“It could’ve been the wind.”
“Maybe,” Julie said flatly, “except that—” She hesitated, then nodded. “No, you’re right. It must’ve been the wind.”
Her expression told me she wasn’t convinced but I didn’t insist. She had been scared so, naturally, she paid importance to something that was just a coincidence. What bothered me more were Elyssa’s words. Part of me wanted to ask Julie if Elyssa’s magic was real. Could she help me? Or was she just a gypsy selling a bunch of nonsense to make a quick buck? The other part of me couldn’t tell Julie about my problems. I didn’t want her to pity me the way Aidan and Kieran did. Things were complicated enough.
“I’d like to talk to Elyssa, maybe ask her a few questions,” I said, changing the subject. “Do you know where I can find her?”
“Probably in her office down the hall.” Julie pointed to a narrow door obscured by a curtain I didn’t notice before. “She likes to give her customers privacy.”
That surprised me. “Where I come from people would rob her blind.”
“No one would ever dare steal anything from her,” Julie said.
“Why’s that?”
Julie shrugged and turned away, as though she had already lost interest in our conversation, which didn’t surprise me. In addition to unpredictable mood swings, ghosts also had a notoriously short attention span.
Leaving Julie to her thoughts, I stepped through the curtain hesitantly and found myself in a narrow hallway with white walls. On the other end were several closed doors. I tried the first—a closet with merchandise and price tags. The one opposite from it led into another hall with a staircase. I was about to shrug it off as a back entrance and close the door again when my heightened senses picked up a strange noise.
I stopped in my tracks and held my breath to listen. For a few seconds nothing stirred, and then there it was again: a sharp breath followed by a tiny whimper, as though someone inhaled and the action pained them. Frowning, I took a step forward when I felt someone’s presence behind me.
“Can I help you with anything?” Elyssa asked.
I turned sharply, my eyes growing wide the way they always did when guilt flooded trough me. “I was looking for you and didn’t know which way to go.”
She waited until I stepped back into the hall and then she closed the door behind me, making sure to lock it up.
“Let’s go back to the shop,” she said. I nodded and followed her, then took the seat she offered me near the window overlooking the busy street.
“Would you like some tea?” she asked. I smelled the delicious aroma of peaches. For a second I wondered if I should have a cup but, knowing it wouldn’t do my stomach any favors, I shook my head in response. She smiled and continued, “I’ll have some if you don’t mind.” I watched her as she poured herself a cup from a china pot on a nearby side table, and then joined me at the table. Her chiffon dress with its rainbow colors reflected the light as she arranged it around her delicate body.
“When did you stop drinking anything but blood?” she started.
The question took me by surprise. I had no idea whether to disclose the truth or pretend I didn’t hear her and change the subject. In the end I decided I had nothing to hide. By now everyone in Morganefaire must’ve heard the visitors were vampires so it wasn’t a big deal. “A few weeks ago,” I said. “I’ve been missing it terribly. How did you know?”
“You couldn’t open the door to the shop. That usually means one thing—you’re a supernatural,” she said. “Either Shadow, lykae, or vampire. Definitely not deity or demon, and since Shadows and lykae haven’t crossed Morganefaire’s walls in centuries, you could only be a vampire. Though I have to admit the daylight walking threw me off for a second.” Her intense gaze focused on me, making me feel as though she could peer right into my soul. “Did you come here to ask for your old life back? Because Morganefaire has the power to grant it if that’s what you want.”
My heart almost stopped as all my moments with Aidan perished and my old life flashed before my eyes: returning to my matchbox room in London, dating some guy I didn’t really love, working part-time while trying to save money for an undergraduate degree. Living a normal life—for a while I thought I wanted it back. That time was over.
“No—” I shook my head vehemently “—that part of me is dead now. I have a new life with my boyfriend whom I love with all my heart. Going back isn’t an option.”
“You’re happy, I can see that in your eyes, but something’s missing.”
“Yes.” I paused, hesitating.
Elyssa smiled and brushed a hand through her long honey locks, then peered around her, as though looking for something. “What you want is in here, but not what you need to do.” She stood up and paced over to a cabinet, unlocked it with a key dangling from a chain, and pulled out a glass vial with beautiful silver ornaments and a dark red liquid.
“What’s that?” I asked, craning my neck to get a better look.
Elyssa sat back down and held out her open palm. The vial shimmered. I didn’t know whether she wanted me to touch it, or not. So I didn’t, but my gaze remained glued to the tiny flask as something stirred within me. I didn’t need her to tell me what was inside. My vampire nature could sense it without smelling or touching it.
Blood. And not just any but that of a Morganefaire witch.
“The blood contained in this amulet could be the answer to all of your problems. It’s the last one ever created before the Council banned its sale. The magic inside keeps it from drying out,” she whispered. “You have no idea how much it’s worth.”
Even though the blood must’ve been centuries old and probably way past its sell-by date to the extent of giving one blood poisoning, my mouth watered at the sight of it. I swallowed past the lump in my throat and ignored the raging hunger inside me.
“Aren’t you scared it might fall into the wrong hands?” I asked.
She regarded me the way you’d regard a child that has yet to learn to understand connections. I instantly felt stupid for having asked such a question. “A wall of magic surrounds this shop. Nobody, not even a Shadow or a vampire, could ever break into my fortress.”
“Could it help me?” I whispered.
Elyssa smiled self-assured. “Morganefaire’s magic has never failed anyone.”
My pulse raced a million miles an hour. I had no guarantee this woman was telling the truth. For all I knew she could be a delusional lunatic. And yet…for some reason I needed to believe because Kieran and Aidan were the living proof that magic worked. It could be a coincidence, but Elyssa’s hints were undeniable. She knew what others didn’t see. If she sensed what I needed, she might also have the solution to my cravings. I felt a rush of joy and hope that soon part of my troubles would be over. At least I could give it a try.
“I’ll take it,” I said maybe a tad too enthusiastically. “How much?”
She moistened her lips, hesitating. “I’m sorry, the vial’s not for sale.”
“Then why did you show it to me?” A wave of anger and disappointment washed over me.
“As I told you, want you want is in here but you need to present your case before the Council and get their approval first, and then we shall see.” She hesitated before adding, “They might decide to make an exception.”
Blurt out my secret? No way, and particularly not since she made it sound like I stood no chance anyway. I snorted and waved my hand expressively. “Forget it. It was a crazy idea.”
She grimaced. “Well, in that case—” Her voice trailed off. A moment of silence ensued between us.
Remembering what I actually came for, I resumed the conversation. “A girl you know, Juliette Baron—Julie, died recently. I’d like to ask you a few questions about her.”
Elyssa looked up, confused, and a shadow crossed her face. “You know Juliette?”
“She’s a friend.” Or should I have said an annoying ghost that followed me day and night until I solved her death?
>
Elyssa’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I wasn’t aware she knew people outside of Morganefaire.”
“It was a pen pal thing,” I said. Elyssa’s unconvinced expression told me she didn’t believe a word.
“Tell her that I told you all about how she set her mentor’s shop on fire the first time she tried her hand at magic,” Julie whispered in my ear. I relayed her words to Elyssa, whose expression didn’t change.
“It’s a well-known story anyone could’ve told you,” Elyssa said.
“What no one knows is that you were once engaged to be married with someone living outside of Morganefaire.” Watching Elyssa intently, I repeated Julie’s words. “You gave him up because you feared the Council might find out and something might happen to you.”
I tried not to smile as she turned a shade paler. She clasped her hands in her lap so hard her knuckles shimmered white. “You’re here for Julie’s funeral, then?” Her voice was smooth and composed, but there was a sharp edge to it.
“Yes.” I nodded to emphasize the word.
Her expression darkened. “It’s unfortunate that she’s no longer with us, but she had always been of poor health so it didn’t come as a surprise to any of us.”
“She’s lying,” Julie whispered behind me. Fighting the urge to turn around and converse wit her, I pressed my open palms against the smooth table, ready to start digging.
“I never knew she was in poor health? How so?” I asked.
“Well—” Elyssa took a deep breath and moistened her lips as she considered her words “—she used to be sick a lot, always complaining about this and that. She wasn’t as agile or gifted as the others.”
I didn’t need Julie’s hiss in my ear that it was another blatant lie to know Elyssa wasn’t telling the truth. She was scared—I could read that much from the way her gaze darted across the table.
“She loved this shop and used to spend a lot of time in here,” I said.
“How do you know?” Elyssa asked sharply. Her eyes reflected her mistrust.
I pointed around me. “It’s a beautiful place. What girl wouldn’t?”
Her stance relaxed a little. “Julie used to sit in the corner over there.” She raised her chin to the right. “It was her favorite spot for reading.”
“What was she interested in?”
“I’m not sure. Travelling, I think.”
“Did she ever tell you she wanted to leave Morganefaire?” I asked.
Elyssa’s soft laughter rang through the air. I marveled at how fake it sounded. “Why would she ever want to leave?”
I raised my brows. “Did she ever mention it?”
My question silenced her for an instant. Her eyes scanned the floor, then the displays to her right. Either she was thinking back to her conversations with Julie, or she was preparing to lie and needed to prepare her words.
“I don’t think she did,” Elyssa said eventually. “I didn’t know her well.”
“That’s not true,” Julie whispered. “I mentioned it a few times. She laughed it off.”
I nodded to let Julie know I had acknowledged her words. “What about the Night Guard? Did she ever mention she wanted to join it?”
“Who are you and what’s your business?” Her eyes narrowed to two tiny slits. I was taken aback, partly because I didn’t expect this hostility and partly because I thought she’d be happy to talk about Julie. Somehow I had the impression the two of them had been close, that they had shared secrets with one another. That she pretended otherwise didn’t make any sense.
“Did I fail to introduce myself?” I reached out my hand. She ignored it, so I pulled back. “So sorry. My name’s Amber Reed. I’m here for Julie’s funeral. I hope my questions don’t bother you, but her death has come unexpected. It’s left me shocked and sleepless, so I’d like to know more about my dear friend.”
Her expression remained blank, as though she had no idea who I was. For once, I believed her.
“She wanted to join the Night Guard,” Elyssa said. “The poor girl didn’t live to see her life-long dream accomplished.” For a woman who claimed not to know Julie particularly well, it was a strange statement. And then she did something that instantly raised my suspicion. She stood and smiled the way people smile when they want you gone. Her lips curved into an ugly, exaggerated smirk. Her eyes shined but the fragile skin around them didn’t crease. Her friendliness wasn’t genuine; it was a ploy to brush me off without causing mistrust.
“Thank you for stopping by,” she said. “If I remember anything else, I’ll make sure to contact you, Amber.”
I nodded. “I’d appreciate it so much. And I know Julie would too.”
Julie rolled her eyes at me.
“Let me assist you to the door,” Elyssa said.
I didn’t budge from the spot. “This place is fascinating. If you don’t mind I’d like to browse around some more.”
She hesitated briefly, obviously not keen on the idea of me lingering here. And then another fake smile brightened her features, and I wondered how I could’ve been so stupid to fall for it when I first saw her. “I’ll be more than happy to assist you up front. Pick the item you like and I’ll meet you at the register.”
Gosh, she wanted me gone big time. I had never felt so unwelcome in my life. Turning my back on her, I marched over to the spot she had pointed out before. So, Julie had been sitting here for hours, lost in books. I slumped onto a chaise longue and put my feet up as I tried to step into another world. The world of a girl who never got to meet her parents; who had the life-long wish to get away from here in the hope to mark her place in the world outside those walls.
“I remember sitting here only a few days ago, flicking through a book with the most beautiful beaches in the world,” Julie said flatly. My gaze fell on the shiny cover of a coffee table book depicting a beautiful white beach under an impossibly blue sky. As I looked up, I noticed the shelf display carved into the wall. I came to my feet slowly, my eyes narrowing on the cabinet. On the top shelf was a shiny object that shimmered in soft, dark-green hues.
Interested, I inched closer to inspect a ring sitting on a black cushion. The emerald stone was set in an intricate gold setting adorned with tiny symbols. My breath caught in my throat. It looked just like the ring I once saw dangling from Aidan’s chain and on Rebecca’s finger after she had taken it with her to her grave. The gold was infused with witch’s blood and could trace any person or object, dead or alive, which is how Rebecca tracked me down in Hell at Cass’s birthday party. Aidan told me three rings were created but he didn’t know where the third was. Could I have just located the missing one? This place needed security big time, and yet I couldn’t see a burglar alarm or shatterproof glass. I couldn’t even sense an energy field that might indicate the ring was protected by magic. It was strange.
“Have you found anything you’d like?” Elyssa asked from behind me.
I pointed at the ring. “That one.”
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? The detail is exquisite.” She opened the glass door and retrieved the black box. “Would you like it gift-wrapped?”
I nodded. “Yeah, that’d be great.”
“I bet it’s something you’ve never seen before,” she said, suddenly eager to make small talk.
“Oh, I have.” I smiled mischievously as I thought back to the morning when Aidan first showed me the ring and told me its story.
“Really?” Elyssa’s brows shot up.
“My boyfriend has one of those,” I said. Aidan would be so surprised to know I found another that looked just like it.
“How lovely.” Elyssa walked over to her counter and wrapped the box in red tissue paper, then handed it to me. I retrieved my wallet to pay but she shrugged it off. “It’s a gift,” she said.
“Thank you but I couldn’t possibly accept it.”
“But I insist. Think of it as a token of my appreciation for looking into my dear Julie’s death.” Gazing into my eyes, she pushed the tiny pack
age into my hand. “Namaste, Amber Reed. I hope we’ll meet again.”
Chapter 12
Elyssa had not behaved the way I expected but I attributed her cagey and secretive attitude to not wanting to raise suspicion. And who could blame her? A girl she knew was dead, a girl who had frequented her shop. It was a natural reaction to keep one’s mouth shut so I didn’t dwell on it. BELLS, BOOKS & CANDLES had been a dead end, but not a complete waste of time. Hurrying my step, I almost bounced through the narrow streets, barely noticing the vendors’ colorful booths and stands that had fascinated me only an hour ago. I might not have gotten rid of my bloodlust, but I had discovered a way that might just work, which I had to share with Aidan. Right after I gave him the package in my hand. I couldn’t wait to see his expression.
The way home seemed to take forever, not least because Julie just wouldn’t shut up. Nodding every now and then, I tuned out and focused on my own thoughts…until a strong jolt jerked me out of my reverie.
“What?” I muttered, rubbing my arms. I hated it when ghosts got physical to get my attention.
“You’re not listening!” Julie yelled in my ear. “I’ve been thinking.”
I took a step to my right to put some distance between us, and sighed, sensing I was forced to listen now.
“I think we should forget about all of this murder stuff for a little while,” Julie continued. “Let’s do what I’ve been dying to do for years.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. What’s that?”
“Let’s leave this city and let the wind take us where it will.” Like on cue, a soft breeze wafted past, ruffling her hair. I shook my head, wondering how she did that.
“We’re not leaving,” I said and hurried my pace. Even if I tried, I couldn’t outrun her, but pretending felt good enough.
“Fine, then let’s talk about Kieran because I think he was totally checking me out.”
“He can’t see you, Julie.”
She shrugged. “He can sense how hot I am.”
I felt like I was sixteen again. “He probably can,” I said to appease her.