Irene smiled slyly. “He’s lying.”

  “Yes.” Julian narrowed his eyes. “I know.”

  My face warmed. “Says who?”

  Julian said, “It’s good that you’re keeping the stone hidden. It shows you’re bonding to the stone.”

  I had no response.

  “I will tell you, though, that the stone is how I found you today at the library,” Julian said. “You touched the stone and awakened it. I was able to sense that.”

  A memory of rubbing my thumb over the green jewel came to me. It was true the stone had seemed to vibrate like a living thing when I’d stroked it. Still I said nothing, driven to keep the stone a secret.

  “The Vessel can awaken the Mossfire Stone,” Irene said.

  Julian’s expression was more serious. “The problem is Sableth can sense when the stone is awakened also. That’s how he found you at the library.”

  I said hesitantly, “For argument’s sake, let’s say I have the stone. Why does Sableth want it? Can it make him more powerful?”

  “Yes.” Julian nodded. “The stone was made for you, Lorenzo. However, if it doesn’t respect you it can choose another master.”

  I scowled. “Respect me? How would a stone respect me?”

  “If you’re willing to fight Sableth, the stone will fight with you. But if you’re weak or a coward, the stone will turn against you. It will reject you and bond to the next strongest soul, alive or dead. That would no doubt be Sableth. Then with the stone’s help, Sableth will be able to do whatever he wants in this world.”

  “But you said the stone was made to fight Sableth.” I frowned. “Why would it bond to him?”

  “Because the stone can’t help being drawn to the strongest soul,” Irene said. “It’s a flaw in its design. The witch who created the stone was ambivalent about destroying Sableth. Her doubt crept into the stone when it was formed.”

  I shuddered thinking of the faceless figure in the library today. “How am I supposed to trust the stone then?”

  Irene shrugged. “So long as you remain brave the stone will be loyal. But if you falter.” She grimaced. “That’s another story.”

  “Why didn’t the stone help me today in the library?” I asked. “I had no power against that thing today. If that was Sableth, I had no ability to fight him.”

  “The stone isn’t a guard dog,” Julian said. “You have to tell it what to do.”

  “Hmmm.” I frowned. “What about the fact that Sableth is way bigger and stronger than me?”

  “It’s not a physical battle, Lorenzo.” Irene wrinkled her brow. “It’s a psychic battle.”

  Feeling overwhelmed, I rasped, “I talk to dead spirits. I . . . I help people connect to their loved ones and lost pets. I’m not a warrior. I can’t have . . . psychic battles with evil forces.” I shook my head, panic setting in. “No, you have the wrong person. I can’t do whatever it is you need. I can’t.”

  Irene looked flustered. “Lorenzo, you’re stronger than you know.”

  I inched toward the door, sweat breaking out on my face. “You’re wrong. The stone didn’t help me today. If Julian hadn’t come, I’d have burned to death today. The stone was useless.”

  “You have to work with the stone. You’re a team. The stone will help you become stronger, I promise. Irene and I are here to help you. Thomas will help you too when he comes. Your talent is more than just finding lost pets, Lorenzo.” Julian sounded frustrated. “That was fine before, but it’s time for you to step up and fulfill your role in the prophesy.”

  “No, no.” I moved toward the door, reaching in my pocket for the stone. It was cold as ice as I grabbed it and set it on the small table by the door. “I don’t want any part of whatever this is. I’m not a vessel or a savior of any kind. I’m just an average guy with average psychic abilities. I promise you that.”

  Irene watched me, her face pale. “You’re rejecting the stone?”

  “You guys can have it. You can use it to . . . fight whoever.” I opened the front door, fear driving me. “I’m not a hero. I’m just not. I’m sorry,” I mumbled, moving down the steps. “I’m truly sorry, but you have the wrong guy.”

  “Where are you going, Lorenzo?” Julian called after me.

  I had no idea where I was going, I just had to get away from Irene and Julian. They had to be nuts. I wanted no part of the bullshit they were spewing. They could take their vessels and stones and evil entities and shove them up their asses. I had enough problems of my own.

  Behind me I could hear Julian calling for me and Irene’s higher pitched voice. But the blood was rushing through my head so loudly, I couldn’t make out the words. I didn’t care what they were saying. It would just be something designed to make me stay, and that wasn’t going to happen.

  When I was halfway down the dirt road, I heard the sound of the Mini Cooper behind me. The driver beeped the horn a few times and revved the engine.

  “Lorenzo, please, at least let me drive you into town,” Julian yelled.

  I glanced at him over my shoulder. He was alone, and there was no sign of Irene in the car. I slowed down and stopped walking, and he braked and came to a rest beside me. His face was flushed through the windshield, and his eyes glittered with worry.

  When he rolled down the passenger side window, I bent over cautiously. “I can just walk,” I said gruffly.

  “That’s silly when I can drive you.”

  “How do I know you won’t take me back to the cabin?”

  He sighed. “Just get in, Lorenzo. Come on, you’ve known me for years. We’re not going to chain you up and kidnap you.”

  “You literally did just kidnap and try to detain me,” I pointed out.

  “Well, I won’t do that again, okay?”

  I hesitated, but trying to walk back into town would take me hours. By now Julian had to know if he took me back to the cabin, I wouldn’t cooperate. I straightened and opened the door. I slid into the passenger seat, giving him an uneasy glance.

  He held out his hand and in his palm was the Mossfire Stone. “Take it.”

  Scowling, I said, “I don’t want it.”

  “You’ll be safer with it than without it,” he growled. “Take it, Lorenzo. Don’t be an idiot.”

  My fingers itched to take the stone, even as I dreaded having it back in my possession. I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was mine and it belonged with me. I didn’t want to accept the strange bond I already seemed to have with the damn stone, but I also knew instinctively I’d feel better if I had it back.

  I grabbed the rock and dropped it into my hoodie pocket. “It didn’t do me any good in the library.”

  “That’s what you think,” he muttered, pressing the gas so that the small car lurched forward. “If I hadn’t found you, you’d have died. That rock is how I found you.”

  “Well, according to you it’s also how Sableth found me.”

  “He’s already well aware of you. I’m sure you’ve sensed his presence. You prefer to bury your head in the sand, but the war is happening whether you want it to or not.”

  “Are you going to lecture me the entire way home?” I mumbled, staring out the window at the thick trees on my side of the car. “I’m telling you I’m not up to the task. I don’t know why you won’t listen.”

  “Because we’re all doomed if you don’t even try.” His voice broke and he gripped the wheel tighter. Once he seemed calmer, he said, “Surely you understand why we’re upset. We can’t fight him without you. The Mossfire Stone is the only way to destroy him and only you or God forbid, Sableth, can control the stone. You were our only hope. With the professor gone, and now this, I don’t know what to do.”

  Guilt nudged me because he sounded so young and scared. I sighed. “I’m sorry, Julian. But even if I foolishly agreed to what you want, I’d fail anyway.”

  It was still difficult for me to believe Viridia existed, but both Julian, Irene, and the professor had seemed so completely convinced, I had to at least contemplate that it might be real. One thing I could not accept, though, was that I was the hero in this crazy scenario.

  “Why do you have such little faith in yourself?” He glanced over. “You’re a very skilled psychic.”

  I gritted my teeth. “You’re wasting your breath. I won’t change my mind.”

  “That doesn’t make what I’ve told you untrue.”

  As we reached the main road, a flurry of missed calls and text messages came in, beeping every few seconds. I tugged my phone out of my pocket and saw several missed calls from Claire and one from Detective Monroe. My stomach ached when I saw the call from the detective.

  “Maybe you can drop me off at the police station,” I said gruffly. “I need to grovel to the detective in charge of Professor Buckler’s death. I’ll get my car from the library later.”

  “Please let me take you back to the cabin.”

  I shook my head. “No. I’m sorry.”

  “But we can’t keep you safe out there in the real world. You need to be protected. Why can’t you understand that?”

  “Julian, if you won’t drive me to the police station, I’ll just walk. I can’t just disappear from my life. I’m not going back to the cabin. I’m sorry.”

  He clenched his jaw, then said, “Fine. I’ll drive you. But only because it’s safer for you.” He pulled out onto the road.

  We didn’t speak for a few minutes, then I slid my gaze to him. “I’m sorry about the professor. It sounds like you were close.”

  “Thanks.” He stared blankly out the windshield. “I don’t know what to do now. You’re not cooperating, and he’s gone.”

  My guilt grew, but I couldn’t simply agree to whatever they wanted because I felt bad. They had the wrong guy. I wasn’t hero material. The professor must have got it wrong.

  Julian asked softly, “Did the professor suffer?”

  I pressed my lips tight, remembering last night. “A little, yes, I’m sorry. I had a . . . friend with me when he died.” I cleared my throat. “He’s a doctor, and he suspected the professor was poisoned.”

  Julian grunted. “Yes. The professor knew he was dying. That’s why he went to you. He wanted you to have the stone.”

  “He should have gone to the hospital, not to me.”

  “It was too late.” He pressed the accelerator to pass another vehicle. “You were what mattered most to him. To all of us.”

  Shame nipped at me again, but I pushed it down. “I wouldn’t have thought poison was something Sableth would need to resort to.” I dug my nails into the arm rest as Julian passed yet another vehicle. I was beginning to wonder if I’d have been safer walking after all.

  “Sableth will do whatever he must to win.”

  I glanced at Julian. “Are you sure you’re not just dealing with a crazy human? Maybe Professor Buckler had some enemies you don’t know about. Maybe he died of a heart attack.”

  He huffed. “Just because you’re in denial doesn’t mean we all are, Lorenzo.”

  “You call it denial,” I mumbled, “I call it logic.”

  He scowled at me. “How can you even say that? After the things you’ve seen in that library? After how the professor died in your home warning you about Sableth? I know you can sense his evil presence. I know you can.”

  “I’m not saying something weird isn’t happening. I’m not even saying a spiritual battle isn’t possibly brewing. I . . . I’m saying I’m not your hero. I’m not the one who can defeat Sableth. I don’t believe God or whoever is running things would put me in charge of saving anyone. I’m far more likely to get someone killed than to save them,” I muttered.

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “No,” I snapped. “Thinking I’m your knight in shining armor is though.”

  He clammed up after that, occasionally mumbling to himself and gripping the steering wheel tight. We didn’t speak again until we reached the police station. I glanced over at his stern profile as I opened the door to exit the car.

  “Thanks for the ride,” I said.

  “You’re welcome.” His tone was curt.

  I sighed. “I’m sorry, Julian. I know you’re disappointed in me. But you can’t really expect me to just blindly accept the things you’ve told me today. Perhaps if you or the professor had come to me before and tried explaining this stuff to me, I’d have had time to digest this craziness.”

  “It wasn’t my call to make. The prophesy unfolded as it was supposed to.” He didn’t look at me as he said, “I’m still hoping you’ll come to your senses, Lorenzo. Before it’s too late.”

  “I won’t because I’m not the hero you think I am.” I got out of the car, and he drove away before I could even close the door all the way.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It turned out Detective Monroe wasn’t at the station. I was informed he’d been called away and had canceled our interview. I was so relieved I wasn’t in trouble, as I walked out of the station I felt like skipping. Then I remembered the bizarre state of my life, and all joy drained away.

  I called an Uber to drive me to the library so I could grab my car. I was admittedly nervous as the driver let me out at the library. But everything seemed peaceful, and Sableth or whatever the entity was didn’t make an appearance as I got in my car and drove home.

  The things Irene and Julian had told me swirled in my head. It was impossible to believe everything they’d said, and it was impossible not to also consider it. The things I’d seen in just the last two days were difficult to explain away. Unless Julian had somehow set me up? I wasn’t sure how that would be possible, but so much of this scenario was impossible to accept. I’d definitely faced something terrifying in the library, and I’d sensed something evil in my home yesterday. I’d even tried to convince Ian of that, without success.

  Julian didn’t seem to understand that I wasn’t denying there was an evil spirit hanging around. There definitely was something wicked hovering. It was the part about me being the only hope to save the world that I couldn’t swallow. There were people destined to be heroes, and then the rest of us. I was firmly in the latter camp.

  How was I supposed to accept the idea of a multi-verse that included a far-off place called Virida on faith alone? Julian’s story had lacked details as if he’d come up with it on the spot. But that cabin was another story. All the warding and care that had been taken to make it a safe house hadn’t been rushed. It was those conflicting truths that had me going back and forth between believing Julian and definitely not believing him.

  Since I was off the hook for now with Detective Monroe, I texted Claire and arranged to meet her at my house to start the cleanup. I was nervous as I pulled up to my house. I really hoped whatever negative spirit had been hanging around the previous day was gone. I hadn’t found anything useful at the library about being able to partially cleanse a home of spirits. It seemed to be all or nothing, and that wouldn’t work for my type of job. That meant, if the malevolent spirit I’d sensed yesterday was still in my home, I had no idea how to get it to leave.

  I parked on the street in front of my house. As I exited my car, I was surprised to see Ian parking behind me. My pulse raced as he got out of his car. I hadn’t expected to see him again, especially after how we’d parted last night. His expression as he approached wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t cold either. He stopped in front of me, and I swallowed nervously.

  “Hi,” I said. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

  Or ever again.

  Part of me wanted to blurt out everything I’d gone through from the library to being kidnapped by Julian and Irene. But after how dismissive he’d been last night, I didn’t want his judgment right now. I was shaken and confused enough.

  He shrugged. “I wanted to be sure you were okay.”

  My stomach warmed and tightened at the obvious concern in his voice. Even after how we’d left things last night, he cared about my safety? That both pleased and confused me. “I’m fine. Just here to clean up the mess from last night.”

  “Right.” He studied me, his jaw tense. “Look, I wanted to say I’m sorry I didn’t believe you last night and that I made you feel bad.” He grimaced. “I’m sure it’s no surprise all this psychic stuff isn’t my thing.”

  “No, it’s not a surprise,” I murmured. “But I’m not going to apologize that all this psychic stuff is my thing.”

  “Nor should you.”

  An uncomfortable silence fell. His crisp cologne floated on the breeze, bringing back many good memories of last night. I wanted to touch him but was too shy to do it in case he rejected me. I hated how things had ended between us the night before, but I wasn’t great at apologies. Even if I wanted to, I didn’t know how to smooth things over.

  He cleared his throat. “Can I help with the clean up?”

  Shocked at the offer, I blinked at him. “You want to help?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah. Why not?”

  “Why not?” I repeated. Weren’t there so many reasons why not?

  He frowned. “Do you not want my help?”

  “It’s not that.” I took in his expensive suit and tie. “You’re not really dressed for menial labor.”

  He laughed and tugged at his tie, loosening it. “I had a meeting with the hospital chief of staff. I’ll just take off the jacket and tie, and I’ll be good to go.”

  “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

  “I actually have the rest of the day off.”

  “And cleaning up my house is how you want to spend it?” I laughed because I suddenly felt happier. Ian’s energy seemed to be brightening my mood.

  “I’m happy to help.”

  “I believe you.” Without giving myself time to overthink it, I slipped my arms around him and kissed him. I didn’t care if neighbors or customers coming out of the nail salon saw us kissing. I’d had such a horrible day, and Ian was being so kind and warm, I was drawn to him for comfort.

  He was obviously surprised by my actions. His body stiffened, and he took a second to respond, but then he was all in. He put his arms around me too, and the kiss deepened. He slipped his tongue into my mouth, and lust curled in my gut. When the kiss ended, he grinned down at me, looking boyish in the afternoon sun.