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If it weren’t for the meds, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep last night because of the war waging inside me. Sacrificing myself for everyone also means sacrificing this life growing inside me, and I could never do that. Not only would Nicholas not forgive me, but I’d also spend the afterlife unable to forgive myself. I have to find a different solution.
“Well, it’s about damn time.” Hex smiles. “Seer’s been talking about putting a baby in you for a year. I’m glad to see he finally succeeded.”
I shift in bed, uncomfortable from lying down for so long. Hex stands and looks at me in concern, but I wave him off. I’m not a convalescent, no matter how they treat me. I’m just a pregnant woman who’s been under too much stress. They need to calm down.
“Stop looking at me like that,” I command, pulling myself into a sitting position. “Sit back down and tell me about your new girlfriend!”
His face grows dark, and I realize this is the subject he wants to avoid. But he won’t get off the hook that easily.
“Nicholas told me about the woman in the basement. She’s the girl who’s been making you so happy, yes? But she’s a ghost or something. You know how he is, he never gets the details quite right.”
I smile at him reassuringly, but he takes a moment to collect himself and formulate his response. Hex is rarely so thoughtful when choosing his words. Whoever this woman is, she must mean a lot to him. Nicholas is getting a severe reprimand when he comes back. He’s been very unkind about Hex’s friend.
“It’s complicated.” He sighs. “She’s a spirit, but she’s been ripped from her body. She’s alive somewhere, but I’ve never known of a spirit to travel so far. They usually like to stay close so they can figure out how to get back to the land of the living.”
I nod, understanding dawning on me. No wonder Nicholas hates her. She’s able to interact with the living world. He thinks she’s the poltergeist. Stupid, stupid man.
“What has Mama said about her?” Surely she’s shared with him some insight.
He shrugs. “She came to the same conclusion, I think, but she’s more worried about some stupid rock I lost.”
“A rock?” I ask in surprise. “Why would she be worried about that?”
“It’s the same one that broke my window,” he tells me, and it all makes sense.
“It’s a Lazarus stone,” I breathe out. “Of course! Hex, she’s not bound to her body because she’s bound to the stone.”
“What the hell is a Lazarus stone?” he asks, grumpy. “I’m so tired of you witches and your goddamned elements.”
I roll my eyes and laugh. That’s more like the Hex I know.
“It’s a stone meant to raise souls from the dead. You can bind a soul to a stone when it’s on the brink of death, essentially saving it from passing on. If the body heals, the soul can be put back in the body but…” The rest is too horrible. I can’t say it out loud.
He looks at me curiously, but I shake my head. That poor girl. She has no idea someone is using her as a pawn.
“Hex, I think this woman’s been sent to distract you. Tell me about the rock. When did it appear?”
He shrugs again. “It was the night of the vandalism. It was the rock that broke my window.”
“And you kept it?” I shout at him, feeling my blood pressure rise. “No wonder she keeps cropping up in your life, Hex. Someone sent her soul to you. They want you to be focused on her while they’re wreaking havoc on us. Whoever it is has to know about your gift.”
“You sound like your husband,” he says darkly. “And I don’t mean that in a good way.”
I can see he’s agitated, and he starts to leave, but I force myself up far enough to grab his arm and stop him.
“Hex, you’re in danger,” I tell him urgently. “I’ve sensed it since the night of the vandalism. I don’t think she’s the reason. I think she’s the bait. You have to find that stone so we can help her find her way back to her body.”
His face softens and he looks at me gratefully. “I love you, Tory,” he whispers. “But we are not doing anything. You look paler just from sitting up. I know you want to help me, but there’s nothing you can do right now. You have to rest.”
I huff in frustration although I know he’s right. I feel dizzy now and carefully navigate my body back into a lying position. Dark spots show, rivaling the darkness surrounding his aura. I suddenly feel very cold and afraid.
“Tory?” he screams as my eyes shut and I shake.
I can feel him next to me, but I’m suddenly trapped in a dark room, with no windows or doors. I try to open my mouth to scream, but no sound comes out. It feels like a nightmare, but I’m not asleep. I hear everything happening in my bedroom, even as I’m trapped in this dark place.
I hear Hex rushing to the door, calling for Seer. Nicholas is gone, out on some mission for Pocus. I hear another man come to the door, maybe Bones, and Hex tells him to call for Graveyard. I feel Hex near me again, his hands on my shoulders, shaking gently.
“Tory, please wake up,” he says softly. “You have to wake up!”
