They didn’t have far to go. This was where James had died, so their destination was close by. Ryan walked there, following Jordan, and he laid Angela down on the ground carefully. There were wild plants and growth everywhere, and he could picture her here at night, weeks ago now, collecting her samples. She would have had no idea that Leanna was lurking, ready to burrow herself into Angela’s consciousness and take her on a journey of fear, pain, and misery.
It was all about to end now though.
Jordan did the heavy work, arranging the ritual circle around them with the items from the pack that had been on her back when they’d run after Leanna. Ryan sat in the middle of the circle with Angela on his lap. She was still unconscious, but she was breathing, and her pulse was growing steadier. He kept her cradled in his arms, and when Jordan was done creating the circle, only then did he lay Angela down on the ground where she had first been touched by the spirit world.
Taking the empty jar that Jordan handed him, Ryan knelt beside Angela. He would do this alone, and Jordan seemed to read his mind about that, taking several steps back, outside of the circle.
With the jar beside him, Ryan laid his hands on Angela, and he began to speak. “Spirit laden, spirit heavy. Spirit worn, spirit aching. Spirit burdened plenty. Here on this ground, in this same spot, a spirit this woman’s soul bought. The price is rejected and resistance is erected.”
It was the chant that began every spirit purification ritual, and he had delivered it many times before. Around him, the artifacts that constructed his circle began to vibrate, and he knew that the ritual had begun. James had given them the right place to come.
Angela’s body arched, and her skin took on a green tint. Leanna wasn’t going to go easily. She would try to retake Angela during the ritual, and if she was successful, they might never be rid of her. Ryan could see that she was fighting to regain control now, and with Angela so weakened, she had a better chance than ever.
He moved quickly, rushing the ritual to try to complete it before Leanna could return.
“Leanna Bard,” he said, speaking her name. “Leanna Bard is an imposter with evil motive. She wants to murder Gary Bard and Gary Bard’s two children. She has used Angela Winston, innocent in all, to accomplish her deed. I reject Leanna Bard. I thwart her evil mission. I banish her from this innocent woman.”
Angela’s body jolted again, her mouth opening in a silent scream as Leanna fought to remain within her. She began to shake back and forth, rolling around within the circle and trembling.
Ryan wanted to hold her to him, but he resisted the urge. If he confined her, then it would be harder for Angela to fight off Leanna. Her convulsions now were representative of her own consciousness fighting against Leanna’s, and it was a bloody battle. It was a blessing and a curse that Angela was unconscious for it. She was weakened in her power, but she didn’t have to endure as much of the pain.
“I banish Leanna Bard from this innocent woman,” Ryan said again, louder. “I banish Leanna Bard. I thwart her evil mission. I reject her murderous intentions. I banish Leanna Bard! I thwart her evil mission! I reject her murderous intentions!”
He repeated the words again and again, shouting them louder and louder as Angela’s body rolled, and convulsed, and bucked. She arched up into a sitting position, trembling. Her eyes shot open, and she stared right into Ryan’s soul as her mouth opened and a low moan came out, growing into a high-pitched scream. The sound sent chills through Ryan, yet he still did not reach for her. He couldn’t help her, other than to keep repeating his powerful words. She had to fight for her life, and he believed that she could.
“I banish Leanna Bard,” he said again, looking right at Angela. “I banish Leanna Bard. I thwart her evil mission. I reject her murderous intentions.”
Angela screamed again, her eyes locked on his. Her body was weak, and her injuries bleeding into the ground.
Ryan ached for her, and he needed her to hear him. “Angela,” he whispered, breaking from the chant. “Angela, you can do this. I believe in you.” His voice grew hoarse with emotion. “Angela, I’m falling in love with you, and I don’t even know how. Do this for me. Do this for you. Do this for us.”
Angela was still staring at him, her eyes glazed over. Her head fell back, and she began to shake again. As he watched in horror, Leanna’s face appeared over Angela’s, masking Angela’s features. Then Angela reappeared for a moment, only to be replaced by Leanna again.
He had never seen anything like it, and he got to his feet, standing over Angela, the jar in one hand and his other hand clenched at his side. “I banish Leanna Bard!” he shouted. “I thwart her evil mission! I reject her murderous intentions! I banish Leanna Bard!”
Angela’s face reappeared, then disappeared behind Leanna’s again. It came back, then faded, repeating the same cycle again and again. She was vibrating now, so hard that she almost seemed to come off the ground, and Ryan knew that she was fighting for her life with everything she had.
“I love you,” he said, kneeling down beside her again. “I love you, Angela. God—please. I love you.”
Angela went limp, her head falling to the side. Her mouth hung slack, and her eyes closed, and for a heartbreaking moment, Ryan saw no sign of life within her. Her chest did not rise.
But then her mouth closed and reopened again, and when her lips parted, a wisp flew from between them. It was the faintest of wisps, almost unnoticeable. But Ryan saw it, and his heart leaped with joy. Bending down, he captured the wisp into the jar that Jordan had handed him, clamping his hand over the top of it.
Within the jar, the wisp turned into a black and red swirl, angrily rattling around in the glass, but Ryan hardly looked at it. He took the lit match that Jordan was holding out to him, and he parted his fingers just enough over the top of the jar, shoving the lit match into the jar. It didn’t matter that he burned his fingers in the process—he barely felt it. The black and red storm within the jar lit on fire, glowing so hotly that, even with his greater immunity to fire, he could barely hang onto the glass.
But he did, letting his skin burn against it as he watched the remnants of Leanna go up in flames. This was her expulsion. This would end her permanently in all realms and in all forms. The cremation wasn’t always part of the purification ceremony. Some spirits were left to float away, returning to their in-between realm to find another host at a later time. The world would never be safe from Leanna if she remained, though, and Ryan felt no guilt at putting an end to the existence of a woman who cared so little for any life but her own.
When the fire had burned out and the jar was empty, except for the ash that now decorated the sides of it, Ryan set it on the ground. Angela still lay on the ground, her eyes closed, and Ryan lay down beside her, putting his arm around her waist and resting his face in the crook of her neck.
She was freed. She wasn’t out of the woods yet. But she was freed.
Chapter 37
Angela
When she woke, she wasn’t sure where she was, but Angela was used to that. Her first thought was that she didn’t want to know what she had been doing during this most recent blackout. She remembered that Leanna had murdered someone the last time she had taken over, and she knew that each span of lost time seemed to be worse than the last.
She just wanted to lie there and pretend that she wouldn’t soon have to know what other horrible crime she had committed.
“Angela?”
Her eyes flew open and she glanced to the left, horrified when she saw her academic supervisor standing there. She didn’t recognize the room she was in, but she quickly realized that it was a hospital room.
God. What has happened now? Did I go to work—oh God.
“Angela, you’re awake.” Peter McCann pulled his chair closer to her bed, smiling at her. “Oh, your boyfriend is going to be so upset that he missed it. He stepped out to talk to an officer, and I said that I would stay with you.”
“Dr. McCann?” Angela managed to ask, h
er voice hoarse. “What are you doing here?”
“Well I came as soon as I heard,” he told her. “Do you remember? You were out gathering samples when an alligator attacked you!”
Angela’s eyes widened. “I was?”
“Yes,” Peter McCann said, shaking his head sadly at her obvious lack of memory. “You poor dear. Listen, I don’t want you worrying about anything while you’re in here. The program will wait. None of that is as important as your healing. You have the university’s full support.”
“Thank you,” Angela said, not sure what else she could say. She had no idea what had happened to her. The only memories she had were brief flashes here and there, and none of them made any sense. “Where …where is Ryan?”
“I’ll get him,” McCann said, standing up. “Of course—you’ll want to see him right away.”
He disappeared from the room, and seconds later, Ryan rushed in. When Angela saw him, tears filled her eyes and she reached her hand out to him. He came to her, taking her hand in his and kissing her palm as he sat down on the edge of her bed.
“Hello, beautiful,” he whispered, wiping a tear away from her cheek. “You woke up. I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”
“Ryan, I don’t remember,” Angela said. “I can’t—I don’t know what happened. An alligator?”
He smoothed her hair back, his touch and his gaze gentle. “Shh …Don’t get worked up. You’ve been through too much. You have to stay calm. Your memories won’t be complete, but they’ll start to come back,” he said, leaning down to brush his lips over hers. “How’s your pain?”
“My leg …”
Ryan nodded. “That’s the worst of it, yes. You’re generally banged up and bruised. You almost died on me. Twice. But your leg will be the thing that takes the longest to heal. You’re on some pretty intense medications.”
“Did an alligator really attack me?”
“Yes,” Ryan said, watching her face. “It really did.”
Angela felt herself pale. “Oh my God. And I survived?”
He smiled a little, only because of course, she had. “You’re here,” he said. “Talking to me. It’s a miracle—the greatest one there ever was.”
She had so many questions that she didn’t know where to begin. “What time is it?”
“It’s Monday evening,” Ryan said. “You’ve been here, sedated, for about six hours. I think it’s—yes. It’s just after 5:00.”
“I’m hungry,” she said. “Should I be hungry?”
“You should be starving.” Ryan leaned down and kissed her again. “Angela …there’s so much that I have to explain to you. So much that you may or may not remember. There’s time for all of that, but there’s one thing that I have to tell you now.”
Angela wanted to reach up to touch his cheek as he looked down at her, but her arm was leaden and aching. “What?” she asked, unsure whether she should be concerned or if there was, finally, some good news.
“She’s gone,” Ryan whispered. “Leanna is gone. We rid you of her, and I expelled her. She’s never, ever coming back.”
Angela closed her eyes, turning her head away. It was the best news she could have received, and under the circumstances, it almost overwhelmed her. She didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry, and she wanted to do both but didn’t think she could manage either.
“You fought her off,” Ryan whispered low in her ear. “I did the ritual, but it was you who won the battle against her, honey. You were amazing.”
She had a flash of memory. She was lying on the ground in the bayou, staring up at the sky, and she was fighting for her life. She didn’t know how she was fighting because she wasn’t moving. But she was engaged in a battle to the death, and she wasn’t sure she was going to win.
“I did it?” Angela asked, turning her head to look back at him. “We did it? You’re sure?”
“I’m so sure,” Ryan said, lifting his hand to wipe another escaped tear from her cheek. “You’re safe from her now, Angela, and I’ll keep you safe from everything for as long as you’ll let me be with you.”
Angela couldn’t imagine ever not wanting Ryan to be with her. Maybe it had only been three days, but she couldn’t envision going about any more days without him. She reached for his hand, and he pressed her fingers gently.
“What about the murder?” Angela whispered.
“Don’t worry about that right now,” Ryan said, stroking his thumb over her fingers. “We’re sorting it out. You have nothing to fear.”
It was the first time in a very long time that she thought she might really not have anything to fear, and it was a strange feeling. Some of her memories were coming back, and she could hear Ryan talking to her as she lay on the bayou floor. He was pleading for her to come back to him, the emotion in his voice thick and poignant.
He loves me, Angela realized, at the same time that she heard him say the words to her in her memory. This man loves me.
It was a thought that both warmed her and scared her. The fact that a man like Ryan Minton could love her was unbelievably wonderful. It filled her with the kind of happiness that she hadn’t known existed. But it also came with a burden. Angela’s home was far away, and she didn’t know if she could stay here in a place that had brought her so much pain and fear. But his home was here, and even though he had offered to go with her to Bristol, she knew that wasn’t really a long-term option. Not given how embedded he was in the agency. Especially not given the fact that he was a dragon shifter and his clan lived and worked in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They always had.
As much as she loved her home, he loved his. She didn’t know if he could ever love her more than he loved his home, or if she would want him to.
But could she love him more than she loved her home? Or, could she love him enough that the bad experiences she’d had in his home would eventually fade from her mind?
These were questions that were too heavy for her to answer right now. Her mind was fuzzy, and her body was in pain, and she didn’t want to risk answering no to any of these questions because it would mean that she couldn’t enjoy being with Ryan now, in the wake of their success. And all she wanted to do was be with him.
Because you love him, too, she thought to herself. Of course you do. And what, exactly, are you going to do about that?
Nurses came in and distracted her. She answered questions as best as she could, learning as much from the questions as the nurses did. She could hardly believe it when the nurses described what had happened to her leg, and she got a brief flash of the pain she had felt when Ryan had pulled her from the water. The memory was vague, though, and she was glad for that.
“You’re going to need a good bit of a rest and a lot of therapy,” one of her nurses told her, clucking her tongue with relative cheer. The older woman seemed happy in her work, and she fussed about Angela, tidying, and prodding, and chatting away. “But what a story you’ll have to tell, won’t you?” the nurse said. “But now you’ll know better than to go off snooping into the bayou. It’s a deadly place out there. It can be, anyway. Nothing so powerful and formidable as nature, now is there?”
Angela agreed with her, glancing at Ryan, who was sitting off to the side while the nurse took her pulse and her temperature and checked on her medications.
“That’s right,” the nurse said, “but what a brave woman, to fight off an alligator like that! And this one,” she nodded towards Ryan. “Rushing in to save you as well. Yes, that’s quite a story. I don’t think that the police officers who were here will be able to think you really did murder that man—not when they hear this story. A murderer would definitely not be able to fight off an alligator, now would they?”
And with that last rhetorical question, the nurse tucked the blankets back in, gave them both a cheery wave, and disappeared.
Chapter 38
Ryan
He dropped his head into his hands as the nurse left, having worked for hours to try to make sure that Angela would not have to deal with the o
verhanging doom of the murder charge she might end up with. Then, with one cheery, thoughtless word from a sweet lady, all that work was for nothing.
“They think I murdered him,” Angela said, her voice bleak. “It’s not over, Ryan. Is it? It’s never going to be over.”
Ryan got up from the place he had been sitting to stay out of the nurse’s way and returned to Angela’s bed, perching on the edge. “I’m not going to pretend that you’re not a suspect, but that’s all it is right now.”
“They’ll find my DNA. My fingerprints.”
“They collected a great deal of evidence,” Ryan said, “and, yes, your name came up. They have a lot of questions. But we’re dealing with it.”
Angela looked at him, skeptically. “Dealing with it?” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “By stealing evidence?”
“There hasn’t been an opportunity for that yet,” Ryan said, glancing over his shoulder towards the door to make sure they were alone. “But Barrett knows a lot of people in the police department. His family has run this agency for years, remember? He’s well-known. Not always well-liked, but well-known. He’s made it known to a few trusted people within the department that he’s got an interest in this case and that all is not as it appears.
Angela didn’t seem terribly comforted by that. “They’re not going to just ignore the fact that my DNA is everywhere, right?”
Ryan took her hand in his, holding it facing upward, so that he could stroke his thumb soothingly along her palm. “DNA evidence is not like it is in the movies. Just like séances. It’s not like they can just collect it from everywhere and know exactly what happened and when you were there.” He hesitated for only a moment, then decided to just be honest with her. “They collected a few of your hairs. There are some fabric fibers. And there are some partial prints that they found inside the car. The important thing is that they didn’t collect any of your prints from the gun.”
“What car?” Angela asked. “This happened in a car?”
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