Page 79 of Malice

“It’s hers,” Xavier tells him. “And look, her name is on the vial.”

“They’re really trying to do it,” Antonio says. “They want more than just a cracked door, like you said.” His eyes go to me. “They want to bring the demon to earth. Why?”

“Probably thinking they’ll get power. If Val can talk to me, maybe he’s talking to them, too. The prison was designed to only be opened and closed with Blackwood blood, but we all know there are workarounds for everything.”

Leo’s hand falls slowly to his side and the light from his phone goes with it. “So why not try to get as many people as possible on board?”

“Does that mean the demon knows Vivian has the key?” Mabel asks.

“I don’t know,” I tell her honestly. “I’m thinking no. Marie told me it was standard to cast a cloaking spell on the keys so they couldn’t be located with magic.” I bite the inside of my cheek as I think. “But if it’s in her head and Vivian knows she has the key then the demon might know what she knows. Maybe.”

“Look, that doesn’t matter,” Xavier picks up two more empty vials and puts them in his pocket, getting rid of all evidence that ties this place to me. “What matters is that we get the key and you destroy it so you fulfill your end of the deal and then we can figure out how to kill the fucker.” He turns to Zeke. “You and Devon go outside. Track where she went. If you find anything, come back immediately.” His eyes go to me. “Do you have what you need to cast another locator spell?”

“I do,” I rely and look around. This place isn’t exactly tidy, but it’s not as run down or dilapidated as I thought it could be judging by the outside. If it’s used as a safe house even to this day for hunters, then it has to be in working condition…and probably has electricity and running water as well.

The front door opened right into a tiny living room. There’s a couch, two worn out armchairs, and a table on the opposite side of the wall with four wooden chairs around it. Historically, carriage houses were tall and wide so they could house the obvious carriage. I know it’s popular to convert them into full functioning guest houses, but this one is pretty much untouched. The upstairs is nothing more than a loft, and though we already know there are no signs of life, we quickly check it out before I set up the map.

“Someone has been here recently,” Theo notes, going to the mattress and inhaling. He goes back to my brothers and takes another breath. “Someone related to you. Two scents. Mother and father.”

“They’re working together,” Leo says softly and even with the emotion-blocking gemstone in my pocket, I can feel just how crushed Leo is. “I thought maybe, just maybe, Dad would talk some sense into her or, even better, than she was being influenced by the demon. Mom wouldn’t leave you for dead. She just wouldn’t.”

“She did,” Antonio says and lets out a breath, shaking his head. “Look what they did to Wren. It’s not that much of a surprise they’d do the same to us.”

“Larissa,” Leo starts and I think I know where his thoughts are headed. Marco and Vivian were upset when Larissa got arrested, but was it because they’d miss their daughter and couldn’t stand the thought of her suffering in jail or because they didn’t want their reputation damaged knowing their daughter was dumb enough to get caught?

Yeah, they seemed pretty upset when Devon showed up to whisk Larissa away, but if I wasn’t there and they had no other alternative, we all know they would have let her go without a fight.

“I’m sorry,” I tell them, not really knowing why I’m apologizing on the Russos’ behalf. I had a whole identity crisis when I was given up, and I had a few days to just sit in a room and deal with it. Someone’s life wasn’t on the line and it was still difficult for me to process. “It’s not easy having to accept the people we thought loved and protected us, well, didn’t.”

“I just—” Leo cuts off and turns his gaze to me. “They knew they were going to do this to you the whole time.” Disgust takes over his face as the horror sets in. “You were a baby. Raised right along next to me and Liss. But they knew.”

“Yeah. They did.”

I didn’t even realize Xavier and Theo went back downstairs, giving the three of us space.

“We have to make sure they don’t get Gia.”

Antonio nods. “We won't let them get her. Once this is over…we’ll figure it out and make sure she’s safe.”

Not having any time to waste, we go back down and I set up and cast another locator spell. The herbs jump from one spot on the map to another, moving from one part of the state to another.

“She can’t be moving that fast,” I say, thinking at first she’s on a plane and is moving too quickly for the spell to lock in, but the way her location moves from east to west and then south and north doesn’t make any kind of sense.

“Maybe she was chopped up into little pieces and a bunch of people are running around with little bits of her,” Mabel offers and her theory isn’t actually that bad. But, that’s definitely not the case right now.

“If only we were that lucky,” I grumble. “There’s some sort of magical interference. I, uh, I could ask Marie.” I turn my face up at Xavier. “She would know what to do next and if there’s a way around this.”

“If there’s magical interference, does that mean she’s working with another witch?” Mabel asks.

“No,” Leo and Antonio say together.

“Oh, the demon,” Mabel whispers.

“That could be it,” I explain. “Or she’s blocking any sort of witchcraft.”

“That witch trap at the warehouse,” Theo says. “I really should memorize that and draw it all around the house.”

I give him a pointed look that pales in comparison to the one Xavier gives him, but I am secretly glad for his sass right now. Devon and Zeke come back, telling us that they were able to track two sets of prints to the driveway of the castle, where Vivian and Marco must have gotten into a car and drove away.