Page 14 of Cordelia Manor
“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 toexorcise 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 naïvety. “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.”
