Page 26 of Forever Frenzy
“I want you to project yourself to Mercedes.”
“I can’t do that. Seth can, but I’m not him, so…”
She was so grumpy in the morning. “Try,” I insisted gently.
“What’s the point?” she said, slumping into a chaise.
“Just try. I think you can do it.”
“I don’t knowhowto do it,” she argued.
“Clear your mind and call out to her. See what happens.” All I knew was that she had to do something other than sit around, swim, or walk. She needed to know she could live here and still see her family when she wanted. She could be happy again.
With a deep huff, she sat forward with her elbows on her knees. Her nightgown changed into a deep blue sundress with a wave of her hand. I laughed. “See? If you can change clothes at will, you can talk to your sister. Just focus on her.”
She closed her eyes, and I saw the moment she stopped fighting and let her mind call out to Mercedes. What I didn’t expect was that she couldn’t actually project. Instead, Mercedes materialized in front of her, holding a silver spoon to her mouth.
Around her food, Mercedes stammered, “Porschia?”
I blew magic around Porschia, telling her that she did not crave blood.
“Mercedes?” Porschia asked, eyes wide as she stared at her sister. Mercedes wore jeans and a thick woolen sweater. “How…?”
“You did it!” I laughed. To Mercedes, I said, “She needed some sister time.”
Mercedes swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Okay.”
I gave them some distance, but stayed close enough to keep the blood craving at bay. Close enough to intervene if something happened.
But that morning, nothing did. The two spent an hour laughing and talking about what was happening in Blackwater. Porschia learned that their father was sweet on an older woman who lived down the street and baked apple cobbler for him every other day. Roman was doing great. Their kids were having lessons each day with a man who made it his life’s mission to drill mathematic facts into their heads.
All was well.
“How’s Seth?” Mercedes asked.
“He’s fine. He’s living with Ford and Amy, but I think he’s uncomfortable. He feels like he’s in their way since the new baby was born.”
“He can come live with us,” Mercedes offered.
“I’ve told him he can have the cabin.”
“How are you?” she whispered.
“I’m better now that I can talk to you. I was going stir crazy here alone.”
“You aren’t alone, Porsch. Tage is here.”
I didn’t tell her that I didn’t want him here, because I did. I didn’t want to be alone, but I missed Saul. And being here with Tage felt wrong and weird.
“It feels like I’m stuck in a dream most of the time.”
Mercedes moved across the rug to sit beside me on the lounger and hugged me to her. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know this can’t be easy. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that you took Sekhmet out, but the price you have to pay…maybe it wasn’t worth it.”
“It was,” I said adamantly. That demon had to be stopped. Sekhmet was bad on her worst day, but Sekhmet amplified by Seth’s power, unleashed into the world? That would be cataclysmic. “She would have killed everyone,” I whispered.
‘Unstable’ was a kind way to describe Sekhmet.
“Has he said anything about you killing his sister?” she asked, ticking her head in the direction Tage had walked.
