The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4 by Carissa Andrews (graded readers txt) 📕

“It’s gotta be the entrance to the catacombs,” Wade says, finishing my thought.

I nod in agreement.

Dominic’s eyes practically fall out of his head. “The what now?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll fill you in later. All you need to know is this is the perfect place for him to be. It actually helps me out a lot because I need to get him inside,” I say, stepping around Wade as I try to get a better view of the door.

The handle isn’t evident, nor is any kind of a lock. Instead, the massive gateway looks impenetrable. I need to figure out how to open the door, and hopefully I’ll be able to convince Grandpa to follow me—or at least go inside of his own volition. Maybe once Colton does his side of things, Grandpa will be totally compliant until he’s been released to the catacombs.

“You wanna get that guy in there? That’s a special kinda crazy,” Dominic whispers. “I wouldn’t go anywhere near that place. Bad mojo…”

“Thanks,” I mutter, making a face.

“Well, we can’t just stand here and stare at him all day. If that’s the door to the catacombs, we need to get it open and get him inside.” Wade walks forward, his arm outstretched.

Reaching for him, I yank him back. “No, you can’t go in there. I’m not even sure you should touch the door.”

“What? Why?” Wade says, his eyebrows pulling in.

“Your job has to be finding out how to consecrate the cemeteries. Remember?” I say, trying to calm the thumping of my heart.

“I’m kinda with Wade on this one. Why can’t we help with this first?” Dominic asks, tipping his chin toward the doorway.

“Because only the dead shall enter,” I say, frowning.

Dominic snickers. “You’re not dead.”

“I know that,” I say, shooting him a look of irritation. “But my family is an exception.”

“Lucky,” he says, quirking an eyebrow sarcastically.

“Look, I didn’t make the rules. I just know that if either of you try to enter the catacombs, your souls could be lost. It’s a magical labyrinth in there—and if your soul isn’t being properly guided, you could get trapped in Purgatory. So, trust me, you don’t wanna open that door, okay?” I turn to Wade, whose expression is quizzical, but he doesn’t say a word.

Suddenly, Wade’s grandpa stops thumping against the door. The silence immediately fills the space and pushes a shot of adrenaline through my system. Wade crouches, taking a stance I’ve only ever seen football players make, while Dom doesn’t move a muscle. Twisting around on the spot, Wade’s grandpa flits his hazy white eyes over the three of us and releases the most horrifying high-pitched scream.

Dominic’s mouth opens, his own scream mingling with the sound of the revenant’s. I open my mouth at the same time, but no sound escapes, no matter how hard I try.

Wade, on the other hand, looks up to the ceiling of the small interior space and yells, “Dad—”

Chapter 24

A Guarantee

Black smoke billows behind us, consuming the opening of the tunnel as it sends dark tendrils out in every direction. Like the darkness of a black hole, no light comes in or out when both Wade and Dominic shine their flashlights into it.

Then, materializing out of the darkness, is the man I’ve seen twice now. The pure panic and fear in the tone of Wade’s voice must have been enough to summon his father—whatever he is. His silver eyes survey the scene with deep discernment, and apprehension is painted across his features. When his eyes pause on the revenant behind Wade, his jaw clenches and eyebrows lower. When Wade’s dad raises a single hand, the revenant’s cry ceases, and he drops into a strange, silent trance.

“What’s going on here?” Wade’s dad says, his voice a pile of gravel as he turns to Wade. The darkness that brought him here vanishes as if sucked through a vortex in his back.

Wade takes a deep breath, straightening his shoulders as he walks toward him. “Things have worsened, as you can probably see. I know you said not to,” He starts to turn around, pointing toward the revenant of his grandpa.

“And yet, here we are,” his dad says, blinking slowly and flitting his gaze to me long enough to send a wave of anxiety rolling through me.

I swallow hard, trying to muster the courage to be more confident than I feel. “Someone has been raising the dead. We know you were a suspect the last time this happened, but it wasn’t you.”

For the first time, a hint of surprise flashes across his dad’s features. “And how would you know this?” His eyes land squarely on Wade, who drops his gaze to the ground and shakes his head imperceptibly.

I narrow my eyes and jut out my jaw. “Look, I don’t know what you did back then or why, but we need your help now to consecrate the cemeteries involved. Wade believes this is something you can do.” Squirming under the weight of his stare, I add, “Is…is it something you can do?”

Wade’s dad is far more commanding of the space than any of us. Even Dominic shrinks back as Wade’s dad steps toward me. “I told you I would be back. It appears your meddling has caught up with you, has it?”

I shake my head vehemently. “This wasn’t me.”

His eyes narrow down to silver slits, but he tips his head to the side. “Surprising. This has the stench of your family’s tampering all over it.”

I practically snort. “Stench of my family’s tampering? Excuse me? What is your problem?”

Wade steps between me and his dad, splaying his arms out wide in protection. I peer over his shoulder, refusing to cower. No matter who this guy thinks he is.

Wade takes a tentative step forward. “It wasn’t her. The guy who did it is in custody and is working to reverse the spell. But Autumn’s right. We need your help to consecrate the graves so the cemetery returns to its tranquility.