He couldn't sleep. Each time Thane closed his eyes, all he saw was her. Sometimes it was her face in passion, but mostly it was the look of desperation she'd worn as he walked out. He hated himself for doing that. He should have just opened the damned door. He could have made up some excuse. He could have said he didn't latch it right and take the punishment - but he knew the Church would never forgive that.
He just wanted to see her again. He'd planned to tell her he was sorry, but nothing had happened the way he'd expected. He'd been told to summon her by calling her true name. First, he'd tried the one they gave him, but that hadn't worked. He hadn't really expected it to. After she'd jumped out of the hotel window, once he'd gotten home, he'd Googled "Valka'' and saw it was tied to Vikings. He'd also looked up a lot of the common names from that time, trying to imagine her living in that world. But, if that was truly her name, then her last name would end in dotter. All women's last names did. The one they'd given him had been Sorensen. That was the masculine version. The one for a son. If he accounted for the change in language, there was really only one option left. She had to be the daughter of a man named Sjoren.
He'd tried Valka Sjorensdotter and nearly panicked when he'd felt the cold hands of death pulling at him. She'd started out completely invisible, and nothing was freakier than getting pawed by a ghost. A horny ghost, if the placement of her fingers had been any indication.
Thane sat up in bed with a gasp. That was it! A ghost! Undead. She'd killed herself to get out of that cage. He didn't really understand what she was, but she'd used almost all of the "demonic" abilities he'd ever heard about at one time or another. The thing they all had in common? They could be summoned with their name!
He flung the blankets off and scurried across the room, flipping open his laptop. The glare of the screen almost blinded him, but he had to know. She'd left a symbol. It had to be a message. There was only one thing he could think of that she'd been trying to tell him.
As soon as the browser opened, he typed in, "Chinese symbol for lies". In milliseconds, Google answered. A click on the images tab at the top and he had to pull out the chair. Dozens of variations existed, but they weren't that different. Not enough for him to be sure which she'd used. All he knew was that he was right. Even her dying message was that the Church was lying. As Dahlia bled out the last of her life, she'd still been trying to convince him. Not them, but him.
She just had no idea that he was already convinced. His hands might be tied, but out of sight was out of mind. The Cardinal had said the room had been prepared for her summoning, but did he mean just the illusions to catch her? Was there something else required to bring her back? And if he was going to do some research, then he might as well check on that word she'd called herself.
He clicked the navigation bar again, but this time he typed, "Idelon". It was the closest to what he could remember her saying, and he had no idea of the correct spelling, but Google knew. It offered back results with a pretty line in blue declaring: "Showing results for eidolon". Beneath that was the definition.
ei·do·lon
noun
1. an idealized person or thing.
2. a specter or phantom.
In other words, a ghost. A very perfect ghost, but still, she wasn't the demon they made her out to be. She was something else. Before he could convince himself not to, Thane grabbed his keys and wallet. This was something he didn't dare do at home. If his brother asked, he'd say he went out to find some girl to get Dahlia off his mind. It was almost true.
His first stop was the ATM. Money had been what kept her here, so a wad of cash would come in handy and only help his story. Next, he found a cheap hotel. He didn't want something nice, simply because people in those places paid attention. Nope, a dive would be perfect. He wanted the kind of place where everyone pretended not to hear or see a thing.
Checking in was all too easy. He gave a fake name and the man behind the counter didn't care enough to make sure it matched his ID. Hell, he barely even looked at the piece of plastic when cash was being offered. Thane wasn't really sure the money ever made it into the register, but he got a key.
His truck went around back. A black full-size crew cab truck wasn't really the sort of thing that stood out, but it was closer to the room this way. By the time he unlocked the door and stepped in, it was nearly two in the morning, but Thane didn't care. It meant he'd have enough time to talk to her before anyone wondered where he was.
He locked the door using the chain, the deadbolt, and the panic lock. After that, he checked the room for anything she could use as a weapon. There wasn't much, but she'd already proven to be resourceful. He'd need the lamps over the bed, but the one on the dresser could go in the closet. She was pretty lethal with those and would definitely be pissed at him. When he was convinced there was nothing else he could do, he kicked off his shoes and tossed himself onto the bed. He just hoped there wasn't a reset timer on calling a ghost back from the dead.
"Valka Sjorensdotter," he said into the darkness. "I need you with me. Come closer. Valka Sjorensdotter, show yourself."
Over and over, he repeated the phrase like a mantra. The words became a chant and his body relaxed, falling into a comfortable meditation. Beside him, the clock kept time, red digital numbers proving that he wasn't dreaming. After ten minutes, he just used her name. Breathe in, say her name, exhale. It was a ritual of its own. Not the one the Church had given him, but it felt right. Just as his body begged for him to give up and sleep, something changed.
At first it was just pressure in the air, like a storm was looming, but the cold came next. He called her name again. This time, he felt her. Like ice, a hand pressed against his calf, pulling, dragging him somewhere. He held fast, hoping to serve as an anchor, and called her name again. Another hand clasped his thigh, the fingers biting in hard enough to bruise.
"Valka," he begged. "Come on, you can do it."
Then he felt her hand at his throat. It was cold and weak, but still strong enough to hurt. The words that followed sounded like they echoed up from hell. "I won't let you live to call me again."
He couldn't see a thing, but he could feel her. "Right now, I think you need me."
"I'm not going back in that cell."
"Not in a cell," he assured the darkness. "I'm in a hotel. I don't think there's even a Bible in this room."
The hand around his throat loosened, but only barely. "Why?"
Thane sucked in a long breath. She was giving him a chance. That had to count for something. "Because if I turn you loose out here, the Church might not be able to call you back."
"You killed Mei." Damn, her voice was terrifying like this.
"I didn't know. They sent me over to the coffee shop with a priest to see if the report of a blonde leaving that hotel was accurate. A hotel in Farmers Branch said people matching your descriptions had been there. The priests were tracking you in any way they could, including calling for information on a pair of 'criminals.'" He reached to his throat, hoping to feel something more than the pressure of her. "Valka, you need to come all the way back."
"Don't call me that!" The words hit him like ice. "Don't ever say that name, inquisitor!"