Lucky Stars (Ghosts and Reincarnation #5)(158)
“Smothered of air, broken by sea, pure souls taken by the hand of thee, dark spirit, attend your eternal sentence, as I will, so mote it be!” Cassandra cried, a stream of sparks shot from her twig and it hit Caldwell in the gut. His body jerked once, twice, three times then it exploded in white sparks that flew across the room, bouncing off the walls, floor, ceiling and all the inhabitants. The whip ends fell and he was gone.
Jack, breathing heavily, stared into the empty space where Caldwell disappeared until he heard Miles whisper, “Bloody hell, did that just happen?”
Turning swiftly and angling low, he put his face an inch from his brother’s and demanded, “What did he do?”
Miles blinked, his head jerking and he said quietly, “Jack, I don’t know.”
“What was he talking about with Belle?” Jack clipped.
“Honest to God, Jack, I don’t know.”
Jack fisted his hand in Miles’s shirt and got nose to nose with him. “He was in you. Search for it, Miles. What did he mean?”
He felt Angus’s hand light on his back right before he heard him say, “Lad, step back. Let us see to your brother.”
Jack ignored Angus. “Tell me, Miles.”
Miles shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Jack pulled him up by his shirt than slammed him into the bed. “Think!” he roared.
He vaguely sensed Cassandra working at the bounds at Miles’s wrist then Miles, freed at his feet and one hand, pulled himself up the bed but he held Jack’s eyes. Jack moved back half a foot and returned the gesture.
“I’ll think, Jack, but honest to God, I swear, he didn’t communicate with me but I’ll try and I’ll…” his eyes moved to Cassandra, “I’ll work with her. With them. See if they can pull anything out.”
Jack straightened and tried to control his thoughts, his breathing and the burn in his gut.
Angus moved in to release Miles from the last of his bonds.
“I know it doesn’t seem good but we have a warning,” Lachlan said low at his side. “It’s always good to have a warning, mate. We’ll be prepared.”
Jack didn’t feel good about this. Not any part of it.
In fact, he felt a burning in his gut that stated quite plainly that something was very wrong.
His eyes drifted to the space Caldwell’s spirit inhabited moments before.
Then he took in a calming breath and looked to his brother who had shifted to sit on the side of the bed, leaned forward, elbows to his thighs.
“How do you feel?” he asked and Miles tilted his head back to look at his brother.
“Like I feel the morning after I’ve had way too much lager, about the same amount of vodka and washed that all down with a kebab that had a side order of grease,” Miles answered.
“Far from pleasant,” Jack told him. “But at least you’re no longer harbouring the spirit of a man who murdered women and children.”
One side of Miles’s lips moved up as he muttered, “Silver lining.”
“What’s one and one?” Cassandra asked.
Miles sat up and twisted to look over the bed at her.
“Two,” he replied.
“Your name?” she asked.
“Miles Bennett,” he answered.
“Is it wrong to eat babies?” she asked and Miles muttered, “Jesus. Are you serious?”
Cassandra nodded, her face grave.
“Yes, bloody hell, yes, it’s wrong to eat babies,” Miles answered then twisted back and looked up at Jack before sharing, “This is f**king insane.”
“And unfortunately it’s not f**king over,” Jack replied then took in another deep breath before he said Belle’s words of weeks before. “But at least that’s one thing down.”
Miles grinned, pushed up from the bed and swayed until Jack’s hand shot out and caught his. Palm to palm, his fingers tight around the side of his brother’s hand, he held strong until Miles steadied.
And he still held strong when Miles again caught his eye.
“All right?” Jack asked quietly, looking deep into his brother’s blue eyes.
Miles took in a breath, took a moment then he nodded. “All right.”
“All right,” Jack repeated and gave his brother’s hand a jerk before letting it go.
“Jack?” Miles called and Jack looked at him again. “Nothing will happen to Belle. We’ll all look after her. It’ll be fine.”
Jack kept hold of his brother’s eyes a long moment before he nodded, hoping to God Miles was right.
Then he turned away and said to no one, “I’m getting a whisky. Then I’m getting in my car and getting Belle and my dogs. If you want a whisky, you better follow me because I won’t be taking time over mine.”
And on that, he walked out of the room with five people following him.
* * * * *
“Good dogs,” Jack murmured as both dogs came to him on the landing of Belle’s cottage but neither woofed their greeting.
Jack gave them quick but loving scratches then walked directly to Belle’s room. He moved to the side of the bed and saw her through the shadows sleeping in the middle. The moon was waning, the night dark, her wispy curtains closed. There was little light so all he could see was that she was on her side facing his side of the bed and she had her knees curled slightly toward her belly.