Every Witch Way But Dead Page 8

  My body stiffened…then, silence.

  The blood, the knife, the pain. Again.

  In a circle it went, around and around. As rapidly as they appeared, the flashes of multi-colored lights disappeared.

  I saw smoke in the ethers. The sulfuric odor assailed my nose and I found it once again difficult to breath. The energy oozed out of me.

  Scents of myrrh replaced the sulfur. I heard chanting in a language I was unfamiliar with, yet understood.

  Then obscurity followed.

  In the dim recesses, there were two figures. Their appearance was majestic. Was it the Lord and Lady? A rush of sensations pummeled me as the two became one.

  Their hunger grew. They came together.

  They were the central focus as torches towered over them… They would be killed if anyone caught them, especially her.

  Next thing I knew, Kara’s almond shaped eyes stared back at me, her rosebud mouth parted, but she appeared terrified to speak. “You called for Isis—and then you were back.” She blinked back tears. One escaped. I kept forgetting she didn’t have very much experience with these psychic happenings.

  “It’s okay, Kara, really—don’t cry.” I sat up and hugged her. Both of us needed significant grounding.

  “You were out for at least fifteen minutes,” she whispered.

  She helped me up and led me to the altar. I took some quartz crystals out of my pocket and left them beside the statue of Isis, saying a silent prayer of thanks to her for bringing me back from the nether-realm.

  “You mind putting out the candles?” I asked, wincing while I gently massaged my temples.

  “Of course not.” Kara went around the room extinguishing them with the candlesnuffer, keeping an eye on me all the while.

  I felt light-headed and sat back down for a few moments. I checked my watch; it was ten o’clock. The ache was there again, in my solar plexus. It radiated down to my first chakra and rooted itself there.

  Marisa came bounding up the stairs. “Angie,” she called, reaching the top. “Come outside.” She about-faced and took a double take at me. “You’re absolutely ghostly. What happened?” She rushed over, grabbed my arm and forced the energy to pass to her and then directed it to Mother Earth. “You are absolutely buzzing with energy. Are you all right?”

  “She had another—spell,” Kara answered, stone-faced.

  I tried to smile. “I scared the poor girl to death. I mean, I frightened the hell out of her.”

  “Shit!” Marisa cursed. “Let’s get some food into you, you don’t look so good. Can you walk?” She slowly led me downstairs and into the kitchen where a handful of women sipped cranberry juice and munched on cookies and pie. Each held a bag with some trinkets from the shop.

  Marisa grabbed a cup of apple juice and handed it to me. Along with the juice, she offered a chocolate chip cookie. In fact, a carob chip cookie made by Lucy, a baker at The Healthy Harvest Café and client of Marisa’s. “Eat this,” she commanded, like Moses in Egypt.

  “That was a great meditation,” Barbara, our forty-something, southern belle, gushed. “I think Marisa needs to show you something outside. Come on, I’ll walk out with you, and then I really have to get home.”

  I was in a stupor, led around like a puppy on a leash. I grabbed another cookie as we headed out the side door.

  Someone had keyed my Explorer, which glowed under the sensor lights of the parking area. The words, GO TO HELL WITCH, etched in deep gashes along both sides of my vehicle, lit up like a neon sign against the hunter green paint of the truck.

  “Lucy noticed it when she was leaving and ran back into the store to tell me. I called the cops,” Marisa chattered. The more nervous she got, the more she talked. “They wouldn’t just single you out, would they? I guess whoever did this didn’t recognize my husband’s car. I took his tonight because he was parked behind me. Who do you think would do this? Those crazy religious fanatics?”

  “Are you going to be sick?” Barbara asked. “You look so pale all of a sudden, poor thing. Come on let’s go back inside and wait until the police get here,” she said soothingly, in a way only she could. Born and raised in Georgia, she had the sweetest southern drawl. She placed her plump arm around my waist as we walked into the kitchen. “You best eat something, you’re skin and bones.” She placed her packages down and cut a slice of her contribution to tonight’s eats, homemade peach pie.

  “I thought you needed to go… I don’t want to keep you, Barb.”

  “Nonsense. My husband’s probably sleeping anyway.” She shook her head and handed me some pie. Her thick chestnut braid swung like a pendulum as she poured more coffee.

  I heard familiar voices outside as two officers peeked into the back.

  “Mrs. Kane?” the light haired, slightly older one asked. “It’s Schmitt and Pugliese.”

  I nodded, taking a bite of the pie. I wiped my mouth and sipped some of the fresh coffee Barbara placed before me. She winked as she took the empty plates off the table and tossed them in the trash.

  “What are these?” she asked, pulling some of the flyers from earlier that day out of the garbage.

  “Oh, we get them from time to time,” I said, trying to play it down. I had enough drama between the Jehovah’s and Born Agains.

  “Well, seeing as someone trashed your truck, I think the officers should see this,” Barbara stated, handing the pie-stained flyers to Officer Pugliese.

  I knew Barb meant well, but I just wanted to go home. “The flyers say pretty much the same thing as yesterday’s and the day before and the week before that. They’re advertisements for prayer meetings. The Watch Tower pamphlet from the Jehovah’s folks. Bible meetings. Nothing sinister,” I reported. “I doubt the Jehovah’s had anything to do with this.”

  Rob Pugliese said, “I’m going to call this in to Detective Bennette. He wants to be notified of any more trouble that occurs here.”

  “Go ahead. You want to file a criminal mischief report?” Officer Schmitt asked.

  Marisa tapped me on the shoulder. “Remember the brick,” she added, looking suspicious at the mention of the Jehovah’s.

  “I guess,” I answered, just beginning to feel somewhat close to normal.

  “I always meant to come in here. Sorry it’s always under these circumstances,” Officer Pugliese said. He turned down his radio, his hazel eyes bright, looking around as much he could from his view at the back of the shop. I noticed his tiny stud earring, a sterling silver pentacle, not a plain star. I relaxed. His partner was another story. He appeared almost annoyed, and all business.

  The younger officer’s eyes widened, looking at Marisa then me. “You two are from the case last year. You found the lost boy! I remember now. Little Joey Carbone.”

  Marisa nodded. “Yes, it’s us.”

  Officer Schmitt took all the relevant information in between his partner’s endless questions, looking very unimpressed and quite perturbed. No doubt, Officer Pugliese was a rookie, green as could be, but with a nice aura, which was actually quite blue.

  With one series of questioning done, I waited for the detective to arrive and finish the second round. He made it to the shop within ten minutes, dressed casually in khakis and a black polo shirt.

  “Is anyone hurt?” Sean Bennette asked, barreling through the back entrance. “I’m going to take photos of your vehicle.” He stood by the door, eyeing the parking lot.

  “N-No. No one was hurt,” I answered.

  “Are you certain there’ve been no other threats made to you or the shop lately?”

  “No, Detective, just the incidences with the brick and the bird.”

  Marisa wrapped up the desserts left by the women of our healing circle. “I don’t like to point fingers but—isn’t it logical that the Jehovah’s may have something to do with this? I mean, Ethan Whelan threw a brick and Goddess only knows who left that dove,” she surmised.

  The detective looked at Marisa, then me. “I’ll question him again, tomorrow.
I’ll stay with you ladies until you lock up for the night. Just to be safe.”

  Marisa looked at me and winked. “Thanks for the extra attention, Detective.”

  “My pleasure,” he answered.

  * * *

  On my way home from the shop, someone or something subtly guided me in the direction of Greenview Park. It was a glorious night. The sky dripped with a wealth of stars. Oftentimes I spent evenings such as this walking along the beach or in the womb of the forest. Tonight I craved the nurturing energy of the dense woods.

  I strolled by the pond barefoot and fantasized what it would have been like to live in days of old, our lives totally dictated by the seasons. In the distance, I discerned the flickering of firelight amid the junipers. I wound my way through the vegetation and stopped abruptly when I reached the clearing.

  Insinuating itself beneath my skin was the now familiar arousal. Torches glowed, standing sentinel as I looked upon two figures in the night. Each was cloaked in black. One had striking features, blonde and petite. The other, male, dwarfed her. His powerful muscles and aura exuded sexuality. He pushed off her shawl and knelt in front of her. Her skin glimmered under the moonlight.

  I thought to leave, but somehow, my feet were rooted to terra firma. The air in the woods felt heavy, but not with humidity. The energy was dense and I found myself unable to leave. The man turned in my direction and I heard him say, Stay, I need you to watch. Only his lips never moved, and the message registered in my mind.

  The air around me was getting warmer, and my skin prickled in the humid summer night. I gasped at the sight of her nakedness. He kissed her feet, stomach, breasts and lips. She pulled down his hooded robe, his arousal evident. The couple stood in the moonlight, with arms held up in the air. He spoke an incantation, but I couldn’t hear the details.

  Nature provided the stone altar. A thick blanket embossed with a Celtic design draped over it. He laid her down and anointed her breasts body with some type of thick liquid, which he lapped up seductively with his tongue. He climbed upon the makeshift shrine. Her arms reached out to welcome him inside her, and together the two were one. I used all my inner strength to break the connection between this stranger and myself. He was powerful and determined to keep me there, watching.

  The aching within me began in earnest now and thoughts of my own sacred ritual invaded my mind. I felt a static snap and backed away to my SUV, hearing their moans of pleasure amid the crickets. I broke his hold, partially.

  Sitting behind the wheel, I tried turning the ignition. A sudden invisible force slammed into me as I climaxed. I closed my eyes, then opened them and saw the midnight sky above me. Blue eyes looked back. Wave after wave of pleasure engulfed me. My astral body connected to this man and I somehow took the place of his partner as I felt her powerful orgasms.

  As if changed by the click of a remote control, the eyes that stared back at me were at once obsidian and I could see into forever in them. The air surrounding us was now dry and lacked the humidity of the forest. A thick gold necklace hung from my lover’s throat.

  “Jamila,” he whispered longingly.

  The tunnel vision vanished, and my body arched once more from the sensations. Wiping the perspiration from my forehead, I wondered, what the hell was going on?

  My body betrayed me, reacting while I psychically viewed the scene.

  What type of magick did this man possess and why did he use it on me? The questions would have to wait as the waves of emotions grew in intensity, nearing their peak. I started shaking—the familiar beginnings of an anxiety attack. Don’t panic, I told myself. But like a snowball rolling downhill, it gained momentum.

  Whatever abilities I had as a witch didn’t help me now. His power immobilized me, frightening me like I’d never been before, and this fear had its claws dug deep inside my soul. Think, Angelica, think… I clenched my jaw and bit down on the inside of my cheek, attempting to take the focus off him and onto the pain. I tried to steady my hands. Goddess knew what else this man might be capable of, and I didn’t want to find out. “I have to get out of here.” I spoke the words aloud, desperate to gain control of myself.

  The key gleamed in the ignition, bringing my attention to the task at hand, which was getting the hell out of there. In my panic, my protective barriers lowered and I could feel him trying to keep them down. My heart pounded as I struggled to breathe. No, Angie, do not hyperventilate, please.

  Reaching for my Tiger’s Eye pendant, I clutched it as it dangled from the rear view mirror. I asked Isis for strength. “Please, help me,” I whispered. I turned the key, put the Explorer into drive and, scared to look back, focused on getting to the main road.

  How could this happen? It never had before. I thought I’d experienced just about everything. Boy, was I wrong.

  * * *

  Frantically, I reached for my cell phone to call Jon on my way back home. I needed serious grounding and the sound of his voice had a calming magick of its own.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “I was worried about you.”

  I scrambled, plugging the phone in the console, and turned the speaker feature on. “I-I’m sorry, I did tell you I was going to the park to clear my head, didn’t I?” My brain went dead and I couldn’t remember.

  I heard a heavy sigh on his end. “Yes, you did, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to worry about you. You don’t sound right, is everything okay?”

  “I’ll be fine as soon as I get home.” My heart rate had finally gone back to normal.

  Jon said softly, “This really has you rattled. I know this is a first, getting your vehicle keyed, but you’ve had your share of confrontations before. Where’s my warrior Priestess wife? Who is this imposter?”

  He managed to get me to smile, I knew he would. I debated telling him what happened in the park, but he had another question in mind. “Did the detective show up? What did the cops say?”

  “Yes. He took photos of the Explorer and promised to keep us informed if anything comes up.”

  I was secretly relieved he changed the subject. A fine line existed between what Jon could handle metaphysically and what went beyond his psychic threshold. What happened to me tonight went light years beyond his limits. Not that he couldn’t intellectually understand, but it would leave him feeling helpless, and Jon does not like to feel out of control. The way he coped with those feelings was to get angry. I had enough on my plate to deal with; trying to soothe him was not on my agenda for tonight. I needed the comforting.

  I rounded the corner and turned onto my block. “I’ll be pulling into the driveway in a minute. I love you.”

  “I’m here.”

  He took me in his arms when I walked in and held me like that for a few minutes. Cody, our puppy, sat at our feet whimpering, hoping we’d take pity and feed him some treats.

  “What a night.” I sighed.

  “How are you?” he asked. “Really.”

  “Not too good.” He hugged me tighter. “Let’s go upstairs,” he whispered.

  Tonight my hunger for Jon bordered on desperation. The need was intense, but it was more of a desire to erase what I’d witnessed. And what I’d physically felt. The feelings of violation permeated my body until I felt Jon caress it all away with his gentle touch.

  Lingering thoughts skulked in the corners of my psyche while we made love. As his pace quickened, I sensed my emotional walls crumbling. The pleasing heat within me began to spread throughout my body as I reached orgasm in sync with my husband. Thankfully, the face that peered down at me hadn’t morphed into another’s. I gently held Jon’s face between my hands and kissed him. Slowly he rolled off me and laid beside me, taking me protectively into his arms.

  Whatever the origin of our passions, whether etheric or physical, we sated each other. In the afterglow of our lovemaking, I serenely drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Nine

  Turquoise is calming to the mind, body and spirit. It comes from the earth, of course, but has the color
of the sky. It can help you turn ideas into reality. Because of this stone's ability to inspire understanding, it is a favorite of many healers. Turquoise can allow you to understand the sometimes multifaceted factors involved in health. It can help you to see beyond the unambiguous to discover the root cause of a problem. ~ From Marisa Arrucci’s Gem Power workshop.

  What could I say? Monday mornings sucked. They just seemed to carry the energy of what millions of people felt—the weekends were just too short. In our case, for the summer at least, they were much too short.

  Perhaps it was just me, not being a morning person. It didn’t seem to have an effect on my perky friend. Marisa was busying herself baking fresh blueberry muffins when I arrived at the shop. I just looked at her and shook my head, and she in turn looked at me and laughed.

  “Have some coffee, Sunshine, it’s strong enough to wake even the dead.”

  “Not funny, Marisa.” I moaned. “I prefer they stay where they are.” I poured a large mug of Hawaiian Kona.

  She handed me a muffin. “You take care of your truck?”

  “Jon took it. I have his Jeep,” I answered.

  “Have you had any more visitors? Astral, I mean.”

  I no sooner screwed up enough courage to explain in detail my past life flashes, mysterious libido and the visions of strange rituals, when I noticed Sally outside the shop. She must have been speaking to someone just beyond my field of vision. She looked flushed with anger as her hands flailed in the air. “No, thank the Goddess. Although I’ve been experiencing some strange occurrences…” I walked to the door and waited a minute, listening.

  This time I heard her. “No—I told you I’m not doing that again. I’m sorry.”

  “Hi, Sal,” I said cautiously, peeking around her, trying to get a glimpse of who had riled her so much. All I could make out was that it was a male. He turned the corner as Sally moved out of the way.

  We walked inside. Sally made her way to the showcases, eyes cast downward, and her face wore a feeble smile. The air that surrounded her was pensive, full of stagnant energy. Dark.