Page 84 of Deceiver

Talon looks surprised for a moment before her expression softens into a smile. “You must know by now. Your fate and his are intertwined.”

I shift my gaze to Wilder. Everything he told me earlier is true. I was meant for him.

Wilder lifts my hand and kisses the back of it. “What do you need from us, Talon?”

“I think we need to go to Keagan’s house. The spirit’s energy is stronger there. We’ll lure it to us, and then we’ll do what must be done to break Keagan’s attachment.”

“That sounds like it’s gonna hurt.”

“It will, but not you.”

“I’ll be there to protect you,” Wilder says. “Always.”

My eyes well with tears, but I nod. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this go away.”

Wilder brushes his fingers across my cheek. “You’ll be helping your father in the long run. We’ll drain the demon, and your father’s soul will be released for proper sorting.”

I nod, only vaguely understanding. “I’m ready.”

Chapter 24

Keagan

My house looks dark and it’s eerily quiet. The porch light should be on, but it’s not. I briefly glance at the house across the street, but its lights are on so it’s not a power outage.

“Shit,” Talon mutters as she walks up my driveway. “We won’t have to do much summoning.”

“I feel it too,” Wilder says.

“What? Why don’t I feel anything?”

“Be happy you don’t.” Talon tilts her head back to look at the house. “It’s waiting for you.”

“That sounds ominous. Why does everything you two say sound ominous?”

Talon shrugs. “Because it is?”

Wilder squeezes my shoulder. “Let’s go inside and deal with this.”

As we approach the front step, a shadow of a man appears and I recoil, backing into Wilder. The shadow moves, stepping forward enough that we can see his face. He’s young and handsome, but he looks like he stepped out of a movie from the sixties.

“Farnsworth,” Wilder says, stepping past me. “What are you doing here?”

“I just received important information. Too urgent to wait.” His strange gray eyes flicker over me, then to Talon, and he tilts his head. “You have gifts,” he says to Talon.

She nods slowly. “Who are you?”

“Not important. You may see me again one day.” He turns to Wilder. “The Horror is not what we thought. It’s a demon.”

“We know,” Wilder says. “Thanks to Talon.”

Farnsworth looks even more interested. “How did you find out? I’ve known less than an hour.”

“I’d say I found out about the same time. My spirit guides delivered a message.”

“Fascinating.” He smiles slightly before turning his gaze back to me and Wilder. “You know what to do then. I had to make sure you knew.”

“Thanks.”