by Davida McLea
"You know, I'm not an animal. I can control myself.” He tried to keep the anger out of his voice, but he wondered what would make Lorena think that he—or any man—would try to take advantage of a woman who had been through what McKenna had endured that night. “I won't touch her. I'll sleep on the floor if I have to."
"Thank you,” McKenna said. “Could you help me gather a few things to take to your room?” Lorena looked like she wanted to argue, but McKenna already stood on unsteady legs, ready to leave her room behind.
"Fine,” Lorena sighed. “I guess you're probably right.” Aidan thought that it killed her to admit that he might contribute good ideas. “But tomorrow we will cleanse this room first. The more the two of you are together, the more dangerous it is for everyone."
* * * *
It was almost nightfall before McKenna was finally able to lie down and rest. Her body didn't seem to want to take orders from her brain. Aidan was terrified that she would fall over, so he had carried her from the bathroom to her bed and pulled pajamas from her suitcase. Carefully, and with much tenderness, he had helped her as he might a helpless child. He had wanted to carry her down the hall into his room, but she refused his offer. Walking hadn't been easy. All muscle tone seemed to have left her legs, and more than once she found herself reaching for Aidan's hand. Twice he had slipped his arm around her waist, but she waved him away. She refused to let the demon rob her of her independence.
Aidan's room was a mess. His clothes were draped haphazardly over a chair, a wet towel lay on the dresser and the bed covers were still on the floor where he had thrown them. For a man with such meticulous personal habits, McKenna was surprised to see the disorganization. He smiled sheepishly as he pulled the sheets back over the bed. “Everything that has been going on has really drained me. I don't know how you do it all the time."
"I don't do it all the time. Most of what I do is find leaky pipes and creaky foundations. The vast majority of people who call me have an old house or squirrels in the attic, but no ghosts. The ghosts that I usually find are harmless. I've never had to deal with anything like this."
Aidan stretched out on the bed next to her and pulled her into his arms. “And Lorena has?"
"She's from New Orleans. There's something about that place that pulls negative energy. She's seen a lot. She can deal with the most vile, evil creature imaginable, but I'm not sure she could deal with eighty-year old Mrs. Robinson who invents a new ‘haintin’ every two weeks, just so someone will come out and visit."
"And do you go visit?"
McKenna smiled, picturing Esther Robinson standing on her porch, wearing her best Sunday dress and holding a pitcher of iced tea. “Every two weeks like clockwork. She's just lonely. You know her son and his family moved to California."
"Why didn't she move with them?"
"Mrs. Robinson will never leave Murphy's Corner. This is her home, and she doesn't have many years left. If I can make her life a little better, then it's a small thing I can do."
Aidan looked at McKenna like he had never seen her before.
"What?” she asked. “Have I grown an extra head?"
"You're extraordinary, do you know that?” He stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “You run a business, chase ghosts, expel demons and soothe old ladies. Is there nothing you can't do?"
McKenna ducked her head. “I still haven't expelled a demon. Let's not put the wagon before the horse. We still have a lot of work to do.” Weariness made her voice drop like a stone.
"Tired?” She closed her eyes and nodded against his chest. He pressed a long kiss to her forehead. “Sleep, then, McKenna. I'll keep you safe."
She snuggled closer as his embrace tightened. Safe. For the first time since she stepped into the Inn, she did, indeed, feel safe.
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Chapter Twelve
The first room to be cleansed for the night was McKenna's. Everyone had heard her scream. They all knew she had been attacked. The cleansing did not go smoothly. The candles were blown out as soon as they were lit. The temperature dropped at least twenty degrees when the cleansing salt was added to the water. Fear darkened Josh's golden eyes as he walked to the first corner. It took superhuman effort for McKenna to stay in the circle. She desperately wanted to go to Josh, take the water and allow him to rest, but Lorena read her thoughts. She cast a fierce look at McKenna and shook her head.
Josh's voice shook as he began the cleansing, but his shoulders were strong and his back straight, even as loud thumps filled the room. The bowl in Lorena's hands began to vibrate fiercely, spilling water on the rose-colored carpet. A vase of flowers wilted in front of their eyes and sailed across the room, narrowly missing Josh. He calmly stepped to the side and continued even as sweat beaded on his forehead. When he returned to his place in the circle, he was shaking, his face wan and drawn, but he gave McKenna a triumphant smile.
McKenna knew how he felt. The room cleansing had become more and more difficult as the ritual wore on and Josh and Lorena had to pull energy from everyone. McKenna wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a long sleep, but she was a bit leery of showering, all things considered. Maybe she could take a bath instead. A bath with Aidan would be just what the doctor ordered.
She jolted herself when she realized that the direction of her thoughts were hardly conducive to the work at hand. Aidan winked at her as though he could read her mind. He had gifts in his family that had been latent for a generation. Maybe he was learning to control his energy and use those gifts.
A surge of relief spread through McKenna when the ritual was over. The room looked brighter. The colors were more vibrant. Even the air felt clean, like after a rainstorm. Julie and Eric helped Lorena clean up the ashes and the water while McKenna comforted Josh.
"You were great,” she told him as she wrapped him in her arms. He towered over her, but still felt young and fragile.
"I was so scared,” he whispered.
"I know.” McKenna could feel him tremble in her arms, fear and fatigue finally beginning to take control. She struggled to hold him upright as he melted into her. “Lorena—I need some help here."
Lorena slipped her hands under Josh's arms and helped McKenna lower Josh to the floor. “It's going to be okay,” she soothed with more gentleness than McKenna had ever heard in her voice before. “The first time is always the hardest.” She looked up at McKenna. “Could you go to my room and get the largest piece of obsidian you can find? My stones are in a black silk bag in the front pocket of my suitcase."
McKenna hurried down the hall and returned with a hunk of polished black stone the size of a golf ball. She pushed the gleaming orb into Josh's right hand. Lorena leaned down and whispered words meant for Josh's ears only. His fingers turned the obsidian over in his hands while his breathing took on a deep, regular pattern.
"What's she doing to him?” McKenna turned to find Aidan watching the pair with a worried look on his face. “I mean, he is going to be okay, isn't he?"
"He'll be fine,” McKenna assured him. “He pulled in a lot of negativity when he did the cleansing. It's a common enough beginner's mistake. It's a hard habit to overcome. I still do it sometimes. I usually rid myself of it by taking a ritual bath or shower, but that's not the only way to do it. Lorena is helping Josh rid himself of the negative energy by pouring it all into the obsidian. When he's finished, she will take it and either bury it in the earth or submerge it in running water so the energy will be dispersed.” A slight pink flush had painted Josh's cheeks as McKenna explained to Aidan. “See?” she said to Aidan. “He looks better already."
A sigh of relief escaped from Aidan's lips. “I had no idea that this could be so hard on people."
"It gets easier. I'm not sure it bothers Lorena at all. Josh is still new to all of this, so it affects him more. Lorena is going to train him when we get through with the Inn. It wouldn't surprise me if he comes out of his training stronger and better at this than I am."
"Don't apologize.” McKenna reached out and took his hand. “You did a great job, and being woozy is normal."
"It is normal,” Lorena agreed, “but still, I would feel better if he's not involved in the direct work tonight.” She searched McKenna's face for signs of fatigue. “How are you? Better?"
"Much. I feel strong and as good as new.” It wasn't the exact truth, but she was all Lorena had to help her with the final cleansing. There was no way Josh could handle anything else for a good few days.
Lorena's eyes narrowed as she tried to see past McKenna's defenses, but McKenna felt the scrutiny and threw her shield an extra dose of power to keep Lorena from seeing the dread and fear that spiraled through her at the thought of a final showdown with the demon. “Really, I'm fine."
"I'm depending on you.” For the first time, McKenna though she saw a flicker of fear cross Lorena's face. “I'll get Josh to his room. You need to get some rest. All of us could use the down time. Not all of the rooms have to be done tonight. We can all meet here tomorrow night and finish the smaller rooms. If you can, cast a circle around your bed as an extra layer of protection. This room has been cleansed, but there's no point taking chances.” She stood and offered a hand to Josh. “Aidan, Josh is still a little unsteady on his feet. Could you help me get him to his room?"
Aidan looked from woman to woman, and it was plain that he wanted to stay with McKenna.
"Go,” she encouraged him. “I'll be fine.” She managed to sound brave when the last thing she wanted was to be left alone. She knew that Lorena didn't really need Aidan's help; she was trying to get Aidan out of McKenna's room. And she was right. If McKenna allowed Aidan to stay, she would be giving in to fear, and fear was as dangerous as any demon.
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Chapter Thirteen
It was a tense group that gathered in the lobby the last night. The remaining smaller rooms were easily dealt with the night before, and the group had turned in early. Lorena warned them that with the rest of the Inn cleansed, the demon would be trapped in the lobby, making the cleansing especially difficult. The demon manifested its presence more strongly than McKenna had ever seen. She could see her breath in front of her, even though the temperature in the rest of the Inn was comfortably warm. The air was thick and made breathing difficult. During the day, every time someone would walk through, pictures would fly from the wall, furniture would scoot across the floor or lights would suddenly go out. They had all tried to avoid the lobby all day, but it was at the center of the Inn. There was no avoiding it. Lorena had made the decision to save the lobby until the end because it was the largest open area. When the demon was confined to one room, it was best to have a large space for working. Now that the cleansing was almost completed, entering into the demon's lone sanctuary set nerves on edge. Twice, the normally unflappable Julie had snapped at Eric as he helped her set up recording equipment.
Lorena had given Sam, Aidan and Josh the task of moving all of the heavy furniture out of the lobby while McKenna and Julie removed pictures and mirrors from the wall, along with any glass wall sconces.
"The fewer things we have in the room, the safer we'll be,” she explained.
McKenna didn't need to be told twice. On her first trip downstairs that evening, she had narrowly missed being hit in the head by a flying lamp. It shattered against the wall, bringing Aidan running to her side. The lamp had been antique, obviously expensive, but Aidan waved it off. “As long as you're not hurt."
When the room was cleared of all but Lorena's tools, the crew gathered in the center of the bare floor. In the middle of their circle, Lorena placed the familiar bowl of salt and water along with a smudge stick. She also set out a circle of alternating quartz and obsidian.
"For balance,” she said.
Next to the stones, Lorena placed a double-sided knife that looked deadly, even though McKenna knew the ritual knife was never used to cut anything on the physical plane.
Josh was allowed to walk around the room, lighting the candles in order, before Lorena restricted him to the circle for the remainder of night.
After the usual grounding and centering, Lorena picked up the bowl of salt and blessed it before stirring it into the water. McKenna took a deep breath and broke away from Aidan's side and began in the eastern corner of the room, performing the same cleansing ritual that had been successfully performed in all of the other rooms. When her fingers hit the icy water in the bowl, she felt a sharp shove in the middle of her back. She struggled to remain standing and strengthened her resolve.
"I bless and cleanse this room. Let no evil enter here,” she said with conviction. Again came a forceful shove. She stumbled but recovered. She walked to the southern wall of the room and dipped her fingers into the bowl again. This time, the demon's wrath was directed at Lorena. The bowl in her hands began to tremble and shake as though being tugged by an invisible hand. Lorena gripped the bowl so hard that her knuckles turned white, but she kept hold of it.
"I bless and cleanse this room. Let no evil enter here,” McKenna repeated. Her head snapped back on her neck as she felt a strong hand pull her hair.
"Ow!” It was out before she could stop it. She cursed to herself, knowing that to react at all emboldened the demon, made it more determined to cause harm. By the time they had blessed the western and northern walls of the room, a foul, rotting stench began to taint the air. Aidan turned his head against his shoulder to stifle the smell.
"God, what is that?” he asked when McKenna took her place in the circle while Lorena lit the smudging stick.
"Death,” McKenna said dully. “Evil. It's the smell of death and decay and evil."
She cast a glance around the circle. Julie was pale and shaking, her hand tightly gripping Eric's, who looked every bit as scared as Julie. Sam stood with his shoulders back and his feet wide apart, a bulwark of strength. McKenna wondered why Lorena didn't use his obvious strength, and in a flash, she knew. He smiled at her when her mind touched his. Too open, she thought. His mind was open—not a good trait when expelling ghosts and demons. But his energy glowed bright yellow, so his strength could be channeled by Lorena while she worked. She turned her attention to Josh, expecting to see fear and apprehension, especially given what he had experienced the day before, but he looked exhilarated. An uneasy feeling sat in the pit of McKenna's stomach, but she tamped it down as she once again stepped away from the circle to accompany Lorena during the smudging. The pungent smell of burning herbs did little to dispel the miasma growing in the lobby.
The temperature dropped even more as they made their way around the room, and the smell grew so strong that McKenna could feel vomit rising up in the back of her throat and Julie began to gag. A stripe of blood appeared across Lorena's face, but she didn't flinch. Red rivulets ran down her cheek as she waved the smoking bundle of herbs.
"Water again,” Lorena said as they rejoined the circle. “We have to continue until it's gone."
McKenna nodded, followed Lorena to the corner of the room and once again dipped her fingers into the salted water. A hand clasped around her throat when she opened her mouth to recite the chant. Gasping for breath, she fell to her knees and tried not to panic. Lorena got down on her knees next to her and rubbed the salt solution on her face.
"Release her,” Lorena croaked. “Release her in the name of all that is good and pure in the world."
McKenna flinched as the icy water stung her skin.
"Don't pull away McKenna,” Lorena begged. “Stay with me. Try to breathe."
McKenna opened her mouth and pulled in a great deep breath. Her lungs burned, but her head cleared immediately. Lorena stood and offered her hand to McKenna. Just as McKenna stood, she heard a wordless cry rip from Lorena's throat. Before she could turn, McKenna felt a body slam into her legs. She knew without looking that it was a solid body, no
t a vaporous phantom. She rolled to her back and found herself pinned to the ground by Josh.
"I'm not going anywhere, bitch!"
Evil had turned his gold eyes deep black. His face contorted so that he was no longer Josh, but something thoroughly dark and demonic. His breath on her face was hot and smelled of the same decay that befouled the room. Drawing a quick, fortifying breath, she shoved against the thing in Josh's body with all of her strength. He reeled across the room, but quickly jumped to his feet with cat-like grace. Again, he lunged at her, his hands outstretched, reaching for her neck. McKenna side-stepped away from his path. Lorena charged, flinging the bowl of water at Josh. An agonized howl ripped through the air as the flesh on his face bubbled and peeled.
"Grab him!” Lorena shouted at Sam. Sam wrapped his massive arms around Josh's chest and held him tightly while Josh thrashed and howled. “Hold him up!"
McKenna bit back a sob as she watched Sam struggle with Josh. A string of profanities came from Josh's mouth, but they weren't in Josh's sweet voice. It was harsh and deep, thick with hatred. Superhuman strength filled his thin arms. Aidan joined Sam in restraining Josh. Lorena grabbed the knife from the center of the circle and held it high over her head. Fear flitted across Josh's face before being replaced by anger.
"No,” he screamed.
She slashed the air in front of Josh with the blade, carving intricate symbols that glowed white in the murky light of the lobby. With each flick of the blade, the demon in Josh's body recoiled and howled in pain.
"Not going,” he moaned as Lorena repeated the same pattern.
A great gust of wind tore through the room, extinguishing the candles. Lorena swayed but stayed on her feet, her movements becoming more forceful.
The room began to shake violently. McKenna braced herself against the wall to keep from falling to her knees. Lorena stood immediately in front of Josh and touched the tip of her blade to his chest. He shrieked with rage, and as suddenly as it began, the shaking stopped and Josh sagged in Sam's and Aidan's arms.
