It took the men a while to organize up a suitable space, and Michelle used the time to get to know Anya better. They talked over breakfast in a quiet corner of the cafeteria. Jase had escorted them to their table, explaining that if they showed their visitor IDs, they wouldn’t be charged. He’d promised to come back in an hour or so, and then left the two women in peace. Sin hadn’t stayed a single second after the meeting had ended. He’d left so quickly there hadn’t been any chance for them to talk. It had hurt her deeply that he hadn’t even asked how she was doing. It didn’t seem fair that now she had decided to stop running, Sinjin was bolting. They had gone from strangers to lovers, and now they were heading back toward being strangers again. This isn’t how she wanted things. She missed his presence in her life more than she would have imagined possible after such a short time.

Anya seemed to understand her distress and kept the conversation light, talking about some of the cases she had helped to solve and the antics of her pair of Siamese cats. By the time they had done breaking fast, Michelle felt as though she’d made another friend. She was thankful for the warm, positive energy that surrounded Anya and helped keep her own dark thoughts at bay.

“I think you should get some sleep while you can,” Anya told her as Michelle tried to stifle a yawn, the third one to strike since they’d sat down. “Makeup can hide the physical evidence, but I can sense how tired you are. You’re going to need all your strength to face your men later today.”

“My men? I don’t think either of them are mine, Anya. I left one, and the other one is doing his best to leave me.”

The other woman’s laughter was rich and warm as she took Michelle’s hand and squeezed it gently. “He’s just being stubborn, that’s all. Both of them are. Not that it will change anything. Destiny will have its way eventually. It always does. Sinjin is a man used to making the world obey him, not the other way around. It’s why he carries so much guilt. He takes on the blame for things that were never his responsibility in the first place. You’ll help him learn to let it go, when the time comes. And Robert, well, he’s broken the laws of the planes, and he will have to answer for those choices, very soon.”

“What do you think he did to make all this happen?”

“Dale informed me there are any number of spells Robert might actually have performed, but they all have similar outcomes. He struck a bargain with something evil. Some sort of deal that gives him the ability to control at least some of the elements. He’s already demonstrated control over air and water. He’s something more than a ghost, and less than a demonic force, though we have no doubt that is eventually what he is destined to become. There’s only one price the Darkness would accept in exchange. He’s given them his soul.”

“There are really demons out there?” Michelle found herself holding onto the talisman Anya had given her, her hand suddenly shaking.

“The world is full of wonders, and terrors. I’m sorry your introduction to the supernatural was one tainted by the dark side. There’s so much more to it than you’ve seen. But we’ll talk about that another time.” Anya’s fingers squeezed her hand once more, and a wave of warmth spread up Michelle’s arm and through her body. “You’ll be safe with that talisman on, so why don’t you get some rest and I’ll put the others to work getting things ready.”

“I think that sounds like a good idea.” She nodded, suddenly feeling incredibly tired. “Must be the food. I’m really ready for a nap now.”

“Must be,” Anya murmured and stood, helping her to her feet. “Oh look, there’s Jase now. He can navigate us back through this maze to your room, so you can rest.”

Michelle didn’t really remember the trip back to her room, or falling into bed, but when she woke it was only several hours later, and yet she felt like she’d slept for a week. “I think that sneaky Anya put some sort of whammy on me,” she grumbled as she got to her feet and checked her watch again. “I swear I wasn’t that tired until she touched my hand, and then boom! Lights out.”

It was hard to resent whatever strange influence Anya may have had when the results spoke for themselves. She felt like herself again. The jittering edginess of a caffeine buzz had been replaced with an actual, sustainable sense of energy. Uncertain what the afternoon’s events would bring, she changed into jeans and a jersey knit shirt, tucking the salt-filled talisman under the fabric, against her skin. She pulled her hair back into a simple French braid and was just sliding an elastic into place to secure it when a triple knock sounded on the door.

“Hey, sleeping beauty, you’re on deck.” It was Jase’s voice, not Sin’s, and Michelle sighed in disappointment. Anya may believe he was her soul mate, but Sin was clearly not ready to face that possibility.

“I should have stuck to my plan to avoid men for the rest of my life. It was a good plan,” she muttered under her breath as she walked gingerly over to the door and greeted Jase with a smile. “Sleeping Beauty reporting for duty, sir.”

“Come along then. You can check out what we’ve been up to while you were out cold. Remington is having an attack of the screaming heebie-jeebies over what’s been done to parts of his nice, orderly building.”

They headed to the elevator, and Jase gave her a conspiratorial wink as the doors closed. “Check this out.” He grinned like a little boy who had discovered an unguarded cookie jar and pressed four of the buttons at the same time. He held them down for a three-count before releasing them again. Immediately a soft chime sounded and the elevator began to rise, but the floor counter still indicated they hadn’t moved. “This building has secured levels, all hush-hush secret-squirrel stuff. I had no idea until today. Of course, now I know I’m not allowed to tell anyone else, but it’s still damn cool.”

“Boys and their toys.” Michelle just laughed. “None of you ever really grow up.”

“Nope, never.”

The elevator started to slow to a stop, and he turned to look at her, his expression suddenly serious. “This isn’t going to be easy, Michelle. All fun and games aside, you’re one brave woman, and I’m honoured I can help you face this. We all are. Sin’s worried about you, so if he snarls or acts like a bear with a sore paw, it’s just because it’s the only way us poor, emotionally closed-off guys know how to express our feelings, okay?”

“I’ll try to remember that.” A warm surge of sisterly affection filled her, and she leaned in to press a light kiss to Jase’s cheek as the elevator doors opened. “I’m glad you’re part of this.”

“Nice of you to finally join us.” Sin’s voice greeted them, his eyes glowing with barely checked emotions, none of them warm or the slightest bit fuzzy.

Shit. Sin had seen her kiss Jase. It didn’t matter that she and Jase knew it was just a friendly gesture of thanks. From the look on Sin’s face, he thought it was something else entirely. She opened her mouth, intending to explain, but instead of an apology, she surprised herself by going on the attack.

“Don’t you get all cranky with me, Sinjin Heath! You’re the one who walked out on me, remember?” She stepped out of the elevator and into Sin’s space, her finger poking him in the chest to emphasize her words. “If I want to kiss Jase, or Remington, or even Anya, that’s my decision, because you left! I didn’t want you to, but you did, and now you’re just going to have to suck it up!” She tipped her head up so she could meet his eyes, and her next words stuck in her throat as she saw the heat and desire burning in those dark depths.

“You’re not kissing anyone but me, ever again,” he ground out as his lips crashed down on hers and she felt his arms wrap around her, crushing her to him. “No one but me. Ever.”

Anger flared, shimmered, and then morphed into a blaze of need that left her weak-kneed and struggling to breathe. Held too tightly to move much, she still managed to somehow get her arms around Sin’s waist, her hands spanning his broad back. His tongue danced over her lower lip, and she opened her mouth to his, welcoming his possession of her body. Time stopped, and there was nothing but the two of them, entwined and needing each other. Finally a soft cough roused them both.

“Hate to break up this touching moment, but we’re expected down the hall.” Jase clearly couldn’t keep the laughter out of his voice. “And if you two keep that up any longer, I’m afraid you’ll set off the sprinkler system and ruin all our hard work.”

Sin kissed her one last time and then lifted his head with a reluctant sigh. “We’re not done talking about this.”

“I wasn’t aware we were talking at all.” She hugged him and then eased herself out of his arms, her entire body singing with a heady rush of happiness mixed with a healthy dose of lust.

“Oh, we said plenty.” Sin grinned at her, and her heart did a quick pirouette in her chest to see him smiling again. “You told me off, which was the hottest thing any woman has ever done, and then I explained to you that you’re not kissing anyone else but me, ever.”

Beside them Jase burst out laughing. “All I’m going to say is I better be invited to the wedding.”

“Shut up. You’re still on my shit-list,” Sin muttered and wrapped a possessive arm around her waist. “Now, can we please go get rid of your ex so we can finish this discussion?”

“Absolutely. Because if you think that one kiss is going to just fix everything, you have another think coming.” Michelle reached out and grabbed Jase’s hand, deliberately ignoring Sin’s growl of warning. “Come on, Jase. Let’s get this done.”

Her good mood lasted until the moment they walked through the door. Then it was gone, replaced by apprehension and a strange feeling of awe. Floor-to-ceiling windows took up one wall, filling the space with light. The room had been stripped bare of furnishings, and most of the floor was now covered by a large pentagram drawn inside an even larger circle. Triangles filled with small lines marked every ray of the star but the top one, which was marked with a circle instead. The ceiling directly above the pentagram had a pattern drawn on it as well. It was a mirror-perfect copy of the one on the floor. Inside the room, the air itself seemed to thrum slightly with some strange energy that made her skin tingle.

“You can feel it, too?” Sin asked, his voice sounding much softer now than it had been in the hall.

Michelle just nodded, not sure she could speak past the lump in her throat. This was where she was going to face Robert’s ghost. This was her chance to get her life back.

“Ah, there you are. Your timing is perfect.” Anya approached them, carefully skirting the lines on the floor as she crossed the room and joined them. “Geoff will be along in a minute. He’s just making sure that everything is arranged. Things are likely going to get interesting soon, so he’s taking a few of the security measures offline. Just around this room, of course.”

Michelle felt Sin stiffen as he asked, “Is that wise?”

“It’s necessary. And I might point out that as talented as your security teams are, they wouldn’t know the first thing about dealing with the paranormal.”

“True,” Sin grudgingly admitted. “Though I suspect when this is all over with, we may have to change that. Michelle can’t be the only one who has ever had this sort of experience.”

“She most certainly is not.” Anya gave them both an odd smile and then gestured around them. “This is the trap, Michelle. We’ll need to draw Robert into the pentagram, but once he is within the circle, he will not be able to leave again.” She pointed out a small carved box that rested in the middle of the topmost ray of the star. The box sat with its hinged lid sitting open, and Michelle could see it was empty. “That will be his prison. It will hold him until I can get it to some trusted people with the means to banish him permanently.”

Michelle left Sin’s side and went over to the pentagram, crouching as close to the box as she could.

“Do be careful not to disturb the lines though, any break will weaken the trap,” Anya warned her gently.

“But it’s drawn in—”

“Salt, yes.”

Panic started to creep into her mind. “But he can control the air, make it windy! He’ll just blow it everywhere!”

“No, he won’t. Not that salt. It’s not within his power to break these lines. This trap has been crafted very specifically, Michelle. I promise you, he can’t break them by himself.” The panic ebbed a little bit, but she could still feel its tiny claws prickling in the back of her mind, whispering doubts.

“I trust you,” she told Anya and then silently repeated the statement several times to herself until she felt calmer. “So, where do I fit into all this?”

“Bait,” Jase piped up from the side of the room and then yelped in surprise as an elbow sunk into his ribs without any warning.

“Idiot.” Remington glowered at Jase. “That’s a hell of a way to explain it to her.”

“While his tact needs work, I’m afraid Jase is basically correct.” Anya swept her hand out over the design, pointing to another, smaller circle drawn at the heart of the star. “You’re his focus, so it must be you who calls him. You’ll stand just outside the smaller circle until you are certain he has entered the pentagram. Once we are sure we have him, you will step into the innermost space. He will not be able to follow you there, and it will protect you from him while I finish the incantation that will entrap him.”

“Why can’t I be in the smaller circle to start with?”

“The protections that are worked into that part of the pattern will shield you from him. If you are standing in it, he won’t be able to sense you and he won’t hear you call to him.”

“Bait it is then.” Michelle stared at the arcane markings for a long time while the logical part of her brain carried on a lengthy diatribe about how salt thrown on the ground couldn’t possibly do anything but season her nicely before serving her up to Robert on a platter. She finally cut off the negative voices by reminding her logical side that it didn’t believe in ghosts either, but they were most definitely dealing with one now. With that, her thoughts finally quieted.

“What do I do, Anya?”

“The four of us are going to take up a position just outside the circle. Each of us will stand by the point of a ray of the pentagram. We’ll leave the top spot empty. That ray represents spirit, but in this case, the two spirits involved will be inside the pentagram. Once we’re in place, you will make your way into the topmost point, and we’ll begin.” Anya glanced around, her gaze finding the three men hanging back near the door. “Shoes off gentlemen, it’s time to begin. You, too, Michelle. Bare feet will ground you better.”

“Is that why you don’t wear shoes?” She couldn’t resist asking as she toed off her runners and carefully removed her socks from her still-tender feet.

Anya laughed and whispered back, “I say that’s why, but the truth is I just prefer to be barefoot, and who’s going to argue with me if I tell them it’s better that way?”

That little bit of shared laughter helped her feel better again, and the sight of all the men looking slightly awkward in their bare feet brought another smile to her face.

“Are you sure this is necessary?” Remington gave Anya an expression of long-suffering misery. “It’s bad enough having you wandering around barefoot.”

“Hush, Geoff, it’s necessary. Now if you would take that point over there, that’s earth, perfect. Sinjin and Jason, take your places at water and air, there and there. And I’ll take fire.” Anya took her spot, and they all looked expectantly at Michelle. “Take off your talisman, Michelle, and then make your way to the spot I showed you.”

Sin took a step toward Michelle, concern and worry written on every line of his face. “You never said anything about her taking off that talisman.”

“He won’t go to her otherwise. It’s all right, Michelle. It’s time to end this.” Anya gave her a reassuring nod before gesturing for Sin to return to his place.

She dropped the talisman on the ground outside the circle and then carefully stepped inside, watching to make sure she didn’t touch any of the salt-inscribed lines. She got into position and turned to look at Sinjin. “If this doesn’t work, I’m hiring you for twenty-four-seven security from now on, so don’t plan on walking away again.”

“I’m not going anywhere, baby.” He crossed his arms over his chest and seemed to root himself to the floor, making his point clear.

“All right then.” She took a deep breath. “Robert?” Nothing happened. “Robert, I know you can hear me, so you might as well show yourself.” Still nothing. She gritted her teeth and swallowed down a rising wave of nausea as she realized what it would take to draw him out. She was going to have to do the one thing she swore she’d never do again. She was going to have to appeal to his ego. She took a deep breath and let her voice lower to a low, sensual whisper. “Bobby? Bobby, it’s me, Chelle. I know you’re mad at me, Bobby. And you should be. I deserve it. But, honey, I’m sorry I left you.” She heard Sin’s breath hiss over his teeth, and she avoided looking at him, knowing she’d feel even worse if she did. “Sweetheart, come here so I can touch you again, please? I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you so much. You just scared me is all, but it’s okay now. I understand what you want.” She spoke every lie-soaked word in the soft, crooning tones she’d once used to calm him down from his rages, and she hated like hell having to do this again.

“Chelle.” The faintest whisper sounded from a corner of the room.

“I’m here.”

“My Chelle, missed you.” Again his voice came, stronger this time.

“I missed you, too, sweetheart.” She lifted a hand to the open air and struggled to stay calm. “Can you touch me again, like you did that first night?”

“Yes.” The voice was much louder now, and almost smug in tone. A swirl of air brushed past her and the voice came again. “Mine, my Chelle.” The wind picked up, and soon it was blowing strong enough to make Anya’s skirts flare slightly. Something stroked her cheek, and she managed to accept the caress without flinching. Her top flattened against her body, and it felt like hands were smoothing up her ribs, reaching for her breasts.

“You’re here, Bobby? Here with me?”

“Yes, Chelle.”

She caught Anya’s faint nod and moved toward the inner circle just as the phantom hands touching her reached her breast, and she bit back a cry of pain as something pinched her, hard. She rushed for the protection of the inner circle, forgetting about her injured feet. She made a misstep, and the pain made her stumble, and at that moment, she knew she’d made a terrible mistake. Her foot dragged through the salt, breaking the inner seal, and Robert’s touch followed her into what should have been her sanctuary.

“Mine.” His voice was full of dark laughter, and memories flooded her mind, memories of other times Robert had come after her. The other times he had hurt and mocked her.

“No!” she denied him. He was already trapped, and she’d be damned if she would give in to him, even without protection. The wind whipped around her, and soon she felt like she was inside a tornado. The wind made her eyes stream with tears, and the howling noise it made filled her ears. Deaf and blind, she hid her face with her arms and screamed for the only person in the world she knew could help her. She screamed for Sinjin.