Page 26 of Hextreme Measures

“Yeah, that’s not what happened with the banshees last night.”

“I’ll get to that.” Ellen’s smile was kind. “Banshees recruit for their ranks in different ways. The bond is much stronger if the individual willingly gives herself over. When that doesn’t happen, however, and the recruit is taken by force, that’s when things get iffy. For the banshee, I mean.”

Hope surged through Ofelia. “You’re saying if the individual willingly becomes a banshee, there’s no way back to her humanity.”

“I am saying that.” Ellen bobbed her head. “It sounds as if your friend didn’t voluntarily join the ranks of the coven. That’s what they call a group of banshees, by the way. They co-opted the word.”

Ofelia wasn’t surprised at that, nor did she care. “You were turned into a banshee against your will,” she guessed.

“Yes, and Leonard was the one who paid the ultimate price for that,” she said. “I’m getting ahead of myself, though.” She took a deep breath. “Carolina visited me multiple times, trying to entice me to willingly turn. I refused. I was angry, but I knew that was the wrong way to go.”

“I’m guessing she turned you against your will.”

“Yes, eventually.” Ellen rolled her neck. “She came in the night and clawed me. It wasn’t just a scratch. Before that, she made sure to tell me that Leonard was sighted with his mistress at an event I wanted to attend. Leonard made up an excuse why I couldn’t go — it would be all men — and then took his mistress. Then, when I was furious, she clawed me.”

Ofelia didn’t say anything. She just waited.

“I didn’t know what it would do,” she continued. “I grew more enraged over the following few days. The wound grew infected. Or, rather, I thought it was infected. The doctor couldn’t explain what was happening. He gave me multiple antibiotic rounds.

“On the fourth night, I rose as a banshee,” she explained. “I didn’t know what was happening. I just knew that I was different. More … feral. I guess that would be the right word.”

“Did you still have some semblance of yourself?”

She bobbed her head. “Yes, but I think that was because I didn’t want to be turned in the first place. I might have been angry, but I understood that what she was offering me wasn’t a good thing. That was the night she pushed Leonard off the roof. She wanted me to do it, but I still had enough awareness to refuse.”

“So, how did you turn back?”

“A potion from a witch in the French Quarter. I did not seek her out. I didn’t know I could. I was aware of witches, of course, but it never occurred to me that one of them could fix my problem.”

“Do you know her name?”

“I don’t. She offered the potion to me and never introduced herself. I was so desperate, I took it. The next morning, I woke as I’d always woke. There was a little residual anger, but that was it. I still carry the scar.” She rolled up her sleeve for Ofelia to see what had once been an angry gash. The marks were light now but still evident.

“So, you’re saying you were only a banshee for a short amount of time,” Ofelia prodded.

“Days,” Ellen confirmed. “Three, I believe.”

“Do you think it would have been harder for you to change back if it had lasted longer?”

“I think there is a point where it would be impossible to change back,” she confirmed. “You have to fight the condition. Do you think your friend will fight if she changes?”

“Absolutely.” Ofelia bobbed her head. “Angelique has always been a fighter.”

“There might be a reason they targeted her. Is she an angry person?”

Ofelia had a harder time answering that question. “I wouldn’t consider her an angry person in general,” she replied after a few seconds. “She’s a siren, though. Anger is fused into their very being.”

“Are you certain she will turn?”

“No, and until I know, my goal is to find the other banshees. There was a group of them.”

“What’s interesting is that I can sense banshees now that I’ve been one of them,” Ellen noted. “I have not sensed any in this area in recent weeks. Weirdly, they have avoided this area for years now, other than a few isolated incidents.”

“Any idea on why they would be back now?”

“No, but I still can’t sense them. Are you certain you’re dealing with banshees?”

“Oh, I’m certain,” Ofelia confirmed. “I’ve fought with a couple over the years. I’m familiar with their work.”