He blurred after her using preternatural speed and yanked her back by her hair. He got her in a bearhug from behind, dragging her back toward the horse stall. “It’s a trick, babe. Lulu is fine. Think about it. She wasn’t choked out that night. You know this is an illusion!”
“Stop! She’s dying!” She sobbed, flailing and fighting. “How could you? She’s so little!”
Whether her accusations were aimed at Aiden or at her phantom aunt, it didn’t matter. Raven was enthralled.
Raven growled between sobs, and the sound was unnatural. “Fuck!” Aiden shook her until her teeth clacked, not knowing what else to do.
“Capiria, something’s got hold of her. She’s seeing things that aren’t part of her memories, and she’s fucking growling…and not like a wolf, either! What do I do?”
“I don’t know.”
Henry thrashed against those restraining him as Father Pete escalated his prayers, but Antoinette grinned as though privy to a secret.
“Something’s happening. The aunt has a smug look on her face. I need Raven back. What can I do?”
“Kiss her!”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Aiden! It’s the only thing I can think of that will break her thrall. Kiss her, and kiss her good.”
He spun Raven in his arms, and then crushed his mouth to hers. She fought him at first, but then went slack in his arms. Her eyes opened, and he broke their kiss but kept a tight hold on her waist.
“Are you, YOU, again?” he asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“Forget it. Your auntie is a piece of work. Look!”
Father Pete showered holy water over Henry, lifting his right hand to recite the Latin prayers.
Et potestas Christi urget te. Et exorcizare hæc immunda spiritus, Thazos, daemonium ab inferno. In nomine Iesu conterat te et perdat!”
The in spiritu left Henry’s body, and went into Antoinette as if she waited for it with open arms. Her body went rigid, and then she collapsed at the same time Henry lost consciousness.
“Holy shit! Did you see that?” Aiden watched from over her shoulder, keeping her locked tight.
“Lulu was right. Antoinette was behind this entire mess the whole time.” Raven glanced at the hayloft. She watched her eight-year-old self, staring in rapt shock at the events below, with Lulu by her side in the hay.
Her Lutin friend wasn’t in any danger. It was an illusion, probably planted that night to scare her off.
“Capiria, beam us home, Scottie,” Aiden said, kissing Raven’s cheek.
“Did you hear what you needed to hear?” she asked.
Raven inhaled, letting her breath out in a slow rush. “In spades, witchy woman. In spades…”
***
Raven sat up, and Aiden gathered her in her arms. He hugged her and she winced. “I think you broke one of my ribs.” She lifted a hand to the back of her head. “And you snatched me baldheaded, cher.”
“You can feel that now? Here in the physical?” he asked, stunned.
She nodded, wincing again.
“She’s fine. The feeling is residual, and it’ll pass in a couple of hours,” Capiria replied.
“Move wolf. I need to hug my friend.”
Aiden smoothed Raven’s hair from her oily forehead. “Mate trumps friend, Gabs. Wait your turn.”
“You really want to argue with a pregnant witch?”
He laughed. “When you put it that way, no.” He helped Raven to her feet, barely getting out of the way before Gabby pulled her into a bear hug.
“Next time, I’m tagging along for the head game. It was awful watching you lie there like a ragdoll and Aiden in a trace, with only Capiria to give us play by plays.” She let go, taking a step back. “Trust me, the old witch has no future in radio broadcasting. If she hadn’t muzzled me, I’d have been screaming.”
Raven laughed, looking at Capiria. “You muzzled her? I mean for real?”
“A temporary muting spell, but it worked. I couldn’t hear myself think with her swearing one minute and praying the next.”
Gabby smirked, but her eyes were soft. “I’ll remember that, Granny.”
“You may want to learn that spell,” Raven laughed. “If that baby turns out to be anything like you, Gabs, you’re going to need it.”
“Well, her name isn’t Gabby for nothing,” Luke chimed in.
“Hey! When did this turn into a jump on Gabrielle fest?” Gabby hmphed, but her smirk softened into a half-grin.
Marie stood from the couch. “I think it’s time for bed. For all of us. You’ve won a battle tonight, but you’ve got an even bigger fight ahead.”
Luke kissed his mother’s cheek. “We’re not quite done, Maman. We still have to get Moe to sign in blood.”
His mother blanched. “Not in this house.”
Gabrielle shook her head, pecking Marie’s cheek as well. “He’s pulling your leg, Marie. Moe already agreed, but we do have to get him to help us set the trap.”
“How are you going to ensure he walks the walk?” she asked.
“Laura and Avery agreed to demon-sit while a hunting we will go,” Gabby replied.
Luke nodded. “And Dad will be plugged in to Aiden, Jared and me as command central. If anything goes awry, Laura and Avery have orders to drain Moe completely.”
“Jesú.” Marie crossed herself.
“On that note,” Raven nodded, “let’s clean up, and let Moe know it’s game on.”
***
Gabrielle sat next to Luke in the front of the SUV. They’d been driving for nearly three hours, and their destination, Île d’bec, wasn’t far to go.
It was a complete cliché that Aaron Brock and his cohort, Tim Brodeur, picked an abandoned farm on a rural island in the middle of nowhere for their sophomoric plan. How many horror movies were set with the same kind of isolated vibe?
Still, the scenery had been gorgeous with the first stirrings of fall the farther north they
