10. Cary

10

Cary

I watched as Evan scurried off my porch and ran down the lane. I reached over my shoulder and was pleased the burning sensation had at least stopped enough that I could drive. Not bothering to put on a shirt, I grabbed my wallet and keys and rushed into the garage, where I kept the Lexus belonging to the estate.

It only took a moment to catch up to him as he was still speed-walking down the lane. I slowed alongside him and rolled down the window. “Hey, can we talk?” I asked, but he ignored me and kept walking.

“Evan. Mr. Garland, I promise you aren’t in danger from me. It was just a fluke.”

“Ghosts don’t just possess people or attack people. Ghosts don’t even exist! At least, I didn’t think so until yesterday. Now I’ve been attacked three times in two days. Nope, I need to get out of here, get back home where I belong. This place… it’s cursed. It was a curse for my ancestor, and it’s a curse for me.”

“Or it’s not a curse, but the entity wants you to think it is,” I countered.

He stopped. “What’re you saying? That he’s driving me off, because what? He wants the place for himself?”

“I don’t know, all I do know is he’s never attacked me or anyone else until now, and there’s a reason for that. Why don’t you come back with me to the cottage? You’ll be safe there.”

“Until he possesses you again.”

“No, that was residual from the attack. I warded myself before I fell asleep, so the cottage is safe, and he is back where he belongs in the basement. He’ll be too weak to do anything for at least another turn of the moon.”

“‘Turn of the moon,’” Evan repeated as he continued walking. “This is crazy, like I somehow got caught up in a Stephen King movie. You know they all die in Stephen King movies? I am not one of those idiots who sticks around waiting for the evil clown to eat me. I’ve got some freaking sense and I’m making my escape before the shit hits the fucking fan.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his dramatics, though not totally unwarranted, and he turned on me. “You think this is fucking funny? Look at you. You’re still wrapped up because a monster attacked you, then took over your body to threaten me, and you think this is funny?”

I stopped the car, put it in Park, and got out. “Listen, no. No, it’s not funny, but you are… well, you’re sort of cute when you’re having a rant.”

Evan’s mouth opened, then closed, then opened again before he closed it and shook his head. “I-I just can’t deal with all this right now. I’m going to the hotel I stayed at last night. Then I’m going to get on a freaking train and go back to Virginia, where I belong. This whole mess can burn to the ground for all I care.”

“I don’t blame you,” I said, leaning back against the car.

“What?” he asked, as if he’d expected me to argue.

“I don’t blame you for leaving. It’s a lot to handle, but if it makes you feel better, my coven and I already have plans to exorcise the manor. Well, that’s not entirely true. I’ve resisted exorcising it, but given how the entity has escalated in the past two days, I think I have to accept the inevitable. The manor is no longer safe for the living.”

“Wait, you can do an exorcism? Why haven’t you already?”

I crossed my arms, defensively I knew, but I couldn’t help it. I’d been fighting with Al about this for too long. “It’s never a good idea to try to force something in the spirit world. In fact, an exorcism would only delay the haunting. Spirits must decide to pass over the veil themselves, or they need to have someone help them cross. I’ve assisted other spirits in doing so. An exorcism is more like putting them in solitary confinement. They’re still there, just weakened.”

“Then why would you do that? Can’t you just make them leave? Go haunt some abandoned hospital or something?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Evan really was adorable in his na?vety. “The living have very little control over the dead. But then, the dead have little control over the living. Most of the time, at least.”

“Then why did that thing have enough power to hurt you and try to hurt me? It possessed you, for God’s sake!” he yelled.

“No idea, at least not yet, but I was given orders to clear the place, or my coven would exorcise it. I’ll have to call them now and expedite the process, especially since this entity is becoming more angry and powerful by the day.”

“Well, I’m not going to disagree, but until you do, I’m out of here,” he said, walking toward the main road again.

“Where exactly are you going?” I asked.

“Somewhere besides here,” he said, and I couldn’t help but smile. I liked this guy’s spunk. Besides, he was right, we would be better off if he weren’t here in the line of fire. At least until the coven could meet and manage everything.

Something about his arrival had caused the evil entity to become stronger and more visceral. Remembering the emotions that’d coursed through me while the bastard possessed me, I figured I might be getting some insight on that as well. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Al.

Hey, there’s a lot going on at the manor. Do you have room for my new boss at your place?

My phone rang immediately, and I climbed into the car to follow Evan before he disappeared out of sight.

“What’s going on?” Christie, Al’s wife, asked.

“The entity has gotten stronger. It attacked the manor’s new owner for the second time in two days and even possessed me.” I hedged against sharing too much information. Christie was technically a member of our coven, but being Al’s wife, she tried to stay out of the politics of it. “He is not safe here and is currently walking back toward town. It might be best if he was somewhere else for a while. Could he stay at your place?”

“Hold on,” Christie said, and I heard her talking to Al in the background.

“Yeah, Al said we have the promenade suite open. He can stay there.”

“You’ll have to bill me,” I quickly added, recalling how concerned Evan seemed about money. “I don’t think he has the funds to pay for your promenade suite.”

“No worries, he can be our guest, but you know, if the spirits are stirring, it could be a major problem. I’ll have Al call you.”

“No need. I’m going to pick Evan up and bring him over there now. Al and I can chat then.”

“Oh, that’s perfect. Al, honey, Cary’s coming over and bringing his new boi with him.”

I would’ve corrected her, but she hung up before I got the chance.

A few moments later, I got a text from Al saying not to bring anything that’d been inside the manor. Not until she could cleanse it. I quickly texted her back.

We’re all that’s been inside. His luggage is still in one of the rooms.

When she texted a thumbs-up emoji, I drove down the lane and found Evan sitting on a bench at the school bus stop. I pulled up to where he sat and rolled down the car window again.

“So, my friends own a bed-and-breakfast in town and they said you can stay with them,” I said.

He shook his head. “No, I can’t afford a bed-and-breakfast. The most I can do is—”

“Don’t worry about that. If you feel the need, you can repay them once you sell everything.”

He pondered that and finally shrugged and stood up. “Guess beggars can’t be choosers,” he said. “You sure you aren’t going to go all nasty ghost possessed on me again?”

I nodded. “He can’t do that again, I promise.”

Evan got into the passenger side of the car. “You’ll like their place,” I said, trying to sound cheerful since I knew he was still struggling with everything.

“I’ll like anything better than being attacked by vicious ghosts.”

“I’m sure,” I said, and smiled, even if it was a bit forced.

Now, to figure out how to manage all this without creating a rift between worlds so big, my karma would never be clean again.