Spirit Bound - An Enchantress Novel book 4

Being a Spirit Has Advantages

Having materialised in front of Callie as she snuck out of her room in the middle of the day – while the rest of the household slept – Adie took great pleasure in watching her sister squirm while try to explain what she was doing in there. The simple fact that Callie felt she needed to explain was enough to make Adie suspicious.

During the weeks since Sam brought her body back, Adie witnessed the wound she had assumed killed her, slowly heal. No matter how long she listened, she couldn't hear a heartbeat despite Callie claiming that blood still flowed through her veins. However, her body was wasting away without nutrition, which is why Callie insisted on it being brought upstairs and drip-fed as if she were in a coma.

Callie, caught red handed, admitted to using her limited healing powers on a daily basis. "I've come to the conclusion that your spirit leapt from your body because of the trauma," she explained. "Now that the body is healed, we need to figure out how to reunite you with it."

Adie sighed and rolled her eyes in defeat. She couldn't refute the evidence, so, no matter what idiotic notion her sister had, it had to be worth trying. "Fine. We'll find a spell right after we free Lucien, or have you forgotten your promise?"

Callie grinned, but sobered when she remembered the dire warning the Shaman book held. "How could I forget? He bugs me about it almost every day. Are you sure you know what you're doing? The book said it could be dangerous, right?"

"It's not like it can make me anymore dead than I already am."

Sam, having been woken by the commotion on the floor below, hollered from the top of the staircase, interrupting Callie's rebuttal. "Can we not have a repeat of the dead/not dead debate again?"

Both Callie and Adie waved him off in dismissal. "Whatever," both said in unison. "It's settled anyway."

"Yeah, I won," Callie added with a smug smile. To Adie she said, "Come down to the library and fill me in on your plans."

Adie vanished from the hallway, materialising in the library instantaneously. Callie managed two steps before her body dropped to the floor when her consciousness left to answer Lucien's summons.

She found him pacing between two armchairs in his sitting room. A fire raged in a stone hearth beneath a portrait of the two of them. Callie recognised her pose on the canvas as the one Lucien had his minions steal from her home almost eight months previously. His smiling image replaced that of her sister's. Anger at his audacity burbled within her, reminding her of everything Lucien had put them through before they met. Memories of pain and suffering he caused her friends, the death of Irene's grandmother, everything flooded in, adding fuel to her ire.

Having caught sight of Callie as he spun on his heel to pace the opposite direction, Lucien stopped short. A wide grin spread across his face. "Well?" he asked in expectation. His grin became a frown when he noticed her flaming hands balled into fists by her side. He followed her gaze and cringed. "I forgot that was there. If you want me to remove it, I will."

Callie blinked. His gentle tone soothed her irritation enough to dispel the haze clouding her vision. The evidence of his remorse when their eyes met dispelled the flames and quenched her wrath. "It's fine," she replied. "Sometimes I forget that you're a victim in all this too. What did you want me for anyway?"

"You've been ignoring me of late. I feel left out of the loop and just need to hear how the plans are coming along. Whether there are any plans."

Callie crossed her arms at her chest, feeling chastised by his accusation. "I have not been ignoring you! I told you the other day there was nothing new," she said defensively. "Adie was just about to fill me in on her ideas when you summoned me. I'll tell you as soon as I know anything, okay?"

Lucien's shoulders sagged with his audible sigh. "Fine. My impatience is getting the better of me. Knowing I'm so close to seeing daylight again is making time drag. Please forgive me?"

"You're forgiven, but please understand you can't just summon me when you feel like it. What if I'd been driving?"

"Your horse would stop and feast himself on nearby grass," Lucien replied, as if the answer were evident.

She couldn't help but chuckle. "Luce, people haven't ridden or driven horses in ages, we have cars now, motor vehicles that travel at high speed. Had I been behind the wheel of a car, I could have killed myself. Or someone else, given my immortality."

He stared at her, waiting for further explanation.

"You have no idea, have you?" Callie asked. Her tone gentled as she continued, "The world has changed a lot since you were there. If we're going to set you free, you need to be prepared for it. I'll download some movies and bring my laptop over later. Hopefully I'll have some news about our plans too."

"I have no idea what you said other than coming back with some news."

With a disbelieving shake of her head, Callie's consciousness left the Underworld, returning to her body. She opened her eyes and met a concerned hazel stare identical to her own.

Adie clasped Callie's hand and helped her to her feet. "At times like this I wish I still had my healing power. That knock to your head has given me a headache."

"You still feel my pain even as a spirit?" Callie asked in shock. She felt a little dizzy once she stood, but suffered no pain, which in itself was strange. Now that she thought about it, she'd had several pain free bumps and scrapes recently.

"Unfortunately, yes. And pain killers don't work before you suggest it. Despite being able to take corporal form, I can't eat or drink anything."

"Do you think it'd work if I take them? It's my pain after all."

Adie shrugged.

"No harm in trying I guess. First stop kitchen for juice and pain killers, next is the office for my laptop, and then you can fill me in about the Shaman book while I download some stuff for Lucien. He has so much to learn about our world if he ever hopes to fit in here."