“Interesting.” I tilt my head, thinking about everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours. “The Horror is worse than I thought. It might be getting help.”
Calliope scrunches her nose. “Sounds like it. Do you know its goals yet?”
I shake my head. “No, and I don’t care. My job is to get it back where it belongs and to keep Keagan safe during it.” I glance down at the man in my arms. His eyes are closed, but he’s breathing softly. “I think I’ll carry him upstairs to bed. I’ll be back in a second.”
“Cool. I’ll be cleaning up.”
I lift Keagan into my arms and trudge up the stairs to carry him to the guest room. When I lay him down, he grabs my arm.
“No, don’t leave me.”
“I’m not leaving you, Keagan. You’re still safe in my house, I’m just going downstairs. You should rest after what you’ve been through. You’re safe now.”
He opens his eyes, looking like a scared child. “Are you sure they can’t get me anymore?”
“I’m really sure. That’s what Calliope was here to do. She said your defenses are in place, so you should be okay now.”
“Should be,” he repeats.
“Sorry, bad wording. Youareokay now. You’re safe. I’ll be right back up after I see Calliope out.”
“Okay,” he says, but I can hear the fear still in his voice. “Come back quickly.”
“I will.”
I hurry back down the stairs to talk to Calliope. She’s already been busy walking around the perimeters of my home, adding her protection spell. When I find her, she’s in the kitchen just finishing up.
“That should do it. I put the strongest spell I have in place. It should keep everything out, okay? But we know I haven’t really been successful blocking Horrors. They’re too damn strong, so I really don’t know if it’ll work against that.”
“That’s okay. Keeping the other ones out is a start, and I can work on the Horror.”
She nods. “Let me know if I’m needed again.”
“Keagan’s pretty scared.”
“Rightfully so, but in another day or so, he should be able to sense how protected he is. The spell will last until I break it.”
“Okay, sounds great. Thanks for your help.”
“You bet.”
“Keep me posted.”
I watch Calliope walk out and close the door behind her, then glance up the stairs. Even though he’s protected now, I still have a feeling it’s gonna be a long night.
Chapter 14
Keagan
Ican hear Wilder and Calliope speaking, their voices vibrating through the walls, but I can’t work out what they’re saying. My body feels tired and weak, like I just ran a marathon. All I can do is lie here in bed. At least it’s a comfortable one.
I wonder if Calliope knows why this happened to me and how I can make sure it doesn’t happen again, but my mind feels too sluggish to think about it right now, so I close my eyes and hug the pillow to my chest, laying my head on the other one.
The last few days have been the strangest of my life, and I’ve questioned my sanity more than once, only to find out that this is actually real, and all of this is really happening to me. It’s not some wild fantasy or my brain playing tricks on me. It’s real. I’m actually being haunted.
I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to shut down my thoughts. I yawn as the exhaustion spreads through me, weighing down my muscles. It has to be because of what Calliope did—I felt perfectly fine before that, energy-wise—but I also feel a strange sense of calmness inside me. Like I put on a suit of armor. That has to be her doing too.
The bedroom door opens and Wilder walks in holding a mug.
