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I see nods of agreement. Immediately, everyone works together to gather the tools we’ll need, loading them into cars so we can hurry to the other house.
Thankfully, it’s less than ten minutes away.
“Before we go,” Millie says to everyone, “you need to know that this house is the epicenter of something truly evil. It’s dangerous. Keep your shields up. Be careful. Blessed be.”
We hurry to our vehicles. When Daphne and I are in the car and on the road, I glance over to see that she’s still as pale as a ghost, and her hands are fisted in her lap, her knuckles white.
“Hey, talk to me, sweets.”
“You don’t understand,” she whispers. “That house is the biggest source of terror in my life. It’s horrible, Jack. Not to mention, my father’s spirit is there. I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Stop it.” I take her hand and pull it to my lips. “You’ve been told, several times now, that the key to stopping your father is in you. That you need to stand up for yourself. Confront the bully.”
“Easy to say when it isn’t you he’s bullying.”
“That’s true enough. You won’t be alone, though, Daph. You have about a hundred witches with you. You’re a badass woman. You’re not the shy, unsure young lady I met at that Samhain party all those years ago. You’re strong, and you’re fucking amazing. I have every confidence that you’re going to kick some serious ass today.”
“Thanks.” She takes a deep breath and then lets it out slowly. “I needed that pep talk.”
I love you, she says silently.
I love you, too.
We step out of the car and immediately hit a paranormal barrier. It’s like walking into a twenty-five-foot wall of water.
Shields, Millie says in our heads. Keep them up.
The others follow us and park anywhere there’s empty space, then immediately begin casting spells to push back the energy.
The six of us flank Ruth, who stands before the house, her head tilted as she examines it with wide, blue eyes.
The four women join hands.
We watch as shadows stand on the roof, on the porch. As lights flicker inside without the help of electricity.
They turned that off long ago.
I hear moaning and maniacal laughter. Banging and scraping.
All coming from the house.
“How did I live there for so long?” Ruth wonders aloud.
“Mama, you stay strong,” Brielle says. “Nothing in there can get to you while we’re here with you.”
“I’m not worried about that, child,” Ruth says calmly. “I’m just thinking. I’ve known since I came to stay with Sophia that I would play a part in this. Why else would he have handicapped me for so many years? Made certain I couldn’t protect you?”
I frown down at Ruth. “You think it was Horace’s doing? That your possession all those years was because of him?”
“I know it was,” she says flatly. “I know it now, anyway. I’m stronger now. I have tools, especially after many long hours going through everything with Sophia. And I have my girls and their brave men. I know what I have to do. But in order to do it, I have to get inside this house.”
“No.”
“Absolutely not.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
We’re all speaking at once, absolutely opposed to Ruth going inside.
“Girls.” Ruth holds up her hand. “I need something from in there. Something that was my grandmother’s. I know precisely where it is.”
“If it’s upstairs, you can’t get to it,” Millie says. “That staircase isn’t sound.”
“It’s under the stairs by the back door,” Ruth replies. “I know you girls hid under there sometimes. I don’t know how I know, I just do. I hid a box of things under there for safekeeping. I need that box.”
“It’s right inside the back door,” Brielle murmurs. “Maybe we can get around the house, sneak in the back way, and grab it really quickly.”
“There’s no sneaking.” I gesture to the hundreds of shadows currently staring at us. “They’re watching every move we make. And I’ll wager a guess that Horace is in there watching, too.”
“I need that box,” Ruth says again. “I’ll go in and get it myself.”
“No.” Lucien lays his hand on Ruth’s shoulder. “We can’t let you go in there, Ruth.”
He turns to the rest of us with a sigh.
“We’ll get it,” he continues. “The six of us together. From here on out, we stand as one. We’re stronger together.”
“We’re going to walk right through the back door,” Cash agrees. “No apologies. No fear. What’s in there belongs to Ruth, and she’ll have it.”
“Now isn’t exactly the moment I’d choose to get all in your face about this,” Daphne says with a sigh, “but fine. We go. In and out. We don’t have much time before the eclipse begins.”
“Come with me,” Miss Sophia says to Ruth, taking her hand and pulling her back with the others.
