The Curse Keepers Collection (80 page)

The creature laughed. “I’d rather eat your heart.”

“But I still have Okeus’s mark. My Manitou is safe.”

“That’s what you think.”

Oh, shit. I lifted my palm. My mark glowed white, the light filling the dark night, and I began to recite the words of protection.

“
I am the daughter of the sea . . .
”

The wind picked up, blowing my hair into my face. A low growl rumbled in the badger’s throat as a faint white vortex appeared behind him.

“
Born of the essence present at the beginning of time and the end of the world . . .
”

The badger snarled and lunged for me. I jumped sideways as he swung out a paw, his claws slamming through the wood with a loud crash, creating a two-foot hole.

Oh. Shit
.

My hand still raised, I continued my chant in a shaky voice as I walked backward along the back of the building. “
I am black water and crystal streams . . .
”

The vortex wind grew stronger, and I struggled to stay upright. The badger fought against the gusts as he tried to follow me.

“
The ocean waves and the raindrops in the sky.
” I had almost reached the opposite end and was preparing to turn and run when I heard another low growl. I looked over my shoulder and shrieked.

A second badger was inching toward me, its nose low to the wood deck.

There were two of them.

My hand dropped in my shock and the vortex disappeared.

I was screwed.

The second badger swung his paw, his claws gleaming in the moonlight that shone through the misty fog. I jumped close to the railing abutting the water as he crashed through the decking, creating another hole. They had me cornered.

The water bubbled violently in the sound, and Mishiginebig burst to the surface, his mouth open and hissing.

“Who dares defy Okeus?” his voice boomed through the darkness.

The badgers hesitated, and I took advantage of the moment to run toward the raised walkway, leaping onto the edge of the two-foot-high deck and then scrambling over the railing. I pressed my back against the siding of the lighthouse as both badgers charged. They crashed through the wood railing on either side of me, leaving gaping holes in the deck. I was trapped on a three-foot-wide section of sidewalk with three-foot holes to my left and right.

One of the badgers tumbled into the water, squealing as it tried—and failed—to gain purchase. The other ignored his friend and charged the section of the deck where I was standing.

Mishiginebig lunged toward the badger, grabbing its neck and dragging it away from me. The badger wounded the snake with a vicious slash, and its thick black blood leaked into a puddle on the deck.

I took advantage of the distraction and climbed onto the railing. Balancing on the balls of my feet, I stood and jumped, grabbing an extended support beam from the low-slung roof. I pulled my body up so that my chest was leaning over the beam, then swung my legs up, my knee hitting the edge of the metal roof. I ignored the pain that shot through my leg and dug my knee onto the slick roof, releasing the beam with one hand and gripping the raised metal seam to pull myself the rest of the way up.

The building shook violently and I began to slide back down, my lower legs hanging over the edge.

The second badger had climbed out of the water and slammed back into the building. Extending his claws, he dug into my left calf.

I cried out in pain and tried to climb higher, tamping down my bubbling terror. I had to get to the widow’s walk at the top of the lighthouse.

Blood dripped down my leg, the slash throbbing with every heartbeat, but I climbed higher on the roof, grabbing hold of the lower edge of the widow’s walk and pulling myself up. I climbed over the short railing and stood, grunting when I put a small amount of weight on the foot of my injured leg.

The other badger had broken free of Mishiginebig’s grasp and was now climbing onto the deck’s railing with its identical friend.

I lifted my palm, my chest heaving from exertion and fright as I began to chant again.

“
I am the daughter of the sea, born of the essence present at the beginning of time and the end of the world. I am black water and crystal streams.
”

The wind gusted as the vortex reappeared.

My hair blew in all directions, partially obstructing my vision, and all three spirits fought against the suction.

Mishiginebig took advantage of the badgers’ distraction and grabbed one of them, dragging it toward the water. It clung to the railing, its back half hanging over the sound. The other one ran across the deck and leaped for the roof, its claws sinking into the metal of the lower section.

“
The ocean waves and the raindrops in the sky. I am life and death and everything in between
.”

The badger slunk up the gently sloped roof until he was almost level with me. A smile lifted his mouth, his sharp teeth glistening in the moonlight, just before he swung his claws toward my stomach. I cringed, waiting for the pain as I forced myself to finish the last line.

“
I compel you to leave my sight
.”

The badger was lifted into the air, his claws just inches from my face, and sucked into the vortex. Mishiginebig and the other badger shrieked as they suffered the same fate. Mishiginebig’s head was sucked inside and his long, serpentine body continued to lift from the water into the twister for what felt like forever. The swirling circle grew tighter and tighter until the tip of his tail disappeared, then the vortex with it.

I collapsed against the railing, fighting sobs of fright and relief. Sirens filled the air and I whipped around to see red flashing lights bouncing off the fog clouds that shrouded the streets. Several police cars screeched to a halt.

I was on top of the one-story lighthouse with no easy way down, destruction all around me.

Now I was really screwed.

C
HAPTER
E
IGHTEEN

I sat against the railing for a moment, waiting for Tom to appear. A crowd had gathered at the end of the pier. The cloud layer and lack of lighting still hid me from the people on the street. I could either wait to get caught and be forced to come up with a logical explanation. Or I could try to get away.

Climbing over the railing, I glanced back toward the street again. Several police officers were heading down the pier.

I hunched down, trying to stay hidden in the darkness as I lowered myself to the metal roof. I slid on my backside to the bracket I’d used to climb up. Leaning over, I grabbed hold of it and lowered myself to what was left of the upper deck. A bolt of pain shot through my leg when I landed.

The clump of footsteps on the pier sped up my heart. There was only one way to escape.

I stepped through one of the holes the badgers had created and plunged into the water.

Vegetation brushed my legs while my head was still submerged, causing me to panic. I pushed up to the surface, telling myself I was in salt water, my new natural habitat. But the usual energy surge I felt in the ocean was missing, replaced by a dull thrum.

I swam backward, under the lighthouse, as approaching footsteps clattered on the deck over my head.

“What in God’s name destroyed the deck like this?” Tom’s voice was unmistakable.

“I thought I saw something on the roof,” someone else said.

I needed to find a way out of here quickly. It would be a matter of minutes before they started searching the water for a suspect.

Moving slowly so I didn’t splash, I started swimming around the lighthouse support beams, heading toward the pier. I had to duck under the horizontal supports of the pier, but thankfully a crowd of curious onlookers appeared to have gathered near the lighthouse, and their loud voices covered the small splashes I made. If I could continue under the boardwalk and around the edge of downtown to the swimming ladder behind the Tranquil Inn, I’d be able to climb out with my injured leg, and I’d hopefully be far enough away that no one would notice me.

My plan worked perfectly, but it took me several minutes of slow swimming to reach the ladder, and I needed to dodge a few docked sailboats to get there. By the time I pulled myself up the metal ladder, my leg was throbbing.

I skirted the side of the hotel, looking at the crowd that had gathered down at the end of the street. I had no idea how I’d get to my apartment in my sopping wet clothes without attracting attention.

I hobbled a couple of blocks west, then south. Thankfully, most of the people who were still out were gathered by the pier.

The insides of the Dare Inn and the residential house were both lit up. I ducked in the side door of the house and headed to the laundry room to grab a towel from the dryer. Wrapping it around my shoulders, I slipped into the butler’s pantry to get the first-aid kit that Myra kept hidden there. I had just pulled it out when David appeared in the doorway, his face drawn.

“Ellie. Where in bloody hell were you? Myra is frantic. We rang your mobile and went to your apartment. She’s waiting over by the lighthouse; she was sure you had something to do with the disturbance there.” His gaze dropped to my leg. “I’m guessing she was right.”

“Call her and tell her that I’m fine. I don’t want her to worry.”

He pulled his phone from his pocket and called Myra, speaking in hushed tones. After he hung up, he frowned.

I flinched as I dabbed the five-inch-long claw marks on my leg with an alcohol swab.

“I hate that I just lied to your mother. You’re obviously not fine.”

“I will be.”

“What happened?”

“Ukinim.”

He paused. “What do you want to do?”

“I want to go home, but I can’t go looking like a drowned rat. If Tom sees me, he’ll know straight off I was on that pier.”

“I’ll run upstairs and get you some of my clothes, but you really need to take care of that gash. Is it from Ukinim?”

“That or his buddy.”

“There are two of them?”

I sighed. “I’m full of all kinds of good news tonight.”

David went upstairs while I taped large gauze squares over the wound.

He returned with a T-shirt and I pulled it over my head, my damp tank top still underneath.

“Can you walk home?”

“It’s not like I have a choice.”

We hobbled down the street, my leg throbbing with every step. David helped me up the stairs, following in silence. There were still a number of people milling about behind the apartment building, and a cacophony of sounds bounced around in the night. I was so eager for the safety of my apartment that I didn’t notice the person sitting in one of the plastic chairs on my porch until I almost stumbled upon him.

Collin leaned back in the chair, narrowing his eyes. “Well, aren’t you the cute couple?”

David’s arm stiffened around my waist.

I groaned. “Not now, Collin. I’m too tired for more drama.”

“What happened out there, Ellie?”

“Ukinim showed up, that’s what.” I pushed David’s hand away and started to look for my key when I realized I hadn’t locked the door. In fact, I hadn’t even closed it. Collin must have.

“Why in God’s name would you go out there alone?” Collin asked. He shot David a condescending look. “Or did you take your new friend with you?”

“I went alone.” I lifted my eyebrows. “Satisfied?” I leaned into the railing, white-hot pain shooting up my calf. “I woke up when I heard a woman screaming. Since my palm was itching, I knew it was supernatural. Which meant calling the police was not an option. I considered calling you, but I wasn’t sure you could—or
would
—help. So I went alone.”

“Why would you even go at all?”

“Because we let those things loose, Collin.” I stepped forward and jabbed his chest with my finger. “You and me. If you think I’m going to let some woman get her insides shredded while I lay in bed listening, you don’t know me at all.”

“You could have been killed, Ellie! It was stupid and reckless.”

“Maybe so.” I lifted my chin in defiance. “But I’d do it again.”

Collin’s face contorted in rage, and he turned his attention to David. “So you’re the college professor who’s supposed to be helping her? Where the hell were
you
?”