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“It’s like a witch friendship bracelet, but with blood.”
“Go on.” She raises a perfectly filled in brow.
“This oracle, so to speak, is an object that’s linked to a deity in the Underworld. I’m guessing Osiris or maybe Anubis. If I can find the other end of it, so to speak, a locator spell could tell me exactly what realm the Underworld is hidden on.”
Eliza’s eyes meet mine. “And then you can get Lucas.”
“Yes.”
“Okay, but are you any closer to figuring out how to find this thing?”
“Yes and no,” I say, rapidly shaking my head again. “The woman Lucas had been talking to said there had been a scarab bought at an auction years ago and believed it to actually be cursed. It brought so much bad luck and harm they actually contacted a “professional” to help deal with it.” I let out a snort of laughter. “The Order of the Mystic Realm.”
ChapterNine
“Didn’t the hunter who tried to kill you belong to the Order?” Eliza asks.
“Yeah. He did. It’s a shady as fuck organization. Not even Easton or Melinda would join because it’s that extreme.”
“And let me guess, you’re just going to walk right up to them and demand to see, what, their inventory?”
“If only.” Still swaying back and forth, I close my eyes and refocus my attention on figuring out how to get into the Order’s warehouse or whatever. “I’m going to call, say I’m Dr. Lisa Roy-sin. Or Maybe it’s Roe-i-sen. I need to figure out how to pronounce my last name first. And then I’ll say I just want to take some photos of the thing to catalog and want to know when and where I can stop by.”
“But then you’ll show up.” Eliza crosses the room, coming over to my wall of notes. “Row-sheen,” she tells me. “That’s how you pronounce it. Lisa Roisin. It’s Irish.”
“Oh, thanks. And I’ll cast the same glamour on myself I used the last time I dealt with the Order. It makes you appear as whoever the person looking at you expects, so assuming the people I talk to know what Lisa looks like, I’m good. And if they don’t know what she looks like, then I’m still good. They’ll think I’m her, I’ll get access to the oracle, and then I’ll cast a sleeping spell on them and get out of there somewhat simply. I mean, they’re just humans.”
“Humans who hate all things supernatural and have made careers of hunting both vampires and witches alike.”
“I didn’t say it would be easy, though kicking ass and taking names will be therapy. I’ll do my best not to kill anyone, but if they get in my way—” I drag a finger across my neck. “I can’t make any promises.”
“You’re usually the first to say no murder.”
“Yeah, well, I have to complete the mission. I can walk through hellfire. Burning the building is a good distraction,” I say and then it hits me why Tabatha wouldn’t let us use this spell. It wasn’t just that it kept you awake and hyped better than a few lines of cocaine, it’s because it makes you do whatever it takes to finish the task you spelled it to aid you on.
Juliet has been strapped to my chest for hours now. I’ve stopped to feed and change her, but I’m hot so she has to be hot too. Guilt crashes down on me almost enough to undo the spell on its own. Closing my eyes in a long blink, I push off the desk and go to the candle, which is still burning.
“Perde quod factum est,” I whisper and blow the candle out. The effects of the spell leave me and exhaustion hits me. I only had coffee for breakfast and I’m so thirsty my mouth is dry, but I didn’t pay attention to any of that.
“You okay?” Eliza asks, watching me come down from my magical high and still having no idea what’s going on.
“Yeah, I just need some air.” I unbuckle the sling as I walk through the library, grabbing my phone on the way out. It’s bright and sunny today, a rare hot day in late spring. The weather goes back and forth in the Midwest, and summer temps don’t stay consistent until the first week into June at least.
Grabbing a blanket to lay down on the back porch, I have my familiars and Scarlet join us. I spread the blanket out and lay Juliet on it, keeping her in the shade. Our backyard is a bit of a mess right now, with the pool area not yet complete. A lot got done in the weeks since Juliet was born. All that’s left is hooking up electricity to the little pool house and the landscaping. Then the pool can be filled and enjoyed, as the contractors put it.
Lucas and I ordered Juliet little baby floaties and already looked into infant swimming lessons. Watching the videos on it gave me heart palpitations, but since we have the pool, we really should ensure every safety measure possible.
“I still expect you three to float around with me,” I tell my familiars, thinking back to when Lucas and I first planned out our yard. There were no babies or children in our vision, and I was quite happy to spend the rest of my life with Lucas and my familiars.
“You too,” I tell Scarlet. “I have a feeling you’re going to enjoy the pool more than you think.” She drops a slobbery tennis ball at the bottom of the porch steps, and I telekinetically throw it for her to chase. I flip Juliet over onto her stomach, hating how she cries almost right away.
“Just five minutes, sweetheart,” I tell her, but end up picking her up after only two. I walk around the yard, pointing things out to her as if she understands.
“This path is made out of tombstones.” I walk along them, going from the patio area to the backyard, which is weedy and overgrown at the moment. “I kinda accidentally resurrected an entire graveyard back when Mommy and Daddy first met.” The now-familiar sense of dread starts to build inside me again.
I’m not doing anything to help Lucas. I’m just walking around my fucking yard. Every second that ticks by without him hurts and it puts him at even more risk for losing himself down there. My bare feet pad back over the tombstones, which are warmed from the sun, and I cradle Juliet against me as I pick up my phone and call Melinda.
She answers on the second ring. “Hey, Cal. Everything okay?”
