Megan found strength. Twisting, she jabbed her fist into Gayle"s stomach with all her might. Gayle screamed and fell.
Megan looked down at her, and wrenched the branch away. "Guess what, b.i.t.c.h?" she said softly. "You"ll never touch him-in any way!"
She felt a whir of air behind her and spun around, the branch now raised as a weapon in her own hand.
It was only Mike Smith, handing her his coat to cover her nakedness. She smiled at him. White as a sheet, he tried to offer her a smile.
Sara, across from the bonfire, started to shriek, tear at her hair, and run into the woods. They wouldn"t get far. A whir in the darkness, a flap of wings...
Those who ran would quickly be caught.
Theo Martin was raging that he was still a cop, and he"d see that they all rotted in jail. He didn"t speak long, though, because Ragnor just shook his head in disgust, and went over to flatten him.
It was just the mop up. The main battle had been fought, and won. And now, since their friends had such unusual power, the end would be quick and clean.
But then...
There was a terrible cry of rage.
Martha had risen again. And she had retrieved the sacrificial blade. She went rushing at Finn.
"Help him!" Megan shrieked, seeing that Lucian was striding around the pentagram on the ground, destroying it, and its power.
He"d never have time to reach Finn.
Yes, G.o.d, please! She thought. He was a vampire, he could reach Finn...
But he didn"t need to. Finn was ready, kicking out and hitting Martha"s arm.
They could all hear the crack of bone.
The knife flew up, and down. Finn caught it, and grabbed hold of Martha, bringing it to her throat.
But there he paused.
"No," he said softly. "You will not make a murderer out of me."
He tossed Martha from him. And then, the copse was silent. Some of their enemies had run, and would be easily caught.A few were lying dazed or unconscious on the dirt of the forest.
Lucian had freed Morwenna, who had first dissolved into a flood of tears, and then risen in silence.
Finn turned to Megan. And he came across the forest floor, as he had in dreams. He reached the place by the altar where she stood. And he pulled her to him, gently, tenderly. They just stood there, holding one another.
She started to shake. Then she whispered softly.
"They saved us! A priest, and a pack of vampires, and a werewolf, and their wives!"
He pulled away from her, just barely. Enough to see her eyes.
"Dear Lord, yes, they helped. We wouldn"t be alive without them. But you saved me, Megan. I heard your voice, when I could hear nothing else."
She smiled, allowing herself to fall against him.
She was vaguely aware then of Morwenna, still shaking, wrapped in someone"s huge coat, and walking, shaking still, until she stood over Joseph.
"You pathetic, jealous, d.i.c.khead, p.r.i.c.k!" she cried, and kicked her husband"s fallen body. Megan thought that her cousin was going to collapse.
But she didn"t. She lifted her head and turned toward me circle where Father Brindisi now stood in silence.
"I"m so sorry, Father Brindisi, please, please, forgive my language!" she said with dignity.
Father Brindisi grinned. "G.o.d forgive me, Morwenna, but I was thinking along the exact same lines!"
They heard the sound of sirens in the night.
"Cops," Mike Smith managed to say.
"You have mental power?" Finn asked him, grinning.
Mike shook his head. "Cell phone. I thought it was time we called them."
"And time a few of us slip away," Lucian said. "You are all right now, right?"
"I think," Finn said. "We"ll all be all right-if the woods don"t catch fire."
Lucian turned, kicking dirt upon the bonfire. "Help me," he told Finn.
Finn joined him. It seemed, as the dirt flew up and fell upon the flames, that fog, not smoke, rose above it.
And for one terrible moment, Megan thought that she could see the burning eyes and horns of the demon, Bac-Dal, outlined there, in the fog.
More dirt fell upon the flames.
Smoke rose, and dispersed, and the fog was gone. An eerie sound seemed to rip through the night.
Something like a scream. A cry of pain and rage.
Fading, as the remnants of fire became nothing but ash.And then...
The strange shriek in the night was gone.
There was only the blare of the sirens heralding the police vehicles that were coming quickly now, roaring through the night.
Epilogue.
"Put your money where your mouth is!" Sean Canady told Finn.
"You bet I will. I see your quarter, and I raise you fifty cents!"
"Wait a minute, will you!" Jade said. "I"m still in this game."
"And me!" Megan said determinedly.
"Sure," Sean said, still staring at Finn. Neither man noted the others at the table; they were intent upon beating one another.
Jade tossed her money in. "Gambling. It becomes such a silly testosterone thing for them!"
"Read "em and weep," Sean said, throwing his cards down. "Full house."
Finn smiled, the thrill of the challenge hard in his eyes. "Four tens!"
Sean swore, casting down his cards. Finn started to rake in the change.
"When will you boys ever learn!" Jade groaned. "I happen to have four ladies." She started to reach for the change.
Megan laughed. "Well, you"ve all got me beat. I was in it for the bluff. Jade, take it away."
"Excuse me, will you?" Morwenna protested. "I have, beyond a doubt, the winning hand. The aces-all four of them, my friends."
They all sat back and stared at Morwenna. Sean looked at Lucian, who had folded early, then at Finn.
"Can you imagine? Four queens in one hand, and four aces in another, in the same d.a.m.ned game? How the heck did you manage that, Morwenna?"
"Witchcraft," she said serenely, taking in the change.
Megan laughed, rising from the table, and beckoning to Finn. They were out at Maggie"s plantation, close enough to home, but...
They were staying with Canadys for the next week or so. It was good to be with trusted friends, for the moment. Especially in such a plantation house. They had plenty of room.
And Morwenna...
She had really needed a break from home.
"We"re going to take a breather on the balcony for a minute," Megan told the others. "Finn, er, wants a cigarette."
Previous TopHe slipped an arm around her shoulders. "Thought you wanted me to quit completely," he said.
"I do. But..."
They walked outside. A month had gone by. For the two of them, it had been a good month. But Megan worried about Morwenna, who had later told her that she had never even suspected that Joseph had hated the empowerment of her coven, and loathed her for the power she"d had in the community.
Not only had her husband been betraying her with the women in the coven she hadn"t known existed, he had left her to commit murder in Boston, come back with the blood on his hands, and she hadn"t even known.
And then, of course, he had tricked her into finding out where Megan and Finn were.
Not to mention the fact that he had intended to make her a blood sacrifice to his demon G.o.d, Bac-Dal.
But Morwenna was thriving in New Orleans. She had decided that she wasn"t going back to Ma.s.sachusetts. Not to live.
"So... why are we out here?" he asked her, sweeping his arms around her and pulling her to him.
"Just to feel the night breeze."
"Ah."
"And... I was thinking."
"Yes?"
"No one really understands what happened. With Father Brindisi"s testimony, it came out that Joseph and Martha were Satanists who had formed a coven to force others to submit to their demands. And Martha is dead now," she said, her tone bitter. Rather than accept her defeat, Martha had hanged herself in jail before the day had ended.
One way or the other, she had intended to be done with her "earthly coil" that day.
Joseph, the police had decided, was a psychotic lunatic.
And the others...
All would be tried for attempted murder, and for complicity. Every single one of them faced long jail terms. The news coverage on the "cult" had been sensational, and so, since the trials were still coming up, the exact venue had yet to be decided, but mostly likely, they would be moved elsewhere in Ma.s.sachusetts.
They knew that they would have to attend as state witnesses. They didn"t know where or when as yet. For all offenders, the future boded dim.
Except for Lizzie, the Great Dane. She now had her own doghouse on the Montgomery plantation, here in Louisiana.
"What are you getting at, Megan?"
She smiled. "Not now-not right now-but I want to go back."
He arched a brow to her.
"New England is one of the most beautiful places in the entire world. And despite the tragedies that have occurred in Salem, there"s something special there as well. Terrible things have been averted, too. I want you to see my home as I really know it, filled with splendor and history and wonderful things! I got a letter from Mike, too.""I hope he"s doing very well," Finn said sincerely.
"He"s been spending a lot of time with Father Brindisi-he"s thinking of going to seminary. But what"s important is this-Andy Markham has come out of his coma. I have to go see him, Finn. And thank him."
"We have to go see him, and thank him."
"Then, there"s Mr. Fallon. He"s been very ill, and could use some visitors. He worked with Susanna every day, and just thought that she was a nasty b.i.t.c.h! Apparently, when she was arrested, he had a breakdown. So we should see him."
"Of course."
"There"s also Adam Spade, just another nice guy. Adam has taken over the store for Morwenna, because she"s not sure when she"ll go back. We should check in with him."