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Dark of Night (Thorne Hill 2)

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“Clausus sonare. Angustos lux. Hoc aspectu in domum custodire ab omni malo,” Evander chants, holding out his hands. The incantation to muffle the sights and sounds around us does little good to stop the banshee’s screams.

I grab his hands and chant with him. “Clausus sonare. Angustos lux. Hoc aspectu in domum custodire ab omni malo. Clausus sonare. Angustos lux. Hoc aspectu in domum custodire ab omni malo.”

The ringing in my head is almost too much to bear. Tom goes over to the banister and starts whacking his head against the wood. That’s how the banshee kills you, screaming until the pain is too much to take and you end your own life, so she won’t have to fight you.

“Stop him!” I tell Lucas, who’s hands are clamped over his own ears. “Once more,” I tell Evander, and feel power growing inside me again.

“Clausus sonare. Angustos lux. Hoc aspectu in domum custodire ab omni malo,” we say in unison, and whatever power I was holding onto erupts, sparking around us. The spell goes into effect and the house becomes eerily silent.

“Is it gone?” Tom asks.

“No,” I tell him, letting go of Evander’s hands. “We just can’t hear it anymore.”

“They soundproofed the house,” Lucas says. He knows Latin and understands what we were saying.

“Cool,” Tom says, and the other hunter elbows him. “So…what’s the plan?”

“The plan is for you to stay here and let us handle it,” I tell him.

“Can you handle it?” Ricky asks incredulously.

I cross my arms. “If two powerful witches, three familiars, and one sixteen-hundred-year-old vampire can’t handle it, then we’re all doomed.”

Chapter 29

Lucas dusts off a creaky old chair and turns it around. He sits down, joining Evander and I at a breakfast table left here from the previous owners.

“Our best bet is to leave the hunters here and go back to my house,” I say. “We need supplies to kill the banshee and to set some sort of trap for the wendigo that’ll hold it still long enough for Lucas to cut out its heart.”

“And then figure out how to close the rift in the earth,” Evander adds ruefully.

I nod. “Once we’re back at the house, one of us should astral project to the Academy and alert the coven. Someone there might know something, or at the very least we can cast a collective circle around the area and that will hopefully keep anything else from coming out.”

“You do realize what that means?” Evander leans forward. “Only a few of us know how powerful that demon was, Callie. By telling the whole coven there is a crack from Hell leading to the Ley line, they’re going to know the gates of Hell were opened.”

“And they’ll know you did the impossible,” Lucas finishes.

I look down at the dusty surface of the table, wondering how many family meals were eaten here. I doubt any of them were accompanied by a similar conversation like this.

“If that what it’s going to take to stop this, then we don’t have much of a choice, do we?” I can’t look up at Lucas because I know what he’s going to say. “Demons are coming here, and one already rose from Hell. The whole town will be overrun soon, and other than people dying, a town full of demons is sure to attract unwanted attention. I don’t want to involve your mom any more than she already is,” I say, knowing Tabatha, as my High Priestess, will be held accountable for my actions. Even Evander is at risk for losing his position at the Academy if it was found out he knew the extent of my relationship with Lucas and didn’t do anything to stop it. “But I need her help.”

“Callie,” Lucas starts, reaching over the table and taking my hand. “You are the single-most powerful witch I’ve ever come across. You commanded hellfire. Transfigured a human into an animal by your own sheer will. Broke through a hagstone warding…if anyone can do whatever needs to be done to shut this thing down, it’s you.”

I shake my head, trying not to let him see how shaken I am right now. We didn’t set out here knowing what I know now, and facing one powerful demon was hard enough. A whole army of them…we’re not prepared.

But when are we?

“You said it yourself,” Evander goes on. “If we can’t do this, who else can?”

I turn my head up, smiling. “New plan. We fight our way back to my house. I have a few vials of vanquishing potion left, and I think I have what I need to kill the banshee.”

“Ripping her head off won’t work?” Lucas asks. “From my experience, it’s always effective. Even for vampires.”

“I suppose,” I start as something starts to click into place in my head. “But you’d have to get close, and getting close is risky given the banshee’s ability to make your own head feel like it’s going to explode.” I shift my gaze from Evander to Lucas, suddenly having an idea. “If you guys go after the demons, I’ll deal with the Ley line.”

“You literally just said you have no idea how to deal with it.” Evander slowly shakes his head.

“Lucas gave me an idea, and I think it’ll work.” I stand. “Cut the head off the snake and the body will die.”

“The Ley line doesn’t have a head,” Evander says like it’s not obvious.

“Not a real one, but think about it.” I twist a piece of hair around my fingers. “The Ley line is feeding into a portal to Hell, basically. Or the other way around, I suppose. That’s what’s filling the town with negative energy, and that’s what’s bringing in all the demons. If I can shut down Hell, then the connection will be broken.”

“Callie,” Lucas says gently. “Shutting down Hell is impossible…even for you.”

“I’m not really going to march up to Satan and tell him there’s a new bitch in town, but if I can feed white light into the crack, whatever is seeping from the pit might back off. The Ley line is self-healing, right?” I ask Evander.

“In some ways, yes. Self-preservation is what keeps the Ley line flowing.”

“If you think of the negative energy like a virus, it makes sense to attack it,” I go on. “All I have to do is make it retreat, even if it’s just for a minute, and the energy seeping away from the Ley line will return to it, breaking contact.”

“That makes sense,” Lucas agrees, eyes meeting mine. “But I don’t want you going after that alone.”

“I know you don’t,” I tell him. “And to be honest, I don’t either. But I have to do this.”

“How are you going to do this?” Evander’s face pulls down with worry.

“I’m not sure. But I’ve always been good at winging it, and I haven’t died yet. That’s my plan, you know. Don’t die.”

Evander lets o

ut a sigh that mirrors Lucas’s expression. “Fine. Let’s do this.”

“We’re hunters.” Ricky shakes his head. “We don’t hide from demons. We hunt them.”

“You don’t hunt demons like this,” I press. “Regular lower-level demons typically don’t have powers. These demons do.” I motion to Lucas. “It took both of us to take down a few scrappers. Those are usually a one-and-done kind of take downs.”

“Lower-level?” Tom questions, brows pinching together.

“Yeah, the demons that walk the earth in corporeal form are lower-level demons.”

“There are higher-level ones?”

I let out a breath. “Tons. Let’s hope one of those doesn’t—”

Lucas speeds in front of me and stands in front of Ricky. “We don’t have time for this,” he says and looks into Ricky’s eyes. “You are terrified of the dark. Just looking out the window and seeing the night sky makes you scream uncontrollably.”

“Lucas,” I hiss.

“Fine. You scream internally.” He turns to Tom, whose eyes are squeezed closed. “And you…you don’t want to hunt anymore. You want to go to college and volunteer.”

“Really?”

Lucas shrugs. “I thought you’d like this one.”

“I…I do. It’s just unexpected.”

“I like to surprise you.” Lucas turns away, grinning. “Ready?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” I run my thumb over my fingers, conjuring a string of magic. “You got the knife?” I ask Lucas. He pulls it out of his pocket and flips the blade up. “Let’s do this.”

Freya shadows forward, opening the door for us. We step onto the porch and close the door behind us. I wave my hand over the lock and mutter a spell, locking the house from the outside, making sure those two hunters stay inside where they’re safe.

“Do you feel that?” Evander asks as soon as we go down the porch steps.

“Even I can feel that,” Lucas replies.

The air is electric, raising all the hairs on the back of my neck. “We’ve got to close that rift before it gets any bigger.” I look down the driveway, debating if we should take the road back to my house. With this estate being so far back from the road, it’s faster to go through the woods, emerging into my backyard. Being on the street offers more visibility as well but will take twice as long.



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