause ill will between you
and your family, Corrigan.” She rubbed a spot along his shoulder
blades. “You were right it was stupid and selfish of me to force
your family to meet me. I don’t blame your brother for hating me.
I’ve thought worst things about him.”

Clarissa pressed her face against his shoulder,
glorying in feeling his warmth against her cool flesh. He had a
distinct, unique smell about him, like of earth and sunshine and
the tropical breeze all rolled into one beautiful scent. “I’ll go
home now and you can tell your family that you’ve regained your
senses and kicked me rightly out on my ass.”

“
No,” Corrigan uttered the single word
quietly, bringing his hand to hold her face close to him. She
shared herself so easily with him. Every time she touched him, he
felt that glow deep inside grow, spreading light and happiness and
goodness throughout his body. It was too rare a thing to let slip
away so easily.

He stood up suddenly causing Clarissa to look up at
him with a confused frown on her unearthly face. Corrigan bent down
and pulled her up to stand in front in of him. Placing his hands on
each of her shoulders he leaned forward to have better access to
her face. Brushing his warm palm along her cold cheek he looked
into the eyes of a forgotten angel.

“
They’ll just have to get used to you being
here, so they might as well start now.” Corrigan then brushed his
lips against her forehead. “I won’t let anything happen to you.” He
pulled back then. Taking her hand he led her down the path to the
main house where he could already hear the agitation and curiosity
coming in waves from their collective thoughts.

***∞***

Clarissa had to admit she felt more than uneasy
about meeting the creatures she had claimed in the past as
monsters. Now after meeting and getting to know one of them, it was
becoming more and more complicated to see them in the same light of
evil. If it wasn’t for their unnatural want of living flesh and
blood they would be considered a normal enough looking family;
albeit the fact that none of them were related in the traditional
sense. But even that could be overlooked. One small deviation in
character and they were monsters to the world.

The family, as Clarissa refereed to them in her
head, sat along a plump old fashioned sofa, sat quietly on antique
upholstered chairs or lined themselves up against the large cement
and granite fireplace. One of them was reading intently in a corner
window seat and another was sitting in a wing-backed chair
polishing his sword like he was preparing to use it against some as
yet unnamed enemy. The family; like a scene in a Mafia movie, they
all had a distinct air about them that said quite clearly that no
one messed with one of their own and got away with it.

All were dressed as if they had just returned from
the opera house or a five-star restaurant. The kind where the menu
was entirely in French and the waiter refused to interpret any of
the items on it so you’re forced to pray that you don’t order
something icky or pronounce a word the wrong way, which will
invariably incite the waiter who has since forgotten that he is
only a waiter and not the Sultan of a small but extremely rich
Middle Eastern nation. Corrigan had explained on the beach that
Sundays were a day to remember their human pasts and to act
accordingly. They didn’t cross the bridge and instead they ate a
quiet meal at home; vegetarian style of course.

Xavier looked up from where he was polishing his
sword to see his younger brother sweep a young woman into the room.
At once he was on his feet, his sword ready at hand.

“
Put the weapon away,” spoke a calm and
lilting voice from one of the figures by the fireplace. Ambrose set
his drink upon the mantle next to him as he turned to see his baby
brother stand in the entrance to the pallor room holding the hand
of a ghost woman.

Xavier settled his sword to his side once again.
Though his hand seemed to be poised readily should his brother
change his mind and allow him to extract the ghosts head from her
shoulders. It would be a most entertaining sight to watch her
flounder around the room trying to retrieve it.