AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah.“
“Good. We’re going to have to tie you to the bed,“ I say. “Lay on your back.“
She rolls her eyes. “Is this absolutely necessary?“
“You might start thrashing around if we don’t, and you might hurt yourself. Or you might get out of bed and hurt one of us. You won’t be in control of your faculties,“ Rei answers. “Think of it as something like…hypnosis. You’re there, but you’re not going to be in charge. You might do things you don’t want to do. We’re only trying to protect you.“
“Things like what?“ she asks, fear creeping into her voice.
I watch as she shudders, Rei’s touch creeping up her arm. “Don’t worry about it,“ he says quietly. “You’re not going to do those things.“
She visibly shudders again. Rei gestures for her to lay on her back, his hand on her shoulder. She doesn’t resist. She just lies back as he guides her.
“Just close your eyes and relax, okay?“ Rei says.
Her gaze darts between us. “Don’t you need to get permission for this?“
“What, from the Church?“ I ask. “I mean, yes, in theory. Not in practice. The permission I’d have to ask for is procedural, and it would take too long. We need to get this out of you now, Trine.“
“He knows what he’s doing,“ Rei says. I hear the door open. I know Misha needs to go to the car to get supplies, but right now, I’m more worried about Trine.
“Can you put your hair up?“ I ask. “I don’t want you to like, pull it or anything.“
She flashes me a quizzical look, but says nothing as she ties her hair up in a tight bun. “Fine. Is there anything else I need to do?“
“No. Just relax,“ I tell her. “And do everything Rei tells you to do.“
“Okay…“ she says. “So what do we need to do to start?“
“Misha’s going to tie you to the bed,“ I say. “And then we’re going to perform an exorcism.“
TRINE
Rei is wrong.
I don’t remember anything about this, so when Misha puts his hand in mine and slowly guides it up toward the headboard, my heart beats fast and everything in me screams that I need to get out and go.
But I don’t.
I trust them. Maybe I shouldn’t, maybe it’s stupid, but I absolutely trust them. I don’t think they’re going to hurt me.
Misha wraps rope around my wrists. It’s loose, and he puts his fingertips on my skin, between the rope itself and on my pulse. “I won’t make this too tight yet,“ he says. “I’ll tighten it when you’re under.“
“Wait, what do you mean when I’m under?“
“You can’t be awake for this,“ Rei says. “It’d be too difficult for your mind to deal with…“
“And whatever is inside you wouldn’t let you anyway,“ Luke says from the foot of my bed. He has a bible in his hand. Not the hotel bible, a pocket-sized one I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. There’s a rosary wrapped around his closed fist, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up. I can see words on his forearm, wrapped around the rosary tattoo on his skin. I can’t discern what the inked words say, and he’s not getting enough for me to read it. I watch as his lips move, but I don’t hear any words coming out of his mouth. Luke meets my gaze, his eyes half-closing as he keeps praying.
It’s disconcerting. I want to ask him what he intends to do, but I can’t force myself to speak. My mouth is dry and it feels like my lips are glued together.
My gaze darts around them. Rei strokes the top of my head, his brow furrowed with concern.
Misha tightens the rope around my wrist. It’s not tight enough to cut off circulation, but it’s uncomfortable, the texture scratching against my skin.
I turn my head to look at Misha, but he’s very clearly looking away from me, biting on his lower lip as he does. This is the most anxious I’ve ever seen him. I don’t like it at all. My first instinct is to reassure him, but that feels impossible right now.
Everythingfeels impossible right now.
