Mira wondered briefly if this was the way to open a pathway to the Ether. Emmit mentioned that if he went to the other side he could fix the problem, but then he'd be stuck there. Maybe this was a way around it.
A steady flow of energy from both Emmit and Gabriel distracted Mira. Sighing, she looked at all the research piled up on the table, knowing she'd never understand even a quarter of what laid there.
What she could do, was stop Emmit and Gabriel from aggravating the hell out of each other, even if just for a short interval.
Mira closed the door behind her, ready to intervene. When she entered the living room, however, she found she was alone. After a few moments, she revised the thought to almost alone. Eric, one of Reinfield's men, stood rigidly next to the entryway. She chewed on her lip, wondering if she should approach the man.
It seemed almost wrong not to.
"Hi, Eric," Mira said, walking slowly over.
"Good afternoon. Is there anything I can assist you with?"
"Do you ever get tired of saying that?"
He didn't say anything, but he grinned.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Certainly."
She wrung her hands. "It's about last night."
Eric shifted his stance.
"About the driver." Mira looked at her hands and tried not to tear up. "Did he have any family?"
Eric didn't say anything.
"I just wanted to—I don't know—do something I guess. Not that there's anything I really could do."
"Mr. Harker and Detective Flint are on their way upstairs," Eric said.
"Oh," Mira said, feeling her chest tighten. "Okay. I guess I'll get my bag."
She was almost out of the room when she got a response, although not the one she wanted.
"Let me help you with that." Eric strode across the room and passed her. Mira had to walk fast to keep up. Once in her room, he looked around before closing the door.
Mira felt a little leery. It wasn’t like she actually knew the man, and she had essentially caused his coworker—maybe even friend—to die in an awful accident.
He twisted an ear-piece out of his ear and cupped it in his hand. "We don't really talk about this kind of thing, but Ronnie was a good guy and he wouldn't want you to be concerned."
Mira tried to swallow past the lump in her throat, but wasn't having any luck.
"We know the risks of our job. Ronnie’s family is well taken care of by Mr. Reinfield. We'll watch your back and make sure this guy doesn't get to you."
"I'm not worried about that."
"We are."
She nodded at looked at her hands again, gripping each other until they turned white. "So, there's nothing I can do?"
"We've got this." Eric, using exaggerated movements to make sure she noticed, reinserted the ear-piece. "Do you have anything additional?"
She glanced around the room and noticed the protocols on the nightstand. She grabbed it and put it in her purse.
"I think I have everything. Thank you."
He smiled and opened the door for her.
Mira jumped when Emmit appeared in the doorframe. Her heart raced at the sudden appearance.
Eric stood more rigid.
"Is everything all right?" Emmit asked, glancing at Eric before turning his attention to Mira.
"Of course," Mira said. "Sorry I snagged one of the guards, but I'm not feeling great and needed help with my bag."
Emmit relaxed slightly. "I should have thought of that."
“And I wanted to see if someone could bring Alchemy and Oracle to Gabriel’s. Although, I could pick them up now with some help.”
“I’ll ensure they make it there immedietly.”
"What did you do with Gabriel?"
"Let me get your bag." Emmit nodded at Eric and took the bag, then put an arm around Mira to escort her. "Gabriel is in the living room."
"What were you all doing?" Mira asked.
"Making arrangements," Emmit said.
"Arguing, you mean."
Emmit ignored the remark. "I may need to leave unexpectedly, and I wanted to make sure all would be well in my absence."
"You can't go," Mira said.
Emmit stiffened again. "I'm sorry."
"I mean, if you're going..." She paused, then glanced at Eric, who was following fairly close behind. "If you're thinking of going to where Gabriel and I went, don't." When he didn't respond, she added, "Please. You can't just disappear."
Emmit moved in front of her and pulled her into a gentle but insistent hug, which she returned, worried she wouldn't see him again.
Someone sighed, and Mira pictured Gabriel seeing them like this. She couldn't see around Emmit, but who else could it be?
Emmit didn't seem to care. "The best I can do is promise to talk with you or Gabriel again, sometime soon. You know how to reach me if you ever need to, and you'll always have a room here if you want."
Mira nodded and pulled away. For a moment, she didn't think Emmit was going to let go. When he did relinquish her, it was with reluctance.
He put an arm around her back again and continued to the living room. Mira was glad Gabriel wasn't in the hall.
"Gabriel is correct in this instance. This move will keep you safer. Although," he added in a louder voice as they entered the living room, "I'd prefer you both stay here."
"You'll know where we'll be," Gabriel said. "Do you have everything you need?"
"It's been a long day," Emmit said. "I'll have the rest of your belongings sent over."
They said their goodbyes in the entry way, and before she knew it Mira was out of the building. Standing in front, she looked up at the towering building as though saying goodbye again.
"You're good with the move, right?" Gabriel asked.
Mira lowered her gaze and smiled at him. "It never felt like I belonged here."
"And with me? Do you feel like you belong at my house?"
"I think it'll be interesting to find out."
Chapter 13
Mira held the book, safely wrapped in its envelope, in her hands, and looked through the windows at the used bookstore. The same girl worked the counter.
"I'm sure Chris would understand if you weren't up to returning it today," Gabriel said.
Mira gave him a skeptical look. "Do you actually believe that?"
"Yeah, okay. Maybe not." Gabriel looked around the street. "Let's get inside."
Mira couldn't help but look around as well. "Is something going to happen?"
"We're going to get colder. Come on."
Gabriel opened the door for her, and Mira veered straight to the girl behind the counter.
"Excuse me," Mira had to say to get the girl's attention.
The girl rolled her eyes up, not bothering to move her head to look at Mira and said, "uhh," making sure she sounded put upon before grabbing the key. Then she saw Gabriel and sat up a little straighter. "Here you go." She handed the key to Gabriel, who smiled broadly at her.
"Thank you," he said as Mira walked off.
The towers of books made Mira uncomfortably aware of earthquake possibilities. She had to remind herself that with Gabriel here, she should be safe. As she wound through the building a treacherous little part of herself said, like last night? But Mira assumed that today's change in living arrangements was in response to last night. He wanted to keep her safe.
Last night definitely hadn’t been his fault.
At the door, Gabriel passed the key over to Mira. Behind it they found the same fabric blocking the view of the room to the outside world.
Then she hesitated.
Chris saw far more than anyone else she knew. Emmit may appear to look into her, but Chris saw everything that made her the witch she was. He saw the power and the karma. What else did he see?
She went to wrap her hand in Gabriel's, as she had so many times in the Ether, but she stopped herself. Instead, she plunged inside to hide the twitch of her arm.
"Hmmm," came the voic
e in the darkness as Gabriel shut the door behind them. "I see you brought tall, blond, and gorgeous with you. I trust you have my book?"
Mira once again tried to look at every book as she passed. There weren't many of them, as books were given space to breathe in the room, but some of the titles weren't easy to comprehend
"I do," Mira said, pulling the book out of her purse as she tried to read a book with a title made out of runes.
"And what did you think?" Chris asked.
"I think it sucks and this whole shunning thing is crap." Mira was surprised it came out that way, but something about Chris made her want to tell it as she saw it. Maybe because he was on the outside looking in, same as she was at the moment.
"Oh, you blind little witch," Chris said.
"Hey!" Mira snapped.
Gabriel put a hand on her shoulder, and she crossed her arms instead of ranting.
"What's she supposed to be seeing?" Gabriel asked.
Chris sighed. "Singer assumed he was making it easy." Louder, he said, "You don't exist."
"Yeah," Mira scoffed, "that's the part that sucks."
"I don't know what you did to get where you are," Chris said, "but I do know that if Singer is giving you this, it's because what you may have to do next is going to break a whole lot of rules."
Mira thought about what she had to do next. Stay alive? Find John, maybe? None of it seemed too bad.
"So what happens if she breaks a bunch of rules?" Gabriel asked.
"She doesn't exist, cutie pie. Nothing counts to the witches."
"So, she can do what she wants?"
"Well, the community will see her. They have their own rules, but they won't interfere with the witch side of things. There's always the humans, too, of course. You can't get caught breaking human rules. At least not the big ones."
"Interesting," Gabriel said.
"Did Mr. Singer give you any hints as to what he thinks I'll be doing?" Mira asked.
"Once upon a time he might have," Chris said with a sigh. "But the world moves on. The point may be moot with that black cloud weighing you down."
"Is it bad?" Mira asked.
"Honey, you're supposed to be making it smaller, not bigger."
"There’s no way it’s getting worse, is it? I haven't done..." Ronnie. Reinfield's employees may not blame her, but the universe probably didn't care a fig for that.
"You're looking a little pale," Chris said with a wide, malevolent grin. "Was it something I said?"
Would putting an end to John help or hurt?
"Your books," Mira said, turning to look around the room. "They're rare, right?
"Some of them," Chris said, carefully.
"And the others?" Mira asked.
"One of a kind," Chris said, sounding leery.
"Do you have anything about the Ether?" Mira asked.
"We don't need anything about that place," Gabriel said. "Do we?"
Mira walked around the room, looking at the books, careful not to touch any while waiting for Chris to answer.
"I don't know," Mira said. "Last week I wouldn't have thought so. A few weeks before that I wouldn't even have contemplated the idea."
"I guess there's a point to that," Gabriel said before turning to Chris. "Do you have anything?"
"Why would you think anyone has books on the Ether?" Chris asked.
"Because someone has to," Mira said. "We—"
"Saw something that came from that world," Gabriel interrupted.
"How do you know it came from there?" Chris asked.
"Scales and fur," Gabriel said. "Claws on more legs than most creatures in this world."
"Bleeding some sort of black tar-like fluid," Mira added.
"But how do you know something like that came from the Ether?" Chris asked.
"It attacked her. Some guy shot it," Gabriel said.
"Who?" Chris asked, far too quickly.
"Harker said his name might be Reinfield," Mira said.
Chris fumbled around and started something burning next to him—incense, from the smell of it—and fanned himself. "Reinfield and a Harker? Is the Harker the brother or the sister?"
"Brother," Mira said.
"Be still my heart," Chris said. "And with those two in town, they might just stop my heart altogether."
"Do you know them?" Mira asked.
"Not really. Just rumors and stories, mostly dug out of old books," Chris said. "If they're here, the Ether is an issue. I thought things were feeling a little thin."
"To know that much, you must have something on the Ether," Mira said.
"One book," Chris said. "But it will do you no good. I've never found anyone that can read it."
"Can I see?" Mira asked.
"On the pedestal at the end of the aisle," Chris said after a short pause.
Mira went to the pedestal and looked at the blood-red book. On the cover, a double circle with three points around it was embossed in silver on the cover.
"Do you mind if I look through it?" Mira asked.
"Since you asked, you may," Chris said.
Mira carefully opened the cover. She turned a few old pages, examining the writing. "It’s gibberish."
"Yes," Chris said. "It sometimes takes people that way."
Latin, runes, Arabic, Mandarin and a whole host of other languages showed on the page. She read one or two of the words she knew, 'house' and 'story,' then turned the page. On the next, she saw nothing legible, so she flipped to the previous page to try to find something else decipherable.
She let the page drop from her hands and took a step back, bumping into Gabriel. "The page changed."
"It doesn't like it when someone tries to read it," Chris said.
"Doesn't like it?" Gabriel asked. "It's a book."
"That's what I assumed," Chris said.
"May I?" Gabriel asked.
"Be gentle," Chris said in teasing voice.
Gabriel stared at the page that Mira had open. He studied it for a few moments, then turned the page, concentrating hard. Frowning, he glanced up at Chris, then to the page, studying it once again.
"What is it that you see?" Chris asked.
"What?" Gabriel asked, tearing his eyes away from the page.
"What do you see?" Chris repeated, leaning forward.
Gabriel shrugged and closed the book. "Nothing I can make sense of."
Chris made a huffy sigh and sat back once again.
"Can we buy the book? Or borrow it?" Mira asked.
"Oh, no. That one stays where it is. It doesn't even like to leave its pedestal."
"We should go," Gabriel said. Putting his hand on the small of Mira's back, he gently urged her forward.
"You sure?" Chris asked. "You're welcome to spend the evening."
"Like I said, I'm not available," he said.
"I don't mind sharing," Chris said.
"I do," Gabriel said. "We'll see you around."
They wound their way out of the store, dropping off the key on the way. Mira breathed the cold air in deeply when she reached the outdoors, trying to rid her lungs of the smoke while Gabriel hurried her mutely to the car.
Mira checked her phone and found a string of texts from Della. She made herself busy with that, but after a while, Gabriel's silence started to worry her.
She sought to fill the void. "I was hoping to get a chance at studying that book. I doubt he'd make me the same offer of spending the night, though."
"We should talk about something else," Gabriel said.
"Why?" Mira asked.
"I mean, something to take our minds off the case and off... well, off of all the weirdness."
"Weirdness?" Mira tried not to take his comment personally.
"Yeah. I think I need a night of normality."
"As in no magic?" She tried not to sound accusatory, but that made her voice flat.
"No Ether, no monsters, and no murderers trying to kill us. And no angel crap."
"And magic?"
"Ca
n we just be Gabriel and Mira tonight?"
"I'm a witch. You just asked me to move in with you, and now you want no magic?"
"Magic is fine, as long as it has nothing to do with monsters or the Ether. Or angels."
Mira shifted uncomfortably in her seat and went back to reading her texts. Sadly, she found something along a similar theme. Della was starting to get worried about Ian not being comfortable with magic.
Maybe it was something in the air.
"Sorry," Gabriel said after a while. "I didn't mean I didn't want you around. I love that you're here."
"Is there something wrong?" Mira asked, not looking up from her phone.
He hesitated.
Mira saw that he seemed worried. "Was it something I did?"
"No." Gabriel rushed. "I think Chris, and the smoke, and that book all just got to me."
He wasn't saying something. Mira didn't have to have his lie-detector skills to know it. She texted Della, saying she was worried Gabriel may be having the same issue.
It only took a few seconds for Della to respond. We need to fix this!
Any ideas how? Mira texted back.
A night of magic? Show them it's natural?
Mira thought that over. She knew that for Gabriel, at least, it wouldn't work. How about the opposite?
I'm not going to hide who I am.
Mira sighed. What you are, Della, is a smart outgoing woman who just happens to do magic. We can show them we have a normal side.
I have no idea what that even looks like.
For once, Mira was the one that felt confident. No supernaturals, no talking about their case, and no magic unless it's necessary.
"Everything okay?" Gabriel asked.
"It's fine," Mira said. "Just talking with Della."
Are you and Gabriel...
Mira grinned. Hopefully.
Double? Della asked.
Gabriel and Ian were friends, so Mira figured they had to talk about stuff other than work when they were together. It might just work.
Dinner?
"Did you have anything planned for tonight?" Mira asked.
"I thought we'd be moving more stuff," Gabriel said. "I didn't think we'd have time to do much tonight."
"How about dinner with Ian and Della?"
"That sounds perfect."
Spellbound Murder Complete Trilogy (Spellbound Murder Box Set Book 1) Page 61