They cleared the room in ten minutes.
The parents were sent to the neighbor's house. The furniture was pushed against the walls. Derek drew a circle on the floor with chalk—salt mixed with iron filings, the standard barrier for containing possessed hosts. His hands were steady now. The old Derek would have been shaking too hard to draw a straight line.
Cora placed candles at the four cardinal points. Mason checked the windows. Sera kept her crossbow trained on the boy, who hadn't moved from his corner. He watched them work with those old, patient eyes.
Lucian stood by the door. He wasn't helping. He was watching the boy watch them.
"You know this won't work," the boy said. His voice was soft, almost gentle. "I'm not a ghost you can shoo away. I'm part of him now."
Derek's chalk hesitated. "Don't listen to him."
