Logan glanced around, but the room lay still. The air seemed untouched by the paranormal.
“Abner Pryce,” Eloise said again. “Please feel free to visit us. We seek your input.” After half a minute, she opened her eyes and released her hands from Logan and Ashleigh. “Sometimes it can take a while for a spirit to come forth, but I should be able to sense something, however slight. But I can tell it’s not going to work.”
“Why not?” asked Ashleigh. A smile touched her lips but faltered a moment later.
“I was hoping we might not encounter a barrier, but one is set in place.”
Logan didn’t understand her, but looking closer, he noticed her expression morph from enthusiasm to fright. The hair on his arms rose. If she had that reaction, how would they be able to contact the dead with an open mind? Beyond that, how would she be able to communicate without letting her nerves get the best of her?
“What barrier?” Ashleigh asked.
Logan hadn’t thought of it before, but he now figured there had been a barrier to the afterworld, which he now remembered Eloise had referred to as the veil. He always supposed those who believed in God were welcomed into Heaven while those who went to Hell were dragged down there against their will. If spirits in Heaven were contacted by those on Earth, they might be able to pass between both dimensions with relative ease, but those in Hell were tethered to the place.
“Abner’s in Hell.” Logan turned to Eloise. “I’m right, aren’t I? He killed three people. He’s in Hell. That’s why he’s not answering.”
Eloise nodded. “I was afraid of this.” She looked pale, but she bit her lower lip and narrowed her gaze on the candles, appearing focused and filled with resolve.
“Afraid of what?” Logan asked.
“We need to call upon darker forces.”
Those words sent a quiver of fear down his spine.
“We need to use the proper means to open a gate to Hell.”
24
Eloise leaned toward the candles. “Abner Pryce, we release you from joining us. You are no longer welcomed to visit.” She blew out the candles. “That concludes that attempt.”
Ashleigh pushed back her chair, rose to her feet, and opened the curtains. “I’m not going to contact someone in Hell.” She stomped out of the room, shaking her head, looking like nothing and no one could dissuade her. “No way.”
Logan watched her go. The nauseous sensation in his stomach transformed into an emptiness. He didn’t want to open a portal to Hell. He wanted nothing to do with Satan or those who worked for him. What if other demonic forces left that place and entered their home? The mere idea made his enter body quiver. He told Eloise, “I’m not going to call her back.”
“I agree. That wouldn’t be wise. This requires us to take things up a notch. If we do, we can’t let Ashleigh take part. Her fear is off the charts. She won’t be able to handle what takes place.” She met Logan’s gaze. “You’re barely holding on as it is. If you don’t want to—”
“This is going too far. Maybe we should reach out to Lucretia. We could try to discourage her from—”
Eloise drew back her neck, and she pushed her chair back, causing the wood to groan against the floor. “That would not be a good idea.”
“Why?”
“We know what she wants: you dead. She’s filled with hatred. You can’t talk reason with someone like that.”
Logan accepted that perspective without comment.
Eloise looked down and placed a couple of fingers under her chin. “Hmmm. That gives me an idea.”
Logan stared at her, fascinated how her earlier pessimism abruptly shifted to curiosity. It lifted his spirits a little.
“I’m going to call Jocelyn and Father Demetrius to help.”
“A priest?” He stiffened. “You’re not going to go through with the séance, are you?”
“I sure will.”
“Why? I don’t want anything demonic going on here. What if that negative energy affects my Ashleigh and Tyler? What if a demon gets into the house? What if—”
“I know you’re worried, but if we handle things carefully, we’ll be fine. Besides, we’re not planning on contacting a demon.”
“You said Jocelyn specializes in demons. Plus, why else would you want to bring a priest? He’ll probably bring holy water and want to bless the house, right?”
“He may, but his presence, along with Jocelyn, will be to make sure a demon doesn’t enter the house.”
“Or Satan!” Logan’s entire body was wired with the jitters. He stood up and paced the kitchen to relieve his nervous energy. “Shit, I really don’t know about this.”
Eloise pulled out her cell phone and tapped it a few times. “Hey, Jocelyn, it’s me. Can you get Father Demetrius and meet me at Logan’s house? No, I don’t sense any demons here, but we want to keep it that way.”
Logan once more contemplated what lay ahead of them. Now that Lucretia had attacked him, he understood why his father and their fathers found it necessary to end their lives. They had taken the quickest route possible to end her vengeance, and for the first time, Logan’s mind actually considered that possibility.
Their idea sent a shroud of darkness over him, but the witch almost killed him this time. What if she achieved that goal next time around? She would go after Ashleigh and Tyler. If he took his life, he would at least save his siblings from Lucretia’s vengeance. Besides, Ashleigh and Tyler now knew of the curse. They could be extra careful from here on out to make sure they didn’t run afoul of the curse.
But that hadn’t saved their father, had it? And even if Logan knew about it, he might not have had enough time to avoid accidentally planting one on Eloise’s lips. So if his siblings did their very best to avoid kissing another, there was no guarantee that the hex wouldn’t accidentally get triggered.
For that reason, Logan needed to end things now. His best hope rested with Eloise and her friends. He definitely didn’t want to contact his great-grandfather if he was in Hell, but he needed to stay the course. He needed to trust Eloise.
“Can you stop over ASAP?” she asked her friend on the phone. “Great! See you soon.” She disconnected the call, placed it on the table, and got to her feet. “They’ll be here in half an hour.”
“What then?” Logan asked. “Do we do the same thing as before?”
“Yes. The only difference is that we’ll be inviting a damned soul into this house while keeping demonic forces from entering.” She grinned. “It shouldn’t be too big of a deal.”
Logan couldn’t tell if her grin emphasized relief or a fanaticism because the wicked gleam in her eye sent a spear of panic through him. The longer he examined her gaze, the more he realized that she’d forced the smile to comfort him. He appreciated the attempt, but he wanted her to be herself. “You don’t need to pretend with me. I can tell you’re a little scared.”
Her zeal vanished. “I’m trying to stay positive.”
“I believe in you, but I’m still worried. Do you know what I mean?”
Eloise nodded. “My friend who died, the one I told you about, I’m not even sure if she’d ever done something like this.”
“Do you believe in Jocelyn?” Logan asked.
Her face brightened. “Yes. Of course.” Then her fervor dipped. “But she hasn’t really had any demon activity since Halloween. It’s weird. We expected a deluge.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Yes, but there are circumstances that…” She snapped her mouth shut, and the communicative manner with which she spoke disappeared. “We should stop talking about it.”
Logan didn’t want to pry, but it seemed like Eloise was trying to keep the negativity of her past away from him. Either that or she’d done so to safeguard those feelings from overwhelming her. Regardless, he needed to respect her wishes, so he let the topic die.
He’d begun to feel uneasy about allowing a damned soul to enter their home with his siblings nearby. He didn’t like the i
dea of leaving her alone, but she could handle herself better against supernatural forces than he could. “I don’t want my sister and brother to be here while we do this. Will you be okay here by yourself for a little bit?”
“I’ll be fine. Take whatever time you need.”
“Thanks. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.” He exited the kitchen and entered the family room.
“Guys,” he said, “we’re going to do something that might be dangerous, and I don’t want either of you here for that. I’m going to drop you off at the mall.” He left and headed into the living room to retrieve his coat.
“But Lucretia could come for us anywhere, remember?” said Ashleigh.
“True,” Logan said. “The only way to avoid that is to remain in a very visible place with a lot of people around. That’s what you’ll need to do to stay safe. I don’t think she’ll just attack you in a high-traffic place where others might rush to help you. I think she wants to do that in a private or secluded place, so she can have her way with you.”
“Wow, goosebumps,” Tyler said, running a hand across his arm. “Thanks for being so upbeat.”
“But it’s our house, too,” said Ashleigh, her footsteps drawing closer. Soon enough, she stood only a few feet away with a pain-stricken expression. “We should be here just in case.”
Logan slipped on his jacket and grabbed his keys. “In case what?”
Tyler came up behind his sister. “In case you need us.”
“If we need your help, we’ll be in deeper trouble than we could have imagined.”
Ashleigh put her hands on her hips. “What if we won’t go?”
Logan laughed. “Tell you what: grab your coats and take a ride with me. If you make a good enough argument, I’ll drive us all back home. Deal?”
Tyler grinned. “Cool!” Then he darted to the coat rack, grabbed his jacket, and put it on. “Let’s go, Ash. Don’t just stand there. We need to—”
Ashleigh put her hands on her hips. “I don’t trust him.”
Logan shook his head. “You just don’t have a good enough reason to stay.” He removed her coat and flung it over to her. Then he opened the door, let Tyler pass through the spring door, and said, “I need a break from everything that’s gone down here. Don’t you? Come on.”
When he reached the driver’s side door, he heard his sister groaning. He opened the door and popped the lock on the other side for Tyler, who scooted in before his sister did likewise.
Logan started up the truck, pulled out, and hit the road. The built-up stress subsided, and he had no idea how much things had gotten to him until the moment he left the house. It felt good not to have to worry about ghosts for the time being.
“We’re important,” Ashleigh said. “You can trust us more than them.”
“I thought you liked Eloise,” he said, hoping to catch her in a lie.
She frowned at him. “You know I do. It’s not about her. It’s about us. We just want to protect our house.”
“Yeah,” Tyler put in.
It was in the low forties outside, so Logan flipped on the heater and then stopped at a red light. “And how would you do that?” he asked in a serious tone.
Ashleigh gave that some thought.
Logan looked to his little brother. “Tyler? Anything?”
His brother lowered his gaze. “I don’t know.” He turned to Ashleigh. “Got anything? I’m all out. I need to reload.”
“This isn’t a video game!” she said. “It’s serious shit.”
Logan ignored the curse word. “Exactly.” The light turned green, so he hit the gas. “And that’s why I don’t want you there. Mom would go nuts if she knew I’d let you stay in the house when—”
“Oh, so she’d be okay with you inviting dead people into the house?” she asked.
“They’re coming anyway,” Logan said, “so, the more the merrier.”
“Sooo not funny,” she said.
Logan turned right. He’d always appreciated their proximity to the library, the mall, the movie theater, and restaurants, but never more than this moment. They were already halfway to the mall.
“So here’s another reason why we should stay,” said Ashleigh. “We know the house better than the others. If they need to—”
“I can show them where the bathrooms are. And don’t worry; I’ll be sure to let them roam around your bedroom for—”
She sucked in a lungful of air as she straightened on the seat. “You’re such an ass!”
It was a diversionary tactic to get them off the subject. Logan complimented himself on its effectiveness.
“You better not let them in my room!” she said, breathing a little easier now and sinking deeper into the fabric underneath her. “Nice try, by the way,” Ashleigh said. “Getting off the subject isn’t going to work.”
“Okay,” he said, disappointed to learn she hadn’t fallen for it. He just wished they’d realize he was doing this so they’d stay out of harm’s way. “What else have you got?” He braked at a stop sign.
Ashleigh stared out the window but stayed quiet.
“Tyler?” he asked. “Got anything?”
“I’m out of ammo.” He turned to Ashley. “Don’t say a word.”
Logan grinned and started through the intersection. A few more blocks and he’d be able to unload them before heading back.
Ashleigh pivoted toward him. “Mom wouldn’t want strangers in the house.”
“But you said Eloise is your friend. And she’s bringing her friends, so it’ll be…friendly.”
She scoffed, folded her arms, and slid further down the seat.
“Besides, Lucretia has been in our house, and I’m guessing she’d rather have Eloise, Jocelyn, and a priest in our house than a witch who’s responsible for her husband committing suicide. Don’t you?”
Ashleigh shook her head, her lips twisting tightly against each other, as though it took extra effort to keep whatever she thought about from bursting out of her mouth.
“I got it!” Tyler said as an excited expression appeared on his mug. Then a dejected look came over him and he grunted. “No, I lost it.”
Logan turned into the mall parking lot and stopped beside the curb outside the entrance. He put the vehicle in park, withdrew his wallet, took out his last twenty, and held it out to Ashleigh. “This is all I’ve got, but I don’t know how long things are going to last at the house. If you need to spend it, go right ahead. Either way, I’ll be sure to text you before coming back.”
Tyler tried to nab the bill, but Ashleigh snatched it from Logan’s fingers. “Thanks,” she said in a sarcastic tone and leveled him with a dreary expression. She popped open the passenger door and slid out, Tyler doing the same a moment later.
Logan waited until they stepped inside the mall and then drove off. In his rearview mirror, he looked back in time to see Ashleigh exit the facility and give him the middle finger. Then she placed her hands on her hips, hung her head, and shook it before heading back inside.
He laughed. She put a lot of faith behind that gesture, but he liked that it looked like she instantly regretted it. Although Ashleigh often got on his nerves, he loved her spicy personality because her goodhearted nature counterbalanced it.
Now free of his siblings, Logan felt the weight of their impending task grow heavier the closer he got to his home. He thought about numerous negative outcomes just to prepare himself for the worst, and before he knew it, he’d parked in the driveway.
For a moment, he just stared at the house. The place he’d grown up in. The one spot he felt safe in. Not anymore. But if he wanted it to be the secure home he’d always known, he’d need to get in there and do everything possible to make that happen. That last thought spurred him to leave the truck and head for his house.
When he stepped into the house, he spotted Eloise and Jocelyn seated on the sofa while a tall, muscular black man in his mid-forties stood opposite them. He wore a black dress shirt tucked into black slacks and fastened wit
h a matching belt. Considering that he wore dark socks and shoes, the only bit of color in his attire consisted of a white tab under the collar of his shirt and the gold cross pendant at the bottom of his necklace. He had a groomed goatee and the light in the room made the top of his bald head shine. He held a brown leather Bible in his left hand and a small white pouch and a transparent canister of clear liquid in the right.
Logan approached him with an outstretched hand. “Father Demetrius?”
The man tucked the bible under his arm, took Logan’s palm, and pumped it a few times with great strength before releasing it. “Pleased to meet you, Logan.” His voice came out smooth and untroubled. “Eloise has just finished updating us about a potential curse and what we now face.”
Logan believed in God and Heaven with the same certainty that there was a counterpart in Satan and his kingdom in Hell. Despite that, Logan wasn’t religious, and even though the priest hadn’t looked the least bit judgmental, he couldn’t help but feel the full brunt of the authority given to him by God. He relieved that pressure-mounting thought by assuring himself that God knew his heart, not the man standing before him. Besides, he didn’t need to visit a church to feel a connection with God. He could chat with his creator at any minute of any day of his life.
“Is there anything you care to add?” asked Jocelyn in a strong, no-nonsense manner.
He liked that she approached this situation with a sense of purpose. “Did I miss anything?”
“Not at all,” she said.
“Good,” Logan said. “I just want to get this over with.”
“All right,” Eloise said with a sincere smile. “Let’s get started.” She started toward the kitchen.
Logan noticed that she stood taller now and walked with greater aplomb. He suspected the backup increased her morale. She once more looked like the competent and composed person he’d respected and grown to care for. Although he was far from certain of the outcome, Logan felt more assured that they had a better chance now that all three of his guests appeared confident in their abilities.
The Descendants Page 18