“I should’ve listened when you told me to go.” I wasn’t sure how to apologize for almost getting us killed. “I know this was important.”
His fingers pressed lightly against the small of my back. “That’s not what I was saying. Finding a piece of the Shift isn’t worth what could’ve happened—”
“Wait? Did you find something?”
“Yeah. One of those colored glass disks from the diagram in Priest’s journal.” He looked over at the broken bits of the doll scattered across the floor. “It was hidden inside.”
“Where are the other pieces?”
“I don’t know.” Lukas ran his hand up my back and squeezed my shoulder gently. “Think you can walk?”
I nodded though I wasn’t sure. My back felt like someone had stomped on it. “Give me a minute.”
Lukas spread his jacket on the floor and collected what was left of the doll, tossing the shards into the center of the fabric.
“What are you doing?”
“We need to burn these. If a spirit’s remains aren’t destroyed, it can come back. The same principle applies to personal items.” When he finished, Lukas gathered the sides of his jacket to form a bundle. As he pulled me up, his hand slipped under the edge of my T-shirt and slid across my bare skin.
“Wait. You missed one.” I pointed at the triangular sliver embedded with a blue plastic eye. Black script was scrawled across the inside. “Something’s written on it.”
Lukas picked it up, keeping one arm firmly around me, and turned over the chipped porcelain: Millicent Avery. Middle River, Maryland.
“What do you think it means?”
“Maybe it’s the name of the person who made the doll.” Lukas handed me the shard, and I slipped it in my pocket.
As he eased me down the steps, I leaned against his chest and listened to his heartbeat, focusing on the soothing rhythm instead of the vicious ache in my muscles. A sudden rush of fear swept through me.
What if the little girl isn’t the only spirit in the house?
At the bottom of the stairs, the door was open and bits of gray light reflected off the dusty chandelier and glittered across the floor. It reminded me of the snow globe with the miniature version of Lilburn trapped inside something that was once beautiful.
Relief swept over me as I crossed the threshold.
Jared barreled around the side of the house before we made it down the front steps, rage coming off him in waves. Alara and Priest struggled to keep up. Lukas’ arm was still around my waist, and suddenly I felt self-conscious.
Ignoring a rush of dizziness, I pulled away.
“What happened?” Jared demanded, his anger completely focused on Lukas.
“The vengeance spirit of a little girl was in there—”
“Alara said you almost got her killed,” Jared yelled. It sounded like he actually cared about what happened to me.
Alara looked stunned. “That’s not what I said.”
Lukas’ hands curled into fists at his sides. “Because she would’ve been safer with you? We both know putting other people first isn’t your strong suit.”
Jared flinched as if his brother had punched him.
Alara elbowed her way between them. She held up a silver disk with a circle of blue glass in the center. “You two can argue later. We need to find the rest of the Shift.”
Jared didn’t move.
Lukas dropped his jacket on the ground, revealing broken bits of the doll. “These have to be burned.”
“There’s writing on this one.” I fished the shard out of my pocket and handed it to Priest.
“Guys?” Priest stared at the piece of porcelain in his hand.
“What if something had happened to her?” Jared demanded, his eyes still fixed on his brother. “The four of us can’t do this alone.”
The words hung in the air for a moment as the truth sank in. Jared didn’t feel responsible for me. I was a means to an end.
I pushed past him, ignoring the pain burning up my back.
“Guys! Priest yelled this time.
Jared spun around. “What?”
The broken piece of the doll was still in Priest’s palm. “This is my granddad’s handwriting.”
CHAPTER 16
A Break in the Line
I waited for sleep to find me. But I couldn’t stop thinking about the last few days and what Jared said outside of Lilburn. I knew Lukas and Jared saved my life that first night because they were convinced I was one of them—the missing fifth member they needed.
I also knew that when I climbed into the van with them, I didn’t believe it.
But I still got in. Because unlike Jared, Lukas, Alara, and Priest, I was alone. They had each other now, protected by the barrier belonging provides.