“Have you slept at all?”
“Some,” she says. “This spell requires a lot of work at different times. I need to be awake to complete all the moving parts.”
“You should get some rest, Alesha. You’re not going to do anyone any good if you’re passed out cold.”
She laughs. “I can go days without sleep and weeks living on an hour or two. Witches’ blood and all that.”
“So, like, a normal witch doesn’t need sleep?”
“Yes, they do.”
We both jump at the sound of Ezekiel’s voice. He’s standing just to the side of us. Neither of us heard him approach. He’s like a cat. Just springs himself on you with no thought to the heart attack he’s about to cause.
“But Ms. Blackburne is not a normal witch.” He moves closer, and I’m struck at just how much he looks like that actor who played Ichabod Crane in that remake of Sleepy Hollow Fox did several years ago. It’s uncanny and hella freaky.
“What do you mean?” I ask after a moment when it’s obvious neither of them is going to elaborate.
“The Blackburnes are one of the three magical Families of Power in the paranormal community. And they’re the most powerful of the three. Hence why there is a kill-on-sight order for her children. People are afraid of what they don’t know. But with Alesha, there’s more than just her family bloodline.”
“You’ve done your homework,” she murmurs.
“When it comes to the safety of my children, yes, Ms. Blackburne, I do my homework.”
“Are either of you going to tell me what that means?”
“It means I’ve dealt more in black magic over the years than most.”
“So? You always say true magic is neither good nor bad, it’s a combination of the two. Why does it matter how much you do of one kind of magic over the other?”
“It matters because when a witch performs magic, our soul is used as a catalyst of sorts. When we do black magic, it leaves a stain on our soul. It’s how witches go dark.”
Oh… “Hell.”
“Pretty much,” Alesha says, laughing. “If not for Alex and Jason, I probably would have gone dark a long time ago. They’ve kept me from becoming my father.”
“Speaking of your father, do you wish to travel to your family plantation home here in New Orleans? It’s not far from here, and I can arrange to have someone take you.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t suggest we stay there.”
“I can’t keep you safe there. Here, I know my wards. It’s all but impenetrable.”
Alesha cocks her head in question.
“Silas.” Ezekiel grimaces. “That demon has gotten through every demonic ward that’s ever been built.”
“He’s quite slippery.”
“You know him?”
Alesha nods. “We’ve crossed paths once before. It was after the memory spell I did on Emma when she was little. He wanted to know where she and her mother were. I could honestly answer I didn’t know.” A sly smile flits across her face. “He learned very quickly not to try to intimidate me. I don’t deal with threats very well.”
“You sound a lot like my daughter. She’s fearless.”
“As is my daughter. Alex had a rough life, but it didn’t break her. She’s fearless in her own right.”
Not exactly true, but close enough. Her grandfather broke her, and she’s healing from the mind games he played with her. I don’t know if she’ll ever really come back from it, but if Alesha wants to believe she will, I’m not going to tell her otherwise.
“Emma was taken from us when she was two and later put into the foster care system. I didn’t find her until she was seventeen. She learned to survive on her own. It’s what I’m counting on to keep her safe until we can get to her.” He gestures to the mess she has going on around us. “I’m assuming this is part of finding her?”
“This is part of getting onto the island.” Alesha turns her attention to me. “Give me your hand.”
I do it without question, even when she brings out a small knife. I’m assuming it’s silver. That seems to be the blade of choice amongst paranormal magic wielders, at least in my limited understanding of it. A witch, I am not.
Ezekiel snatches my hand away from Alesha before she can even get the blade near my flesh. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m finishing my spell.”
“With her blood?”
“It’s necessary.”
He turns his attention to me. “Never, ever let anyone have your blood. It is the single most powerful element in all of magic. It can be used against you.”
“But Alesha’s not going to do that.” I gently take my hand back from him. “She won’t hurt me.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because if she did, Alex would never forgive her.”
He frowns but doesn’t move to retake my hand.
“I’m not a monster.” Alesha actually looks hurt, and I feel bad for her. She knows this is her mate, a mate she stands zero chance of claiming as long as his girlfriend is in the picture.
“I’m a monster.” Ezekiel sinks to the ground beside us. “There’s no harm or shame in admitting that. It keeps us alive when others die.”
Her eyes flash up to him. “What if I don’t want to be a monster?”
“I think that ship’s already sailed, Ms. Blackburne.”
Again, a look of hurt flickers through her eyes.
“So, what is this spell supposed to do?” It’s probably best to get them the hell away from this line of conversation.
“The crawlers are spell bound to Kristoff’s blood. It’s the only way to ensure they ignore the call of a Necromancer. Mr. Crane was right about the blood being the single most powerful element in magic.”
“Okay, so what does my blood have to do with breaking the spell if they’re programmed to ignore my call?”
“Because Kristoff doesn’t know what Madame knew.” A very, very evil smile graces Alesha’s lips, and it makes me slightly worried about this whole black stain on the soul thing. “Not only are your powers at their most wild right now, you’re also the single most powerful Necromancer alive.”
“What?” I whisper.
“Saidie, you’re descended from the original Necromancer. You are the spitting image of her. And from the tests I’ve done, you’ve inherited all her abilities. You just don’t know how to use them, or maybe unlock them might be a better way to put it. The crawlers, Kristoff, any dead thing, really, cannot ignore your call if you learn to harness your abilities.”
“So, if I knew what I was doing, we’d already be on the island and be able to rescue Emma?” Dammit. I knew ignoring this curse was going to cost me more than acknowledging it. I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.
But haven’t all those poor women been hurt because I was afraid to come back here and face what I left? To face Kristoff?
“You can’t look at it like that, young lady.” Ezekiel takes my hand. He has calluses on his. I don’t know why I’m so surprised by that. He looks like someone who never gets their hands dirty, but I know he does. Sabien gave us all a rundown on the Cranes.