Freaky Rites (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 6) Read online

  “But you think those who wield it are cursed?” I pulled away from him and focused on the dreamcatcher line. This side of the fairgrounds was devoid of ghosts. The fog continued to roll around us, but the creepy factor wasn’t nearly as severe as it was on the other side. “I guess, from your point of view that makes sense.”

  Kade wrinkled his nose. “Wait … you’re upset.”

  “I’m not.” That was a lie. I didn’t think adding to the emotional strife already stripping us bare was a good idea, though. “We should walk the dreamcatcher boundary to make sure. I don’t think anything has crossed, but it can’t hurt to check.”

  “Wait a second.” Kade grabbed my arm before I could wander off. “I want to talk about this.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about.” I was trying to appear blasé, but the words came off a bit squeaky. “Everything is fine.”

  “Everything is clearly not fine,” Kade shot back. “You’re upset about what I said.” He stroked his jaw with his free hand. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

  “You didn’t hurt my feelings.”

  “I think I did.”

  “Well … they’re my feelings so I think I know better.”

  “Yeah, but I know when I’ve been an ass and I clearly have been.” Kade carefully released my arm and petted his hand over the top of my head. It was meant as an intimate gesture, but it made me feel like a dog and I didn’t like it. “It’s not that I have a problem with magic,” he clarified. “It’s that I’m fine not being magical. Do you get the distinction?”

  “No. It’s hardly important, though.”

  “It is important,” Kade argued. “You think I have attitude because of your magic. You’re wrong. I like that you’re magical. I’m impressed by what you can do every second of the day. I simply don’t think I need to be magical.”

  “Why?”

  “Because my father is magical and I saw what that did to my mother,” Kade answered, harsh emotion rolling off him in waves. “I always thought my mother was beaten down because of my father’s death. Then I found out the man who I thought was my father was a figment of my mother’s imagination. His death isn’t what made my mother sad. Max not being part of our family made her said.”

  “Oh.” Realization dawned. “You think the magic made Max a bad father.”

  “No, I think the magic made it so my mother wanted to keep distance between Max and herself,” Kade corrected. “Whether it was right or wrong, she thought she was doing the correct thing … especially for me. Max was a presence in my life growing up, but I wish he could’ve been around more.

  “Inherently I know that magic won’t cause you to kick me out of your bed,” he continued. “I like how things are now, and I can’t help being afraid because … because … .”

  I rested my hand on his forearm. “Because it’s new and you never thought it was something you would have to deal with,” I finished. “I get it.” Honestly, I understood better than he realized. “The thing is, magic won’t ruin anything for us. I promise.

  “I know that it will probably be an adjustment and you’ll have to learn how to use your powers – whatever they might be – but it won’t ruin anything for us,” I continued. “Max is right. You’re already a good man. The magic will only enhance that.”

  “What if I don’t manifest?” Kade pressed. “What if I never have powers that I can use to help you guys in the fight against … well, whatever it is you’re fighting against any given week?”

  I grinned at his uncertainty. “Then you’ll still be the same man you are now. I happen to be fond of that man.”

  Kade mustered a shaky grin. “You always know the right thing to say.”

  “Not always,” I countered. “In fact … .” I didn’t get a chance to finish. At that moment, the dreamcatcher alerted, blaring so loudly I initially thought it was a tornado warning.

  “What the … ?” Kade jerked his head to stare at the lights flashing over the circus. “What’s happening?”

  “Something crossed the dreamcatcher,” I answered. “I don’t know where, though. Usually we get some idea which part has been breached. The alarm is indicating every part has been breached.”

  “What do we do?”

  “I … .” Something niggled the back of my brain and forced me to snap my eyes toward the field in front of us. I could sense something … and it was close. “Get back.” I moved to shove Kade as far from the dreamcatcher boundary as I could manage. “It’s coming.”

  “What’s coming?” Kade tried to wrap his arm around my back, but I wouldn’t let him, instead squaring my shoulders to face what was coming head-on.

  “It’s here,” I said, the wind picking up at the exact moment an ethereal figure popped into view. It barreled toward us, coming fast, and it was wearing a very distinctive hat.

  “But … Max killed it,” Kade protested.

  “Obviously not.” I had no idea what I was going to do to fight the creature, but I was prepared to protect Kade at all costs. Just at the moment the ghost hit the dreamcatcher, it increased in size and began to scream.

  I felt power rolling off of it, yet it couldn’t cross the line. The dreamcatcher alerted harder as the creature continued to scream. It was stuck on the other side, which was fortunate, because it looked really ticked off.

  “What do we do now?” Kade asked after he regained his breath.

  That was a really good question. “I have no idea.”

  15

  Fifteen

  Eventually the ghosts settled down and went back to merely haunting the perimeter, which was creepy but tolerable. We searched the grounds, every inch and every tent, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Max ran a scan and came up empty. There was no indication anything actually breached the dreamcatcher. We were basically more flummoxed than when we’d started.

  The circus was due to open the next day so everyone turned in, orders to contemplate other forms of attack issued by Max. Kade seemed solid when we climbed into bed. I could see the figure in the hat – and the woman who seemed to enjoy following me – floating on the other side of the dreamcatcher near our trailer, so I closed the shades tightly and did my best to distract Kade. He finally fell asleep, but I’m not sure how easy his slumber was. Thankfully for me, the charms we laid down earlier in the day kept my dreams free of the torturous figures who wanted so badly to haunt them, so I considered that a win.

  The sun was already up when I opened my eyes the next morning. The shades kept the room dark, but my internal body clock recognized when it was time to rise. Kade was still out beside me, so I opted to let him sleep, carefully pulling myself into a sitting position and staring toward the window.

  I didn’t want to disturb Kade, so I used magic to open the blinds, taking a moment to blink so my eyes could adjust to the light. No ghosts. That was a relief. If they started showing up during the day it would completely throw me off my game. I was used to stuff like this. I was prepared for the unthinkable. I was certain Kade wouldn’t be able to handle ghosts haunting us by day. That would be his limit.

  “What are you doing?” Kade murmured, shifting so he could run his hand up and down my back. “Is something wrong?”

  “Other than it being morning, no.” I smiled at his sleepy countenance. “I have to go help with breakfast preparations – and talk about our plans for the day – but you should stay in here and get some more sleep. You might need it if we’re up late again.”

  “No. I’m up.” He said the words but didn’t put much “oomph” behind them. “I’ll help with breakfast.”

  “You’re a man.”

  “Really? I never noticed.”

  I snickered. “In case you haven’t noticed, the men rarely help with food preparations around here. If you help, people might think your man card has been revoked.”

  “You’re funny.” Kade poked my side. “As for the food thing, I have noticed. Why do you women allow it? I’d think you’d be the last person to
embrace antiquated gender roles.”

  “Well, about three years ago there was a revolt and we decided not to cook for everyone else,” I explained. “We tried to teach Nellie, Luke and Dolph especially a lesson because we felt they were shirking their duties.”

  “How did that go?”

  “The whining was terrible.”

  “Luke?”

  I bobbed my head. “He was the worst, but Nellie and Dolph weren’t any better. They finally bribed us into returning to cooking.”

  “Really?” Kade was officially awake now … and intrigued. “What did they bribe you with?”

  “Have you noticed that the men do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to our personal stuff during moves?”

  “Yes.”

  “We agreed to keep cooking if they took over the packing and unpacking. I think we got the better end of the bargain. I don’t mind cooking, but I absolutely hate sweating.”

  “That’s not what you said last night … and the night before that.” Kade was in a playful mood, so I gave in and rolled around with him as he tickled my ribs and kissed my cheek. He seemed much lighter than the night before, which was a relief.

  Still, even though we were having fun, I couldn’t stop myself from asking the obvious question. “You’re better?”

  Kade shrugged as he smoothed my hair. My bedhead was always out of control, although he didn’t seem to mind. He said he found it cute, which I didn’t get, but his fingers were often busy combing through snarls most mornings. “I don’t know if I’m better, but a good night’s sleep helped things.”

  “I worried you’d be up all night. I tried to stay up, but I was too tired.”

  “Well, I don’t want you staying up. You need your rest, too.”

  “But … you were upset.”

  “I was,” Kade conceded. “Then my brain worked out a few things while I was asleep.”

  “Like?”

  “My mother always said it was a waste of time to worry about things I can’t change. Whether I’m magical or not, I can’t change it. All I can do is move forward. If I suddenly start having magic spark from my fingertips we’ll deal with it. I think I picked the perfect girlfriend if that should happen.”

  “I think you picked the perfect girlfriend regardless.”

  “Good point.” Kade smacked a kiss against my lips. “I can’t change anything, so fixating on it won’t do me any good. I am really creeped out about the guy in the hat following me – who wouldn’t be, right? – but I can’t change that either. All we can do is focus on solutions. That’s the plan for the day.”

  “I’m impressed with your will to succeed,” I supplied. “Mind over matter, huh?”

  “I have no idea if it will work.” Kade turned sheepish. “But I’m going to try. If I focus on external happenings too much I’ll miss what’s going on right under my nose. The circus opens today. That means we’ll have to worry about guest safety. That won’t leave me much time to obsess about you.”

  I feigned outrage. “And here I thought I was the center of your universe.”

  “Oh, you are.” Kade grinned. “I still have a job to do. I intend to do it.”

  “I think we all do,” I said. “Don’t worry. I think as long as we stay protected in the dreamcatcher we’ll be fine.”

  “I hope that’s true.” Kade was the pragmatic sort and I could practically see the gears in his mind working. “Just one question, though. How will we protect the people in the parking lot if we can’t cross the dreamcatcher lines and the ghosts come out to play again tonight?”

  Huh. That hadn’t even occurred to me. “Well, we’ll just have to expand the dreamcatcher.”

  “Can you do that without putting us at risk?”

  “It shouldn’t be an issue.”

  “Then I recommend doing it. I’m extremely worried about how things are going to run tonight.”

  He wasn’t the only one worried about the guests. “I’ll talk to Raven during breakfast. We should be able to handle the expansion with time to spare before the guests start arriving at noon.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  “EXPANDING THE DREAMCATCHER is a good idea.”

  Raven cracked eggs in a skillet while Naida turned hash browns, and Nixie fried bacon and sausage. I handled the toast while the men sat at the table and watched us work.

  “It shouldn’t take us too long,” I said. “Right after breakfast, I figured we’d tackle that before we have to split up for the day.”

  “What will we do if the ghosts show up?” Luke asked. “How can we explain it?”

  That was a good question. “We could close the circus early,” I suggested.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Max said, sliding between Kade and Luke at the table and pasting a bright smile on his face. He acted as if it were a normal occurrence for him to join us for breakfast. In truth, I couldn’t remember the last time he’d joined us for the first meal of the day. “We have posted hours and we need to stick to them.”

  “That means it will be dark when we close,” I pointed out, arranging the toast on a platter before delivering it to the picnic table. “If the ghosts arrive … .”

  “I don’t think they’re ghosts,” Max stressed. “I’m almost positive they’re something else.”

  “Does it matter?”

  “If we’re going to fight them in the correct manner it most certainly does matter,” Max argued. “We can’t approach them like ghosts if they’re something else.”

  He had a point. “Right now, I’m mostly worried about what happens if they show up while the guests are still here,” I admitted. “I can’t think of a feasible way to explain it.”

  “I can.” Luke’s hand shot up as if he was the smartest kid in the classroom. “Why not just pretend that they’re something we created for ambiance? You, Raven, Nixie and Naida can put on a fake show if it comes to it and pretend you conjured them. That might actually intrigue the guests.”

  Hmm. It was an interesting idea. Still, there were a few holes. “What happens if the guests try to cross the dreamcatcher and the ghosts hurt them? The guests are only protected when they stay within the confines of the dreamcatcher. We’re expanding it to cover the parking lot, but I’m not comfortable expanding it more than that.”

  “I agree that’s probably not a good idea,” Max said. “That will simply create strain on the threads and make it easier for holes to appear.”

  “So, what do we do?” Nellie asked, grinning when the huge pile of bacon and sausage appeared in front of him. “Sweet Jehoshaphat! That smells like the best thing ever created.”

  “It smells like grease to harden your arteries,” Nixie corrected. “If you’re okay with that, eat up.”

  “I’m fine with that.” Nellie shoved a slice of bacon into his mouth and enthusiastically chewed. “Heaven!”

  Max smirked at Nellie’s reaction. “Ah, I forgot what it was like to eat with you guys regularly. Two meals in a row seems a bit … much.”

  “Well, you’re stuck now,” I argued. “We need to figure out how we’re going to explain the ghosts.”

  “Have you considered that we’re the only ones who can see them?” Max queried.

  The question threw me for a loop. “I … no. Why would you assume that?”

  “Because everyone in this particular group is magical,” Max replied. “We all have abilities. Maybe that’s why we can see the ghosts.”

  “Kade doesn’t have abilities,” Dolph argued. “He can see the ghosts.”

  “We don’t know that Kade doesn’t have abilities,” Max clarified. “This is all new to him. We’re working on the assumption that he will probably manifest some sort of ability. Everyone out and about last night saw the ghosts … or spirits … or shades. Whatever they are, we saw them.

  “I didn’t see any of the clowns out last night,” he continued. “I didn’t see any of the midway folks out. We don’t know that they can see anything.”

  I cl
eared my throat. “That’s not exactly true,” I said. “I warned Mark to keep his people inside after dark last night. He didn’t come right out and say it, but he seemed to understand that something was going on. I think he saw the shadows. Plus, well, Percival was with us and he saw them. To my knowledge, Percival doesn’t have any powers.”

  “He doesn’t,” Raven confirmed, sliding her eyes to her boyfriend. “Well, he does have some powers, but not the ones you’re talking about.”

  I’d accidentally seen the powers she was talking about – leather chaps and full clown makeup, and that’s all I’m going to say about the subject – so all I could do was press my eyes shut as I fought a shiver of revulsion. “Knock that off,” I warned.

  “Why do I have to knock it off but the rest of us have to watch you and Kade fall all over each other?” Raven challenged.

  “We don’t fall all over each other.” I turned to Kade for backup. “Tell her.”

  “I think we’re still in that heady space where we’ve just started a relationship and we might fall all over each other,” Kade countered. “It’s not the end of the world and I’m not embarrassed in the least.”

  Well, I was embarrassed. “We do not fall all over each other,” I repeated.

  “Whatever.” Raven waved off my outrage. “As for what Percival saw, we talked about it last night. He saw the hints of movement, but it wasn’t as easy for him to make out the figures. Even with Max’s magical help he couldn’t see them as easily, and said he only knew where to look because we were staring.”

  That was definitely intriguing. “So maybe we see more because we’re magical.”

  “Or meant to see more,” Raven corrected. “If we’re the target of a spell and that’s why we’re seeing them so clearly, that might explain a few things.”

  “That’s a good thought.” Of course, that didn’t change the fact that we wouldn’t be able to test that theory until after darkness fell. “I hope you’re right. If not, we’re going to have a lot of explaining to do.”

  “It won’t be the first time,” Raven said. “We can only do what we can do. Right now, that’s run the circus. The show must go on, right?”