Page 62 of Blood Magic

Chapter Twenty-Five

Lucy’s dreams yanked Zach straight from his sleep and flung him into a nightmare of flashbacks. He yelled, Lucy screamed, Ash barked, and for a few seconds, as I stumbled through the house, half asleep, I wanted to laugh hysterically.

Mostly I just wanted to get some fucking sleep.

“Fuck, Lucy,” I roared. “Wake up!”

Ash leaped on her bed and began licking her face, and I went to tend Zach as she tore herself from her dreams and sat up.

Zach was in a dark corner, his arms over his head, muttering, lost in his dark world. I flipped on the overhead light and stood in the middle of the floor. “Zach,” I called. “It’s okay. You’re okay. Zach.” I carefully walked toward him, but I didn’t dare touch him.

Ash had no such reluctance and before I could grab him, he raced by me and wiggled his way into Zach’s lap, and I held my breath as I crouched on the floor and prepared to pull the dog away.

But Zach wrapped his arms around Ash and quieted, and when he looked up, his eyes were dazed.

“You okay?” I asked.

He looked at Ash, who had calmed down and was now lying quietly, cradled in the traumatized human’s arms. “Yeah. I thought there was screaming. Then…” He shook his head. “Then I was lost.”

“That was my fault,” Lucy said, sitting down on the couch. “I’m sorry. We can get him some earbuds, Kait, or some noise-canceling headphones.”

“Lucy has…dreams,” I told him. “She wakes up often screaming.”

“Then her dreams aren’t any better than mine,” he said.

Lucy came to join us on the floor. “My dreams are about other people, though. I’m a psychic. My dreams show me things—mostly useless things.”

“Want to talk about it?” I asked her.

She gave me a look that was half angry and half frustrated. “The serial killer? He killed or is going to kill another woman. I saw her, I felt her fear, and I saw his hand. Nothing that would help. Again.”

Zach ran his hand over Ash’s back, over and over, and I could see him relaxing. He remained quiet.

I put my attention back on Lucy. “Tell me about his hand.”

She brightened. “He’s white. No wedding ring.” She thought for a minute. “Nothing else.”

“And the girl? You didn’t see her at all?”

“No. Nothing. Maybe blonde hair, but that could be because I know he targets blondes.”

“Yeah,” I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose. “Which reminds me, Lucy. You’re his type, so be careful. I’ll want to meet the guy you’re going out with.”

“Yes, Mom.”

I only looked at her.

She sighed. “Sorry. I’ll have him come in to meet you when he picks me up.” She patted my leg, then stood. “Try to get some sleep, and I will try to be quiet.”

I left Ash with Zach and headed back to my bed, exhausted. I needed a lot of sleep. Too bad for me that I didn’t actually get a lot of it.

Before I reached my bedroom, someone pounded on the front door. “Lucy,” I called over my shoulder. “Get rid of them.”

The neighbors on the left side of me had begun calling the cops every time Lucy’s screams were especially violent. Add a loud dog into the mix, and then a yelling man…yeah. I was going to have to move.

I closed my door, turned on my bathroom ventilation fan to help cover the noise, then fell into bed. I slept for six hours straight, and when I woke up, the day was in full swing and I felt like I could have slept for another two weeks.

After I was showered and dressed I headed for the kitchen and some coffee and found Zach sitting at the table, staring into space. Ash was asleep at his feet, but he got up and hurried to me when I walked into the room.