she was drenched in sweat. She tossed up one last obstacle, knowing that if he moved past it, he would claim her soul. The idea came, quick as a flash. She threw out Erik with his dark magic.
Donovan flew across the room, slamming into the wall opposite her. He opened his eyes, startled by her ferocity and ability. A fierce smile broke across his face. “You were absolutely perfect,” he said as he stood up. “Erik. I would have never guessed you would use something like that. Remember it. It was beautiful, and it worked. You’re strong, Kate, and I think that you can do this.”
“You used Erik and his dark magic?” Rico asked from his seat. His head was no longer in his hands; he was no longer staring blankly ahead of him. He looked happy and relieved that it was over, that Kate was successful. His cobalt eyes were no longer stormy.
“Donovan was so close. I didn’t know what else to do. It was a reaction. It was the only thing that I have seen hurt you, so I knew that it would hurt Donovan, too.”
Rico stood up and walked over to Kate. He lifted her up into an embrace, spinning her around, and kissed her when he set her down. “You’re brilliant,” he said with a smile. An excited laugh escaped his throat when he looked into her grey eyes. “I must admit that I was afraid of what would happen, but I think you’ve got something up your sleeve, Kate.” Rico’s eyes squinted and he tilted his head to the side. “Do you mind if I try?” he asked her.
Kate laughed. “Let me rest a moment first. Is that okay?”
24
An hour later, with sunrise breaking across the horizon, Kate was sitting in the pastel chair again. It’s hard, cool surface was comforting; it was concrete proof that Kate had been able to expel Donovan from her body. As she waited for her next attempted possession, she thought about the previous one. A question formed on her lips. “Rico?” Kate asked.
“What is it, Kate? Are you nervous?”
“No, I was just curious about something.”
“What is it?” Rico prompted. Kate watched as Rico moved so that he was standing in front of her. The muscles in his shoulders seemed tense even though his mood had lifted. Kate could see that his cobalt eyes were clear but his mouth was tight, almost as if he was trying very hard not to frown. She swallowed before asking him.
“Why didn’t Donovan die?” she whispered. “Both of you said that if a human expels a demon, the demon dies. I don’t understand.”
“Donovan didn’t touch your soul. Entering the human’s body is only a part of the possession. The actual possession takes place when the demon begins to capture the human soul. Since Donovan didn’t reach your soul, it technically wasn’t a possession; it was an attempt at one, but it wasn’t enough to kill him. It is enough to harm a demon, but he must be grasping your soul before you expel him. That is the only way that he will die.”
Kate’s brows pulled together in confusion. She offered Rico her best you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me look. “So I have to let Kern pass my barriers? Why do I even throw them up then?”
Rico reached forward and squeezed Kate’s hand, calming her. “You need to weaken the demon, Kate. If you do not weaken the demon then you cannot expel him, because you will be the one that is too weak.”
“But saving my soul from Donovan was hard enough. How am I supposed to protect it from someone like Kern, from someone like you?”
“You truly have to fight for it, Kate. You have to throw up defenses that you know will weaken the demon attempting to possess you. Use his weaknesses to your advantage. Do you understand?”
Kate nodded. She knew what she would have to do in order to push Rico from her mind, but she knew nothing about Kern. What would she throw up when he attempted to possess her soul?
Rico moved so that he was right in front of Kate; he lowered himself so that he could look into her eyes. “We will find out Kern’s weaknesses, Kate. Right now we need to worry about Erik. He’s our immediate threat. We’ll worry about Kern when Erik is gone.”
“But Kern and Erik work together, Rico. How can you be sure that Kern isn’t here too? How do you know that I’m safe from Kern right now?”
“I can’t be sure, Kate. But I have this feeling that Erik isn’t just working for Kern. I feel as though he has a hidden agenda; I just don’t know what that is. I can’t figure out why he would be here. He can’t use you to control the other demons. Your soul is important but not in the way that he would want to use it. I’m working on things, but you have to be patient with me while I figure it all out, okay?”
Kate nodded, still afraid of what would happen in the future. Kern might not be an immediate threat, but the idea of Kern still scared Kate in a way that Erik never could. She shuddered involuntarily.
“I will always protect you,” Rico whispered before stepping away from Kate.
Kate looked up, catching his small smile. She watched Rico push his long, raven hair from his eyes before he began to circle her. He was a predator, stalking his prey. Kate tensed up, afraid of what would happen to her when he attempted to push his way inside her mind. When Rico spoke the Rite of Control, it was in French:
“Je vous en prie, mon âme, d'accorder ta seule demande.
Laissez-toi plaisir tu partager.
Permettez-toi souhaite rencontré.
La chaleur Tu concède - le feu et la glace mélange.
Puis donner à toi, la vie éternelle.”
Kate was mesmerized by the sound of his voice speaking another language. It was richly romantic and beautiful. She almost forgot that he was trying to take her soul, and when he placed his hands on her face, she was almost too late. Good thing she had quick enough reflexes. She surely didn’t want Rico possessing her, reading her inner thoughts and desires.
Kate threw up a mental defense first, tossing out Adriana and Donovan. Rico pulled back, shocked that she would do such a thing. When he pulled back Kate lashed out, kicking Rico hard in the stomach. Rico fell to his knees and Kate got up to run. Rico stood up quickly, grabbed Kate’s wrist, and spun her around. He pulled Kate toward him and shoved her back into the seat. Rico’s fingers were pressing against Kate’s shoulders, holding her there. She gasped in pain; Rico’s strength was almost unbearable, and Kate knew that she would develop bruises soon. She looked into Rico’s blue eyes, now tinged with the swirling grey of storm clouds. She watched as he murmured the incantation again before resuming the possession.
When Rico’s presence entered her mind, Kate tossed out a beautiful garden with deadly flowers, and plants that emitted poisonous gases instead of oxygen. Kate felt his presence choke because of the lack of oxygen, but it didn’t take long for Rico to break down this defense. Kate threw up a room with no windows or doors. Quotes from Pride and Prejudice littered the walls along with rusty nails and other sharp objects. Rico pushed at the weakest points, breaking the walls down with his physical strength. The last defense that Kate pushed up was an image of herself. Rico stopped there, and she felt him retreat.
They stayed there, looking into each other’s eyes for a moment, breathing hard. “You were perfect,” he said. “I think you can handle yourself. I trust you with my heart.”
“What did she throw up?” asked Adriana. Her dark eyes bored into Rico’s but her hand stayed tangled with Donovan’s hand. “What made you stop?”
Rico turned around. “Kate projected an image of herself,” he said. “She played against my weaknesses. She knew that I would never harm her on purpose. It was a surprise but it also worked.” He turned back to face Kate before speaking again. “You aren’t bad, Kate. I agree with Donovan. I truly think that you have what it takes to beat Kern.”
Kate saw Adriana smile out of the corner of her eye.
“The only problem,” Kate said, “is that I knew your weaknesses, Rico. I knew what would hurt you. Even though you broke through my first two defenses I felt your reluctance. You didn’t really want to because those memories were special to you. What do I do with Kern or Erik? I don’t know them as well as I know you, or even Donovan, for th
at matter. I know that you said that we would figure it out, Rico. I understand that but it still scares me.”
“The only thing you can do is try,” Donovan interjected.
“I agree,” Rico said. “You successfully threw both of us out of your mind. I think you’ll come up with something to harm Erik and Kern.”
Kate nodded reluctantly. She was still damp with sweat and wanted to shower badly. Her nerves were tingling with anticipation mixed with anxiety. Kate almost felt sick with the knowledge that she would have to fight Erik or Kern next; it was like their presences loomed over her, haunting her. She wanted to feel as confident as those around her, but it was impossible. Kate knew her limitations much more than the others did, and she was afraid that she would not be as successful when the time came to really fight.
After taking a break and drinking lots of water, Rico and Adriana walked Kate back home. They talked about Kate’s success the entire time. Kate stayed quiet, hoping that they wouldn’t jinx any progress she had made. She knew that she would have to continue practicing; she wouldn’t truly be able to expel an elder demon with just a couple lessons. There was so much more that she needed to know, and she wanted to gain as much of an advantage as she could before Erik arrived.
Kate waved goodbye a few houses before hers, and walked the rest of the way alone. The