Sweaty Nights & Gator Bites (Twisted Sisters Midlife Maelstrom #12)

Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

DEANDRA

“ I will let you know if I find anything else,” Dr. Grey promised with a wave.

Lia said something back to her before the coroner followed the shifters carrying the body to the van Dr. Grey had driven out to the swamp. I was busy watching the spirit of the victim float away. She kept looking over her shoulder at us. “Her ghost senses something that way,” I told them as I pointed in the direction she was going.

“We should follow her,” Kota began. “I bet Xinar is right, and Garrick is stalking his next victim. He’s got to be scrambling after we destroyed several umbilicals allowing him to drain the swamp.”

Dani sighed and started walking in her general direction while saying, “We’d better stop him this time. I’m tired of always being one step behind this guy.”

No one said anything to that as we started following the spirit. My sisters and I stayed together while the other groups spread out to cover more area. “Do you still see the ghost?” Dre asked fifteen minutes later. “Maybe she’s confused...” Her comment trailed off when we stepped into the heart of the swamp and encountered the man of the hour.

We’d been searching the swamp for Garrick and there he stood, waiting for us. His dark energy swirled around him like a storm but he was no longer obscured by his shadows. He had oily black hair and beady little eyes. I couldn’t even tell what color they were. My heart pounded and my body froze as we faced the man responsible for so much pain and destruction.

“This ends tonight,” Dre declared with steely resolve.

Garrick sneered, and his eyes glinted with malice. “You think you can stop me? You’re fools.” His voice broke my surprise and got me moving again.

My sisters and I spread out, forming a circle around Garrick. Each of us was prepared to fight. And we had our magic ready. “ Remember your training. Stay focused on subduing him ,” Adèle instructed us.

Lia inclined her head, signaling the rest of us. We launched our attack before he could build his power. We unleashed a coordinated assault of spells and elemental forces. Dani’s flames roared to life, and Lia’s water surged. Dre made the earth rumble beneath him. Kota tossed throwing stars she’d conjured at him. Phi’s wind howled, and I coaxed the spirits to swarm him.

A roar left Garrick when the elements worked together to direct one of Kota’s metal stars into his shoulder. He was quick though, and retaliated with dark magic. Tendrils of it blasted out at us. He was powerful and we hadn’t exactly trained for this. We couldn’t anticipate his moves, but we did counter his attacks with precision and unity. And that made all the difference .

I channeled my energy into a containment spell. The air around Garrick shimmered with the force of it. There was a definite difference between his power now and when we had faced him before. He didn't give up, though. He roared in anger and thrashed against the invisible walls closing in on him. My sisters added their strength to mine. The containment spell glowed brighter as it tightened its hold until he pushed back hard enough it made us stagger and lose focus.

Garrick threw out a wave of dark energy and sent us sprawling. I scrambled to my feet, my mind racing. We couldn’t let him gain the upper hand. “Together!” Dani called out, rallying us.

We regrouped, our energies combining into a single, powerful force. Garrick unleashed another wave of dark magic. Our united power met his head-on, the clash of energies sending shockwaves through the swamp. It turned the air electric.

Our spells illuminated the darkness and cast eerie shadows on the twisted trees. Garrick’s dark energy swirled around him like a living thing and his eyes burned with a twisted fervor. My energy was flagging with the relentless attacks.

I risked a look over at my sisters and noticed that sweat was dripping down Lia and Dre’s faces. Not surprising because each of us poured our power into the fight. Flames roared, water surged, earth erupted, and wind howled to counter Garrick’s dark magic. But something felt off. His movements were too calculated, his attacks too precise.

“ Stay focused ,” Adèle’s voice echoed in our minds.

I kept my eyes on Garrick, trying to decipher where he was getting his power. We’d destroyed his connection to the swamp. His connection to the three families wasn’t just a means for them to gain power. He’d manipulated something more insidious. He was drawing from them. It wasn’t as easy as with the swamp, but it was there.

“You can't win this,” Garrick snarled, deflecting one of Lia’s water blasts with a wave of shadow. “The families have been planning this for generations. And they’ve got a lot of power.”

Lia’s eyes widened, and she cast a quick glance at me. Garrick’s words confirmed my suspicions. The families’ dark plans were more extensive than we had imagined. Garrick continued in a voice dripping with venom. “They each have a role. They’ve been siphoning power from the bayou, manipulating spirits, and using dark rituals to gain power. And I am their instrument.”

Phi’s eyes narrowed, her wind magic swirling around her. “I see why you’re so bitter. You’re nothing but a pawn.”

His laughter was cold and hollow. “A pawn? Not even remotely. I am the key to their plans. Without me, they are nothing.”

Fragments of his plot became clear and clarified where my mind had been going already. The families had orchestrated every event and every death, to consolidate their power. Garrick was the enforcer yet had a plan of his own. The families believed they were the true masterminds. We had the evidence to expose them. We just needed to beat this asshole.

Adèle’s presence in our minds grew sharper. “ He’s trying to distract you. Stay focused. ”

I concentrated, reaching out with my spirit magic to sense Garrick’s deception. Beneath his bravado, I felt a flicker of fear. He knew his power was waning and he couldn’t outlast us.

“You’re scared,” I said, my voice cutting through the din. “You’ know you can’t beat us,” I taunted him.

Garrick’s eyes flashed with anger, but I saw the truth in them. “The families are more powerful than you can imagine. If you think defeating me will stop them, you’re gravely mistaken.” He was trying to distract us again but he was telling the truth. We would deal with the families after stopping this jerk.

Dani stepped forward, her flames burning brighter. “Maybe. But we’ll be ready for them.”

With renewed determination, we intensified our assault. Adèle’s warnings kept us vigilant. Her guidance helped us anticipate Garrick’s moves. Each spell and each attack brought us closer to beating him. We kept pelting him with spells and the elements. My breath caught when he stumbled. We increased our attack and finally overwhelmed his defenses. He fell to his knees and his dark energy dissipated into the night.

“This isn’t over,” he spat, his voice weak but defiant.

“You're wrong. And going to Coldwater Creek,” Dani agreed, her voice cold. We shifted our efforts into a containment spell. We also secured him with enchanted restraints that nullified his dark magic. The atmosphere was heavy with exhaustion and relief as Dre texted Terrence telling him we had Garrick ready to be turned over for incarceration.

We didn’t have to wait long for the paranormal officer in charge of the Southern United States. Terrence arrived with Lucas and Noah. The latter went to their mates to check for injury while Terrence approached Garrick. “Those are some impressive restraints. Staff at Coldwater should take some tips from you guys,” he said, taking Garrick from us. “We’ll make sure he’s securely contained and miserable for the rest of his life. He won’t be causing any more trouble.”

Garrick glared at us, his eyes filled with rage and fear. “You may have stopped me but their plans are still in play,” he spat. “The families will rise. They will reclaim their power. ”

“They’ll try,” I replied, my voice steady. “But we’ll be ready.”

As Terrence led Garrick away, a palpable sense of relief washed over us. The oppressive weight of his dark presence was lifted. The swamp was no longer shrouded in shadows. It was completely lighter and less threatening. The murders would stop and life could go back to normal for the residents of the swamp; land they would soon own. Their purchase agreement was already in the works thanks to Dawson’s contacts.