“And you don’t like cigars?” Hunter asked.
Mara scrunched up her nose. “They’re disgusting.”
“So is decapitating Reapers. But you’re not going to stop me from doing that either.”
Mara scoffed and went to the other side of the room.
“She’s feisty,” Paxton said.
“Isn’t she, though?” Hunter kept his eyes on Mara, the corner of his mouth turned up.
Paxton’s phone chirped. He checked the number then held it to his ear. “Hey, baby, I was just about to call you.”
Jeffrey returned, clearing his throat, and announced that Mara’s room was ready. Mara sighed and squeezed my hand as she walked passed me. I gave her a reassuring smile.
Turning to Erina, I vocalized a thought that had been nagging me. “Is Mr. Poulter a witch too?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Full-blooded and genuine.” Diana held her chin high and cocked an eyebrow.
I regarded her then turned back to Erina. “Does the staff know that you’re witches?”
She nodded. “They know what we are.”
“How do you know they won’t go blabbing to anyone?” Gavin asked.
“I guess because my aunt and uncle pay them generously enough to keep it to themselves.”
Diana scoffed. “They’re more like family, actually. They’ve been loyal for years. And my parents treat them with respect. Which is more than I can say you’ll get. From my father, anyway.”
I shook my head. “What does he have against Vila?”
“He doesn’t trust Vila. Mostly because you’ve got faery blood in you, and he believes faeries are derived from demons. Actually, if I were you, I’d sleep with one eye open tonight.” With a short chuckle, she stood from the couch and stomped out of the room.
Erina shook her head and smirked at me. “Sorry about that. It’s best to take the things Diana says with a grain of salt.”
Paxton leaned forward. “A slice of lemon and a shot of tequila don’t hurt either.”
Chapter Nineteen
Diana, of all people, showed me to my room. I was shocked when she volunteered. But when I thought about it, I supposed she didn’t really treat me any differently than she treated everyone else, so I didn’t take her attitude or blunt words personally.
Diana flipped on the light. “This is where you’ll be staying. It’s got a great view of the gardens out back.”
She walked over to the nightstand and pulled a red sachet out of a white basket. I thought it was just decoration until she held it up with a serious look on her face.
“This is how witches protect themselves from ill forces. The pouch is filled with elderberries, rosemary, and tarragon. They were harvested with a boline—a white-handled knife that has been consecrated. Then they were ground with a mortar and pestle, which balances the energies of each ingredient. We grow all our ingredients ourselves.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
“I know, right?” She put the sachet back in its place and walked over to the window. “There are marks carved into the window and door frames which also offer protection. I don’t know if it will deter Reapers, though. Guess we’ll find out.”
I studied the window. If I hadn’t been looking for it, I probably wouldn’t have noticed the carvings. I wondered how many of the rooms in the house had similar marks.
“I hope the room’s okay.” Paxton leaned against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets. “If there’s anything I can do for you, I’m two doors down.”
“Paxton, lay off.” Diana shoved him as she left the room. “She’s got a boyfriend.”
Paxton laughed, looking directly at me. “Never stopped me before.”
Chase suddenly appeared in the doorway, his hands full. “Heads up. Coming through.”
“Is that a crossbow?” Paxton’s brows rose in amusement.
Chase answered by holding it up for Paxton to see. He then slipped it under my bed.
“Nice,” Paxton said. “What’s in the bag?”
“Just your common, everyday weapons.” Chase set the bag on the bed and unzipped it.
Paxton stepped into the room and watched as Chase unrolled his sleeve of daggers. Bending down to inspect them better, Paxton whistled. “Awesome collection.”
“Thanks.” Chase removed one dagger, flipped it in the air, and caught it. “This one’s from Brazil. And you wouldn’t believe the story that comes with it.”
He held it out for Paxton to inspect. Paxton held it up, letting the light reflect off the blade.
“I’ve been trying to come up with a way to get a toxin loaded in it so it would inject a target on impact. I have managed to reinforce the tip with metal from a Reaper’s scythe, though.”
Paxton’s eyes widened. “What? How did you get a hold of a Reaper’s scythe?”
Chase tipped his head in my direction.
The corner of Paxton’s mouth curled up. “No way.”
I shrugged.
Paxton’s face lit up, dimples and all. “That’s hot.”
Chase cleared his throat. “It’s some seriously sick stuff. I managed to grind it down, melt down the metal, and lace the tips of the daggers and all of Zadie’s arrows with it. I crushed some into powder and put it in the tincture I want to put into the daggers.”
“Hmm.” Paxton held his chin in his hand, pondering that. “I might have an idea. I’ve been working on something similar. I mean, I’ve never had to deal with Reapers. Just demons. I can show you tomorrow.”
A head peeked in my doorway. Upon seeing the two guys by my bed, Naomi gaped at me and mouthed the words: Oh my God!
She flipped her hair, straightened her top, and walked over to me with a swing in her hips. “What’s going on in here?” She glanced at Paxton over her shoulder.
I sighed. “This is a busy room.”
She leaned close to me and whispered. “Want to trade? How can you stand to have so much hotness in your bedroom?”
I shrugged. “Maybe it’s all the weapons in the room. Kind of a constant reminder of why I’m here.”
Naomi’s expression sobered. “Right. Sorry. Don’t worry, Zadie. Lilura and Helene brought you here because they believe these people can help. Knowing Lilura, I’m pretty sure she’s right.”
I smiled at her, appreciating her words of reassurance.
She leaned in again. “Now, watch this.” Turning to Paxton, she batted her lashes. “Sorry to interrupt, but there are so many doors down this hall; I can’t remember which room is mine. Could you show me?”
Paxton gave her a half smile, eyes flitting over her face. “You’re wise to come to me. There are many things I could show you.”
He offered her his arm, which she enthusiastically took hold of, and escorted her out of the room. She waggled her brows at me as she disappeared into the corridor.
Chase, obviously catching Naomi’s look, shook his head. “Figures she would find a way to benefit from this trip. Especially seeing how she really shouldn’t be here.”
“She’s my best friend. She’s being supportive.”
He stepped closer, eyes locked with mine. “She’s being stupid. And so are you for letting her come. Or have you forgotten what we’re dealing with here?”
My gaze dropped to the floor. I knew he was right. But, if I was honest, it comforted me to have her with me. Safety in numbers. Besides, short of sending her home in a taxi, there was nothing we could do about it.
Gavin appeared in the doorway. Chase and I stood close to each other. Too close. I crossed my arms over my chest and took a step back. Chase glanced over his shoulder, then turned toward the bed to put the daggers away. Both figuratively and literally.
“Nice room.” Gavin kept his confident gait as he approached.
I reached for his hand. “How’s yours?”
“Fancy.” He squeezed my fingers. “Very floral, though. A little too girly.”
“Sounds like the perfect match,” Chase said.
Chase hooked the bag of daggers over his shoulder. “Nope. There are crocodiles mounted on the wall, and I sleep on a bed of nails.”
Gavin narrowed his eyes at Chase, who turned and left the room without another word. He turned to me, shaking his head. “That guy.”
I almost laughed, but instead I took his hand and led him to the bed. “Would it be too girly of me to suggest we cuddle?”
He smirked.
We sat together, his back against the headboard and my head on his shoulder. It always helped to have moments like these, when Gavin and I could sit alone in silence. Shifting and pressing my head against his chest, I listened for his heartbeat. The gentle thumping calmed me, and the warmth of his arms around me made me feel safe.
He fiddled with my bracelet, the movement tickling my wrist. “Would you like to hear what I found out about my parents?”
I tilted my head to look at him. “Sure.”
He took a deep breath. “So this guy I met, the one Chase managed to track down, his name is Robert. My father’s best friend. He didn’t seem to know what to say to me at first, but I think he was just trying to figure out if I was going to believe what he had to tell me.”
“Why?”
“Because my father was a Cation.”
I sat up straight, my eyes wide. “What?”
“Well, he didn’t use that term, because how would he know it? Basically, the story goes like this: My birth parents lived in Connecticut. Everything was fine. They were newly married, and my father started a new job. This woman worked there. According to what my father told Robert, this woman had some incredible way of making things happen.”
“Like a Vila?”
He nodded. “Exactly like a Vila. Anyway, my father was fascinated with her, at first. And I guess she felt that magnetism Lilura told us about—when Cations and Vila are drawn to each other. Only my father wasn’t in love with her or anything. Plus, he was married to my mom. It was just innocent flirting, at first. At least, that’s what he told Robert. But the woman became obsessed with him. She told him she needed him. That she felt powerful around him. Like she could do anything.
“Her obsession got out of hand. So bad that my mother thought he was cheating on her. Apparently, the woman would leave messages on their answering machine, and personal items that belonged to the woman would end up in his suitcase when he returned from a trip.”
I shuddered. “That’s terrible.”
“He swore he wasn’t cheating. Even quit his job and moved the family away to escape her. But she followed them. By this time, my mother was pregnant with me. When the woman found out, she was outraged. Even more so when I was born. She started threatening my father. Before my parents died, my father met up with Robert and told him the whole story. The next thing Robert heard, they had died in a car crash. He’s sure it was her fault. The way she was stalking him, there was no doubt in his mind. But there was no way to prove it. And she disappeared after that.”
I was silent for a while. Then my voice came out in a whisper. “That’s awful.”
The facts of the situation hit me. It was a Vila’s fault. She destroyed his family. Did that mean he hated Vila now?
“Robert said there were no surviving relatives. He thinks the Vila might have had something to do with that as well, but there’s no telling. That’s how I ended up in the orphanage. Robert lost track of me after the Murrays adopted me. Said it was a miracle that Chase was able to… reunite us, I guess.”
I closed my eyes and pressed my hand on his chest. “That’s a lot to take in.”
“It is. But I’ve had time to process it. At least I know the truth now. And my parents—the ones I have now—are great. It’s all good.”
My smile was small as I squeezed his hand.
He slid it away from me and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his pocket watch, the one he’d worn every day since I’d known him, and let the light hit it. “This was actually my father’s. My real father’s. Robert recognized it.”
I shifted to look at it. “Oh.”
“I guess they found it in the crash. The orphanage must have given it to my parents when they adopted me. My dad gave it to me when I was twelve, but I thought it was something he was passing down to me. I had no idea I’d been carrying around a piece of my real father with me all this time.”
I ran my finger over the silver, amazed at the heirloom and the story behind it.
He lifted my chin. “We’ve had a long day. Let’s get some rest.”
“Okay.”
He dipped his head and pressed his lips against mine. It was a short and sweet kiss, the perfect ending to a stressful day. But as he left the room, something nagged at me. Were things the same between us now that he knew how his parents died?
I stayed in bed for a while, worry twisting in my gut. Eventually, I swung my feet over the side of the bed. The glowing moonlight drew me to the window.
Pushing the curtains aside, I took in the view of what Diana referred to as “the gardens.” A castle’s courtyard was more like it. Though a low fog settled over the grounds, I could still make out the full blooms nestled in the flowerbeds. A cobblestone path led through a variety of bushes and tall pine trees, leading to a small pond. Every few yards on the path, there stood a white statue.
In the middle of the pond, a spout sprayed water upward into a funnel shape. Farther back on the property, before the bordering woods, loomed four dark statues. Much bigger than the white statues, they were spaced out ten feet away from each other in a row. I could barely make out the figures of stone in the foggy darkness. Closer to the house was a gazebo. I could only see the top from my window, but I made a note to check it out in the morning.
I turned toward my suitcase. It exhausted me just thinking about opening it, but I figured I better change my clothes. Plus, I had to take Chase’s anti-sleepwalking potion.
A shadow appeared in the doorway just as I placed the tobacco tin on the nightstand. I gripped the bedsheet.
“Sorry,” Erina said. “Did I scare you?”
My fingers relaxed. “I’m just a little jumpy. Out of my element, I guess.”
She stepped inside, her eyes on the tin. “What’s that?
I lifted a shoulder. “It’s supposed to keep me from sleepwalking—a problem I’ve had lately. It’s a special concoction from my very own alchemist.”
“Impressive. Does it work?”
I wiped a hand down the side of my face. “Most of the time.”
“You don’t sound so convinced.”
“Let’s just say there were some episodes. Sort of why we’re here.”
Her eyes widened a bit. “You mean episodes that involved a Reaper?”
“Yeah. I’m sure we’ll get into the whole story tomorrow. Not that I don’t want to tell you all about it. I’m just a little tired right now. Do you think I could go get a glass of water from the kitchen?”
“Oh, you don’t have to go anywhere. You have everything here. I’m surprised Diana didn’t show you.”
Erina walked over to the double door to the right of the bed. I thought they were doors to the closet, until Erina opened them. Inside was a kitchenette. There was an ice dispenser and a glass pitcher on the counter. Crystal glasses sat pretty on a shelf. Built into the counter was a small sink. There were even small bags of chips and a bowl of wrapped mints. It was like my very own mini-bar. Except not so mini.
I filled a glass with water. “Must be nice to live like this.”
“I’m still getting used to it.”
“You moved here last year?”
She sat on my bed. “Yeah. My mom died when I was a kid. And my dad… sort of ran out on me.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. It’s not the worst thing that’s happened to me. Which is kind of why I’m here in the first place.” She paused, her eyes far away. When she realized I
was staring at her, she let out a deep breath. “Let’s just say someone I really cared about got hurt. Because of me.”
I grimaced. “Want to talk about it?”
She smirked at me. “You’re nice. But you’re also tired. And I’m dying to get back to this book I’m reading anyway. Tomorrow?”
I nodded once. “Tomorrow.”
“Okay. Goodnight, Zadie.”
After taking the potion, I changed into a long T-shirt and a comfy pair of jogging shorts. My feet felt like they were touching clouds in Heaven when I slipped them under the covers. The sheets were silky smooth, and the duvet was wonderfully warm. The only thing that would have made it more perfect was if Gavin was beside me. Would the Poulters think badly of me if they found Gavin in my bed in the morning? Better not to risk it.
I turned on my side, almost sighing when the soft pillow caressed my cheek. The herb pouch Diana showed me earlier sat in my line of vision. Would it really protect me? Did it work for anyone, or only pure witches?
I fell asleep, overwhelmed by how much I still had to learn about the supernatural world.
***
My fingers pressed against the cool glass of the window. The fog that covered the back gardens floated over the bushes and statues, much higher than earlier that night. Sweat soaked my skin. I slid the window open to let a breeze in.
An owl hooted, and after it, a soft whisper. Was it just the fountain spout in the pond? No. The Poulters must have had the staff turn that off; I didn’t see the water spray anymore. I leaned closer to the open window, listening. After almost a minute of silence, it came again. My name, soft and drawn out, carried on the wind.
My mother’s voice.
No, not this time.
I rushed to my bed, bent down, and pulled out my crossbow and quiver. My mother’s voice floated through the window again. But I knew it wasn’t her. This was another trick. I darted to the door, but then stopped in my tracks.
Wait a minute.
If the Reaper was manipulating me, then how could I be in control of my actions? I thought back quickly to the night I went to Rudy’s house. At first, I was able to move of my own free will. I followed what I thought was my mother willingly. It wasn’t until I got closer to the Reaper that he took over.
My Tethered Soul: Volume 2 (Reaper's Rite) Page 18