by AR Colbert
“Everly!”
Darn my bad luck.
“What are you doing out here?”
I stopped, filling my lungs with air before I turned to face him with a sweet smile. “Oh, hey Sean! Didn’t see you there.”
He narrowed his brows at me. I was so totally busted.
“Okay, I did. But I got nervous that you would be upset I was out here without you.”
“So you were just gonna run away?”
“Yeah. Basically.” I turned to his friend. “You look really familiar. Have we met?”
“This is Devon,” Sean said. “I think you guys met briefly at the Keep.”
“Oh yeah, in the Hamptons. Well it’s good to see you again. Guess I’ll catch you guys later.” I tried to spin off and head back to the apartment again, but I didn’t even make it one step.
“Uh-uh.” Sean reached out and grabbed my arm. “Not so fast. You forgot to answer my question. What are you doing out here, Ev?”
His friend Devon looked away, trying his best to hide a grin. What exactly had Sean told him about me? The thought of getting chewed out by my babysitter in the middle of New York was not only embarrassing, it was infuriating.
I yanked my arm loose. “I was running an errand.”
“Alone?”
“Yes. It’s kind of a… personal matter.”
“Personal or not, you shouldn’t be running around out here alone. You know that can be dangerous.”
“Trust me. No one remembers better than me.” I pulled the stringy little black swimsuit from my purse and dangled it in front of the boys by one tiny strap.
Sean’s eyes widened.
“Is that a swimsuit?” Devon asked.
“Yep. Wanna tell him how I got it, Sean? Go ahead.” It was childish for me to bring up the night Sean let his guard down and I almost died as a result. But I was mad. And I needed to get myself out of this without Sean discovering the true nature of my visit to the St. A’s house.
Sean shook his head. “I could have returned that for you if you’d asked. You didn’t have to come back here alone.”
“It’s embarrassing enough as it is. I hate reliving that night, and I would especially hate for anyone else to have to remember me shivering on the city streets wearing nothing but an itty bitty wet bikini and a hunter’s suit jacket.”
Devon’s brows raised. “I don’t wanna know.”
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to return this, like I had planned before you interrupted me.”
I huffed and tried to move past the boys, but Sean stepped into my path. “I’ll go with you.”
Devon nodded. “Yep, I don’t know what happened, but I’m getting the feeling you might need a little extra backup.”
“I’m fine.” Those words had been ringing on repeat through my brain all morning. It had become like a mantra, but even after saying it a million times, I wasn’t so sure I believed it.
The boys didn’t care if I thought I was fine, anyway. They moved to the sides of me like sentinels as I stepped up to the door and gave a quick knock.
No one answered. It was nine in the morning. Surely someone in that house was awake, right? I knocked again, and finally a messy haired guy in gray joggers answered the door. He was barefoot and shirtless, and it took me a minute to find my words.
“I, uh…” I held out the swimsuit, still dangling by a string. “I think this is yours.”
He yawned and took the bathing suit without saying another word. He looked bored, and surprisingly unsurprised to be receiving a bikini delivery first thing in the morning. I suspected he’d seen much stranger things in that house. I tried to get a glimpse of the room behind him, though I don’t know what I expected to see. A group of guys huddled around a coffee table, separating illicit berries with a razor blade? That was silly. These were just a bunch of sleepy college kids.
“Alright, well, bye.” The door closed in my face. I turned to Sean with my hands on my hips. “See? Fine.”
The boys escorted me back to our apartment, but I had no interest in entertaining them. Gayla was awake when we got there, and she poured them each a cup of coffee while I sulked in my room. Dom came home shortly after that, and I overheard her whispering with Sean after Gayla hopped in the shower.
And by overheard, I mean I had my ear pressed against the door, straining to make out any syllable I possibly could. It was obvious that they were talking about me.
“Yep,” Sean said. “She was there, alright. But I don’t think anything suspicious was going on. She was just returning that swimsuit.”
“Hmm,” Dom said. “I could’ve sworn there was more to it than that.”
“What did you hear her say, exactly?”
“Nothing. But I got some seriously dark vibes from her the other night. I know she’s up to something.”
“Well it’s not at the St. A’s house.”
“Alright.” Dom sighed. “Well thanks for following up on it anyway.”
“Any time. Let me know if you hear anything else. I happy to check it out.”
“Will do. And thank you, too, Devon. It takes a village.”
“No prob, Dom.”
The front door opened and closed, and a few minutes later I heard Dom retreat to her room. Speaking of snitches, the drug dealers would hate Dom. I couldn’t believe she tattled to Sean about some suspicion that I might be up to something bad. I mean yeah, she was right, but that was beside the point.
And then to say “it takes a village,” like I was some toddler they all had to scramble around after? I was livid. And I wasn’t going to give up so easily. I was going back to the St. A’s house the first chance I had. And I would do it again and again until I found out where this Rasputin guy hung out.
Childish or not, I would do whatever it took to get to the bottom of this mess. If none of my so-called friends were willing to help me find my mom, I would have to find someone who would, even if that meant mingling with black market drug dealers or fractured souls.
I was going to find my mom or die trying.
CHAPTER 5
The next afternoon, I found myself back on the streets, headed toward Riverside Dr. The girls thought I was studying with Sean, and Sean thought I was spending the afternoon at home. It wasn’t exactly an airtight alibi, but it was enough to allot me some freedom for a couple of hours.
I knew morning visits wouldn’t pay off with this crowd, so I had to go later in the day. And just to make sure I didn’t run into Sean or anyone else who might rat me out, I took the long way to the St. A’s house, going several blocks out of my way just to be safe.
I slowed as I neared the corner, peeking around the building like a child playing hide and seek. If Sean was sent to intercept me again, I was going to lose my mind. But the sidewalk was clear of anyone I recognized. Lucky for him.
With a deep breath, I mustered up all the courage I had and stepped up to the door, giving it two quick knocks. Once again there was no answer, but it was after lunchtime. Surely these guys weren’t still asleep. I reached up to knock again, but before my knuckles made contact with the door, it swung open.
“Everly?”
Tingly chills immediately covered my body. It reminded me of the feeling I got when the hairdresser massaged my scalp during a wash and cut. It was delightful. But in this case, it came with a warning. “Tate! Oh my goodness, what are you doing here?”
“I live here. What are you doing here?”
“I, uh—” Shoot. Where was another bikini when I needed one?
It wasn’t all that surprising that Tate was a member of the St. A’s. He was ridiculously good-looking and had that carefree, can’t hold me down attitude that came with extreme wealth. But I still felt foolish for not considering the fact that I might run into him here.
Now I just had to come up with a reasonable excuse for knocking on his door. “I was just wondering if you were recruiting.”
“Seriously?”
I bit my lip. Why d
id he look so unconvinced? Was that a strange request? I really should have studied up more on how this not-so-secret society worked. “Yeah, I might be interested in joining.”
He narrowed his eyes, drawing my attention back to the golden flecks that sparkled in the afternoon light. “You don’t get to ask to be recruited. And we don’t let fractured souls join.”
A breath escaped me. I’d already come this far. Twice. There was no telling if I’d be able to escape my apartment without a guardian again anytime soon, and I didn’t want to put off my secret little mission any longer. Tate wouldn’t stop me. Not today.
“Okay, do you want the truth?” This was probably a huge mistake, but I was getting desperate.
“I always want the truth.”
“I heard this was the place to go for… certain remedies that aren’t available at the apothecary.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe. The movement stirred up a familiar smell—the comforting scent of Tate that I’d grown accustomed to on his jacket. It must have been some predatory advantage for the hunters. He could lure his victims in by his attractive features and a smell that destroyed our defenses and actually made us feel safe with the man who wanted our poor little fractured souls. I shook it off.
“Please tell me you’re not another ambrosia junkie.” He quirked an eyebrow. “I certainly wouldn’t have pegged you for one.”
“Ambrosia? No! I don’t care about that stuff.” It was true, but it was also my excuse for wanting to meet the dealer. I needed a Plan B, stat. “I actually need something else. It’s kind of an unconventional remedy. Do you have access to, uh… that kind of stuff?”
“What kind of stuff?” A pretty little blond girl stepped into the doorway beside Tate, sliding in close to his side. She wiggled her way under his arm, so that it draped casually around her, with his hand settling on her waist. A jolt of jealousy shot through me, and I instantly rejected it. Why would I be jealous about some girl with Tate? He wanted me dead. I couldn’t forget that.
She leaned her head gently against his side. Her hair was slightly darker than Gayla’s and Dom’s, with more golden yellow tones. But her eyes shared the same deep brown, and she was undoubtedly Olympian. She wore a flimsy white tank top and short, loose fitting pajama bottoms that exposed more of her toned legs than I cared to see. But as an Olympian I knew she wasn’t Tate’s soulmate. No bonding there. Not that I would care.
“Nothing, Viv. She’s just a mortal.”
The girl studied me closely, then stood on her tiptoes to whisper into Tate’s ear. I ignored the way it made my stomach lurch to watch their casual exchange. Even my skin tingled harder, as if in protest. The sight literally stung.
Tate locked eyes with her and nodded, then he pulled his arm free and crossed it back over his chest again.
“What is it that you’re after, sweetheart?” The girl put her hands on her hips.
Sweetheart? How does a girl like that get off calling me sweetheart? No. I needed to control myself. This was a real shot at getting to find the dealer. I needed to keep my very mortal reactions in check. I also needed to think of something to ask for.
“It’s for my friend, actually. She’s sick.”
“Keepers don’t get sick,” Tate said.
“Sick of school, I mean. She knows what her future holds, and school is just a waste of time preventing her from her true calling.”
“Her true calling, huh?” The girl smirked. “And what is that?”
“She’s a seer.” I held my breath, waiting to see what their reactions would be. Tate would undoubtedly know I was talking about Gayla. But did this other girl, Viv, know Gayla too? I really should have thought up a better story before spouting off lies that might get me and my friend into trouble.
When neither of them spoke, I continued. “The school work is becoming a grind, and it’s distracting her from her visions. She’s struggling. So I was hoping to find something to help her focus. Do you know anyone who has access to anything like that?”
Viv’s mouth twisted to one side. I wished I had the power to read her mind, like Dom. Was she about to throw me back out on the street and call up the council to warn them of mortals creeping around in Keeper business?
“I can do you one better,” she said. She closed her eyes and held out a hand. Tate let out a sigh of exasperation and focused on something across the street. I wasn’t sure what was happening, so I waited, barely breathing. After a minute of silence, I lifted my hand, wondering if she was motioning for me to take hers and follow her somewhere. But before I touched her, a brown paper envelope—square shaped, and slightly larger than her palm—came flying out of nowhere from inside the house and landed softly upon her skin. She opened her eyes with a grin and extended the envelope toward me.
“Did you just—” I couldn’t even find a word for what I’d just witnessed. “Did you just conjure that up out of thin air?”
She rolled her eyes. “Mortals. No, I didn’t conjure it up. I’m not a witch. I’m telekinetic. I just pulled it out of my drawer upstairs and brought it down here.”
With her mind. I tried to look less amazed, but that was really incredible. “Thanks,” I said. “What should I tell my friend? Does she need to take it twice a day with meals or something like that?”
Viv groaned. “No. These will help induce the visions. She should only take them when she’s ready for a major mind trip. They’re powerful, and they might knock her off her feet for a couple of hours afterward, so tell her not to take one unless she’s somewhere safe for a while.”
“Got it.” I fumbled around in my purse, looking for some cash. “Do you know how much I owe?” Then it dawned on me that this petite little blond girl was the one who’d given me the illicit substances. She was nothing like I’d expected. “Wait, are you—are you the dealer?”
She laughed, the sound like a thousand tinkling bells. “This one’s on me. And never call me a dealer again.” Then she turned to Tate. “Keep your mortal friends out of here.” She smacked him on the rear end and turned back into the house, leaving us alone once again.
“She’s right, Everly. You need to stay away from here. This isn’t the crowd you want to get involved with.” Concern tugged at his brows, but he didn’t say anything more.
I looked down at the small envelope in my hand, feeling the pills tucked inside. “I will.” Especially now that I knew Tate was involved with the St. A’s, I’d have to keep my distance. One false move and I might just get my soul extracted.
He moved to close the door and I stepped back down onto the sidewalk before calling out to him one more time. “I still have your suit jacket, by the way.”
The corner of his mouth pulled up. “I know.”
He closed the door. The tingling sensation immediately vanished and somehow, I felt lonelier without it.
CHAPTER 6
The brown envelope sat propped up against the stack of books on my desk. I’d been staring at it for hours. Days, really. I wasn’t sure what to do with it. There was a part of me that wondered what would happen if I took one. Would it be strong enough for a mortal to have a vision? Would it be possible to see my mom? Or would it be so powerful that it would knock me dead the moment it touched my tongue?
The concern Tate held in his eyes the day I got the pills told me it would likely be the latter. That, combined with the sudden reappearance of my little owl friend was enough to prevent me from trying… so far, anyway. I glanced to the window where the bird sat. There was no denying that he was here for me. He stared into my bedroom, not even pretending to act like a normal owl. He’d also been hanging around on campus any time I walked to class or the Honey Pot.
If I thought Sean was bad, this owl was relentless. I would never be able to go anywhere without some kind of guardian again. And it felt wrong to do something illegal like take a powerful vision-inducing drug while he watched.
Plus, I wasn’t a drug kind of girl. I didn’t even lik
e taking Tylenol. But would my mom want me to do it if it meant locating her and bringing her safely home again? That was the burning question. I just had to do my research before making any decisions.
On Saturday morning, I found myself back at Millie’s shop. Abby didn’t argue when I offered to take the inventory duties for the day, and thankfully Millie was busy with customers most of the morning, which meant I had the back room to myself.
I worked a little. But mostly, I scoured Millie’s old textbooks for information on what the pills might be. It was too bad I didn’t know the name for them. That would have made my job much easier. After a couple of hours of flipping through the dusty old tomes, I was overcome by the same, throbbing headache I’d experienced the week before. It had appeared a few times since that first day, but never as strong. Today it came on hard and fast, like I’d been hit with a baseball bat.
I rubbed gingerly at the base of my skull, then stumbled out into the front of the apothecary to call for my aunt.
“What’s the matter, Ev?”
“My head,” I mumbled. “It’s throbbing again.”
Millie frowned. “Come on, let’s see if we can get it fixed.”
I slid back into my spot in her back room, resting my cheek on the cool tabletop while Millie once again lit the herbal incense that seemed to relieve my symptoms last time. She then set to work on mixing up some kind of medicinal draught.
I watched her work, trying to concentrate on her movements instead of the pain that refused to abate. She had her back to me, busying herself with measuring out a powder I couldn’t identify, when suddenly another figure appeared in the store room. It was as if he materialized before my eyes. It happened in an instant, faster than a blink.
I sat up and rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands, squeezing them shut hard before opening them again. The figure was still there. He turned, and I recognized him instantly. Devon, Sean’s friend, grinned at me.
“Millie? I think I’m hallucinating.”