‘How you started out?’ Charley questioned.
‘Our birth wasn’t exactly straightforward. There was
. . . a complication.’
Aiden got up and walked to where Quinn was sitting. As if reading his mind, she held out the brandy bottle which he took without hesitation.
‘It’s called TTTS: Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. It’s basically when the placenta isn’t shared equally and one baby isn’t getting the nutrients they need to survive.
‘Dru was what they called the donor twin, meaning there was a blood transfusion within the uterus from her to me. Although she was born a lot smaller, she was okay, despite the lesser blood volume. I, on the other hand . . .’
She stopped for a second, the memories bringing back so much heartache; years and years of guilt and unhappiness, all brought to the surface after such a long time.
‘I wasn’t going to survive. They told my parents before either of us were born. I’d become overloaded with blood and my heart was failing – they said that labour would have put too much of a strain on it, I wasn’t strong enough.’
Charley didn’t say anything. She wasn’t really sure what to say. She knew Quinn wasn’t finished though; she was here, after all, alive and well.
‘My parents were distraught. They couldn’t face losing either of us, so they made the decision to do a linking spell.’
‘What does that do?’
‘The spell linked Dru and me together, meaning that Dru’s essence was enough to keep us both alive, on one condition: we weren’t just linked for the birth – we were linked forever. If one of us dies–’
‘The other dies too . . .’ Charley whispered.
‘That’s right. My sister’s chance of dying doubled from the second she was born. Imagine having to deal with that, live with the knowledge that your parents did that to you, gave you that curse. Only that isn’t what bothers her. Dru’s problem is not being able to die.’
‘What?’ Charley said softly.
‘She’s never been happy here, not really. I do think I’m to blame – the magic did something to her, I’m sure of it. She wouldn’t have been like this if they’d just let me–’ Quinn paused, the word too painful to say. ‘Anyway, of course she can’t do anything about it, otherwise she takes me too. Dru isn’t cursed to die, Charley, she’s cursed to live.’
Marcus slammed the door as he came in from school that day, his mood dampening as he laid eyes on his mother standing at the bottom of the stairs.
Her hair was pulled back into a perfect French braid, secured in place with a number of Kirby grips. She was wearing a black pencil skirt, high heels, and a red chiffon blouse with scarlet lips to match.
‘Where are you going?’ Marcus grunted, dumping his school bag on the floor.
Judith raised her eyebrows. ‘Nowhere.’
‘Cool, whatever.’ He walked on past her and up the stairs, stopping halfway when he heard her speak.
‘A word, please, Marcus. Whenever you’re ready.’ She wandered off towards the kitchen, stopping just before she was out of sight. ‘And please pick up your bag. You know I don’t like clutter.’
Marcus waited until she was gone and then muttered something rude under his breath.
Deciding to get whatever conversation she wanted to have out of the way, he trudged back down the stairs, thundering into the kitchen and plonking himself down on a stool.
‘What is it?’
‘Well, aren’t you testy today?’
‘I’m tired,’ he groaned.
‘I’m not surprised. You were up half the night screaming.’
‘What’s your point?’ said Marcus irritably, not at all in the mood to discuss his unusual sleeping patterns.
‘It’s getting out of hand, Marcus. You’re giving yourself away.’
‘How am I? It was a nightmare, a dream, nothing more.’
‘You were saying her name again, crying out for her. Your father doesn’t know what to do. He wants to get help for you.’
‘So tell him it’s nothing. He listens to everything you say.’
‘Marcus, when I told you about this, I–’
‘You said you would deal with him, Mum. I can’t make the dreams go away, you know that.’
‘And you know that I can. If you’d only let me–’
‘No! I told you already, I don’t want them to stop. I need them . . .’
‘They’re destroying you, Marcus.’
‘I’m fine.’
‘You’re far from fine.’
‘Listen, I can handle them, okay? You said last night that it won’t be much longer. I need these dreams, whether or not they’re tearing me apart. I need to see her.’
Judith nodded, recognising her son’s reliance on his disturbing nightmares. She wasn’t really sure if he would cope without them. However harrowing they might be, it was the only time he got with her.
‘You’re sure you can keep it together?’ she asked dubiously.
‘I’m sure.’
‘I still don’t know what to do about your father. He’s getting more and more suspicious–’
‘I’m sure you’ll think of something,’ Marcus said, cutting her off. ‘Are we done?’
Judith didn’t say anything, but from the look she gave, Marcus knew it was safe for him to leave. He slid off the stool and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl before walking towards the door.
‘Marcus?’
‘What?’
‘Is she going to be a problem?’
‘Who?’
‘Who do you think? Charley.’
Marcus felt apprehensive as soon as he heard her name. ‘No, she won’t be.’
‘All right, then. Dinner’s at six. Try and make an appearance tonight, for your father’s benefit if nothing else. It’s too late for slip-ups now.’
‘Fine, I’ll be down for dinner. Happy?’
Judith smiled. ‘Ecstatic.’
Charley stared up at the ceiling, squinting at the giant chandelier that hung above her head. This one was made of brass and looked much more old-fashioned than the one in the hall.
This one was ugly.
She tilted her head back further so she was looking at Aiden.
‘Do you have chandeliers in all your rooms?’ she asked, a hint of sarcasm to her voice.
‘My room doesn’t have one.’
‘Your room doesn’t even have a telly,’ she laughed.
‘True.’
‘When you two are done canoodling, can we get back to this, please?’ said Quinn as she flicked through Tabitha’s book.
‘Oh, how the tables have turned,’ Charley smiled. ‘Aiden, what have you done to her?’
‘Beats me. This is the first time I’ve seen her with a book in front of her in . . . well, ever.’
‘That is not true,’ Quinn giggled. ‘I read. Sometimes.’
‘Yeah, the drinks menu at the bar.’
‘I’m too young to drink in bars,’ Quinn winked.
‘Like that would stop you,’ Aiden snorted.
So far, they hadn’t learned anything about Charley’s dream or her vision of Dru. Quinn was convinced the two were linked, she just didn’t know how. She’d searched through every book in the house that had anything to do with magic or sorcery and was now back to the first one: the one that belonged to Tabitha.
‘Will Aunt Tabby mind us looking through this?’
‘You kidding? She’d have a fit.’
‘Should we put it back? I don’t want to–’
‘Who cares?’ Aiden grunted. ‘She won’t help me when I ask so what am I meant to do?’
‘I dunno. She just seemed pretty mad earlier.’
‘I couldn’t care less. Things are happening here, Quinn, bad things, and if she isn’t w
illing to help put a stop to them then we’re going to have to do it ourselves.’
‘So where do we go from here?’
Aiden looked down at Charley. ‘Maybe I should pay Marcus another visit.’
Charley sat up quickly. ‘What? No. Why?’
‘Because we’re running out of options. We haven’t found anything out yet and he’s really the only thing we’ve got to go on.’
‘You think he has something to do with the dream?’
‘No, not really, but I think he has a lot to do with everything else. Marcus is hiding something and I want to know what it is.’
‘You aren’t going alone.’
‘Chambers . . .’
‘No. If you’re going then I’m coming too,’ she insisted, folding her arms.
Aiden shook his head. ‘Fine, if you must. But if I get even the slightest inkling that you’re in danger then you get out, okay?’
‘I’m sure it’ll be–’
‘Okay?’ he said more sternly.
‘Yes, okay.’
He got up and headed for the door, grabbing his coat on the way.
‘I’m coming too,’ Quinn yelped, running after him with the magic book tucked under her arm.
‘I thought as much,’ said Aiden testily. ‘Put that back then and let’s go.’
They arrived outside Marcus’s house just as a black Mercedes was pulling into the driveway. A tall, good-looking man got out, clutching a briefcase and a pair of leather gloves – Garth Gillespie.
Charley thought he was very handsome, for an older man – dark hair, square jaw – and she clearly wasn’t the only one who thought so.
‘Oh, my!’ Quinn spluttered, her own jaw just about hitting the ground.
‘Seriously?’ Aiden frowned.
‘What? A girl’s not allowed to look?’
‘Put your eyes back in your head,’ he said, and Quinn stuck her tongue out at him behind his back.
‘Excuse me!’ Charley shouted over to Garth, her knees going weak when he looked up, his brown eyes glinting. They were just like Marcus’s . . .
‘Hi there,’ he smiled, showing off his shiny white teeth.
‘Hi, I’m looking for Marcus. Is he home? We’re . . . friends of his, from school.’
Garth’s face lit up. ‘Well, isn’t this delightful. You know, I’ve yet to meet any of Marcus’s friends here, he doesn’t like to talk about them much.’
‘He doesn’t?’
‘Not really, no. Keeps an awful lot to himself, that boy. It’s a pleasure to meet you . . .’
‘Charley. This is Aiden and his cousin, Quinn.’
‘Wonderful,’ Garth said cheerfully. ‘Do come in. I’m sure he’s probably inside, sulking in his room no doubt.’
The three of them followed Garth into the house, all feeling slightly apprehensive as Quinn closed the door behind them. They weren’t really sure what they were doing there, or what they were going to ask Marcus when they saw him. Would he cause a scene, out them and tell his father that they weren’t his friends at all?
Only one way to find out . . .
‘Marcus!’ Garth shouted from the hall, taking off his long trench coat and hanging it on one of the hooks by the door. ‘Visitors.’
‘You have a lovely home,’ Quinn gushed, admiring a large glass vase filled with beautiful pink lilies. She leaned over to smell them, just as a woman came strutting down the hallway.
‘Hello,’ she said, surprised to see more than just Garth standing there. ‘And you are?’
‘These are friends of Marcus,’ Garth smiled, bending down to kiss his wife on the cheek.
‘Really? Well, this is a nice surprise. I’m sure he’ll be just thrilled.’
She grimaced at the three of them, secretly cursing her husband for letting a bunch of bothersome teenagers into her house, especially so near dinner time. She was just contemplating how to get rid of them when her eyes settled on Charley, recognising her straight away.
‘Well, well. Hello, Miss Chambers.’
Charley gave her a blank look. ‘I’m sorry, have we met?’
Judith lifted her chin, studying the young girl in front of her. ‘No, I don’t believe we have.’
‘Can I get you kids something to drink?’ Garth interrupted, motioning for them to go through to the kitchen.
‘I’m sure they’re fine, darling,’ said Judith. ‘They probably just want to get up and see Marcus. Am I right?’
‘Yeah, let’s get this over with,’ Aiden sighed, then realised he was getting a rather odd look from Marcus’s parents.
‘What Aiden means is . . . well, we have a lot of homework to do tonight. Can’t stay too long.’
Judith looked unconvinced. ‘I see. And you are?’
‘Quinn. I’m Aiden’s cousin.’
‘Yes, you do look familiar.’
‘I do?’ Quinn was pretty sure she’d never met the woman before in her life.
‘Straight up the stairs and down the corridor,’ Judith said, ignoring Quinn. ‘Just follow the stench of dirty laundry and you’ll find Marcus no problem.’
She didn’t say any more, but simply turned and walked back towards the kitchen, her hips swaying in an exaggerated fashion.
‘Please excuse my wife,’ Garth murmured under his breath. ‘She isn’t intentionally rude.’
‘No, not at all,’ said Charley. ‘We probably should have called first.’
‘Don’t be silly, it’s nice to meet his friends. Can you find the room on your own? I better go and see to things through there,’ he gestured towards the kitchen.
‘Of course.’ Charley smiled. ‘I’ve been here before.’
‘Brilliant, make yourselves at home.’
As Garth took off down the hall, Aiden’s frown grew deeper.
The thought of Charley being in Marcus’s room, the two of them alone together, troubled him more than he’d ever let on, especially now that he knew who Marcus was – what Marcus was.
While thoughts of ripping Marcus in two drifted through Aiden’s unsettled mind, Charley was having a more sympathetic approach to the situation.
She was feeling guilty. She actually felt bad for Marcus.
She knew what he was, what he was capable of, yet she felt terrible for lying; pretending to be his friend to gather information from him. It wasn’t something she felt comfortable doing.
‘That woman’s awfully peculiar,’ Quinn murmured as they climbed the stairs. ‘Why does she recognise me? I swear I’ve never met her before . . .’
‘Neither have I,’ Charley replied, wondering the same thing herself.
‘You’ve been here before, haven’t you?’ Quinn asked. ‘You sure you didn’t meet her then?’
‘No. They were here, but I never spoke to them. Marcus took me straight upstairs.’
‘She probably recognises you from all the photos Marcus has pinned up on his wall,’ Aiden snorted.
‘Why would he have photos of me?’ Charley didn’t understand what Aiden was implying.
‘Crazy stalkers tend to do things like that.’
‘Shut up, he isn’t my stalker. He doesn’t even like me.’
Aiden laughed this time, raising his eyebrows. ‘Are you serious?’
‘What’s so funny?’ she retorted.
‘Marcus likes you nearly as much as Quinn likes vodka. Probably more, in fact, and that’s saying something.’
‘Hey, that’s not . . .’ Quinn started, but then shrugging her shoulders said, ‘Okay, fair enough.’
‘No, he doesn’t, and especially not like that. We were only friends before . . .’ Charley tailed off as she thought about everything that had happened since the first time she and Marcus had met.
‘Yeah, and I’m just an insig,’ Aiden grunted sarcastically.
‘Insignificants,’ Quinn said. ‘It’s what we call non-magical people.’
‘Charming.’
Once they reached the end of the hallway, Charley gently knocked on the door, her heartbeat drumming in her ears.
‘Marcus?’ she called, pushing the door open.
‘Let yourself in, why don’t you?’ came a muffled voice from inside.
Charley walked into the room, Aiden stepping in after, followed by Quinn. It was dark inside, the lights all off and the curtains drawn. Charley searched the wall for a light switch and turned it on once she finally found where it was.
The room was a mess, making it difficult to find a clear spot to stand in.
‘What do you want?’ Marcus asked without looking up. He was lying face down on the bed, his head buried in a pillow, wearing just a pair of black jogging-bottoms.
‘We came to talk to you,’ Aiden said, and Marcus stirred at the sound of his nemesis’ voice.
‘Oh, goody. You brought your boyfriend. What a treat.’
He rolled on to his back, squinting as the bright light caught his eyes, momentarily blinding him.
‘Bloody hell, turn that off, will you?’
‘And do what?’ Aiden said sharply. ‘Stand and talk to you in the dark?’
Marcus stretched over to his bedside table and flicked a switch on the lamp that sat there. ‘Satisfied?’
Aiden swore under his breath and turned off the overhead light.
‘Well, well,’ Marcus smiled once his eyes finally began to focus. ‘Who’s your friend?’
Aiden looked at Quinn protectively, as if he didn’t really want to introduce her to Marcus. She might have been older than him, but he still felt responsible for her.
He knew fine well though that this was not the first demon Quinn had come into contact with. She was perfectly capable of handling herself.
‘My cousin, Quinn.’
‘Hello, darling,’ Marcus winked, ‘how you doing?’
Quinn rolled her eyes dismissively. ‘In your dreams. I like my men, well . . . manly.’
‘Trust me, sweetheart, I can show you all kinds of manly.’
Charley Chambers Page 18