Page 55 of Girl Between (Dana Gray FBI Mystery Thriller #5)

The snake launched itself at Dana as though it had been detonated.

Throwing both hands out, she rushed forward, hoping to intercept the serpent’s path before it met its target. Before she had a chance to connect with the ink-black reptile, Marjorie was there, lunging forward, silver blade glinting in her hand.

The blade struck true, piercing the serpent’s skull and pinning it to the rough-hewn floor with a sound that rumbled through Dana like thunder.

Electricity crackled between each syllable of silence in the room as Dana stared directly into Marjorie’s dark, unblinking eyes. Both women breathed heavily, unspoken questions blazing between them.

Marjorie was the first to break the spell. Retracting the knife, she clutched the lifeless serpent high above her head and declared, “Ignorance dwells in darkness, but darkness has no home here. We’ve been blessed by light. Let it guide us in all we do.”

“Let light guide us,” the women echoed.

Dana shivered as their voices resonated in her bones.

She’d spent a good deal of her life running from darkness, until finally dedicating her life fully to it rather than trying to outrun it.

But the last few years had tested her beyond measure.

Until finally the darkness had broken her completely.

It’s what made her flee to New Orleans. But having a snake try to attack her during a Voodoo ceremony did little to quiet the unease that dwelled in Dana’s veins.

Though she seemed to be the only one who felt that way.

Cadie climbed to her feet and gripped Dana’s hands, pulling her up with her. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“Did what?” Dana asked.

“You jumped in front of me when the snake lunged.”

Dana blinked, trying to grasp her fleeting thoughts. “It was just a reflex.”

“A heroic one,” Rose added, joining them as the other women crowded around.

“It could’ve killed you,” Cadie protested.

Dana found it hard to swallow as her gaze landed on the lifeless reptile now draped around Marjorie’s shoulders. The older woman was still staring at Dana, ignoring the trail of blood leaking from the snake’s impaled skull.

“You’re coming to my wedding,” Cadie declared. “I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Dana didn’t have a chance to respond as more women began showering her with praise. She was grateful when Marjorie stepped forward, speaking loud enough to draw everyone’s attention.

“The lwa bless us tonight. Let it not be wasted.”

At Marjorie’s command, the women began to file outside to the backyard. The upbeat sounds of Zydeco music burst to life, drifting in through the open window. Dana peered out at the women as they chatted excitedly about the upcoming nuptials while preparing the post- ceremony meal.

The heady aroma of griot, tasso, pate koda and fried plantains mingled together in the humid air.

Though the goat and ham held little appeal, Dana couldn’t stop her stomach from growling as she drank in the scent.

Before she could let her hunger carry her away, she realized she was the only one left in the prayer room with Marjorie .

Dana hated that her feet were failing her as much as her words, but try as she might, she was rooted to the spot now that her adrenaline waned.

Marjorie circled the pillar, drawing closer until she stood toe-to-toe with Dana. “So, you see the darkness, too?”

Dana balked. Still unable to find her voice, all she could do was nod.

Marjorie grinned, sucking her teeth as she tsked loudly. “Always so self-absorbed, we are.”

“What?”

“The snake wasn’t poisonous, you know?”

Dana repeated herself. “What?”

“Ah, so you didn’t know? But you reacted anyway.” She grinned wider. “There are no poisonous snakes in Haiti. But that doesn’t stop us from turning snake charming into a business. We use them in almost every Voodoo ceremony. They become like family to us. Sacrificing them is never easy.”

Dana swallowed, thickly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for?—”

“I know, child.”

Her tongue suddenly free, Dana was unable to stop the question from tumbling out. “Then why did you kill it?”

“Sacrifice bears fruit.”

“Do you believe that?”

Marjorie shrugged. “I’ve seen a lot of sacrifice. Not a lot of fruit.”

Dana’s brows furrowed. “But you’re the manbo . Don’t you have to believe to practice?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t believe, bébé. But you’re not fool enough to think belief is blind. Belief and doubt. One cannot exist without the other.”

It was a sentiment Dana understood. “But the snake … it was coming for me.”

Marjorie smiled again. “Always our biggest critics, aren’t we?” Seeing Dana’s confusion, she continued. “When it comes to darkness, we believe we’re the only one it touches. Ask any woman who was in this room. They will each tell you they thought the serpent was coming for them.”

“That’s why you do it?” Dana asked. “It’s a test.”

Marjorie shook her head. “More like a rite of passage.”

“But you saw it. The snake came right for me.”

“What I saw was you rise up to meet the darkness, stopping it before it could touch anyone else. You didn’t know the snake wasn’t poisonous, yet you stood in its way. You are a force of light, Dana Gray. The lwa honor you for that.”

Marjorie took both of Dana’s hands and pressed the snake’s lifeless mouth into each of her palms. Bile rose in Dana’s throat as she looked at the blood smeared across her pale skin. She couldn’t stop her mind from recounting all the blood she had on her hands.

Marjorie shook her head as though she could see straight into Dana’s mind. “Blood is more than death, girl.”

“I know,” Dana replied. “But sometimes my heart hurts more than my head can compensate for.”

An expression of understanding slid into place on Marjorie’s weathered face. “Ignorance dwells in darkness. But you are not ignorant, child. The lwa are the keepers of the crossroads. They came to you for a reason.”

“Why?” Dana asked, unable to mask the desperation in her voice.

“That is for you alone to understand.”

“But I don’t understand,” replied Dana.

“I think you understand more than you know. I saw the way you looked at my bible.”

“I’m sorry I stared,” Dana said, recalling how she’d practically gawked at the tiny vials of herbs and tinctures hidden inside the false book.

“I’ve never seen a poison bible in practice before.

They’re extremely rare, which I’m sure you know.

The fact that you invited me into such a sacred act … I’m overwhelmed.”

“As am I,” Marjorie amended. “It’s been a long time since my son brought anyone home. I never expected it would be someone like you.”

“Someone full of darkness?” she asked .

Marjorie took Dana’s hands again. “We all have darkness, cher. But you’re a seeker of light. You’re a weaver, child.” Dana’s perplexed expression was enough to coax more from the priestess. “Surely you know weavers control the fates?”

Dana nodded.

“Then it should be no surprise that I see the weaver when I look at you. Yet, it seems you face a crossroad of your own making. Don’t allow yourself to dwell too long between, child. In this world of darkness, your light is blinding. Let it guide you to the right path.”

Dana swallowed, unable to express what that statement meant to her. Marjorie squeezed her hands tightly before letting go to retrieve her poison bible. She leafed through its contents, producing a delicate gold chain with a long, slender carved bone at the end.

Returning to Dana, she slipped it around her neck, then wrapped Dana’s hand around the bone.

“For protection. Don’t fight the darkness.

It gives way to light, in the same way blood gives way to life.

Remember that, child. And when you lose your way, know that you have my protection.

” She squeezed Dana’s hands. “Even if you don’t believe it yet. ”

Marjorie chanted in Haitian too rapidly for Dana to decipher. But there was no need. When she finished. She placed a kiss to Dana’s forehead, speaking plainly. “May you always find light in the darkness.”