Page 94 of She Haunts Me Still

Mallory kneels beside her. “Let’s start at the beginning. Lily died in 1890 and was buried in the cemetery beneath the gardens. Her grave was exhumed afterward, and her heart was cut out by a man named Jacob.”

Saskia leans back on her hands. “Her heart was offeredto…something. She pretty much confirmed it in the prop loft.”

“Something she’s still afraid of,” Mallory adds. “It was with us in the loft, almost like it’s attached to her. But it isn’t another spirit. Lily said it was somethingworse.”

Mallory scoops up a library book. She thumbs the pages until she reaches the section she’s looking for, labeled “Types of Hauntings.” Saskia leans over, reading along.

“Residual hauntings, intelligent hauntings, poltergeists…” Saskia shakes her head. “None of these are right, because they’re all spirits. We need to think beyond—”

Her words dissipate as Mallory flips to a section titled “Demonic Entities.” They exchange a glance before bending again to read.

“Look.” Mallory points. “ ‘Throughout history, there have been people who have worshipped demons, providing gifts in exchange for favors, or summoning them through evocations and macabre offerings.’ ” She pauses, thinking of the raging bonfire she’s seen in her dream, the cloaked men huddled around it. “That has to be it,” she says. “Lily’s heart wasn’t fully burned. Maybe it was never even burned at all. It was given to a demon. And it hasn’t left her alone since.”

“I think you’re onto something,” Saskia says, tilting the book. “It says if a demonic entity is successfully conjured, it can linger in our world for years—centuries, even.” She glances up. “But ultimately needs a human host to thrive. And it can change hosts over time.”

“A host.” Mallory frowns, thinking of Ezra recounting that case from Germany, the woman who underwent sixty-seven exorcisms before she died. “Can I see that?”

She takes the book from Saskia, flipping to a section labeled “Demonic Possession.” A coldness spreads through her body at the words, and she swallows.

“ ‘According to some demonologists,’ ” Mallory reads, “ ‘possession is not always immediate. A demon can only gain entry to a human’s body after invading their living space and wearing them down psychologically. Signs of demonic infestation include cold patches, foul odors, electrical malfunctions or stopped clocks, invasive banging in groups of three…’ ” She falls silent.Once demonic infestation is underway, it becomes challenging to evade the entity without intervention. Most demonic entities cannot be destroyed, only weakened with certain objects like silver, iron, holy water, or holy wood. In some cases, demonic possession is inevitable. In many, it is fatal.

Mallory absorbs the words. She brushes the bite marks on her neck and admits in a whisper: “This is exactly what Ezra’s room is like.”

Saskia studies her. “I don’t understand. What does this have to do with Lily?”

“Lily’s heart was supposed to be burned because it still had blood in it,” Mallory says, voice shaking. “That was the so-called sign of vampirism, even though there’s a scientific explanation, like that pastor said. Jacob capitalized on people’s fear of infection so he could offer her heart instead to a demonic entity. Herbloodyheart.”

“Right…”

Mallory closes the book and turns to Saskia. “The demon that received Lily’s heart must be the same creature that spoke to you earlier. The same one that’s been using Ezra’s body as a vessel. It broke him down. It possessed him.” She swallows. “I saw it. Ifeltit. It’s not a vampire, but it feeds onblood. Lily’s blood—my family’s blood. And maybe because it hasn’t gotten mine yet, it’s trying to wear me down in some way, too, messing withmyhead, poisoning me.”

Saskia’s eyes widen, understanding. “Holy shit.”

But the hypothesis doesn’t feel satisfying. Instead, guilt churns inside her. Mallory suddenly imagines Ezra as a boy, poring over documented cases of possession, not knowing that the ideas that once brought him comfort would one day read like a narrative of his own undoing.

“What if it’s my fault?” she whispers.

Saskia frowns. “What do you mean?”

“This demonic creature—it wantsme,” she says. “Because I’m from Lily’s bloodline. What if it’s been using Ezra to get to me? What if, all this time, I thought Ezra was some kind of monster, when he isn’t one at all?”

“Mal.” Saskia leans forward. “Ezra isn’t innocent in this. You said so yourself. He attacked you.”

“But maybe it wasn’thim.”

“You said he held you down. That he bit you.Infectedyou.”

“He and the demon may not be one and the same.”

Saskia’s eyes bulge. “Does it matter? Hedrankyourblood! While you begged him to stop! And lied to you about all of this. That sounds pretty demonic to me.”

“He wasn’t—”

“Why are you defending him?” Saskia snaps. Something darkens in her eyes. “Are you still in love with him?”

“No.” Mallory shakes her head firmly. “Sas. I never was.”

Saskia sits back against the bed, blowing hair from her face. She grabs the blue teddy bear that she tossed to the floor earlier, hugging it against her chest.