When I thought about it like that, I no longer regretted talking to Val. At least we had a chance to reduce the number of victims.
“Places,” Daniel called out, and his work crew scattered around as though they had choreographed the action.
“Here goes nothing,” Tad said, watching with doubtful eyes. “I’m not sure this is the best idea, but it’s out of our hands now.”
“There’s nothing else we can do,” Hank muttered. “From what January said, Rowan refused to take any other action on it. If she can’t take care of something, then you know it’s a problem. Let’s give this a chance. We may not like dealing with a vampire, but he’s the only one who stepped up.”
“True,” I said. “And it’s not like I didn’t talk to the mayor about it.”
We continued to chat until Daniel held up his hand for silence.
“Check in safe. Wilson?”
“Here.”
“Dram?”
“Yo!”
He continued down a list of names until everyone in the work crew was accounted for. Then he called out, “Let’s go. Five…four…three…two…one…detonate!”
There was a pause, then a slow, low roar began to build as the building trembled. I could see explosions running up the sides, all around the visible surface. The building began to crumble in on itself as a cloud of dust rose up, billowing out toward us as the remains of the institution crumbled.
The ground shook and my jaw ached from the force of the explosion, but the wind was blowing the other direction and carried the smoke away from us.
I was about to breathe a sigh of relief when I felt something nearby—something looming large and predatory, like a winged beast rising behind me.
“What the hell?” I turned around. It was then that the spirit—and it was a spirit—body-slammed into me, knocking me on my butt. I felt it prying at the corners of my mind, trying to find a way in.
“Esmara!” As I called my guardian, I instinctively slammed my shields down, preventing whatever it was from entering my psyche. I could feel it struggling before it withdrew.
Hank suddenly leapt forward, his hands clutching my throat.
Oh crap! The spirit hadn’t been able to get through to me, so it had jumped him.
“Hank—” I tried to say, but he had such a tight grip I could barely breathe. I struggled with him. I was a larger woman, but he was strong, and the spirit possessing him was even stronger.
I could hear Caitlin and Tad shouting. I was seeing stars now, flashes of light, as my lungs burned, trying to catch a breath. Hank’s fingers pressed hard against my throat and my head was beginning to swim with the pain. I couldn’t think, but several years of self-defense courses finally took over and the next moment, I brought my knee up hard against Hank’s groin, putting as much oomph into the thrust as I could.
That worked. While his soul might be possessed, his body still registered pain and he let go, doubling over. I stumbled back. Everything was still a blur, but someone grabbed me by the arm and dragged me away from the scene. And then, I heard a massive crack.
Seconds later, with my nose bleeding and my throat aching, my vision began to clear. Tad was standing there, a stun gun in hand. Hank was laid out flat on the ground, and I could sense that the spirit had fled, sucked back into the elemental.
“He’s clear,” I breathed, my throat so rough it felt like I had strep.
“Are you sure?” Caitlin asked.
Hank is clean, Esmara whispered to me. The elemental retreated—the explosion weakened it and now it’s licking its wounds, so to speak.
“Yeah, Hank should be free from it,” I gasped out. “But let’s get out of here. We’re too vulnerable and the elemental is still around.”
Daniel’s men helped us over to the van. With Hank out cold in the back, we headed away from the site, as fast as we could.
I hoped that the work men would be okay, but they seemed to all be shifters, and shifters had less of a chance of being possessed. Plus, I had the distinct feeling Val had supplied them with some sort of magical protection.
As I leaned my head against the headrest, I couldn’t help but wonder—what else lived in these woods? What else prowled the shadows of Moonshadow Bay? The town seemed more sinister than it had when I was a child, but I was beginning to realize that I had just never seen the underbelly before.
Tad insisted we stop at urgent care to get both Hank and me checked out. The doctor cleared us both, though Hank had done a number of my throat. But honey and lemon tea would help with that, along with a chiropractor visit. Hank came around and the look on his face when he realized what had happened was stronger than any apology he could make.
“I can’t believe that happened,” Hank said. “I’m so sorry.”
“This caps it,” I squeaked out. “I can’t believe all of you have been going out without proper protection. Before we even think of taking a new case, I’m making protection charms for everybody.” I shook my head. “If I’m going to work with Conjure Ink, I’m going to make sure that we’re beefed up on the magical side of things.”
Tad grinned. “I’d ask how you’ve enjoyed your first week on the job, but I’m afraid I might actually get an answer. You got tossed into the deep side of the pool on this one.”
I waggled my fingers at him. “Way to give someone the full immersion treatment. How about we take the rest of the day off? My throat’s so sore I just want to go home and rest and not say anything. But hey, now I can say I know what it feels like to be strangled.”
Hank groaned again. “I will never be able to make this up to you. I second January’s motion. Being stun-gunned isn’t much fun, either.”
Tad agreed and told us to be in Wednesday morning as usual, and so we closed the case as best as we could on the asylum. I just hoped it stayed in the past. Unresolved hauntings usually had a way of creeping back, but for now, I was content to just avoid the area.
On Friday night, the night before the cotillion, I curled up in the glow of the tree lights. Xi was sitting on my lap, and Klaus was pouncing after a toy that Ari was teasing him with. I had sprayed the tree with a diluted solution of peppermint oil and water, and the cats apparently decided it was something to steer clear of.
Meagan was stretched out in front of the fireplace, gazing into the flames, and Aunt Teran was in the kitchen, stirring a batch of homemade chicken soup. Killian sat on the other end of the sofa, giving me a foot rub. My throat was feeling better, but I was still talking hoarsely.
“So, you’re sticking with the job?” Ari asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, I am. I like it, and I like my coworkers. The pay’s good enough to live on, and I have insurance. I had business cards printed up for our own business—The Magic Web—and we can start passing them out. I already have two tarot readings booked for Sunday.”
“I’m glad you came home to Moonshadow Bay,” Ari said. “I’ve missed you. I may not live down the street anymore, but it’s good to live in the same town again.” Ari had lived a few blocks away when we were young, but after she left home, her parent sold the house and moved into a condo.