Part 8 (2/2)
”What on earth-” Savannah gasped, picking up one of the pebbles.
”It's an apport,” my dad explained to her as I staggered to my feet, one arm around Pixie both for support and to protect her. ”In times of stress, we tend to manifest them. It's a little embarra.s.sing, actually. You shouldn't make a big deal about it.”
”By my authority as an officer of the watch of the Akas.h.i.+c League, I seal this house!” Adam bellowed. A little tingle ran down my back, like a faint electrical shock.
”Are you still here?” Spider asked, giving Adam an obnoxious glance.
”You've overstayed your welcome, Dirgesinger. Get the h.e.l.l out of my house, and off my property.”
”No one is leaving,” Adam said, his breath coming hard.
”Honey?” My father and Pixie helped me to a chair. Every inch of my body felt like it had been pounded with a sledgehammer. ”Are you all right?”
I watched, praying Adam had the power he appeared to have, as Spider aimed the little machine at us.
The machine clicked. Dad turned to glare at Spider. I slumped back in the chair, thanking every deity I could think of.
”What the h.e.l.l? It isn't working!” Spider said, his voice filled with accusation. He clicked the b.u.t.ton a couple more times, but nothing happened.
”I put it on the poltergeist setting. Why isn't this working?”
”I don't know. It was working before,” Meredith said, taking the machine and popping the back off to look at the guts. ”It looks fine. Maybe you weren't using it right.”
”Adam has sealed the house,” I said, digging my knuckles into my temples.
”Nothing that filthy polter can do is any concern of mine,” Spider said as he looked over Meredith's shoulder.
”It should be. He has more power than you can imagine.” I used two of my father's arms and one of Pixie's as leverage, rather shakily getting to my feet.
Adam stood silent in the middle of the room, his eyes bright but distrustful.
Meredith half turned toward his wife but, at a glare from her, prodded the machine in his hand. ”There was a wire loose, I think,” he said, snapping the cover onto the back of it. ”Give it a try now.”
”Over my dead body!”
I'll say this for my father: he's fast. As used to his polter quickness as I am, even I couldn't see him move. One moment he was behind me; the next he was across the room, having s.n.a.t.c.hed up the small black machine en route. He threw it down and slammed his boot into the plastic, grinding it into the throw rug before any of us had the time to do more than blink.
Spider lunged at my father as soon as he realized what Dad had done.
Meredith swore. Savannah wrung her hands and moaned about everything going wrong. Pixie looked thoughtful. I yelled and threw myself forward, but for once, my intervention wasn't necessary. Adam plucked Spider off my father, separating the two men with an ominous growl. ”There will be no fighting in my house!”
”It's not your house,” Spider snapped (somewhat predictably, I thought), jerking himself out of Adam's hold. He straightened his s.h.i.+rt and tie with exaggerated, hostile motions.
Adam crossed his arms and looked immovable.
”You'll pay for that, Matthew,” Spider warned as my father hustled over to stand at my side.
”It will be worth any price to ensure my ethereal brothers and sisters are free from your evil plans,” Dad retorted.
”I have a spare one at home,” Meredith told Spider as the former headed for the front door. ”I'll go get it.”
My father smiled. Adam smiled. Pixie's brow smoothed. Meredith looked confused when he tried to open the door but couldn't get it to budge. ”Who locked this d.a.m.ned door?”
”It's not locked,” Spider said, going over to lend a hand. The doork.n.o.b turned freely, but the door itself wouldn't open. ”It's stuck. Wood must be swollen or something. The whole place needs to be torn down.”
Although the pain was receding gradually, my head throbbed with every beat of my heart. I needed to lie down. Badly. The sooner Spider understood the situation, the sooner I could beg Adam for the use of a dark, quiet room.
With an almost inhuman effort, I managed to get to a chair before collapsing.
”You're wasting your time trying to get the door open. The house is sealed.
Nothing can get in or out. Not so much as a mosquito will be able to pa.s.s through the seal for twelve hours, or more if Adam renews the seal before it is released. In other words, soon-to-be-ex-husband”-my lips curled as the irony of the situation struck me fully-”we're trapped here. All of us. Together.”
”I think I'm going to be sick,” Savannah said, sinking bonelessly into the nearest chair.
I knew just how she felt.
7.
”This is a lot more interesting than anything my last foster family ever did.” Pixie squatted next to me, her frown back in place as she looked at the spot on the rug where Sergei had writhed in agony before being destroyed.
”Although I have to say, your husband is a d.i.c.kwad.”
”All that and so much more,” I agreed. I leaned toward her to add in a soft voice, ”I don't want you to be alone with Spider, OK?”
Her dark eyes examined me for a moment.
”He's not safe to be around by yourself,” I said, sick at the thought of her being soiled by Spider's filth. ”Just promise me you won't go off with him anywhere.”
”Normally I don't take orders, but this time...” Her gaze flickered over to Spider before dropping. ”He's really evil, isn't he?”
”Yes, I believe he is. If I'm not around, stay with Adam or my father, all right?”
She nodded.
I heaved myself from the chair. ”I hate to be a party p.o.o.per, but my head is killing me, and I need to lie down in a dark room for a few minutes. Adam, would you mind if I borrowed a bedroom?”
”Upstairs, second door on the left,” he said, his eyes a dangerous icy blue.
”Take your shoes off before you lay down. My grandmother made the quilt on the bed.”
”I'll help you up the stairs, darling,” Spider said, his voice filled with threat despite the endearment. He grabbed my elbow and half pushed me up the stairs. ”There are a few things I'd like to say to you.”
”I have a fair number of items to discuss with you, too,” I muttered under my breath. I didn't particularly care if anyone knew that Spider and I were arguing, but there were some things I would rather not say in front of witnesses.
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