Black Arts & Bones (Familiar Kitten Mysteries Book 11) Read online

  “Like a ghost or something,” she said.

  I wasn’t quite sure what to say. I didn’t really know Nora, but one thing I did know was that she wasn’t a witch. I’d need to tread carefully talking about the paranormal if she could see through the veil.

  “Where do you live?” I asked. That was always a good place to start. Sometimes old houses made noises. If it was an old pipe banging around and not a ghost, I could just recommend a good plumber.

  “Over on Westfield Drive,” she said. “So you’ll come?”

  “That’s over in the new part of town, isn’t it?”

  “It is,” she said. “My house is less than a year old.”

  Well, that ruled out old house creepiness being the cause. It was also unusual for new houses to be haunted. Whatever was going on, it was enough to arouse my curiosity.

  “So, you’ll come?” Nora asked again when I didn’t respond right away. “I cannot go back there alone. I can’t take this anymore.”

  “Again, no offense, but I’m going to need some more details before I go off alone with you,” I said.

  “I understand,” Nora said before taking a deep shuddering breath. “I don’t know what’s going on or why this all started. It’s not like the house has always been haunted. It was fine up until the last few weeks.”

  “Okay,” I said. “But let’s not start there. Let’s start with why you came to see me? Why did you think I was the person who would help you with this problem?”

  She studied me for a second. “You own the shop down in the square. Is it just a tourist trap? Have I misjudged?” Nora suddenly looked embarrassed. “I just thought that you were into paranormal stuff.”

  “I am,” I said. “My store isn’t just a tourist trap, but I do like to know what you know before I say too much.”

  “I get it,” she replied. “There’s something different about Coventry. It’s not like any other place I’ve been. I’ve never been able to put my finger on it, and most people think I’m either crazy or seeing things.”

  “That happens,” I said.

  I realized then she was like Thorn. Nora wasn’t a witch, but the veil didn’t affect her as much. There was no point in trying to hide it from her. Well, the ghost stuff anyway. She didn’t seem to know I was a witch, and I didn’t need to tell her.

  “Why don’t you come inside for some tea. We’ll talk and figure out what to do,” I said.

  Chapter Two

  So, Nora came in and we, my parents included, all sat around the kitchen table. I made tea and coffee.

  Nora greedily glugged down two cups of coffee while it was still hot. She looked like she needed it to keep it from falling over.

  The rest of us drank tea. All but Thorn, who stood off in a corner rocking Laney protectively and watching Nora like a hawk. Until the baby needed a diaper change and a bottle. When he reluctantly left, Nora really got started with her story.

  “It started with this weird scratching sound,” she said. “I called an exterminator and convinced the company that built my house to pay for it.”

  “I’m guessing that the exterminator didn’t find anything,” I said.

  “I wish,” Nora said with a snort. “But what he found didn’t have anything to do with scratching. The house is… was infested with spiders. That’s taken care of, but like I said, it didn’t explain the scratching.”

  “So what does?” I asked.

  “The ghost,” Nora replied. “It started out in the kitchen. I’d hear it when I got up early in the morning. Early enough that it was still dark like nighttime outside. I’d be standing in my kitchen making coffee, and it would start under my feet or under the table.”

  “You have a basement?” I asked.

  “I do, and as terrified as I was to check, I did go down there several times. I never found anything that would explain the sound. I mean, that’s why I called the exterminator,” Nora paused and took a deep breath. “After a week or so, the scratching moved to my bedroom. I’d wake up in the middle of the night and hear it under my bed. That freaked me out so much, but it was worse when it moved into the closet. I would get up and check, and there’d be nothing there. I’d try to go back to sleep, and it would start again. So, I’d check. This goes on all night now.”

  “No wonder you can’t sleep,” Mom said.

  “It’s like it’s wearing me down,” Nora said.

  “That sounds demonic,” I replied. “That’s what demons do. They wear you down so you are physically and mentally weakened. It makes you easier to possess.”

  “Oh, no,” Nora said. She was already pale, but I watched as the last of the color drained from her face.

  “It would explain why it’s happening in a new house,” I said. “Demons don’t care about how old the house is because they aren’t like ghosts. They aren’t there because they aren’t ready to let go. They’re there for you.”

  “Kinsley,” Mom said and patted my hand.

  I was about to ask her what was wrong, but I looked over at Nora. She was shaking and tears were streaming down her face, but there was something else. It was like she knew and I’d just confirmed her suspicions.

  “Is there anything else?” I asked. “It’s got to be more than scratching.” More evidence might point away from a demon. It was important that I knew everything.

  “Things go missing,” Nora said. She had her arms wrapped around her waist like she was cold, but she wasn’t shaking nearly as much. “I put my keys down on the counter and I can’t find them. But after an hour of searching, I’ll find them right where I left them. Most of the time. Sometimes I’ll find things in strange places.”

  “That could go either way,” I said. “Is there anything else?”

  “There’s probably a lot more, but I’m having so much trouble remembering things. I’m so exhausted,” Nora said, and she looked like she was about to put her head down on my kitchen table and take a nap. “I do smell strange things sometimes. A whiff of flowers out of nowhere, and sometimes something burning.”

  “Like sulfur?” I asked.

  “No. More like burnt toast,” Nora yawned and stretched.

  “Did you burn your toast?” I asked warily.

  “No. My toaster went out. I guess that’s another thing. Electronics in my house either dying or not behaving,” Nora said.

  “So, what brought you here tonight?” I asked. “You said this has been going on for weeks. Did you just get to the point where you’re too tired to deal with it anymore? Oh, and did you try staying in a hotel to get some sleep?”

  “I did. After about two weeks of sleep deprivation, I stayed in the hotel near my house. The one close to the little strip,” Nora said.

  “I know the one,” I said.

  “Something kept tapping on the window all night,” she said with a sigh. “Of course, I’d get up and check, and there’d be nothing there. I complained to the night manager in case it was kids messing around, but there was nothing on any of the security cameras. Just me looking out of my room into the parking lot. I thought about calling the police, but what would they do?”

  “We would have at least driven by a few times,” Thorn said.

  He reappeared in the kitchen with Laney. She reached out for me when she saw me, and I took her. Thorn sat down in the empty chair between me and Nora.

  “I don’t know what good that would have done,” Nora said.

  “It might have made you feel safer,” I suggested.

  “Well, if it is a demon, it succeeded in wearing me down, because I don’t know that I will ever feel safe again,” Nora said. “But I think I’m ready to tell you about why I’m here tonight.”

  “Let me get you another cup of chamomile tea,” I said.

  “Valerian,” Nora said. “Do you have valerian tea?”

  “I do,” I said, “but that might put you to sleep.”’

  “It won’t,” she assured me. “But unless you’ve got whiskey, I need something a little stronger than c
hamomile to get me through this.”

  “I’ll get it,” I responded.

  Whiskey was a terrible idea for someone in her condition. So, I made her tea, and we all sipped and listened to Nora’s story.

  She told us how her doorbell rang, and when she went into the living room to answer it, the entity knocked her dinner off her kitchen table. Of course, there was no one at her front door, but when she went back to the kitchen, her bowl of soup was smashed and splattered all over the kitchen floor.

  That was about the time the tap in the sink started turning on and off on its own. It would stay off while she tried to wet her rag to clean up the soup, and then turn on by itself when she would walk away.

  What started in the kitchen quickly moved through the entire house. She could hear the sinks in the rest of the house turning on and off by themselves.

  She left the mess and tried to flee the house, but her front and back door were locked. No matter how many times she tried to throw the deadbolt, it wouldn’t disengage.

  Following some sort of instinct, she ran for her bedroom. “I tried to hide under the covers,” Nora said. “Like I was a little kid hiding from the boogeyman. It made no sense, but it was the only thing my brain would let me do. I was in fight-or-flight mode, and I really couldn’t do either.”

  Nora told us that after she hid in her bed, the house began to shake. At that point, she was sure one of her neighbors would call the police, but I could tell by the way Thorn was shaking his head “no” that no one had called. Nora’s neighbors most likely had no idea what was going on in her house. The shaking was real to her but no one else had perceived it.

  “And then I wanted to run again,” Nora said. “So, I tried to throw off the covers, but I couldn’t. They were wrapped around me and tightening like a snake. Like one of those pythons trying to kill its prey. I could barely move, and it felt like I couldn’t breathe.”

  At that point, Nora said she threw herself off the bed with the covers still wrapped around her. She didn’t know why, but after a couple more minutes of struggling, she was able to free herself from the blankets.

  “It started to lose energy,” I said. “These things can only manifest themselves for so long, and while a direct attack like that means we’re dealing with something powerful, they still have their limits.”

  “Is that why you were able to get out?” Dad asked her. “You could open the doors?”

  “I could,” Nora said. “I remember hearing someone screaming as I ran through the house. It was me. I was in a blind panic as I sprinted for the door. I’d completely forgotten that they wouldn’t open before. I’d forgotten everything, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that if that door hadn’t opened, I would have thrown myself through my front window. I was like a terrified animal at that point.”

  “You need to get some sleep,” I said. “We’ll go to your house in the morning.”

  “Kinsley,” Thorn had a warning edge in his voice. He already knew what I intended.

  “She can stay with Mom and Dad,” I said. “Right?”

  I knew Thorn didn’t want me letting a stranger stay in our house. He wouldn’t take the risk with Laney around, but I couldn’t just send Nora away.

  “Shouldn’t you look at the house while the entity is still at its weakest?” Dad said. “I’ll go with you.”

  “It’s not going to get its strength back overnight,” I said. “It would be better if we go during the day. Besides, Nora is too vulnerable right now. She needs some good food and to sleep.”

  “We’ll get her fixed up,” Mom said as she stood up from her chair. “Come on, Nora. I’ve got some leftover cheesy casserole that’s delicious reheated and a guest bed.”

  “What if it comes to your house?” Nora asked. “I can’t put you in danger.”

  “We’ll be in no danger, sweetie,” Mom said. “It’s not going to show back up again tonight, and if it does, my husband… let’s just say he can handle things.”

  Nora seemed a bit reluctant at first, but you could tell that she’d have done just about anything for some sleep. Mom texted me when they got home that Nora’d fallen asleep in the car, but that she’d woken up enough to eat.

  Mom had also gotten her to take a shower and put on fresh pajamas. Something had happened at Nora’s house that she was afraid to take a shower, but she’d left that part out of her story.

  Either way, Mom stood outside of the guest bathroom while Nora showered. They’d left the door open a crack, so that whenever Nora called out, Mom could reassure her she was right there.

  That night, I only dozed on the sofa with Laney in the playpen next to me. It might have just been my imagination, but after Thorn went to sleep, I could have sworn I heard scratching coming from my bedroom closet.

  Chapter Three

  The next morning, Dad brought Nora back over to my house to pick me up. Thorn had wanted to come too, but he’d resigned himself to staying home with Laney.

  “We’ll drop her off with Mom,” I said when he looked beyond exasperated. “But really, the three of us will be fine.”

  “I should have brought your mother,” Dad said.

  “It’s fine,” I said. “You and Nora go to the house. Thorn and I will drop off Laney, and we’ll be right there.”

  So, that’s what we did. Meri was torn between going with me or staying with Laney. It was as if a heavy decision had to be made, and the outcome would have far-reaching consequences.

  But in the end, he came with me. I was surprised, and so was Mom. He’d left being her familiar so quickly when I was born, and we’d all assumed he’d do the same with Laney.

  “Don’t make it weird,” Meri said as we all got back into the car.

  “You’re still my familiar,” I said.

  “Whatever,” was his response before he went back to staring out the window.

  “I actually think I’d feel better if she had a familiar to protect her,” Thorn said as we drove to Nora’s house.

  “If that’s what is to be, then a familiar will come to her,” I said.

  “One never came to your mother,” Thorn said. “After Meri became yours.”

  “Because it wasn’t meant to be,” I said. “Not all witches have familiars.”

  “I know I heard a story about you guys turning a woman into a pig and making her a familiar,” Thorn said.

  “That wasn’t me,” I retorted. “So you want us to turn someone into a familiar for Laney?”

  “I mean, can’t we just go to the pound and get a cat… or maybe a puppy?”

  “That’s not how it works,” I said. “And even if the Coven had the power at one time to make a familiar, we don’t right now. At least, not one you’d want around your daughter.”

  “So, we wait?” Thorn asked.

  “When it comes to this, that’s all we can do,” I said.

  “What about this ghost or demon thing? You guys have the magic to fight off something like this? I mean, why are you getting involved?” Thorn asked.

  “Because you saw her,” I said. “She’s completely desperate and in real danger.”

  “You said yourself that this entity is powerful,” Thorn said.

  “So if push comes to shove, we’ll fight fire with fire,” I said.

  “I’m not sure how I feel about you guys using all this dark magic just because it still works,” Thorn said.

  “I thought you loved me because I am both,” I said, and it took me back to the moment when Azriel told me he loved me because of my darkness. I shook the memory off like I was shaking off a chill.

  “I love you no matter what, Kinsley,” Thorn said. “But it concerns me that you’re so readily embracing dark things. Won’t spending so much time and energy on black arts have… I don’t know… some effect on you? Won’t it leave a mark on your soul?”

  “I won’t let that happen,” I said. “I will get this magic thing figured out, and then I can go back to using regular old white magic. Maybe a little gray
too, but Thorn, I can’t just not be a witch. I know that’s what I always wanted, but there is too much at stake.”

  “That doesn’t mean you need to help this woman. You don’t need to put your soul at risk for a stranger,” Thorn said. “Not when we have a little girl to raise.”

  “So, what would you have me do? Leave her stranded? Let whatever is in her house kill her or possess her?” I asked.

  “You could let your parents handle it,” Thorn said. “Heck, you could let any number of witches in this town do this. It doesn’t have to be you.”