Spells A Bayou Magic Novel - Kristen Proby Page 0,35

“And, honestly, I’m freaked the hell out.”

“Sit,” Brielle says. “Let’s talk this out.”

Daphne sits in a pink armchair and smiles as she settles in. “A spinster woman owned this chair, and she enjoyed knitting and soap operas in her old age. She’s quite the character.”

“How can you own this place?” I ask her, intrigued. “Knowing that every single thing you bring in and touch will be a psychic event, and you’ll never know if it’s benign or sinister?”

“I have shields,” she answers. “And a process to go through. Sometime, after all of this is over and we have free time on our hands again, you can come by, and I’ll explain it to you.”

“I’d be fascinated,” I reply with a nod. “And I’ll take you up on that.”

“First,” Cash says, getting right down to business, “let’s talk about a dead serial killer who still has it out for these three women.”

“Such a fun topic.” Millie quirks a lip. “I think we can all finally agree that the man we saw dead on the street, and the severed body parts that have shown up, are his work. I don’t know how, but it has to be him. He’s also left blood smears for us to find. He’s back to taunting us. Or, me, anyway.”

“My dreams are changing,” Daphne says. “I didn’t want to mention it before until I knew for sure, and it’s not the same as it was when Brielle was the focus. Then, I simply stepped into her dreams and watched as if it was a movie.”

“What’s it like this time?” I ask.

“Millie’s always had the dreams.” She looks at her sister. “Even when we were small, her dreams frightened her, and she’d come find one of us to sleep with.”

I hold Millie’s hand more tightly at the thought of her as a frightened child.

“I’ve never really been a dreamer, that’s not my gift,” Daphne continues. “Nor is it Brielle’s. But, for some reason, I start to dream whenever he starts making an appearance. So now I’m going back in time, obviously to previous lives.”

I lean forward, instantly captivated.

“I see Lucien and Millie, fighting together and losing every time. They’re dressed differently and even speak different languages. They can’t hear me or see me, and it’s like I’m watching a rerun on TV. It’s fucking frustrating.”

“How is he doing this?” Brielle asks. “He’s a spirit.”

“It’s not unheard of,” I reply. “Poltergeists exist. Move things around. You hear all the time about people with haunted houses, and their things being moved. It’s not out of the question, given how strong of an entity he is, that he can do these things.”

“Stanger things have happened,” Millie mumbles and then looks around the room as everyone stares at her.

“Really?” Cash says. “Stranger things than this have happened to you?”

“It’s an expression.” She waves him off. “I think the hardest part now is going to be finding him, given that he isn’t in a physical body, and we have no idea where he’s keeping his victims. And while we’re on that subject, why is he suddenly killing men? It doesn’t make sense. He has a thing for us, and he killed Brielle over and over again. He should be killing me over and over again if he stays on the same course. The men don’t make sense.”

“He’s a fucking psychopath,” Daphne reminds her. “And a sociopath in some regards. I don’t think making sense is high on his priority list.”

“Well, there’s that,” Millie says.

“Do you have the bloodstone with you?” Brielle asks Cash.

“Actually, I do.” He takes a plastic bag out of his coat pocket. “I brought it for you, Lucien, to add to the other two for examination.”

“You’re just walking around town with a bloody stone in your pocket?” Millie asks. “Murder cops are weird.”

“So are witches.” Cash winks.

“I want to touch it,” Daphne says. “Maybe if I hold it, I’ll be able to see where he is, determine how to find him.”

“That’s worth a try,” I agree with a nod. But when Daphne reaches for the stone, she gets a shock that sends her back several feet.

“Ouch.”

“That’s what happened to me yesterday.” Millie shrugs.

“Let me try.” Brielle says, and the same thing happens to her. “Okay, so he’s cast a spell on the stones and has blocked us that way.”

“There has to be a way to find him. To lure him out,” Daphne insists.

“Oh, yes, let’s taunt him,” Brielle quips, but I’m already nodding.

“She’s right. The coven is having a special