“I thought you might miss your familiars. It seemed so unfair that your daddy made you leave them behind. So I transported them for you. It was the hardest spell I’ve ever done.”
“This is amazing, Jo. You are one talented little witch.” She scratched Killer gently under the chin, loving the familiar feeling of her short fur. Never had she been so happy to see her constant companion. “But what do you mean by ‘familiars’? I only have one familiar. It’s just me and Killer. Killer and me.”
“Oh, but I rescued Molly’s familiar too!”
“You mean Fury is here?”
“Yes. She’s in Molly’s bed right now. She’s a really funny-looking doggy, right?”
Mardi had to laugh. “Miracles never cease.”
Jo and Henry stood beaming at her.
After a few minutes of bonding and reconnecting with the beautiful creature, she handed Killer back to Jo. “I need you to take care of her for me for a few hours, okay? I’ll be home soon. And try to make sure she and Fury don’t see each other. They tend to fight a lot.”
“Sort of like you and Molly?”
“Something like that.”
32
THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE
Molly knew that there was one person in this town whom she could count on to help her no matter what, without judgment and without asking anything in return. And he would do it with a smile and a sense of humor.
Marshall would be at the store by now, baking muffins and scones, prepping for the day, singing some goofy song. She would ask him to help her get out of here for a few days, to lend her his car and hook her up with a hotel recommendation somewhere on East End, anywhere that wasn’t here. Better yet, she would have him drive her out of town so that she wouldn’t have to deal with crossing that weird misty force field that surrounded North Hampton all by herself. Maybe she should have been with Marshall all along.
She still couldn’t believe what had happened.
Tris had ingratiated himself so smoothly, pretending to be banished to North Hampton just like her, giving her the sense that he was uniquely qualified to understand her. But what infuriated her even more than the emotional betrayal was the physical one. She had practically begged him to touch her. She had craved his kisses, the feel of his tongue and hands all over her body. Even now that she despised him, she could not help but feel turned on when she pictured herself with him. Physical attraction, she was learning, was a cruel, cruel thing.
She got it now—“Tris” and “Trent”—he thought he was so clever! Why not just call himself “Tryst”? That was probably the most appropriate name for him. She realized that in order to exact the true punishment he so richly deserved, she was going to have to ally herself with Mardi. United in fury, they were a terrifying force. And she knew she also had to ally herself with Mardi in order to solve the mystery of the disappearing ring and get to the bottom of the murders. The summer would be over soon, and if they didn’t clear things up before then, the White Council would lay down the law and Daddy would freak. But for right now, she simply couldn’t deal. All this anger and responsibility was giving her a migraine. Her skin was a mess. She needed a break.
Having applied her lip gloss and checked her hair in her compact mirror, she tapped on the glass door of the Cheesemonger. As she expected, Marshall lit up like a puppy the moment he saw her. He came running to open the door for her.
“Molly! What’s up? Why are you here? You’re not supposed to be working today.” He moved to hug her, but then stopped himself, obviously not sure where he stood, despite the kiss she had bestowed on him the other day.
She got straight to the point. “Marshall, I need your help. I can’t really get into it, but things are incredibly rough at Ingrid’s, and with my dad and our New York legal problems, and with other stuff here in town. I have to get out of here for a few days, or I’m going to explode.”
“Gee, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Do you think you can get me out of here? To Shelter Island or Montauk or anywhere reasonably close by that isn’t here? I’ve never been to either Shelter or Montauk. I hear they both have some cool new boutique hotels. Sunset Beach sounds like heaven right now.”
“I’d love to go away with you, Molly,” he said. “But I don’t know if I can leave the shop. No one else can run it.”
“What about your mom? Won’t she cut you a break? Where is your mother anyway? Why is she leaving all the work to you? When is she coming back?”
“I’m not exactly sure where she is.” He winced down at his shoes as though the subject was painful for him. “Somewhere in South America, I think. And she may never actually come back.”
“If it makes you feel any better, my mother is totally MIA too. I don’t even know her name. The only thing Daddy has ever said about her is that she was a . . . ” Molly almost said giantess, which was in fact what Daddy had let slip once when he was very drunk, but she caught herself in time and improvised: “A lot to handle.”
He nodded.
“Maternal love is overrated. Case in point: we’ve both turned out just fine without it. Let’s stop feeling sorry for ourselves and blow this Popsicle stand. I can’t take another minute of it. If we hurry, we can be gone before you’re supposed to open the shop. Then no one will be able to stop us.”
He began to waver. “Yeah, who needs mothers anyway?” he whispered. She could see that he was unable to resist her charms. Who could?
“I guess we could check out Montauk for a few days.” He gave a shy smile. “I’ve been wanting to eat at this new place for ages. It’s called the Crow’s Nest. Apparently, they do a beautiful mezze plate. And we can stay there. It’s one of those trendy repurposed motels.”
“Don’t say ‘trendy.’ It sounds terrible. Like the exact opposite of what you want it to mean.” Molly was relieved to find that, even in the throes of fury and exhaustion, she had not lost her critical faculties.
“Sorry,” he said. “I get really goofy when I’m excited. And this idea is growing on me fast. You’re so right that we should take a vacation. We deserve it! It’ll make our customers miss us. They’ll end up appreciating us more because we’re not always at their beck and call. Right? I hate being taken for granted. More than anything.”
“That’s the spirit! Let’s go!”
“Okay. I guess I just need to pack and take care of a couple of things at home first. Do you want to wait for me here? There are plenty of breakfast treats! I made the blueberry scones you like.” He laughed, half nervous and half triumphant. This was probably the best day of his life.
He was such a spaz. But Molly had to love him.
“So we’re good?” she confirmed. “You’ll be back soon?”
“Golden.”
33
RING OF FIRE
Mardi found Trent or Tris or Trystan, or whoever the Hell he was, climbing off the Dragon. He gave her a big open smile that implied he was ready to pick up where they had left off yesterday. What kind of idiot did he take her for?
“Hey, beautiful, I missed you last night. You should have stayed,” he said with a slow, sexy grin.
She put her hands on her narrow hips and glared at him with the full force of her dark, dark eyes.
He returned her cruel stare with a confused look. How had she ever been drawn to those blue eyes? She saw them now for what they really were: watery, shifty, weak.
“Mardi, is there something wrong?”
“You are scum, and the only reason I’m stooping to talk to you right now is to tell you that I’m never going to speak to you again. Oh, and also that I’m quitting my job. In case that isn’t obvious.”
“What are you talking about?” He looked and sounded genuinely baffled. But she knew now what a skilled player he was. To assume such divergent parts as to be able to seduce both Overbrook sisters at once, in alternating moments, you had
to be more than a brilliant actor; you had to have a split personality.
“Give it up will you?” She seethed. “Dude, I think you’re a psychopath. If I cared about you even one little bit, I’d consider having you committed. But I wouldn’t lift a finger to help you now. I saw you with her yesterday. In the greenhouse at Fair Haven.”
“With who? I wasn’t at Fair Haven yesterday, Mardi. I was here, with you.”
“Are you really going to make me spell it out?”
He looked at her expectantly.
“Fine, Trystan Gardiner. Here is how it went down. After we hung out on your boat yesterday afternoon, I got a text telling me to go to the greenhouse in Fair Haven. I assume it was from you, since you obviously enjoy messing with people’s heads. I went because you’ve been threatening to hurt my sister if I don’t do everything you say. But you know that, of course.”
The color drained from his face.
Mercilessly, she continued. “And when I got to the greenhouse, what do you think I saw? I saw you sucking face with my twin sister, yeah . . . we’re identical . . . whom apparently you’ve been leading on whenever you aren’t busy trying to get in my pants.”
“Mardi, wait. I think I might know what’s going—”
“I know what’s going on—you’re sick!”
“Mardi,” he thundered, taking a step toward her, his face red with frustration, “listen, will you? Whoever that guy was, it wasn’t me.”
“Oh, right. As if there are two of you—”
“I was here with you. I was here all night. I wish you’d stayed with me. I’ve never met your sister before. Listen to me.”
“I saw you!” Hadn’t she? Hadn’t she gotten a good look at him as Molly pulled his pastel polo off over his head.
Pastel polo?
When did Trent ever wear polo shirts?
Not to mention Bermuda shorts.
But it was definitely Trent, wasn’t it?
The doubt must have showed on her face, because Trent began to talk again. “Look, I think I know what’s happening here. I think I know who’s been sending you those messages and who was with your sister. And if I’m right, he’s very dangerous. We have to make sure your sister isn’t with him. Do you know where Molly is right now?”
“Nice try,” she sneered, turning to go.
He tried to hold her back by the shoulder. As she turned around to punch him, he blocked her, grabbing her wrist.
“Get your hands off me!”
“Mardi, please listen.” He let go of her wrist.
“To what? More lies?”
“Look down at your right hand,” he said.
“Why?” she asked. Yet even as the question escaped her lips, she knew the answer. It was on her middle finger.
Her ring.
“I slipped that ring back on you yesterday. I needed to get it on your body without you knowing in order for you to assume its power again. That’s the way the curse works. If you demand the ring, it assumes its destructive power. If you receive it, it becomes pacified. And that’s why I haven’t been able to be open with you until now. I had to wait until the ring was restored. And for that to happen, I had to find it.”
“Where? What?”
“I stole it back for you, Mardi. It was taken from your sister in an unconscious moment, and I retrieved it. Whoever possesses that ring has massive power. All those accidents, those near deaths in town over the past week, those beaten women, were the ring bearer’s experiments with his newfound domination. If I hadn’t gotten it back to you, anything could have happened. Hold on to it, please. Don’t let anyone take it from you until we figure out what to do.”
Although she was beginning to believe him, Mardi was still on guard. “So if that wasn’t you in the greenhouse with Molly, who is the guy who looks exactly like you except for the clean-cut clothes?”
“I think his name is Alberich. He’s a shape-shifter who’s long been in disfavor with our kind. He’s been after your ring for centuries, while your mother and her sisters shared it.”
My mother and her sisters?
The maidens in the pool.
Rhinemaidens.
Thor had said their mother was a hottie, and more importantly, that the twins carried part of their parents’ spirits and memories with them.
“Okay, so let me get this straight. You stole our ring back from a creep who passes himself off as you.”
“Well, not exactly. When the wine cellar caved in, and I realized I hadn’t seen the ring on your finger in a while, I went to talk to Jean-Baptiste. He had noticed that neither you or Molly had it in your last session with him, and he was very concerned. I couldn’t tell you directly, and neither could he, because if you yourself had gone after the ring, knowing what it could do, its power could have turned on you. It’s cursed, Mardi. You dominate it while it is on your person, but as soon as it leaves the warmth of your—or Molly’s—flesh, it becomes incredibly, irrationally dangerous. Alberich thinks he can harness its power for himself, but he has no real control over it, not the way you guys do. He wants to use it to take revenge on the women of the world, to subjugate them and make them suffer, because he has felt humiliated for centuries by their rejection. He wants to enslave them. To see them burned by the state as witches. He wants to unleash the kind of wave of lawless paranoia that the world hasn’t seen since the Salem witch trials.”
“So you’re saying he made himself look like you in order to convince Molly that he was Trystan Gardiner and seduce her to get ahold of our ring? So he could punish us for being powerful female witches?”
“Something like that. As I said, he’s a shape-shifter. So he could take my form, but he could also take others. He could have looked like almost anyone in town when he got the ring off her body. The only feature he can’t change is the color of his eyes, which, if you look closely, are a much lighter, colder blue than mine. That’s how you could have told us apart if you’d gotten closer.”
She stared at him, at his warm blue eyes that shone with affection.
“I’m telling you the truth,” he said. “Please believe me.”
She looked into his eyes, and somehow she knew he wasn’t lying. Ingrid herself had said she couldn’t believe Trystan would do something so awful.
“The eyes aren’t the only difference,” she finally said.
“Thanks. That means a lot.” He took her hand. “The reason Alberich became Tris was to keep a constant eye on Molly once he had taken the ring. He’s a maniac. He’s experimenting right now in order to harness the ring’s power for his master plan. In the meantime, he doesn’t care who gets in the way.”
She gasped.
“What?”
“Those kids who died in the subway accident in New York. The ones we’re accused of killing or brainwashing or whatever. We’ve been trying to figure out why they were targeted. But now I see they weren’t targeted! They were anonymous victims, collateral damage. Alberich stole our ring and was going after us, trying to get us accused and punished.” Mardi was shaking. “They just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“I’m sorry,” said Trent.
“Bret! He’s Alberich!”
“Who’s Bret?”
“The host of the party. It was his penthouse. He must have drugged us, stolen our ring, and entertained himself by sacrificing two of his party crashers on the tracks of the 6 train, then he framed us for the murders. And now he’s morphed into Trystan Gardiner . . . Wait, I can’t believe I haven’t asked you—how’d you find the ring?”
“He’s a Nibelung from the shadow world. He likes to burrow. I knew he would bury it. And his arrogance would push him to bury it somewhere symbolic.”
“But how did you know it was the greenhouse?”
“I didn’t. I got really lucky. I was feeding Killian’s flytrap, and
I noticed the dirt under the box of worms was loose. I had a premonition, and I started to dig.”
She looked at him admiringly. “I think someone guided you to the ring. Someone powerful and benevolent. I think someone is watching over us.”
“Listen, we have to find your sister before she tries to get to Tris and give him Hell like you gave me. That wouldn’t end well. Alberich does not respond positively to criticism.”
“I can try texting her, but she’ll probably blow me off.”
“Tell her it’s an emergency.”
“I have a better idea.”
34
LEAVING HERE
Marshall should have been back by now. Molly had made herself two cappuccinos, eaten a morning glory muffin and a blueberry scone, bemoaned eating so much, and rearranged the cracker shelf in the store so that it moved from lightest to darkest packaging. If he didn’t get there soon, she was going to start messing with the geography of his cheese case, switching the French chèvre with the Italian capra. She had never been so anxious to get moving in her life.
Her phone vibrated, and she pulled it from her tote, hoping it was him. No such luck. Just a message from Mardi. Great. She didn’t even want to read it.
Technically, what had happened with Trystan wasn’t Mardi’s fault. It was Trystan who was the total sociopath, just like the rest of those Gardiner brothers. Rationally, Molly knew this, and deep down she knew that her sister was as hurt and humiliated as she was.
The only reason they’d had a fight was that they were both mortified, and neither one could handle seeing her mirror image reflected in the other. They liked to think they were so different. And yet they had been fooled by the same guy.
She didn’t read Mardi’s text, because she didn’t feel like answering it just yet.
Still, Molly figured that once she’d had a bit of time to simmer down, she would return to town and ally herself with Mardi, and together they would take the sleazebag down. Hard. Even if he was a warlock like he claimed, he would be no match for the two of them in full fury mode. He’d better be taking his vitamins right now. In a few days, his sick joke was going to turn on him.