Cover Spell (Ivy Grace Spell Series Book 2)

by T. A. Foster

  “I have eight missed calls, texts from the crew, Holly, and Ian. This is not good, Finn.”

  “Babe, you’re fine. You are more than fine.” He winked at me. “They’ll be ok too once they know where you are. Now what about some food? I’m starving.” He didn’t bother to cover up before he jumped out of bed and made a B-line for the shower. “Want to join me first?”

  The water sputtered out of the showerhead, and he started humming a song I didn’t recognize.

  “Let me return some of these messages,” I called to him through the shower door.

  He had already closed the glass door behind him. Rapidly, I started firing off texts to everyone who had sent me a frantic message. They had seen the news about Emmy’s return and wanted to know what was happening with me. It probably wasn’t the best idea to go dark this afternoon, but as usual, I didn’t have a plan when it came to Finn. Things just happened between us I couldn’t explain.

  I scrolled through the texts and thought I had returned them all, when I saw the last one pop up on my screen.

  It was from Jack. My heart stopped.

  Are you ok?

  That was all it said. What did that mean? Was he worried about me? Was Jack actually thinking about me right now? All I could hear was Finn’s bad shower singing.

  This was intense—too intense. I had to get out of here.

  I looked in the mirror. “Glamour.” Instantly, I was in a pair of shorts and a strapless, button-up, white cotton shirt. I dusted the remnants of glitter from my shoulders. I slipped into my favorite flip-flops, and let myself out of the room. I didn’t know where I was going, but I needed to clear my mind.

  A large party from the production crew was gathered at the Hotel François bar. I kept my head down and managed to sneak past the happy partiers, who I could tell were just getting started with the first round of drinks. I recognized the sound girls and some of Evan’s friends from the set. Everyone looked relieved, and they were obviously having some fun celebrating Emmy’s return. It had been a long three days for everyone.

  With a big push through the revolving door, I landed on the sidewalk outside of the hotel. The warm night air felt good on my skin. I inhaled deeply and started walking.

  After a few blocks, I realized I had ended up outside the French bistro where Finn and I had dinner only a few nights ago. So much had happened since that night. The same fountain danced with lighted bubbles. Seeing the familiar deep green leaves that adorned my parents’ garden felt like a comforting sign from home.

  I sank into the wooden seat and stared at the streaming water, gurgling to life as more water surfaced in the tiered basins.

  How did you let things get so complicated? I ran my hands through my long sun-tinged hair. I was here to work. To get over Jack. To have fun. Instead, I ended up trying to date a movie star, and then completely out of left field, ended up sleeping with Finn again…and then again. Falling in love with him again? Could this be more disastrous?

  “Hey, there you are, gorgeous.” He strolled to my bench and sat. He looked concerned. “I was a little worried when you weren’t in the room.”

  “Hey. Sorry, I just took off. I needed some air.”

  I didn’t know why, but a sudden burst of tears threatened to give way. My hands covered my face, and I felt Finn pull me into his chest.

  “What is it? What’s going on?” He held on tighter.

  A few more ugly sobs escaped, and I pulled myself together. I definitely didn’t want to fall apart in his arms; he never saw me unglued. This wasn’t helping anything.

  “I’m fine.” I wiped away the last tear. “It’s been an emotional few days. Like I said, I needed some air.” Staring evil in the face along with the relationship rollercoaster had finally caught up with me.

  Finn reached into his jeans pocket and retrieved a newly conjured handkerchief. He dabbed at my eyes and handed it to me. I didn’t even care that he had used magic on the street. “Thanks.” Last sniffle, Ivy. Pull it together.

  “You sure you’re ok?” he asked. There was that concerned look again.

  “Yep. Never better.”

  I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder. This was going to be ok. We were going to be ok. I started to relax into his arms. Trust. Didn’t he tell me in bed that one of his symbols was about trust? I needed to give that to him.

  He rubbed my arm. “Well, there is something I need to talk to you about.”

  I pulled my head off his shoulder and looked at him. That peaceful feeling I had tried to cling to vanished. “What is it?”

  He stared at the fountain. “It’s the Shadow Quest. It’s not over.”

  I felt like the consul had punched me again. My head was still throbbing from the hand-to-hand combat fight I survived.

  “What do you mean?” I tried my best to keep my voice steady even though the question was rhetorical. Of course, I knew exactly what he was talking about. That damned jasper was probably still in his pocket, and burning a hole in his mind every second he wasn’t trying to use it to fulfill his quest.

  He ran his fingers through my hair. “Just listen. Please. I meant every word I said the other night, but I have to go for a little while. Not long.”

  “How long?” Would he actually be able to give me a timetable on how long it would take to fulfill a lifelong destiny quest?

  “Long enough.”

  I let the words sink in. “Wait, this has been your plan since you found that stupid rock, hasn’t it?” Fiery Ivy was surfacing.

  “Babe, it’s my Shadow Quest. I can’t break it. You know I accepted it and it doesn’t turn off. I thought I could, but I can’t. Please understand. If anyone can understand, it’s you.”

  He grabbed both of my hands and brought them to his lips. I tried to ignore the heated prickles spreading through my hands. He wasn’t going to charm me through this.

  “What does that mean exactly? Why would you think I would understand how you drop everything in your life that matters for this quest? You promised it was over.” The tears stung the corners of my eyes.

  “You heard voodoo Chantilly. You have some kind of mission now. You’re like me.”

  I blinked. “That’s what you think she said? Because I didn’t get that. It’s a gift—like being a Guardian or Holly being an Eraser, I think.” I hesitated. I didn’t know what a Laurel did, but I knew it wasn’t a quest—at least I wasn’t going to let it be one. I would never sacrifice all the people and things I loved for a quest. “Don’t try to equate this new Laurel title she gave me to your Shadow Quest. It’s not the same thing.”

  A frustrated breath escaped his lips. “That’s not what I’m doing. Ok, forget your gift. Forget being a Laurel. Forget I said that stuff.” His eyes were piercing. “Do you understand why I have to do this?”

  “No. You said this was different, that you were absolutely done with the quest. You promised me you were done.” I was firm and definite. “Aren’t you at a dead end anyway?” I pulled my hands away from him.

  He looked at me with his I’ve-been-caught-in-the-act look. “I went back to see Madame Chantilly.”

  “What!”

  He didn’t even like the voodoo queen, but that did explain why he was gone for so long this morning.

  “I had a lot of questions about the jasper and I knew she had the answers. We came up with a deal. In exchange for some help with my Guardian abilities, she told me where I should search next. It turns out she was looking for a Guardian. Kind of a funny coincidence, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, hilarious.”

  I couldn’t believe he was bartering magic, especially his gift spell, for a woman he clearly disliked. The last twenty-four hours were full of Finn surprises. I had so many questions.

  “How did you do it? How did you overpower me in the Cover Spell?”

  His eyes followed the stream in the fountain. I didn’t think he was going to answer, but his smooth voice cut through the silence. “When we practiced, I tuned in to h
ow you tried to project your cover.” His eyes stayed locked on the bubbling water. “As a Guardian, I’ve been practicing that type of spell my whole life. I’m trained in creating shields. It really wasn’t much of a contest.”

  “It wasn’t supposed to be a contest.” I punched him in the arm. “We were supposed to be partners. We decided together.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I knew you would fight me on it. You always do, Ivy. It was the only way I could take over.”

  I glared at him. “You told me you were done. Done with everything.” I felt like I was hitting repeat on more than just this conversation. Didn’t he realize he had already broken his promise to me?

  “I want to be done, but it’s not my choice anymore. I have the blue jasper now, and I can finish the quest.” He looked at me with pleading eyes. “I’m sorry about the Cover Spell. I really am. Believe that. I needed to do it—for you. It was to protect you.”

  The tension gripping my body receded with each of his words.

  “Please wait for me.” He searched my eyes. “Will you wait for me?”

  All of a sudden, in rapid succession, I realized the pieces Finn had carefully put in place. He wasn’t being selfish when he switched the Cover Spell on me. My breath caught. He knew he was leaving, and he didn’t want to leave me alone vulnerable and less powerful.

  By rescuing Emmy and not calling for backup, he had violated police protocol. It would take a mountain of Charm Spells to get himself out of that kind of hot water. The precinct would probably make him take a leave of absence before he would be back on the force in Sullen’s Grove—perfect timing for a never-ending, life-altering quest.

  The whole trip to New Orleans—he probably had a lead all along that there might be a jasper here. Emmy’s disappearance gave him an added reason to spend time with me.

  Then there was the mind-blowing, Guardian-secret-revealing, only skin and heat, emotionally devouring sex we had—it was good-bye sex. Good-bye-for-now sex.

  I knew what I had to do. It was clear. I had known ever since Finn appeared at my doorstep. The magic between us was always strong, and I couldn’t imagine a time in our lives when it wouldn’t exist, but I had let it distract me. I used it to soothe and occupy my broken heart. I let my heart open to the possibility that he was no longer running water, that somehow I could contain him. I shook my head. No matter how Finn asked or tempted me, I couldn’t stay anymore. If I did, I would fall deeper and harder until I wouldn’t know how to put my heart back together. It was as much my time to go as his. I had to let him go, for both of us.

  My throat tightened. “No. I can’t wait for you.” I traced his beautiful face with the back of my hand. “You need this. You’re right about the jasper. It’s part of your quest and it landed in your hands for a reason. I do understand that much about it. Go figure it out. Finish this.”

  “I want to come back to you.”

  “Finish the quest, Finn. Just be done with it.”

  I turned my hand and ran it along the back on his neck, pulling his face closer to mine. I kissed him deeply and gently, wanting him to know I wasn’t mad anymore. I loved him, but I wasn’t going to wait.

  If only my Time Spell would let me bottle snippets of time. This would have been one of them. We both needed to suspend this moment, so we could come back to it when we wondered or doubted what happened to us.

  His lips burned into mine. I savored every taste and touch of his mouth. My arms circled his waist, and my body strained to hold him close to me. His hands tangled in my hair, and he pressed his palms into the back of my neck. Part of my heart was breaking, but I couldn’t hold on to him anymore. I had to let go.

  I released my hands, leaned back, and let my eyes drift open. The bench was empty. Finn was gone.

  When I walked through the revolving doors, the Hotel François was still hopping with the post-Emmy victory celebration. The lobby lights were dim except those coming from the bar in the corner.

  “Ivy, Ivy, come on over. Let me get you a drink.” Dan from the electrical crew and one of the other partiers I remembered from Easy Eddie’s were waving me over to the bar.

  I wasn’t in the mood for a celebration. Finn and I said we weren’t going to say good-bye, but that’s what it was. He was gone, and I felt clear and good about it. Heartbroken, but I knew it was the only way. If we ever had a chance, or ever will, he had to finish the Shadow Quest.

  I didn’t want to be rude, so I walked over to the party crowd. Dan patted the open barstool next to him and was already shoving a glass of white wine in my hand. I really wanted chocolate cake and a pint of chocolate ice cream, but I wasn’t about to tell the crew I had sent the man I loved away to search the world for quest answers. That sounded crazy. I smiled at Dan and took a big sip. I let the wine work its magic. Ok, maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea.

  “Bartender!” I heard the slow Texas drawl over the rest of the bubbling crowd. Even in my heartbroken state, I had to admit that was a sexy voice. “Get this girl a Shiner Bock.”

  The crowd parted enough for me to see Evan flash a big smile in my direction. He walked over with a beer in his hand.

  “Thanks.” I handed him my wine glass and took the bottle of beer from him.

  “You alone?” He looked at me quizzically. “Detective Delano still around?” He jokingly peeked over my shoulder and pretended to look in my bag.

  “No, he’s gone.” It felt strange to joke about Finn, but Evan’s warm energy felt comforting.

  I knew he was. I nodded at Evan over a big sip of beer.

  “Well, let’s get this party going on, y’all!” Evan yelled out over the group.

  The bartender cranked up the music on a stereo under the counter, and the crew started dancing around the hotel restaurant. I thought I recognized some of that much-adored Texas country music Evan talked about so much.

  I smiled, watching the happy dancers circle around the tables and chairs. I really felt like I had come full circle in the past few days. I was back to getting over a broken heart in New Orleans with Evan Carlson and a cold beer.

  New Orleans, Six Months Later

  THERE WASN’T much time. The car was supposed to pick me up in ten minutes. The red carpet event had already started, but every round of arrivals was scheduled to maximize photo-ops with each celebrity. I couldn’t be late to the premiere of Masquerade. After everything that had happened, it was a miracle the movie made it to the big screen. It was more than a miracle; it was pure magic.

  Filming resumed a week after Emmy Harper’s horrible kidnapping ordeal. The real kidnapper was never identified. Since I knew he turned into a mushy pile on the warehouse floor, I wasn’t about to share that secret. The police had pinned the entire abduction on the gang of guards Finn and I had knocked out. They willingly confessed to their part in the crime, but police had an open investigation for the mastermind behind the abduction plot.

  In Detective Delano’s debrief, he explained he responded to an anonymous tip that he thought was bogus. His report appeased any would-be skeptics, and the police appeared uninterested in tracking down Finn’s unnamed accomplice. Emmy seemed unfazed by the events. My guess was Finn spent a few minutes working his Charm Spell on her before turning her over to the police. After a day of questioning and a day of rest, she was ready to get back to work on the set.

  Of course, the paparazzi were going to have a field day when she and Evan showed up together at the premiere tonight. This movie didn’t need additional publicity. It had its share with the kidnapping story, but still I had my doubts as to whether Evan and Emmy were a real couple. Their relationship had the markings of one Kelly Saint-James, publicity guru extraordinaire, all over it. I had spotted a few Evan and Emmy pictures in my magazines on the flight to New Orleans. His arm was casually slung over her shoulder while they window-shopped in L.A.

  I giggled, thinking about the few dates Evan and I had stumbled through. My heart was never truly in it the way it was before Finn showed up.
He was fun and I had a good time with him, but it wasn’t quite the same between us after the kidnapping. I had to fly back to Sullen’s Grove when the script changes were made, and he moved on to Acapulco to finish filming the movie. Long distance phone calls, texts, and botched travel plans were all part of our downfall. One too many tabloid stories later, and we decided to call it quits. It was a nice, amicable split. I was proud we had remained friends.

  I was looking forward to seeing him tonight. I bet he would look extra cute in his tuxedo. Maybe I could pull him aside and ask him what in the hell was going on with this Emmy Harper story. Chances were good he had requested his favorite beer at the after party. It would be nice to sit and talk with him over a beer. That is, if Emmy was ok with it.

  I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. The stylist had straightened my hair in smooth layers. It glistened in the lights of the vanity mirror. I twirled around to check the back of my dress. I was absolutely in love with the gown Holly and I had chosen for the event. I wanted something that would really stand out on the red carpet, but that I would still feel comfortable wearing. The deep red satin, off-the-shoulder dress was perfect. A triangle-shaped panel was cut out from the side, just above my waist. A touch of skin, but not too scandalous. I knew my parents would be looking for the premiere pictures, and I would have to face them at the Grace family brunch on Sunday. Holly and I decided on sexy, but not family disgraceful when we oohed and aahed over the high slit on the side and the pools of silky fabric.

  I reached for my clutch. I needed one last touch-up of matching red lipstick. Just as I was puckering for the last dabs of gloss, my phone vibrated repeatedly. Who would call me now? I looked at the phone. Of course, it was Gina. I read her eleventh-hour text.

  Change of plans. There’s a date with your car.

  Date? What was she talking about? I was positive Evan was going to the premiere with Emmy. The press loved it when he and I were seen out together eating tacos, grabbing a beer, or sneaking into a movie, but everyone knew we had broken up. I tapped out a quick response.