Page 102 of Haunting the Deep

“You shouldn’t go alone,” Mary says.

“Elijah will be with me.” My voice is stubborn. “Please, just figure out how to help them.”

I run toward town the back way, Elijah by my side. We head up a narrow alley behind Redd’s building.

Elijah stops in the shadows.

I turn around. “What are you doing? We don’t—”

“I cannot follow you,” he says.

“You mean into Redd’s protected room? I—”

“Samantha, you must ask her to allow me in, to adjust her spell,” Elijah says. “Or bring her out of that room so that I can hear what she says.”

“I’ll do what I can. It all depends on time.” I turn, but he touches my arm.

“Promise me you will not sign that dance card while you are in there.”

I look at him. “I’ll do everything I can not to.”

He takes a step toward me. “Promise me.”

“Elijah…”

“Samantha, you know as well as I do that if you sign that dance card, you will be putting yourself under another spell.”

“Believe me, I have no desire to sign it. But I also have no idea what I’m being threatened with. You remember Redd’s warning. You saw my dad and Mrs. Meriwether.”

“Still, you must not sign it,” Elijah says.

My mouth opens in disbelief. “What are you even saying right now?”

“If there is danger, we will find a different solution,” he says.

“With what time?” I say much louder than necessary.

“If you sign that card and go to that ship, I cannot protect you. What if whoever threw you overboard succeeds this time? What if Redd’s warning was about you?” His intense eyes hold mine. “If you die there, Samantha, you could get trapped just like all the other souls.”

Suddenly it’s hard to breathe. I know he’s right.

“If you sign that card, I might never see you again. There are many things I can endure. But that is not one of them.” For the first time since he came back, he feels like the old Elijah. And it hurts.

I step backward. “Don’t you dare say something like that to me right now.”

He doesn’t flinch. “I am saying it.”

“You’ve been here for months without a word. You gave me no explanation. And now you…you just can’t.”

“I am aware how unfair it is to say these things to you. But this is more important than being fair,” he says.

I shake my head. “I don’t buy it. You’re suddenly worried about being around me after months of…”

Elijah moves close to me, his gaze focused and insistent. “You asked me if I had the opportunity to pass on with my sister. I did. But I did not take it. There was never a question of my leaving, knowing you were still here.”

I’m at a total loss for words. It feels like someone is tearing my heart in two.

My phone buzzes. I break eye contact with him.