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“You do have a history, and the hurt was half your fault.” I stare at Lucy, but she just shakes her head. “You know it was, Lora, you stubborn witch. He’s under your roof for the foreseeable future. You love each other. You’re definitely hot for each other.”
“So hot,” I murmur.
“Do it,” Breena says, clapping her hands. “Just do it already. Stop making excuses, stop dwelling, use the power you found while you were away, and do what makes you happy, honey. If we’ve learned anything over the past few years, it’s that life can be way too short. If he makes you happy and makes your heart sing—”
“And your lady bits tingle,” Lucy adds with a grin.
“—then be with Xander. Love him. Let him love you back. Talk about your hurts and move on from them. Don’t hold them against him anymore. Don’t bring up the past in current arguments just to hurt each other. Because that’s not fair.”
“Are you a shrink now?” I ask, but I know she’s right.
They’re both right.
“I’m smart, and I know you. I know you both. You belong together.”
“We could start singing old Mariah Carey songs,” Lucy suggests, but I just laugh and shake my head.
“I’m so glad I came over here and that we straightened everything out. And I got some good advice.”
“We always give good advice,” Lucy says. “I know it’s hard to open yourself up when you’re afraid of being hurt. But, honey, it could be the best thing you ever do. It could be wonderful. Don’t miss out on wonderful just because you’re afraid of a few bruises.”
“I can handle the bruises; it’s the knife to my heart I’m afraid of.”
“Not gonna happen.” Breena sounds so sure. “I’m psychic enough to know that much.”
“Thank you. Oh, Breena, Xander said we need to go check on your house. He thinks there might be a water leak inside.”
“Damn it,” she mutters with a scowl.
Breena hasn’t lived in her little house since the night it tried to kill her almost a year ago. She just couldn’t go back there, and I don’t blame her. But since that night, the paranormal activity has been too crazy for her to sell it to some unsuspecting buyer.
We need to do a deep clean on that place, both spiritually and physically, but we haven’t had the time.
“We could go over there now,” Lucy suggests. “Jonas will go with us.”
“I’ll call Giles. If I go there without him, he’ll spike my morning coffee with rat poison.”
“That’s very specific.” I laugh and reach for my phone. “I’ll tell Xander. We might as well all go together.”
“It’s better if we’re together,” Breena agrees.
“Am I the only one who doesn’t want to go in there?” I ask as we all stand in the driveway, staring at the small house.
Somehow, in the past few months, it’s been reclaimed by ivy and weeds and looks like it’s been abandoned for decades rather than less than a year.
And that doesn’t even begin to describe the activity.
“Is that a…goat on the roof?” Giles asks. “With human eyes?”
“For the love of Poseidon, this is creepy as hell,” I say. “I would reach out with my mind to see inside, but I don’t think it’s safe.”
“You will not,” Xander says, his voice hard, and his eyes full of fire. “No one is going in yet. We have some work to do first. Please, tell me you’re all shielded.”
“Crystals, oils, spells, you name it,” I assure him.
“All of us,” Jonas confirms.
“Good.”
Xander lifts his arms, and the wind picks up immediately. Instinctively, I know which spell he’s going to do, and so do the others. We begin chanting at the same time.
“Sage and crystals, salt and wood, purify this house, leave only good. Gods and goddesses, guardians, guides, root out the evil where it likes to hide. Banish the taint, cleanse the space, this is our will, purify this place!”
The wind is brutal, whipping us mercilessly. Finally, there’s a scream from inside the house, the inhuman one we’ve heard several times now, and then everything goes perfectly calm.
“We only have minutes,” Giles says. “Because it’ll come right back.”
“Agreed,” Xander says, already eating up the ground with his long strides. He pushes the door open, and water comes gushing out at us, soaking our feet. “Get out of the water!”
We all back out of the flow, careful not to let it touch us. Water conducts paranormal activity, and we don’t need it sticking to any of us.
“Where is it coming from?” Breena asks.
“I’m looking,” I inform her, closing my eyes. Goddess, the inside of the house is completely unrecognizable. I’m so glad Breena can’t go in.
This would tear her heart apart. She loved this house.
“I don’t see any leaks,” I say at last, even after looking everywhere.
“I don’t either,” Xander confirms.
