Chapter One
CHAPTER ONE
The Witch City Inn was completely dark. The lack of lights caught Alexander Paxton's eye immediately, but so did the energy radiating from within. Something was definitely wrong.
Skip, get a team to the Witch City Inn, he said telepathically. Something's really off. Hurry.
We'll be there ASAP, Skip replied moments later.
Alex knew he should wait for backup to arrive, but then a horrified scream pierced the air. Armed only with his magick and sheer determination to help, Alex ran inside.
He was no vampire, but even he could smell the blood. Without lights it was impossible to see, but it was clear something horrible had happened there. A great feeling of evil hung in the air.
The scream had turned into quiet sobs. Alex followed the sound until he sensed another person in the darkness. He moved closer to the sound, cautiously feeling his way through the darkness until he was able to touch the person.
She let out a startled cry. "Don't!" She begged. "Don't hurt me!"
"I'm here to help," Alex began. "I'm Alex. Can you tell me your name?"
She sniffled before saying, "Carrie."
"Carrie, are you hurt?" Alex asked.
"No... No, I'm not hurt," she replied softly.
"Can you tell me what happened here?"
"It was just supposed to be a game... I didn't want to play, but my friends insisted."
"What was the game, Carrie?"
"We found a spirit board in one of the shops... Miles thought it would be fun to play, so he bought it."
Oh no, Alex thought. Spirit boards open doors. What the hell did these idiots unleash in the hotel?
"What happened next, Carrie?" Alex coaxed her gently.
"We played," she whispered.
Alex felt a chill move through him at her words. "How many of you were there?" He asked.
"Six. It was me, Miles, June, Jake, Claire, and Lance. We came up from North Dakota. We thought it would be fun..." She let out another sob. "It was supposed to be a break from the college stress... A weekend away in a place full of history and witches and spooky stuff... But it's real. It's all real..."
"Carrie, can you tell me what happened?"
She suddenly struck a match. Alex took a moment to adjust as she unexpectedly lit a candle. He could see her then. Her blonde hair was disheveled. Her green eyes were wide with horror. She was covered in blood. Her white nightgown was soaked through with it.
There were corpses in the room. Several people had been slaughtered. Alex took a deep breath as he watched Carrie carefully.
"You said you weren't hurt," he said cautiously.
"It's not my blood," she whispered.
"Carrie, honey, what happened? Whose blood is it?"
In a detached tone, she replied, "I couldn't stop it... It was like I was watching a movie. First, it killed Claire. She was asleep. She never saw it coming... It made a mess. The blood went everywhere... Then it went for Jake and June... They were too busy making out to notice it until it was too late. Lance tried to run, but it caught him and cut his heart right out of his chest. I didn't even know it was possible to cut a beating heart out like that." She shook her head. "It killed everyone else in the hotel, too... Even the staff. One by one, until everyone was dead... It saved Miles for last... He bought the spirit board. He insisted we play. He brought it here... Miles begged for his life, but it just laughed at him. It needed the blood. It's calmer now. It can take its time..." She started crying again.
"Carrie-"
"I couldn't stop it... I couldn't! I'm sorry!" Carrie pulled out a bloody knife.
"Carrie, put the knife down, sweetheart. I can help you, okay? Just give me the knife," Alex said soothingly. He tried to remain calm, but he knew he needed to act quickly.
Carrie moved to cut her own throat. Alex grabbed her arm and tried to take the knife away from her. The blade caught his hand and sliced his palm open. He cursed as a powerful burst of energy knocked him backward into a wall. He was momentarily stunned.
"I didn't mean to kill them," Carrie whispered. "I'm sorry."
"Carrie, no!" Alex shouted as he struggled back to his feet, but it didn't matter. He watched in horror as Carrie slashed her throat and fell to the floor before he could reach her.
He ran to her side and checked for a pulse, but it was too late. She stared at him blankly, her eyes lifeless and unblinking. "I'm sorry," he said softly as he closed her eyes.
The candle went out. For a split second, everything was perfectly still. Suddenly, an invisible force grabbed Alex by his hands and dragged him across the floor until he slammed into the wall. It continued to pull him up the wall and toward the ceiling as he struggled to free himself from its grasp. It slowly dragged him across the ceiling before pinning him there for several seconds.
Incredible pain filled his head. Alex screamed as the pain continued to grow worse, but his screams were soon cut off as something began to choke him. He couldn't breathe, and he couldn't move for what felt like an eternity.
"Alex! Are you in there?" Shooter Berkely called. As he recharged the power and the electricity turned back on, light filled the inn. "What the hell happened in here?" Shooter asked in horror as he took in the bloody scene. Then, he spotted Alex pinned to the ceiling. "Holy crap! What the hell is going on?" He demanded.
The entity released Alex then, flinging him across the room with enormous force. Alex hit the floor hard. He felt blood trickling down the side of his head as his vision blurred. The pain in his head continued to get worse. He screamed as he clutched his head in agony.
"We need a healer in here!" Shooter shouted. "Hang in there, Alex. You're going to be okay." He knelt beside him and began trying to stop the bleeding. "Just stay with me, Alex, alright?"
Alex tried to respond, but before he could, everything went black.
~*~
Cierra Denton was in the middle of studying when her chest tightened with panic. "Alex..." She whispered.
She was on her feet and running out of the front door before she even registered that she was moving. All she knew in that moment was that Alex was in danger and she had to get to him.
"Cierra!" A voice shouted. "Cierra, wait!"
She ignored him and kept running, determined to find her boyfriend.
"Slow down, girlfriend!" The voice called. Chad Ko hurried to catch up to her. She hesitated for a moment as she realized it was him. "Why the panic, Cierra?"
"Alex," she replied breathlessly. "Something's wrong with Alex."
"Cierra, calm down."
"I can't, Chad! Alex is in danger!"
"You need to focus, Cierra. You're useless to him if you're panicking."
When Cierra stubbornly continued walking, Chad grabbed her firmly by her shoulders and turned her around to face him.
"Cierra Marie Denton! You will listen to me," he said.
"My middle name's not Marie," she protested.
"Did I ask what your middle name is? Shut up and pay attention! Your man is in danger. You will not run off into battle in a blind panic. You are the descendant of Erica Vitti! You are better than that! Take a deep breath, clear your mind, focus on Alex, and tell me where he is."
She tried to do as he asked. Taking several deep breaths, Cierra finally focused. She could see Alex in her mind. "The Unit," she said. "He's in the Unit's hospital."
"Good. Let's go." He offered her his arm.
"You're coming with me?" Cierra asked in confusion.
"I can't very well send you off alone in this state. You're calmer, but you might panic and lose focus again if I'm not around to remind you that panicking gives you wrinkles. Your skin is flawless, Cierra. Don't you dare ruin it."
Without another word, Cierra took Chad's arm. She was sort of glad for the company. Ever since Rikki, the long-lost half-sister she didn't know she had, had been defeated and fled Salem nearly five months earlier, Chad had been staying close to her. He refused to call himself her friend, insisting he was just protecting her precious warlock bloodline, but Cierra was pretty sure he actually liked her. He'd certainly grown on her. After all, he'd helped save her and all of Salem from Rikki. Besides, warlock or not, Chad was fiercely loyal to her.
They arrived at the Unit a short time later. Susie Burke greeted them at the door. "He's stable," she said quickly.
"What happened, Susie?" Cierra asked as she struggled to remain calm.
"We're not completely sure. There was an incident at the Witch City Inn," Susie replied. "Everyone inside was slaughtered... The last victim appears to have slit her own throat. Shooter said there was a residual energy lingering around her that seemed demonic."
"Demonic?" Chad repeated. "So she was possessed and killed everyone else?"
"Most likely. Anyway, Alex ran inside before we got there, probably to help. Whatever demon did this grabbed him and hurt him pretty badly. He's still unconscious, but the healers are positive he's going to wake up."
"Oh God... Alex..." Cierra whispered in horror.
"You can head upstairs to see him if you're ready," Susie said soothingly. "I'm sure you want to be there when he wakes up."
Cierra nodded. "Alright, go on, girl," Chad said. "You go sit by your man's bedside until he opens those gorgeous eyes of his. I'm late for E.V.S. business."
"Try to behave?" Cierra asked.
"Have you met me?" Chad laughed. "Stay in your lane and I'll stay in mine..." He paused before adding, "He'll be fine, Cierra. Alex is strong."
"I know," she replied. She let him leave.
Susie cheerfully led her upstairs. Alex was hooked up to a heart monitor, but other than that, he looked like he was sleeping peacefully. Cierra sat beside him and gently took his hand in hers.
It wasn't long before more people arrived. Aideen Phillips, Arnie Gelman, Melissa Morgan, and Jesse Rodriguez rushed inside together. Melissa's naturally bright red hair had shifted to dark brown and her green eyes were blue and couldn't hide her concern. Jesse began pacing back and forth anxiously, his wolf too close to the surface.
"Is he going to be alright?" Melissa asked. Alex was her guardian, as well as Jesse's.
"He's stable," Skip Burke said from the door. "His body just needs time."
"What happened, Skip?" Aideen asked.
"We're still piecing it together, but from what we found at the scene, it involved tourists, a spirit board, and probably demonic possession."
"What a fun mix," Arnie replied dryly.
"Alex is lucky to be alive. No one else made it out," Shooter said as he joined them.
"Who's responsible for this?" Jade Collins demanded as she arrived with Beth Ashford.
"Is Alex okay?" Beth added.
"A group of college kids from out of town opened a door," Shooter replied. "Alex was attacked, but it could have been worse."
Jade hurried to Alex's side and took his free hand. "Time to wake up, Alex," she said.
After a few moments, Alex's eyes began to open. He groaned and looked around, trying to get his bearings. "I guess it wasn't a dream," he mumbled as he sat up.
"Alex!" Cierra cried in relief as she flung her arms around him. "I was so worried..."
"I'm okay, Cierra," he replied. "My head hurts like hell, but other than that, I'm fine."
"Alex... You aren't fine," Beth said softly. "You're upset."
"It's just Carrie... The girl who killed everyone... I tried to stop her from hurting herself, but she..." Alex sighed.
"She was possessed, Alex," Shooter replied. "You couldn't help the girl."
"They were just stupid college kids from out of town. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into." He shook his head. "How long am I stuck here?"
"Let's wait a couple of hours before we send you home," Skip said. "You can leave in the morning."
"Alex... You're bruised," Jade said in concern as she looked at his arms.
Cierra's eyes widened in horror as she saw the matching hand-shaped bruises on his arms. "Why didn't those heal?" She asked.
"I guess healers can only do so much," Alex replied. "They were probably more concerned with my head injury."
Cierra kissed his temple. "All better?" She asked.
He smiled at her. "Absolutely," he replied. He turned to everyone else and said, "Thanks for coming, Kids. I'm sorry I worried you."
"We're just glad you're alright, Alex," Arnie replied.
"Don't worry," Melissa added. "Jesse and I will take good care of you when we get you home."
"Where's everyone else?" Alex asked.
"Randy's on cleanup duty," Aideen replied. "I'm guessing the mess was pretty bad. Cassandra and Dylan are patrolling."
"What about Evan?"
"He's with Kurt handling lycanthrope business," Jesse replied. "I asked Trent to stand in for me because I needed to check on you."
"Is everything alright?"
"As far as I know. We've been having the leaders of the different groups meet up once a month to touch base and make sure there's no trouble. It's helping keep the peace between different species, too. This alliance is good for the community."
"I'm proud of you, Jesse. You've really stepped up lately."
"Someone had to... I never pictured myself as a leader, but they won't really let me refuse, so here I am."
"On that note, we should let Alex get a little more rest," Skip said.
"May I stay with him, Skip?" Cierra asked.
Skip looked at Alex, who nodded. "Of course you can, Cierra. I'll let your father know where you are. The rest of you should head home. We'll release Alex in the morning."
Everyone except Cierra reluctantly headed out of the room. Alex shifted, making room for her. She curled up on the bed beside him as he held her.
"Alex... What really happened in the hotel?" She asked softly.
"Evil," he replied in a whisper that sent a chill down her spine.
"How can I help?"
"Just stay here, Cierra. Let me hold you. That helps."
"I'll stay," she promised. "I'll always stay."
He buried his face in her hair, clinging to her as if his sanity depended on it. "I love you," he whispered.
Cierra could feel how badly he was shaking. She held him and tried her best to soothe him. Alex rarely showed his vulnerable side, but he couldn't seem to hide it now. Whatever he'd seen at the hotel had shaken him to his very core.
"I love you, too," she told him. "I'm here, Alex... Whenever you're ready to talk."
He didn't respond aloud, but he nodded. "I'm tired," he finally said softly.
"Sleep, Alex," she coaxed him gently. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. It's okay to rest."
They continued to hold each other until exhaustion won out and Alex drifted back into unconsciousness.
