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SIXTEEN
Alethea directed them to a spot where they'd already finished excavating, beside the spoil heap where they could leave the debris from their silly ritual and no one would be the wiser, come Monday morning. Maybe they'd be really lucky and it would rain over the weekend, washing all the evidence away. They'd have to bury the heart, though, because leaving body parts around a cemetery just wasn't right.
The whole thing looked like a big, mystical bullseye, or it would have, if you were flying above it. Did demons fly? She'd seen pictures of them with and without wings, and Callie hadn't said what sort of demon they were supposed to be summoning. The protective kind, supposedly, but that made no sense, because in all the stories she'd ever heard, demons were definitely bad.
Maybe if she just told her stalker to go away enough times, he'd leave her alone. Forget all of this soul mate nonsense. Not to mention babies...
Alethia shuddered. She'd helped out with Rory on occasion, but she had no desire to be a young mum like Tacey. In five or ten years, maybe. If it was a choice between pregnancy and putting her PhD on hold, or summoning demons...she'd pick demons, every time. Mostly because demons didn't exist and there'd be pizza with the girls afterwards, of course, but...
"Right. Now we need to say the incantation. You have to be really explicit. Like: Demon, we summon you to enter this circle, so that you will help protect us. The original incantation was all singular – I command you to protect me – but as we're all doing this, we need the unity. The words aren't as important as the intention, and you have to be firm. Because if you summon and don't have control over it...bad things happen."
They must be bad for Callie not to describe them in gory detail. But demons didn't exist, so nothing bad would happen. At least, that's what Alethea told herself.
"Okay, now we should all stand around the circle, holding hands, and keep repeating the incantation until something happens," Callie said.
Callie's hand was hot and clammy, but Octavia's was icy cold. Across the circle, Tacey looked determined. If a demon did turn up and threaten them, Alethea didn't like its chances against Tacey. No one hurt her family.
"We summon you, demon..."
"...enter the circle..."
"...help protect us..."
"We summon you!"
"...help protect us..."
Round and round it went, voices blending into a blur of sound, like one of those round robin song things you did at primary school. Only this wasn't about some kookaburra laughing in a tree. This was dark and serious and some sort of power was humming between their joined hands, in the circle. Alethea could feel it, thrumming through her bones. She wanted to stop, but she couldn't. Had to keep chanting. Had to finish this, whatever it was, because if they didn't do this spell right, there was no telling what would happen.
Was that the flutter of wings she heard? Big wings, like the bats up in Broome?
No, it was just the dust barrier on the fence, flapping in the night breeze, surely.
Then the telltale beeps of someone opening the lockbox with the keys inside.
Alethea let go of her friends' hands. "That's the security guard. Quick, make all this disappear, while I think of something to tell him."
The candles went back into the box, still smoking slightly, as Alethea kicked sand over the salt and blood.
Oh shit, the heart...
Alethea and Callie went for it at the same time, only Alethea tripped over Callie's leg and went down. She felt something go the wrong way and then, a moment later, pain screamed through her foot.
By the time she could see again, the heart was gone, and Callie was dusting her hands off.
"Right, let's go," Tacey said. "Over the fence, before the security guy comes in."
"Can't," Alethea said. "I've twisted my ankle."
"What do we do?" Callie asked.
"You three go over the fence, and I'll distract him, by asking for help. I'm the only one who's actually authorised to be here. I'll...tell him I forgot something, and came back to get it, then tripped and twisted my ankle in the dark. He'll have to help me, which will give you time to get to...ah, I only have one key, and I can't give it to you, or that'll look suspicious. Um...go to the car. I'll text you when I get home safe." The gate was already swinging open. "GO!"
The others sprinted off into the darkness, while Alethea could only groan. The slightest movement hurt like hell. This was worse than the time she'd twisted her ankle in hockey at school, and had to be carried off the field.
"Help," Alethea said, her voice scratchy from all the chanting. Stupid spell. She cleared her throat. "Someone, please help me. I've fallen and twisted my ankle and I need help!"
"I'll help you, miss."
The most amazing voice, so deep and dark and dipped in a distinct Scottish accent...it turned her insides liquid. If the dating app guy had sounded like this...her vocabulary would have been reduced to one, breathy word.
"Yes."
Warm arms closed around her, lifting her up, and Alethea sighed in relief.
