“I can perform a room sealing,” Jack said, stepping up.
“And I can,” Ghoul agreed.
I bit my lip. I was loath to split everyone up, but this fight had taken a lot out of Michelle and Lucky.
“Okay. Michelle, Dive, and Coffee. Jack, Suga, and Lich. Ghoul, Trunk, and Gizmo. Welsh and Reaver stay here. Lucky, you’ve got me,” I decided.
“You’re a man short. I’ll come with you,” Jenner said, and I lifted an eyebrow.
“You sure?” I demanded. I couldn’t afford to have him wimp out.
“After what I just witnessed, fuck no. But we’re trapped in here, and my job is to protect the public. This is whacked, but it’s still my role as a police officer.”
“I’m grateful,” I said, and I was. We might win this after all.
Chapter Seven.
Haunt
It was two-thirty a.m. by the time we’d locked all rooms down bar the reception area. We wanted Jeremiah trapped in a small space. When he realised what we were doing, he fought hard, but we’d cut half his power base. Those who’d feared him started to gain confidence as we blocked his escape route. We’d been right in thinking the Kingsmill room and his trunk were the source of his strength. Once we’d isolated those, he was strong but not as powerful as before. Still, Jeremiah made shit difficult.
His attention was split because four teams were locking him out of place. Jeremiah’s rage grew, and his energy depleted faster than he was able to replenish it. That worked in our favour. Once in reception, Jeremiah threw a tantrum that a two-year-old would admire.
“Die!”he howled.
“Pass into the light,” Michelle ordered. “Jeremiah, I will force you over if necessary.”
Damn, Michelle wasn’t messing around.
“Kill you!”Jeremiah shrieked in return.
“You don’t have the power,” Lucky retorted.
“Wait,” Dive murmured and pointed. Jeremiah no longer had the energy to stay invisible, and we were finally able to get a look at him. Standing about five feet six inches tall was a thin, rangy-built man. He was close to thirty-five; his face bore the marks of time. Despite trying to hide in the corner, he soon realised we could see him.
Curling his lips into a snarl, Jeremiah rushed at Michelle, and I picked her up and swung her away as Lucky intervened. He held his cross up, and Jeremiah shrank back.
“Unholy!”
“You’re unholy, unnatural, and need to rest, Jeremiah,” Lucky said softly.
“No. No. Ignored. Forgotten. Not again.”Jeremiah’s eyes glowed red as he raced around the small reception area. There was no escape, and despite the anger and hate he’d been spewing, I felt sorry for him. I couldn’t imagine what three hundred years of nobody knowing you were there was like.
Lucky and Michelle began the exorcism, which was remarkably similar to a demon one. Jeremiah visibly gathered everything he had and fought back hard. He was fighting for survival while Lucky and Michelle were struggling to bring peace. An hour passed, and Jeremiah was hanging on. The reception had taken a battering. Paper was everywhere as Jeremiah made tornadoes of it and tossed them at Michelle and Lucky, giving them countless stinging cuts. Files and plants had been flung at them, along with keys and pictures. Jeremiah emptied the silver cabinet, launching the items inside haphazardly. I’d no doubt some bits were damaged.
Although whether on purpose or not, Jeremiah hadn’t smashed the beautiful stained glass.
Jack stepped up and turned Michelle to face him, and I flinched. I’d not seen it, but her nose was bleeding. Shit. Worrycrossed Jack’s expression as he gently cleaned it. He placed an energy drink in her hand.
“Drink while I take over,” he ordered.
She nodded and handed her Bible to Jack. His voice rose to meet Lucky’s, and I saw Lich waiting with a can for him.
“One at a time. Removing both exorcists together isn’t a good plan,” I mumbled. Lich tilted his head in agreement; his gaze focused on Michelle.
“Should she be so weak?” he murmured.
“The demon in New York State severely drained her, and then we got called here. She’s only had a few days’ rest,” Sunny said from behind us.
