Page 129 of The Haunting of Lockton

So, Callum was responsible for cleansing Redwood Manor.

“Carter?” The name rang a bell. “As in, the blond twink married to that bookshop guy?”

“The very same,” Callum answered. “Zeke has quite the story as well, but it’s not my place to tell it.”

“Okay.” I worked hard to steady my nerves. “So we need to find Owen’s bones and perform a summoning?”

“As I said, this is a unique case,” Callum responded. “Owen isn’t merely a wrathful spirit. His soul isn’t corrupted by darkness. He’s not only cognizant but powerful as a witch too. While I could try to perform a summoning to separate him from Julian’s body, it may not be successful.”

That sick feeling in my stomach worsened. “There’s nothing we can do?”

“I’m not saying that.” Callum shook his head. “When I was upstairs, I sensed Owen’s rage. But I sensed something else too. Something even stronger.”

“What?”

“Longing,” he answered. “Heartache. More than anything, Owen wants to be reunited with the person he loves.”

“Roy,” I whispered.

“And he wants vengeance against the one who separated them,” Callum added.

My head throbbed. This was a lot to process. “I’m not following. How is any of that supposed to help Julian? No offense, but I don’t give a damn about Owen right now.” There was a tremor in my throat. “I just want my brother back.”

Callum focused on me. “To put it simply, it would be incredibly challenging to force Owen from Julian’s body. I’m not too proud to admit when something is beyond my abilities. Which leaves us with one choice. Give Owen what he wants.”

“How are we supposed to do that?” I asked.

“By going to the one place where all of this began. And where it all came to a fateful end.” Callum pushed back from the table and stood, smoothing a hand down the front of his shirt. “We need to go to Lockton.”

Chapter Eighteen

Paxton

Snow blanketed the ground around Lockton Asylum, faintly glowing beneath the moonlight. Daylight had faded, and the clouds that had buried Ivy Grove in snow all throughout the day cleared, giving us a view of the full moon and sky of glimmering stars. They seemed so much brighter this time of year.

Skyler walked around to the other side of the SUV and helped his brother out.

Julian hadn’t argued or fought us at all when we’d mentioned returning to the asylum. But an expression had crossed his face at the news, one I could only describe as determination. Anger too. It had then fled as Julian regained control. The news he was possessed hadn’t shocked him much. A part of him had suspected, I think.

“I don’t know about this.” Skyler released a shaky breath. “Are you sure it’s a good idea?”

“Do you want to help your brother?” Callum asked, though it was obviously a rhetorical question. “Then, yes.”

“Remind me again how this will help?” Skyler reached my side and pressed his hand to mine, not grabbing it. Just making contact with my skin, as if to calm his nerves.

“By giving Owen what he wants, he won’t have a reason to keep possessing Julian,” Callum said. “In theory.”

“In theory?” Skyler hissed. “Good god. You don’t even know for sure?”

“Nothing is certain.”

“Okay, well, intheory, how the hell is Owen going to get what he wants?” Skyler pressed. “You said he wants to be reunited with Roy and to take revenge or whatever. How does possessing Julian’s body help him do that?”

“We could take him to the second floor and see if Roy is there?” I suggested. “Owen’s been confined to the basement for all these years. This is the first time he’s been able to walk around freely. Maybe seeing Roy will help him move on.”

“I don’t feel well,” Julian muttered, touching his temple. “God. It feels like my head’s splitting in two.”

“Owen’s trying to take full control,” Callum said. “Let him.”