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His fingers tightened around the Bible, as if that book was the only thing keeping him from losing his composure right there in front of my woman.

Lakelyn noticed immediately.

“Is something wrong?” Her voice had that edge of concern… the kind that said she was already second-guessing whether calling him had been a good idea.

Marcellus finally pulled his attention away from me, but I could tell it took effort. His jaw stayed tight, his shoulders stiff, and every part of him looked like he was working overtime to appear calm while trying to process the fact that he was standing in the same room with a dead man.

“No. Not at all. Just... getting a feel for the home.”

Smooth recovery.

I’d give him that.

Willow appeared behind Lakelyn, arms folded, looking skeptical as hell.

That woman has a sixth sense for bullshit, and right now, her radar is going off.

“That pause felt a little long for a good feeling.”

“Willow,” Lakelyn hissed.

“I’m just saying.”

I grinned.

Willow wasn’t letting shit slide, and I appreciated that about her. She’d been side-eyeing the whole situation from the beginning, asking questions nobody else wanted to ask, pointing out the obvious when Lakelyn was trying to be polite.

Marcellus cleared his throat, adjusted his collar, and shifted the Bible from one hand to the other like he needed something to do with his hands.

“I’d like to walk through the home first to get a sense of the space before I begin the blessing. If that’s alright.”

“Of course.”

Lakelyn stepped back, giving him room to move deeper into the house.

Willow stepped aside, then looked at him seriously, her face completely straight. “Before you start, I would just like it documented that if you find a demon, Lakelyn owns this house. I technically just live here.”

Lakelyn closed her eyes. “Please ignore her.”

“I’m establishing residency for spiritual liability purposes.”

I laughed.

Willow was trying to make sure that if anything went down, the paperwork was clear… like demons gave a fuck about property ownership.

Marcellus moved farther into the foyer, his steps careful and measured, as he was walking through a minefield.

And in a way, he was.

Every step brought him deeper into my territory, and he knew it.

Marcellus’s eyes flicked toward me again quickly and nervously.

I fell into step beside him, matching his pace, close enough that if I still had a living body, our shoulders would’ve brushed.

“So you can see me.”

His mouth tightened, but he kept walking.