She fell to the floor hard,and her skin and bones smacked the hardwood, echoing through Benedict and downto his gut, dropping him to his knees.
The wind stopped, the roomstilled, and the three Lyons stared at the dead bodies.
"Why did you dothat?" Benedict whispered, panting for air.
"I had to," Lucyhissed, clawing at the table to drag herself to her feet. Thumping stepsupstairs promised that they had awoken the whole house. Everyone would see thissoon.
"But you can't drive outa possession like that… You know that." How could she not? They allknew. Possessions were not the same as casual hauntings. And a spirit aswillful as Gloria Lyon's would not be cast out that easily. They could push herback, but they couldn't banish her with a broken talisman.
"She would have diedanyway," Lucy said, voice too weak to enforce anybelief behind her words.
"You don't knowthat!" Benedict snapped, turning on his knees toward his sister. "Youaccomplished nothing!"
Lucy didn't defend herselflike he had expected. She wouldn't even look at him—wouldn't look at either ofthem or the bodies, her gaze stubbornly piercing the floor at her feet.
"Enough," Elysiumsaid, swallowing hard. He hadn't looked away from the twisted corpse at hisfeet, hands still out toward it as though reaching for her.
The doors opened, and Theodorerushed in, reeling back almost as soon as he did and colliding with Hazel.
"Get them out ofhere," Elysium ordered.
Hazel stepped closer, gazeflickering between Lucy, Benedict, and the bodies. "Elys?"
"Them," he clarifiedsharply, pointing at Lucy.
Hazel nodded once and crossedthe room, collecting her cousin by the arm and leading her out of the room.
Benedict felt Theodore's handon his back before he heard his voice, deep and steady now. He couldn't quitemake out the words, though. He couldn't shake the sound of that woman's spinetwisting, vertebra grinding and cracking.
"What happened?"Theodore asked, voice hushed as he led Benedict up thestairs.
He didn't remember leaving thedining room, gaze hazy with tears. "She was possessed. We should havecoaxed Mother out of her or done an exorcism, not…"
"Mother?"Theodore interrupted, steering Benedict down the long hall toward his bedroom."Aunt Gloria possessed the maid?"
Benedict nodded, rememberingthe minutes like hours played out frame by frame. "She killed the footman.She was completely mad."
Theodore managed to open thebedroom door without letting go of his iron grip on Benedict's arm, leading himin and pushing him down onto the nearest couch.
Benedict caught his handbefore he could step back, looking up at his cousin. "Lucy made a talismanand broke it, driving her out."
Theodore blinked at him."What? No. She wouldn't do that."
Benedict exhaled, gratefulsomeone else saw how insane the choice had been. "She did."
His face twisted withconfusion and worry. "I'm going to go check on her. Stay here, okay?"
Benedict nodded.
"Try to get some sleep.You don't need to come back down. We'll take care of everything."
Benedict almost laughed. Thedoor closed behind Theodore, and he was surprised when it didn't lock. He feltlike he had gone mad in a matter of minutes. Somehow being locked up would havemade sense.
He dropped his head forward,staring at his hands. They weren't bloody, but a part of him had expected themto be. "What's happening?" he asked, knowing she was with him evenbefore he looked up.
Emmeline shook her head, armscurled around herself. "We'll never get out.We'll never leave this place."
Benedict leaned forward ontothe edge of his seat. "Was that my mother's ghost? Why would she do that?How could she—"
"We're going todie," Emmeline choked out. "We're going to die,"she said again.
What was wrong with her? Shewas already dead. "Em—"
His door opened, Elysiumtaking one step in. He paused, glancing around the room and right throughEmmeline. "Were you talking to someone? Did Mother contact you?"
Benedict shook his head. "Itried to talk to her, hoping maybe she'd answer…" he lied.
Elysium sighed. "Don't.She's obviously dangerous. Hazel wants to do a séance tomorrow night, to try todraw her out so that we can send her on." It was going to be a long day.
"Why is she here?"Benedict asked.
Elysium's shoulders saggedunder too much weight. "I don't know, but we need to get rid of her."
Benedict nodded once. It wasthen that he noticed his brother slept in silk pajamas, the sort with matchingtop and bottom. Gray, because he imagined Elysium would think black too formalfor sleepwear.
"If you're up for it, youshould join us," Elysium suggested.
Benedict nodded again and thenjumped to his feet just before his brother could leave. "The staff…theones that died…"
"I'll call the sheriff inthe morning and let her know about the murder-suicide."
He winced at the lacking term.Murder-suicide. It sounded likesomething it wasn't—like the people who had died had any control over thesituation—like it wasn't the fault of the Lyons.
"The bodies will be takento the morgue in town for cremation. Hopefully, the sheriff won't come out topoke around."
"Why wouldn't she?"he snapped, not meaning to sound angry but unable to stop himself. His familyhad always had a strange relationship with Vannes, the nearest town to theirestate. For the most part, the townsfolk seemed to enjoy the mystery andstories of the Lyons, blaming everything from colds and bad weather to missingpeople on the family of spiritualists. A few times, his mother had called theVannes Sheriff about town kids coming out to the estate to vandalize theproperty. But usually, when the sheriff had come out, it hadbeen because of a séance gone wrong, injured guests, and staff fleeing interror.
Somehow everything wouldalways be smoothed over in the end—no doubt helped by the very competent lawyersthe family kept on retainer for just this sort of incident, and the Lyon habitof making large and regular donations to Vannes but never interfering in townbusiness. They never even attended Town Hall meetings.
Elysium sighed, nodding slowlybecause not even he could believe the sheriff would
