Caliste & Gerard

The Deal

Chapter 2

Screams echoed around them in the blackness. Caliste's ears rang with the nerve-splitting sound. It was too dark to make out who—or what—was screaming, or even where it was coming from.

There was only fear. A primal fear driving a stake right through her. Her mind begged for her to run. To throw up as many protection spells and wards as she could and get the hell out of there. But she couldn't leave the ordinaires to fend for themselves.

"Babet. What is this? What have you done?" She glanced around for Mdima's white eyes.

If she spotted the shadow being, the witch couldn't be far either.

"Shh. Let the spirits talk. Show some respect, Caliste." Babet's voice came from behind her.

Caliste jumped, thankful she'd come prepared with her charm. Not that the crone couldn't break through it if she really wanted to, but Caliste's ancestors would put up a good fight first.

"Yes, but they're not talking. They're screaming," Caliste muttered in response, covering her ears as another round of screams erupted.

The air grew colder, biting at Caliste's skin. Her gris-gris burned bright against the unnatural chill. Caliste scowled in the direction she assumed Babet was standing. There were far more than just spirits lurking among them.

This was dangerous power. Ancient magic. Something they had no business messing around with.

"Bab—"

Everything fell silent. Caliste blinked against the darkness, heart still racing. She could still sense a powerful energy around them, but the screaming had stopped.

Light flooded the street, making Caliste stumble. A dark blur raced away. Mdima? Caliste turned to find Babet comforting the young woman who sat on the stone ground, shaking and whimpering. The man stood beside her, a haunted look on his face.

Whatever the couple had heard or seen had spooked them—bad.

"Now, now. The worst is over, my sweets. You should be very proud of yourselves. Not many can say they've come face to face with their demons and conquered them. You must really want this healing, huh sugars?" Babet chuckled.

The woman sobbed. Her companion, seeming to remember himself, helped her to her feet and held her tight as she buried herself into him. Caliste's heart twisted at the scene.

"Yes. Please. We've tried all the doctors. There's no known cure. This is our last hope." The man's voice wavered.

His desperation cut Caliste like a knife. She'd seen that look before. More times than she wished she had. It was those moments that made her wish the GRIMM weren't so strict on enforcing the rules of magic. There was so much good it could do—with the right hands casting. It didn't need to be something humans were so scared of.

Before she could comfort them, the light vanished, bathing them in the darkness once again. The woman wailed.

"Hush now, child. This is the easy part." Babet chuckled.

Caliste moved toward the couple, not trusting the old witch. If they'd survived the path, then that meant they'd arrived.

Shadow Street.

Coldness seeped into Caliste's dress, chilling her to the bone. A warning rang in her head. She bumped into the young woman and reached out an arm to steady her and to keep her safe.

It was only a matter of time before the dead arrived—the vampires.

"I didn't know there were any shamans here." Caliste directed her statement to Babet.