How would she pull this off without cracking? She tried to recall the finer points that she’d gone over with Mulroney. “Garrett,” she whispered, correcting herself. Saying his name out loud made her stomach flip. Getting used to calling him by anything but Mulroney would take time.
After Gillian rubbed her hands on her jeans, she examined her handiwork. Now pricked with black and orange lights, the ceiling of Enchantments gave off a starry effect to make browsing through the endless rows of tarot decks, ritual candles, crystal balls, runes, wands, and spellbooks a festive experience.
Once she climbed down from the step stool, she cleaned up the mess she’d left on the counter, booted up her laptop, and turned on the Spotify to R&B. Delilah had closed last night, so the store was in good shape.
Gillian loved to open, but not today. She relished the quiet before the store filled with customers. Mornings remained typically slow until about noon when people came in on their lunch breaks unless they had appointments. Today she had none, which was probably a blessing, considering her mind spun in a million different directions. Every few minutes she’d glance over her shoulder. Any little sound or creaking noise made her jump. Despite Officer Andrews popping in and out, she still couldn’t shake the sense of dread in the pit of her stomach.
She exhaled, trying to focus, and glanced at the store schedule on the computer. On slow days, they accepted walk-ins, and if the customer liked their reading, they’d get booked for parties. She’d done her fair share of spa nights at private homes and the occasional bachelorette party. Brides, in particular, loved the novelty of having a tarot card reader there.
Always on the lookout for new customers, they started a mailing list for sales and promotions, which had grown considerably over time. Now they offered workshops and classes on Wicca, the use of essential oils, herbs in potions, and spellwork. She liked to think of the shop as Hogwarts for adults. None of them were growing rich by any stretch, but they were breaking even.
As much as Gillian enjoyed her job, her real love was doing her podcast. She still dreamed of being the host of a radio show someday. That dream would have to be on hold for now. Finding Brooke was her number one priority—her only priority.
She let out a ragged breath. Imagining what she was going to tell her friends about her new living situation made her break out in a cold sweat. No doubt she’d get bombarded with questions. Inevitably, the gossip would spread. If only she could go back in time when life was simpler, and she didn’t have to lie to the people she loved, make up fake boyfriends, or be on the lookout for attacking vampires, which reminded her, she needed to go on the offensive.
She picked up her phone off the counter and typed a tweet.
#KurtLawrence #mediamogul or #monster? She posted it all over her social media and offered a silent prayer, hoping it would somehow lead them to Brooke.
The clack of heels forced Gillian to look up. Saje walked in with a steaming cup in her hands. She set it behind the register and stowed her purse under the counter. “What the hell’s going on, Gillian? What happened to you last night that put you and the rest of us in danger?”
“I’ll tell you everything, I promise. But first things first. Did you weave extra protections spells throughout the manor?”
“Yes. We are now the Fort Knox of covens, but you still haven’t told me why that was necessary. I think I have a right to know,” Saje said in an exasperated tone.
“You do. Where’s Delilah? She’s on the schedule today.” Gillian’s eyes darted to the back door. It had been her idea to open the shop and have all the women of the coven work together. She read tarot cards like Gillian but also created a line of soaps and lotions with magickal healing properties. She’d become a close friend. It would be hard to lie to her face about her fake relationship with Garrett.
“She’s not coming in.” Saje flicked on the neon open sign. “A slot opened up at a psychic fair in Secaucus. She thought it would be good for business, especially right before Samhain.”
Gillian leaned over the counter to arrange the display of crystals before glancing back at Saje, trying to keep the gut-churning worry out of her eyes. After Gillian filled Saje in on all the gory details over the last twenty-four hours, she exhaled, not sure how she’d react. “Mulroney told me I could only tell one person, and it has been killing me not being able to confide in my best friend. But you have to swear not to tell anyone, for everyone’s safety and especially for Brooke’s. This won’t work if we can’t keep it a secret, and the fewer people who know, the easier it will be to pull this off.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. I can’t believe Lawrence kidnapped Brooke and killed your cat!” Saje shook her head. “It figures Nick hasn’t mentioned a thing. Wait a minute, did I hear you right? You put a vampire in a coma?”
After that, it took Gillian a good ten minutes to calm Saje down. “Do you think between Mulroney and the agents, they’ll be able to find Brooke?”
Anxiety coiled down her spine. “They have a few leads. Now that I’m a witness, and threatened to expose Lawrence on social media, Mulroney says I’m in danger, which is why I need to stay at his place. Naturally, we were forced to invent this charade about being a couple.” Gillian reached for a stick of frankincense and a candle then lit both with a wave of her hand. “I can’t go back to the coven.”
“Who could’ve imagined that an invitation to the penthouse from a handsome, wealthy vampire would result in something so horrible?” Saje hands visibly shook as she dusted off the spines on the bookshelves.
“Trust me, living on the wild side isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.” Ever since her mom’s death, she’d tried to get out there and suck the lemon out of life, live every moment to the fullest. Death forces you to reassess your priorities. But at this point, she would give anything for a real connection with someone. She envied what Willow and Alex shared. What if that kind of love and passion just wasn’t in the cards for her? Brooke’s kidnapping made her painfully aware of all the things missing in her own life. At any moment, everything could be snatched away and drastically change.
Saje grabbed the keys and opened one of the glass cases to fill it with their pricier wands. “So you think Lawrence or one of his bodyguards will come after you?”
“If Lawrence comes after me, then there’s a good chance he comes after all of you.” Gillian would do everything in her power to make sure that didn’t happen. “Which is why I have to keep him focused on me, keep him thinking the coven doesn’t know anything. I plan to weave some protection spells of my own. If he does come for me, hopefully, Mulroney will be there, but I have to be prepared when he’s not.”
“What can I do?” Saje asked as she lit a pumpkin scented candle. The aroma swirled through the air.
“There must be a spell or a potion that can sever Brooke’s blood bond without causing her any harm.” Gillian bit her lip. “Can you bring some of the Grimoires from the coven here to the shop?”
“Sure. We can go through them together.”
“Good. Why don’t we try water scrying to see if it can lead us to Brooke before Delilah gets back?”
“Let’s do it.”
Saje got to work filling a cauldron with water while Gillian burned a bundle of sage in a copper bowl. Once Saje poured one of her truth potions into the cauldron, the water began to bubble. After they touched hands, magick pure and bright sparked through the air. A silhouette of Brooke rose from the surface of the water and billowed around like smoke.
“I can sense her will being compromised.”
Gillian’s heart squeezed. The next moment, another figure appeared and hovered above Brooke before the water turned blood red. “The dark prince. He represents Kurt Lawrence. I saw him when I read Brooke’s cards. I didn’t realize it at the time.” Gillian moved her hands over the cauldron and whispered a spell.
“Let us see what can’t be seen.
Give us a vision that allows magick to intervene
&nb
sp; This is my will, so mote it be.”
The two joined hands and repeated the spell a second and then a third time. Finally, a gate appeared like a hologram hovering in the air and coiled around Brooke like a rope. “A house with a gate?” Gillian whispered over her racing heart. “This could be anywhere.”
“Hold on, there’s some sort of symbol. Show yourself,” Saje demanded. The slithering tail and wings of a dragon appeared encased in a shield. After the smoke dissipated, the water turned clear again. “It looks like a coat of arms. Not much to go on, but it’s something.”
“I’m calling Garrett.” Gillian pulled out her phone and pressed a button. “Please be there,” she whispered.
He answered on the first ring. “Gillian? Is everything okay?” Hearing him say her name made butterflies flutter in her belly.
“Yes, I’m fine. Look, I tried scrying for Brooke again, and this might sound crazy, but I saw a gated house with a dragon coat of arms. I believe she’s being held there. It was very Game of Thrones like.”
“Game of Thrones?” Garrett asked. “That’s a book, right?”
“Yes, and probably the most popular TV show of all time. Do you think my vision could somehow lead us to Brooke?”
“I’ll check the database and see what comes up. Good work, Gillian.” Did he just compliment her? He cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence. “I’ll pick you up after your shift, and then, perhaps, we can order some take out. I think we should talk more and continue to get to know each other since we’ll be attending the engagement party together. And it’ll take your mind off of things.”
Her foolish heart skipped a beat. “Yes, I agree.” There was food and talking involved. Why did this sound an awful lot like a date? “I’ll see you later,” she said and ended the call.
“I still can’t believe you’re staying at Mulroney’s.” Saje's gaze narrowed. “I think hell may have frozen over for good this time. How’s the whole fake couple thing going?”
“He's a lot different than you think.” Gillian shrugged, hoping to sound nonchalant. “For starters, his home is like something straight out of Architectural Digest, and he can cook. But the clincher? He does the grocery shopping for the octogenarians on the block.”
“Careful girl, you’re sounding an awful lot like a Mulroney fan,” Saje said with a mischievous gleam in her eye while she walked around the store, turning on every light. “Next thing I know you’ll be telling me you’re smitten.”
“Oh please. I think you’re reaching.” She’d be lying through her teeth if she tried to deny his appeal. He was caring, charming, and took witty to a whole new level.
Saje turned back to face her. “Me thinks, the witch doth protest too much. When you talk about him, you get this dreamy look in your eyes.”
Gillian couldn’t deny the attraction. “Funny, Brooke said almost the same thing. But I don’t think he’s the relationship type. I found women’s clothing in the guest room closet and a robe in the bathroom. All of those things scream player, and right now, it’s the last thing I’m interested in.”
“Maybe all this time he’s been waiting for you to come into his life, and now you have. You can’t fight that kind of chemistry.” Saje said in a more serious tone and placed the cash drawer in the register. Gillian was still a teenager when her dad left, she struggled for years with abandonment issues. When her mom died, it took a long time to get over the blow. She couldn’t take the pain of losing someone she loved again. Dating emotionally unavailable men simply became her default. Saje was one of the few people in this world who knew the truth about Gillian’s past.
“In all the times he came by the coven, the girls and I used to take bets to gauge what would happen if you two ever got together.” Saje pointed out. “It’s pretty obvious the way you look at each other.”
“Chemistry doesn’t equal a relationship.” And there was the little matter of him costing her the job of a lifetime. Gillian tried not to think too much about it and reached for her phone. Still nothing about Brooke.
“Fate’s playing her hand here, my friend, and as a tarot card reader, you can’t deny the signs.” Saje handed her a deck of Love cards off the counter. “Well?”
“I’m not denying the signs. I’m simply not giving in to them. What good would it do? There’s no future with a vampire.” Gillian got paid to help people find love, and yet, she’d never experienced it for herself. Talk about irony.
“There’s a legend that the springs in Sybil’s Cave hold a powerful elixir. Vampires who routinely engage in sucking other people’s blood use it to cleanse their own, but I came across a spell in one of the Grimoires that if used in conjunction with a series of potions, might be able to turn a vampire human again. Although, I can’t say I know of anyone that it’s worked on.”
“Are you serious? I didn’t know there was such a thing.”
The bell dinged, keeping Saje from giving a further explanation. Lucas, one of their regulars, strolled in. With his long, shaggy blond hair and tattoos, he was the picture of the musician he aspired to be, rather than the Ace hardware employee he was.
“Hey, Lucas.” Gillian waved and moved to the other side of the counter. She approached him, grateful for the distraction. “Are you here for a spell?”
“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.” He gave her a lopsided grin. He came in all the time to buy carving candles for custom spells and incense before a show. “I thought you ladies might like to stop by Carpe Diem tonight. We’re doing a gig.” He handed her a flyer.
They’d been flirting for weeks now, but he’d never pulled the trigger and asked her out. Funny, a couple of days ago she would've jumped at the chance, but now she wasn’t so sure. While part of her wanted to believe she was being more cautious after what happened with Lawrence, deep down she knew it had more to do with Garrett.
“I’m sorry, I have plans.” Gillian snagged a white pillar candle off the shelf and then glanced up at Lucas with a smile. “Some other time.”
Disappointment flashed in his eyes. “Yeah, some other time.”
Gillian reached for a ritual knife off the counter and dug the tip into the candle. Once she carved a spell into the wax, she whispered an incantation, and then set the candle aside to let the magick take hold. She reached for her phone from the counter and once again frantically scrolled through her messages to see if there had been any word on Brooke. When she found nothing, her heart sank.
She tried to redirect the train of her thoughts and glanced over at Lucas, who browsed through the shelves. While he didn’t necessarily give off an emotionally unavailable warning sign, he did have a passive vibe. Those kinds of males typically disappointed her in the end, leaving her bereft and unsatisfied. Maybe all the years of her father insinuating she wasn’t good enough had taken their toll. She’d been plagued by insecurity ever since, too afraid to go after what she wanted, and settling for guys who weren’t good for her.
While Lucas’s demeanor was tentative and shy, Garrett was confident to the point of arrogance. He was pure alpha, the type to throw a woman over his shoulder and have his wicked way with her. The thought sent a ripple of awareness pulsing through her veins. Refocusing her attention, she placed the candle in a bag and rang Lucas up.
He walked back to the register and placed some cash on the counter. “It was good seeing you, Gillian.”
“You too. Good luck tonight.”
With a smile, he reached for the bag and walked out the door into the bright sunshine. Guilt slid in her belly. She hoped she hadn’t led him on. Gillian felt a set of eyeballs burning a hole in her back and spun around.
“When are you planning to break the news to the other girls about your fake relationship with Mulroney?” Saje asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Maybe I’ll just spring it on everyone at the engagement party, where we officially come out. In the meantime, I thought maybe you’d help me lay the groundwork.” Gillian’s eyes flicked to the door as it swung open. Every
time a customer approached the counter, her pulse skyrocketed. Could Lawrence have sent one of them to kill her?
“Gillian? Hey, are you okay?” Saje whispered and walked over to where she stood. She gave her arm a reassuring squeeze.
“Yeah, my mind went someplace else.” Gillian forced a smile and tried to calm her racing heartbeat.
“I’m happy to help smooth the rough edges with the other girls when it comes to you and Mulroney, but I’m guessing hearing the news from me will go over like a carrot stick in a trick-or-treat bag.”
Chapter 14
Garrett stood outside Rowena Cherry’s apartment building, hoping she could shed some light on her involvement with the Brotherhood. Before he could put his finger on her buzzer, his phone rang. He muttered a curse and held it to his ear. “Mulroney here.”
“I’m glad I caught you,” Denopoulos said in a clipped tone, which immediately put Garrett on alert.
“Why? What’s up?”
“You need to get over to Elysian Park. I’m afraid there’s been another murder.”
The moment Garrett arrived at the crime scene, he instantly filled with rage. The body of a young female had been unceremoniously dumped in a bush, next to a kid’s ball field. He couldn’t get past the blatant display of evil and disregard for human life. Jesus, this case was turning into a ticking time bomb.
Garrett pulled out his badge and crossed through the yellow and purple crime scene tape while the blare of sirens rang in the distance. He kept his head down, trying to avoid the throng of reporters he recognized from mage.com.
Denopoulos and Teague were crouched next to the body, talking to a couple of uniformed officers.
“What do we have here?” Garrett asked, walking over to a box and pulling on latex gloves, paper booties, and a face mask from a cardboard kit marked Biohazard.
“We’re still waiting for the coroner to make a positive ID,” Teague said, scratching his horns. “But I’ll give you my best guess: A female by the name of Kylie Macheo. She was reported missing by her roommate a couple of days ago and one of the women on the list from Rowena Cherry.”
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