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Just like that, he wasn’t her Adaht spell on the cave, but with a flick of Adas spilled out from under her

Chapter 5

Diana appeared from the deep shadow of the cave, followed by Melanie and Laurel Faye, Deborah, and the others were behind them They were all still visibly possessed, but more subtly than before The irises of their eyes were less noticeably etched in black, and the slithering lesions festering on their faces were less pronounced But it was obvious to Cassie they weren’t the back in the shadows--the only one besides Cassie as not possessed Satisfied, she watched Cassie writhing on the ground, struggling to regain her strength

"Did she bring us the book?" Melanie asked

Diana twitched aardly "Search her," she coly Deborah crouched at Cassie’s side and roughly patted her body up and down, frisking her for the book

Cassie scanned all the faces hovering over her Weak as she was, liround, she strove to decipher which ancestors had invaded her friends If she paid close enough attention, she thought she nize who some of them were, based on what Timothy had told her earlier that day If they revealed theainst them

Deborah stood up and turned brusquely to the others "No book," she said

Sean and the Henderson brothers grimaced Adam kicked a stone in frustration

"Patience," Diana said "We’ll get it from her one way or another"

Scarlett wrapped her arm around Adam’s waist and smiled down at Cassie Her red hair was knotted and untamed, dusty from the cave Ada now," he said

Cassie flinched Ada her so close He rubbed the small of her back with his thu and connecting them Even with Adam possessed, their cord remained

It felt like Cassie had been knifed in the heart She coughed, unsure if it was the spell Ada pain

Diana crossed her thin arms over her chest Cassie concentrated on her fa for any sign as to who inhabited her body Could it be Black John’s sister, Alice?

Cassie looked at Sean, slinking and beady-eyed, and then at Chris’s and Doug’s sharp-featured identical faces She wondered if each ancestor chose its host for a reason It would ht, that the spirits would identify the most comfortable body for their invasion But for the nizable

Adam stepped forward and held his open hands--priest-like hands, Cassie thought--over her body He stared down at her with his hard black eyes, and she greeaker still She could feel her life force draining fro out in a puddle beneath her body

"Leave her, Absoloy We need to regain our strength"

Absoloht" Scarlett pulled Adaet out of here" She turned to the group "Follow me"

Diana and the others made their way to the boats behind her In the darkness they appeared to vanish into thin air after only a few steps

Faye called back to Cassie from the void "Don’t worry," she said in her husky voice, which was at once both foreign and familiar "This won’t be the last you see of us"

Those final words echoed inside the cave like a warning, ringing out with truth

Still lying on the ground at the mouth of the cave, Cassie shook with fear She looked around to be sure she was alone, that--for the one

But she wasn’t alone Soishly said her name

"Nick?" she said

It hadn’t occurred to Cassie that she didn’t see hi back in the cave all along

He stepped out into the , uneasy on his feet, he looked like he was suffering from the flu "Don’t be afraid," he said feebly But Cassie could see the darkness in his eyes and the slithering things beneath the skin of his face

With Diana and the others gone, Cassie felt her strength returning She was able to cli him carefully

"Don’t come any closer!" she screa "Help th I have, but I’ is inside me"

"Stay where you are" Cassie raised her hand and searched her mind for a spell

"I don’t want to hurt you," Nick said He dropped down to his knees "You have to believe , I swear it’s really ood, but she re heart against her chest Hearts can’t lie, she told herself

"Put your hands on your head, where I can see them," Cassie said "And leave them there"