inescapable basement.
With one more encouraging nudge from Steven, she stepped forward and put her hand in Claude’s.
He turned it over and ran his calloused thumb over her palm. His expression was brooding and intense, and although he was looking at her, he didn’t seem to see her.
She glanced over her shoulder at Steven, who gave her the barest nod.
“It’s all right,” he said.
It was true that he hadn’t lied to her yet, so she’d believe things would be okay for as long as he did. At the moment, he probably had the better perspective. Objective and
not
impacted by stress and hormones.
She looked back to Claude, who drew his hand back and stuffed it into the pocket of his jeans.
“It’s not hostile,” he said.
“It’s
not
?”
He grunted and shook his head. “It’s not a demon. It’s spirit, and I know spirits as well as I know demons.”
“Really?” Steven said. “I might have some questions for you later, then.”
“Happy to help.” Claude looked to Belle. “It tethers itself to you and waits for opportunities to move you.”
“So it’s right
here
? With us?”
“In a manner of speaking. I suppose the clearest way to describe it is that it’s between one realm and the next.”
“What does it want?”
“Help.”
“Mine?”
Claude grunted again. “Shifters—Cougars especially, from what I’ve heard—are sensitive to these sorts of possession. It may have been that you were the easiest to step into.”
“Well, that’s a feather to add to my cap, for sure.”
Steven gave her a nudge. “Hey. Don’t be ashamed of things you can’t help.”
She put her hands up again and groaned. He was right, but rationalizing it was hard all the same. She was a Foye and a born Cougar. She was supposed to be stronger than that. Her brothers had been the ones doing the majority of security work around the hellmouth for the past year, and they hadn’t once been possessed as far as she knew.
“How do we find out what it wants?” she asked. “So it goes away?”
“Well, answer this first. What made you think to ask me? That is to say, how has it been making itself known to you?”
“I didn’t think that was what it was until yesterday. Before then, I just ascribed it to ... uh ...” She glanced to Steven and then back to Claude. “Hormone stuff. For the past week, I thought I was having blackouts because I was going into heat and sometimes my blood pressure drops really low at certain parts of the cycle, but I kept coming to and finding people grabbing me. Fighting me. And ... the voice. There’s a voice coming out of that portal, and it’s so clear to me. It’s asking for help and calling me by name. I assumed that was why I was heading toward it today. I do that when I’m lucid, and apparently, I’m also compelled to go to it when I’m not myself, as well.”
“You hear the voice now?”
She shook her head. “Not at the moment.”
“Huh.” Claude rocked back on his heels again and ground his teeth.
She didn’t know him all that well, but that couldn’t have been a good sign.
She looked up at Steven, who gave her a squeeze.
“Come on, man. Give her something.”
Claude’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, how discreet do you need to be? This place is crawling with outsiders right now. If you don’t care how many people know what we’re trying, that’s one thing, but if you’re trying to rid yourself of the tagalong without the entire ranch finding out, that may pose some problems.”
“I could take her home,” Steven said.
“You could, but then you won’t find out why that spirit is so keen on Belle getting near the hellmouth.”
“I’ve already been inside it,” Belle said quietly. “I didn’t get far enough in to see anything, but it took me a while to get back to this side. Mason, Hank, and Ellery got me out.”
“So, likely, you weren’t in there long enough to see or do whatever the spirit would have you to,” Claude said.
“It was long
With one more encouraging nudge from Steven, she stepped forward and put her hand in Claude’s.
He turned it over and ran his calloused thumb over her palm. His expression was brooding and intense, and although he was looking at her, he didn’t seem to see her.
She glanced over her shoulder at Steven, who gave her the barest nod.
“It’s all right,” he said.
It was true that he hadn’t lied to her yet, so she’d believe things would be okay for as long as he did. At the moment, he probably had the better perspective. Objective and
not
impacted by stress and hormones.
She looked back to Claude, who drew his hand back and stuffed it into the pocket of his jeans.
“It’s not hostile,” he said.
“It’s
not
?”
He grunted and shook his head. “It’s not a demon. It’s spirit, and I know spirits as well as I know demons.”
“Really?” Steven said. “I might have some questions for you later, then.”
“Happy to help.” Claude looked to Belle. “It tethers itself to you and waits for opportunities to move you.”
“So it’s right
here
? With us?”
“In a manner of speaking. I suppose the clearest way to describe it is that it’s between one realm and the next.”
“What does it want?”
“Help.”
“Mine?”
Claude grunted again. “Shifters—Cougars especially, from what I’ve heard—are sensitive to these sorts of possession. It may have been that you were the easiest to step into.”
“Well, that’s a feather to add to my cap, for sure.”
Steven gave her a nudge. “Hey. Don’t be ashamed of things you can’t help.”
She put her hands up again and groaned. He was right, but rationalizing it was hard all the same. She was a Foye and a born Cougar. She was supposed to be stronger than that. Her brothers had been the ones doing the majority of security work around the hellmouth for the past year, and they hadn’t once been possessed as far as she knew.
“How do we find out what it wants?” she asked. “So it goes away?”
“Well, answer this first. What made you think to ask me? That is to say, how has it been making itself known to you?”
“I didn’t think that was what it was until yesterday. Before then, I just ascribed it to ... uh ...” She glanced to Steven and then back to Claude. “Hormone stuff. For the past week, I thought I was having blackouts because I was going into heat and sometimes my blood pressure drops really low at certain parts of the cycle, but I kept coming to and finding people grabbing me. Fighting me. And ... the voice. There’s a voice coming out of that portal, and it’s so clear to me. It’s asking for help and calling me by name. I assumed that was why I was heading toward it today. I do that when I’m lucid, and apparently, I’m also compelled to go to it when I’m not myself, as well.”
“You hear the voice now?”
She shook her head. “Not at the moment.”
“Huh.” Claude rocked back on his heels again and ground his teeth.
She didn’t know him all that well, but that couldn’t have been a good sign.
She looked up at Steven, who gave her a squeeze.
“Come on, man. Give her something.”
Claude’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, how discreet do you need to be? This place is crawling with outsiders right now. If you don’t care how many people know what we’re trying, that’s one thing, but if you’re trying to rid yourself of the tagalong without the entire ranch finding out, that may pose some problems.”
“I could take her home,” Steven said.
“You could, but then you won’t find out why that spirit is so keen on Belle getting near the hellmouth.”
“I’ve already been inside it,” Belle said quietly. “I didn’t get far enough in to see anything, but it took me a while to get back to this side. Mason, Hank, and Ellery got me out.”
“So, likely, you weren’t in there long enough to see or do whatever the spirit would have you to,” Claude said.
“It was long
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