“Ignore the curse,” his voice was darker than I’d ever heard it as he whispered in my ear, “and there will be nothing I can do for you. They’ll come for you in the middle of the night, and, Chi McLane, they will tear you apart.”
I swear the room shook as he said tear you apart. Or at least I did. It shook me like my bones had turned to jelly.
Max’s shadow loomed larger, too. It was like it momentarily became more real than he did.
So far, Sarah hadn’t said a word, but now she pushed forward, approaching us warily. “What’s going on? You said the seer wanted to come,” she added, addressing Max. “You said she would help willingly.” The more Sarah spoke, the more desperate her words became. They strung together, turning into a garbled mess.
“She will help. She’s just forgotten something, that’s all,” Max’s tone dropped again.
I locked my gaze on him, and if eyes could have killed, they would have. It was damn clear he had zero intention of letting me go. Well, fine, then. I’d just find a way to get out of this when he wasn’t looking.
Maybe Max thought I hadn’t changed. Maybe he thought I was still the little lying witch I’d been before I inherited the clairvoyant powers of my grandmother. He was wrong – I had changed. Just not in the way he was hoping. He wanted me to blindly follow him, to blindly use my powers however he saw fit. I wasn’t going to do that. Maybe in his mind, I should selflessly investigate this murder. But that was stupid. Because I was in too far over my head. And if Sarah Anne was right, and not even the police could help, what hope did I have? Yes, maybe I could stare at this photo, call on my powers of the future, and try to figure out what would happen next. Or maybe I’d make the wrong move, and in doing so, I’d wind up as the next victim. Max was the kind of guy to run forward without asking questions. Well, that could get you killed.
Knowing full well that I wouldn’t get out of here until I plucked up the photo, I shot Max one more defiant look before I turned around, knelt down, and picked it up. I had to clench my teeth to stave off that godawful tingling sensation. It drove hard through my fingers, ate into my wrist, and shot up my arm.
Though I hadn’t put any effort into developing my powers over the past week, it appeared they were growing stronger on their own.
Great. I grabbed the photo lightly like I was scared it was covered in poison. “I’ll see what I can do.”
She offered me a muddled smile, obviously still confused at mine and Max’s bizarre interaction. “I will be forever indebted to you, sister.” She said the words sister with a great measure of respect. She also tilted forward, pressed her hand delicately against her knees, and bowed. No one had ever bowed to me in my entire life. They’d cussed at me, insulted me, and shoved me out of the way in a crowd. But bowed?
I didn’t get the opportunity to grow used to the experience. Max pushed towards me, facing Sarah Anne and smiling that beguiling smile. There was no hint of the mean Max I was so very used to, just the gentleman who very rarely showed his handsome face and charming personality to me.
Sarah Anne brightened slightly, though she was still cast into a shadow of grief.
“It will be fine, Sarah Anne. We will find this killer before he strikes again.”
She pressed her hands together and nodded low. “But we’re running out of time.” Her voice became choked, raspy as if someone had suddenly clutched their hands around her throat. “He’s killed one witch a day for the past week. The police haven’t found all their bodies, but we felt the break in the coven. The last break happened eight hours ago. He appears to be killing at 7:07 pm on the dot every day.” The more she spoke, the harder it became for her to continue. It was honestly like every word wrapped a noose tighter and tighter around her neck.
Max offered her another one of those truly commiserating, charming smiles. The kind of smile that would lift anyone’s spirits. “Don’t worry. You have help now,” he promised.
He meant me, didn’t he?
Was he using me and my powers to win points with Sarah? It certainly seemed so as he turned to me abruptly, smile stiffening as soon as he clapped eyes on me. “Right, now that’s done, do you mind waiting outside for a moment?” Max asked me. Though he said do you mind, it was quite clear it was a cursory statement. Even if I minded, it was obvious he would just shove me in the back and push me out the door.
What. A. Rude. Prick.
I didn’t even bother to say a word, just turned and marched out.
I slammed the door closed then leaned against it.
My feelings were a hot mess, a big white, blistering lump of confusion, fear, and anger. Just when I thought I could trust this guy, he turned around and did something like this. What was he doing, using me as currency to get closer to Sarah Anne?
Even as I thought that, I shook my head. I couldn’t forget that there was a real case sitting behind this – six murders.
Six murders.
I balled my hands into fists and struck them against the door again. It brought my attention to the crumpled photo in my hand. Half of me wanted to walk over to a wastepaper basket and throw it inside. It wasn’t just to spite Max. It was because
