“He would, and you would be killed. Everything that transpires here stays here. You cannot tell anyone.” Her endless ebony gaze met mine. “Anyone.”
I started rising to my feet, thinking ahead as I prepared to do what needed to be done. “I understand.”
Jennifer was waiting when I opened the door, half-changed. Her furred face went from furious to confused when I walked past her with Sonja on my heels. She growled, and I stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.
“Don’t. It isn’t necessary. Trust me.”
Her baffled look didn’t stop me as we all descended the stairs—necromancer, werewolf and poltergeist. When we came to the circle, I entered it, opened the metal door, and pulled out the dirt-infested cat by the scruff of the neck. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but thankfully Sonja made things easy. She didn’t fight when I walked out of the circle and lifted the cat into the air, holding it so their eyes could meet. The moment she started to dissipate before my eyes, I retrieved the knife from my pocket.
The cat went wild, scratching at my arms, as Sonja entered its body, but it couldn’t avoid the knife that severed the artery at its throat.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Return to the hereafter from whence you came. God have mercy on your soul.”
I knew Jennifer was watching me with a mixture of shock and awe, feeling her stare even as I did what had to be done. When the cat finally went still in my arms and small droplets of blood coated my shirt and hands, I gently laid it on the ground and began collecting my things. It took longer than I’d have liked to locate the gun that had fallen down the stairs.
When I stood, I felt the weight of Jennifer’s stare. I didn’t look away as I placed the weapon in the small of my back. This was it. There was no time to contemplate what I’d done, or to access all of the data I’d been given. I had to retrieve the information Sonja had promised, learn what I needed to do, and take things from there.
It was time to start making preparations.
It was time to get my ass back home.
Chapter Thirteen
By the time I arrived at Paine’s apartment, I had managed to get my chaotic emotions under control. It hadn’t been easy, not with Goose’s questions regarding the exorcism, his disbelief that it had gone so easily, and his endless information on a solution to my demon dilemma. If that wasn’t enough, Jennifer’s constant staring told me she wanted answers of her own. As if I didn’t have enough shit to worry about.
Tossing the bag I’d forgotten to return to Goose onto the couch as we entered Paine’s apartment, I turned to Jennifer, who remained on my heels. “Go get something to eat. I need a shower.”
Instead of waiting for her acknowledgement, I began the trek down the hall toward the bathroom. It wasn’t until I was almost there that it dawned on me that I needed new clothing and every single garment I had been given was tucked safely inside Paine’s bedroom.
I knew he was awake. I felt our emotional connection slam firmly into place the instant I opened the door. He was as shaken and uncertain as I was—struggling with himself and his need for a repeat of the night before—while also entirely aware that I needed time and space. I didn’t think it was possible to magnify my guilt, but as was usually the case with me, I was wrong.
He was fully dressed and seated in the lounge chair in the corner of the room when I stepped inside. His brooding, hurt expression was one I didn’t really want to see. My stomach twisted, making me feel sick. I wasn’t aware he had the power to affect me so profoundly.
Clearing his throat, he looked at my bloody clothing. “How did it go?”
I knew I had to keep the pertinent details to myself, so I answered truthfully but with a careful omission. “Better than I thought. The entity put up a fight, but I was able to contain it.”
He nodded, although I knew he wanted to say more. I walked to the bag in the corner of the room to get fresh clothing when he informed me, “We need to talk.”