me. “You’re a nuisance.”
“You sound like Zeke. He always calls me a pest.”
“Then I suppose you’re gifted at annoying not only ghosts, but humans as well.”
“Are you?” I asked, studying his perfectly smooth skin and elegant features. “Human, I mean.”
“Of course I am.” He glared at me before moving his gaze to the objects on the table. He grabbed a vial of something red and sprinkled some into the bowl before doing the same with a vial of black and another that looked like it held salt.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, watching him ground the contents together.
Callum stopped a moment, but he kept his eyes on the bowl. “No one should feel like a prisoner in their own body.” He started grinding the powder again. “Besides, the spirit needs to be put to rest. I’m doing this for them more than you. No offense.”
“None taken. What’s that for?” I motioned to the bowl.
“I should’ve brought a muzzle. You ask too many questions.”
I laughed, remembering Zeke saying something similar. As a thought struck me, my laugh died away. “Do you think the curse can be broken?”
“Yes. But don’t ask me how,” he said, and I snapped my mouth shut. “To break the curse, you must first know why it came into being.”
“And to find that out?”
“Ask your ghost lover,” Callum answered. “However, you should know that if you break the curse, it will set the spirits free. You’ll lose him.”
“I’ll lose him anyway,” I said, as my heart squeezed in my chest. “Eventually.”
“Are you ready to begin?” he asked in a softer voice than before. “Once the ritual starts, I can’t stop it.”
“Can you tell me what exactly you’ll be doing?” I swallowed the lump in my throat as my stomach rolled with anxiety. My palms started to sweat. And fuck, it was getting even harder to hold my head up.
“Marking you with a defense sigil,” Callum said. “It will prevent the spirit from taking control. Think of it like a strong sedative. The mark will only last a week, though. That’s when we’ll need to perform the banishing ritual.”
“On Halloween?” I asked, after counting the days in my head.
“Yes. The veil is at its weakest on All Hallow’s Eve, which makes it especially dangerous given that the spirit will be at his most powerful. But it’s also in our favor as well, for I will be at my most powerful too.”
“Will it hurt when you put the sigil on me?”
“A bit,” he responded in a regretful tone. “I need to put it over your heart, so you’ll have to take your shirt off.”
“My, my.” I clicked my tongue. “If you wanted to see me naked, Mr. Gray, you could’ve just asked.”
His eyes fell shut as he took a deep breath. When they opened again, I saw nothing but irritation at first. But then his cheek twitched with a smile. “If I was going to ask anyone to strip for me, it certainly wouldn’t be you.”
“Would it be Taylor?”
Callum avoided my gaze as he cleared his throat. “Take off your shirt, Carter.”
His non-response was definitely telling. My friend might’ve had a chance after all.
I tugged off my hoodie and removed the shirt beneath it before settling back in the chair. Just that little bit of movement exhausted me. That nasty-ass green goo had zapped my energy.
“When I begin, the spirit will react,” Callum explained, as he grabbed the dagger. “He will sense the restraints being placed on him, and he’ll lash out. I had to weaken your body so he would be slowed somewhat. Please do not speak or get up from that chair. Do you understand?”
I nodded. My heart raced like crazy and my breaths shook.
Callum ran the blade over his palm before letting his blood drip into the bowl. He muttered an incantation, and my eyes widened when purple smoke puffed upward from the contents. He breathed in the smoke and tilted his head back, still speaking in a language I couldn’t understand.
That’s when I felt a tug inside me.
“Stop this,” a voice said.
My head lolled forward as my strength waned. With my eyes growing heavy, I watched as Callum dipped a finger into the bowl before rubbing it across my chest. The spot burned where he touched me, and then that burn turned to a searing pain.
I threw my head back and clenched my teeth together to keep from crying out. I felt Philip trying to take over. My arm jolted forward against my will to