The last time the other side had become unstable shifted through my mind. It had only been a few weeks ago, right around Christmas. I’d been sick with the flu and hadn’t realized my sickness had affected the other side. Spirits had taken advantage of the situation and somehow gained access to the physical plane through me so they could wreak havoc on some of my friends. During that time everyone had treated me like a child. They’d attempted to keep the instability of the other side from me and the fact that the spirits had been after a newborn from the Mirror Lake wolves pack. I’d caught on though.
Nothing in Mirror Lake regarding the supernatural world remained hidden from those of us a part of it for long. They should all know this.
The ache in my head intensified as I descended the final few steps to the first floor. I cursed myself for the panic that uncoiled within my gut because of it. I was so sick of not being in control of my freaking gift, most of all, I was sick of how fearful and weak it made me feel.
There had to be a way to gain control. I needed to find it—stat—because this wasn’t acceptable anymore.
Aunt Rowena stood at the stove, per usual, taking a steaming kettle of hot water off when I entered the kitchen. This room of the house was her domain. It seemed she was always cooking up things for guests to eat or making herbal remedies for people in town. Being a witch and living a magical life wasn’t something she broadcasted, but it was still rumored about by the locals whenever any of us walked down the street. However, when she married Uncle Kevin—who happened to be a Mirror Lake local—a good portion of the town gave her a chance. They also gave her herbal remedies a chance too, which earned her some extra cash.
“Hello, Ridley,” she said without turning to glance at me. Moments like this happened all the time with her. She was highly intuitive to other’s presence. It was part of her gift.
Aunt Rowena could see auras, which meant she knew what others were feeling based on their aura color. Her gift ran deeper than that though. She’d also been known to figure out what ailed people by being in their presence. She used this gift in conjunction with a great knowledge of herbal remedies to heal people.
“Hey.” I flashed her a smile, hoping to hide the fact I was in pain. From the concern shifting through her warm brown eyes, I knew it hadn’t worked. She could probably see my aura tinged with it. “Have any peppermint-basil tea? My brain could use some after studying for so long,” I said, before she could ask what was wrong.
She pulled two mugs from a cabinet as I situated myself at the island on one of the stools. I watched as she reached for a mason jar of dried leaves next and scooped some into both mugs.
“Cramming for another test?” she asked as she poured hot water over the herbs.
“Yeah. It’s a big one.”
Guilt sloshed through my stomach at the lies flowing past my lips, but I squashed it out by telling myself I was protecting her by keeping the headache to myself. She was under enough stress with figuring out how to keep this place running when some negative energy seemed to have fallen on it the last few days; she didn’t need anchor drama adding to her worries.
Aunt Rowena held one of the steaming mugs out and flashed me a small smile.
“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” she said.
“Thanks.”
Her eyes remained on me, causing unease to spread through me. I glanced away, unable to hold her stare any longer. She always seemed to look directly into my soul when she stared at me like that. My stomach bottomed out because I knew she was about to mention my headache. To ask if it was other side related. I could feel the question coming.
It never did though.
Instead, Aunt Rowena shifted her attention to someone behind me.
“Hello, Mr. Senova,” she said with a wide smile.
I closed my eyes, hoping he wasn’t here because his toilet was clogged again. I’d threw up in my mouth while unclogging it this morning.
“Hi. I’m glad you’re in here,” he said.
I spun around to look at him. He was a handsome guy if you were into the bald-headed, slightly pudgy type who dressed in blue jeans, gaudy sweaters, and fancy loafers. I adjusted my glasses while I continued to stare at him, soaking in his high-strung demeanor. Mr. Senova appeared to always be in a hurry. He reminded me of the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, who always worried about the time and staying on task. His words were even rushed when he spoke. While I sipped my tea, listening to him chat about the weather with Aunt Rowena, I imagined his thought process was much the same.
As an author, I wondered how that worked for him. Did things eventually mellow out to form a cohesive story in his writing process or was it always a chaotic mess of ideas and words tumbling around inside his head?
“What I came downstairs for was another mug of the tea you prepared me yesterday. Is it possible to have another? I’m not sure what kind you made, but something about it seemed to help connect the pieces of my story together quite nicely. In fact, yesterday’s word count was the best I’ve had in...well...ever. I’ve always yearned to be the type of writer who knocked out ten thousand words in a day. Now, I can check that off my list.”
Aunt Rowena moved to retrieve another mug from the cabinet by the sink. I watched as she reached for her jars of herbs—peppermint for stimulating the mind and boosting creativity, basil for removing mental fatigue and improving focus, rosemary for sharp clarity—and created a blend specifically for him.
“I don’t think your word count was because of my tea,” she said as she glanced over her shoulder at him. “But more because of your peaceful new surroundings. The pieces to your story have been there all along. You simply needed to take a moment to relax in the right environment for them to click into place.” As she spoke, she reached for dried lavender flowers and sprinkled them into the water.
Was she speaking the truth, or was there something magical responsible for his sudden burst of creativity? It was possible. And with Aunt Rowena, it was sometimes hard to tell.
“Anything is possible, I guess.” Mr. Senova shrugged. He stepped to the island where I sat and flashed me a smile. “I’m not going to take any chances, though. Once I find something that seems to work, I rarely branch away from it.”
“Sometimes branching out is necessary,” Aunt Rowena said. She handed the mug to Mr. Senova. “It fosters growth. And, I imagine that when things are difficult in your story, it’s because you’re growing as an author.”
“You may be right.” He took the mug from her. “Thank you.”
Aunt Rowena’s smile widened. “May many more words come to you as easily as they did yesterday while you sip your tea.”
Mr. Senova lifted the mug, toasting her words. “I hope so. This book is due to my editor in under two weeks. Sadly, I hadn’t written even half before coming to Caraway Inn. However, the words flowed when I got here. Yesterday, a new plotline I can use to expand the series by a few books came to me and I ran with it.”
“Well, cheers to discovering more to your story.” Aunt Rowena lifted her mug and took a sip.
Mr. Senova grinned as he left the kitchen.
“What did you do to his tea?” I asked once I felt he was out of earshot. “Did you spell it?”
“Not at all.” She tucked her short, dark hair behind her ear. “You saw the ingredients. It was only a special blend of focusing, calming herbs. He didn’t need to be spelled to write his story with more ease; he only needed a quiet place to calm his chaotic thoughts and relax.”
A bit of envy sprang forth inside me. Why couldn’t I have a gift like hers? One that was used to help people?
Lightning flashed outside the kitchen window, drawing my attention to the storm. The rain continued to come down in sheets, and I could still hear thunder rolling in the distance.
“When do you think Raven will calm down?” I asked.
Aunt Rowena shifted to stare out the window above the kitchen sink. “Soon. Her storm in fading.”
As though by magic, the rain shifted
from a downpour to a drizzle. I glanced at her, fascinated by her ability to know things.
“How did you know?”
“I know my daughter.” She winked. “Speaking of, I should head upstairs and check on her.”
She started to walk away from her tea, but then backpedaled and took another sip before placing the empty mug on the island between us. I watched as she leaned over and glanced inside it. Tension pinched the area between her brows, and a frown pulled at the corners of her lips.
“Exactly as I feared,” she whispered.
I waited for her to elaborate. When she didn’t, I asked, “What is?”
Her gaze remained fixed on the bottom of her mug. It was almost as though she was willing whatever she saw there to change somehow.
“Something bad is coming,” she muttered. “I’ve felt it for days, but the tea leaves just confirmed it for me. I wish I knew more details so we could prepare.”
When she left the kitchen in a daze, my stomach twisted. Did her feeling have anything to do with the headache I was fighting to keep at bay or was something sinister coming to Mirror Lake soon?
I sipped the rest of my peppermint-basil tea in the quiet kitchen, contemplating what the leaves might be regarding. Once I finished, I glanced in the bottom of my mug. My heartbeat grew sluggish as I stared at the clumped together leaves.
Even though reading tea leaves had never been my specialty, I could still decipher what I saw—a crow-like shape, one I knew stood for death.
Chapter 2
I tossed my backpack into the passenger seat of my car and then reached in my coat pocket for the roll-on essential oil blend I’d made to stop a headache in its tracks. Once I twisted off the cap, the scents of lavender and peppermint filled my car. I applied it to my temples and wrists, hoping it would work fast. It was the fifth time I’d had to use it today. Mondays really weren’t my favorite day of the week regardless, but today had been insane. I’d nearly failed the test I mentioned all weekend I needed to study for. The strap on my backpack had broken. And I’d realized at lunch that all of my cash was still sitting on my dresser at home. Thankfully, my friend Mina had loaned me a few bucks.
My headache amped up, causing me to feel nauseous while I sat in my car. I reached for my roll-on and twisted off the lid again, then placed it to my nose and inhaled. My eyes closed as I repeated the process.
A light tapping sounded at my driver side window, startling me.
“Hey. Um, what are you doing?” Mina asked through the thin glass. Confusion festered in her hazel eyes. “Getting high off oil in the college parking lot?”
I laughed. What I was doing probably did look bad. I rolled down my window.
“No. It’s an essential oil roll-on I made. Lavender and peppermint,” I said. “It’s for headaches.”
Her eyes widened. “Headaches?”
I knew exactly where her mind had dipped. Mina knew all about my witchy side and the troubles I’d had with my gift. I also knew her secret—that she was a werewolf and married to the alpha of her pack, Eli.
“Yeah.” I put the cap back on my roller and shoved it in my coat pocket. “I’ve been getting them the last couple of days.”
“Are they...witchy headaches?” she asked in a hushed whisper as she leaned closer to my window.
While supernaturals lived in Mirror Lake, it didn’t mean we lived out in the open. This tiny town had secrets, and the bulk of them were regarding the supernatural world. There had always been rumors about witches, werewolves, and vampires, but nothing was ever confirmed.
Which was how we all wanted things to remain.
“Unfortunately,” I muttered.
“Ugh. I’m sorry. I know how much you hate when this happens.” She tucked her long brown hair behind her ear. “Are you going to tap in and let whoever it is speak?”
“No. I’ll ride it out.” I sighed. “I don’t feel like dealing with it right now. The semester just started and there’s been a lot going on at the inn lately.” My hand smoothed across my forehead. While they were both valid reasons, neither were the correct one for my aversion to tapping into the other side.
I didn’t want to be at the mercy of another spirit. Plain and simple. They always wanted something. Sometimes their intent was evil and others it wasn’t, but I still didn’t need the other side spasming out on me again.
Her eyes flashed. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just some repairs needing to be done.”
“Oh. Well, let me know if Rowena needs to borrow Eli for anything. He’s handy with a hammer.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep him in mind.”
Another twinge of pain shot through my brow. The oils didn’t seem to work as well anymore.
“Is there another reason you’re not tapping into the other side to see who it is bothering you?” There was a knowing look in her eyes. Was I that bad at lying? “Things might go okay this time around. You never know,” she said.
“Doubtful,” I muttered. She should know this. My track record with being an anchor wasn’t the best. “I don’t know. I wish I could block it all out, or at least tap into it whenever I felt like on my own terms.”
“Maybe you should talk to Octavia. She might know something that could help you.”
I perked up at the mention of her. Why hadn’t I thought of asking Octavia? She’d been helpful in the past.
Octavia was one of Julian’s siblings. She was also a vampire like him. The Montevallos were the only family of vampires allowed to step foot in Mirror Lake. It was something that had been agreed upon ages ago between my family and theirs. Some vampires wielded the power of compulsion and no one in my family wanted to be compelled like my great-great-great-aunt had been.
So, things broke down like this: The Montevallos were allowed entrance into town. Mina’s pack kept other vampires out. And in return, my family cloaked the ritual area for their full moon ceremonies and monthly runs from the humans.
It was the way things had been for generations.
“Octavia is ancient,” Mina said with a smirk. She didn’t care too much for the oldest female Montevallo sister, and it was clear she’d enjoyed her little jab at her just then.
“True. She also mentioned once she’d dated an anchor, remember?” I asked.
“Yeah. You should definitely talk to her.”
I was planning on visiting Benji this afternoon anyway. I might as well chat with Octavia while I was there.
“I will. Thanks. I sort of forgot she knew anything about anchors.”
“No problem.” A wide smile stretched across her face. “Oh, I wanted to ask if you and Benji wanted to go on a double date sometime with Eli and me. We’re trying to do more normal things. Maybe the four of us could see a movie or meet for dinner or something?”
“Sure. Sounds great. Let me talk to Benji about it and get back with you.”
Would he be interested in hanging out with Mina and Eli? I hoped so. He needed to get out of the house some. It would do him good. Plus, date night was something we hadn’t had in a while.
“Cool. Keep me posted on how things go with you know.” She tapped her temple.
“I will. Tell Eli I said hi.”
“Sure thing.” She walked backward, away from my car. “Bye.”
“See ya.”
I cranked the engine and waited a few minutes before pulling out of my parking spot, allowing my car to warm while I thought about how to broach the topic of past lovers with Octavia Montevallo. She wasn’t the friendliest vampire I’d ever met, that was for sure.
I parked behind Octavia’s car and cut my engine. She was home, which meant this conversation was happening. I released a breath and stared up at the mansion. While the inn could be viewed as a mansion to most, considering it had four stories, everyone thought of the Montevallos’ home as being a mansion.
The place was large and ancient. It rested near the edge of town, which I assumed was for privacy reasons because of their vampire nature, and
made of brick. It was comprised of two massive stories and had a high-pitched A-framed roof that gave it an architectural feel. My eyes shifted to the right of the property, where a smaller house built from the same materials sat. I’d asked about it before and learned their grounds caretaker lived there with his wife. His name was William Montevallo. His wife’s name was Julia. I’d met them both briefly. It was clear they knew what their family members were, even so they didn’t seem afraid. The two continued to take care of the house and the grounds as though being around vampires didn’t bother them.
Maybe it didn’t.
My gaze drifted back to the main house as I climbed out of my car. It was stunning, but it screamed of vampires and death.
I wasn’t sure of its history, but people had died here. Many people. I could feel the chill of their presence each time I visited. It was as though they’d left a residue lingering behind.
A shiver slipped along my spine as I neared the front door. Coming here always gave me the heebie-jeebies, but I did it for Benji.
My knuckles rapped against the wooden door as I took in the intricate design of vines and flowers carved into it. As I stood there, I remembered Julian had said I no longer needed to knock and could let myself in. Still, walking in unannounced seemed odd.
Someone said something from inside, but their words were illegible. I gripped the cool metal knob and twisted, letting myself in even though I couldn’t hear what had been said.
“Hello?” I peeked inside. “It’s me, Ridley.”
“I said come in,” a raspy female voice shouted from somewhere. “And, I have told you before, you no longer need to knock. I wish you would listen. It’s annoying that you don’t.”
Octavia. I’d recognize her voice anywhere.
“Hey. Sorry.” I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. My hands crammed into the pockets of my coat as I walked across the cherrywood floors toward where I thought her voice stemmed from—the living room.
My heart rate spiked when I spotted her on one of the chocolate-colored leather couches positioned near the stone fireplace. Warmth radiated from the orange flickering flames. I could feel it brushing against my face as I started down the dark wooden steps that led to the sunken room.
Gray Magic Page 2