When The Grave Calls (The Veil Diaries #9) - B.L. Brunnemer Page 0,28
the house.” Ethan walked past her and went to me. His hand went to my lower back. “Did you call Uma?”
I nodded then turned to the others as they reached us.
Isaac moved to stand beside Jess. Zeke took my other side while Asher and Miles filled in the rest of our circle.
“Uma?” Jessica asked.
“She’s the head of the witches in town,” I said absently. “Did anyone find anything?”
All the guys shook their heads.
“Every ward I saw was intact,” Asher said.
“Ward?” Jessica turned to look up at her brother.
“It’s a protection symbol, it keeps the dead out of the house and away from Ally,” Asher answered.
“So, she wasn’t dead,” I surmised.
The front door opened. Uma walked in swathed in a lavender robe. “What do we know?”
The boys moved over for Uma to join the circle.
“It was the girl from my dreams, only this time in black and white while I was wide awake,” I explained in a rush.
“So, this is Uma,” Jessica whispered to Asher.
Asher nodded.
Uma glanced at her before turning back to us. “The wards?”
“Intact,” Zeke answered.
“Hmm. She could be astral projecting.”
“Right into our bedroom,” Miles muttered.
Jessica’s head snapped around, her eyes going from Miles to me and back again.
“Did she say anything?” Uma asked, drawing my attention back to her.
“Yeah, she asked to make it stop,” I said. “But didn’t say what ‘it’ was.”
Jessica’s eyes traveled down my body to where Ethan’s hand rested now on my hip.
I pulled away a little; Ethan dropped his hand to his side.
“This was the same girl from the files in New Orleans?” Uma asked as her brow drew down.
“Yeah.”
The witch’s lips formed a tight line as she mulled over all the information. “Then let’s take a wildly intuitive leap and say that she’s probably still with Jadis’ forces.”
Ethan began to twirl his rings. “Do you think they’ve started up the experiments that they had going in New Orleans?”
My stomach tightened.
“They very well could have. They’ve been here long enough.” Uma sighed. “What is she up to?”
“She’s trying to take us out,” Miles stated. “One by one.”
Uma turned a questioning gaze on him. “What makes you say that?”
“An associate of mine spotted one of Jadis’ people in the crowd while Asher’s house burned,” Miles announced.
Uma cursed under her breath. “If that’s so, then we can assume that Ethan’s attack was an abduction attempt.”
“Let’s assume away.” Ethan’s voice was dry. “If they’re doing experiments again, we have to stop them.”
I reached over and took his hand in mine. His fingers squeezed tightly. Jessica’s brows drew down, her lips pinched.
Uma turned to Ethan. “The problem is, this could be a trap set up by Jadis.”
“A trap?” Isaac asked.
Uma nodded. “To draw us in and hit us with overwhelming force.”
I thought about the girl again, the desperation in her eyes. “I don’t think it’s a trap, she seemed genuinely terrified.”
“Just like any good bait would be,” Uma countered.
“If she was only bait, wouldn’t she have had something more informative to say other than help me?” Miles asked.
Uma was silent for several heartbeats. “Maybe, maybe not. We’ll have to see how this develops.”
“What happens if she comes back?” Asher asked. “Can she do anything to us?”
Uma scratched her eyebrow. “Astral projection is one of the rarer abilities. If she’s a strong enough psychic, she could move or interact with the location she’s projecting to.”
The guys and I cursed. Well, except for Miles.
“But that level of power is exceedingly rare,” Uma explained. “It’s almost unheard of.”
“How much interaction are we talking about?” I shivered as a sudden chill ran up my spine.
Zeke stepped closer, sharing his body heat with me.
Jessica’s eyes narrowed.
“The most I’ve heard of is picking up an object before the strain became too much and they disappeared,” Uma said.
“So, she wouldn’t be able to come at us with a knife?” Zeke asked, his hand moving to my back.
Jessica stood up straight and turned to Asher.
“No, I highly doubt that would become an issue. Tomorrow we’ll decide how to move forward.” Uma started for the door. “Go back to bed for now. We’ll work on it in the morning.”
Uma shut the front door behind her.
“There’s a creepy not-dead girl around the house and we’re supposed to go to sleep?” Isaac scoffed. “Not happening.”
“She’s right, we need to get some sleep.” I knew I was tired as hell. “I’m going to bed. Night, guys.”
“I’m coming with you.” Isaac started to follow.
“Me too.” Ethan shuddered. “I’m not going to be alone if creepy girl comes back.”