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“What?” His face paled to an alarming shade of white. “You tried to do what?”
“It suppresses my powers. I was with Jack, and something happened. I blacked out and I tried to kill him. Please. Help me get it off.”
“Let me see.” He held out his hand and wiggled his fingers. “Do you know what kind of suppression magic it’s enchanted with?”
“No. It was a gift from Viktor. I found it at the house with a letter. He used it on me before. I tried it and…” A sob swallowed the rest of my sentence.
“Breathe, Rebekah. Just breathe. I’m going to help you as best I can.”
I inhaled and braced myself for an oncoming blow. Matteo’s magic brushed my skin a minute later. It was cold and then it was gone. I listened to him hum and mutter a few words in a language I didn’t recognize, and magic encircled my wrist again. An electric bolt of pain shot up my arm, and a scream ripped from my throat. The power surged through my veins like razor blades parting my skin.
“Shit, stop. Stop!” I shouted, pulling away from him.
“I’m sorry. I’ll stop. I’ll stop. Just take a breath,” Matteo said, steadying me by the shoulders. “I don’t know if I’ve got the right kind of magic to remove this. But I think I know someone who can help.”
“What?” I clawed at the cushion, reigning my emotions in. “Who?”
“She’s a friend. Just wait here. I’ll call her.”
I nodded and Matteo walked out of the room. His footsteps sounded like soft thuds on the ground. They disappeared as he passed through a beaded curtain and a cloud of silence fell over the shop.
“Do you want some tea?” Matteo called, poking his head back in the room. “It might calm you down.”
“I’d rather have some of that Fae Absinthe you gave me last time I was here.” I struggled to sit up. “That was good.”
“How did—How did you know I had Absinthe?” Matteo asked, stepping back into my line of sight.
I frowned. “You gave it to me when I came here last week.”
“What?” He blinked a few times. His expression blank, uncomprehending. “Rebekah, we haven’t seen each other in months.”
An icy weight sank in my chest. “I was here a couple days ago. I asked you to help me remember some things and you did a spell. I got my memories back.”
“Rebekah, I've been away for weeks. I just got back yesterday.” He frowned, folding his arms over his chest.
“Then who…” I trailed off in horror. “The shapeshifter.”
“The what?”
Before I could respond, a bright red light flickered in the center of the room. The same light that had preceded the shifter coming to shoot Jackson. The same light that had flashed around my cuff.
I scrambled to my feet. “Matteo, run!”
“Calm down, it’s just Poppet. I called her,” he said, waving at me.
“Poppet?”
The red door opened, and a hooded figure stepped through. The head lifted and two pale hands rose to push the fabric back from her face. Her fingers were feminine, thin, and lined with tribal tattoos. The hood fell away and a mirror of my face stared back at me.
She smiled. “Hello, Rebekah.”
“Stay away from me, you psychotic bitch.” I reached for the nightstick in my boot and realized I was still barefoot.
Poppet’s eyes drifted to my feet and she smiled wider. “Running in the woods, I see.”
“What do you want from me?” I spat through my teeth. “Why are you following me? Why are you doing this? I won’t let you kill Matteo.”
“Why would I kill Matteo? I’ve known him since I was little.”Her eyes narrowed.
