Darktide

Chapter 1-1

1

Angela McAllister-Wilcox

I stood at the living room window of Connor’s and my house in Jerome, watching Levi and Hayley head down the front path before they turned onto the sidewalk and continued toward Main Street. They held hands, and Hayley’s bright blonde hair rippled in the sunlight as they walked.

Connor’s arm tightened around my waist. “You okay?”

“Define ‘okay.’” I tried to laugh, but it just came out as a hoarse chuckle that wouldn’t have convinced anyone, let alone my husband. “I suppose I have to be. It’s not as if I have much choice.”

“I thought you’d be happy to hear that there haven’t been any further incursions. Levi said that he hasn’t seen evidence of any demons for the past two weeks.”

“I know. It’s just….” I let the words trail off there. Problem was, I didn’t even know how to articulate the creeping dread which seemed to have overtaken me, that made me wake up in the middle of the night and stare at the ceiling for what felt like hours as Connor peacefully slept beside me. Levi had done the McAllisters — and all the Arizona witch clans — an enormous favor by closing the portal that connected the demons’ world to this one. Ever since then, things had been quiet enough. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the calm before the storm. “Maybe it’s just watching the two of them. I can tell how happy they are, but is this really the time to start a relationship?”

Connor’s hand, which had been resting on my hip, moved gently to my stomach, which was still completely flat. “Is this really the time to start anything?” Before I could speak, he went on, “We can’t all put our lives on hold because of what’s been happening.”

“I know that.” I placed my hand on top of his, taking some comfort in the quiet strength I could sense emanating from his very fingertips.

There wasn’t much use in pointing out that, when I’d conceived, this latest mess with the Escobars hadn’t yet begun. Connor and I had quietly decided it was time to try for another baby, now that Ian and Emily would be starting school in the fall and I didn’t feel as if I’d have to run after the two of them every hour of every day. I’d just passed my twelfth week, and it was certainly safe to make the announcement to the McAllister and Wilcox clans…but did I really want to add another complication to everything else that was going on? I might be the prima, but I knew everyone would turn all protective and try to keep me out of harm’s way the second they learned I was pregnant. Of course I would prefer to stay out of harm’s way, but I also knew I couldn’t ignore the needs of the clan just to protect the fragile life I now carried within me. It was a frightening balancing act, yet another responsibility connected with being the head witch of my clan.

“Then just be happy for them.” Connor withdrew his hand, but only so he could push away the heavy hair from the back of my neck and place a gentle kiss on the skin there. A pleasant tingle moved through me before he went on, “Anyway, Levi and Hayley make a pretty potent combination. I don’t think you need to worry about them.”

No, I probably didn’t. They were most likely in a better position to take care of themselves than anyone else I knew. And, although I’d been preoccupied lately, I wasn’t so distracted that I hadn’t noticed another possible romance budding, this one between Hayley’s brother Brandon and Lucinda Santiago, whom Levi and Hayley and Brandon had rescued from the Escobars only a few weeks earlier. It wasn’t that Brandon and Lucinda had moved in together the way Levi and Hayley had — in fact, Lucinda was back staying with my Aunt Rachel, in the room that had once been mine — but I’d seen the two of them walking around Jerome together, or in our little town’s tasting rooms and restaurants. You certainly didn’t need to be psychic to see what was going on there. I was happy for Lucinda because she’d suffered enough and deserved a little happiness, and it was nice to finally see someone distract Brandon from his car obsession and the long hours he worked at a custom car and motorcycle shop down in Cottonwood. I’d seriously started to think he was asexual or something…until Lucinda came along.

If only all I had to worry about was the various love lives of my fellow clan members. Unfortunately, even if he’d been quiet for the past few weeks, I knew that Joaquin Escobar was still lurking out in California, probably plotting his revenge. Levi had been the one responsible for Matías’ death, after all, which meant there was a greater chance of being struck by lightning than of having Joaquin give up his plans for vengeance.

Problem was, I just didn’t know what form that vengeance would take.

My cell phone, which I’d left sitting on the kitchen counter, began to ring. Unwilling as I was to leave the comfort of Connor’s arms, I knew I’d better answer the phone. I slipped away from him, murmuring an apology, and hurried to the kitchen. As I picked up my cell, I saw that the number on the home screen was Luz Trujillo’s.

That couldn’t be good. We didn’t speak all that often, unless we had to deal with an unpleasant bit of clan business.

Luckily, I was able to answer before the call went to voicemail. “Luz? What’s up?”

Her voice was steady enough, but by now I knew her pretty well. I could detect a certain tightness behind her tone, a tension that told me this definitely wasn’t a social call, and my stomach clenched in anticipation of what she might have to tell me. “Bad news.”

Is there any other kind? I thought wearily. However, all I said was, “What’s happened?”

“It’s — it’s my cousin Miguel. The private detective. Remember?”

I wasn’t sure if I did — it was hard enough to keep track of all the Wilcoxes and McAllisters without trying to remember all the de la Paz witches and warlocks as well. Still, I did my best to wrack my brains and pull up some recollection about Miguel from the memory banks. “Um…he helped Alex and Caitlin capture Matías, right?”

“Right, with Jack Sandoval’s assistance.” A pause, as though Luz had stopped to gather her breath. “The Tucson P.D. just found his body.”

My reply was instant, and instinctual. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s more than that.” This time her sound of her expelling a breath was clearly audible. “They found him at the apartment where — where Roslyn and Danica were held three years ago.”

What on earth had Miguel been doing there, of all places? From what I’d heard, the place was being used as a rental again, although I had to admit that I hadn’t been paying a lot of attention to the situation. I couldn’t change the past, so there didn’t seem to be much point in dwelling on it, no matter how tragic it had been. “Do you know why he was there?”

“It seems there was a disturbance the night before. I guess the girls who were living there ran away, saying something was in the apartment with them.”

Tiny fingers of dread began to trail their way down my spine, and I shivered. Connor, who’d arrived in the kitchen a minute after I had, stared at me, concern plain on his features. The Goddess only knows what he saw in my expression. “Did they say what it was?”

“No. My cousin Oscar is with the Tucson P.D., so he was able to access the police report, but they didn’t reveal much. It seems that the place has a bad record of retaining tenants — a lot of people didn’t seem to stay for more than a few months at a time.”

I hoped the property management company that handled the apartment only offered month-to-month rentals; that was an awful lot of broken leases otherwise. However, I knew that Luz probably didn’t much care about such a minor concern right now. “Did any of them say why they left?”

“Not formally, no. But Oscar talked to some of the other tenants. The general consensus seems to be that the apartment is haunted, although no one could give any real proof of that. It just seems to be the reputation it has.”

No big surprise there. It wasn’t as though spirits always remained at the scene of their deaths — and, because Roslyn had in fact briefly communicated with her sister Jenny before passing beyond the veil, I knew that the apartment couldn’t be haunted. Not by Roslyn’s ghost, anyway.

“Did Oscar pick up anything?”

A small sigh, and then Luz replied, “No, but that wasn’t his talent. We’re going to have one of our mediums go and look things over once the scene has been cleared. That shouldn’t take too long, because there wasn’t any sign of foul play.”

I hated to ask for details, but this wasn’t just about sharing Luz’s grief with her — this was a conversation between two primas, both of whom knew all too well that we were dealing with a cunning and vicious enemy. Almost subconsciously, my hand went to touch my belly, an instinctual gesture to protect the child I carried. “Do you know how Miguel died?”

“Valentina — she’s the clan’s healer down in Tucson — says it seems he had a heart attack.” Another sigh, and I got the distinct impression Luz had shaken her head, even though of course I couldn’t see her. “And who’s to say that isn’t what happened? I love my cousin Miguel, but he was fifty-six years old, about forty pounds overweight, and seemed to live on coffee, Coke, and burgers and tamales.”

The rueful note in her voice made me think that Luz had probably gotten on her cousin’s case more than once about his physical fitness, to no avail. Well, people were going to do what they were going to do. “Do you think it was just a heart attack?”

Her response was immediate. “No. It would be easier if it had been. As it is, Oscar is trying to cover things up as best he can. The story he’s giving is that Miguel was hired by the girls to come look at the apartment, and that he suffered a cardiac arrest while inspecting the place. Since there’s no sign of supernatural activity or any kind of foul play, there’s no reason for anyone to think differently.”

“But….”

“I know in my heart that something killed him. Something evil.”

Another shiver worked its way down my spine. I looked over at Connor, who was still watching me, his expression solemn. I hated to ask the next question, but it seemed unavoidable. “Do you want us to come down there?”

“Could you?” Luz asked, the relief in her voice so palpable, I could practically reach out and touch it. “We’re going to have our own medium visit the apartment, but your talent is speaking with the dead, and also, you’ve had recent experience with — well, with demonic presences.”

In point of fact, I really hadn’t. It was Levi and Hayley who’d had to face down the demons Joaquin Escobar sent against us. Still, because I was prima, and therefore could sense when the town’s hidden barriers had been breached, I knew a little of what it was like to have the stink of demons around a place. Actually, that was almost exactly what it was — a lingering trace of sulfur, of spent gunpowder, although their residue was psychic, and not something you could actually smell.

“Yes, we’ll come,” I said, trying not to betray my reluctance. Not that I had anything against Tucson, but the weather was already heating up in Jerome, which meant it must be downright brutal in the southern part of the state. However, I knew I couldn’t use such a flimsy excuse to stay away. Luz needed me, and that was that. We all had to stick together, to present a unified front to our common enemy. “Is tomorrow all right?”

“It should be. Oscar said the apartment should be accessible by the end of the day.”

“Good.” I hesitated, and wondered whether I should even mention the strange niggling fear that had begun to pluck at the back of my mind, like an itch I couldn’t quite scratch. “But Luz — ”

“Yes?”

“Have your medium wait until Connor and I get there. I think it’s better if we all go in together.”

A long pause, and then she said, “Of course. Do you need the address?”

“Yes. I had it once, but I didn’t think I’d ever need it again. You can text it to me.”

“I will. And — thank you, Angela.”

You can thank me when this is over, I thought, but I only replied, “It’s no problem. You’d do the same for us. I’ll call you when we’re in Tucson.”

“I’ll wait to hear from you.”

I ended the call and set my phone down on the granite kitchen counter. Connor was still watching me, those cloudy green eyes I loved so well now narrowed slightly in concern.

“It must be bad if we’re going to Tucson.”

About all I could do was shrug. “I’m not completely sure yet. Luz’s cousin was found dead in the apartment where Roslyn and Danica were held, but it sounds like he had a heart attack. No rampaging demons or anything like that.”

Connor’s expression didn’t change. “That you know of.”

“True. But Luz seems to think we can help.”

“Can we?” He reached up to pass a hand through his hair, which he’d cut back to shoulder-length this past winter. I was still getting used to the change — he’d let his hair grow to almost the center of his back before he cut it — but he still looked as handsome as ever, just…different. Without waiting for me to reply, he said, “Do you think we should bring Hayley and Levi along, just in case?”

“No.” The word escaped my lips before I had time to even think about Connor’s question. Just an instinctual, gut reaction…and I’d learned to trust those. “It’s bad enough that we’re having to leave Jerome without their prima and primus. I’ll feel much better knowing that those two are here to help the elders if — well, if anything strange happens.”

“And Ian and Emily?”

Usually I’d simply ask Victoria Lynch, who lived on our street, to watch the twins. Her two children were grown and married but hadn’t started families yet, and so Victoria got a chance to get her grandma wiggles out by playing with Ian and Emily. Now, though, something was telling me it might be better if the kids were safely out of Jerome altogether.

“Let’s see if Lucas and Margot can take them for a few days. Lord knows they’ve got enough space in their house, and the twins love playing with Mia.”

This suggestion earned me a lifted eyebrow, as if Connor had guessed I wasn’t proposing this plan entirely for the twins’ sake. No, it was mainly because — so far, anyway — all the “action” involving Joaquin Escobar and his associates had taken place either down in the Phoenix area or up here in Jerome. Flagstaff just seemed safer, far away from the fray.

However, Connor didn’t make any arguments, but only fished his iPhone out of his jeans pocket. “I’ll call them.”

“And I’ll start getting the twins’ things together.” I knew the call was only a formality, that Lucas and Margot would agree to watch Ian and Emily for as long as was necessary. At least it was still early enough in the afternoon that we could get them up to Flagstaff and safely settled before night fell.

For some reason, I didn’t much relish the thought of driving Arizona’s highways after dark.