His knuckles tightened around the book’s spine with a scrunch. “I’m not. All blame lies firmly at the demon’s feet. How on earth could he let such a complex, powerful spell be cast on one of his properties?”

  Great. I’d come here to distract Vince. Not to give him an echo chamber.

  He closed the book with a snap, his jaw tightening. “You may still trust him, Harper, but you need to understand he’s a demon through and through.” Vince’s tone dropped in a dire warning.

  My stomach kicked slightly. If you wound the clock back two months and dumped Lux’s card at my feet – the same one I’d found in Vince’s prison cell – maybe I’d react. But I’d learned a lot – too much to ignore. I’d fought by Lux’s side, and I knew his sincerity. “This has nothing to do with Lux and everything to do with me and our enemy.”

  “Nothing to do with Lux? He almost got you killed.” Vince’s voice went up in a question like he was reminding me I could’ve died. True. But Lux had saved me. I’d be cactus if he hadn’t pulled me onto his lap and shared his heat.

  Realizing this would take time, I sighed and glanced at my feet. “It’s not that easy. That spell appeared in Lady Edwina’s mansion. Someone powerful must be casting them. Plus, you know as well as I do there are plenty of people on the dark side who want to get rid of Lux.”

  It was like Vince had been waiting for me to point that out. He straightened, the color returning to his cheeks in a wash. “There are. Which is exactly why he’s dangerous. Even if,” his jaw tightened again, “Lux himself doesn’t wish you any ill, the entire dark side most definitely does. They’re days from a massive power struggle. Lux won’t survive. If you stick too close to his side, neither will you.”

  Once, I would’ve reacted to that. Dire warnings handed down by powerful vampires shouldn’t be ignored. Now I tilted my head back and watched Vince, seeing him for what he was. Scared. That’s right – the powerful, barrel-chested, magical vampire was afraid.

  I was too. But remarkably, I was dealing with it better.

  Beth pushed close. When we’d arrived, she’d shot off to check out the library. She returned. “As fun as it would be to waste our time talking about this, we should investigate this library. There must be many important things here.”

  “Yeah. I’m sure there are. Have you got any history books?” I asked Vince. Maybe Beth was right. The best way to move on was to just shove forward and move on regardless of Vince’s crackling anger.

  “There are history books on every single subject you can think of. What is it you’re interested in?” Remarkably, Vince dropped the topic of Lux for a few seconds to ask that.

  “St. Marion’s Mansion,” Beth announced.

  Ouch. That was one way to stop Vince from bad mouthing Lux. Why not mention Vince’s own shady past?

  My eyebrows locked together, released, and locked together tighter. I waited for Vince to explode. Remarkably, he didn’t.

  He pivoted and strode to the left. The library was a giant semicircle. Seriously, cataloging it would be murder. Vince still strode to the right section. He plucked out a book. I say plucked. It was a giant tome you could definitely kill a goblin with. Maybe even a grown man. Chuck it on anyone’s head, and they wouldn’t wake for weeks. Vince still grabbed it with ease. He opened it. The front cover snapped like a lock. “This book can essentially tell you everything you need to know about the mansion.” Vince made eye contact with me, not Beth, though she’d requested the information.

  I sucked my bottom lip through my teeth and dragged it slowly. “Ah… thanks.”

  “You could of course just ask me,” Vince added. His expressions said nothing, his jaw barely moving.

  In the past month since my fight at St. Marion’s, I’d spoken with Vince a couple of times. Nothing long. Nothing detailed. I didn’t want to push. Vince was good. At least I needed him to be good. What if after a few minutes of digging under the surface, I found out I was wrong?

  What if Vince was knee-deep in Lord Omega’s troubles?

  I could think those questions. They just couldn’t affect me. It was like querying whether the sun would rise in the morning. A pointless task.

  “Fine,” I rose to Vince’s challenge. “What do you think I need to know about St. Marion’s Mansion? It must be important, considering Lord Omega fought there. I just assumed,” I made even steadier eye contact, “he chose it as a location due to its innate power. Lord Omega clearly likes to let others know he’s strong. What better way to do that than by piggybacking off already existing powerful structures? It’s kind of like wandering into some other king’s chambers and stealing their crown and throne. Right?”

  I shouldn’t have added the last bit. This was meant to be a triumphant, friendly statement that proved to Vince I was firmly on his side. Instead, indecision crept in. Vince’s expression didn’t help. Something hooded his eyes, the same thing tightening his jaw.

  I got it. Lord Omega was Vince’s primary sore spot, a man who could ruin everything, destroy the city, and undermine the magical community worldwide. He wasn’t a name I should casually bandy around. But Vince…

  He handed the book over. “If you have questions, you can ask,” he said.

  .. I had asked if he thought there was anything I should know about the mansion. Maybe that was too open.

  Bethany hovered close, remarkably letting Vince go. She was good at going toe-to-toe with the vamp. Apparently today she was too distracted. When I didn’t leaf through the hefty tome fast enough, she pulled it from me with a float spell. She started to flick through the pages seriously fast until they blurred and the fluttering paper wreaked havoc with my fringe. I stepped back and frowned at Vince.

  Predictably, he turned, plunged a hand into a pocket, and pulled out his phone. He tapped on the screen. I couldn’t see what he was doing. Some spell hid it.

  … If I were paranoid, I’d freak out.

  What would the vamp hide from me? How about his old fiancée?

  I tried not to think of her actively in Vince’s presence. The memory of that smiling woman rose anyway.

  Vince would never have told me about her unless I pushed.

  Because the man did have secrets.

  “Did you know, Strathgordon Castle is just as deep as it is tall?” Bethany announced as she continued to leaf through the book.

  “St. Marion’s Mansion,” Vince snapped, unusually flashing his teeth. He showed them all the time with Lux. The demon was an enemy.

  “What’s the difference? Why is it called St. Marion’s anyway? Isn’t it customary amongst vampires to name castles after their most important owner?” Beth asked.

  If looks could kill. That said, Vince didn’t want me dead. He quickly turned that simmering stare onto a patch of the floor. “St. Marion… refers to my mother.”

  I blinked. I knew increasingly more about Raven, Vince’s father, but nothing about his mother.

  A pronounced frown dug through my lips like a farmer with a sharp spade.

  “Who was your mother?” I asked.

  Vince didn’t respond. So much for answering every one of my questions.

  I could push. I should. Guess what happened when I tried? Predictably, Vince’s phone rang. He took several steps away and answered it in a low tone. It left Beth and me together. She dragged the heavy tome close. “It’s deep, Harper. Extremely deep.”

  “The castle wasn’t that tall. What,” I scrunched my lips and sifted through my memories, “ten stories? Something like that? That means ten basements—”

  “Do you remember how many you encountered?”

  “Three maybe.”

  “Which means there were seven levels beneath the culvert and the dungeon. Seven levels. What do you think Lord Omega hid there?”

  My stomach tightened. “But the Council has gone through it already.”

  “The Council is one thing. We’re another.”

  I looked straight at Beth. This whole mess had begun when Beth had told me to run from the Council. Seconds after finding out magic was real, she’d decided I should run from Vince, not that we’d known it was him.

  Somewhere deep in my stomach, part of me still suspected the Council. My fear was buried deep, deep down, that said. Potentially as deep as Strathgordon Castle. I knew I ought to refer to it as St. Marion’s Mansion. Strathgordon Castle was better. It gave it a more distinctly horror vibe.

  Vince didn’t return for a while. He strode outside the massive, carved oak door and only returned after half an hour. Beth flipped through various tomes she found.

  Strathgordon Castle was interesting, massive, and important. And though I’d visited multiple times, I wanted to head there again.

  First, apparently, I’d head home.

  “Something’s come up,” Vince snapped in a hard tone. “Return to your place. It’s non-negotiable. Stay there until the morning.”

  “Vince?”

  “I’ve got this,” he said, shoving his phone back into his pocket with stiff knuckles. He wrapped his hand around the fabric like he thought I’d dive over and grab his cell. I wouldn’t know how to remove his security enchantments even if I did.

  “Vince?” I tried one last time.

  He glanced at me over his stiff shoulder. For the briefest flicker, warmth engulfed his face. It lasted 0.1 second. “I’ve got this,” he tried. It was an attempt, not a promise. To have something, you must be more powerful than your opponent. Nobody could best Lord Omega.

  Chapter 8

  I woke in the morning, bleary eyed, sore all over, and with a parched mouth.

  I knew better than to throw myself out of bed and head to the kitchen. Not only did I have housemates – I often had demons visiting at odd hours. Beth let Lux in whenever she wanted to upset me.

  I dressed, grabbed my pounding head, and walked down the stairs without tumbling.

  I reached the kitchen. No one was up. I peered through thick snow clouds clogging the horizon. I’d been wrong. It hadn’t snowed last night. I wouldn’t be wrong again. By the end of today, there’d be a blizzard.

  The house wasn’t cold. I still shuddered, grabbing my leather jacket’s collar and yanking it high. I poured myself a glass of water, walked over to the fridge, caught the handle, and muttered, “Something warm.”

  I’d given it an open-ended request. A mistake. I yanked the door open, the fridge shaking from the effort, to see a bowl of steaming hot water.

  I arched an eyebrow and closed the door. “Something I wanna eat.”

  I opened the door to reveal a bowl of melting hot chocolate.

  I pressed my tired face against the enamel handle and sighed. “Something healthy and—”

  Virginia chuckled. I’d sworn she was still in bed. She appeared in the doorway in her pajamas with a bathrobe tied around her middle. “How can it know your mind if you don’t know yours?”

  “Sage advice,” I flopped a hand at her dismissively, “but I can’t follow it right now. My head pounds, it’s gonna snow later today,” I gestured at the window, “and my head pounds. Have I mentioned that?”

  She laughed softly. “Might have something to do with the fact you almost died yesterday.” Her voice broke. “Beth told me everything. Harper,” she clenched her teeth, “you got out by the skin of your teeth.”

  I laughed. “My teeth don’t have skin.” I tapped the enamel, opened the fridge door, and for some reason was disappointed when the contents hadn’t changed.

  “That’s the point of the saying. You got out by sheer luck alone. It won’t happen again.”

  I straightened. My brain told me to collapse. My heart told me to try harder. I looked Virginia in the eye, wanting her to know I had this. “Next time,” I announced that, knowing there’d indeed be a next time, “I won’t be caught on the back foot. I now know how to fight my reflection spell. Just as I know Lord Omega will try to catch me with one again.”

  “That’s good. But it’s not enough.”

  My brow crumpled. “It’s all I’ve got.”

  She took the time to slowly slap her chest. “You’ve got us. Artie,” she called.

  “What’s up?” His deep voice rumbled from across the entranceway and into the lounge.

  “You got Harper’s back?”

  “Any day, anytime,” he replied with the swift genuineness of someone you could trust.

  I scrunched my lips. “Thanks.”

  “Roll call ain’t done yet.” Virginia pressed her lips together and whistled. “Beth? Where are you? Beth?”

  A tremendous knocking came from upstairs. “Who dares upset my beauty sleep?”

  Virginia snorted. “You’re a glowing orb. You look the same day-to-day. You don’t have a single freaking wrinkle—”

  “Because I’m dead. I assure you my corpse does.” Beth appeared beside Virginia.

  Virginia made a face. “Not a cool joke, sis. Anyway, I brought you down here to tell Harper you’ve got her back. You’ve got her back, don’t you?”

  I waited for Beth. She insulted me, true. She always pulled me up when she needed to.

  Now she paused and watched me.

  Virginia frowned and nudged her. “Beth? Beth? Don’t leave us on tenterhooks. You’ve got Harper’s back, don’t you?”

  “Only if she has her own. Stop being pathetic. I know you have a headache. Pull yourself together. We have research to do. I have a target,” she announced importantly.

  I straightened and frowned. “Target?” I took that to mean a, you know, target. Someone like Lord Omega. For some reason, I thought of Bastion, the wayward vamp who’d caused me so much trouble a month ago. My hand tightened into a ready fist.

  “You shan’t be punching anybody, Harper. You shall be reading instead.”

  “You mean research. Where? Back at the Council library? It has so many tones,” I practically melted at that admission, “but I don’t wanna head there. I… look, I think I just want to avoid the Council for a bit, okay?”

  Virginia’s gaze sharpened. She said nothing. Beth, sensing my strange mood, hovered close. “A smart plan. Fortunately, I don’t intend to take you there. There’s another library. A large library I once sent my students to all the time. It’s not the one in town. Virginia knows all about it.”

  “You mean the Mystic Library, don’t you?” She slid her finger down her jaw and thought hard. “Great place to start. Basic information, though. Unless you can get access to the secret collection. Good luck with that. Vampires guard it.”

  “I have a hunch. And I remember some books there that can help us. Harper, get dressed.”

  I frowned down at my slacks, jacket, and snow boots. “What do you think this is? A bikini?”

  Beth chuckled. “Now, a bikini would be a nice change. Would you finally gather the courage to throw yourself at Lux if you wore something more alluring?”

  I arched an eyebrow. My pounding temples told me I couldn’t put up with this right now. “I think I’d get cold. I’d also get covered in carpet burns.”

  If Bethany could have, she would’ve grinned. “Now, now, you don’t even know how demons sleep with their lovers. It’s in the air. Not on the carpet.”

  Remarkably, I didn’t react. “I meant from the fights I’m sure will ensue today. A bikini is inappropriate clothing for a truth seer. Not one as active as me.” I sighed, knowing today really would end in a fight. If it did, I needed to fuel myself properly. I straightened and stopped acting pathetic. “Fridge,” I announced in a clear tone, “peanut butter toast, a black coffee, and a small bowl of fruit.”

  The fridge shook, magic escaping the seal. I opened the door, grabbed my food, sat, ate, drank, and stood.

  It was quick enough that Virginia didn’t move from the doorway. She watched me approach then grabbed my shoulder. She fixed her fingers in hard, and I felt her practicing necromancy force. “Yesterday could have killed you. Seriously, Harper, if you run into another reflection spell, you won’t be as lucky.”

  “I’ll be smarter. I know how I defeated that spell last time.”

  “And so does Lord Omega. He’ll simply adapt.”

  My lips scrunched. Before fear could grip me too hard, I nodded at Beth. I flicked my fingers forward, and we strode into the entranceway. I grabbed my keys from the bowl on the hallway table and walked out the door. A brisk, chilling wind met me. It slapped my cheeks until they reddened like raspberries. I rubbed them. “Definitely snow weather.”

  “You’ll be inside most of the day. You do know how to research, don’t you?”

  “And fight banshees, track the truth, and order food from the fridge.” I completed my long list of skills on my fingers. I flashed her a grin, opened the car, and jumped inside. I closed the door, helped by a sudden gust of wind. It grabbed a pile of old leaves, scattering them into the air. They twisted around, rose up the porch, then splattered over the walls.

  It felt like a warning for the day. A reminder this could all end with death.

  I shrugged off Virginia’s comment that Lord Omega would adapt.

  I needed to at least feel I had an edge.

  Drumming my fingers on the steering wheel, I turned to Beth. “Where are we headed?”

  “Let me drive.”

  “Absolutely not. You don’t have a driver’s license.”

  “I did as a human.”

  “You’re a soul shard.”

  “The distinction between me and my old self is thin. I think you’ll find soul shards are so rare there are no laws pertaining to what happens when one loses their state-approved licenses.”

  “Is that your fancy way of saying that there are no laws that say you don’t have your driver’s license anymore so you’re just gonna assume you do? There’s a bigger problem—”

  “No, there isn’t. I need practice.”

  I twitched. Beth had driven before – when I’d saved Lux’s life on the way to Strathgordon Castle. “Fine. I’m sitting right here in case you plow into any old ladies on Zimmer frames.”

  “You forget that old ladies on Zimmer frames are smart creatures. They’ll jump out of the way, I assure you.”

  “They’ll have mobility issues, hence the Zimmer frames.” I sighed. Why did my conversations with Bethany always become so weird so quickly?

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30