Lawrence pulled the phone away before it ended. “I would be more worried about everyone else finding out. Do think Black Bird will be okay with a rogue witch living in their territory? Not a chance.”
Air sobbed out of her lungs. It felt like a bottomless chasm opened in her chest.
He braced both hands on his knees and leaned into her space. She was forced against an invisible wall. “Ivy Stevens, you are going to find what Caterina Genetti hid in these woods and you are going to give it to me in seven days. You will not tell anyone what you are doing. If you break this bargain, I will reveal your secret to the world.” The words rang with power.
He didn’t move. He kept his body pressed against hers. She couldn’t breathe. She struggled to keep from touching him. He didn’t budge. Ivy felt tears slid down her cheeks. She wanted to shove against him. To force him out of her space.
She needed him gone. She needed his body away from her. She gave one tight nod.
“That’s not how this works. You need to say it,” Lawrence demanded.
Ivy closed her eyes, “So, mote it be.”
“So, mote it be,” Lawrence whispered.
Magic flared around her lips, binding their contract. Both of them sagged. Ivy felt helpless. Lawrence looked relieved. He stood up and dragged a hand across his face.
Ivy sniffed. She wanted to rub the tears off of her face. Lawrence gathered himself together. He looked worse for wear.
When he didn’t say anything, Ivy cleared her throat. “So, where do I start?”
Lawrence held out the diary. “This is your best bet. Caterina wrote most of the entries after she and David fled. If there are any clues, they’re there.” Neither of them moved. “Well go on,” Lawrence prodded, “take it.”
Ivy glanced down at her frozen torso then back at Lawrence.
“Oh, right.” Lawrence pointed at Ivy and hissed, “Fusióne.”
Ivy’s body drooped. She groaned as feeling returned to her legs. Gingerly, she grabbed the diary from Lawrence.
“Remember,” he warned, “the Salici Sacri are highly motivated to get the grimoire. It won’t be long before they make a move. Keep on the lookout.”
“Any advice on how to do that?” Ivy didn’t bother hiding her snark.
Lawrence shook his head like he thought she was stupid. “The fact that they’ll be witches isn’t a huge red flag?” Lawrence strode towards the bathroom door. “You have a week before I release this video to the town.” He shook his phone in Ivy’s direction. “Happy hunting,” he called as he shut the door behind him.
Ivy leapt from the toilet seat throwing the door open. The hall was empty. The bedroom and the kitchen were empty. Lawrence was gone.
Ivy looked at the book in her hands. The leather was stiff and cracking in areas. The pages were roughly cut and brittle. If she had any luck, they carried clues that would lead to a Benandanti grimoire.
Suddenly, she had a headache. Ivy pressed her fingers into her temples.
Walking back into the bathroom, she shut off the shower. She shook her head. What a waste. She’d have to call the landlord about the broken sink in the morning too.
Taking the small book, Ivy went to her bedroom. The Benandanti had survived. Lawrence was claiming to be their last remaining descendant. What a day.
Chapter Seven
Ezra stopped midstride. He was on his way to walk Ivy to work but there was a little old lady bent over her doorstep. He stepped back and watched for a moment. The old lady set something down and turned around. She started when she saw Ezra standing behind her.
“What were you doing?” He asked in his meanest tone. His chest puffed up ready to snarl.
Now that she was facing him, he recognized Margot Jennings, Ivy’s next-door neighbor. She raised her chin defiantly. “You know a witch lives there, right?” He didn’t answer. He narrowed his eyes. She flinched, realized what she had done, and straightened. “Stupid wolves, always protecting their strega. It never changes fate.”
Ezra had no idea what she just said but it didn’t matter. He lifted his lift showing off sharp canines. “If I ever see you near Ivy, I will chase you until your old bones give out. Do you understand me?”
The old lady narrowed her eyes. She raised two fingers and spit between them. With a huff she shuffled back into her apartment.
Ezra shook his head. He bent to see what she had left on Ivy’s door mat. It was a string of brass bells. He crushed each one in his fist and threw them into Margot’s plant graveyard.
He took a deep breath trying to release some of the anger he was feeling. He raised his fist to knock when the door flew open. Ivy jumped when she saw him standing there.
Her eyes went wide and the hand holding her keys fisted. Ezra saw her eyes dart around him searching for something. In a flash, she stepped forward and slammed the door shut.
“Ezra,” Ivy greeted with forced cheer, “what are you doing here?”
He held up a travel mug of coffee. “Derek said you went to Miller’s last night. Figured you might need this.”
Suddenly, she relaxed. A sweet smile curved her lips. Ezra couldn’t say what made him stop at the coffee shop this morning, but seeing Ivy smile, reminded him quickly. He loved that smile.
She accepted it. “Thank you. That is so thoughtful.” Ivy’s smile dropped and her eyes narrowed. “Why are you being sweet?”
“Like I said, I figured you needed it.” Ezra reached out to take the coffee back. “If you don’t want it, I can always…”
“No,” Ivy cried, pulling the cup away from him. “I just,” She cleared her throat. “Thank you. I’ve uh, got to get to work.”
She squeezed past Ezra careful not to touch him.
“Ivy.”
She turned around her eyebrows raised, “Yes?”
He tilted his chin towards the door. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
The blood drained from her face. She tried to chuckle but it came out as a breathless cough. “What do you mean?”
“Aren’t you going to lock your door?” Something was up.
Her shoulders relaxed for a fraction of a second before she made a show of slapping her forehead. “Duh. You threw me off my groove.”
Ivy darted forward quickly locking her apartment. In the year they had dated Ezra had never heard her say “groove”. Something was definitely up.
He followed her as she walked to Anne’s store.
Derek said that she had been upset on the way home last night. Ezra noticed dark circles under her eyes. He tried to remember if they had been there yesterday. He couldn’t remember.
Ezra leaned forward and sniffed. He caught the heady scent of earth and the sharp undertone of mint. Ivy. He inhaled deeper. There was something there under the static charge of magic but he couldn’t place it. She didn’t smell sick.
Ivy stopped and turned around, “Um. excuse me. Did you just smell me?”
Ezra shrugged. “You’ve lived around wolves. You should be used to it by now.”
She made a high-pitched noise. “Well, most people are discreet enough that I haven’t noticed.” She straightened suddenly, “Where’s your brother?”
Ezra felt his cheek twitch. “He's checking out a lead. We still need a personal item of McDowell’s.”
“Oh,” Ivy flushed. “Of course.” Abruptly, she turned around and started walking again.
Ezra strode forward to walk beside her. She picked up her pace. He got the feeling that she was trying to avoid him. Damn, he had hoped that they had made some progress last night.
Now, he was doubly glad he had run that errand last night. He gently touched the bulge in his coat. It hadn’t been easy to get.
“Hey, Ivy?” He cleared his throat. She stopped abruptly and gave him a polite smile: tight lipped and thin. “You didn’t tell me what I owed you for your help yesterday. I’m not sure what the exchange rate is for magic so let me know if my bargaining is off.” He gently pried the bundle from his pocket.
He hadn’t wrapped it or anything. He had grabbed the first thing he could that would keep it from breaking. He grimaced when he handed her the plastic bag. Ivy eyed him suspiciously.
Carefully, she unwrapped the bundle. Her eyes lit up. She gasped quietly. Without a doubt, she recognized it.
It was a small, oval frame. The antique gold had intricate detailing at the top. It was one of their mom’s old frames. Something that had been put into a box and forgotten for nearly a decade. He was glad for they had it now.
At the center of the frame was a single rose. The flower sat completely open; each velvety pink petal on display. Pressed between two pieces of glass, the delicate petals formed a single layered crown around its yellow center. The frame was small enough that the rose took up the entire center.
Last night, he had broken into her apartment in Monroe Springs and stolen it. Originally, he had wanted to steal some of her stuff back. There wasn’t much worth bringing back.
Sometime in the last two months, Ivy’s old apartment had been trashed and taped up. There had been a letter stapled to her door. It looked like an eviction notice but read like something out of a history book. Monroe Spring had sealed up Ivy’s apartment while they waited for a Pack priest to cleanse the apartment.
He had flushed the note down the toilet.
Most of Ivy’s stuff had been destroyed. They had torn apart her clothes and books. Her pictures had been broken, along with the stuff in her kitchen. The floor was littered with all of the little things Ivy put on every flat surface: tiny vases, clocks, candles. None of it salvageable.
The rose they had given her had survived the destruction by sheer luck. Someone had knocked it into the sink. Still, two months in a locked apartment had not done it any favors. He had only managed to salvage one blossom. Hence, the DIY craft project.
Ivy ran a thumb across the glass, lovingly, “How did you get this?”
Ezra nearly sighed in relief. She liked it. At least his instincts weren’t off.
He ran a hand through his hair. “Broke into your apartment.” Ivy didn’t say anything. “Let me know if I owe you more. I’m not sure how much magic yesterday took.”
Ivy cleared her throat. “No, this is perfect.” She smiled at him. It was small but it was genuine. She looked at the rose. “This is a good trade. I get to keep a piece of my favorite rose and I get to imagine you pressing a flower. Consider your debt paid.” She gave him a cheeky smirk.
He rolled his eyes. She could be as much of a smart ass as his brother. He loved it. “So, when do you need to go back to see the Coven?” He asked to change the subject
Ivy smirked and tucked the frame into her coat. “Ezekiel told you about that?” She snorted. “They’ll call when they need me. Don’t worry though, I’ll take Zeke with me.”
Ezra couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face. Ivy had just called Ezekiel by his nickname. He wasn’t sure if she even realized she had done it. “Oh no, he insisted that I went the next time you went to visit the witches three.”
Ivy groaned, letting her head drop dramatically. “They weren’t that bad. They’re less intimidating than some of the grumpy bears masquerading as old ladies in this town.”
Ezra chuckled quietly. He would have called the old ladies of Black Bird vengeful harpies but bears were a good description too. “I don’t think Ezekiel is scared of them.”
He’d called them the cheapest circus on earth. Although Ezekiel had warned him that Patricia liked to pinch. He wanted Ezra to experience it all first hand.
“Then why would he…” Ivy’s face fell. “It’s the witch thing isn’t it?” She tried to hide how much that thought hurt her. She didn’t go a good job.
Ezra’s stomach clenched. “That’s not it,” Ezra said quickly. “Ezekiel is terrified of handsy octogenarians. He won’t go in there alone anymore.”
Ivy’s head shot up. Her eyes went wide. “No,” she cried.
Ezra nodded solemnly.
“I was there the whole time! How did I miss that?” She grabbed a handful of pale blonde hair.
“I guess those old ladies can move quickly when they want to.” Faster than Ezekiel had expected anyways.
Ezra opened the door of Chic Chick. Ivy blushed as she walked past him. For a second, it felt like they were dating again.
“Hey Ivy, did you see where I put the receipt for those necklaces? The ones we put them up earlier this week?” Anne yelled from behind the cash register.
And just like that, their little bubble burst. Ivy nervously straightened her coat. Ezra rolled his shoulders trying to relieve the sudden tension.
The only part of Anne he could see was her bun. Piles of paper were stacked on the countertop. Anne’s hand slapped another piece of paper onto one of the stacks.
“Let me put my stuff down and I’ll help you look.” Ivy called back as she jogged to a door marked “Employees Only.”
This was the first time Ezra had been inside Anne’s store since it had opened. He and Ezekiel had helped set up some of her displays when she’d bought the space, but neither of them were apart of Chic Chick’s target market.
Ezra could appreciate that Anne must know what she was doing. The store looked nice. Roughly finished oak tables and oxidized metal clothing racks gave the store an upper-class country feeling. There was a mixture of clothing, jewelry, and knickknacks carefully displayed all around. From what Ben said, she was always selling out of merchandise.
Ezra noticed Carol Spencer looking at a picture frame with necklaces hanging where the picture would have been.
Carol’s daughter, Evie, was the same age as Cassidy. He and Ezekiel saw Carol a few times a month between high school football games and giving the girls rides. She was a good woman, if a bit too chatty for his likes.
Anne popped up from behind the counter. “I thought I smelled a Tate,” she said. “Are you here to bug my employee? Was Ezekiel busy?”
Ezra didn’t bother telling Anne that he had actually won a coin flip to be on guard duty today. “Nope.”
“Sorry, Anne,” Ivy said as she came back to the main room, “I forgot to text you. The brothers are going to be my shadows for a little while.”
Anne folded her arms and gave Ezra a once over. He rolled his eyes at her calculating look. Ben was starting to rub off on his girlfriend.
“I guess we could give him a name tag and say that he’s a security guard.” Anne started opening drawers. “I know there are name tags around here somewhere.”
Ivy picked up one of the stacks of paper Anne had made. “Are these organized?”
Anne shut one of the open drawers with a huff. “I pulled them from the junk drawer. I usually put all of our product orders in there.”
“Is it for the new necklaces?” Ivy gestured to the frame Carol was looking at. “The ones with the pietersite pendant? We just got them two days ago. It should be near the top.”
“I know but I can’t find it and we’re almost sold out. I need to order more,” Anne mumbled.
Ezra decided to find somewhere to wait for Ivy’s shift to end. At the back corner of the store he spotted a set of mirrors. Next to the mirrors was a turquoise brocade chair that did not look comfortable.
Ezra headed towards it anyways.
Carol stepped into his path. “Ezra Tate, I have not seen you in forever.” She slapped his arm playfully.
They had seen each other last Friday, but Ezra didn’t feel the need to point that out. Instead, he just nodded.
Undeterred by Ezra’s lukewarm response, Carol kept on talking. “I’ve been meaning to snag you or your brother. Evie was talking about getting new shoes for Winter Formal. She wants to make a girls’ day out of it. You know? Head to Spokane, get lunch, the whole nine yards. Cassidy is welcome to come with us.” She smiled at him. Like he had any clue what a “girls’ day” meant.
Carol leaned in and lowered her voice. “I heard that Louis Kirk was going to ask Cassidy to Winter Formal. She might wa
nt to pick out a tie to match that cute dress she wore last year. Or get a whole new dress and match that.” She wagged her eyebrows.
Ezra perked up. Sometimes Carol had really good information.
Cassidy had gone to every school dance since her freshman year. Twice a year their anxiety went through the roof in the weeks leading up to the dance. They held their breaths, hoping that no one asked her to go with them. As awful as that sounded.
Luckily, they hadn’t had to run anyone off yet. Every dance, so far, her friends planned to go together as a big group. Most of them went dateless. Ezra loved the group thing.
There goes our perfect score. They had been so close. He needed to give Ezekiel a heads up that their little sister might have a boyfriend.
“Gene Kirk’s boy?” He asked to clarify. Ezra knew Gene from the grocery store. His wife was a short woman whose name he couldn’t remember. Ezra briefly wondered if he needed to go sniff things out at the Kirk household before things went any further.
Carol must have seen where his thoughts were going because she laughed and pat Ezra’s arm. “He’s a good kid. He is over at our house for movie night with the rest of that lot. Louis is sweet. They’ll have fun,” she reassured him.
Ezra did not want Cassidy having fun with an eighteen-year-old boy.
“If you’re really worried, you and Ezekiel could always chaperone. I know the dance committee is always asking for volunteers,” Carol suggested.
“Thanks for the heads up, Carol.” Ezra hadn’t been into school dances when he had been that age. He was liked the idea of going to a high school dance even less now that he was an adult. He and Ezekiel would have to grin and bear it if they wanted to keep an eye on Cassidy.
“Remember, Ezra, it’s a high school dance, not a war. The worst thing that happens at these things is that someone tries to spikes the punch. Usually with horse swill.” Carol nodded; one hundred percent serious. “Word to the wise,” she threw over her shoulder as she went back to shopping, “bring your own flask.”
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