House of Diviners (The Diviners #1)

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That prickly sensation on Kelsey’s tongue reminded her that an imbalance still hung in the spirit world. If she were there instead of in the physical world, her mouth would be on fire and her other senses would be going haywire. But she felt sorry for Sage, and she didn’t like going back on a promise.

“Don’t you smoke?” The other woman sat in the passenger seat, rummaging through Kelsey’s glove compartment.

“No. Can’t stand the smell.” For crying out loud, lady. We’ve got a crap load of other worries on our hands!

Sage let out a deep, throaty chuckle–a testament to the fact that she should’ve quit smoking a long time ago. “I guess it doesn’t matter.”

Kelsey slowed her silver Honda Civic and pulled into the Mama Burgers drive thru.

“You’re stopping for fast food?” Sage crossed her arms and eyed Kelsey through ten pounds of blue eyeshadow.

The pricklies danced on Kelsey’s tongue again, forcing saliva to coat her mouth. “Coffee helps.” She wanted to vomit. This was unnatural, and she needed to fix it. Quickly.

She put in her order and paid. She swooped through, stopping at the second window to retrieve her drink. Lee, the guy who always tried to talk to her best friend Tina in an overly-masculine voice, greeted Kelsey at the window and handed her the coffee.

“The usual for you. And, where’s your friend, Tina?”

She forced a smile. “She’s out of town. I’ll tell her you said hello.”

He peered into the car. “So, you’re riding solo tonight?”

“Thanks!” She gestured with the coffee and pulled off. She sipped the drink a few times before letting out a sigh. The pricklies subsided.

“Okay, sweetie, let me tell you where you need to go.” Sage’s expression grew heavy, and the lines in her forehead creased. She looked like a typical, middle-aged mom.

“Fine, then you promise you’ll leave me alone?”

“Yeah.” She twirled a few strands of her shoulder-length, straggly blonde hair.

“Lay it on me. But if it’s an exorcism, then I’m kicking your ass out of my car. I don’t do those.”

Sage shook her head. “We’re going to save my daughter before she dies of an overdose. I don’t want her to go the way I did.”

A burst of coffee flew down the wrong windpipe, and Kelsey coughed and wheezed. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” She hit the gas pedal and sped north on Broadway.

“I didn’t think you’d agree to help.”

Kelsey rolled her eyes. She probably wouldn’t have agreed. It wasn’t her place to interfere with living people’s choices, no matter how tragic. But a promise was a promise, and besides, it would’ve been a pain in her ass to deal with an angry, vengeful spirit.

Sometimes Kelsey hated being a shaman.