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

My gaze drops to the stone floor. “Oh, right.”

Suddenly, the circular chamber is flooded by the sound of a ringtone blaring. Cat scrambles, digging her cell phone out of her coat pocket.

She holds the phone up to her ear as she says, “Hello?” For a moment, she holds utterly still. Then, shooting a sideways glance at Wade, she put one hand against her other ear, her eyes narrowing with her focus. “Diana? I—I can barely hear you. What are you saying? You’re cutting out.”

For a moment, Cat holds very still, her eyes searching the space in front of her as she listens to whatever is being said on the other end of the phone. Then, after what feels like forever, she nods to herself.

“Thanks, Diana. Understood,” she says, dropping the phone and hitting the end button.

“What is it? What did she say?” Wade asks, his silver eyes flashing.

“Dominic entered the astral plane to help Autumn. She was… struggling. But he says Autumn and the Lemure vanished a few minutes ago. He’s not sure what happened to them,” Cat says, her eyes reflecting the same worry evident on Wade’s face.

“Shit, we never should have let her do this. What if she’s trapped, like Dominic said?” Wade says, his voice heavy with worry.

“If she’s trapped, it’s because of the Lemure. That really leaves us no other choice—we need to burn the remains and hope that it does what we want it to,” Cat says, inhaling sharply.

“What if we’re wrong?” Wade says, blinking wildly.

“You’re not wrong,” I say, reaching for him and wishing he could hear me.

Cat’s face hardens. “Then we cross that bridge when we get to it. Diana thinks—”

“I don’t give a damn what Diana thinks,” Wade cries.

“We need to do something. I need to let him know I’m here—that I’m okay,” I say, turning back to Abigail.

She shakes her head, holding up a hand.

“We don’t have any other choice, Wade. We need to finish this and check in on Autumn. The only way we can help her now is to do what we came here to do,” Cat spits back. She holds out her arms, flicking her fingertips at him. “Hand the body over. I can handle the rest.”

Wade stares at her for a moment, but tips his head and does as he’s asked. The battle to know for sure if I’m okay has won out in his mind.

“You’re going to want to take a step back,” she warns, her face the epitome of seriousness.

Wade nods, moving backward as he stares at her.

Taking a step back myself, I sigh in relief. I cast a quick glance in Abigail’s direction, smiling at her as she merely tips her chin in acknowledgement. It’s like she knew he’d cave the whole time.

Cat cradles my dad’s bones, still wrapped in the sheet, close to her body. She lowers her chin and closes her eyes. For a few seconds, she does nothing but take deep, deliberate breaths.

Under her breath, she begins to whisper. At first, I can’t make out the words, but after the third incantation, her head tips back and her eyes glow with the energy of fire blazing against the darkness of her irises. Fire rolls out of them, growing in intensity, as if her eyes could consume you simply by looking in her direction.

“Fili mi requiem. In ignibus uri. Somnus in aeternum,” she chants over and over.

All of a sudden, the fire in her eyes is drowned out by the fire that erupts all over her body, consuming both her and the bundle in her hands. The blaze is so intense I take another huge step back.

“Was this meant to happen?” I cry out, twisting to face Abigail.

She holds out a hand, lifting a single finger and urging me to wait.

The flame changes colors from bright orange to a deep, brilliant crimson. Both Wade and I hold up an arm, shielding our eyes, but refusing to look away.

As the fire dies back, it returns to its original orange and yellow, then settles into the purest white I’ve ever seen.

“Fili mi requiem. In ignibus uri. Somnus in aeternum,” Cat continues to chant until the fire pulls back, settling once again in her eyes.

As it fades completely, not a single part of Cat is singed or burnt, but the bundle of bones that were in her arms scatters to the ground, nothing more than a pile of glowing cinders.

My mouth drops open as I stare at the power and capability of Cat. I knew what she could do with fire, but I had no idea just how impressive she is.

As if an enormous burden is released from his shoulders, my dad sighs.

“Is that…everything?” Wade asks, holding out a hand and helping Cat get to her feet.

She nods. “Everything I can do. I don’t know about the interment stuff. We’ll need Autumn for all of that.”

“Let’s go find her, then,” Wade says, his face full of determination.

“Agreed,” she says, sweeping her hand out and letting him take the lead.

The two of them disappear the way they came, and I’m left alone again with my dad and Abigail. The air is heavy with anticipation as I realize there’s still more that needs to be done.

“Why is he still here?” I ask, turning to Abigail. “Shouldn’t he have been taken?”

Abigail’s thoughtful smile eases my mind. Then, she closes her eyes and slowly raises her arms and her fingertips splay open, almost as if she’s about to conduct a symphony. And maybe in a way, she does. With the simple gesture, the embers and ashes rise off the stone floor, floating through the air like glimmering red smoke.

I step away, following their journey into one of the tunnels I haven’t been in before. The ashes float through the darkness of the catacombs, illuminating one of the empty stone platforms as they come to a rest. When every last granule is in place, my father’s name transcribes itself