Sallygroaned.
“Too soon?” Cindychuckled.
“It’s just weird,” Sally said. “But then, I’m married to a werewolf and have an adopted son who still doesn’t know what we are, so I guess really it’snot.”
“Just got to take the punches as they come kiddo,” her dad said. “If you don’t roll with them, you’ll get knocked out and then just think of all the fun things you’ll miss. Oh, this is a good show,” he added quickly as he paused what Sally had considered was his absent minded channel surfing. The show that had caught her dad’s attention happened to on the history channel and not something that kept her mind sufficientlydistracted.
Sally couldn’t stop thinking about her impending trip to the sprite realm and the weird exorcism-thingy she was going to have done. Well, at least that was how she kept referring to it in herhead.
“It’s not an exorcism, beautiful,” Costin said with achuckle.
“What?” her mom asked, turning to look at her from where she and her dad sat on the loveseat.
“My mate thinks she’s having an exorcism performed tomorrow,” Costin said absently, his attention still on theTV.
“Sally.”
She tried to groan as her mom’s voice took on the all too familiar why-on-earth-would-you-think-thattone.
“Why on earth would you think that?” her momasked.
“And there it is, folks,” she muttered under herbreath.
Costin laughed as his attention finally left the television. “You called it,” he said holding up his hand for a highfive.
“I’ve heard my name said in that tone of voice for a long time, many times,” Sallyadmitted.
Cindy narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “Quit trying to avoid answering me. Why would you think you’re having anexorcism?”
“Because there is something in my head that needs to come out. Ergo, exorcism.” Sallyshrugged.
Her mom made a motion to her dad and suddenly the TV was off, and both her parents were facing her andCostin.
“I feel like things just got serious, really fast,” Costinmurmured.
“Like intervention-serious,” Sally nearlywhispered.
Her dad gave them an odd look and then shook his head, and a small smile appeared on his lips. “You two were made for eachother.”
Costin patted her thigh. “See, toldya.”
“Sally, I didn’t want to tell you at first, but I guess I need to. I don’t want us going out there tomorrow with you thinking there’s a demon or something inside of you,” her mom said, ignoring her dad andCostin.
“Tell me what?” Her insides tightened. Things just went from intervention-serious to heart-attack-serious.
“When I looked inside your mind, I found a form of darkmagic.”
“I’m sorry, what?” she said sitting up straighter. Forget the heart attack, things had just reached Armageddon-serious. Dark magic, in her head? Why couldn’t her mom be like, ‘I found happy thoughts and unicorns butts in yourhead’?
“Whatever the Order did to your mind when they messed with your memories, they left something. I’m not entirely sure what it is, so I’m just calling it a fail-safe, a spell to be triggered if their plan didn’t succeed. That darkness inside your mind is what you’re constantly fighting. It’s not just memories. I don’t think the spell is necessarily causingallthe bad thoughts, but I do think it’s magnifying them greatly and adding to them where it can. We will know more when the luminous sprites can get a look at it. Banishing darkness is their specialty, so they’re very familiar with the various forms of darkmagic.”
“I was right. It is an exorcism,” Sally said, almost toherself.
“No,” her mom’s voice was firm. “Think of it more like a cleansing. Everything gets dirty, right? And so, everything need a good cleaning out every once in awhile.”
“I get dirty. Want to clean me out?”Costin’s sultry voice filled hermind.
Sally burst out laughing, though she tried really hard notto.
