Shadows (Bayou Magic 1)

“We already know all of that.”

“But there are some interesting meditations and incantations in here that might help.” She thumbs through the book until she arrives at the page she wants. We both accept our drinks from Millie.

“I have a call out to Miss Sophia, but there was an emergency with a coven up in Shreveport, and I don’t know how long she’ll be gone,” Millie says.

“She’ll get back to us soon,” I say and sip my drink, then frown. “What’s in this?”

“Two potions this time. It makes it a little bitter, sorry.”

“You take all the fun out of lattes,” Daphne says but sips her own drink. “Okay, it says here that you need to breathe deeply as you lie in bed and close your eyes. Think about the place you want to travel to or the person you want to talk to. Or both, I guess. Have an imaginary conversation or think about the landmarks along the way from where you are to your final destination.”

“Basically, literally go there in your head,” Millie says.

“Yes, exactly.” Daphne takes another sip of her drink. “Do it over and over again until you fall asleep.”

“That seems too simple.”

Both sisters glance up at me.

“Right? I mean, if it were that simple, people would have arguments with other people in their sleep all the damn time.”

“Not everyone is psychic,” Daphne reminds me. “And, maybe they do, but they just don’t remember it the next day.”

“Or they just chalk it up to a weird dream,” Millie adds. “Most civilians pass off dreams or mystical encounters as something explainable. A bump in the night? The house is settling. They think they hear a voice? Must be the neighbor’s TV.”

“I get it,” I reply with a sigh. “Okay, so don’t make it hard. Simple is good. I need to lie down and breathe and think about that horrible place.”

“I hate this so much,” Millie says, covering my hand with hers. “I hate that you’re the target and that you have to see these unspeakable things. It’s not okay. None of this is.”

“We’ve dealt with not okay since birth, my sweet sister,” I remind her.

“It’s your turn for okay,” Daphne says, sighing. “Yes, I know I’ve been a bitch in the past about the whole Jackson thing, but you don’t deserve this, Bri. I don’t understand it.”

“I don’t either. I just wish I could see who he is.”

Daphne turns to Millie. “You’re psychic. Can’t you see?”

“She can’t reach out, Daphne. You know—”

“I can’t see him,” Millie says quietly. “I’ve looked, but I can’t see him.”

“Wait. You looked?” I sit back and stare at my sister in horror. “Millie, if you’d seen him, if you’d crawled into his head—”

“I didn’t,” she interrupts. “And you’re my sister, Brielle. Of course, I looked, the consequences be damned. You’d do the same for me.”

“I wish I’d known the girl was at the police station,” Daphne says. “I might have been able to touch her and see him that way.”

“Damn, it didn’t even cross my mind.” I shake my head. Why didn’t I think of that? “She’s long gone back to Dallas now.”

“The dream-walking is the best bet for now,” Millie says on a sigh and watches as her customers finish their coffees and leave the café.

“Should we talk quieter? This will creep the hell out of your customers,” Daphne says.

“They can’t hear us,” Millie says with a smile. “And don’t ask me how. You don’t want to know.”

“Speaking of creepy,” I mutter and take a sip of my chai.“I don’t like it,” Cash says quietly. “The investigator in me understands that this has to happen, but the man in me wants to say, ‘hell no’ and take you out of here altogether.”

“I know.” I cup his face and let the warmth of him seep into me. It makes me feel comforted. Treasured. Safe. “But we have to finish this.”

“Let me take you somewhere when it’s all over,” he says and kisses my palm. “Anywhere. An island somewhere. Or we can get lost in Europe.”

“Europe might kill me.” I smile and lean in to kiss his cheek. “But the island sounds lovely.”

“An island it is, then.” He clears his throat. We’re lying on the bed, and I’ve told him how I go about trying to dream-walk intentionally. Both of my sisters are in the living room, on hand in case I need them to pull me out.

I don’t know how they’ll know if I need them, but Millie assured me that she would know.

I have to trust her.

And I do. There is no one in the world that I trust more than the three people in my apartment with me right now.

I swallow hard, close my eyes, and begin taking long, slow breaths.

In through the nose.

Out through the mouth.

I don’t know the way to where I’m going, so I can’t think about that, but I do know what it looks like when I get there, so I imagine those details. I picture the dirty room, the blood on the floor, the dingy window. My nose wrinkles as I think of the stench. The heaviness that hangs in the room from the death and despair.