“Well, hello kids,” Damien’s voice drifted through the space as he stepped out from behind one of the shelves.
The door slammed closed behind us. I grabbed Vance and wished for us to be outside, but nothing happened.
Damien laughed and pointed to the white glowing crystals in the corners. “Pesky little rocks, aren’t they?” He grinned.
Bels turned to us with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry. He was already here when you arrived. He saw you entering the store and instructed me on what to do. I had to help him. He has my mother.”
Chapter 27
One injection and a nap of an undetermined amount of time later found me in a place I’d hoped to never be again—aboard a private plane with Damien. This trip was slightly better since Vance was restrained in the seat next to me, but the view in front of me was exactly the same as before, and I still hated it.
I tried to call on my jinn powers, but noticed the brightening of a glowing white crystal that was hanging from a thick chain around my neck. Leave it to Damien to plan for everything. He was always thorough. I had to give him that.
“Good afternoon, Portia,” he said cordially. “I’m so glad you finally decided to join us on this lovely Samhain.”
I chose to keep my expression neutral. I’d already played this game with him, and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of toying with me again.
“Are you doing okay?” Vance’s voice whispered into my head.
“I’m fine,” I replied in the same fashion, glancing at him. “At least as much as I can be considering we’ve ended up right where we started.”
“We’ll figure out something,” he said. “We have the rest of the coven on our side this time around, and they’re watching his place now.”
I turned to Damien. “So where do we have the luxury of going with you this time?”
“Back to Arkansas, of course. Did you miss it?” He smiled before lifting his chalice to his lips, and I held in the sigh of relief that wanted to escape.
“I miss my dad. How’s he doing?” I bit the inside of my lip to keep from spewing all the hateful things I wanted to say.
“Sean’s doing just fine. I’ve been very pleased with his progress.”
“And what kind of progress is that exactly?” I asked, my stomach churning.
“You’ll find out soon enough. I’m planning a nice family reunion for the two of you when we get back.”
“That sounds good,” I replied evenly, truly meaning it. If I could get him to let me see my dad then there was always the chance I could rescue him somehow.
Damien laughed. “I bet it does. I’m anxious to see how it will go.”
“What did you do with Bels?” I asked feeling concerned for the shop owner who had clearly been distraught with her role in aiding our capture.
“I didn’t do anything. She’s resting comfortably in the seat behind you.”
I attempted to look, momentarily forgetting I was restrained and unable to do so.
Damien laughed again. “Portia, you’ll just have to take my word for it.”
“But it’s so difficult to trust anything you say,” I bantered back. “What about her mother?”
“I never had her mother,” he replied with a wink. “I just used a little trickery to make her think I did. It saved me a whole lot of hassle.”
Vance spoke up. “Then why’d you bring Bels with us? What purpose could she serve?”
“That’s also something you’ll find out soon when I perform a ritual in the near future. But you can blame yourself that she’s here. My plan was to use Portia in the beginning, but you contaminated her when you fed her your blood.” He shrugged. “No worries, though. It was a situation easily remedied.”
“Don’t hurt her,” I said, feeling guilty.
“What ritual?” Vance prodded, diverting Damien’s attention as he tried to get more information.
“Patience, son. Save some surprises for later.”
“We already know you were after Hecate’s Box and that you’ve acquired her symbolic torches, rope, and key. You’re going to request something—something to do with the dead if I were to guess,” Vance continued.
“I’m proud of you. You’ve done your homework. But I won’t be sharing the details just yet.” Damien leaned his head back against his seat and looked between us. “The only thing I can tell you is that it’s going to be a smashing good time.”
I felt the prick of the needle before I saw it. I didn’t even have time to see who administered it before everything went black.
Vance was already awake, holding me in his arms when I came to, and I was sad to see we were back inside the dreaded cave.
I glanced about the space and saw Damien had been busy while I was unconscious. A large circle with a pentagram inside of it had been drawn on the smooth floor around the altar, which sat directly in the center. There were hundreds of lit candles lining the walls of the cavern, some on the floor and others floating in the air in clusters together. This made the room flicker with all sorts of moving shadows, casting an eerie feeling.
Bels was lying on the ground to one side of the altar, apparently still suffering from the effects of the sleeping agent she’d been given. I figured that was probably best considering Damien obviously didn’t have good plans for her.
He was bent over another figure lying on the floor, and I jerked to awareness when I realized it was my dad.
“Hold still,” Vance warned me under his breath. “Don’t draw attention to yourself.”
“He’s my dad, Vance. I’ve got to try to stop him.”
“You can’t get into the circle,” Vance explained. “It’s protecting him and keeping us out. I’ve already attempted it. The only way to breach it is to be invited in by someone on the inside, and that isn’t likely to happen. I think he’s completely delusional—keeps on talking about how he’ll be all powerful, and nothing will be able to stop him. He told me about how we’ll rule side by side, like he actually believes I’ll have anything to do with him.”
“Did you tell him that?”
He nodded.
“What did he say?”
“He said I’ll have no choice in the matter. If I don’t come willingly, he’ll make me comply with his wishes.”
“Can he do that?”
“He says he’ll be able to do anything after this spell.”
“Did he tell you what that was?”
“No, but I’m sure it’s something to do with communicating with the dead since Hecate is the goddess of necromancy.”
“How will that make him all powerful?”
“I have no idea, but he seems pretty confident about whatever it is.”
I didn’t know enough about pagan witchcraft, or any witchcraft for that matter, to even hope to render a guess. I only knew one thing—magic was real. No matter what religious name it was worked under, there was truth to it in every angle it came from. And I understood without a doubt, any spell Damien was working would be dangerous to anyone who wasn’t him. He had been out to push his own agenda from the beginning, and that was to gain more power for himself.
He knew what he was doing, and though there had been bumps in the road, his plan always seemed to work out for him in the end. If he thought this would make him all powerful then I believed him. He had to be stopped.
“I wonder if the others know we are here.”
“They do. Damien says they’ve attacked the house above. They’re battling his demon minions up there now.”
My heart sank. “I hope they know what they’re doing.”
“He says they’ve walked into a trap, and none of them will survive.”
I swallowed hard, my pulse jumping. “Pray that he’s wrong.”
It was up to me and Vance to come up with a plan then, and we were out of time. I pushed away from him even as he wrestled to keep me still. “Let me do this,” I said seriously, my gaze locking with his, but he held me firm and his grip tightened against
me. “Trust me, please. I need to do this.”
He struggled with my request, his jaw ticking as he clenched his teeth before he finally released me.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” he warned. “And don’t try to cross the circle. It will shock you if you do.”
I nodded and climbed to my feet, turning to walk to the edge. I could feel the buzz of power radiating off it, and I knew Vance was speaking the truth.
“Damien,” I called, diverting his attention to where he was leaning over my dad. “Let them go please. You don’t need to do whatever this is. Can’t you see you’re strong enough already? Please try to listen to reason.”
He smiled, and a short chuckle escaped him. “Your daughter’s here, Sean. Would you like to say hello?” He waved his arm over my father, and he sat up suddenly.
Tears welled in my eyes when I took in his transformed features—his streaked skin, the elongated teeth, and the glowing red eyes that pulsed over me.
“Daddy?” my voice squeaked out as my heart pounded, feeling broken at seeing him this way.
He stood up and walked to the edge of the circle, standing in front of me.
“Portia,” he whispered, and I didn’t miss how his eyes flared.
“Did he hurt you?” I asked.
He didn’t reply though, only staring at me in a peculiar way. “Portia,” he said again. He lifted his hand and reached through the invisible barrier between us, stroking my cheek in a gentle, fatherly manner.
I leaned into the caress, letting the tears fall freely. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to save you from this, but I didn’t know how.”
“It’s okay,” he said, letting his hand trail down my arm.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” He grabbed me and yanked me inside the barrier, sinking his teeth into my neck as he took several steps toward the center of the circle.
“No!” I heard Vance yell as he raced to the edge, only to have it shock him. “What are you thinking?” his voice hammered inside my head.
“I’m thinking I’m inside the circle now,” I spoke back mentally. I tried to push my dad away. “Daddy please, you’re hurting me.” I hoped to appeal to the father inside him, the one who loved me and was concerned for my welfare.
Damien’s hearty laughter reached my ears, and I could tell he was thoroughly enjoying this turn of events.
“Get him off her,” Vance yelled. “She’s been through enough!”
“Now son, there’s no need to be overly dramatic. You know he can’t really hurt her. Let him have a taste.”
“Portia, you have to get him off you. Otherwise you being inside that circle isn’t going to do anyone any good,” Vance’s voice sounded completely helpless in my mind.
I knew he was right. I could feel the heaviness seeping into my limbs. He was drinking heavily without any sign of stopping.
I wrapped my hands around his arms, mustering my magic together, shooting small ice shards into him.
He winced and jerked from me, letting me go, and I crumpled to the floor. My blood was running down his chin as he looked from me to the wounds I’d created. He slowly reached up and began plucking the stakes from his skin one by one, letting them fall and shatter.
“Come now, Sean. Let’s get back to work,” Damien said, motioning for my dad to join him, which he did. He resumed his spot on the floor and stared straight up at the ceiling without moving.
I struggled to maintain my wits—looking over to where Vance was pacing helplessly outside the wall he couldn’t penetrate. I needed to pay attention and try to thwart Damien someway if I could.
Damien walked up the steps to the altar and lifted the three bound torches we had stolen together and placed them on a stand, lighting them. He picked up the key he had taken from Earl’s and walked over to where Bels was lying, pulling out his athame as he leaned over her.
“Don’t Damien,” I tried to speak, but my voice came out very weak.
If he heard me he didn’t even pause, cutting into her wrist. She didn’t move or flinch at all when he lifted her arm, letting her blood run over the key.
He stood and walked over to where my dad was laying and repeated the process. My dad did flinch slightly, but did nothing else, continuing to stare straight at the ceiling.
Damien went to the altar and stood before Hecate’s box, raising the key into the air over his head. “Blood of the pure, blood of the corrupt!” he spoke in a loud voice before slipping the slickened key into the hole designed for it. It turned easily with an obvious click, and he lifted the lid to peer inside.
He stepped backward, walking down the steps as he made his way to the floor, kneeling there and bowing his head. He began speaking in a different language I thought might be Greek, though I didn’t know enough to be sure.
The words flowed from his mouth reverently, almost like a prayer, and then suddenly he changed to English.
“Mighty Hecate, hear my plea,
I come now to commune with thee.
I seek the request I’m allowed to make,
And give my life for you to take.”
I couldn’t believe my ears as Damien offered himself as a human sacrifice to the goddess. I closed my eyes and grimaced, suddenly realizing why he wanted the Awakening so badly. It would bring him back to life.
He continued on. “With the dead, I wish to be,
And them be allowed to commune with me.”
A loud rushing sound filled the air as a darkness swirled up out of the box and shot through him. He fell back with a gasp, completely lifeless.
“Portia,” Vance’s frantic voice came from outside the circle. “The ritual isn’t complete. He’s counting on the Awakening to bring him back. You’ve got to come pull me into the circle so I can stop him before it’s too late!”
I lifted my head slightly as I tried to fight my lethargic body, slowly pushing myself across the floor.
“Come on, baby. You’re going to need to move faster than that,” he called to me.
“I’m trying,” I said softly. I got to my knees and crawled toward Vance.
Damien gasped, beside me, sucking the air back into his lungs, and I grimaced knowing I was in trouble now.
“Oh, no you don’t,” he yelled, grabbing my ankle and pulling me toward him. He rolled me over. “You’ll not spoil this for me now, Portia.”
I noticed a new dark swirl sweep up from within the box, and it struck Damien again. The shock of the power traveled through him and into where he still touched me, and we both screamed.
Damien fell to the floor beside me, breaking our contact, and the shadow continued to fill him as we both writhed in agony.
“What’s happening?” I cried to Vance, looking to him as I clutched my sides and screamed again. “Help me, please!”
He was panting, looking desperate as he paced beyond reach. “He’s called a dark magic, Portia. The Awakening is a light magic—the two can’t coexist in the same space. The new power is tearing the Awakening from you both.”
His words were drowned out by the roaring in my ears and the sound of my own shrieks. I remembered the horror of having it torn from my cells once before and it seemed even more painful this time.
“I don’t want this magic,” I shouted. “Stop it! Stop it!”
“Portia! You’ve got to get out of the circle!” Vance yelled.
“I can’t,” I sobbed in agony.
“You have to try!”
Struggling to move, I rolled onto my stomach as I tried to slither across the cold floor toward Vance. I could see the white wisps drifting rapidly from my body as I shook with horrible tremors.
“That’s it, baby. Keep coming,” Vance’s frantic voice continued to encourage me.
I could barely hear him over the sounds coming from my own mouth, but I focused on his face as I continued to propel my body across the floor to him. His eyes glanced away from me for a moment, and my gaze followed his line of sight.
Damien was shudd
ering as he crawled up the steps toward the altar. He collapsed at the base of it and shoved his hand into his pocket, pulling out a round medallion. He stretched up, slamming it into the opened box.
“By the god of Hades, lord of the underworld, keeper of the departed, I demand possession of souls!” he shouted.
There was a loud explosion in the air above the altar. A swirling vortex opened up, and wraith-like creatures began pouring through it. Damien laughed, even though he was still obviously in pain. The creatures crawled over him, screeching, clawing at him as if they wished to attack, but being unable to with their spirit forms. He opened his mouth and dropped his jaw, just like he was performing a demon kiss and began sucking the souls inside of him.
“He’s going to absorb the magic of the dead!” Vance shouted as even more screeching spirits poured into the space. “He will have access to every power available! I have to stop him, Portia! Pull me inside! Pull me in!”
I refocused my energies and moved toward the perimeter again, stretching my arm toward the barrier, trying to ignore the feel of the energies that were brushing over my skin as they zipped past, their howls echoing loudly in my ears.
“A little farther, baby. You’re almost there.” He was on his hands and knees as he watched, and I could hear the panic in his voice.
I pushed harder, falling next to the edge, reaching my hand through to grasp his. I pulled him into the spinning soup next to me.
He bent down and shoved me the rest of the way out of the circle. “I love you, Portia. Don’t ever forget that.” He had tears in his eyes when he turned away from me, running toward his father.
“Wait! What are you doing?” I cried, as I held my trembling body, knowing he was planning on sacrificing himself.
The door to the cave burst open, and my grandma and Hex rushed in, followed by several others from the coven, beaten and bloody.
“Help him!” I screamed as they ran to check me. Hex dropped to my side as Grandma passed.
“What ritual did he do?” she shouted over the din.
“He called the powers of Hecate and then threw a medallion in the box and demanded possession of souls in the name of Hades,” I replied.