The stony way she’d digested the truth of the afterlife compared to what she’d been taught was impressive, but not the point Aurora needed her focused on, no matter how monumental it might be. Not when Aurora couldn’t escape the feeling she was running out of time.
Her body was suspended by magic, preserved in a state that could survive untouched for months, but her mortal flesh was vulnerable.
“I wasn’t supposed to leave my body behind.” Aurora couldn’t help sounding defensive. “I was only meant to be a soul for a second, but something called me to the theater, and I couldn’t fight it.”
“And you think your intention to join the Lockwood Coven called you?” Gia repeated what Aurora had told her earlier with no small amount of skepticism.
Aurora didn’t blame her. Without official ties to the Lockwoods, she had her own doubts and no explanation for why she’d been called to Gia’s apartment.
“It doesn’t really matter how I got to the theater. Getting into the crypt to retrieve my body would have been hard enough if my family had taken me for dead. The property is warded, for one. But they’ve tracked me here somehow, so they might be expecting me. We need reinforcements.”
“How about you do your invisibility thing, I’ll open the window, and you can zoom off to the Lockwoods forbackup?”
“What if Trey captures me when I go outside?” Ice rippled through Aurora, and she shuddered.
She had no clue what her coven could do to her in this form. Being free of their ties didn’t mean she wasn’t vulnerable, especially with no ability to use active magic and cast spells. Not understanding what pulled her from one place to another meant there was no guarantee she was safe. The Thornfields could find a way to ensnare her.
They might find a way to rebind her to the coven.
Gia didn’t seem to have a response, so Aurora pressed on. “You need to ask the Lockwoods for help and tell them what’s happening before I do anything else.”
“But I don’t want to be involved with them.” Gia was oddly desperate to avoid the Lockwoods, and Aurora couldn’t help the frustration welling inside her.
Gia didn’t seem to realize she was already involved with the coven, whether she liked it or not. Susan had been her aunt. Her family. Her blood. The Lockwoods didn’t enforce loyalty like the Thornfields, meaning Gia could walk away, but she couldn’t pretend the coven had nothing to do with her.
Even without being able to sense it, Aurora was sure Gia had magical power of her own. She was a witch by blood and had a place in the Lockwood Coven if she chose. She’d inherited their headquarters, for Satan’s sake.
Why Susan left her estate to someone unaware was a mystery Aurora didn’t need right now.
Gia rubbed her temple. She stood, grabbed a bottle from the side table, and popped a pill into her mouth. “I’m starving, and it’s giving me a headache, so I’m going to grab some food at the deli around the corner. You can stay here or fly off to the Lockwoods for help. Okay?”
Aurora shot to her side. “Wait. You can’t leave.”
Gia’s gentle features hardened, her glare surprisingly cold. “Are you going to stop me?”
Aurora was taken aback by her biting tone. “No. I didn’t mean it like that.”
A pause. “Sorry. You’re not the only one who has a controlling family.” Warmth returned to Gia’s expression. “I know you need help, and I want to help you, believe me. But what can I do? I can’t use magic. I can’t protect you from Trey or help you sneak into the Thornfield compound, and it’s not like you’re safe in here if he’s found you. Why wait around, getting me involved? Go find the Lockwoods so they can protect you. You don’t need me.”
Even if Gia was a witch and didn’t know it, she had a point. Gia had no clue how to use magic. She’d be no match for anyone, and Trey could break in at any moment.
Then why didn’t Aurora want to go? Had being locked in the theater alone scarred her that badly?
She pushed the thought away. “All right. I’ll follow you outside and go find the Lockwoods. Thanks for getting me out of the theater.” Aurora told herself that escaping her confines was more than enough help from Gia. For some reason, she didn’t believe it.
“No problem. At least now I know my aunt wasn’t in a creepy cult. I’d never have figured out who the Lockwoods were on my own.”
She would have if she’d accepted Edward’s offer to explain, rather than avoid him as she’d admitted to doing. Instead of pointing this out Aurora found herself saying, “If you have more questions, I can answer them some other time.”
Gia hesitated for the briefest moment, her expression unreadable. “Sure.” She grabbed an oversized hoodie off the couch and pulled it over her head, leaving hair tangled around her face as she emerged.
Aurora forgot what she’d been about to say. She swore she could feel the static electricity clinging to Gia’s hair from across the room. Which was wild. The little zaps shot through her ghostly form, and she shuddered.
Gia huffed in annoyance—oblivious to the charge electrifying Aurora’s soul—and cleared her face, a few stray strands persistently sticking to her forehead. An air of exhaustion settled over her, and the electricity dissipated.
Guilt replaced the swirls of excitement coursing through Aurora. She shouldn’t abandon Gia after dumping so much on her. But what choice did she have? Gia would still be here once Aurora retrieved her body.
After escaping her coven once and for all, Aurora would make sure Gia adjusted to the reality of the magic world. And when Aurora had her body, she could help Gia tame her beautiful wavy hair, perhaps pull it into a braid.
