Page 19 of Haunted Eclipse

Those who would seek to invade, Find no space to betray.

By the powers of this spell, those unwelcome, we strike and repel.”

As the energy of the spell sealed over the portal, the uneasiness began to dissipate. I took another breath, then slumped back in my chair, exhausted. Working magic wasn’t for the weak—it took laser focus and strength, and required patience and the willingness to try and fail over and over.

“Well, it’s repaired,” I said. “Whatever that thing was, I don’t think it can get back in. At least not now.”

“I didn’t expect to be doing magic tonight,” Crystal said. “But then again, nothing is ever quite what it seems, is it?”

I laughed, feeling certain that we were protected for now. “No, but I want to know what that thing was—and what it was doing in my aunt’s house.”

As we went back to our TV show, my thoughts kept returning to the mist, and what it could possibly mean. I needed to ask my aunt if this had happened before—and if not—then we needed to figure out what the hell was going on.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Doyou want me to spend the night?” Crystal asked.

“Given what just happened, I’m going to take you up on that offer,” I said. I wasn’t keen on spending the night by myself.

My nightgowns were more like shirts on Crystal, given how short I was compared to her, but I found one of my aunt’s robes for her. I grabbed a bag of Oreos and we settled in my bed—which was king size—and Miss P. joined us.

“Kind of like old times, isn’t it?” I asked.

“We haven’t had a sleepover since we were kids.” Crystal leaned back against the headboard. “You don’t mind crumbs in the bed?”

“Oreos are worth it. What time do you need to get up?” I asked.

“Tomorrow’s Friday, so eight-thirty. I don’t have to be at work until ten, since Karina’s opening tomorrow.”

“Karina?” I had met the barista. She was good at her job but seemed awfully young. Though now, at forty-three, anybody under twenty seemed young to me.

“Yeah, I’m training her to be my assistant manager,” Crystal said, grinning. “She’s a good worker, she has a five-year old andneeds a steady job, and I could use someone to take over now and then. I haven’t had a real vacation in years.”

I let out a sigh. “She has a five year old? How old is Karina? I thought she was twenty.”

“Twenty-one. She’s somehow managed to make it on her own with a young child and I can’t overlook that. Her parents kicked her out when they found out she was pregnant, and she moved in with her boyfriend. He promptly cheated on her, then dumped her with nothing. The scumbag vanished, leaving her without any child support.”

“Fucking hell. Why do men have to do that? Creep knocks her up and then disappears. I hate that.Deadbeat dadsdon’t deserve to be fathers.” I frowned. “Good for you, for giving her a chance.”

Crystal bent her knees and wrapped her arms around them.

“Two years ago, on the day she asked for an application, she promised me that she’d prove herself. I gave her a chance, and she’s more than earned the promotion. She needs the extra money, I know that. I also hire her to work on my yard, for the same reason. She’s good with growing things. Anyway, so on Mondays and Fridays, I let her open up and organize things. In about a month, I’ll start letting her run the shop at least one day a week, to give myself a break.”

I yawned. “Hand me one of those cookies.” As I twisted it open and scraped the cream off with my teeth, Miss P. stretched out on her back. “I think we fixed the grid. Miss P. wouldn’t be rolling around like that if the entity was still here.”

I turned on the TV in my room and we snuggled under the covers to eat cookies and watch a late night movie about an beauty queen who hadn’t aged well—Sunset Boulevard. Crystal and I loved old movies and the glamour girls that had populated them. Finally, with Gloria Swanson quoting one of her most famous lines, “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up,” we turned off the TV and fell asleep, tired out from the evening.

Morning camewith slightly warmer temperatures. It was thirty-two, right at freezing. With snow expected this weekend, temps were going to still be chilly but we weren’t expecting sub-freezing weather the next few days.

Crystal and I woke up to the alarm.

She quickly dressed. “I’d better go home, take a shower, and change. Thanks for the movies and food.”

“Thanks for staying. Whatever that thing was really unnerved me last night. I’m going to do some research and see if I can figure out what might be going on. I don’t know if the entity was wandering past and noticed the hole in the grid, or if it deliberately broke through. Whatever the case, I’m not too keen on chancing a repeat. I need to figure out if the hole in the grid was there before it came by, or after.” I frowned. “I’d better call Astra and talk to her.”

“Good idea. I’ll see you later. I’m glad I could help,” Crystal said, waving as she shouldered her bag and headed for her car.

I watched as she pulled out of the driveway, then took a shower and fixed my makeup. As I dressed, Miss P. roamed around my feet, mewing. I followed her into the kitchen and fed her, hoping that was all she was asking for. Before I left for work, I took a walk around the house, feeling out the protection grid to make certain it was intact.

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