“Thank you for coming, Father.” Ethan opened the door wide and let the priest in.
“You sounded urgent on the phone, Ethan. I came as quick as I could.”
Lauren sat curled up on the sofa with the cat in her lap. Ethan wasn’t going to allow her out of his sight. The whole thing was surreal. The complete helplessness that slammed into his body when she’d told him about the marks the thing left on her produced a violent response from him. If the man wasn’t already dead, Ethan would have seen to it himself. How the hell was he supposed to protect her, be the hero, when he couldn’t even see the enemy?
“Lauren, I’m surprised to see you here.”
Lauren unfolded from her seat and allowed Father Thomas to hug her. “Thank you for coming.”
“From the expressions on your faces I don’t think I’m here to perform a quick wedding ceremony.”
A little tension fled Ethan’s limbs. Lauren’s face turned as red as her hair.
“You’re needed for something more serious than that.”
Father Thomas raised an eyebrow. “I believe matrimony is very serious, Ethan.”
He laughed. “And maybe we can talk about that another time. For now, we have something else to discuss.”
The doorbell rang again. This time Lauren opened it.
An attractive woman with long black hair sauntered into his house with a satchel tossed over her shoulder.
Lauren ushered her out of the doorway and introduced her. “This is my friend, Jennifer.”
Jennifer leaned her head into Lauren’s. “We really don’t need him,” she whispered, eyeing Father Thomas.
“I think we do.” Ethan gathered Lauren into his arms.
“Did Palmer find you here?” Jennifer was quick, he would give her that.
“Right after you called, he made an appearance.”
“What did he do?”
“He shoved me to the ground but left once Ethan ran into the room.”
Father Thomas lifted a hand. “Would someone take a moment and let me know what’s happening? It sounds like maybe you need the police, Ethan, not a priest.”
Ethan patted the man’s shoulder. “The police can only help with the living, Father. We’re talking about a spirit.”
The priest’s mouth opened into a silent “O”.
The four of them headed toward the living room when someone new knocked on the door again.
Jennifer jumped to answer it. “That’s for me.”
A brick shithouse of a man stepped beside the petite Jennifer and walked into the room as if he owned it. At six foot six or maybe a little north of, the man had to weigh two hundred and forty pounds, none of which looked like fat. His gaze swept over all of them, settled on Father Thomas briefly, then scurried over to Ethan.
Ethan extended his hand. “Ethan Bailey.”
“Dan,” he said quickly.
“This is Lauren and Father Thomas,” Jennifer introduced them.
Dan leaned over and whispered in Jennifer’s ear. “Why the collar?”
“The ghost showed up here, got a little physical, and they called Father Thomas.” Dan hunched his shoulders.
“Do you have incense with you?”
Father Thomas nodded.
“Good.”
The front window to the room started to shake and the room grew cold. Everyone in the room froze as their gazes reached the far corners of the room. One of Ethan’s lamps fell to the floor.
Lauren jumped to Ethan’s side, and the cat started to hiss.
“He’s back.”
“Where?” Ethan felt the chill but couldn’t see anything.
“Now would be a good time for that incense, Padre,” Dan quickly shoved the coffee table from the center of the room to the side.
“What are you doing?” Ethan asked while Dan rearranged his living room furniture. Father Thomas removed an urn from the bag he brought into the room, and within seconds, incense started to creep into the corners and waft toward the ceiling.
“Making room,” Dan said, shoving his sofa from the center of the room as if he were getting the room ready for a dance party. “Jennifer, can you keep our ghost back a little longer so I can set up?”
The skin on Ethan’s neck crawled. “Do you know what you’re doing?”
Dan puffed out his chest. A sly smile slid over his lips.
Jennifer started to explain. “Dan’s a witch—well, warlock. He’s the only person I know who’s managed to hold down a malevolent spirit long enough to call the next plane to claim them.”
“A witch, sorry warlock?” Ethan shook his head. Could things get any stranger?
“You’re going to call upon heaven and hell?” Lauren stared at Jennifer in disbelief.
“I’m guessing hell is the likely guest to join our lil’ party. Palmer wasn’t any altar boy.” She glanced again at Father Thomas. “All due respect, of course.”
“How do you hold down something that’s transparent?” Ethan wanted a few answers. This group of crackpots started to worry him.
“Easy. We wait for the bast—ah,” Dan glanced at Father Thomas, “for the ghost to possess someone’s body, then I open up the gates.”
Lauren gasped. “What do you mean possess someone’s body? You can’t possibly mean—”
Father Thomas stepped forward, continually swinging the urn in his hands. “An evil possession can be fatal.”
“It’s too dangerous.” Lauren shook her head.
Mitsy hissed.
Jennifer pointed to the corner of the room. Lauren clutched onto Ethan, her body rigid.
“What is it?” Ethan said for her ears only.
“It’s him.”
“Where?”
“In the corner.” The words came out in a cry.
Ethan didn’t see a thing, but the room grew bitterly cold with a breeze that blew the incense Father Thomas lit around the room.
Lauren clung to Ethan’s side, her eyes centered on something he couldn’t see.
“Nice of you to join us, Palmer. It’s a bit sucky of you to show up late for your own party.” One minute Jennifer was talking to a cold wind, the next she flew across the room. Her taunt ended in a gasp. Lucky for her, the overstuffed couch broke her fall.
Ethan’s gaze shot to Father Thomas who made the sign of the cross and started praying in Latin. Surprisingly, the priest didn’t skip a beat when an invisible force shoved him to the floor.
“Do I have a volunteer?” Dan asked as his hands opened palms up. “I have to bind him to a live person for this to work.”
Lauren struggled in Ethan’s arms, trying to remove herself. “I-It should be me,” she said.
“No!” Ethan pulled her close. “I won’t let that thing touch you again.”
With his words, the wind elevated and a laugh swept through the small room.
Ethan swallowed. “I’ll do it.”
Lauren’s lips trembled. “I can’t let you…”
“If his spirit enters your body, then the bastard wins, Lauren. It’s you he wants.” Besides, if there’s a way to send the pervert to a fiery eternity, Ethan wanted to be the one to do it.
“Make up your minds, quickly,” Dan yelled over the increasing volume in the room.
Ethan’s heart rate soared. He looked Lauren in the eye and laid a gentle hand alongside her face.
“Don’t…” Lauren cried. “It might kill you!”
“I have too much to live for to die now,” he told her. Her eyes misted with unshed tears.
A sob tore from her throat. “Don’t you dare die on me, Ethan Bailey.” She pounded her fist against his stubborn chest.
Jennifer managed to make her way to Lauren’s side. Ethan handed Lauren over to Jennifer, and then turned toward Dan.
In one deep cleansing breath, he pushed the fear from his body and replaced it with anger. Anger against the thing who’d hurt what was his. He didn’t know if he could punch a soul, but he looked forward to trying.
“Hey, Palmer. Why don’t you try taking me on? Or do cowards like you only pick on women?” Calling out Palmer’s spirit brought Ethan’s shoulders back and his spine straight until an invisible cold fist connected with his face. The blow knocked him to the floor.
Dan knelt down beside him. “You know, pissing him off before he gets inside you…” He shook his head at Ethan. “Not a good idea.”
“Then hurry up!” Ethan spit in anger.
Dan put a hand against Ethan’s chest, and the other hovered in the air. “Spirits on this plane, I ask for your power.” Dan closed his eyes. “Hear my call. Surround the evil in this room.”
Lauren screeched. Her eyes rounded large, her gaze focused in the air above them.
“Jennifer,” Dan called. “The circle.”
Jennifer lunged to Dan’s bag and pulled out a box of table salt. She opened it and surrounded them with a circle.
Once she finished, Ethan heard the voices of the dead.
“Now what?”
Dan tilted his head to the side. “Time to go to sleep.”
Ethan didn’t like the sound of that. Before he could protest, Dan placed his palm on top of his head. “Goodnight, Ethan.”
He grew dizzy, his mind fuzzy. He fought to keep his eyes open, but it proved fruitless. He thought of Lauren as darkness engulfed him.
~~~~
Lauren cried out when Ethan’s body went limp.
Hundreds of spirits filled the room. She’d never seen so many in one place outside a cemetery. The dark eerie presence of Palmer hovered in the middle of them.
Dan reached out his hand, calling to the spirits surrounding Palmer’s ghost. “Bring Palmer here.”
Dread dripped into Lauren’s soul as the spirits carried the darkness toward them.
“Come on, Palmer. Here’s a nice warm body, just waiting for you.” Dan opened Ethan’s arms wide at his side, as if in invitation.
The ghosts wrestled against Palmer’s force, slowly bringing him lower.
“A warm, male body. One Lauren likes.” Dan laughed but then as the ghost came closer, he turned to Jennifer with a look of alarm. “Shit, Jennifer, duct tape, now!”
But it was too late. Palmer’s soul jumped into Ethan’s body. He jolted into an upright position; his arm sprang out and clasped Dan by the neck.
Jennifer screamed and ran to her bag.
Ethan’s eyes shot to Lauren.
Terror shivered down her back. Ethan’s eyes swirled in black pits. His lips pulled back in a sneering grin.
Lauren backed away.
Dan beat against Palmer’s grip. His face grew red. Palmer dropped him and started walking toward her.
Ethan had to be in there, somewhere. “Ethan?” Lauren called out to his soul. “I know you’re in there. Fight him.” She backed up in slow degrees.
Palmer tossed his head back and laughed. When he spoke, the voice echoed in the room. “I’m here now.” Ethan’s voice started high and fell to an octave Lauren had never witnessed before.
“Get away from him,” Jennifer yelled.
Lauren kept backing away, her eyes never leaving those of the man possessing her lover’s body.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Dan scramble to his feet, gasping.
Palmer stepped to the edge of the salt, hesitated and glanced to the floor, then kicked a path, laughing.
Father Thomas chanted his prayer louder and moved to stand next to Lauren. He thrust a cross in the air, between Palmer and her.
Palmer’s laugh shot cold fear farther down her spine.
Jennifer struggled with Dan, bringing him to his feet. All the while, Lauren’s eyes never left Palmer’s. Although Ethan’s form came toward her, she knew he wasn’t in control. The spirits in the room hovered. Some dashed in the way, as if to help, but flew through Ethan’s body.
“Do something,” Lauren yelled to Dan and Jennifer.
Palmer glanced behind him, then leveled his eyes to Lauren. He crossed the room in one giant leap, bringing his frame a hair’s distance from hers. He shot his hand out and tossed Father Thomas aside as if he were a small child. The urn fell from Father Thomas’s hand and rolled out of reach.
Lauren caught the wall against her back and started edging along it.
Palmer reached his hand out, stopping her, and then pressed Ethan’s body against hers. He bent forward and sniffed her neck.
She bit her lip to keep from screaming. “Ethan, fight him,” she whimpered.
“Open the gates.” Jennifer’s voice called out behind Palmer.
Palmer turned his head and took in the others in the room. He started to turn away.
With bravery Lauren didn’t know she had, she placed her cold hand on Ethan’s chest in an effort to distract the soul inside Ethan’s body. She closed her eyes. This is Ethan. “I thought you wanted to touch me.”
Palmer snapped Ethan’s head back to look at her.
She forced herself to stare into his soulless eyes.
“Mine.” He ground against her.
“Yes, yours.” With that, she forced her arms around him. Behind his back, she made a rolling motion with her fingers and prayed for Dan to hurry.
Ethan’s hand fisted her breast, and Palmer squeezed her to the point of pain.
She gasped.
“Touch me,” the thing inside Ethan whispered the order in her ear. She closed her eyes and skirted her hand down to Ethan’s legs.
Palmer grabbed her hand and pushed it to Ethan’s groin. “Here.”
Lauren bit back bile, but did as Palmer insisted.
She stroked him hard, until his empty eyes rolled back into his head, distracted.
An unearthly roar bounced off the walls of the room, and the air shifted currents of wind, knocking pictures off the walls.
Dan started to chant.
Palmer spun around and charged toward him. The warlock stood on the other side of a dark circle on the floor. Inside dark clouds spun. Lauren thought they resembled that of a funnel cloud over a stormy Kansas sky.
“It’s time for you to go, Palmer. Hell’s waiting.”
Nonplused, Palmer stuck out his hand, sending Dan against the wall with such a force that his body went limp. Jennifer screamed and charged Palmer. Lauren scrambled when Jennifer clawed her way onto Palmer’s back, kicking and screaming.
Grabbing the duct tape, Lauren called for Palmer’s attention.
Hiding the tape behind her back, she walked toward him. “Leave him alone, Jennifer.”
Palmer laughed and elbowed Jennifer, shoving her off his frame.
“Come here,” Lauren called to Palmer.
He stepped her way. Lauren forced her body next to his. With one hand, she gripped his groin, pulling him closer. His arms came around her. Dark eyes stared into hers. “Come back to me, Ethan. Help me,” she pleaded.
The black eyes swirled with grey, and a flash of blue shone through. Ethan’s lips came down on hers, but the eyes turned black again.
Lauren tore the duct tape and placed it on Ethan’s back. She ground her body against his and quickly wound the tape around both of them. They were bound together. When Palmer became aware of what she’d done, he bit down hard on her lip.
Lauren tasted blood. “Help me, Ethan.”
She continued circling their bodies with the tape.
Palmer bunted her head with Ethan’s. Threatening stars exploded behind her eyes.
“Jennifer, help me,” Lauren pleaded.
Palmer wrestled her hands free of the tape and attempted to free himself from her.
Jennifer staggered beside them until she stood behind Lauren and placed both hands on Lauren’s shoulders.
“Push us into the pit,” said Lauren.
Palmer struggled against the binding, but wasn’t able to free himself.
Jennifer’s hands pressed against her back.
Palmer pushed harder.
Father Thomas managed to stand against the velocity of wind whipping about the room, only ducking once to avoid a flying picture that detached itself from the wall.
Lauren felt her eyes start to swell from her attacker’s abuse. She buried her head in Ethan’s chest and pushed with every ounce of strength she had. “I love you, Ethan.”
Palmer lost his balance, and they both tumbled into the dark, cold, pit toward hell.
~~~~
Ethan woke with Lauren’s body blanketing his. The slight rise and fall of her chest proved she was alive, but her eyes remained closed.
“Lauren?” He attempted to move, but couldn’t. He remembered the duct tape and peered down.
Mitsy’s purr interrupted the silence of the room.
“A little help here.” Ethan called out to anyone listening.
Father Thomas stood over him. “Ethan, is that you?”
“Palmer’s gone.” The taste of the soul that touched him, the empty, freezing sensation of having that evil entity inside him, would be something Ethan would never forget. Hearing Lauren calling him and not being able to respond would probably haunt him forever. Yet as Ethan and Lauren had fallen to the floor, Palmer’s dead soul was sucked out of him, and the vacuum snapped his own soul back in place in its wake.
Father Thomas knelt beside him and placed a hand on his forehead.
Lauren lay over Ethan’s body, her breathing slowed but she didn’t lift her head. She must have passed out during the ordeal, and for that he was thankful.
Jennifer helped Dan to his feet while Father Thomas picked away at the tape binding Lauren and Ethan together.
When his hands were free, Ethan lifted Lauren in his arms. The swollen eyes and blood at the corner of her mouth crushed him with guilt. He remembered bits and pieces about what happened once Palmer jumped into his body, but not enough to know exactly how Lauren had ended up battered and bruised.
“I’ll get some ice,” Jennifer said as Ethan carried Lauren to his room.
After gently setting her on his bed, Ethan pushed away a lock of her hair and coaxed her. “Wake up, honey. Please.”
Lauren moaned into Ethan’s hand. Her eyes fluttered open and her swollen smile met his. “Hey,” she winced with the effort of one word.
“Shh. It’s okay, he’s gone.”
“I know.”
He ran a hand over her bleeding lip. “Did I do this to you?”
“No, Ethan. He did.”
Palmer did, using Ethan’s body. Even knowing he had no control, the guilt still fell on him.
Jennifer stepped into the room with two ice bags in her hand. “I thought you might need this.” She handed them to Ethan who tenderly placed one on Lauren’s jaw and sat on the other side. “How are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better,” Lauren said with a tiny smile.
Jennifer cocked her head to the side “We’ve cleaned up most of the mess. I think I should get Dan out of here.”
“Is he okay?”
“About as good as you are. He knocked his head pretty hard.”
“Do you want me to take a look at him?” Ethan asked.
“I don’t think so. He’s got the hardest head of anyone I know. He’ll be fine. Just needs to take it easy for the night.”
Lauren placed a hand to Jennifer’s arm. “Thank you, for everything.”
Jennifer flung her hair over her shoulder with a shrug. “All in a day’s work.”
Ethan laughed and Lauren followed.
Father Thomas stepped into the room. “How are you feeling Ethan?”
“Thankful,” he said as he returned his gaze to Lauren. “Very thankful.”
“I’ll see you in church on Sunday then.”
He shook the priest’s hand. “Both of us.” They had a completely new reason to be thankful.
Dan poked his head through the door. “You ready?” he asked Jennifer.
She turned on her heel to leave the room.
Ethan stopped them both. “We can’t thank you enough.” He glanced from Father Thomas down to the cat. “All of you.”
Jennifer shifted her gaze to Lauren. “You have my number, if you need it.” Mitsy cried at Jennifer’s feet until Jennifer lifted the cat into her arms.
The three of them left, and a quiet calm slid over the house.
Ethan stared down at Lauren. He had so much to say, but didn’t know exactly how. One thing he knew he needed to clarify. “Did you mean what you said back there?”
“When I said what?” Lauren asked after moving the ice away from her lip.
He kissed her forehead where the bruising had turned purple. “That you loved me?” Somewhere in the fog, he’d heard her say the words, felt them pull at him.
“You heard that?”
“Yes, I did.” Those words had brought his soul to the surface and kept Palmer from killing her.
“I do love you, Ethan. I know it seems fast, but I’ve been attracted to you since we first met. I know attraction isn’t love, but feeling empty when you’re not with me and full when you are…well, that is love.”
His insides started to warm, the cold left by Palmer melted away. “I’m going to have a hard time letting you leave my side.”
Her gaze skirted over his. “Who says I’m leaving? Two people who survive hell together, stay together.”
Those words were music to him. “The duct tape may be a little extreme, but if that’s what it takes to keep you in my arms, I’m willing to follow your example.” He chuckled. “You know, that empty feeling when we’re not together, I feel it too. If you’re calling it love, I’m all in.”
Laughter bubbled up out of her. “Oh, that hurts,” she giggled.
“Maybe I should take you to the hospital?” His smile fell.
She gazed into his eyes. “Why? I have my very own doctor right here.”
“And I’m not going anywhere.”
