Bone Dry_ A Soul Shamans Novel - Cady Vance Page 0,9

bit of life from her body.

“Get the hell away from her!” I yelled, jumping to my feet. My voice boomed, and power rumbled against the walls. I had to close my eyes and grit my teeth against the strength of my own words. Somehow, I’d bundled up all my power and sent it tumbling out of me in a force so strong I almost passed out.

When I caught my breath, I opened my eyes. The spirit was gone.

CHAPTER 4

Never make stupid mistakes. That was the second rule. And I’d blown it. I never should have let Kylie stay in the room with me while I banished the spirit. Now she was hurt, and no telling how much of her life she lost today.

And it was all my fault.

I took a few deep breaths, reaching out for the thread that bound me to Laura and to the real world. It was a sparkling white cord winding its way through the Borderland, its bright color a beacon in this place of shadows. Once I found it, I started the reverse chant. Quiet and slow, my voice soft in the silence. I felt Laura drawing me back. The Borderland shadows closed in, like this world didn’t want me to leave. Like I was swimming through a murky swamp, grassy stalks twisting around my ankles and wrists to stop my departure.

But Laura kept pulling, and I focused on home. I pictured Kylie’s bedroom with the rows of ballet flats and the cut-out magazine photos plastered on the wall.

When I felt the real world shudder back in around me, I opened my eyes and took a few breaths, energy completely drained. I snuffed out the candle and ran over to the bed where Kylie had passed out. I checked her pulse. Under my fingertips, I felt the steady thrumming of her heartbeat. I let out a sigh of relief and a whisper of prayer to whatever was out there watching over us. She might be in bad shape, but she was alive.

“Is it gone?” she whispered.

“Yeah, I just need to do a protection spell for your room, and you’ll be all set.”

“Thank you, Holly,” she said in a raspy voice.

I felt a twinge of guilt. I’d been ready to con her, and she was thanking me for almost getting her killed.

“Tell me how you feel,” I said, going into the doctor mode I’d perfected in the last year.

She let out a light sigh and squinted her eyes. “Super tired. Weak. A little freaked out, but I’m also really relieved.”

“Do you feel bad anywhere?” I asked. “Does anything hurt?”

“No,” Kylie said, frowning. “Can a ghost hurt me?”

I chose not to answer that. Sounded like she’d forgotten what I’d told her, and that was fine with me. I shouldn’t have even tried to explain. It had only scared her, and it was best she didn’t go blabbing that information around school. Word spreads fast in a small town.

Kylie’s eyes fell shut, and I hated to bother her. “Kylie.”

“Hmm?” she asked, eyes still closed.

“I’m going to cast a protection spell.” I grabbed a soft blanket from the end of her bed and draped it over her. “And then I’m going to make you some tea that will…make you feel better.”

“Hmm,” she said, snuggling under the blanket.

I could tell trying to carry on a conversation with Kylie would be pointless.

Protection spells were the very first shaman magic my mom had taught me. They were the easiest to cast. And the weirdest, at least to me. Leaving Kylie, I scooped my supplies into my backpack and grabbed a ziplock bag of small chicken bones. I unzipped the bag, pulled out four bones, and then put the rest back into my backpack.

I glanced over at Kylie, who was now sound asleep, her chest rising and falling, a peaceful expression softening her features. She looked like an overgrown kid. Innocent and worry-free with no problems at all. And for a moment, I was jealous of her. But then I remembered every lifestyle had problems outsiders can’t even imagine. All her fluffy pillows, the private beach and the sporty car came with a price. Just because I didn’t see it right away didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

One of those prices, apparently, was being targeted for a spirit attack. I’d been wracking my brain for an explanation. Maybe some had shaman decided to target Kylie in hope of getting ransom money to make it go away, even though she’d mentioned nothing about a note