by J. N. Colon
“I guess Mitchel loved Lucille too much to live without her.” Sebastian glanced over his shoulder, shooting her a sad smile.
When were those two going to get together? Any idiot with half a brain could see something brewing between them.
“Why did Lucille go crazy?” I clung to the wooden railing until we reached the second landing, and squinted through the blackness. My fingers squeezed the EMF meter in my other hand. Sebastian finally gave me something a little less expensive than a camera to hold.
“No one knows,” Sebastian said. “Maybe mental illness ran in her family.”
Or maybe it was so dark in this dang house her imagination drummed up a bunch of monsters, and she panicked.
“Here.” Jessica passed me a small flashlight.
“Thanks, Mom. You’re always so prepared.”
She playfully rolled her eyes. “I can’t take my children anywhere.”
Sebastian glanced down both sides of the landing before pointing left. “Let’s go this way first.”
I saluted him. “Aye, aye, captain.”
Jessica followed him, and I came up behind her, casting the flashlight on the threadbare burgundy runner to illuminate my path. The stale, musty scent of dust tickled my nose.
“Getting anything on the EMF meter, Lena?” Sebastian called over his shoulder.
“Not yet.” The numbers hadn’t moved at all.
I didn’t tell my Nephilim soul mate about my encounter in town with the dweller or Astaroth. It would only worry him. And I still wasn’t sure what to make of the Fallen’s warning. He wanted me to doubt Jayson, lose my trust in him.
That wasn’t going to happen no matter what secrets he hid. Our souls were tied. He’d saved me countless times.
But I hated that he kept me in the dark, even if he had his reasons. Should I just confront him?
The meter numbers suddenly spiked on the little screen, shattering my troubling thoughts. “Seb! I got something.”
My friends spun around. I held up the EMF meter, the numbers climbing as I neared a door.
A broad grin spread across Sebastian’s face, brightening his light-green eyes. “Let’s check it out.”
He used a skeleton key the owners gave him and opened the door. A blast of icy air hit us, blowing my hair back.
A visible shiver ran over Jessica. “That was not normal.”
Sebastian nodded. “Definitely paranormal.”
Goose bumps showered my skin. We could encounter a ghost at any moment. I’d faced dwellers, demons, and a fallen angel. A spirit should be a piece of cake, right?
We walked into a large bedroom, the stale air heavy. My flashlight danced over the white sheets hiding the furniture in front of a large, decorative fireplace.
“Getting anything, Lena?” Sebastian asked, panning his night vision camera around the peeling walls.
“Oh, yeah.” I closed the gap between us and showed him the elevated readings on the meter. “There’s definitely some paranormal activity happening.”
“Seb.” Jessica’s voice was barely more than a whisper through the dark room.
Sebastian continued to explore, scrutinizing the arched bay windows. The hazy outline of tree limbs swayed in front. “Yeah?”
“Seb.” She repeated just as quiet, but urgency now lanced through his name.
He whipped around. “What’s wrong?”
“You need to come here.” Her hand holding the thermal camera trembled.
Sebastian used his long legs to quickly close the distance between them. He cursed as he looked at the screen.
When I finally made it and saw what Jessica captured with the camera, my blood iced over. A human-shaped cold spot lingered at the foot of the bed.
Son of a biscotti. A fracken ghost.
I shined the flashlight on the bed. It was empty. But something else caught my eye.
I lifted the light higher. The gossamer fabric draping over the top of the canopy gently moved as if a breeze circulated through the room. “Seb.” I elbowed him to get his attention.
He glanced up, catching the moving fabric.
“You guys, this is freaking amazing,” Sebastian said. “I can’t wait to show my uncle.”
Jessica and I traded glances, cheesing at each other. Sebastian’s excitement overshadowed the eeriness of the room.
A soft crying spilled through the darkness, and we froze.
My smile disappeared as the temperature dropped another few degrees. I shivered. “Where’s it coming from?”
“I think it’s over by the bed,” Jessica whispered. “Where the cold spot is.”
All three of us slowly inched toward the mattress. The thick, heavy air pressed against my chest, making it hard to breathe. And then an ethereal shape materialized.
A choked squeak left my mouth. I stumbled into Sebastian. He steadied me, and Jessica gripped his arm.
Alabaster skin stretched beneath the woman’s pale silk dress. Dark hair was pinned on her crown, tiny ringlets dancing around her sharp face. Soft sobs tumbled out of her.
Holy fracken Casper! A real live ghost. Was it Lucile Robertson?
Sebastian’s hand quaked as he held the night vision camera up. The woman didn’t show on the screen.
“Lena?” he mumbled. “Get the EVP recorder out of my jacket pocket.”
I set the EMF meter on the edge of the bed and slipped my hand into his pocket, drawing out the small electronic device. I clicked the on button. “It’s recording.”
The ghost’s head slowly swiveled in our direction, her eyes barely more than dark, sunken holes. I wanted to squeal like a little girl and go running out of the room.
She took several shuddering breaths. “You shouldn’t have come.”
“Why is that?” Sebastian asked, his voice steady. He was a pro while Jessica and I were barely hanging on.
Another sob tore from her mouth. “Bad things are here. They want your soul.”
Icy fingers sank through my chest, gripping my heart. This investigation just went from kind of fun and spooky to dangerous in seconds. Her trembling words had my hackles raised.
“Who wants my soul?” Sebastian asked.
A foul odor suddenly permeated the air, choking me.
Oh, no.
A presence slithered across my back like a cobra ready to strike. But I wasn’t the target. It couldn’t attack me—not in that way.
I spun around, coming face to face with the incorporeal dweller. “No!” I shrieked as it shot toward Jessica. I pushed her away, and she bounced on the bed.
“Lena!” she gasped, her glasses dangling on the end of her nose. “What are you doing?”
Sebastian turned, looking through the screen on the camera. “Why’d you shove her? Did you see something?”
Instead of going for Jessica, the dweller dashed toward Sebastian. Black smoke spilled into his mouth and nose, seeping through his body.
Dread sank to the bottom of my stomach, opening a yawning chasm in my gut. The dweller had just possessed Sebastian.
Chapter 19
Jessica scrambled off the bed and headed for Sebastian. “Seb? What’s wrong?”
“No.” I darted in front of her. “Don’t get near him.” She didn’t see the black mist enter his body. She had no idea how much danger we were in.
“Lena, stop.” Her lips thinned as she tried unsuccessfully to move around me. “This isn’t funny. Something’s wrong with him.”
Sebastian remained frozen, his lids closed and the camera hanging limply by his side.
My chest wanted to cave in. This was all my fault. I should have been more cautious. I should have warned them.
Why didn’t I ask the Nephilim if there was a way to prevent this very thing from happening?
I licked my dry, numb lips. “He’s possessed.”
“Possessed?” Her gaze flicked to the bed. The female ghost had disappeared. “How do you know?”
“Because she can see it.” Sebastian’s voice came
out in an eerie, singsong tone. “Isn’t that right?” His lids opened, his irises swallowed up by darkness.
Color washed from Jessica’s cheeks. “Seb?”
His soft chuckle sent invisible bugs crawling over my body. “Seb’s not home right now. If you’d like to leave a message, I’ll make sure he gets it.”
She shook her head, tears building in her brown eyes. “I didn’t think a ghost could really do that.”
This time the dweller’s laughter echoed harshly through the dilapidated room. “I’m not a ghost, little girl.” Shadows crept along his face, distorting his features into something stolen from nightmares. “I’m a demon.”
The camera fell from Jessica’s hand, bouncing on the carpet. “Demons aren’t real.”
“Your friend Lena knows all about demons.” He tapped the side of his head. “You were even attacked by one, and she had a half-breed steal your memories.”
Jessica’s chest heaved rapidly as she glanced from Sebastian to me. “What’s going on, Lena? Is that true?”
“Don’t listen to him.” I grabbed her arm. “You need to get out of here. Others could be coming, and I don’t want one to get inside you.”
She yanked out of my grasp. “I’m not leaving him.”
Demon Sebastian tsked. “You’re right. No one’s going anywhere.” He lunged toward Jessica, wrapping his hand around her throat.
“Get off her!” I tackled him, and we both tumbled to the floor.
He rolled until he was on top, straddling me. His hands reached for my neck, and I knew what was coming. I didn’t fear the physical attack.
The vision would be so much worse.
His fingers grazed me, and the bedroom fell away.
The thick, pungent odor of animals and urine clouded the air. Rows of metal cages stretched on either side of cinderblock walls. Moonlight streamed in through a barred window, glinting on the pruning shears a teenage boy clutched. A kitten wriggled in his other hand.
Oh, God.
The animal shelter swam around me, and my stomach heaved. Nothing came out. I wasn’t really there. The dweller’s sick, twisted mind had yanked me inside. Was this act of animal cruelty a sign of worse things to come? Had he been a serial killer in his human life?
The boy lowered the sheers.
A scream clawed up my throat, splitting my skull in two.
The animal shelter melted away, and filthy brick walls surrounded me on either side. Trash blew along the soiled concrete.
The same boy ran down the alley, an eerie grin splitting his lips. He clutched a purse to his narrow chest. An old lady hobbled after him. Crimson marred her pale, weathered face.
The bastard beat up an old woman for her purse? What could she have had in the old leather bag?
I pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to rub away the headache. It didn’t work.
The alley faded, and I stumbled into a dank basement. Moisture and mold choked the room.
Was this demented ride ever going to end? Maybe I’d stumbled into Hell.
Actually, Astaroth’s home in Hell was much nicer than this dingy basement apartment.
Sharp, electric buzzes sliced through the silence. The boy—now a man—came into view. Blue and orange sparks rained from the blowtorch he held against metal. Pieces of wire littered the table he hunched over.
Other items came into view, ones I’d only seen in action movies.
My breath hitched. He was constructing a bomb.
Darkness spilled over, stealing the scene once again.
A strangled groan left my mouth as light began to descend into a new nightmare.
Shrieks resonated through the street. My heart jumped in my throat as people ran by, their faces marred by injuries and blood.
And burns.
My stomach soured. Smoke billowed from a building. Ash sprinkled down. A warzone stretched out. No, not a warzone. The aftermath of a bomb.
The man stood against a lamppost, grinning as he admired his work. A cigarette dangled from his mouth.
“You asshole!” I tried to pick up a piece of debris to throw at him, but my hand sailed right through the shard of bent metal.
Tears watered in my eyes as a paramedic carried a wailing toddler toward an ambulance. Soot covered his tiny body.
“Lena!”
I whipped around, my pulse racing. Who called my name? Was someone in here with me?
“Lena!” The distant, strangled shout echoed again.
The chaotic street swam out of focus.
Dust collected on a chandelier swinging above. A heavy weight pressed against my chest, and something hard tightened around my throat.
Frack. I couldn’t breathe.
“Let her go!”
A loud thunk resonated.
Sebastian released me, rolling off. I sucked in a lungful of air.
I was back in the Meridan Mansion. Jessica’s trembling hands held an iron vase as she stood over us, her glasses askew.
I coughed and scrambled into a sitting position, my back pressed against the wooden bed frame. Warmth leaked from my nose.
A growl rippled out of Sebastian, threatening and deadly. Instead of attacking though, he climbed to his feet and darted out the door.
Jessica dropped the vase, her stare drifting toward the hall. “That wasn’t him.” She shook her head, her lip trembling. “He would never hurt anyone.”
He wouldn’t, but the dweller inside him sure as hell would.
I wiped my nose, crimson smearing my fingers. A metallic taste lingered on the back of my tongue again, but at least I wasn’t going to toss my cookies. Not yet anyway.
A hot tingle seared my nape moments before Jayson barreled into the room. He cursed as he caught sight of me, my knees curled against my chest and blood dripping from my nose. What else did he see? A pale face? Haunted eyes.
“It happened again.” He kneeled and used his sleeve to wipe the blood from my face. His lips tightened.
“I’m okay,” I mumbled, averting my gaze to Jayson’s black t-shirt. Why I bothered trying to hide the truth from him was beyond me. He could feel the turmoil crashing inside my soul.
The vision of the boy turned bomber began to float to the surface. It threatened to overcome me again.
“We need to find Sebastian.” Jessica’s strangled voice brought me back from the brink of falling.
I gripped Jayson’s arm. “He’s possessed.”
Hard lines slashed into his face. “The visions came from him?”
Chills scuttled down my back. “The dweller currently possessing my friend,” I reminded him. I didn’t want another repeat of the woods. He couldn’t have an accident. Not with Sebastian.
Jayson blinked the shadows from his molten gold eyes and gave a quick nod. He helped me up. I clutched his leather jacket as I swayed on my feet. “Lena,” he warned. “You should—”
“We have to help Sebastian.” I ignored the stabs of pain in my skull. “Come on, Jess. Stay close.”
Jayson picked up the flashlight I’d dropped and lit the burgundy runner as we inched down the hall. He led the way, my hand gripping his. Jessica’s fingers curled tightly around my other wrist.
“I don’t know what’s going on here and maybe I don’t want to.” Jessica’s voice hitched. “But you can fix him, right?” A ragged breath escaped her, sending a breeze over my hair. “You can get Sebastian back, right?”
“We can,” Jayson answered without turning around. “If he doesn’t cause any damage to—”
My face bumped into Jayson’s hard back as he abruptly stopped. He lifted the flashlight, highlighting the figure up ahead.
A choked gasp tumbled from Jessica. “No, Seb.”
Sebastian stood next to the wooden railing overlooking the first floor. An ominous smile twisted his lips, one the real guy never made. “Hello again, friends.”
My heart plummeted to the soles of my boots. Sebastian balanced on the other side of the railing, his toes barely perched on the end
. A far drop was below.
“I can see this person is very important to you.” His black eyes shifted to Jessica who trembled behind me. “Especially you, pretty girl.” He blew her a kiss.
“Stop playing games.” Jayson released my hand, ready to lunge for Sebastian.
The dweller’s chuckle skittered over my skin. “I’ll be more than happy to return your friend.” One of his hands slipped from the railing. “After I kill him.” He took a backward swan dive and disappeared.
Jessica’s scream ripped through the mansion, bouncing against the walls and marble foyer. Jayson moved faster than humanly possible.
But it wasn’t fast enough.
I ran to the railing, grabbing onto Jayson as he looked over the edge, his face a hard mask. My veins filled with ice imagining the scene below us. Blood would be pooling around the head of a broken body. Sebastian’s vacant eyes were probably open, staring up at the grimy chandelier.
None of those images greeted me. Instead, Nithael was holding Sebastian as he struggled in his arms.
My gaze swiveled toward Jayson. “He caught him?” I held my breath, hoping it wasn’t too good to be true.
He gave a quick nod.
A ragged sigh slipped out, one that sounded a little too much like a sob.
“Oh, my God.” Jessica’s broken voice carried over Sebastian’s snarls. “Who is that?”
No one answered her as Nithael set the struggling demon on his feet.
“Get off me, you filthy angel,” Sebastian hissed.
Nithael ignored him and calmly laid his hand on Sebastian’s forehead. The misty dweller raced out of his mouth in a black cloud. A howl of rage resonated as an invisible force pulled the damned soul into the ground.
I guess any angel—fallen or good—could yank a demon out of a human and send it straight back to Hell.
Nithael placed the unconscious Sebastian on the ground, gently cradling his head. “He will be fine.”
A sob tore out of Jessica as she raced down the steps, falling to her knees at Sebastian’s side. She didn’t even spare the angel a glance.
A lump of emotion twisted in my throat, blocking my airways. This was the second time the dark part of my life had clashed with the human part. Was everyone close to me doomed to suffer?
