Ninth House

Back at the dorm, Alex changes outfits. She tells her roommates she is going on a date with a local guy, but instead heads to Darlington’s house where Pamela is already cooking food. That night is the new moon and they will attempt to bring back Darlington.

While Alex is searching through Darlington’s papers for his notes on the Bridegroom case, Dean Sandow and Michelle, the previous Virgil, arrive. Together with several other society members, they attempt the ritual that is supposed to bring Darlington back. Something goes wrong, however, and Alex feels the same otherworldly presence as the one she sensed the night of Tara’s murder.

What appears is “a monster—there was no other word for it—horned and heavy-toothed, so big its hulking body blotted out the night sky. A boar. A ram. The rearing, segmented body of a scorpion” (371). Dean Sandow chants an incantation and banishes the creature.

Michelle tells them that what they saw is a hellbeast, which must have consumed Darlington body and soul.

Back at Il Bastone, Pamela and Alex plan to spend the night at the clubhouse. Before they can shower or order food, however, someone knocks on the door. A