Shaman - An Enchantress Novel Book 2

Chapter 34

Looking up from Nico's shoulder, Callie took the offered tissue and dabbed her eyes. Sam's flight was due to land in a few minutes, she needed his strength for the moment they brought Adie's coffin into view. She checked her makeup in the palm mirror she withdrew from her handbag and morbidly laughed at her panda eyes.

"I need to go wash my face," she muttered. "Do you know where the bathroom is?"

"End of the corridor and turn left, it's about halfway along on the left side," Nico supplied. "Do you want me to wait outside for you?"

"Nah, why don't you get a coffee or something," she suggested, rising from the hard, plastic seat. "I'll be back in a minute."

Callie stared at her reflection in the mirror, her own face a reminder of her sister's. Fresh tears flowed, leaving black streaks down her cheeks.

"You should have used the waterproof stuff," a voice suggested from behind her.

Using the reflection, she scanned the bathroom for the source of the voice, but could see no one; all the cubicle doors were open and empty. She shook her head, thinking she was imagining things. Normally when Sydney spoke to her with the mind link, the voice echoed around inside her head, right between her ears. The voice she heard seemed to come from everywhere at once, the worst thing about it was how familiar it sounded. Scooping some cold water from the basin, she drenched her face and used a soapy tissue to clean the running mascara from around her eyes, then sloshed more water to rinse it.

"Mind the soap," the voice warned too late. Her elbow knocked it off the bench.

"What?" Callie gasped, spinning around to examine the room. "Who said that?"

The voice chuckled. "Don't freak out okay? I've some good news and some bad news for you."

"I'm in no feckin mood for games today. Whatever you have to say, just say it already."

"Are you sure you want me to just blurt it out? I had a big speech lined up to prepare you."

"Just get on with it! I have other more important things to be doing right now."

Callie screamed and fainted as Adie suddenly popped into view.

"Damn, that didn't go so well." Adie bit her lip and knelt beside her sister to tap her face. "Cal honey, wake up... Callie? ...You know after everything we've been through recently, I can't believe you fainted just because I said hi."

Nico chose that moment to barrel through the restroom door, smacking Adie with said door and sending her sprawling over her sister. "Whoa, sorry," he said catching sight of the pair of them. "What happened to her? I heard a scream."

"Erm... she's my sister, obviously. We're twins. I think I might have spooked her a bit. She wasn't expecting to see me today and she fainted."

"Really," Nico asked with a chuckle. "That's a bit of an understatement. I'd have thought she wasn't expecting to see you ever again."

"You know who I am? How? And who might you be?"

He thrust his hand out to help her up. "Nico, Callie's mate. Let's get her out to the van before she wakes up, she's always hungry as soon as she wakes."

Gently lifting her from the cold floor, Nico carried Callie in his arms, silently praying she wouldn't stir until they were somewhere private.

"I can't believe you just popped up on her like that," Nico commented from the side door of the van once he had Callie safely settled inside.

Adie scowled. "Well you don't seem too put out by it."

"Sam rang just after Callie left for the bathroom and filled me in. I didn't expect you to be quite so," he paused, searching for the right word, "...solid, I must admit."

Callie stirred, groaning as her eyes flickered open. "Hey sleepy head," Adie greeted. "How do you feel?"

"Adie? Oh thank God you're okay. I had the worst nightmare." Callie smiled with relief. "I dreamt you were dead and Sam was bringing your body home."

"That's the bad news," Adie agreed. "The good news is I found the book we need. You know the one to free the demon?"

"You've lost me... what was the bad news?"

"You weren't dreaming, Sam is bringing my body home."

"Ha ha! good one, I see you developed a sense of humour while you've been away. So tell me everything!" Callie asked cheerfully. "Who's this vampire Sam said had kidnapped you, I want every gory detail."

Adie joined her on the front seat and began the tale of her adventure. Callie interrupted with questions on trivial things like, who Kevin and Nicolas were; she seemed to be more interested in meeting those two than almost everything else.

"They'll be following with Rick on the next flight that's due to arrive in the morning," Sam assured her, climbing into the back seat after loading the casket into the rear of the van. "There were no seats left on this one."

"Oh hey," Callie said, grinning as she reached around the seat to hug him. "I didn't realize your flight had landed." Then she slapped him on the shoulder. "That's for telling me Adie was dead."

"Don't bother," Adie waved off his protests. "She won't believe it until she sees it and I think that can wait until we get home."

*****

"So where are you going to put me," asked Adie in awe as Callie showed her around Sam's, and now their, home.

"I was thinking you could have my old room on the floor below mine and Sam's. It has the best view of the front gardens and the harbour."

"No, I mean my body. Do you think there're any spaces near Mum and Dad?"

"Look, I don't care what all of you say. You. Are. Not. Dead. Think about it, you felt me die that time, right? Well, I'd have felt the same thing. Only I didn't, so you can't be dead. And your body will stay in the cellar until I can no longer stand the smell of its decay. Now, I don't want to hear any more about it," she insisted. "You can show me this book you mentioned though, and then I'll take you to meet Lucien."

"What do you mean you'll take me to meet him?"

Callie snorted. "You're not the only one who had an adventure you know. I'll tell you all about it after I have lunch, speaking of which, have you seen Nico since we got back."