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  “I’m going to take you somewhere today,” he informed me in a tone that implied there would be no arguing.

  “Find Nadia and make her pay for what she did to you? ‘Cause that’s now at the top of my Christmas list,” I told him in all seriousness. He laughed and shook his head.

  “I’m sure you’ll get your chance to unleash the wrath of Stasia, but today we’re just going for a little adventure.”

  “Do I have to put on another dress?”

  “I would suggest a bathing suit,” he grinned wickedly and shrugged a shoulder. “Or nothing.

  Whichever.” His face dripped with feigned innocence and I pushed him playfully. “What? Wearing nothing gets my vote.”

  “You don’t get a vote.”

  “I should definitely get a vote.”

  “Nooo!!” A wretched scream reverberated throughout the house and raised the hair on my arms. “Leave me alone!!” As her agony filled our ears, Finn’s eyes hardened and he appeared to sense something. I felt his body stiffen next to mine.

  “Carmen,” I explained; my voice thick with grief.

  We flew out of bed, leaving only a split second for my breath to catch in my throat when I saw Finn’s shirtless chest and low hanging jeans. We scrambled downstairs and I stopped abruptly at the last step, causing Finn to run into me. Phoebe was sobbing onto the shoulder of Natasha, and Charon was talking in a low voice on the phone. It was not the scene I had expected, and I had a sinking feeling that it had everything to do with the ear-splitting screams that were still coming from Carmen’s room.

  Chapter 12

  “Something’s not right,” Finn muttered and slipped past me, disappearing into Carmen’s room. I ran after him, followed closely by Natasha and a very distraught Phoebe.

  “Who the hell are you?” I heard Finn growl before I made it inside, darkness dripping from his voice. All seven feet of Dorien’s body had been thrown to the floor, where Finn had him by the neck. He slammed his head against the floor when Dorien didn’t answer.

  “Finn, stop!” I started to move towards them, but Natasha’s arm stopped me.

  “Stasia…wait,” she warned in a hushed voice while her eyes stayed fixed on the now-fuming Finn.

  “Talk.” Finn’s hand tightened around Dorien’s neck. Something squeaked out of Dorien’s mouth, but I couldn’t hear what it was. The muscle in Finn’s jaw tightened and he pulled Dorien up to his feet in seconds. Dorien started to cough and gasp for breath before Finn pushed him up against the wall and pointed at Carmen, rage burning in his eyes. “What do you want from her?”

  “Nothing…I…” Finn punched him in the stomach and then pushed him back up against the wall again.

  “Don’t lie to me,” Finn growled. “What do you want from her?”

  “I heard that she’s been to the Underworld,” Dorien gasped and his voice lowered, “and brought something back. I won’t allow her to unleash some god forsaken demon on our sacred island!”

  “And just what did you think you were going to do about it?”

  “She must be sacrificed!” Dorien yelled at Finn, “She’ll take that demon back to hell with her!”

  “You will not touch her,” Finn threatened. Dorien made the mistake of lunging at Carmen, who was lying on the bed silently watching the encounter with a half-cocked grin on her face. Finn caught his arm and twisted it behind Dorien’s back. I heard a sickening crack, and then Dorien cried out in pain. Charon entered the room, and he and Finn easily carried Dorien out the front door and launched him onto the street; leaving the rest of us standing around speechless and trying to pick our jaws up off of the floor.

  “How did he know…?”Phoebe asked where she stood beside me with wide eyes.

  “I have no idea,” I whispered. Guilt flooded my soul. I should have known! I should have protected her!

  “He is the Prime.” Suddenly Natasha was behind us. “It is in his nature to sense intent to harm.” I could tell by the smile on her face that she was immensely proud of her son. Feeling us talking about him, Finn looked up and met my eyes. His darkness reached out and enveloped me in warmth just as his crooked smile sent my heart racing. He released me from his grip as Charon pulled him aside. I turned to Phoebe.

  “Where’s Ricker? And Willow?”

  “They went to get coffee for everyone. Tina went with them.” Her eyes got wide. “Do you think she was in on it?”

  “I have a good feeling we’ll find out when she returns.” Talking about Tina reminded me of yesterday’s Gathering, mainly afterwards. “How did I get home and undressed last night?”

  “Tina and Dorien brought you back, and then Tina helped me and Willow get you undressed and in bed. We figured you wouldn’t mind waking up next to Finn.” Phoebe grinned widely at me, happy with herself.

  “You were definitely right about that,” I attested as Charon and Finn came back inside the house.

  “I need everyone in the kitchen,” Charon announced firmly.

  “Go put on some clothes,” Natasha directed Finn, who caught me staring at him. A smirk formed on his lips and he winked at me. He knew all too well the effect he had on me. My face instantly heated, and I fought to stop the blushing before Natasha turned her scrutiny on me as well.

  No such luck.

  “Your face is a little red, dear,” Natasha informed me with a knowing smile; which only made it that much worse. She patted me on the shoulder and followed Charon into the kitchen. I looked around for the nearest rock to crawl under, or at the very least a sharp object to stab my eyes out with.

  “Where is he?! He has answers! Bring him! Bring him!” We all stopped dead in our tracks as Carmen began to screech again. I had no idea what ‘him’ she was referring too, but I could definitely tell that her voice wavered and obtained that same unearthly undertone. It didn’t sound as if she were the one actually speaking. Natasha entered her room, followed by more yelling and then finally deafening silence. I wasn’t sure which was worse. Natasha emerged, frowning as she tucked the sleeping remedy into her back pocket.

  “Finn senses the beings within Carmen and I believe he may be correct in his assessment,” Charon paced as we listened. “With that being said, Oreithya will be here very soon to visit with Carmen. I believe a purification ritual is in order first…” He nodded his head at Natasha. Oreithya.

  It took a moment for the reason why I knew that name to click in place. She was the Nereid that Carmen is descended from; raging waves. I didn’t remember meeting her at the gathering. A shot of insecurity hit me out of nowhere. She must be one the Nereids who was not completely convinced that I belonged with them. She must have a reason for questioning my worthiness. I tried to shake those self-deprecating thoughts from my head and forced my attention on Natasha.

  “Elina will be arriving momentarily,” she informed Charon, and then addressed everyone else. “I will need another Wiccan to assist in the ritual. I’ve known Elina for a very long time.”

  “Is there anything we need to get for you?” Finn bounded back down the stairs with a shirt on and wrapped an arm around his mom’s shoulders nonchalantly. The outward display of the love and devotion he had for his mother tugged at my heart.

  “I believe Elina is bringing everything we should need.” She grinned up at him appreciatively.

  “I thought I was bringing everything we needed?” Ricker had appeared, holding a tray of steaming coffee cups. An annoyed Willow and Tina shuffled around him to set the rest of the coffees down on the counter. “I would’ve been back quicker if it weren’t for these two betties slowing me down,” he complained in a hushed voice and yanked his thumb at Willow and Tina with a snicker.

  “Somehow I doubt that,” Finn sneered.

  “Well it’s about time Sleeping Beauty woke up!” Ricker gave Finn the one-arm-fist-to-the-back guy hug, followed by a real one from Willow. “I’m just glad Stasia showed up so I didn’t have to wake you up with a kiss!”

  “Where’s Dorien?” Tina asked, g
lancing around.

  “He wore out his welcome,” Finn retorted darkly. I could tell by his inaction that he didn’t see Tina as a threat to Carmen’s life, which was a relief. I was really becoming fond of her.

  I recognized a fangirl moment building in Tina’s eyes as she caught sight of an awake and alert Finn Morrison, Prime of the Sons, for the first time. Thankfully she collected herself, but I suspected she had only suppressed it momentarily. “What did he do?”

  “I believe your friend was under the impression that Carmen is possessed by a demon. He was misguided in his thinking,” Charon answered sternly, sending Finn a look to let it drop at that. “I was just briefing everyone on our plan to help her.”

  “How do you know it’s not a demon?” Tina asked, clearly upset that Dorien had been expelled from the house.

  “Demons are innately evil. Those of us connected to the Underworld can sense evil from a great distance. I can assure you that what has taken residence in Carmen’s mind is not evil.” Charon began to pace again.

  “You kicked him out because he was wrong?” she pressed.

  “No, we kicked him out because he wanted to kill Carmen,” Finn answered plainly.

  “He…wanted to kill her?” Tina gasped, her eyes wide with shock. Charon shot Finn another look to silence him.

  “He believed the demon would harm the island,” Charon expounded patiently. “He wanted to rid this world of the demon by killing Carmen. Unbeknownst to Dorien, if it were a demon, getting rid of it would pose a greater challenge than simply disposing of Carmen.” The way he said ‘disposing of Carmen’ made my skin crawl.

  “I’m so sorry,” She shrank back in disgust, obviously ashamed of Dorien. Her distaste of his intentions made me like her even more. “I had no idea.” Charon gave her a sympathetic nod to let her know she wasn’t on the chopping block, and then confronted the rest of the room.

  “When Elina arrives, she and Natasha will need to prepare Carmen’s room. Only a select few will be allowed in during the ritual. Any more than that would surely enrage them further. I expect everyone else to remain in here, but be available if needed. Understood?”

  We all nodded in agreement and then Natasha handed out cups of coffee. The cups were about half the size of normal coffee cups in America, and I peeked in mine with curiosity. It had a layer of foam on top and appeared to be a lot thicker than American coffee.

  “Greek coffee looks like sewer sludge, but it does the trick,” Ricker explained with a shrug; leaving the kitchen to check on Carmen.

  “Does it taste like sewer sludge?” Phoebe scrunched her nose at Finn as she tried to swirl the thick liquid around in her cup. Ricker walked back into the kitchen with a petrified expression that froze his blue eyes.

  “Carmen,” he managed. “She’s gone.”

  Chapter 13

  “Gone? She’s not in the bed?” Natasha looked up in alarm. Ricker’s eyes shifted back into the room before answering; his eyes stalling on something.

  “…and the window’s open.” As understanding dawned on all of us, we abandoned our coffee and ran outside like a herd of wild horses. After searching the exterior of the house and up and down the street, there were still no signs of Carmen to be found.

  “Where would she go? She doesn’t even know her way around!” Ricker gestured frantically.

  Natasha’s motherly instincts kicked in as she rubbed his arm in an attempt to calm him down.

  “Willow, Phoebe, Ricker; take the car and start driving around campus,” she instructed.

  “Stasia, Tina-“

  “Hold on.” Finn stopped mid-step and tilted his head as if listening to something. His head swiveled sideways and then up toward Charon, who was standing on the front step of our villa.

  Charon nodded at him in agreement with whatever he was thinking. “The beach.”

  “You can hear her?” Tina gawked in disbelief.

  “I can sense what’s inside her. They’re in control. Not Carmen,” Finn informed us darkly.

  “And they’re growing stronger. We need to hurry.” The beach was a mere block away, so we decided that Tina and Charon would stay back in case she returned. Everyone else took off toward the beach as fast as our legs would allow. Not surprisingly, Finn and I were the first to cross the main road. We hurdled over several scraggly-looking shrubs that lined the beach and made it onto the thicker, white sand at the same time. Undisturbed sand stretched out on either side of us, void of any people.

  “I can tell she’s near,” Finn murmured, perplexed. Ricker ran up beside me and scanned the beach as well, followed closely by Natasha, Willow, and Phoebe. We all rounded on Finn questioningly, until an eerie voice spoke up behind us. We whirled around in surprise to see Carmen standing a couple of feet away.

  “It’s about time you showed up,” Carmen glared at Ricker with rage burning in her eyes.

  Ricker stepped forward like he was going to approach her, but stopped mid-step when she actually hissed at him. “We’ve been looking for you.” The threatening edge to her voice (along with the crooked smile that didn’t reach her eyes) sent chills down my spine. A vision of the possessed girl from that movie The Exorcist popped into my head. If she started speaking in tongues, I was taking her straight to the nearest priest. Not that I didn’t think Natasha couldn’t handle it - I didn’t know ifI could handle it.

  “Carmen,” Ricker cautiously inched towards her. “Let’s go back to the house and talk.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at him in a silent challenge.

  “Carmen-“ Ricker pleaded again.

  “I said NO!” she shouted and walked away in defiance, but Ricker wasn’t one to give up easily. He followed her several yards until she spun around and charged at him; shoving him down onto the sand.

  “What is your part in this?” she fumed at him. Ricker pushed himself up into a sitting position, exhaustion settling over him.

  “Carmen, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he sighed.

  “Liar!” she scowled down at him accusingly. “The litany of emotions you evoke tells me different. Liars can be punished just as easily.”

  “If you’ll tell me what you need,” he surrendered willingly, “I’ll do anything…” Without another word Carmen growled and lunged for him, but thankfully Finn was faster. He subdued her by holding her arms behind her back and pulling her away from Ricker. As she glared at Ricker with an icy hatred, an idea formed in my head. I grounded my feet without thinking about it and drew a line in the sand with my eyes. A wall of sand shot skyward, blocking her view of him.

  “We must hurry,” Natasha’s brows furrowed as she continued to watch Finn restrain Carmen.

  “I hear you are in need of help?” A melodic voice drifted up the beach, as a tiny woman with long silver hair made her way over to us. She greatly resembled what I would categorize as a gypsy.

  She wore a long, black dress with an equally black shawl draped over her shoulders. Her eyes were a reflective gray, swirling with all the colors of a summer storm. Rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings boasted an impressive array of vibrant stones.

  “Elina!” Natasha rejoiced and embraced her lovingly. “Come. There is much to be done.”

  They walked up to Carmen, who was continuing to struggle against Finn’s grip. To my surprise Elina walked right up to her nonchalantly, tapped a finger to Carmen’s forehead and mumbled something under her breath. Carmen’s body suddenly fell limp, throwing Finn off balance and making them tumble backwards. Carmen landed on top of him, awake but very lethargic. Her dark eyes were unfocused and her movements were sluggish. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was drunk.

  “Now, where shall we begin?” Elina regarded Natasha with a bright smile. Finn untangled himself from Carmen and left his mother and Elina to prepare for the purification ritual. I had no idea what a ritual like that entailed, but I was intrigued to find out. I allowed the sand wall to dissipate,
since Carmen was too out of it to notice Ricker now. He was still sitting in the same position, hanging his head in defeat.

  “Walk with me to the store up the road?” Willow asked him. I knew she just wanted to get him away from Carmen. He could use some time to clear his head a little bit.

  “I think that’s a good idea,” he murmured. He slowly raised himself from his sitting position and eyed Carmen, before he stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed Willow back up the beach.

  My heart broke for him. Watching Finn be tortured for just ten minutes ripped me apart - so I couldn’t imagine witnessing the slow destruction of his psyche for an entire five days.

  “I don’t know how much more he can handle,” Phoebe commented, mirroring my own thoughts.

  “You’d be surprised,” Finn inserted. He threaded his fingers through mine and gave me a warm smile. “Love brings out the fight in all of us.”

  “You should write Hallmark cards,” I teased him gently. He wrapped his other arm around my shoulder and pulled me close.

  “I don’t think the world’s ready for the romantic muse I keep hidden beneath this strong, virile, manly exterior,” he joked back, puffing his chest out.

  “We may need that manly exterior of yours to assist in subduing Carmen once the ritual begins,” Natasha interrupted Finn, shooting him a stop-joking-around mom look. “We can’t be sure what effect it will have on them.”

  “Them?” Phoebe asked hesitantly, looking at Finn.

  “I sensed multiple beings in her, all with the same agenda.”

  “Who...are they? Charon said they weren’t evil, so what do they want?” she pressed.

  “I’m afraid Carmen has been sentenced to be judged.”

  “For what?”

  “I’m not sure.” He ran a hand through his hair, “In the Underworld, Persephone decides the fate of the souls - in other words, which part of the Underworld they belong. However, Persephone is not perfect and she sometimes needs assistance. Certain souls are sentenced to be judged for crimes they may or may not have committed. It is the job of the three Erinyes to figure out if they are guilty or not.