Page 74 of Shadows of the Soul

Chapter Twenty Six

Nothing brings the family together like an exorcism.

Exorcisms predate the modern church by thousands of years. Some of the earliest recordings are from the people of Mesopotamia, which is now modern-day Iraq. They lived in a world of magical practices and believed in malignant supernatural entities which required protection and occasionally the exorcism of a demonic presence. Temple priests specializing in exorcism were called theashipu. They developed a set of spells and incantations and recorded them on clay tablets. Today, ordained Catholic priests perform exorcisms which had to be ratified by the Vatican. There were fail-safes to ensure people needed a priest and not a psychiatrist. That said, if you had the right incantations and tools, it didn’t prevent anyone else from doing one, and all major elemental power houses had at least one trained exorcist in their arsenal. Luckily for us, my grandmother was the best in America.

The door creaked open, and I looked over from the sofa where I was busy cleansing various crystals and blessing some water. I’d also retrieved the creepy mini lead coffin from Dave and purified the doll inside, so it no longer held any magical sway. Aunt Anita poked her head around the door before blowing out a breath and closing the door.

“Where is she?” she asked.

“Downstairs with Aunt Liz. She’s making preparations.”

Aunt Anita flopped into the chair opposite me, her body going limp as a noodle. I eyeballed her as she blew her hair out of her face. “You look like shit,” I pointed out.

She arched her brow and smirked. “I feel like it. I’m trying to gather my wits.”

I nodded. To deal with Eloise, one needed all their wits, plus any that were spare.

“Do we have thirteen?” she asked.

I nodded. I’d called in a favor, and like the good men they are, they came running—despite the danger. “Rockhard and Lenson will be here within the hour.” I glanced at the clock on the mantle. “Actually, they should be here any minute. Time flies when you are preparing for an exorcism.”

“It’s definitely a fun family bonding activity,” she agreed.

I snorted as the wards clanged again. My ward slithered against the newcomers, not recognizing them. The ‘puff the magic dragon’ car horn gave away their identities.

Aunt Anita snorted. “I have some final preparations to make,” she said before swanning upstairs toward her bedroom. I flung open the door as Rockhard and Lenson hot-footed it up the steps. They were both eyeing my floral menace with curiosity.

“I take it you are aware of the blood magic saturating your house and grounds?” Lenson questioned.

I picked a low-hanging rose from around the door and squished the blood between my fingers. My inner monster perked up with interest. Down girl, no death was imminent. The roses had nothing to show me at the moment. It was like they had gone dormant and were waiting for a command. To do what, I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t sure of a lot of things, and that bothered me immensely. If I couldn’t see the big bad, then I couldn’t defend myself and those I loved.

“Fascinating,” Rockhard mumbled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen blood magic this strong or covering this much ground before. Something powerful must be fueling it.”

Yes, me and my stupid blood gave it a mega boost which hasn’t helped matters. I let the petals fall to the floor. They might not be showing me visions of horror, but they were still icky. “They turned up a little over a week ago, first growing over a grave where the occupant had been put directly into the soil.”

“That would give it a starting point,” Lenson stated as he spun in a circle to take in the extent of the foliage. “But it doesn’t explain how it’s grown to such massive proportions. There’s almost certainly been a ritual, a great sacrifice.”

Rockhard frowned. He knew that wouldn’t be enough, but he was too polite to push for my secrets. Time to get back to the business at hand. The murder-ridden roses were way down on my to do list.

“Thank you again for doing this,” I said.

Lenson waved a hand at me. “Hmm, hmm, girl, we gotta talk about why your chakras are all outta alignment. Did that damn kitty get all up in your pussy and make a mess?”

Rockhard frowned at me as I grimaced. “Men are idiots, Cora, no matter the species. Eventually, he will understand the mistake he’s made and seek to rectify it.”

“I don’t want him to rectify it,” I mumbled as I stepped back and let them inside.

“Oh, sugar, you might not want him to, but it will feel damn good to watch him grovel,” Lenson said as he looked around the house. “Have you heard of the revenge dress?”

Rebecca walked out of the kitchen and opened her arms to the pair of spell casters. “Boys, don’t worry, I have the most spectacular revenge dress on order,” she said in greeting.

“You do?” I wondered.

She winked over Lenson’s shoulder and released the couple.

“What do you have for me?” Lenson asked.

I nodded. “Follow me.” I took the stairs down to the basement and made a beeline for my office. Rebecca took the opposite direction into the training room, leaving me alone with the spell casters.

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