Pretty When She Kills (18 page)

“When we get to the walkway, I need you to wait until I take care of a few precautions.”

“Like what?”

Jeff pulled out a plastic bag with a cloth bag tucked into it. “I had this spell sent to me from a witch in Georgia awhile back. It’s a ward. It will throw up a barrier for about ten minutes.”

“Huh?

“It will make anyone coming close to it have the sudden desire to go somewhere else. If I estimated this correctly, the area of effect should cover the entire bridge.”

“What about the cars?”

“It won’t affect them. It specifically sends away people on foot. At least that’s what the directions say.” Jeff gave her a sheepish grin. “I have been dying to use one. I saw one in action a few years a back and...”

Samantha’s eyebrows couldn’t crawl up any higher on her brow. At her expression, Jeff finally seemed to understand this was not fun in her book.

He cleared his throat. “So, anyway, I’ll set this down, activate it, then we need to hurry up and find the ghost.” Jeff gave her a worried little smile. “You are ready to do this, right?”

Shrugging, Samantha stared straight ahead. No one was really out this morning, which was a relief. But it felt odd dealing with ghosts during the day, not that she would have preferred the night or early morning. It was creepy enough dealing with someone who was dead.

The warm air stirred the dry, dead leaves bordering the walk. The sound was usually soothing, but now it made her uneasy. Maybe she was just being paranoid now that she was mentally preparing herself to see the ghost again, but she was feeling watched.

“Samantha, I know this is hard for you, but we have to start figuring out exactly what you can do with your abilities.”

“I know.”

“And I’ll be here for you.”

“I know.”

“And nothing will hurt you. Ghosts can’t hurt you. You have to remember that.”

“Okay.”

“Is anything I’m saying helping?”

“Nope.”

Samantha couldn’t tear her eyes away from the footbridge sprawling across the lake tucked into the shadows of the Mopac Bridge above.

Jeff took hold of her hand again and stopped her in her tracks. Pulling her about to face him, Jeff looked down into her eyes. The warmth in them made her slightly smile. He really did care about her.

“You’re going to be okay. I will not let anything bad happen to you. I promise. A ghost can’t hurt you. They’re just a remnant of someone died. Okay?”

“Okay.” Samantha swallowed and tried to believe him.

Pressing a kiss to her temple, Jeff looped his arm around her shoulders and held her close. Lowering his chin, he rested his forehead against hers. Samantha raised her lips slightly to kiss the tip of his chin. A shiver slithered through her body, making her blush. With a little giggle, she looked away as he grinned down at her. Kissing her cheek, he cuddled her against him. He was warm, sweaty, and smelled like coffee, soap, and cologne. It was the closest she had ever allowed herself be to him and she was surprised at how comforting it was to be in his arms. Cian’s body had been cold, hard, and unrelenting in her embrace, but Jeff molded against her and she could feel his heart beating. Sudden tears filled her eyes and she drew away.

Fucking Cian. Why couldn’t she just enjoy being with Jeff without comparing him to the vampire?

Jeff started to let her slide out of his arms, but then changed his mind. He dragged her back and kissed her.

It was the sweetest kiss she had ever experienced. His fingers cradled her face as his lips pressed lightly to hers for a few tender moments. Gently releasing her mouth, his eyes peered into hers. “No more. Don’t let him stand between us anymore. Time is too short and too much could go wrong.”

Samantha nodded, her heart beating hard inside of her chest. “You’re right.” Her lips tingled from the kiss. Tiny tremors of delight were spiraling through her and her spirit felt lighter, happier.

Jeff’s solemn expression disappeared into a bright smile. “Good.”

Tilting her head, Samantha gazed into his warm eyes and touched his cheek before kissing him tenderly. It deepened gradually into a more intense kiss than before. Jeff enfolded her in his arms as she buried her hand into his hair. Slowly, they both became aware of their very public display and drew away reluctantly. She giggled as she wiped her pink lipstick off his lips and he kissed her fingers. Exchanging smiles, they held hands as they continued to the footpath.

It didn’t seem as ominous as before, much to Samantha’s relief. Jeff drew her to the side of the path to watch the few people under the footbridge make their way to the other side. There wasn’t anyone following close behind, so he waited until the last person left the bridge before opening the plastic bag and dumping the spell bag onto the ground.

“Oh, God! Are you sure it’s not the smell that keeps them away?” Samantha gasped, her nose on fire.

Jeff pulled a small bottle from his bag. Wincing, he was obviously trying not to smell, or breathe in the noxious fumes from the woven bag. Unstopping the bottle, he motioned to Samantha to move past the spell as he also stepped back.

“We want to be inside the radius when it pops,” Jeff informed her.

Once they were in position, he poured three drops of brown liquid onto the bag.

Samantha jolted when an audible bang went off and the air shimmered around her.

“Whoa! That was hardcore. Aimee really knows her shit,” Jeff said in awe.

“That was kinda scary,” Samantha admitted.

A jogger was coming up the path swiftly, but within fifteen feet of the footbridge, he stumbled to a stop. Looking warily at the bridge, he started jogging back in the direction he had come.

“It’s working! We got ten minutes!” Jeff grabbed Samantha’s hand and drew her along the footbridge.

The long expanse was empty now that the spell was in effect. The long walkway lined with metal railings appeared normal and not at all daunting now that Samantha was actually there. The dark water lapped up against the concrete pylons as the sounds of the city created a soft soundscape to the scene. It was peaceful and Samantha began to wonder if she had even seen the ghost of Cassidy Longoria.

“Do you sense anything?” Jeff asked. He had pulled a small device from his pack and was staring at it intently.

“What’s that?” Samantha pointed at what looked like an archaic cellphone.

“EVP. It reads cold spots and stuff like that,” Jeff answered, sweeping it back and forth. “Why don’t you start walking down the path?”

Samantha sighed. “Okay.”

“Try to relax, I guess. She contacted you once, she’ll do it again.”

“Are you sure?”

“No, but I’m hoping.” Jeff gave his watch a wary glance. “And hopefully in the next nine minutes.”

“No pressure at all there, Jeff,” Samantha said under her breath.

Slowly, she walked forward. She took small steps, her hands slightly held out from her sides, palms outward, trying to feel for any cold spots. If her memory was correct, she had been near the center of the walkway when she had first heard Cassidy calling out to her. With the sun shining brightly and the sounds of the traffic rumbling overhead, she wondered if the ghost would actually appear. The previous morning a thick mist had provided enough of a spooky element to compel a ghost to reveal itself.

“Samantha.”

“Yeah, Jeff?” she answered.

“I didn’t say anything,” Jeff responded.

Samantha flung a startled look over her shoulder toward Jeff just as she felt a cold wisp encircle her ankle. “I think I found her.” Swiftly kneeling, Samantha held out her hands, skimming them over the cement. There was a distinctly cold area in just one spot and it seemed to be growing in size.

“It’s a cold spot,” Jeff said excitedly, joining her. He waved his EVP back and forth, watching the results excitedly. “It’s growing, too.”

“Cassidy?” Samantha called out. “You there?

The coldness wrapped around her turned to ice, forcing a startled gasp from Samantha’s lips. Cassidy’s dead face emerged from the concrete as though rising out of water. Once her body was clearly visible, the dead woman’s eyes opened.

“Samantha,” Cassidy said, her fingers tight around Samantha’s leg.

“She’s here now,” Samantha informed Jeff, tossing a quick glance in his direction.

His widened eyes and open mouth said it all. He could see her, too.

“Jeff?”

“Sam, I see her. I can see her!” Jeff exclaimed.

“Stop geeking out. Help me! What do I do?”

Snatching up his bag, Jeff rummaged through it excitedly. “Talk to her.”

“Samantha, he hurt me,” Cassidy cried out. Her grievous wounds looked garish in the sunlight. Her flesh, tanned in life, was now gray and bloodless. “He hurt me so much. He wouldn’t stop.”

“I’m so sorry, Cassidy. I am,” Samantha answered. She tentatively forced her quivering fingers toward the woman’s wrist. The grip on her ankle was pretty tight, but didn’t feel like anything more than icy air. Curious if she could feel the ghost, Samantha laid her hand on the specter’s arm. To her shock, she felt substance. It didn’t feel like flesh, but it was almost solid. Wrapping her fingers around the dead woman’s wrist, she felt it gaining mass.

“Okay, let me snap a few pictures,” Jeff was muttering, raising his digital camera.

“No!” Cassidy lashed out at him, her hand impacting with the camera. It flew through the air, hit the cement walkway, skittered, then tumbled into the lake.

“What the hell?” Jeff gasped.

“No! Not like this!” Cassidy wailed. She continued to lash out at Jeff, flailing in anger.

“Cassidy, he’s not the one who hurt you!” Samantha grabbed onto the woman’s shoulders and tried to wrestle her back.

Jeff fell back as the ghost clawed at him. Intestines spilled out of her nearly empty torso to lie wetly on the ground as she crawled closer to Jeff, trying to gain purchase.

“You let him do this to me!” Cassidy wailed. “You didn’t protect me!”

Samantha tried to haul the dead woman back, but she was growing heavier and stronger with every second.

With a yelp, Jeff grabbed one of the ghost’s hands, trying to keep it from his face. Red scratch marks already marred his arms and his left cheek. “Samantha, let go of her!”

“She’ll hurt you!”

“Let go!”

Samantha let out a cry of frustration, releasing Cassidy. “Cassidy, stop hurting him!”

Cassidy wailed, striking out at Jeff angrily, but her body lost cohesion, misted, and sank away into the cold cement. Gasping, Jeff and Samantha stared at each other in shock.

“What was that?” Jeff cried out.

“Why are you asking me?” Samantha rubbed her arms vigorously. Holding Cassidy had felt like holding a block of ice. She was still shivering.

Gingerly touching his bleeding cheek, Jeff said in an awed voice, “She was tangible, Samantha! That never happens. She even scratched me!”

Samantha sat on her heels and tried to stop her teeth from chattering as she spoke. “It’s not my fault!”

“I mean sometimes entities manage to knock something over, maybe scratch you a little, but I felt her nails. I felt her body!” Jeff stared at the scratches on his body in amazement. “When you touched her, she became solid.”

Shaking her head vigorously, Samantha didn’t want to acknowledge that what he was saying was true. “No, no. No, that isn’t it.”

“Yes, it is. When you stepped into the area that she haunts, that gave her enough energy to call out to you. When you touched her, she gained substance. You did that! Holy shit, Samantha,
you
did that!”

Trying not to cry, Samantha whispered, “What does that mean?”

“You’re a phasmagnus!” Jeff stared at her in awe. “One of the most rare supernatural abilities around. You can call the specters of the dead, make them real, have them do your bidding.”

Wiping away a tear, Samantha continued to shiver. She felt a bit sick to her stomach and overwhelmed by what he was saying. But wasn’t it true? When she had let go of Cassidy and ordered her to leave Jeff alone, Cassidy had stopped her attack, lost form, and vanished.

Realizing her distress, Jeff moved to enfold her in his arms. “It’s okay, Samantha. It’s okay. Now that we know what you are, we can deal with this better. I promise.”

Samantha leaned against him, staring at the spot where Cassidy had disappeared. The thump of feet against the concrete drew her attention. Joggers were once more running along the footbridge. The spell was over.

“Everything okay?” a runner asked as he ran toward them. His tan skin was covered in sweat and he was rippling with lean muscle.

Dimly, Samantha wondered if he was a ghost, too.

“Yeah. We had a little tumble. All good now,” Jeff answered quickly.

The jogger nodded and kept going.

“Samantha,” Jeff whispered. “We need to get up and go now. Okay?”

“I’m a phasmagnus,” Samantha answered, the word sounding odd coming from her lips.

“I know, honey.” He helped her to her feet and gathered his stuff, shoving it into his bag.

Standing in the center of the footbridge, Samantha stared at the towering buildings of downtown Austin looming over the glittering lake. Colorful kayaks and canoes were gliding over the water. Runners and walkers dotted the winding pathway as far as her eyes could see and cars glinted in the sunlight as they passed over the Lamar Boulevard Bridge in the distance. It all looked so normal.

“I’m not normal anymore,” Samantha said at last when Jeff took her hand. “I don’t belong to that world anymore.”

Jeff surveyed the scene she was gazing at and sighed. “Neither one of us does. Not now.”

Looking at him, Samantha said, “I’m afraid.” Her lips felt numb and her throat was tight.

“I know. So am I,” Jeff confessed. “But I am here for you. And this power can help us, Samantha. It can.”

Nodding, she let him guide her back the way they had come. Her fingers clutched his tightly and she was still shivering. “Jeff?”

“Yeah, Sam?”

“Take me home.”

“Okay,” he said, nodding.

“And when we get there, I want you to go to bed with me,” she said, boldly meeting his eyes.

He lifted an eyebrow slowly. “You sure?”