Page 76 of For Love & Torture
Chapter 33
Grant
Two days and two nights have come and gone and nothing has happened. We’re meeting with the psychic today. We asked her to meet us in Isabel’s office. I thought that might be best since Bart had spent some time in it. Maybe she’ll be able to pick up his evil-as-shit vibe in there.
Bell and I settled on staying with the date we’d chosen in the first place. We’ll still get married on October 31st at the Halloween Ball, here at the club. She and I both want everyone to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we’re actually together and married–and that I’m no longer available to participate in any BDSM activities with anyone other than my wife.
Meeting Penelope at the employee entrance, which has been fixed, Isabel greets her first with a solid handshake. “Penelope, it’s so nice to meet you. I’m Isabel, the one you spoke with on the phone, and this is my fiancé, Grant.”
I shake her hand too and give her a nod. “Nice to meet you. Come right this way.”
Her eyes roam the door frame, and she reaches out to touch the side of it. “Hmm. A struggle of some kind occurred here a night or two ago. A young woman with dark hair. Three men.” She closes her eyes then opens them and looks directly at Bell. “He wants you, doesn’t he? The one the woman named Betty is shouting about.”
“That’s why we called you, Penelope.” Isabel holds out her hand, and Penelope takes it. “He isn’t a real man. He’s some kind of a monster. Oh, he looks normal…”
“It’s in his eyes that I can see he’s different. Inhuman,” Penelope interrupts. “But it only seems that way, I assure you.”
Bell nods as we head down the hallway then step into her office. “Please, take a seat,” I say as we’ve placed the chairs in a circle.
I sit next to Bell as Penelope sits on the other side of her. She crosses her legs then smiles at me. “Your mother says hello. She wants you to know that she’s happy with what you’re doing for your father.” She stops and nods. “Of course. To verify that I’m legitimate, she’d like for me to tell you that she knows you have people working on her body to detect what was wrong with her and you have yet to get those answers. Is this correct?”
I nod and feel a lump swell up in my throat. “Yes.” I swallow to ease the pain and wait to see what she has to say.
“Cervical cancer was found. Not until it was at an inoperable stage four and she knew she was going to die from it.” She waits as if listening to a voice that only she can hear. Then she nods once more. “Daphne wants you to know that she’s sorry for how she did things in the end. She took the coward’s way out, and it bothers her immensely that she did that. She stole your father away from you and your young brother and sisters. It was wrong and she would right it if she could. Unfortunately, she can’t do a thing about that.”
“I forgive her. We all do,” I let her know. Then I speak to Mom. “Mom, I’m doing what you asked me to. Dad should be out of prison soon, and I’m bringing him home with me. He’ll live with me, and I’ll get him all the help he needs. Don’t worry.”
Penelope’s hand goes to her forehead and she rubs her brow. “Oh, how terrible.” She looks at Bell, and a tear falls down her cheek. “Daphne has shown me where this man took you and what he did to you.” She reaches over and takes Bell’s hand. “The thing that wants you is not of this world. Not really. Although he’s powerful, the light is more powerful than anything else. If you find yourself captured again, I want you to repeat this phrase over and over with your eyes closed, not allowing his frightening images to scare you.” She looks around and sees some paper and a pen on Bell’s desk.
Bell snatches it up. “Let me write it down. I don’t want to forget it.”
Penelope nods and goes on, “The light surrounds me, shutting out the darkness. Nothing is more powerful than the light.”
“I think I can remember that.” Bell writes it down then puts the paper and pen back down before looking back at Penelope. “Is he going to capture me again?”
“That’s the future, and I can’t see that.” Penelope holds her arms out to each side. “You see, it’s like this, I can see as far as my fingertips will allow. I can’t see past right now. I can see what’s happened, but not what will happen. I think that’s because there are just too many variables, making the future indecipherable to everyone. Even the light.”
I have to ask as I’m unsure about her use of this term, “Are you referring to God as the light?”
“Something like that,” she smiles as she adjusts herself to get more comfortable. “You see, I see things on the other side that most can’t. There is no one being. No one spirit that’s any more powerful than the next. We’re a whole. We’re the light. It makes it easier for the human mind to comprehend one entity, one God, so someone long ago came up with that. But the fact is, when you pray, everyone on the other side can hear you. Each and every one of the spirits that are there can help you if they want to. Not all do. That’s just the way it goes.”
Isabel leans forward. “Grant’s mother took me through some kind of a portal to get back here. I ended up…”
Penelope holds up her hand to stop her. “Coming out of Daphne’s closet in her old home. Yes, I know. Daphne made that particular portal. Now any spirit can use it. Even dark ones. That’s what we’re dealing with here. Dark spirits that want to control human lives.”
“Is Bart Mason human?” I had to ask.
“Very,” comes her quick reply. “But the master he serves isn’t. It’s a dark entity that’s managed to gain power by granting certain things to those who help do his evil deeds.” Her eyes go to Bell, and she reaches over to pat her on the hand. “That dark spirit has made Bart believe that he can drain your blood from your body and replace it with some of his own that he’s been stockpiling. He’s been made to believe that once his blood is running through your veins, you will fall for him and devote yourself to him. Bart is very wrong.”
“That he is,” I add as I run my arm around Bell’s shoulders.
Penelope looks at us both before turning just to me. “You let darkness rule you for a period of time, Grant. I can see that.” Then she looks at Bell. “Not to worry, that’s behind him now. Nowhere to be seen anymore.” She smiles and nods. “Yes, Daphne, I will tell her that.” She laughs as she looks at Bell once more. “Grant’s mother wants you to know that she loves you and she knows you’re the best person for Grant to spend his life with. She says she knows you’re worried about him going back to the way he was, but you don’t have to. She has influence over Grant now, and she’ll never allow him to revert back to that man.”
“Is that so?” Isabel asks as she looks at me. “Good. I’m glad to hear that.” Then she turns her attention to Penelope. “And can you ask her if I’m in any mortal danger by not being married to Grant at this time?”
Penelope listens for a moment then shakes her head. “No. But she does say that marriage is sacred and to take those vows seriously. Walking away from the person you’ve made this kind of a commitment to isn’t a sin the way most think, but it is a tragedy. One that will follow you for eternity. Once you allow another person into your heart and they do the same for you, you’re connected forever. No matter what you’ve been told.”
“Wow,” Bell says then looks at me. “Well, I let you into my heart a long time ago. I guess getting the paper to make it legit here on Earth is a thing we need to do too.”
