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The five of us stare at each other in that relieved kind of way, like all fears are erased in the light.

But I know that’s not true. There’s still something to be done about the basement and the upstairs and I’m about to ask if we should check on Jacob when he comes back down the stairs, wiping his hands.

“Power is back on,” he says, charming smile on his face. “Wish I still felt like having desert.”

“No, no,” my dad says, his shoulders slumping as he walks down the hall. “That’s perfectly all right. After all that, I’ve lost my appetite. Plus I have a raccoon in the basement to deal with now. I better call pest control.”

He goes into the kitchen and I hear him talking to someone when Jacob grabs my arm and leans down toward me, the smile wiped off his face. “I was able to fix this temporarily but you need to get out of here now.”

“What, why?” I ask, eying his grip on my arm.

He looks over my head at Jay. “You need to take her away for a few days. Three. Maybe five. This house needs to be cleared of all the energy in here. There’s been too much with all of us, it’s like a bloody feast for them and they will continue to feed off you Ada, long after we all leave.”

“Where am I supposed to go? I start school in two weeks, I have to start preparing for that.”

“You’ll figure it out,” he says, more to Jay than to me. “But listen. If you leave, I can close it permanently. Your dad will be safe, don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on him. But he won’t be if you stay. And neither will you.”

I try to breathe. Everything is happening so fast. “I. I guess I can go to Dex and Perry’s.”

“No,” he says sharply. “Not right away, not yet. They’re looking for you closer now. They know you. Being around Perry and Dex is too dangerous, the three of you have two much power between you.” He jerks his thumb at Sage and Dawn who are standing nearby, watching this unfold. “Just like them. All of us together like this is a recipe for disaster and it’s my fault for letting it happen.”

“Well then why the hell did you guys move next door!?” I exclaim.

Jacob gives me a dry look. “For your protection on all levels. But we can’t predict everything.”

“Oh really? Finally something you can’t do.” I sigh and rub my hand down my face, stopping before I smear my lipstick. “Okay. I’ll go. Do I have time to pack? I don’t even want to go back up there. What do I tell my dad?”

“Jay will pack for you,” Jacob says, nodding at him. Jay obeys and goes running up the stairs, taking them two at a time with ease.

“Oh my god, he doesn’t know what I want to wear!” I cry out. Not to mention he’s going to have to rifle through my underwear drawer. Fuck. I hope all the dirty laundry is in the hamper.

Bigger things going on here, Ada, focus.

“Your dad,” Jacob continues, ignoring me, “tell him that you’re going out to the movies. Then call him later and tell him you’re spending the night at a friend’s house. Then lie some more. You’re his daughter, love, I’m pretty sure you know how to get away with murder.”

“And the raccoon?” Sage asks, gesturing to the door.

Jacob gives him a crooked smile. “That wasn’t a raccoon but I think you know that, old boy. No matter. It’s not there anymore. The pest people will come but they won’t find a trace.”

“Like it’s all so easy,” I mutter.

“Oh no, love,” Jacob says grimly. “Going forward, nothing will be easy.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“What if your arm gets chopped off? Can you grow a new one?”

I don’t have to see Jay’s eyes in the darkness to know he’s probably rolling them. “Again, I don’t know,” he says. “And I’m not about to find out.”

It’s been like this the entire drive to . . . actually I’m still not sure where we are going. The moment Jacob told us to get out of the house, we did. My dad didn’t seem to have a problem with me leaving to spend time with “Amy,” especially when Jacob volunteered to help him clean up. Jay packed for me, the duffel bag is in the backseat of Jacob’s Mercedes which we were told to borrow.

Jay’s been driving for about two hours and all I know is we’re heading toward the coast. Cannon Beach, maybe. But the road along highway 26 is dark and winding and even though I’m sure Jay could drive all night, I’m nodding off here and there. Hence all my questions.

I guess it happens again because my chin hits my chest and I’m jolted awake as gravel crunches under the tires.