by K. C. RILEY
“Well. Let the real fun begin.” Mrs. Ellington began chanting a spell. “Olistrum, Ishar, Rodendum.” She glanced my way and nodded for me to join in. “Everyone one, please.”
“Olistrum, Ishar, Rodendum. Olistrum, Ishar, Rodendum. Olistrum, Ishar, Rodendum.”
Something was happening in the room. The flowers in the vases seemed to grow in size at the words and soon released golden specs of pollen into the air. The scent was a hundred times stronger than it had been before and I finally understood why everyone was smiling. I felt freer, warmer. Well, as free I could be. Fear, sadness, anger, hatred, and maybe even revenge, it all seemed to softly lift from my shoulders.
The High Council, too, seemed to lighten up.
“That’s it, everyone,” Mrs. Ellington said. “Dance. Dance. Dance the night away.”
The music started again, but the sound was richer, deeper, as it vibrated through every cell of my body. In many ways, it reminded me of my first kiss with Jake and how his angelic soft lips awakened all of my senses.
“Lord Byron. Lizzy.” Mrs. Ellington coupled our hands together.
High or not, I still wanted to vomit from my nerves. And before I could catch my breath, we were already waltzing across the room. Everyone was. Granted, I may not have been as nervous as I had been earlier, but there were still some things I didn’t think magic could ever change. My personality. I was nothing like Mrs. Ellington. Bold. Graceful. Wicked. And able to speak and command a crowd without throwing up. Let alone bending people to her will. Lord Byron was quiet. So was I. Mrs. Ellington told me to play the game and follow her lead. However, I still had no idea what that meant or how to do it.
“You’re a very good dancer,” Lord Byron finally said.
“Thank you.” His wig was kind of lopsided and I tried not to laugh. It was especially hard while being high on giant-sized poppies. “So are you.”
“It’s a shame what happened to your mother. My condolences.”
“Thank you,” I said again.
“And what about your father?”
“He died when I was a baby.” According to my mother. Lately, I wasn’t so sure she was telling the truth. At least, not all of it.
“I see. Tragic. Well, that’s all behind you now. We take care of our own in The Society.”
“Good to know,” I said.
“Just remember there are rules and all good things come at a price.” Lord Byron twirled me around. Even under poppy dust, his words were ominous. Threatening.
Another spin and I was dancing with another lord. And don’t ask me which one, because I was awful with names.
I smiled at him.
“It’s okay,” he said as though reading my mind. “I’m Lord Francis.”
“It’s nice to meet you again.” I sounded like an idiot.
“So, how has your stay been? I hope you’ve been comfortable.”
“I have, thank you.”
We swayed back and forth.
“Is everything okay with the car? The allowance?”
“Yes. Thank you,” I said, again. “It’s very generous of The Society.”
“Your Aunt and her dining establishment? Is everything well there? It certainly should be.”
“Yes. Thank you.” I sounded like a broken record. A robot.
Lord Francis smiled through his silver-white beard.
“And the Halls of Alexandria. How are you finding your studies there?”
“Quite fascinating,” I answered. “Although, at times also quite overwhelming.” I caught a glimpse of Sister Clara from the corner of my eye. She was elegant, beautiful, like a graceful swan with black feathers. It was still strange seeing her in all black. White just seemed to fit her better. Like she had a command of the color just as Mrs. Ellington had with black.
“I imagine so.”
Lord Francis and I moved along with everyone else, back and forth in unison. It was as if the entire room had been possessed by choreography and music that had been orchestrated by the poppies themselves.
“It’s a shame we had to place a hold on the spell books.”
“Yes.” I was about to say more when I glanced at Mrs. Ellington and remembered her words. Smile, play along, and don’t say a word about Jake.
“You didn’t happen to see anything strange when you last called up a book?” Lord Francis twirled me under his arm. “A leather-bound book. Dark, gothic, with a patchwork cover of leather and brass?”
What was I going to say? And what would happen if The High Council caught me in a lie?
Luckily, I didn’t have to do or say anything. Another twirl and I was dancing with a new partner. Kai. There was a scowling look on Lord Francis’s face—despite the poppy dust—as Kai whisked me away.
I wasn’t sure what to feel. Shock? Relief? On one hand, I was grateful for the rescue but on the other… What the hell was he doing in The Society? I knew he had mentioned at one point they asked, but when did he actually join? And why hadn’t he told me?
He was the only guy in the room not wearing a white wig and that made him stand out in a good way. His hair had been spiked and swooped over his forehead. Black eyeliner highlighted his crystal gray eyes while silver buttons lined a black coat with black suede cuffs and lapels. He was edgier, darker, but still sensitive and quiet. Neither of us said a word until I glanced at the silver wolf ring on his finger.
“You didn’t,” I said, unable to help myself.
“Oh, she speaks.”
Okay. So he was angry. He had every right to be. And we were back to saying nothing as everyone stared. And stared. And…stared. The reason was clear. If they had all seen the Genesis fresco from the Halls of Alexandria then they knew the story. They knew I was supposedly Eve and Kai, supposedly Adam, my first husband. But did he know? Had he already seen it?
We swayed back and forth, the music humming through my body while the thought of everyone in the room having seen me, us, naked swarmed through my head.
I glanced into his eyes and he caught me. Flushed, I quickly looked away. Why did everything have to be so mixed up and complicated?
“The Lycans of Anubis,” I finally said breaking the silence. “Really? After everything Mrs. Ellington put you through? Why?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
Wow. And touché.
“Look,” he said. “I promised you I was going to help. I don’t care if you want it or not. And you don’t have to talk to me either. I can live with that. What I can’t live with is not keeping my word. I made a vow to help you however I can. Even if it means joining The Society.”
I didn’t know what to say. Kai was making it so difficult. “I’m sorry about the text, but this place. These people. Me. It’s all dangerous. It’s not that I don’t want your help. It’s that I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Especially by me, I thought.
Kai spun me around. With his hand at my lower back, he pressed me closer into his body. Against my will, a surge of warmth fluttered at my chest. I blamed it on the poppies.
“And what if I feel the same?” The edge in Kai’s voice and eyes quivered through me.
I swallowed. “When do you—”
“Turn?” Kai asked. “Tonight. Alexei wants me to help hold the ceremonial space for Mason’s healing.”
“Wow,” I said, stunned at how much could transpire in a day. “So you know?”
“I know some. Maybe when you’re ready to talk to me again…” Kai whispered close to my ear. The warmth of his breath, stimulating. “…you’ll fill me in.”
He then spun me into the arms of another leaving me insanely hot, flustered, and guilty of wanting something that I shouldn’t have. Everyone’s gaze returned to normal as I danced with Cassie.
“Since when was Kai a part of The Society?” Cassie asked.
“Since now?” I shrugged. “He knows about Mason. He’s turning tonight in order to help strengthen the magic in the space.”
“Nice.”
&nb
sp; “No. Not nice. This is all dangerous. I tried to tell him, but he won’t listen.”
“Look, he’s a grown-ass man. And a good one.” Cassie raised an eyebrow. “What’s really bothering you?”
I turned her with my hand as she went under my arm. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Has he seen the fresco of the two of you? Sorry. The three of you?” She smirked like an evil imp.
I glared at her. “He didn’t say anything about it. So, maybe not. Then again, who knows? And even if he hasn’t seen it yet, it’s only a matter of time. Did I mention I hate this town?”
Cassie spun me out from her arms and back in. “You know it’s okay to like two guys at the same time.”
“News flash. It’s not. It’s utterly confusing and it’s driving me nuts. What I feel for Kai doesn’t make sense or feel like me. The real me.” The thought of kissing Kai to death from my dream and The Blood Book made me cringe.
“And who is the real you?”
“I don’t know. And that’s the problem. And you’re not helping,” I snapped.
“Sorry. Maybe what you’re feeling is the effect of the poppies. You’ll figure it out. For now, stay focused because Mason is counting on us and if Kai can help, all the better.”
Cassie was right. I needed to stay focused. Besides, there was only one person I truly wanted to be with. Jake.
17
After four hours of dancing, smiling, and socializing, I was close to flatlining. I don’t know how Josie and Cassie always managed to do it.
There were moments I had tried to sneak away to try to talk to Kai, but he avoided me as much as I avoided The High Council. He was mad. And I hated being the cause of it. Kai had been nothing but transparent, honest, and nice. He only wanted to help.
If he only knew how dangerous that was.
I glanced across the crowded room. Cassie gave me the signal and was right on time in keeping Mrs. Ellington occupied. I had caught a glimpse of Louise serving the guests earlier but hadn’t seen her since. There was only an hour left. I would simply have to take my chances.
The orchestra started up from a break and everyone made haste to the dance floor while I made haste back to the parlor.
The halls were empty. Quiet. And there was still no sign of Louise.
I picked up the pace and was soon back in the parlor unzipping myself out of the dress which was harder than I expected without any help.
Able to finally breathe, I changed into my own clothes, grabbed my bag, and quietly closed the squeaking door behind me.
So far so good. No one was around.
I set the alarm on my phone to give me enough time to get in and out before the Ball ended. I then crept down the halls until I came to the library.
“Hello?” I whispered, peeking my head through the door.
It was empty. Nothing had changed about the room either. Hundreds upon hundreds of books were neatly encased in the glow of dark wooden shelves that bled into the rails and an iron staircase that spiraled to the first floor. The picture of Sir Isaac and his raven, Thalius, still hung elegantly over the fireplace. And the couch I had hid behind as Kai—possessed by Aunt Norah—sucked the life out of that server girl, it hadn’t budged.
I glanced over at the closet door. The one he’d stuffed her body in. The very one I had reported to 911. With a deep breath, I opened it. It was just a broom closet. There was no dead body. No mummified corpse. That poor girl. It was like I had said. This whole thing was dangerous. And the fact that Sheriff Johnson thought it was all a prank made it worse. Who would believe me if I went to the police?
Time was running out and I needed to get a move on. Desperate not to make a sound, I crept over to the wall of blood-red drapes and tugged on the golden threaded cord just like I had before.
The secret door slid open. And with another deep breath, I stepped inside.
This time, there was no smell of sulfur or seaweed.
I steadied myself close to the wall watching my step by the light of the old bulbs that swung from the ceiling. The veins of light that glowed from them were still just enough to not fall in the dark.
My shoes crunched on the dirt floor at the bottom of the stairs as I looked around. Everything was different. There were no shovels and no pool of murky water with clumps of seaweed. There were no burnt candles or animal bones. Nor scattered herbs or photos of anyone. More importantly, there were no spell books.
My body tensed.
This wasn’t right. Mrs. Ellington had cleared everything and turned the entire place into a wine cellar.
Panic flooded through me. What was I going to do? They were all counting on me to get those books.
I was close to unraveling when I noticed a faint crack of light shining from between the bricks in the wall, almost like a door. I crept toward it and placed my hand against it. With a bit of a push, the brick wall moved just enough for me to get through it.
On the other side was…magic. No. Literally. Magic. A small library, well, more like an old dusty dungeon room, with a wall of spell books. Granted, I hadn’t looked at any of them to confirm. But I didn’t need to. The room tingled with magic and I wasted no time not only looking for something to save Mason, but something to save Jake as well.
The light was just as dim as it was in the wine cellar. I pulled out my phone and held it up against the books. Everything was alphabetized. I ran my finger across the binders until I came to the Ls.
Levitation, Light, Location, Locomotion, Love, Lycans… Yes.
I pulled the book from its slot, combing through the pages quickly. Thank God for Fallen venom. Within minutes I had found a spell for releasing the poison from a Lycan bite. Worst case scenario, Mason wouldn’t change at all. The poison would leave his system and he would remain in human form. If this was true. Then why had Sister Clara and Maria said they had done all they could do. And why hadn’t Mrs. Ellington stepped in?
My phone buzzed. It was my alarm. I had only fifteen minutes left to get out of there. And I still needed a spell to save Jake. But what? Where would I even begin?
I needed a spell for summoning my ascension. And then another for locating him. I pulled the book for Location. Seemed like a no-brainer.
I didn’t see anything under Ascension, but there was a book labeled, Invocations -Invoking the Spirit. I don’t know. It felt right. I swiped that one too hoping it was the answer to my prayers.
With three books in hand, I was about to leave when something moaned from the top of the stairs that led up to a door. The moaning reminded me of the girl Kai had stuffed in the closet. What if someone needed help? Crap.
I crept up the stairs to a wooden door and quietly turned the knob to see if it would open. It did. The door opened to a small corridor. The smell of something dead or dying was horrible.
Someone moaned again, but they weren’t alone. There was another voice.
“Mr. Ellington. Please, you’ve got to eat.”
Mr. Ellington? Holy shit.
The stone corridor opened up to a room. The first person I saw was Louise. What I saw next would be etched into my mind forever. As if my mind could take anymore. Mrs. Ellington and Aunt Norah had done it, brought Mrs. Ellington’s husband back to life—if you could call it that.
There he laid in a hospital bed with deep pockets of charred flesh missing from his face and body. His eyes bulged from the exposed, burnt sockets of his skull.
“Just one more bite.” Louise sat on the bed cutting into what looked like a plate of brains.
She stabbed a fork into a chunk and then held it up for Mr. Ellington to eat, the juices dropping into her other hand. With each bite a small chunk of Mr. Ellington’s charred flesh filled in.
Mr. Ellington grumbled before taking another bite into his rotting chops.
I placed my hand over my mouth to keep from puking. I then quietly backed out of the room, the corridor, and away from the wooden door. I scurried down the steps and was almost out of Mrs. Ellingto
n’s secret library when someone’s voice stopped me dead in my tracks.
“Those spells won’t help you, you know. They’re not strong enough.”
Damn it. I turned around.
Mrs. Ellington stood in her black ball gown with a large book in her arm. The patchwork leather…I had seen it before. The Book of the Unnamed.
“You,” I said, infuriated. “I thought The High Council banning spell books was Sister Clara’s doing. But it was you the entire time. You knew they would be looking for it and you stole it anyway.”
“Looking to destroy it.”
“Like you destroyed my mother?” And there it was. What I had been wanting to say for weeks. The words spewed from my mouth like fire and brimstone.
Mrs. Ellington glanced at the door at the top of the stairs. “Do you really think you’re here by accident? That I hadn’t already anticipated your every move? You’re here because I wanted you to be. I wanted you to know everything. You’ve been running yourself ragged for the past few weeks, desperate to get your powers back in order to save Jake. Why?”
That wasn’t any of her business. “Because he saved me.”
“Oh come, child, you can do better than that.” Mrs. Ellington was digging. Hard. “Sometimes we lose ourselves in order to save the ones we love. Regardless of the price. It’s not something I’m proud of. But there are two things that I will never lose again in this world. The first is Reginald. And the second is magic. I never meant for your mother or for you to get hurt. When I freed Norah’s spirit from the lake, I had no knowledge that you or your mother even existed. Everyone thought you were both dead.”
“Well, we weren’t.”
“For that, I am sorry.”
An apology. That was a first.
“I can’t bring her back,” she continued. “But you can.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Book of the Unnamed, it’s the key to saving Mason, saving Jake, bringing your mother back to this realm, and restoring magic to its original glory before the Fall.”