Page 29 of Haunted Eclipse

But the incantation formed into winged shards, hacking away at the cords. Astra changed tone, and one of those shards turned into something that looked like a drill bit, luminous and sparkling, and it rose over Devon’s head and began to spin as it lowered itself into her crown chakra, burrowing deep into the biggest cord there. As the tip of the drill hit the flesh of the cord, it burst, sending bits and pieces every which way.

The splinters of cord immediately withered, like leaves on a vine in the hot sun. The cord began to glow with a pinkishundertone, looking more like an earthworm every second. I tried to keep from gagging—it looked disgusting. And then, as the energy drove inward, the cord exploded. Bits of energetic debris flew every which way as the cords turned to dust.

Devon let out a sigh and slumped, looking exhausted. She was free, and now our job was truly beginning.

CHAPTER TEN

“She’s clear,”Astra said, though I could already see that Devon was free from the cords. “How do you feel, dear?”

Devon looked at my aunt, her eyes wide. “I feel so odd. I was feeling so draggy, but now—I feel like I’ve caught my second wind. I haven’t felt this much energy in months.”

Astra nodded. “That’s what cords will do for you—they drain you. My guess is, in a couple days, you’ll be feeling back to normal, and Marcus’s hold on you should be gone for good.”

Devon sat there, silent for a moment, then shook her head, her eyes wide. “I feel clear headed. Like some fog has lifted.” She shifted in her seat. “How could I have been so blind to what was going on?”

“It was his charm. He corded you with his glamour. Psychic vampires can use glamour as easily—if not more so—than traditional vampires. Reese, deliver her to the Safe House,” Astra said.

Devon blushed. “Um…there are pictures on there…he made me send them.”

“Marcus made you send him nudes?” Astra said.

Devon nodded, wincing. “Yeah. What if he uploads them to the net to punish me?”

“Don’t worry about it, Miss,” Reese said, his voice husky. “We’ll take care of that while we’re at it.” He turned to Astra. “I’ll be back in about an hour. Did you get his info?”

Astra shook her head. “Not yet. Devon, we need Marcus’s address. Can you please give it to me?”

Devon wrote out his address and phone number, then followed Reese to the door, where she turned back. “I’m so glad I decided to ask you for a reading,” she said, her eyes misty. “I can’t believe all this has been going on, and I’ve been letting it.”

“Youaren’t to blame. Psychic vampires pick their victims carefully. There was something in you that Marcus saw, that he was able to play on. Some heartbreak in the past, or some loss, that he was able to manipulate. But, I think you should talk to a therapist. Our people at the Safe House can help you.” Astra gave her a hug, then said to Reese, “Return as quickly as you can. He’s going to feel the break, and he’ll either go on the hunt, or hie himself out of town.”

“I’ll hurry,” Reese said, closing the door behind them.

While we waitedfor Reese to return, Astra took the time to make sure that neither Crystal nor I had picked up any of the cords by accident. Sometimes, when energy went flying, it landed on people who were nearby. But Astra saged the room, and chased out any last feelers.

“How are we going to arrest him?” I asked.

“Reese told me he’s bringing backup when he returns. We won’t be going in alone.” Astra stood. “I’m going to change. I want to be warm and comfortable when we head over to Marcus’s house. When Reese gets back, let him in if I’m not done.”

While she was in her bedroom, I pulled a couple doppios for Crystal and myself.

“You have any creamer?” Crystal asked. “I’m not a straight-shot girl.”

“Of course,” I said. “We have peppermint mocha, and hazelnut.”

“Hazelnut, please,” she said.

I handed her the creamer, then when she finished, I added a spoonful to my own drink. As we sipped the espresso, I stared out the window. It was snowing heavily. “I guess we’re getting the snow event, after all. I wonder if the club meeting will still be on tomorrow night. I don’t know how I’m going to find a star witch for Brenda. Maybe this was all a bad idea,”

I had no clue why I felt so depressed. It had come on suddenly, as soon as Astra had saged me. It occurred to me that maybe I’d been masking it, not realizing that I was down in the dumps until Astra cleared my aura, along with everyone else’s in the room.

“Don’t go there,” Crystal said. “It’s been a long day, and this mess with Devon has messed with your head.”

“Maybe,” I said. I finished my espresso as the doorbell rang. “That should be Reese.”

I peeked through the peephole. It was, indeed, Reese, along with another very large man beside him. I opened the door. “Come in.”

Reese motioned for the other man to stay out on the porch.

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