Forces Beyond The Grave

11.2

She watched Jay's reaction, which was to smile and let out a laugh. 

"You can't get to her." 

"And that's funny to you because?" 

"Because even if my team can't find me, she will. The one person you want to keep away from me, you can't, because you're not strong enough."

Letting her frustration get the best of her, Evelyn grabbed Jay by the throat, dragging him up against the wall. 

"I don't need to get to Lennox, I have you. What do you think you're here for Jay? A tea party?"

She let him go, and he dropped to the floor struggling for breath, but managing to keep himself in an upright position. His body felt like a stack of weights, making even the slightest movement feel exhaustive. 

"Here? Where am I?" He asked, controlling the urge to cough out a lung as she turned to face him. 

"The manor. You've always wanted to see it, right?" She smiled as Jay's confidence suddenly nose-dived. 

As prepared as he'd always been to come to Lennox's rescue when she needed it, she'd always managed to keep him out of the manor and for good reason after everything he'd heard. But now, after taking a long look around the room, he recognised the big cage to the right of him as the one described to house Kaila's body for two years. Evelyn tilted her head, sensing the wave of nerves that had just hit Jay as he laid eyes on the cage. 

"What? What's the matter Jay?" She crouched beside him again. "Not a fan of enclosed spaces? Or just scared of the dark?" 

"Why are you doing this?" He turned to her quite suddenly, causing the smile to drop from her face as he frowned. "She's your daughter. She's not some legend Evelyn she didn't ask for this, she doesn't want to do this." 

"She will die if she doesn't." 

"She'll die if she does! What do you think is gonna happen when Ekaterina takes over her body? Huh? Lennox isn't just some fantasy you want her to live up to she's a person, a real person with a real life and the second she agrees to this you will lose your daughter. If she's just meant to be a vessel why would Ekaterina keep her around? She'll take over, Lennox will die, you can't be okay with that." 

Without even a hint of emotion, Evelyn smiled. "This is her destiny. This is what she was born for Jay. And you can't stop it. We won't let you." 

She waved her hand, and when the door to the cage fell open he stared at it as the air suddenly became black with mist. He was dragged away from the wall towards the cage as she stood up, and as hard as he struggled, it made no difference to the effortlessness with which he was hauled through the opening. 

"No, no you can't- Evelyn don't do this!" As soon as the door closed he was freely able to move, at which he lunged towards the cage door, hoping the force of his body would be enough to push it open.

 "Open the door." He looked up at Evelyn, who stood and watched as he was thrown back against the bars of the cage. 

He winced as the metal pushed against his shoulder blades, causing enough of a distraction for the same chained collar Lennox described as restraining Kaila to be clamped around his throat. 

"I'm sorry Jay, but my daughter only has one weakness. You. I'm trying to save her life. You understand." 

"No I don't understand. Evelyn? Where are you- don't make her do this! Evelyn!!"