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“We’re going to need some boxes,” Chris said.
“Any chance you have some in your bag?” I asked Dastien.
He raised a brow. “What do you think?”
“Yes?”
He walked under the trapdoor and leapt up. A few seconds later he was back with bankers boxes. “I only have three,” he said as he started making them. “It’ll have to do for now. We’ll get this stuff. What do you think about the circle?”
“I was hoping not to think about it.”
If we can break it safely, then we have to do it. I don’t think either of us will sleep tonight if it’s here.
He was right. I knew he was, but that didn’t mean I wanted to get any closer to it.
“Any chance you have salt or—”
Dastien shook his head. “I really only have the traditional Cazadores bag. Spare clothes, first aid, food supplies, things to cover up something supernatural…” He shrugged. “Before all this stuff started with Luciana, if there was something magical going on, we’d just call a witch. We should probably update the bags.”
“For sure, but that doesn’t help us right now.”
“Found it!” Chris said. “Here. Sage, too.”
He held out a glass jar along with a bundle of dried sage. I took the jar and glanced at the label. “It says salt, but…” The metal lid sang as I turned until it opened. I gave it a big sniff, and it smelled like salt alright. I grabbed a little pinch and tasted it. “Seems like normal salt and I’m not feeling anything magical with it.” I wasn’t sure I could really cleanse anything with the pile of dead bodies in the corner, but I could try to at least break the circle. Dastien was right. I wasn’t going to be able to sleep knowing that it was here.
I walked around the circle, dumping salt over it, while saying the Our Father prayer. I would’ve thought that was enough, but the circle was still making my skin itch, so I went around it again.
And again.
“This isn’t working.” But I hadn’t tried the sage yet. I found a match by the edge of the circle, and struck it against the cement floor. The scent of the match covered everything up for a split second, but when it was gone, the rotting bodies smelled twice as bad.
I gagged as I lit the sage. “Hopefully this will help.” I walked around again, cleansing the circle, and then continued around the room. To the corners. The bookcases. I set my intentions on getting rid of the old and evil, and urging the ones who’d died in this room—human and not—to move on.
When I was done, I wanted the room to feel better, but it didn’t. Instead, it felt like the walls were closing in on me. “I think I can safely say that it didn’t work. I can’t break the circle.”
“It has to have worked.” Chris paused as he filled up the last box. “You were saying the right things. Maybe you just don’t feel it because of all the other crap in this room?”
I looked at Dastien for a second before shrugging. What do you think?
I don’t feel magic like you do. I’m a fighter and a werewolf. This place feels wrong, but I don’t know if what you did worked or not. It should’ve, but we both know that not everything works the way it should.
I glanced back at the circle. The white salt was covering up most of the black circle now. Salt typically neutralized magic, but I wasn’t sure what the deal was. The circle still felt evil as fuck. The only way to know if it worked is to cross the circle, and I don’t think I have the guts for that. “Any chance the Cazadores keep grenades in their bags?”
Chris let out a surprised laugh. “No, but now I wish they did.”
“What else do you have in your car that could—” A tingle of magic started tickling the back of my neck and I scrunched up my shoulders. The urge to look at the circle grew stronger, so I ignored it and stayed facing the guys.
This is bad.
What’s wrong? Dastien took a step toward me. I could actually feel him getting closer to the circle.
“You’re mine!” The voice sounded right in my ear and I jumped across the room. I slammed into the wall. A couple shelves broke with the impact, scattering books and jars to the ground. But I didn’t care. My body felt cold even as sweat started dripping down my forehead, but I couldn’t look at the circle.
Chérie!
I might have been imagining Astaroth’s voice, but I wasn’t about to take the chance. Not after what I’d seen in my visions.
I grabbed one of the totes from Dastien. “We’re leaving. You’ve got ten seconds to grab whatever and then we’re out of here.”
