The Witching Hour: 11 Enchanting Novels Featuring Witches, Wizards, Vampires, Shifters, Ghosts, Fae, and More!, page 107
I put a firm hand on his cheek. He finally looked at me. "Download it now."
Ivan's smile lit up my day before he set his tea back on the coffee table. He turned around and leaned against the sofa's back. He had his hands on his knees and closed his eyes. I wondered how long it would take or what it would look like.
Nothing…and I mean nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.
The lights in the room flickered like they did when I turned on my printer. Ivan moved forward as he put his hands together as if in prayer. He slowly pulled his hands part and as he did, green lights flickered and moved back and forth between his fingers. He continued to pull his hands apart as the green lights formed themselves into a book.
Not a very big book, maybe the size of a hard cover. It was little more than an outline in different hues of green. The lights moved faster and Ivan bowed his head. I could see strain on his face. This was draining him again.
The green darkened and shifted to brown. The leather surface of the book hardened and took shape as the pages formed on the inside. Maybe five minutes passed since he started, and he was sitting there, hands held out as a book formed and floated between them.
Abruptly, the lights brightened again and the book fell into his lap. Ivan would have fallen face first off the couch if I hadn't scrambled forward and nearly stepped on Grey to get to him. He held onto me as the book slipped from his lap to the floor.
I was worried about Ivan. He was heavy against me and his breathing was ragged. "Ivan…" I felt my own magic stir, giving him a few jolts where he needed it.
His breathing evened out, and he finally sat back on his own. "I don't want to do that again for a while."
"You don't have to."
Grey growled at the book on the floor. She was also on her feet, staring at it like it was going to attack her.
I gently pushed her aside and picked the book up. It was light and instantly made my fingers numb.
I let it hit the coffee table, where the impact made the coffee cups jump. "That's odd. It was light in my hand, but hit the table like a stack of books."
"The weight hasn't evened out yet. Just give it a second or two."
"And you've never done this before?"
"No. But I somehow know how to." He turned his expressive eyes to me. "Is this how it works? Magic, I mean. It sort of folds in on itself sometimes and then it does something bigger and different than before?"
"Yeah. This is how it works. You should have seen me the first time I healed anyone. But right now you're going to need sleep."
"I don't have a choice." He leaned in and kissed my cheek. "You can have it now. It won't transmute again. You can count on it." He stood, stumbled his way to the smaller room, and closed the door.
I sat on the couch and stared at this book.
A book of Arcane Magic.
I could smell it.
It made the air acrid with its stench.
When I reached out to touch it again, Grey nudged my hand away with her nose. She was looking at me as if pleading. Every time I tried to touch the book, she pushed me away. Frustrated, I grabbed her by her collar and dragged her into my bedroom and locked the door.
She howled and barked at first, until I closed the wards around my home, instantly silencing her and everything else as I gingerly pulled away the thin, leather-like covering and opened the book.
SEVENTEEN
My ringtone jolted me out of an hour of frustrated reading. It was the same damn drivel I'd read years ago. The same translation that made me throw it at the wall then made me want to chuck it out the window now. Ina had used my mom's athame to see the writing hidden under the printed copy of that book. I might have to borrow Mom's athame to read what was in this book. I slammed the book shut and shoved it under the couch before I realized there wasn't anyone else in the room but me, and whoever was calling me couldn't see what I was doing. I didn't know why I felt so guilty reading the book, but I did. I think it was because it was something forbidden; something I'd always been taught was dangerous to me.
Everyone said Arcane Magic was bad. Well, how was something supposed to be bad if you couldn't find it?
I lifted up my hip and dug the phone out of my back pocket. "Yeah."
"It's me," Crwys said.
"I thought you weren't talking to me anymore."
He paused, and I imagined he was trying to hold his temper in check. "Just come downstairs."
"Are you in my shop?"
"I'm in the back. With Levi. And if you try to banish him, I'll shoot you where you stand."
I hung up. That bastard. How did he get in with my wards up? I stood and pulled the lace curtains covering my wall of windows to the side. His Mustang was parked on the road below.
There weren't any missed messages from the hospital, so I was pretty sure whatever was bothering him wasn't about Robin. I shoved the phone into my jeans pocket, grabbed the book, and headed downstairs. But before I stepped into the store, I went into the basement and hid the book in one of the boxes marked business papers. I threw up a few wards, but felt pretty confident the book wasn't as visible with the leather covering on it.
Levi was dressed in his usual suit and tie, looking as classic as ever. He offered to make me a cup of tea and I nodded. Crwys, dressed in worn jeans, boots, t-shirt and leather jacket, looked less classy, but very sexy. He stood at the opposite end of the table with a folder in his hand. I looked at Levi. "What's wrong?"
"You'll see. But," he said as he held out his hand, "keep an open mind, okay? And try not to banish me before you hear him out."
Crap. Crwys told Levi I threatened him. "You two mind telling me what this is about? Why the stoic looks?"
"Sit down and take a look at the folder, okay?" He didn't look at me. Grey came down the stairs and padded up to me. I didn't know how she got out of the room…unless Ivan woke and opened the door. She didn't seem angry with me for locking her up, so I ran my fingers through her thick coat as I sat in a chair and pulled the folder towards me.
The name on the tab read Elizabeth "Eliza" Alexandra Hawthorne, Lt. Detective. I froze. "Why do you have a folder with my mother's name on it?"
Levi pulled the chair out at the head of the table and sat down. "We know who's behind the Changelings, and it's not Medbh."
"I know. It's a demon named Dionysus." I looked at Levi. "One of your family?"
The two of them exchanged worried looks. It was Levi that changed his appearance though, as his eyes became solid black and his voice took on the dual nature of a Vampire when their demon spoke through them. Levi's demon's name was Ashur. "Yes…he's one of my family. A distant brother, much older than myself. I'm still fairly young by comparison. Don't worry about the he or she pronoun. It's not important. Once Dionysus learned he could take any human at any time, sex no longer mattered to him."
Crwys snorted. "Sexual partners never mattered much to him either, if I recall."
Ashur/Levi shrugged. "I forgot you knew Dio before he stepped out on his own."
I looked from one to the other. "Can we get to the point?" The comment about Crwys knowing Dionysus wasn't lost on me. I just didn't have the time or the patience.
"Dionysus isn't like us." Ashur put his hand to his chest. "There are those in my family who don't bond with a human soul, but would instead—"
"Ride them like a magic pony. Yeah, I know." I loved the looks of shock and confusion on their faces. "I'm not totally helpless without you two. I can find things out on my own."
"So I see." Crwys leaned forward and put his hands on the table. "Dionysus and his kind are called—"
"Leviathans." I pushed back from the table. "Look, this is nice that you decided to share this information with me, especially after you swore you were walking out, but I have things to do."
"Sit. Down." Crwys's voice vibrated throughout the entire shop, and I was on my butt before I knew what hit me. Grey sat beside me and whined. I put my hand on her head, but she was looking at Crwys as if pleading with him.
"Grey, I'm sorry, but now that I know the truth, Sam's got to know." He looked at me. "Your mother went up against Dio in one of his many hosts. And he's the reason she disappeared." He pushed the file toward me again.
Levi spoke up. "Your mom and her partner were investigating a body they fished out of Lake Borgne. Eeasel Westin, art dealer out of New York. That dealer had hired a professional thief to steal a painting from the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson. Apparently when she went to deliver it, she either double crossed him and he ended up in the river drained of blood or he tried to double cross her and she took her fill. Either way, a priceless painting was stolen and a man was murdered."
"Your mother had a reputation as a Tracker in the magical community, didn't she?" Crwys had me pinned with his red-amber eyes. "That was her special Gift from being an Elemental, where yours is healing."
"That's all I know about her." I closed the folder. "Look, I already know this. I know it was Dionysus that hired Medbh to make my mother disappear. She wasn't killed in the line of duty, not the way I was told. She was destroyed by the Queen of Faerie in return for the soul of Dionysus's host."
Levi snapped his fingers. "That's the missing piece to all this!" He jumped out of his chair. "Crwys, that's why he's going after Medbh…to get that soul back."
It was my turn to snort. "So I learned something you didn't?"
Levi looked ecstatic, but Crwys didn't. "Sam, where did you get this information?"
I suddenly felt very protective of Ina. I hadn't shared much of her with Crwys because she was the only family I had that understood what I was and embraced it. "I've done my own research."
"Where?"
"Crwys, you said we were done and you walked out on me. You bring shit in here I already found out and expect me to just drop everything and obey you?"
If it weren't for the look on his face, this next statement might have made me mad. "Of course I do. You're a woman. Women do as I say."
Levi rolled his eyes.
I came from around the table and stood inches from him. I had to look up and hoped the difference in height didn't make my look of determination look more like a stomachache. "I…don't!"
He opened his mouth, closed it, and stepped back. "Why do you smell like a dragon?"
A dragon? I thought of the leather covering on the book and what Ina said about it being covered with a dragon's wing. Dragons weren't real. That was ridiculous. But…why did he pick that particular creature to compare the smell to?
Levi held out his hands as he moved toward us. He put a hand on my shoulder. "Sam…what's happened? I noticed the redecoration of your shop, and I'm guessing it wasn't another Changeling?"
I swallowed and stepped back. I figured it might be a good idea not to let Crwys smell me again, in case he decided to search my place and find the Hammer. "Dionysus came here and tried to take Medbh. They took Ivan."
"Christ." Crwys raked his fingers through his hair. "Did you call the cops? Let them know he's been kidnapped? What in the hell would your brother want with Ivan?" He glanced at Levi.
Levi looked just as confused. "I have no idea. Did he offer to trade Ivan for Medbh's head?"
They were both looking at me. I couldn't tell them the truth. If they knew I was looking for the Hammer, they would try to help and, in Crwys's case, interfere because he and Ina did not want me using that magic. Ivan was just upstairs, so concealing him wasn't going to work. I had to come up with a plan that would buy me time to figure out what I was going to do with that book.
"Ivan's upstairs. Dionysus gave him back to me."
Two shocked expressions.
"Is he okay? Are you sure it's him?" Levi asked.
"Yeah."
"So you spoke to Dionysus? You know who his host is? What do they look like?"
"It's a woman. Blond. About five-ten. Very leggy. And she's got Ghouls with her."
Levi nodded. "Yeah, they like Ghouls. Once they make one, they can use it like a puppet."
Crwys held up his hand for Levi to stop talking. "You have to listen to me, Sam. Dionysus is dangerous. He's a liar and he has no regard for human life, do you understand? Whatever you do, don't make deals with him." He licked his lips. "Is Dio looking for the Hammer?"
I nodded.
"Has anyone found it?"
I shook my head.
My phone rang, startling me with the buzzing against my butt. I pulled it out of my pocket. It was Ina. "Hey, it's a bad time right now."
"Sorry, but it's a bad time all around. Have you seen Arwen? Some of the others said she left the party last night, and her roommate said she never came home."
"I have a few things to tell you about that one." I glanced at Crwys. He and Levi were talking in hushed voices. "But I need to do it face to face."
"Well, come on over. Oh, did the necklace work?"
I didn't have the heart to tell her what that necklace did. "I showed it to her…but I think it was a bad idea. She's not talking anymore."
"Damn. Can you bring it with you?"
"Sure."
She disconnected.
I chewed on my lower lip as I kept the phone to my ear as if I were still talking. I liked the idea of bringing Ivan. Then I could show Ina what happened and show her the Hammer. But come to think of it, where was Kyle? I hadn't seen him since I was picked up at the hospital.
I hung up and pressed his contact number. The phone rang and went to voicemail. I hung up and texted him a message instead, telling him I was headed over to Ina's and taking Ivan with me. The mention of Ivan might actually catch his attention.
Shoving the phone into my pocket, I told the two of them to wait there. Down in the basement, I grabbed the all-white head of Medbh, the rowan box with the necklace inside, and the book. I couldn't let them see the book, so I put the rowan box and book in one of the grocery store bags I used for picking up trash and brought both of them back upstairs. Setting the bag on the steps up to my apartment, I approached the two of them and set the head on the table.
"What happened to it?" Crwys leaned in to get a better look.
"I have no idea. I was hoping maybe you two could figure that out." I held up the phone. "I have to go pick up Kyle. Ivan's upstairs sleeping after his ordeal, so I'm going to tell him where I'll be. And you two…please don't bother him."
"We need to find out what happened," Levi said.
"If you want to help, take the head and find out what happened to it. Find out if she's still in there, because I can't hear her." I grabbed the bag and headed up the steps as they wrapped the head up in a dishrag and headed back through the front.
Grey followed me up the stairs and growled when I set the book back on the table in front of Ivan. He looked better. Still bruised, but better. "I hate to ask this…"
He made a face. "Oh no…you want me to upload it again?"
"I think when you turn it into code, it becomes invisible. And right now, I need it invisible with Crwys and Levi snooping around. I'm heading over to Ina's for a little while. When I come back, you can download it. Just stay here with Grey and rest." I looked at Grey as she sat by the stairs down. "I need you to stay here with Ivan and watch him."
Grey whined and hung her head as she slowly walked to her bed by the window and plopped down on it.
I kissed his forehead, grabbed a few things, and tossed them into the bag with the necklace. I lifted my jacket off the hall tree by the stairs and headed to the back…and remembered my Jeep was still at the hospital.
EIGHTEEN
I grabbed a cab to the hospital and half ran, half walked to my Jeep. The sky still threatened rain. It smelled and tasted like rain, but not a drop fell. Once in my Jeep, I cranked it and stared at the hospital. Robin was in there. Dying. Expecting me to come back to him. I pulled my phone out and gave the front desk a call to ask about his condition.
His condition had worsened. Robin was in a coma and not expected to survive. He had less time than Rose had.
That was another thing I was going to have to tell Ina, that the salve we painstakingly made did no good. If anything, it might have accelerated things. I wasn't surprised. Ina and I were working against Arcane Magic. Neither of us knew what we were doing.
I drove the car to Ina's and parked in my usual spot. I didn't bother with any kind of protection on the Jeep. If it rained…well…qué sera and all that shit.
The door was open, so I stepped in. I didn't see any of her students and assumed she wasn't teaching that day. "Ina?"
"I'm in the kitchen."
With the bag in tow, I meandered through the house to the large, spacious kitchen. The center table was laden with baskets of apples, pears, oranges, and bananas. "Wow Ina…you getting ready for a Sabbat?"
Ina stepped in from the herb room, a basket of clipped plants in her hand. "Sam…it's October thirty-first."
Oh. Right. Crap. "I'm sorry. Between worrying about Robin, Ivan, the Changelings and Arden"—I sighed as I set the bag on the counter and pulled the rowan box out of it—"I haven't even considered what day it was."
Ina set the basket next to the sink and washed her hands. "I figured Kyle would want to help out with Sabbat celebrations, and Ivan would at least want a good, hot meal after his ordeal."
"I have no idea where Kyle is. I haven't seen him since the hospital. Ivan's resting with Grey." I put the box on the table a beat before something clicked in my head. It wasn't so much an epiphany as my brain looking back at what Ina had just said. Ina knew Ivan was missing—I hadn’t told her.
I enjoy the challenge of puzzles. Not the kind with a million cardboard pieces you put together on the dining room table, but puzzles that unlock mysteries. I always thought if I weren't a Witch, I'd have been a forensic technician or a pathologist. I liked reverse engineering things. Even now as I turned to watch Ina, my brain was carefully sifting through everything that happened since that mother showed up at the shop. Actions, deeds, words, comments…especially the comments.
