Page 89 of Ashes and Lilies
Brayden lifted his eyebrow, but Miles almost jerked the vehicle off the road.
“Excuse me?” The witch was pale, and his eyes were wide. “What?”
“Don’t worry,” I told him, only half paying attention. “We’ll protect you from the ghost.”
“That’s the last thing I’m concerned about right now!” Milessnapped, regaining control of his vehicle. “Damen said that we were exorcising it.”
I lowered my phone and looked at him, and his lecture died. “But,” he said instead, rather weakly this time. “Damen said…”
“And does that make him correct?” I asked him.
“It tried to kill you!” Miles argued. Yet it didn’t escape my notice that he was still driving in the correct direction.
I sighed and looked out the window. “There’s something not right,” I said, biting the tip of my thumb. “And I can’t place my finger on what it might be. But letting this happen now would be a mistake. I think we should try to communicate with it one more time.”
“Then why do we need Finn?” Brayden asked.
A tension had released from his shoulders, and it occurred to me that he was telling the truth earlier—he did not like exorcisms.
“Insurance,” I said, looking back at my phone. “It works out better this way. I assume Finn can do most things that Damen can, yes?”
“Right,” Brayden replied. Then everything would be fine. My attention became more riveted as we approached the bus stop.
“Pull in here,” I told Miles, pointing to the small three-car parking lot. There were only two spaces open.
Miles obeyed. I exited the car and pushed my phone back into my coat pocket. Miles and Brayden followed me.
Finn also left his vehicle.
“I’m here,” Finn said and looked over his shoulder. Anthony was jumping out of the passenger seat. “But he wouldn’t stop following me.”
No matter. A necromancer might be useful anyway.
“Finn!” Miles was beside me in a flash. “You were told not to talk to her!”
“Actually”—I tugged on the witch’s hand—“Damen told himnot to talk to me until I said otherwise. I’m saying otherwise—for now.”
Miles glared at the ground.
Brayden had joined Anthony behind Finn’s SUV. At first, I worried they might conspire against me, but then I saw they were thrilled about our potential adventure.
Apparently, I was so much more exciting than Damen.
That was good to know.
“Okay, let’s hurry,” I told them.
I led them into the bushes, past the mountain laurels, and to the path leading to Damen’s house. “I found the perfect place back when I was being stalked.”
Miles kept my pace, allowing the others to follow closely behind, and frowned. “Who was stalking you?”
“You guys.” Didn’t he remember? I recalled the incident with such vividity. “But then you brought me flowers, so it was okay.”
Miles’s face exploded in red. “We weren’t stalking you! We followed you because we were worried.”
“Sure,” I said, grabbing his hand. Whatever helped them sleep at night.
I stepped into the clearing and gestured around at the circular placement of the surrounding trees.
