14

Karin's cell phone rang at the moment she entered the Boathouse.

It was Rissa. "Yes?"

"I did what you asked."

"How'd she take the news?"

Rissa made a rude sound. "Badly."

"That's to be expected."

"You think?" Rissa was pissed. "I know I owe you, but get someone else next time."

"Faye needed a wakeup call."

"She's not the only one," Rissa said bluntly.

Her complaint was justified. "OK, maybe you're right, but I can't do this alone."

This was their psychic ability, and Rissa was her business partner. "No kidding. By the way, I also spilled the beans about your close link to Cassie."

Rissa's casual tone belied the bomb she had just dropped on Karin. "Why?"

"Because it was time." There was a nasty edge to her friend's voice that Karin didn't like, and it was so unlike Rissa that warning bells clanged in her mind.

Rissa ended the call abruptly, leaving Karin stunned and speechless. Adam and Ethan came to greet her, and when she finally formed a thought, she said, "Blackwell is on the move."

"How?" Adam asked.

"Possession. And it's only the beginning."

Cassie listening in growing dismay as Karin explained about her friend.

"Can we help her?" Cassie asked.

Karin shrugged. "Maybe, but we need to act quickly."

"When is your brother coming back?" Adam asked.

"Three days. And we only have that amount of time to gather the required materials."

"We have plenty of herbs," Cassie said.

"That's the easy part. We also need their blood."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "And I'm sure they'll be willing donors."

Ethan chose that moment to speak. "We can always compel them."

Karin cocked her head slightly. "Yeah, that worked really well the last time we tried it."

Cassie watched Karin and Ethan exchange amused glances and realized they had a history. "Let's decide on something, please."

Karin flashed an apologetic look and handed over a list to Adam and Cassie. "Can you get these?"

Everything was commonly known and easy to get, except the blood. "Yes, but we need help with the blood."

"I'll handle that part," Karin promised. "You get the rest."

At that exact moment, the door swung open and banged back on its hinges. Faye was standing there, looking primed for battle and ready to take names. "Damn," Cassie said, just before Faye came charging into their midst.