Daughters of the Lake(88)

“Oh.” Nick ran a hand through his hair. “In that case, I—”

“We have an entire house full of empty guestrooms,” Simon said as he turned Jonathan toward their master suite. “If you choose to stay, feel free to take your pick. Charles will be here to make breakfast in the morning for all of us. Good night, kids.”

“I can make a call to get someone to walk Queenie,” Nick said, a slight smile on his face.

And with that, Kate and Nick were alone. They had spent the next hour or so in the living room, talking about the evening, sharing kisses, and staring into the fire that was blazing away in the fireplace. When Kate had started to nod off, Nick’s arm around her, her head on his shoulder, he nudged her awake.

“I think it’s time to go up,” he said, stealing one last kiss by the fire.

He led her up to her second-floor room, Hadley’s Suite, and they stopped at the door, Nick leaning against its frame.

Kate draped her arms around his neck. “I’d love to invite you inside,” she whispered.

He smiled. “I’d feel better about it if I knew Mr. and Mr. Busybody weren’t down the hall.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Kate smiled. “If we emerged from the same room in the morning, they’d demand a play-by-play.”

“We would not!” came a voice from down the hallway.

Kate and Nick shared a laugh, and he kissed her good night. “If you hear anything, I’m in the next room.”

“Okay,” she’d said and slipped inside her room, shutting the door behind her.

Now, Kate snuggled back down under the covers and exhaled, thinking of the man in the next room and wishing he was lying beside her. She watched the shadows play on the walls for a bit and then closed her eyes, not realizing that the coals in her fireplace were too small to cast shadows.



An hour later, Nick found Kate cowering in the corner of one of the turret rooms above the third floor, a massive dog standing over her, growling. Nick had awakened because of Alaska’s barking and followed the sound up to the third floor. Jonathan and Simon pounded up the stairs a few moments later.

“Alaska!” Nick yelled. “Down! Down, girl!”

But the dog didn’t move. Her yellow eyes were trained on Kate’s face, a fierce snarl coming from the dog’s throat, her teeth bared.

Nick tried to reach Kate, but the dog stood in his way, a low growl warning him off.

“Kate! What—”

It was then he noticed Kate’s demeanor, as though she didn’t even know the dog—or he—was there.

Instead of the bright hazel in her eyes, Kate’s pupils were black. She was staring off into space, her arms crooked as though she was holding a baby.

“She cries so,” Kate said, in a paper-thin voice not her own. “I cannot get her to stop crying! Why won’t she sleep?”

“Kate,” Nick called to her. “Kate, it’s me. Look at me, Katie.”

“That’s not Kate,” Simon whispered, reaching for Jonathan’s arm. “Alaska would never growl at Kate.”

“Hush, little baby, don’t you cry . . . ,” Kate sang in a whisper.

“Let me try,” Simon said to Nick. He nodded.

“Celeste,” Simon said, his voice wavering. “Celeste, what have you done?”

At this, Kate’s head snapped in Simon’s direction. “What have you done?” she said to him, slowing pushing herself up to a standing position. “This is all your fault.” But she wasn’t looking at Simon. She was looking beyond him, down the turret steps into the empty ballroom below. Simon didn’t realize Harrison was standing there. “You brought her into this house. My house. I want her out. She’s not a Connor.”

Simon, Nick, and Jonathan watched as Kate tumbled—or more exactly, was thrown—down the turret steps, Alaska barking ferociously at her heels. Kate landed with a thud on the ballroom floor.

“Alaska, move aside!” Nick yelled, pushing the dog and risking a broken arm in the process. But the dog didn’t bite, allowing Nick to get to Kate and lift her to her feet.

“Kate, honey, wherever you are in there, it’s Nick,” he said. Kate’s head was lolling to the side, her black eyes wild, a terrifying grin across her face.

Kate got to her feet, a low chuckle escaping her lips. “Hush, little baby, don’t you cry . . .”

The air around them began to swirl and thicken, as though they were standing in the center of a windstorm.

“Tell her to go to the light,” Jonathan whispered to Simon.

“Go to the light?” Simon hissed in a whisper. “Is that really a thing?”

Jonathan shrugged. “No idea. But what else are we going to do? Invoke somebody! Your relatives?”

Simon cleared his throat. “Great-Grandfather Harrison, if you’re here, help us send Celeste to the light. Take her away, Harrison. Help her cross over. I know you don’t want this, and she can’t stay here with us.”

“Mama’s going to sing you a lullaby . . .”

“I’ve summoned your great-grandmother, boy,” a voice whispered in Simon’s ear. “Call Addie. I’ve got someone of my own to call.”

“Addie!” Simon called out, louder than before. “Great-Grandmother Addie Stewart! We call upon you to help us rid this place of this dark spirit, to free your great-granddaughter Kate from her grasp.”