Page 28 of Hex

“I’m not,” she whispers, horrified. “Hex, I’m not dead. What the fuck are you talking about?”

Her face pales as tears stream down her face in earnest. She deserves an Oscar for this performance. An aching pain burns in the center of my chest, and I wonder if this is how Pocus feels before his outburst. Anger claws at me, tearing into every fiber of my being.

I don’t know if I’m angrier with her or with myself. She fooled me, but I let myself be fooled. I was warned not to trust her, but I let my pride get in the way. Pocus was only ever looking out for me, and I’ve betrayed his trust. There’s only one way to fix this.

She’s clearly not going to give up the ghost. Ironically. I have no other option. I can’t risk her vanishing into the night. I’ll never get this chance again. I reach into my back pocket and pull out the small bag of herbs Tory and Mama prepared for me. I’ve kept them on me at all times, despite the fact I’ve barely seen a ghost in weeks. Well, I thought I hadn’t anyway.

Before she can react, I pull the herbs out of the bag and throw them at her, paralyzing her instantly. She can’t move or speak, but her eyes look at me in fear. Her mouth is frozen in an unheard scream, probably in anger that I’ve figured her out. Maybe she thought I was an easy target, and she’s angry I’m not that dense.

Whatever the case, I have to get her home quickly before the effects wear off. Pocus will never forgive me if I lose her. Trapping ghosts is tricky, but she’s a challenge since she’s more corporeal. My only option is to call Mama to help. If nothing else, she can bring more herbs to keep Juliana paralyzed.

She shows up within half an hour, driving her old, beat-up truck and wearing a grim expression. “Tell me everything, child,” she says, getting out of the cab of the truck and running into the fenced area.

There’s no time, though. I tell her that I’ve paralyzed the poltergeist, but she looks in Juliana’s direction curiously.

“This little slip of a girl has been causing all this trouble?”

I look at her suspiciously. “Mama, since when do you see ghosts?”

“I see her aura,” Mama explains. “You’re sure she’s not just a garden-variety ghost?”

Something about her tone upsets me. I’m tired of being doubted and questioned. I’ve found the poltergeist, and I won’t stand around waiting for her to come to and disappear before we can lock her up.

“It’s not important, but I felt her. Ghosts can’t touch the living.”

Mama nods but continues to stare at Juliana’s “aura” curiously. There’s no time for this. I growl in frustration and grab Juliana by her waist, her body feeling a little more solid, and drag her to the back of the truck. I slide her in, sprinkling more of the herbs Mama’s brought just to be safe. It isn’t a long drive back to the house, but I won’t take any chances.

A ridiculous thought comes, to cover her with a tarp so no one will see her, but I’m the only one who can. My head still reels from tonight’s events, and my heart aches. I will have time to process that later, though.

Mama and I race back home, with me riding behind to make sure Juliana stays put. When we arrive at the house, Mama opens the door without knocking. Why not? She basically lives here anyway.

A few men eye us curiously as we move through the front of the house to the basement stairs. Mama leads me to the room she and Tory fortified, and I lay Juliana on the ground. Her face is frozen in shock, but I won’t be pulled in by her fear. She’s fooled me long enough.

“Stay and keep an eye on her, would you?” I ask Mama, and she nods.

I take the stairs two at a time. When I reach the top, Pocus is standing there, looking at me in surprise. Just the man I’m looking for.

“I found it,” I tell him breathlessly. “I trapped the poltergeist.”

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

“Not to state the obvious, Hex,” I say softly. “But I can’t see it.”

We stand in front of the fortified room, shoulder to shoulder. It looks like an ordinary, empty room, but Hex and Mama both assure me the spirit is in there. Hex is cagey about the details, but I trust his instincts. I owe him that after how harsh I’ve been with him lately.

“The paralytic is wearing off,” Hex tells me. “It’ll be confused, but likely chatty. It’ll try to bargain with us for its freedom.”

I don’t miss the way he’s purposely not using pronouns. I guess for him, it’s easier to see the spirit as a thing, rather than a former person, but he’s never talked about a ghost that way before. He’s not telling me something, but I won’t push him right now. He’s been moody since the second he found me.

“What do I ask a spirit I can’t see?” I wonder aloud, though my first instinct is to ask it what the hell it thinks it’s doing messing with my family. I can’t see the spirit, but I’m furious it’s caused so much trouble and is making me relocate my family.

“Be gentle,” Mama says, popping up at my left.

I jump in surprise, unaware she was there. I notice a humorous gleam in her eye. She did it on purpose. Mama knows how I feel about spirits, and I’d wager she’s trying to make me jumpier around them.

“I don’t think the girl meant to hurt anyone,” she continues. “She’s a lost spirit. She probably has no idea what she’s done.”

I look at Hex with a raised eyebrow, curious why he didn’t tell me the spirit was a woman. He seems sheepish and pale, and it dawns on me. It’s the girl he’s been seeing. The very one I accused of being involved. Vindication swells through me, but victory isn’t as sweet as I imagined. The look on Hex’s face speaks to his deep devastation. I won’t gloat about it.

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