“I already told you that I wanted to make you a part of this. You wouldn’t let me, though. Your mind was strong, even in sleep. I had to take what I could get ... and that was this girl. She was fragile, broken really. If all goes as planned, I will return her to her life ... although why she would want to live with such crushing insecurity is beyond me.”
“She’s a teenager,” Hannah snapped. “She can’t help herself. Humans don’t live in a world without fear. They’re always going to doubt themselves because that’s what makes them human.”
“Weak,” Bettina corrected. “Humans are weak. This argument continues to circle, though, and gets us nowhere. I am only here to make you aware that you cannot get involved. This fight is between my sister and me.”
“And where is your sister?” Abigail queried, speaking for the first time in what felt like a very long stretch. “You said she came through before you. Does that mean she’s in somebody’s body, too?”
“Yes. I haven’t figured out where she is yet, but I will find her.”
“And it has to be a descendent of Clement, right?” Hannah pressed.
“It does.”
“Well, then I guess that’s our next order of business. We have to find the other descendants. If she can’t use me, then she’ll find someone else. Maybe if we can stop her from finding a body at all, it will weaken her so we can destroy her.”
“That’s a nice thought, but it’s already too late,” Bettina countered. “The fact that I can’t feel her means that she’s already found a body. She can hide behind the soul of another. If that soul is black, there will be no finding her until she’s ready to show herself.”
“And when will that be?”
“When she’s ready.”
“Right.” Hannah blew out a sigh and rubbed her forehead, weariness threatening to take her over. Then, unbidden, a horrified thought invaded her busy brain. “Lindsey? She came out here. Would Amelia take over her body?”
“I don’t know who that is.”
“The other girl.” Hannah was insistent. “The day you took over Angel in the barn, the day of the dust storm, there was another girl here. She was the same age.”
“The girl in the place with the spirits.”
It took Hannah a moment to translate. “The saloon, yes. Nobody calls them spirits any longer, though. It’s liquor ... or alcohol ... or drinks … or cocktails.”
“Thank you for the lesson. It’s not necessary, though.”
“It feels necessary to me.” Hannah’s patience was wearing thin. “Would your sister take over her body? She’s the entire reason I’m out here.” The thought was horrifying. What would she say to Boone? Bettina’s emphatic head shake had the vise of fear gripping her heart lessening, though. “You don’t think your sister is in her?”
“She’s not of the line,” Bettina replied. “I checked all of you. You and this girl fit my needs. The others didn’t. I’d settled on you, but you wouldn’t open yourself. That’s why I had to infiltrate the child.”
“And you’re going to release her once you take out your sister again.”
“Yes.”
“Then we have to find your sister.” Slowly, Hannah shifted her eyes to Abigail. “Do you have any ideas on who else might fit the genetic glass shoe for Amelia? You lived here longer than everybody else. You must have some idea.”
“Just one.” Abigail’s expression looked as if it had been carved out of granite, which only served to fill Hannah with dread.
“Well, don’t leave us in suspense,” Hannah prodded. “Who?”
“There’s another descendent who lacks pigmentation in this area.”
“Who?” Hannah wrinkled her nose. “I don’t ....” She trailed off, realization dawning. “Astra.”
Abigail nodded. “It makes sense.”
“Which is why you took her under your wing,” Hannah realized. She was mostly talking to herself, but the look on Abigail’s face served as confirmation. “Astra betrayed you, but you only took her on because you wanted to watch her. You always knew this was going to happen.”
“No.” Abigail fervently shook her head. “Absolutely not.” She was insistent. “I thought there was a possibility that this might happen one day. I did research on the property, starting when I was a child. I wanted to make sure that evil could never overtake the land again. That was my main goal.”
“Well, good job.” Hannah loved her grandmother, well and truly, which was why her disappointment was so rampant. “I can’t believe you hid this from me.”
“I didn’t have a choice.” Abigail didn’t make apologies for her behavior. She couldn’t. “I wanted you to have a chance to settle into your new life. I wanted you to be able to grow into your powers in your own time. I most certainly didn’t want this foisted upon you. I just didn’t realize that the battle with the furies would break the seal.”
“The seal you put on the land with your sacrifice?” Hannah said, her eyes landing on Bettina. Even though she knew it was no longer Angel residing behind the contemplative eyes, it was difficult thinking of her as Bettina. It was necessary to separate the two, though. Otherwise she would twist and turn without accomplishing a single thing.
“It held a long time,” Bettina confirmed. “It was only a matter of time, though.”
“So, we need to resurrect the seal.”
“We need to find Amelia,” Bettina countered. “That is our priority.”
“It has to be Astra.” Hannah didn’t have a single doubt. “She was out here last night ... with this one.” She jerked her thumb in Stormy’s direction. “She might know where we can find her.”
Bettina was grim. “Then let’s ask.” She trudged in Stormy’s direction, satisfaction filling her features when she registered the fear on the frozen woman’s face. “This one has a dark soul.”
“I have no doubt,” Hannah said. “She’ll squeal on Astra to protect herself, though.”
“That is the coward’s way,” Bettina agreed.
Hannah hesitated before moving closer to Bettina. She didn’t trust her — even though she understood that Bettina was the only one
