“And now we’re camping out in an abandoned warehouse, hiding from the police? And the fake exorcists?”

He nodded and took a bite from his bowl. “And from the Church in general. And the degenerates.”

And the degenerates…

I wasn’t leaving town without my sister. “So, are your friends in New Temperance?” I reached for my stew, and suddenly my arms felt heavier than the full bowl.

“They are now. We have another…place. It’s nicer than this one¸” he added, and I could hear the apology in his voice. “But it’s not safe for you to be on the move yet.”

My hand shook as I tucked the blanket tighter around my legs. The heater was only two feet away. Why was I trembling? “Because the police are still looking for us?”

“Yeah, but our real problem is that you just exorcised your first demon, and—”

“Whoa…” The warehouse tilted around me, and I almost dropped my bowl. “Something’s wrong.”

Finn set his bowl down and glanced at the watch on his left wrist. “Yeah, that’s about right. How’s your head? Any pain?”

“What’s happening?” Vertigo washed over me, and I threw one leg out to keep from falling sideways.

“Okay, hang on. Let me help.” He stood and grabbed the extra pillow next to his.

I blinked, trying to draw the room back into focus, then set my paper bowl on the ground and pushed it back with a shaking hand. My pulse raced, and that only made me dizzier. “What’s in the stew, Finn?”

“This has nothing to do with the food, I swear.” He squatted next to me and set the extra pillow beside mine. “Here. Lie down.”

But I scooted away from him clumsily. The warehouse spun, and suddenly my clothes felt like chain mail instead of cotton.

Panic danced in my chest and I tried to stand, but the signal Flee! got lost somewhere between my brain and my muscles. My other leg shot out and my foot flipped my bowl. My arm collapsed behind me and my shoulder slammed into the bare concrete. “What’s wrong with me?” I demanded, and my words were slurred.

“You’re gonna be fine. Try to hold still, Nina. Don’t fight it or you’ll hurt yourself.”

Terror made my pulse trip when he reached for me. “Fight what? What’s wrong with me?” My words were a mishmash of soft syllables, like verbal baby food. The warehouse was going dark from the edges of my vision inward, as if the night was spiraling in on me.

“Just close your eyes and try to relax….”

The rest of his instructions got lost as the world went dark, and the last thing I saw was Finn’s green eyes staring down into mine while he lifted my head and slid a pillow beneath it.

***