but I’m more interested in the Wiccan life. We believe that your actions are okay if you don’t hurt anyone else.”
Oddly, my first feeling was one of embarrassment, when I heard Holly tell me that she was a non-Christian. I’d never met anyone who didn’t at least pretend to be a Christian or who didn’t give lip service to the basic Christian precepts. I was pretty sure there was a synagogue in Shreveport, but I’d never even met a Jew, to the best of my knowledge. I was certainly on a learning curve.
“I understand. Do you know lots of witches?”
“I know a few.” Holly nodded repeatedly, still avoiding my eyes.
I spotted an old computer on the rickety table in the corner. “Do you have, like, a chat room online, or a bulletin board, or something?”
“Oh, sure.”
“Have you heard of a group of witches that’s come into Shreveport lately?”
Holly’s face became very serious. Her straight dark brows drew together in a frown. “Tell me you’re not involved with them,” she said.
“Not directly. But I know someone they’ve hurt, and I’m afraid they might’ve taken Jason.”
“Then he’s in bad trouble,” she said bluntly. “The woman who leads this group is out-and-out ruthless. Her brother is just as bad. That group, they’re not like the rest of us. They’re not trying to find a better way to live, or a path to get in touch with the natural world, or spells to increase their inner peace. They’re Wiccans. They’re evil.”
“Can you give me any clues about where I might track them down?” I was doing my best to keep my face in line. I could hear with my other sense that Holly was thinking that if the newly arrived coven had Jason, he’d be hurt badly, if not killed.
Holly, apparently in deep thought, looked out the front window of her apartment. She was afraid that they’d trace any information she gave me back to her, punish her-maybe through Cody. These weren’t witches who believed in doing harm to no one else. These were witches whose lives were planned around the gathering of power of all kinds.
“They’re all women?” I asked, because I could tell she was on the verge of resolving to tell me nothing.
“If you’re thinking Jason would be able to charm them with his ways because he’s such a looker, you can think again,” Holly told me, her face grim and somehow stripped down to basics. She wasn’t trying for any effect; she wanted me to understand how dangerous these people were. “There are some men, too. They’re . . . these aren’t normal witches. I mean, they weren’t even normalpeople.”
I was willing to believe that. I’d had to believe stranger things since the night Bill Compton had walked into Merlotte’s Bar.
Holly spoke like she knew far more about this group of witches than I’d ever suspected . . . more than the general background I’d hoped to glean from her. I prodded her a little. “What makes them different?”
“They’ve had vampire blood.” Holly glanced to the side, as if she felt someone listening to her. The motion creeped me out. “Witches-witches with a lot of power they’re willing to use for evil-they’re bad enough. Witches that strong who’ve also had vampire blood are . . . Sookie, you have no idea how dangerous they are. Some of them are Weres. Please, stay away from them.”
Werewolves? They were not only witches, but Weres? And they drank vampire blood? I was seriously scared. I didn’t know how could you get any worse. “Where are they?”
“Are you listening to me?”
“I am, but I have to know where they are!”
“They’re in an old business not awful far from Pierre Bossier Mall,” she said, and I could see the picture of it in her head. She’d been there. She’d seen them. She had this all in her head, and I was getting a lot of it.
“Why were you there?” I asked, and she flinched.
“I was worried about talking to you,” Holly said, her voice angry. “I shouldn’t have even let you
Oddly, my first feeling was one of embarrassment, when I heard Holly tell me that she was a non-Christian. I’d never met anyone who didn’t at least pretend to be a Christian or who didn’t give lip service to the basic Christian precepts. I was pretty sure there was a synagogue in Shreveport, but I’d never even met a Jew, to the best of my knowledge. I was certainly on a learning curve.
“I understand. Do you know lots of witches?”
“I know a few.” Holly nodded repeatedly, still avoiding my eyes.
I spotted an old computer on the rickety table in the corner. “Do you have, like, a chat room online, or a bulletin board, or something?”
“Oh, sure.”
“Have you heard of a group of witches that’s come into Shreveport lately?”
Holly’s face became very serious. Her straight dark brows drew together in a frown. “Tell me you’re not involved with them,” she said.
“Not directly. But I know someone they’ve hurt, and I’m afraid they might’ve taken Jason.”
“Then he’s in bad trouble,” she said bluntly. “The woman who leads this group is out-and-out ruthless. Her brother is just as bad. That group, they’re not like the rest of us. They’re not trying to find a better way to live, or a path to get in touch with the natural world, or spells to increase their inner peace. They’re Wiccans. They’re evil.”
“Can you give me any clues about where I might track them down?” I was doing my best to keep my face in line. I could hear with my other sense that Holly was thinking that if the newly arrived coven had Jason, he’d be hurt badly, if not killed.
Holly, apparently in deep thought, looked out the front window of her apartment. She was afraid that they’d trace any information she gave me back to her, punish her-maybe through Cody. These weren’t witches who believed in doing harm to no one else. These were witches whose lives were planned around the gathering of power of all kinds.
“They’re all women?” I asked, because I could tell she was on the verge of resolving to tell me nothing.
“If you’re thinking Jason would be able to charm them with his ways because he’s such a looker, you can think again,” Holly told me, her face grim and somehow stripped down to basics. She wasn’t trying for any effect; she wanted me to understand how dangerous these people were. “There are some men, too. They’re . . . these aren’t normal witches. I mean, they weren’t even normalpeople.”
I was willing to believe that. I’d had to believe stranger things since the night Bill Compton had walked into Merlotte’s Bar.
Holly spoke like she knew far more about this group of witches than I’d ever suspected . . . more than the general background I’d hoped to glean from her. I prodded her a little. “What makes them different?”
“They’ve had vampire blood.” Holly glanced to the side, as if she felt someone listening to her. The motion creeped me out. “Witches-witches with a lot of power they’re willing to use for evil-they’re bad enough. Witches that strong who’ve also had vampire blood are . . . Sookie, you have no idea how dangerous they are. Some of them are Weres. Please, stay away from them.”
Werewolves? They were not only witches, but Weres? And they drank vampire blood? I was seriously scared. I didn’t know how could you get any worse. “Where are they?”
“Are you listening to me?”
“I am, but I have to know where they are!”
“They’re in an old business not awful far from Pierre Bossier Mall,” she said, and I could see the picture of it in her head. She’d been there. She’d seen them. She had this all in her head, and I was getting a lot of it.
“Why were you there?” I asked, and she flinched.
“I was worried about talking to you,” Holly said, her voice angry. “I shouldn’t have even let you
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