Chapter Eleven

My house has never been cleaner. Funny, how hard it is to get back to your normal routine after almost sleeping with a sixteen-hundred-year-old vampire and there’s a chance a Gatekeeper of the underworld is walking around the Midwest.

Yesterday, after visiting Betty at her parents’ house, I deep cleaned my kitchen. And I mean deep. I took expired food out of my pantry and reorganized my herb cabinet. I even vacuumed under the stove. Then I moved onto my bedroom. Dusted everything, changed the sheets, and changed out all my protective crystals for freshly charged ones. I tackled the bathroom next and then crashed on the couch with a bottle of sweet red wine while watching 80s movies.

And today is the day for errands. The sun is out in full force, a drastic change from yesterday and the air is warm and humid. I’m wearing a sleeveless black dress, heeled black boots, and a black floppy hat. My nails are painted bright red, and my lipstick matches.

“Coming with?” I ask Binx as I grab my reusable shopping bags. “We need to pay a visit to the Delvaux twins before I go to the grocery store.”

He meows and follows me outside and shadows his way into my Jeep before I get there.

“Showoff,” I tell him, trying not to smile. He sits in the passenger seat, putting his paws up on the door to look out the window as we drive. The Delvaux twins live in the next town over, with a beach view of Lake Michigan. They come from a long line of money, and an even longer line of magic. We met at the Academy, and while we butted heads at first, we became friends.

They follow some of the more old-school rules of witchcraft and are exactly the witches I need to talk to. I turn up the music, singing along to my playlist the whole way there. The Delvaux's own an impressive amount of land with lakefront property. It’s been in their family for years, bought back when the poor people lived along the lake, not the other way around.

I park and get out, breathing in the cool air coming in from the lake. The Ley line that runs through my little town continues this way, ending in the lake. A hundred years ago, there were multiple covens in the area. Now we’re down to two.

Binx walks in step next to me as we head toward the big brick house. I walk up stone steps and raise my hand to knock on the door, but it opens before I get the chance.

“Callie!” Nicole exclaims pulling the door open wide. She turns, talking to someone in the house. “I told you my tarot reading was right.”

“What brings you to this neck of the woods?” Naomi asks, appearing behind her sister. They’re twins, but not identical. Though, with their long, red hair and pale blue eyes, they do look alike.

“We have a problem,” I say.

Naomi waves her hand and turns, going into the house. “Always with the dramatics, that one. Well, what are you waiting for? Come in and tell us the bad news.”

Nicole purses her lips, shaking her head at her sister. “Ah, Binx. I’ve missed this handsome devil.” She bends over and scoops him up, baby-talking to him. I come in and shut the door. Their house is big and classic, with an overly ostentatious curved staircase, shiny marble floors, and a large chandelier hanging above us that probably cost as much as my Jeep parked out front.

It’s too familiar. But now is not the time for painful childhood memories.

“What’s the problem?” Naomi asks, leading the way into a front sitting room. Nicole sets Binx down on the couch next to her, continuing to pet and love on him. He’s eating it up.

“The other night, I was attacked by a demon in the woods,” I start.

“Isn’t that your thing, though?” Naomi goes to a bar cart and pours herself a splash of expensive whiskey. “You tend to attract them, though I’ll admit I’ve always wondered if you secretly summoned them.”

“Why would I summon demons? They just find me. But I’m not talking lower-level demons here,” I go on, sinking down onto the couch opposite Nicole and Binx. “I’m talking full-on demonic possession.”

Both of the twins freeze and stare at me.

“What happened?” Nicole asks.

“He killed himself before I could question his future, but I got one piece of information out of him, and that’s why I’m here. I’m hoping you might know more about this.”

“What is it?” Naomi swirls the amber liquid around in the glass before taking a slow sip.

“A Gatekeeper. That’s all I know. A, uh, friend reminded me that a “gatekeeper” in Greek mythology leads souls to the underworld.”

“You know the Greeks over exaggerated everything,” Nicole says. “But it is a curious point.”

“Exactly,” I say.

“You say he offed himself?” Naomi raises her eyebrows and finishes her drink. “How?”

“I conjured white light to torture him with. I had it hovering above his chest, burning him when necessary, and he just pushed himself right into it. I’m pretty sure he did it so I couldn’t get more info from him…well, from the human he was possessing. I’d broken through.” Lucas did, not me, but I’ll leave that part out for now. “And I know it doesn’t make sense, but I have a feeling this has to do with the witches being hunted.”

“Why didn’t you go to the High Priestess with this information?” Naomi’s always been a little sour on Tabatha favoring me during our years at the Academy. “Why us?”

“She has enough to deal with right now. And you know the rules on demonic possession,” I add. “The council will want to look into it, and I fear we don’t have that time. Plus, by the time they’d get to the body, the traces of demon would be gone, and they’d rule it a human affair. And witches don’t deal in non-magical affairs.”

Nicole twists, turning to look at her sister. “Are you thinking,” she starts.

“What I’m thinking?” Naomi finishes. “It’s dangerous, sister. And forbidden.”

“When has that ever stopped us before?” I chime in, not knowing what they’re talking about.

“What did you do with the body?” Naomi asks.

“It’s buried in the woods.” I think it is at least.

Nicole claps her hands together. “I’ve always wanted to try this!”

“Try what?” I ask.

The twins look at each other, speaking at the same time. “A resurrection spell.”