“I had a bad nightmare,” I explained quietly. I reached for a glass on the counter and dipped it into the bucket of well water sitting on the stovetop. I took a long, deep drink.
“I haven’t been able to sleep since…since the first time that thing was forced inside me,” Wendy whispered.
I turned and really looked at her. There were purple bags under her eyes. Her pale skin was, if possible, even more sallow than normal. There was such a look of weariness in her eyes. Nightmares had often kept me up, but I could tell something worse plagued Wendy’s dreams, something that even now affected how she acted, what she did. I gave her a hard stare. Wendy doesn’t really want me dead, does she? I trusted her with my life in the insane asylum. Can I trust her now?
Of course I could. She was as much a victim in this whole situation as I was. I decided to let her in on what Sonja told me earlier—what plagued my dream. “Sonja told me… She told me Gage found a spell to transfer Luke to another body.” Even as I spoke the words out loud, my fingers trembled against the glass I held.
To my mild astonishment, Wendy didn’t look surprised by what I said. I waited for her to say something, but she just watched me in silence.
After a few heavy moments, I couldn’t take the quiet any longer. “Gage—he’s doing the ritual tomorrow night.”
“During the witching hour,” Wendy said. It wasn’t a question—it was a statement.
A thought unexpectedly struck my mind. “Wendy, when you’re around Gage, can you read his thoughts?”
She looked down at the floor. “Sometimes, but not always. Often there’s only—not words, but—” She looked up at me and shrugged her shoulders. “I can’t explain it.”
A shiver of premonition ran through me. “I’m worried about Dean.”
“You think Gage might hurt him.” She was reading my thoughts.
I nodded. “Gage made what he thinks pretty clear. Dean is useless to him.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “But…Dean has power. When he’s hit with magic, the thing he turns into…” Her words faded away.
My mind went back to the night we watched Dean turn into a monster. He’d killed Andrew and attacked Wendy, and they’d both been innocent. I wanted to believe he wouldn’t have hurt me—that somewhere inside him he’d realized who I was and stopped the attack—but I couldn’t be sure. Maybe the magic had worn off; maybe the berserker power was short lived. The only one who seemed to know anything about it was Mildred. Even Gage was asking Mildred’s advice about it.
There must be a way that Dean’s power can help us escape. If I’m alone again with Mildred, I’ll ask her what she knows. I still didn’t trust her, but she owed me any info she had that might be useful to get all of us out of this mess. A smile spread across my face as I imagined Dean in full berserker mode, going after Gage.
“Gage isn’t scared of anything,” Wendy said.
My eyes met hers as I swirled the water around in my glass. “Everyone is scared of something.”
She smiled grimly. “Not Gage.” There was a tinge of anger in her eyes.
Not for the first time, I wished Wendy and I weren’t alone. If Luke were with me, I wouldn’t feel panic each time I watched Wendy try to control herself. Now that Gage realized my magic wasn’t strong enough to hurt him, would I be able to convince him to let Luke and me be together?
I thought of my meeting with Sonja. Was it possible Gage could really pull it off? Could he successfully perform a transitioning spell and guarantee Luke could be with me all the time? But there was a more important question—why would he do it?
“Gage wants you by his side…” The memory of Sonja’s words whispered across my brain. What if it were true? What would Gage do once Luke was in a body of his own? Gage knew the feelings I had for Luke, had relied on them to make me do what he wanted. Why would he even consider transferring Luke to another body? Maybe because he wanted Luke to join his ranks, and the only way Luke would be useful to Gage is if he was in a magically capable body.
Gage made it clear many times that he surrounded himself with people he could use, and Luke in his current state was of no use to Gage. Inside another fully initiated death dealer body, Luke would have his full power. But once Luke was free, would Gage consider him a threat? Luke was a powerful death dealer. How powerful was Gage? I needed to find out more about Gage and the magic he was capable of.
I asked a question that had been lurking in the back of my mind. “Is Gage…human?”
“Gage is human,” Wendy answered. “But he wants to be like one of them.”
“Like the demons?” I felt my blood turn cold.
The violent emotion I’d seen before left Wendy’s face and her eyes filled with panic. She retreated backward until her back was against the wall. “He wants to fill his soul with darkness. He wants to kill off any humanity still inside him.”
What was worse? A man killing someone because he was insane? Or a sane man killing so he could try and become like the demons he worshipped? But then again, Gage wasn’t playing with a full deck. I’d seen the mad glitter in his eyes when he talked of letting loose a zombie army in the middle of Times Square.
Wendy slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. “He hopes to gain strength and magic from the demons when they come.”
When they come. She said it with such certainty, as if she believed without a doubt it was going to happen.
“I told you, I won’t do it,” I whispered, my grasp tightening around the lukewarm glass.
She watched me for a long in silence before she finally said, “You may not have a choice.”
She was wrong. Letting Macaven’s demon loose had been an accident. Now that I knew what Gage wanted from me, I would refuse.
Even if he says he’ll kill Dean? Threatens to banish Luke? A nasty voice echoed the words Wendy had thrown at me earlier. If Gage threatens to kill the ones I care about, will I really be able to refuse him?
I looked down at Wendy. “I don’t have the type of power to do it even if I wanted to.”
She gave me a small smile. “You know that’s not true.”
“My power has limits.” I moved my right shoulder and flinched when the pain hit. I was still sore despite Ian’s help.
Wendy watched me. “Your power has limits with the living. But not the dead.”
“Yeah, I can do things to the dead, but—”
She cut me off. “That’s what Gage is interested in. What you can do to the dead.”
“Like raise him a dark army,” I spat out.
“No—like releasing the legion from the gates of hell,” she whispered.
I slammed the glass in my hand down onto the counter, shattering it. I looked down, numbly observing as blood flowed from my palm. I stood in stunned silence and watched it drip onto the floor.
A few moments later Wendy was by my side. She handed me a towel, and I wrapped it around my hand. “Thanks.”
“You have power over otherworldly things,” she said quietly. “You’re dangerous, Colina.”
Am I? Or was Sonja right, and I’m just a foolish girl who got lucky and survived?
“What do you think Gage will do to Dean?” I asked, gingerly tightening the towel around my palm.
“I don’t know, but we have to warn him. He needs to know Gage might be gunning for him.”
“And even if he knows, will that help?” I wondered. My voice shook as I asked the question. The image of Dean laying on the floor, lifeless, flashed before my eyes. I felt my heart stop for a moment. It wasn’t real. It was only a nightmare.
“Maybe Dean can escape. He could get away before the ceremony.” She looked at me and gave me a sly smile. “But if he does, you won’t get your heart’s desire—Dean will take Luke with him.”
It was as if she’d pulled the thought from my head. Am I willing to sacrifice Dean so I can get Luke back? “I have to tell Dean. I have to warn him.”
“He can’t make it past the hellhounds b
y himself. And even if he could, he won’t leave you behind.”
She’s right. Dean won’t leave without me. Dean had never hidden that he had feelings for me, and even though I had made it clear I was with Luke, Dean had not given up on his quest to win me over. There was no way he would abandoned me when I was in danger.
I chewed on my lip, wondering where to go from here. I wanted more than anything to have Luke by my side, but was I going to risk Dean’s life to get what I wanted? If Gage found the spell to transfer Luke to another body, then there was a chance we could find it on our own. I remembered Dean saying that once we made it out, he could access old books through his guild…maybe they were the same books Gage was using for his research.
Dean was useless to Gage, but I didn’t believe for a moment that he would just let Dean go. “So we all have to leave. We head out before the ritual. The spell will happen during the witching hour. We can go before they do it. We’ll try to escape… We’ll take our chances.”
Wendy simply watched me, her eyes wide. “But the hellhounds—”
I interrupted her hastily as a thought popped into my head, “Don’t worry about that yet. I have an idea.”
I have power over spirits. The demon I released made the hellhounds… In theory, I should have some power over them, too.
I hoped with all my heart that my theory was true, because soon we would be heading out to meet those creatures. And if I couldn’t stop them when they came out to face us, they would tear us to pieces.
Or worse—they would consume our souls.
* * *
A few hours after sunrise, Dean wandered into the house looking cheerful. He came over and sat down in the chair next to me.
“How’d you sleep?” he asked.
He had to notice the deep, dark bags under my eyes. I hadn’t gone back to sleep after the nightmare. Instead I’d spent the night trying to come up with a way of getting us out of this place in one piece. “Not well.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I spied a dark marking on his forearm. “What’s that?” I asked, pointing to what looked like a strange symbol painted in black smudges.
He looked down at his arm. “Just dirt.” He started to wipe the smudge away.
“Don’t,” I protested, reaching out with my injured hand to stop him.
“Colina.” He grasped my hand and looked down at the cut on my palm. “What did you do to your hand?” he asked, concern filling his face.
The cut wasn’t deep and had stopped bleeding. “I cut myself on broken glass,” I explained. I tried to tug my hand away, feeling like an idiot. “It was a just a stupid accident.”
He gave the cut a good look, turning my hand over in his. “It could get infected. You need someone to look at it.”
“No!” I pulled my hand violently back.
Dean’s eyes widened at my reaction.
I stammered, trying to explain myself. “It isn’t—it’s not a deep cut. It stopped bleeding last night. As long as I keep it clean, it will be fine,” I said, feeling foolish at my reaction. Truthfully, I didn’t know if I could face the Scottish healer again. The look of pity and sadness in his face when he’d looked at me was almost more than I could bear.
Dean was watching me closely.
I forced a smile. “Really, I’m okay.” I pointed back to the smudges on his arm. “That looks like a symbol of some kind. I think I’ve seen it somewhere before.”
“You think so?” He squinted at his arm, then laughed. “Colina, it’s just dirt.”
“No, it’s not…” It was definitely something I had seen before. I remembered watching Mildred pull out runes and lay them on my bed back at the asylum. She’d been giving me a lesson on runology, telling me what each of the symbols meant. And then another memory surfaced—the reading Wendy had done for me.
I was sure I was looking at a rune symbol.
I got out of my chair and leaned over Dean. “It’s not dirt. These are rune symbols.” I looked around for Wendy. I hadn’t seen her since our talk last night in the kitchen.
“You think so?” he said, looking at his arm.
I nodded my head. “Have you seen Mildred?”
“Funny you should ask. I talked with her this morning.” He stared off into the distance, and when he looked back at me his eyes were unfocused. “Oh… How strange. I can’t seem to remember what she wanted to talk to me about.”
I grabbed his arm and felt a tingle of electricity. A shiver went down my back. What did that crazy old woman do to him?
The door leading outside opened abruptly. Wendy and Jacob strolled in. Wendy had a bunch of wildflowers in her hand and a few tucked into her dark hair, and she was smiling. Her expression changed the moment she set eyes on us. I watched her face close up before she stopped and then looked down at the floor. “Hi,” she whispered.
Jacob lifted a hand in greeting.
I wondered where they’d been. Was Wendy in the habit of taking early morning walks with Jacob? How close had the two of them become?
“Jacob was just…helping me get some water,” Wendy said, still not meeting my eyes.
The excuse would have worked if either of them had a bucket in their hands, but I wasn’t going to be the one to point out the obvious.
The two walked into the kitchen. A few minutes later Jacob walked out, looking a tad breathless. When he looked my way, I could have sworn I saw him blush. He gave us another wave and headed back out the door.
“What was that about?” Dean asked quietly.
“I think they’re a couple.”
Dean’s eyes swung from the kitchen to the back door. “You’re kidding me.”
“I wish I was.” Dean looked straight at me, and I found myself searching for words. “Dean… There’s something you should know.” How do I go about telling him Gage thinks he’s disposable? “Gage is doing another ritual.”
Alarm showed on Dean’s face as he looked over to the kitchen. “Another demon possession?”
“No. He found a spell that can transfer Luke into another body.”
Dean stood up, excitement filling his eyes. “Do you think it could work?”
“Gage seems to think it will.” I watched Dean and wondered what was going through his mind. Dean and Luke were not friends. Dean made it clear that if Luke ever planned to try and take him over completely, he would protect himself.
Briefly, the thought of our odd relationship flitted through my mind. Luke told me long ago what he thought of Dean—he didn’t like him, and he didn’t like us being close. I knew Dean liked me, and was jealous of my feelings for Luke. But did Dean hate Luke?
The whole situation made me feel confused and downright dizzy. I loved Luke, but I always felt Dean pulling at my emotions. I couldn’t deny there was an attraction there—I’d kissed him and found myself drawn to him—even though I tried to deny it. But what I felt for Dean was nothing like I felt for Luke. I cared about Dean, and yes, I was attracted to him against my better judgment. But Luke–the feelings I had for him ran deeper than anything I’d ever felt before.
We’d been drawn to each other at first glance. Some kind of bond had formed between us as we went through the trials. Maybe that was it, the reason I knew Luke was the one—we had counted on each other, relied on each other, looked to each other for strength during such terrible times. Luke seemed to understand me. Accept me for who I was. He knew the worst parts of me, and yet he still loved me.
I knew Dean cared about me, but Luke…I had no doubt he would go to hell and back for me. And I for him. Luke had my heart. Dean knew that, but he hadn’t stopped pursuing me.
Dean started to pace the floor. “Is the ritual tonight?”
“Yes. But…” My words faltered.
Dean stopped in front of me, waiting.
It took me a few tries to get it out. “Gage—he said—he mentioned a few times that he’s not fond of your…magic. Gage told me he wants Luke and I to work for him, but…”
Dean frowned,
and then understanding filled his eyes. “But he doesn’t want me.”
I nodded my head.
“Does he plan to let me go?” His eyes narrowed. “Colina—is he going to kill me?”
Is he? Can I do anything to stop it? I didn’t want Dean to see how freaked out I was about the situation, so I did my best to hide my emotions. I shrugged my shoulders and looked away.
“Wonderful. And I’m supposed to sit around and wait to see which option ‘the big man’ chooses?” Dean demanded.
I met his gaze straight on. “No. I think we should escape.” Dean’s eyes widened in surprise and I continued. “You were right. We should try and get out of here.”
“I thought you said it was too dangerous.”
“It is,” I admitted. “I’m still not sure if we can get past the hellhounds, but we have to try.” The image of those creatures sitting out there waiting for us sent a shiver down my spine. In a few hours, I would face them. And I would have to try and find a way to overpower them before they destroyed us.
Dean was silent for a long time before he asked, “When?”
“Before it gets dark. We have to go before they come and take you away. We have to make a run for it before sundown.” Dean started pacing again, and I kept talking. “It’s only the hellhounds out there now. And I think I can use my magic to keep them from killing us.” The creatures shrank back when the howls of my spirit pack floated across the wind. My pack was a magical force to be reckoned with, given to me as a gift from an old god. I might not have any magic that could harm the living, but so far my magic has been more than effective on the dead.
My words stopped him in his tracks. “You really think you can stop those creatures?” The crazy old woman might be able to sooth the beasts, but I’d seen firsthand what a hellhound was capable of. During the fight with Macaven I had watched a hellhound set fire to one mage and take a chunk out of another’s face. And even more terrifying—the same beast had ripped the soul from a mage and eaten it.
“Yes.” I said it with more assurance than I felt. If I’m wrong, we’ll all die.
Dean rubbed his hands together and gave me a wide smile. “I’ll be ready. Colina… Don’t worry. We’ve gotten out of worse situations.”
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