by Olsen, Lisa
“Lilias is my aunt,” he began. “I’ve been studying with her for years. I know where she keeps the books on what you need.”
Now we were getting somewhere. If I could get my hands on the books, then maybe I could find someone to help me, even if this kid didn’t have the power to get it done. “She has books to bring back the dead?”
“No, and especially not after they’ve been dead and gone for almost two months. I mean, if you had some part of him, even a fragment of bone to work with we might stand a chance.”
All the air deflated out of me. He couldn’t help us at all.
“If you can’t do it, then why are you pulling her dick?” Bridget scowled, laying an awkward but comforting hand on my shoulder.
“Because I think I can offer you something better.”
“Keep talking,” she said, eyes narrowed. “Or do I have to guess?”
“There’s a spell to bend time.”
My head came up. Was he for real? “That sounds dangerous.”
“It can be if you don’t follow the spells to the letter, and it’s fairly complicated, but I think I can pull it off.”
“Think or know?”
His chin tilted up with confidence. “I know I can, if I have some time to study it.”
“How much time?” I didn’t know how many more nights I could take of the fiery dreams.
“A few days? A week at most? We’d need to do it on the full moon anyways.”
He had my interest, but Bridget was still skeptical as anything. “What’s the catch?” she wanted to know.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re volunteering to do this why?”
“Yes, won’t Lilias be angry you’re going behind her back?” I added. “You must know how she feels about taking the dark path.”
“Light and dark are two sides of the same thing. You can’t have one without the other,” he said, waving away that concern. “And she won’t be knowing about it, not from the likes of me anyways.”
“You don’t think she’ll notice the books are missing?”
“Nah, she don’t even keep them here, but I know where they’re stashed,” he smiled smugly.
“Yeah, but like I said, what’s in it for you?” Bridget still wanted to know.
“Well, there’s the price,” Andri admitted, hands rubbing together.
“Told you there was a catch,” Bridget scoffed, but seeing the light of avarice in his eyes made me suspect he really thought he could pull it off.
“Whatever you want, you can have it. I have oodles of money, more than I could spend in a hundred lifetimes.”
Bridget kicked me in the shin. “What are you, retarded? You don’t just say something like that. You have to haggle.”
Andri’s hand came up. “Ah, there’s no haggling. There’s only one price and it must be met.”
“What is it?” I couldn’t have cared less. Could he really send me back with enough time to warn Bishop about the boat explosion?
“Your immortal soul...” he said, eyes glinting in the moonlight.
“What?”
“Well, not exactly,” he admitted, the intense stare fading to a teasing grin. “I don’t want your soul, only your immortality.”
“Oh, is that all,” Bridget snorted, but I wanted to hear more.
“What do you mean you want my immortality? Can you even take something like that?”
“I can.”
“And what happens to it? Is it consumed by the spell or...”
“It goes to him. That’s his price,” Bridget said flatly, piercing him with her gaze, and he had the grace to look uncomfortable.
“You can have it,” I accepted without another thought. I didn’t care. It was worth it. “Let’s do this. The next full moon, you said?”
“Anja, think about what you’re offering,” Bridget cautioned.
“I don’t care,” I insisted. “Do you think I want to spend immortality without Bishop? If this turns out like it’s supposed to, I pop back two months, convince Bishop never to get on that damn boat, and then I get to spend my entire life with him. Win/win.”
“Uh huh, a single lifetime, leaving him to spend eternity alone.”
I couldn’t think about that. “That’s longer than we have together now. I have to do this.”
Bridget stared at me long and hard before giving a single nod.
“Right then, so we have an accord?” Andri said, spitting into the palm of his hand and offering it to me to shake.
Holy buckets, what was I getting myself into? Duplicating his gesture, I offered him my spitty hand right back. “We do.”
“Brill,” he grinned, clasping my hand with great enthusiasm. “But not here.”
“Where?”
“Give me your number and I’ll text you the details.”
“Why?” I frowned, trading looks with Bridget. I was putting a lot of trust into this guy, was he up to something shady?
“For one, we’ll be working dark magics. That’s not the sort of thing you want to advertise. If Lilias or any of the family get wind of it...”
“Yes, I get it.” It’d be over before we had a chance to begin. “Why not tell me where to meet you now though?”
“Because I need to do some research once I get my hands on the books. I have a couple of places in mind, places of power. But I need to find out which will be the best option.”
It made sense. I liked that he was putting some real effort into it, not guessing and hoping for the best. “I’ll wait to hear from you then,” I said, giving him my number and Bridget’s.
“I’ll be in touch,” he nodded, sketching a bow and backing away into the night.
I watched him go, absently rubbing my palm on my jeans, hoping I wasn’t about to make a bad situation worse.
“Do you think it’ll really work?” Bridget asked in a small voice.
“I sure hope so.” I didn’t know how many more nights of seeing Bishop’s burning corpse in my dreams I could take.
Chapter Six
I woke with a start, the heat of the fire so real, I almost thought maybe the shutters had been left open and I’d been caught in the sun. But the room was buttoned up tight and the sun had already gone down. The crackle and sizzle of burning flesh had been courtesy of another dream, just as vivid as the rest.
Falling back against the pillows, I studied the engagement ring on my finger, as I had many a night. It had been recovered from the wreckage in our luggage. That part of the ship had been largely unspoiled by the explosion, divers eager to retrieve whatever they could to avoid the lawsuits.
Every time I looked at the ring, it made me wonder – if we’d stayed down in our cabin instead of going up to celebrate on the deck, would he have been alright? Except I knew deep down there was no way he would’ve stayed in the cabin, not when there was a chance he could help Hanna and Mason or my parents.
Maybe it was cheating to wear the ring when he’d never actually given it to me, but it made me feel closer to him. To the stars and back, that’s how much he loved me. I’d asked him once, how far that was, since there were so many stars in the sky?
And he’d smiled and said, “Infinity, plus one. Because there will always be another star on the horizon, another deeper place we never knew about. You could travel an infinite number of lifetimes and not get to the end of how much I love you.”
Bishop.
What was I going to do if this didn’t work?
Bridget came out of the bathroom dressed in a tight leather mini-skirt and a red and black flannel shirt that’d been strategically cut to show both shoulders and more than a bit of cleavage. “You’d better get a move on. Or did you change your mind about doing this?” she asked, blotting her red lips on a tissue.
So it was time. “No, I didn’t change my mind. Do we have the location yet?”
“Yep, he sent coordinates or some shit. I plugged them into my phone and it’s in the middle of nowhere. An, are you sure we can trust thi
s guy?”
“No, I’m not,” I admitted freely. “But he’s my best chance of pulling this off. Look, either it works and we’re home free, or it doesn’t.”
“And we kick the living shit out of him.”
“If we even can. He’ll be immortal, remember?”
“Yeah? So are vampires, and you’ve been able to dust them pretty easy.”
She had a point. “I’d better get ready to go.”
I didn’t spend much time primping, dressing in jeans and my Rocket Academy t-shirt, with a short denim jacket. If we were really going to the middle of nowhere, I wanted to wear something practical.
Andri’s only instructions had been to make sure we were there with plenty of time to spare before midnight. We had oodles of time to make it out there, but I wanted to make sure we didn’t get lost, not wanting to have to waste another month waiting for the next full moon if we blew it.
So maybe that had me driving faster than I should’ve. Maybe it had us arriving more than three hours before midnight, with no sign of Andri anywhere in sight. It definitely made Bridget grumpycakes, with no signal for her cell phone, and bored out of her mind.
I felt her irritation like a low hum in the air, but she kept it to herself, playing solitaire on the phone over and over again. I tried reading on my phone, but I couldn’t concentrate. Tonight was the night. It would either end with sheer happiness or utter despair.
“You should have fed.” Bridget’s voice startled me out of my internal thoughts.
“I’m fine,” I replied automatically, though I knew she was right.
“Kid yourself all you want, but you can’t kid a kidder. I know you haven’t been eating enough.”
“I know.” It’d become harder and harder to force myself to feed, to go on with the motions of living without him.
“He’d want you to take care of yourself.”
“I know,” I repeated, hopping up on the hood of our rental car. “You watch those movies and you see the girl throw her whole life away because she can’t live without the guy, but... that’s exactly how I feel, Bridge. I’d trade my life in a heartbeat to get him back and not feel an ounce of regret.”
“Yeah well, turns out all you have to trade is your immortality,” she muttered, her displeasure clear. “You’re really sure about this?”
“He’d do the same for me. I know it.”
“Then you’d better feed. I’ve watched some of those trippy, time travel sci-fi crap movies you like. You’re gonna need your strength.”
She had a point. “I guess I should’ve planned ahead, huh? Where’s the blood bank when you need one?” My gaze slid over the desolate countryside. There wasn’t a man-made light in sight.
“Good thing I’m here then,” Bridget said, all business as she wound her curly dark hair up into a messy topknot and stepped between my knees where I sat on the hood. “Just try not to get any on the top. It’s one of my favorites.”
“I’m not going to feed from you, Bridget.”
“Ah, yeah... you are. We talked about this, remember? This is the least I can do.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“I owe you friendship, and this is me being a friend. Now bite me,” she said, lips curving into a half smile as her head tilted to one side, exposing her pale throat.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then don’t. But I don’t want to make out with you either, so try and keep the down low tingles to a minimum, okay?”
She was right, I knew she was. And it wasn’t the first time I’d fed from Bridget, but I never wanted her to feel like a feedbag. The teasing smirk went out of her eyes, replaced by nothing but concern. “Just do it, Anja.”
Nodding, I reached out to catch hold of her will with mine, sending a gentle compulsion. “This won’t hurt at all.” The thirst took hold of me then, fangs descending with a slow burn as I pulled her close. They burst through her skin like ripe, juicy fruit, her vitality spilling into my mouth in an eager rush.
I didn’t send anything sexual into it, but the connection was there, deep ties of friendship binding us together. It’d been too long since I’d fed and she was so full of healthy vigor. I drank and drank, and still she stayed soft and pliant in my arms, offering more. Her blood warmed me, making me feel almost normal again, like part of the human race, not a cold, numb thing.
When I pulled away, I felt closer to her, and as I sealed the wounds at her neck with my own blood, I thought maybe we were even closer than I was with my own sister. I loved Hanna, but she didn’t get me sometimes in the way that Bridget did, even though we were such different people.
“Thank you,” I said simply, and she gave me a glassy smile.
“No sweat.” Though her heart beat strong and steady, Bridget tottered on her feet as I released her, and I worried I’d taken too much.
“Here, you’d probably better have some of my blood in return.”
“Gross, I’m not drinking your blood. I’m done with that stuff,” she scowled, but I didn’t let her off the hook.
“I don’t want you passing out here alone with Andri. Drink,” I commanded, biting into my wrist and pressing it to her mouth. Her throat worked automatically as she swallowed, lips applying subtle pressure.
Having your blood sucked was normally a pleasurable thing for a vampire, but all I had in me was sorrow as I worried whether Andri was even going to show up. There was still no sign of him or approaching headlights from any direction.
I didn’t give her much, only a few swallows, and I released her, surprised to see tears standing in her eyes as she pulled away. “Did I hurt you?” I gasped, instantly mired in regret and shame.
“No. I just... I think I felt a bit of what you’re going through when you gave me your blood. You’re right, you need to do this.”
It figured she’d pick up on my emotions when I was feeling so vulnerable. “Thanks for understanding.” I smiled and hugged her tight. Not only did it feel good that she fully got my reasons for doing it, it floored me that she’d supported me in it even when she hadn’t.
Bridget swiped at her eyes with a self-conscious grin. “Shit, now I gotta fix my make up.”
It made me smooth my fingers through my hair. “Do I look alright?” I’d be seeing Bishop before the sun came up if everything went according to plan.
“You look gorgeous. But you’d better have a Tic Tac, you don’t want to end up with blood-breath.”
“Thanks, Bridget,” I smiled. “Thanks for all of this. Coming with me and listening to all of my self-pitying garbage.”
“I’m just glad we’re friends again. I really missed this. I mean, not the shit show you’re going through, but...”
“I missed you too.” We hugged again, until Bridget shook me off. “That’s enough of that, I told you I don’t want to make out,” she said gruffly. “Besides, it’s showtime.”
A pair of headlights appeared in the distance, a pink Mini Cooper tearing up the road. It didn’t strike me as the type of car a guy like Andri would drive, and I wondered if it was stolen. The gypsy was in good spirits as he got out of the car, dressed in dark jeans and that stupid smoking jacket again. Maybe he should’ve stolen a new outfit while he was at it.
“Dude, are we seriously gonna trust a guy who wears more eyeliner than I do?” Bridget murmured, and I elbowed her to keep silent.
“Evenin’ ladies,” he smiled, sparing us a quick glance as he went to retrieve a duffel bag from the back of the car. “And how are you on this propitious night?”
“Pro-what?” Bridget blinked in confusion.
“He means auspicious.”
“Like that helps,” she muttered, and I tried again.
“Hopefully lucky.”
“Then why not say so?” she said with an exasperated roll of the eyes. “Did you find what you need to do this sucker or not?”
Andri nodded. “Oh yes, the books were very helpful indeed. I’ve got alls I need right here.” He pa
tted the breast pocket of his jacket, chest puffing out with confidence.
“Can I see the spell first, before you get started?” I asked. “I like to know what I’m in for.”
“Course you can. Only I expect you don’t speak much Romani, do you?”
He had me there. “I’d still like to take a look.” Andri was right, it was pretty much Greek to me, but I caught a familiar word here and there. Mostly I was impressed that he’d taken the time to plot it all out instead of winging it.
“Right then, ready to go walkies? It’s a fair jaunt to the stones.”
“Stones?”
“We need a place of power, yeah? You can’t expect to find that out here by the road.” Andri set off across the open countryside, the full moon giving us plenty of light to go by. We walked for the better part of an hour before the stones he mentioned came into sight. A small ring of standing stones jutting out of the ground, each about waist high.
Opening the duffel bag, Andri pulled out a stack of abalone shells, setting one on each stone and drawing a circle around it with a fat stick of charcoal. “Oi, see them white bits there?” he pointed to a circle of rocks forming a ring outside the standing stones. “Check the circle is unbroken, yeah?”
“Shit...” Bridget froze, her hand outstretched to the one by her feet. “That is creepy as fuck.”
“What’s the matter?” I asked, as she crouched down by the rock. Only it wasn’t a rock at all. As I got closer, I saw it was the skull of a small animal, maybe a rat or prairie dog or something. They all were.
“These are skulls,” I said dully.
“Course they are,” Andri replied, unconcerned. “You need all the magic you can get.”
“Cool beans,” I murmured, exchanging a look with Bridget, who made an exaggerated gagging face. She and I set to work on the gruesome task, making sure there were no breaks in the circle. Some of them had been disturbed by animals, or grown over by moss, and we wiped them off, setting them to rights.
“One thing I forget to mention,” Andri pointed out when we were about finished, and Bridget’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.