Between Worlds (Pendant Series Book 3) by Cynthia Austin Page B

at her and whispered in a conspiratory tone. “Ray’s blood.”
    Chrissy stood frozen in the entryway of the front door. “Why is Ray’s blood on your shirt?”
    “I don’t know how to explain it.” I said as I remained eerily calm. I gripped my emerald pendant. “It all started with this necklace. When I put it on, it must have summoned someone to me, and Adrian thinks I’m someone else, and I think he might be right.”
    Snapping out of her reserved conversational style, Chrissy slammed the front door and marched over to me, exclaiming, “That’s crazy. You’re Sidney Sinclair and I’ve known you since kindergarten. You’re nobody other than that girl. Now tell me, is Ray gonna be okay?”
    Finally, my eyes began to work again as I felt them blink a few times. They were so dry. I turned to retrieve some eye drops out from my purse but then remembered I had left my purse at the mausoleum.
    “Where is Ray?” I jumped as Chrissy shouted the question into my face.
    “He’s in the mausoleum. I need to find Adrian.”
    Chrissy gripped my shoulders and started to scream louder as she shook me back and forth like I was the dice inside of a Yahtzee cup. “Snap out of it, Sidney, and tell me what’s happened!”
    “Ray’s dead,” I answered flatly. “Adrian killed him.”
    I paused as I thought of the best way to explain it to her. “But Adrian is not really Adrian. He’s Samael and he’s been searching for me for a long time, probably for hundreds of years.
    He couldn’t let Ray come between us so he killed him. But I think Ray may be someone else too, and he might not really be dead. He just went somewhere else. If I could just find Adrian, he could answer my questions.”
    Chrissy let go of my shoulders and took a few cautious steps back as she brought her hand up to her head and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Okay, Sidney. It sounds like you’ve been through quite a bit tonight.” She nervously scanned the room as she continued to retreat. “I’m just going to get you something to drink. I’ll be right back.”
    I nodded to my best friend and curled onto the couch. I was so exhausted. Something to drink did sound nice. A shower also sounded nice but I was too spent to move. I closed my eyes and fell into a slumber.
    God only knew what kind of dream awaited me now.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 13
     
     
    Use the Man
     
    “Ms. Sinclair? Wake up.” A vaguely familiar voice brought me back into consciousness.
    I opened my eyes and slowly sat up, I must have dozed off on the couch. I searched around for that glass of water Chrissy had promised to bring me but I didn’t see it.
    Instead, I was sidetracked by a flashing light that crossed my peripheral vision. I turned my head and glanced out the front window to see the blue and red illuminations of a police car.
    I looked over in the direction of the voice that had awakened me and saw that it was Detective Albright’s. Chrissy was standing in the dining room with alligator tears rolling down her cheeks.
    “What are you doing here, Detective?” I asked.
    His expression was pained as he took a step closer to me. “I’m sorry, Ms. Sinclair, but I’m going to have to place you under arrest for the murder of Ray Ryker.”
    Now Chrissy’s tears turned into loud sobs as she gripped the back end of the dining chair to steady herself. I shot my gaze in her direction as I angrily shouted, “I thought you were bringing me some water, not calling the cops on me!”
    The detective placed a gentle but firm hand on my shoulder. “I need you to place your hands behind your back.”
    “I didn’t kill him!” I yelled, panic beginning to set it. “It was Adrian, I told you that already, Chrissy. What the fuck?”
    Detective Albright firmly placed the handcuffs around my wrists and I couldn’t help but wonder if these were the same cuffs Ray’s wrists were in months before.
    “Please, Detective Albright, you have got to believe me. I