‘Can you feel what it is?’ she whispered.
‘It’s a girl. She doesn’t want to be here any more.’
‘How do you know?’
Jonan opened his eyes and smiled at Beth. ‘I asked her.’
‘And she told you? Just like that?’
‘Yes.’ Jonan tilted his head to one side. ‘Why don’t you try?’
Beth closed her eyes. Please, protect me. She sent the thought to her guides. And please help me to help this girl. She felt energy building around her. There was a fizzing in the crown of her head and a tingling in her palms. She felt her heart expand, and imagined pale-pink light flooding from her, out into the room and surrounding the girl. A smiling face flashed into her mind, large eyes and shiny brown curls. The chill had dropped away. Beth felt warm. In fact, she was heating the room with her own body. She felt bigger, somehow disjointed, as though she didn’t belong in her restrictive, physical form.
Beth opened her eyes. Jonan stood opposite her, hands stretched out towards hers, palms parallel to her own. His eyes were open. He smiled, slowly, as she nodded at him. She wondered if she looked as beautiful to him as he did to her. He shone, a brightness emanating from him that was similar to charisma only much, much more. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to be near Jonan. She felt a tug in her heart and found herself stepping closer. They were so close now there was barely any space between them and the fizz of his energy mingled with her own. For a moment there was no separation. They were one being, but at the same time, deliciously different and enchanting.
She forced herself to turn away from him. Please let me see you properly, I mean you no harm. At first she saw nothing. Then her eyes widened. The girl looked almost as solid as Jonan. Her face was streaked with tears, but light shone from her eyes. Rich brown hair fell in ringlets around her face and she smoothed down her pink-and-white pinafore with her hands.
‘She’s by the window,’ Beth said.
Jonan nodded.
Beth stepped forwards.
She felt no fear.
When they stood face to face, Beth extended her arms until their hands faced each other, palm to palm. The tingling across her skin was so strong it felt like needles, but she welcomed the connection. There was nothing wrong here, no negativity. The energy in the room had changed and lifted. In this trance state she could see beings in her peripheral vision, knew they were flooding the room with light, lifting the energy higher and higher.
The girl was shining, a soft golden glow coming from her skin and beautiful curls. She shimmered. The air around her was flooded with gold.
Thank you. The words formed in Beth’s mind. Thank you for bringing me freedom.
‘Bill wanted to do it,’ Beth said, feeling her eyes well up with tears.
Bill did do it, the girl said. He brought you to me. He is brave, but he is not safe because of Amelia. He knows her secrets. That is why she had him hurt. Will you find him and protect him?
‘She had him hurt? What did she do?’ Anger flooded through Beth. The image of the girl flickered.
Don’t let Amelia scare you. Please help Bill.
Beth took a deep breath, forcing her body back into trance state. The girl’s image solidified.
‘When you are ready, follow the light,’ Jonan said. His voice was deeper than usual, echoing in the small empty room.
I am ready, the girl said. As long as you will look after Bill.
‘I will,’ Beth said, feeling her energy flare as certainty filled her. ‘I will make sure Amelia never hurts him again.’
Thank you, Beth. You are a true Earth angel.
The light flared to one side and Beth could just make out a woman coming forward through the beam. She shone so brightly in Beth’s peripheral vision that she emitted a pure, beautiful warmth.
The girl’s image flickered. She was no longer solid but translucent in the bright golden light that surrounded her.
The girl reached out and touched the woman. Then they faded into the light and were gone.
Beth closed her eyes, savouring the feeling of expansion. Joy filled her body, drumming through her like an electric current. She was hyper-aware of Jonan. Even without looking she could feel their connection, feel their energies vibrate in sync. She had never experienced this kind of bond with anyone. In this heightened state, his claims of shared destiny felt more real than she could possibly have imagined.
Beth opened her eyes, feeling the intensity recede. Jonan stood, hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans, his leather jacket pushed back. He smiled, his head tilted to one side. Beth’s insides warmed so she no longer missed the light that had been there a moment ago.
‘I knew you could do it,’ he said, his smile widening.
Beth took an unsteady breath. ‘That was amazing. Is that what you do?’
‘I help spirits cross over, if that’s what they want. Sometimes I help them when that’s not what they want too, if they’re causing trouble, but most spirits are ready to go when their vibration has been raised high enough. Really, I just stand here and ask my guides for help. They do the rest.’
‘Are you ever scared?’ Beth sat on the bed.
‘Scared?’ His forehead creased. ‘There’s no need. I have rock-star guides. We all do. They can take anything these Earth-bound folk can throw at them. It’s the incarnated types that are really problematic.’
Beth smiled. ‘Like Amelia? Speaking of whom, what are we going to do about her?’
‘Amelia plans to use this venue for her games. I suggest we change the energy here so there’s less negativity for her to draw on. That should reduce the power of her attempts to manipulate, for now at least.’
‘Right.’ Beth pushed her sleeves up. ‘We’ve done one room; shall we move on to the next?’
Jonan smiled. ‘I think we’re done for today.’ He opened the door and Beth rose from the bed, leading the way out into the hall.
Jonan kept pace with her as they went down the stairs. ‘The girl wanted to go; she just didn’t know how. The Monks are going to be a very different matter. We’ll need all our strength for that battle, so I’d like to get Doriel involved. We’ll be stronger with three.’
‘In that case,’ Beth said, wrapping her coat around her as she stepped out of the dingy hotel, ‘I suggest we find out what happened to Bill.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
Beth
Beth stepped through the door to the hospital and immediately backtracked. A man in scrubs rushed past, narrowly avoiding crashing into her. He shouted, and then broke into a full-out run, dashing through the double doors at one end of the room.
‘We’d better join the queue,’ Jonan said, frowning as he looked around. ‘I’ve never seen this place so chaotic.’
‘You make it sound like you’re a regular.’
‘Doriel’s had a few bricks tossed through the shop window. We’ve been here with minor stuff, but it’s always been very orderly. This is like a playgroup on coffee.’
Beth pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.
The queue shuffled forwards. The man in front of them groaned, clutching his arm closer to his chest.
‘I don’t know what’s got in to everyone this week,’ the receptionist muttered under her breath as Beth finally stepped up to the desk. What is the world coming to?’