Demonically Tempted (Frostbite) (12 page)

She smiled softly in a way that I took as reassurance. “This is where danger sits at your doorstep. If you want to fight against a demon you need to close yourself off, or it will walk right in and have the power to attack you.”

I pondered that, then said, “I’m not closing myself off to Kipp. That. Is. Non-negotiable.” My voice was clipped as I intended. “So, we need to find some other way to protect me.” I grabbed onto my necklace. “Besides, I have my Archangel. Dane said it would protect me.”

He huffed. “For now.”

I really had enough of this asshole. “Then tell me what I need to do—without letting go of Kipp—to keep safe.”

A cold, detached expression filled his face. “If you won’t do it yourself, I will ensure it happens and he moves on.”

The hard edge of his gaze sent a chill right down to my toes. Kipp’s warning hit me hard in the face. Dane wasn’t to be trusted. But not because he wanted to slice a knife in my and Kipp’s relationship. More so, because he wanted to completely stab it until it was dead.

I glared at him. “Is that a threat?”

Before he could reply, Gretchen said, “I think we can all do without threats. It’s her choice and, I for one, will honor her wishes.”

The urge to give a fist pump captivated me, but I held back especially when she added, “But I do agree with Dane that you need to be guarded and stronger around ghosts than I feel within you right now.”

I shifted in my seat to ease the burning sensation in my blood. “Well, I’m ready and eager. I want to get back to my normal crazy life so tell me what to do.”

“Raise your voice.” At the clear confusion that surely formed on my face, she continued, “If you want a ghost to leave you alone you have to find the strength within you to ask for it, and believe you have the power to do so.”

She cocked her head, examined me. “The same goes with demons. You, as a living person, have the right to will it away. But if you don’t believe you hold that right is when you’ll have trouble. So let me hear it.”

I glanced at Dane, who said nothing, then looked at Gretchen. “Let you hear what?”

“Your voice,” she replied. “Show me that you can tell a ghost to go away.”

“Go away.” Maybe I meant it more to her since she was right out there.

“Good. You’re capable. I’m happy to see that.” A little smile quirked up the side of her mouth. “Wherever you’re being bothered and don’t want it, find that bit of oomph you just showed me there when you wanted to tell me off and use that.”

My cheeks warmed. “Err…sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s good you can do it and I’m glad you can.” She drew in deep breath then continued, “A demon will come at you with all sorts of things when dealing with it. You need to show that kind of confidence to banish it. Never forget that.”

“Got it. Demons are tricky bastards.” I sighed, low and deep. “That I
won’t
forget.”

Chapter Thirteen

After further discussions about demon history that I’d rather forget, Gretchen led us through the kitchen, then down the basements stairs. And the second I hit the last step, I nodded to myself. This appeared much more like a witch’s house.

The room was full of bookshelves with little jars lining them. The contents of some looked like herbs and other plants. While others appeared to be something dissected out of a body. I wasn’t about to make guesses what exactly was in those jars.

“So, is this all your…” Was I really going to say this? “Spell stuff.”

Gretchen approached a high, dark wooden table with four drawers on either side. She glanced over her shoulder. “You sound doubtful.”

‘Cause I am.
“It’s a little hard for me to wrap my head around this.”

She turned fully to face me. “What is there to doubt? If ghosts exists, and you believe in that, why is it so hard to believe that we’ve been given a way to protect ourselves.” She smiled, but it was tainted with a dark edge. “Whenever there is good, evil always follows to destroy it.”

I wanted to believe her. “But what you’re talking about is witchcraft, and I’m finding it hard to imagine that…” I waved around at the jars. “All these herbs and such hold enough power to stop this demon.”

A glint hit her eye. “And that’s exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t believe that
things
have strength. You don’t see that the use of your voice, the power of your soul, can do things beyond imaginable.”

She leaned her hip against the desk, folded her arms and continued, “Witchcraft and spells are connected to your soul. It’s the power that comes from within that ignites the magic.” Her gaze drifted to my neck. “And just as your necklace, it’s a gift to protect you.” Her chin lifted, tone strong. “There are energies that exist around us that aid you while you fight against evils.”

“Energies like ghosts?”

“Yes, it’s much the same. Ghosts, though, are just one energy that exists. If you believe in one, is it so hard to imagine there could be more?”

“Okay, I can see that.” I had the sense she was one of those people who were right most of the time. “So, witchcraft just taps into an energy, and it’s that energy that awakens the protection in the witchcraft you do?” At her nod, I continued, “It’s crazy that I’m saying this, but that actually makes sense.”

“Good. One road block out of the way.” She pushed away from the desk. “For this to work for you, you need to be open to the possibility of it. If you don’t believe in the energies, they won’t believe in you.”

“Keep an open mind, or I’m in serious shit. Point made.”

She chuckled softly, then considered me for a long moment before she said, “Are you menstruating?”

I sputtered something close to a laugh, but when Gretchen’s determined expression didn’t waver, I blurted out, “Why is
that
a necessary piece of information?”

“Because there’s a spell of protection that’s used from menstrual blood, and it’s quite effective against evil.” Oh, she was being way too casual. “It’s thought that menstrual blood will protect you against all types of evil that’s directed at you.”

I glanced at Dane, horrified that we were having
this
conversation, but he seemed unaffected. I, on the other hand, was mortified. My cheeks burned hot. “No, I’m not. And even if I was,
that
wouldn’t be an option.”

“Pity.” She turned toward the table and flipped through a few pages, then finally looked away to grab a jar off her bookshelf. “If that’s not an option, this will have to do.” She opened the jar and dumped out gemstones onto the table.

I learned forward studying the little rocks, clueless, and slightly worried her suggestion was going to be disgusting. “What will rocks do to protect me? And I don’t have to put them anywhere, do I?”

She took five of the stones, then put the rest into the jar, and sealed it. “It’s a mix of hematite and lodestone, plus colored glass, as well as some other rocks.”

Then, she placed them into a strange bowl, grabbed a hammer and smashed them. “I’ll blend these into olive and castor oil, and also the essential oil of cypress to form a cream.”

I watched somewhat in awe as she ground the rocks into a fine powder, breaking a sweat as she did; then she combined all the ingredients and poured it into a glass jar, placing a lid on top.

She wiped the moisture from her brow. “You’ll have to wait until tomorrow night to do this now since the night is already upon us.” Why, I almost asked, but she added before I could, “The lotion needs a night exposed to the moonlight.”

“Okay.” What else was I going to say? Are you serious? This cannot be possible. Have I entered some alterative universe?

After flipping through a few more pages, she continued, “Since the demon is bound to the house, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” She turned to Dane. “Before you leave, I’ll tell you a few other things you can do to ensure it stays put.”

At his nod, she opened a drawer reached in, and took out a wooden stick, offering it to me.

I laughed, unable to help it. “You’re seriously
not
handing me a magic wand?”

She gazed at me, stern and serious. “It’s a wand crafted by my very hand, and I gift it to you.” She waved the damn thing at me and I took a big step back. “You’ll use this to draw the circle around you tomorrow night on a patch of grass, and it’ll awaken the magic within.”

I didn’t move an inch. “And just how do you make a wand?”

“It’s cut from a piece of lightning struck blackthorn, which gives it an extra bit of power. It’s the best choice for you since it wards off evil spirits.” She, once again, shook it at me. “I hope it protects you.”

I gulped, hoping more the thing didn’t send out sparks of magic—even though that was a ridiculous thought—I still didn’t like her waving it at me.

To ensure she didn’t do it again, I took the wand. As I wrapped my hand around it, it seemed like a piece of wood. Nothing more. That eased the lingering fear. “Do I need to do anything with it?”

She opened another drawer, and then handed me a piece of red silk. “Always keep it wrapped up in silk when you’re not using it. But if you can, keep it close to you at all times.” She handed me the fabric and I wrapped it around the wand. “I’d recommend you place it under your pillow when you sleep.”

“Why?”

“Because the wand will absorb your energy. The more you keep it near you, the stronger it will be.”

“Um…err…okay.” I had nothing—no comeback at all—so why bother trying to form a coherent response.

“Now then,” she continued. “When the sun sets tomorrow, go outside, take the wand with you—”

I raised my hand and cut her off. “Sorry, do you have a piece of paper and pen?” At Dane’s snort, I added, “What? I don’t want to forget any of this and we all know my memory sucks!”

Gretchen opened another drawer, grabbed out a pad of paper and a pen, then handed them to me. “Thanks.” I stepped in next to her and placed the notepad down. “Hit me with it.”

“All right. Here is what you do…”

I listened intently, wrote down her directions and I hoped I could read my messy handwriting later, or I’d be making a very embarrassing telephone call to Gretchen.

After she finished, I glanced up at her. “Is that all?”

“Once you’ve done the ritual leave the jar within the circle. The moonlight will awaken the magic. And in the morning, return to the circle, enter it like I’ve instructed and rub your body with the oil.”

I scrunched up my nose. “And this will provide me with extra protection?”

“It’ll keep you guarded since you’ll be going head-to-head with the demon.” Her gaze lingered onto my necklace before it lifted. “As much as I trust the Archangel to keep you safe, this is just an added bit of protection. The demon won’t be able to touch you, and that I’m afraid, is necessary.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice. Weird gem oil it is.” I scribbled what she’d said down. “What happens next? Go to the demon and tell it to go away.”

She laughed, as did Dane even if it sounded more like he was mocking me.

“It’s never that easy,” Gretchen said, as she strode over to the far side of the room. She picked up a small mirror and a black silk cloth off the bookshelf. “This is what you’ll need to banish it.”

I took the mirror from her, studying it. It looked like an everyday mirror to me. Sure, the designs around the edges were pretty and all, but it didn’t seem like anything special. “This is going to banish a demon?”

She gestured to my notepad. “You’ll need to write this down.”

I placed the mirror next to the wand on the desk and grabbed the pen. In great detail, Gretchen went through the demon banishing and I absorbed each word as if my life depending on it.

And well, it did, didn’t it?

Once she finished and I completed my notes, I pondered all this, replayed her acknowledgement that this wasn’t straightforward.

What was I missing? Where was the catch?

“Everything you’ve said is simple enough, but I’m guessing it isn’t, is it?”

“It is simple, if you believe in it.” She smiled. “These spells have been created to ward off evil.”

She cupped my hand on the desk, squeezed. The same energy I experienced with Dane’s touch sped through me and caught my breath.

“They’ll work for you if you let them. If you doubt what you’re doing, the spells will fail.”

Her hand tightened on mine. “But I’ll warn you, when the demon realizes what you’re going to do, it’ll remove itself from the body it holds and will come at you in demonic form.”

“What will it look like?” Images of horned animals flashed through my mind.

“A shadow,” was Dane’s reply.

Considering what I thought it could be, that didn’t sound all that bad. “I think I can deal with a shadow.”

“Don’t be fooled,” Gretchen said. “It’ll be stronger in its demonic form.”

And there went my confidence.

She turned away, grabbed a few more items off her bookshelf and placed it in a bowl. “Just for good measure, take this.” She handed me the jar containing what looked like charcoal and some spices.

I examined the contents, and inhaled the woodsy, sweet scent. “What is it?”

“Camphor, Cinnamon, Frankincense, Myrrh and Sandalwood.” She closed the book with a heavy thud. “After all is said and done, light this mixture in your circle and let it burn. It’ll purify the house and ensure no other evil can come through.”

I glanced between her and Dane, finally settling on Gretchen. “That’s it, then? I’ve got everything I need?”

She nodded. “I believe you have enough to keep you protected. If the banishing doesn’t work, at least, the demon won’t be able to attack you.”

“Isn’t that a load off?” I murmured. “But you seem pretty confident this will work, so why wouldn’t it?”

“It all depends on
you
.” Her expression became measured. “If you don’t believe in the energy that’s available, demand it to awaken to you, and for the demon to be banished, your mission will not succeed.”

“Well then, I believe,” I snapped. “Simple as that.”

“I hope you do.” She gave my shoulder a squeeze. “If you fail, do call me and we’ll figure out another plan. If I must come help, I will.”