Rampant

“Yes, I suppose so. You know, I think that’s the first time I ever laughed about it.”

“Is that a bad thing? A good sense of humor gets you through life.”

“You’re not wrong there.”

They passed a road sign. They were closing on Carbrey and that gnawing ache to return began to fade. She noticed that his attention was sharpening as they grew closer.

“With Maggie and Fern, my goal has been to reflect what they gave me in my younger years, just by helping to keep them safe now. In whatever way I can.” He lifted his shoulders slightly, in a marginal shrug.

She squeezed his thigh, understanding at last. Guilt stole into her heart, be

cause of what she had thought his motivation to be—a quick shag for access to the house and material for his research. There was so much more below the surface.

“Do you think they would be able to defend themselves against Cain Davot’s magic?”

“Undoubtedly.” He didn’t hesitate a moment and he flashed her a proud grin. “That’s not the point.” He winked before returning his attention to the road.

“You were right. Meeting them has helped me feel more comfortable about it, the magic.”

“Good.”

He’d taken advice, he was focused. What could she hope to do to help him sort this out? Her life skills were in office work. No nonsense, straight down to business. She had an outstanding reputation as someone who could come in and straighten out the mess left by shoddy office staff. More than once she’d been headhunted, to no avail. Any desk mess, screwed-up filing system or urgent need, and she’d organize it. She could get to the bottom of any problem, you name it. What use would that be here in this strange place filled with the supernatural and the unknown?

Well, she supposed, she could just adopt the same attitude she did at work and try to unravel the mess. Annabel was the key, she was sure of it. If she were here and alive, she’d just ask her straight out what she wanted out of this chaos and get it sorted for her.

“It’s weird, but I have this feeling about Annabel,” she said, voicing something that had been rising within her since the night before.

“Go on,” he encouraged.

“It was something I said unintentionally when Elspeth was winding me up about bringing Annabel back. The words came out of nowhere,” she paused, wondering about the implications of that, and then pressed on. “I pointed out to her that if Annabel was such a powerful witch, she could probably come back any time she wanted. She didn’t need Cain. In theory, at least, it made sense to me because of all that she is already able to do, the sightings, the visions, the way she tries to communicate with me.”

“You think she has her own agenda?” His eyebrows were slightly raised and she could see that he was considering her suggestion.

“Yes. I wondered about that when you said that her anchor in the real world would be gone, and shortly afterward I felt her presence and had a vision away from the house. Like in the forest, it was Annabel guiding me, until you got there. It was as if she wanted me to walk into the lion’s den and look right into the enemy’s mouth. I feel as if she wouldn’t hurt me, when it came to it. I think that’s what she was trying to show me this morning. She walked right through me, but then stepped away.”

“How can you be sure?”

“She obviously can’t materialize and tell me things at the same time, she either offers me a vision of her past, or she appears. I’m sure it’s not just about…possession.” She swallowed before she continued. “Not for her. Not unless she needs me to know all about her for it to work.” She fell silent a moment, as she thought that through. Could it be the case? If so, she was being a fool. “Is there any way you can communicate with her, directly? Find out what it is she is trying to tell us?”

A frown gathered his eyebrows together. “Too dangerous” was all he finally replied.

“Why? Explain.”

“It might be possible by means of hypnosis. It’s not something I’ve tried myself, but I’ve read about it being done. The process is similar to drawing out a secondary personality in the split-personality mind. If I undertook the procedure, I would have no guarantee that she would leave. She’s a clever spirit and if she does want to return to human form she might be duping us.”

“But I don’t think she does want to.” A shiver ran up her spine when she remembered Cain and the weirdness of the night before. “I trust you to do it, and I trust her. Is it possible?”

“Zoë, I’m not going to take that risk.” He spoke firmly and his mind seemed set on denying that avenue of exploration. Any residual doubt that he was only interested in the mystery surrounding Annabel was fast fading.

“What about magic? You are powerful enough to draw her out. That’s what Cain tried to do last night, wasn’t it? If he is powerful enough to do it, you are.”

“It’s too dangerous.” His jaw was set.

“But she’s connected to me, Gray, and I can’t leave here. I can’t let that go on. You heard what Crawford said this morning. It’s a matter of time. Cain will draw her out through me by magic.” She was afraid, but she had to know. “If he can, you can, too. I would much rather you did that, than him.”

Grayson pulled the car up at the side of the road. They were at the top of the cliffs before the descent into the village. The sun was going down on the horizon and the sea gleamed like a mirror. The sky above raced with clouds as the light faded.

He turned to look at her, and he scrutinized her in such detail that she felt touched, touched everywhere—her eyelids, her lips, the skin on the side of her neck beneath her hair. His gaze devoured her, his expression serious but determined. “Cain is what we call a warlock, an outcast to most witches because he is practicing black magic and has allied himself to the dark Lord of the Hidden World. He is nothing to do with the craft as we know it. I have notes on the forbidden magic that he has been using.” He glanced to the backseat at the bound pages that Maggie had given him. “I can undo the spells, but it will take time.”