“Her words did get to me,” I confess. “Which is why I did the spell.” I close my eyes, not wanting to risk seeing the disappointment or anger in Jacques’s face when I say what I have to say. “And it worked.”
He doesn’t say anything, and I know he’s trying to piece things together.
“I saw my mother,” I spit out, feeling relief once the words have been said. “Earlier tonight, when we were sleeping, I woke up and saw someone walk through the hall. I followed her into the library and it was my mom.”
Jac sits up, eyes clouded with doubt. He opens his mouth only to close it again.
“It was her, Jac. I know it.”
His head slowly moves up and down. “That’s what jogged your memory.”
“She told me, and it all came back. It was her.” Goosebumps break out along my arms. “I know how crazy this sounds.”
Jac wraps his arms around me, bringing me back to him. I flatten my palm over his chest, needing to feel his heartbeat.
“It doesn’t sound crazy,” he says softly.
“Really? It does to me.”
“Spiritscanvisit. You’re right about that.”
“But?”
“But just because it looked like your mother doesn’t mean it was your mother.”
I close my eyes. I knew he’d say that. Hell, I knew it was true. But hearing it out loud came as a blow that hurt more than I expected. “She knew things only my mother would know. And not just random things about me. She knew about that night. What I wore, the book she read to me. It had to be her.”
“It could have been,” he says slowly. “And it could have been something else.”
Working hard to stay calm, I rest my head on his shoulder. “What else could it be?”
“Another spirit. Or a demon.”
“Demon?”
“I need you to tell me everything.”
Nodding, I straighten up, pulling the blankets over my breasts, and recant everything that happened.
“What do you think?” I ask after a minute of silence passes between us.
Jacques shakes his head. “I don’t know.” He lets out a breath and pulls me back down onto the mattress. “You should sleep. though. It’s late and you had an eventful day.”
“Right. I almost forgot about all that.” My mind is buzzing but my body is so tired.
“Sleep now, and we’ll figure out the rest tomorrow. Check on the rift in the morning. You should add more salt to the barrier if it’s still there.” He kisses me. “Good night, Ace.”
I close my eyes, knowing there’s no way I’d be able to sleep if it wasn’t for Jac’s arms around me and the fact that the others are outside keeping an eye on things. I concentrate on how comfortable I am next to Jac and fall asleep in minutes.
* * *
It feelslike I just closed my eyes. It can’t be morning yet, but sunlight streams through my windows and I’m alone in bed. I roll over, ribcage hurting from the way I slept, and try to get comfortable. I have a small window to fall back asleep before I start thinking about all the shit that went down, thus making me too anxious for sleep.
I’m still so tired I don’t think it’ll be an issue.
Until someone knocks on the front door.
“Dammit,” I grumble, and lazily roll over. I really need to install security cameras so I can see what’s going on outside without having to get up. Moving to the window in the master bedroom that looks out over the driveway, I recognize the car right away.
It’s my neighbors, and I’m sure they’re wondering what the hell is glowing out in my backyard.
