Seconds ticktocked away while all of us waited for Brandon's final word. He met my eyes, narrowing his, and his face hardened in a calculating expression for a long moment. Until he set his jaw, breathed deep and finally rolled his eyes with a curt nod.

"Okay, okay," he grumbled.

"Then get a shower and a bite and go to sleep," said Amy. "We'll be back at four."

Trisha and I had already put everything away, and headed to the front door after Amy in complete silence.

Back to the Manor, Amy sent us both upstairs for a shower and stayed in the kitchen, instructing Susan about what we needed for lunch. I don't know if it was because of our face-off the week before or because Amy was almost her age and gave orders like a five-star general, but Susan did as she said without any questions.

I was startled when I heard Amy knock on my bathroom door to check on me. She seemed worried after seeing the state I was in when we'd finished the cleansing a while earlier.

"Mind telling me what you felt?"

I got out of the shower while I told her how different it'd been on my end compared with the first time. She helped me wrap myself in my cozy robe and followed me back to the bedroom.

"No need to eat if you're not hungry, Fran," she said. "But you should try to sleep at least a couple of hours."

I searched my closet for clean clothes, going over the cleansing in my head.

"Did I do anything wrong?" I asked.

"You did great, way better than I'd ever expected. But that sucker took up more energy than you were able to channel and you ended up depleted. That's why you need to be restored before trying again. Sleep will help, and drinking as much fresh water as you can."

Trisha stuck her head into my room, her hair dump and dropping on her shoulders. "Am I missing the coven's briefing?" she asked, smiling.

"No, you and I are gonna have lunch and let Fran be," Amy said, turning to smile back at her.

"You okay, Fran?"

"Sure, just tired."

They left and I got dressed, feeling my mind oddly numb and blank. I blamed it on that energy exhaustion Amy had talked about and turned to my bed. Nope. I didn't exactly think it, but rather felt it. I did want to sleep, but not there. I knew exactly where I would get the best rest. So I fetched my sleeping bag, grabbed my phone and went back downstairs.

Amy and Trisha were serving their lunch and paused when they saw me walk into the kitchen.

"Are you gonna spoon with Dr. Octopus?" Trisha asked mockingly.

"So funny," I replied, heading to the basement.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Amy with one of her motherly frowns.

"I wanna spend a while with Kujo, just to check on him, and I gotta sleep. So I'm gonna take my nap in the basement."

"Are you fucking crazy?" Trisha whispered, just in case Ann was around.

"Wake me up in two hours," I replied, starting down the stairs.

Joseph and Kujo seemed just as surprised when they saw me cross the basement and open my sleeping bag right in front of the corner.

"Damn, it's cold down here," I grunted, getting into the bag.

"Keep warm," said Kujo.

"Oh, that'd be much appreciated." I covered myself up to my head, resting on my side with an arm bent under my head. A moment later, it was like I had one of those electric blankets covering the sleeping bag. "Oh, my, thanks! But don't waste your energy on this, okay?"

"Price is watching," Joseph warned.

"Right, the camera. Never mind. I wanted to have a quiet while with you guys, so let him make of this whatever he wants."

I was warm and I felt safe. I fell asleep a minute later. A deep, restoring sleep without any dreams.

Amy woke me up two hours later to have a quick lunch before going back to battle. I thanked Kujo yet again and followed her up the stairs, feeling rested like I'd slept a whole night.

"I definitely have to write a book on you two," Amy said, bringing me a steamy plate of spaghetti and meatballs with parsley and a tad of garlic. To protect me against vampires, I assumed.

"Why?" I asked, sinking my fork in the food and realizing I was starving.

Trisha came in the backdoor with the twins while Amy answered my question.

"You nap by a half-breed demon like he's your guardian dog, and he was sitting right by your side with his hand on your sleeping bag, watching over your sleep. I mean, what the hell?"

"Well, Bella had a hot half-naked wolf boy to keep her warm. I have Kujo." I smirked, winking at her.

"The story of your life!" said Trisha, laughing.

"Tell me about it."

Amy studied me for a moment and smiled, nodding as she sat down opposite me. "But it worked. You're ready to roll."

The exact words Brandon had texted me the night before.

"How are the Blotters doing? I'd hardly had a break to share any time with them since our distinguished guests arrived yesterday."

"They're fine," Amy and Trisha replied at the same time. "Hoping and waiting for all this to be over, the sooner the better," added Amy.

After lunch, I texted Brandon. The pickup truck was still parked outside the guesthouse, meaning they hadn't fled yet. I just wanted to make sure they were expecting us.

"Come before I change my mind," he replied.

"We better do as Haunter charming says," said Amy.

Isaac didn't welcome us with one of his big smiles, but with a gloomy sigh, and I think it was a clear reflection of what all of us felt. If I tell you that shirtless Brandon hardly caught my eye, maybe you get an idea of my state of mind. They came to stand with us in the circle like it was their last prayer before their execution, and kneeled down in the same mood.

This time, it felt like two hours instead of thirty minutes. I was able to recite the incantations aloud, which helped me stay focused, and carry my intention down to my hands. They went cold and colder, and I experienced a weird resistance from Brandon's skin, especially when I had to touch the back of his neck. It felt like it was covered by a thick layer of leather, and I wasn't really touching him. I refused to even wonder what that feeling could mean, because like Terry Pratchett used to say: the trouble with unimaginable horrors was that they were only too easy to imagine. Once again, I felt him shiver and fight his need to shift away from me, just as I heard his muffled grunts, and forced myself to ignore them too. I plowed through it all, even when my head started aching, my heart pounded like a war drum, my sight blurred and cold sweat covered my whole body under my clothes and the light robe.

The end of the cleansing was like a bomb going off in the middle of the room, pushing us all away from each other. I staggered back, and would've fallen on my butt if Trisha hadn't rushed to my side to hold me up.

"Take her to the kitchen," I heard Amy say, and she sounded like she was three rooms away, all their thick walls between us.

I let Trisha guide me across the room, and on the way, I saw Brandon bending over on all fours and Isaac crumbling down on an armchair, grabbing his shaved head with both hands. I think I also heard them growl and moan. Trisha pulled up a chair to the counter and helped me sit in the right way to let my hands hang under the cold fresh water, that didn't feel as cold as my fingers. She left a bottle of water right by the sink and hurried back to the living room.

The running water seemed to breathe new energy into my body, spreading slowly from my numb fingers up my arms, to then reach my chest and my head. I was able to take in a deep shaky breath, like I'd been underwater for too long. I didn't even try to move until the tingling covering my legs from hips to toes receded a little, but was lucid enough to hear Isaac scamper to the first-floor restroom, sick to his stomach. I also heard Amy speak in a low, dull voice, but I couldn't understand what she was saying. The sound of dragging feet approached the kitchen as I closed the tap and grabbed the bottle, feeling my throat aching dry.

"You okay?" asked a hoarse, raspy voice from the doorway behind me.

I glanced back to find Brandon resting all his weight on the doorframe, one hand on his temple and the other on his belly, his head sunk between his shoulders, his pursed face pale and covered in sweat. I managed a nod. He nodded too and kept dragging his feet toward the stairs, to start the slow climb to his room.

It took me some twenty minutes to be able to stand up and leave the kitchen. Isaac was sprawled on the couch, arms crossed over his face, moaning under his breath. Amy and Trisha had already picked everything up, and I could tell Amy was almost as drained and exhausted as I was.

We didn't waste our breath talking on our way back to the Manor.

"We're fine," said Amy the moment we walked in through the backdoor. "Fran just needs a good night sleep. Yes, it's working. I think we can be done by this time tomorrow."

I think the cat ball on the table was flashing and some words came out of the tablet and my phone, but I don't remember what they said. Trisha helped me up the stairs and I crashed on my bed right as I was, shoes on and all.

I didn't fall asleep: I passed out, happy to sink into the nothingness that I hoped would help me get back on my feet in the morning. That's the last thing I remember of that exhausting day.

Until the loud thuds from the basement woke me up past midnight.