AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Wait!” I croaked. “What’s happening?”
Sara’s eyes attempted to focus as she stared at the circle with amusement. Slurring, she said, “The spell’s fading, Jade. I’d hurry up on any last-minute details you need from our ghostly friend.”
Elaine ran a hand over her face, smearing her lipstick. “Rita’s going to be so pissed. What time is it anyway?”
When I returned my attention to Blanca, a soft expression glittered in her soulful eyes. “Thank you for summoning me—”
“Jade,” I answered, flushing for a reason I couldn’t understand.
Blanca’s smile only widened. “A seer in our Coven foretold that Alexei would fall in love with a witch, committing himself to stopping his father’s violence in pursuit of this female’s love and acceptance. Vera and I always giggled about the vampire prince meeting such a woman, but who were we to question fate?”
Fate is a cruel bitch, I wanted to retort, but I held my tongue.
Her lips flattened, and she leaned as close to my face a she could without breaking through the circle. “Don’t hurt him, okay? And if possible, could you one day visit me in Slovenia? Perhaps help me enter the Beyond? I think it’s time to move on.”
I nodded, biting my lip hard enough to sting. “I promise. Thank you for your help, Blanca."
Her visage faded, and we were left alone in the cold basement.
Genevieve watched me warily but grabbed the grimoire from Sara. “I’m going to close the spell. I think that was a wonderfully successful séance, ladies.”
With another whisper of Latin, the candles flickered out, and I felt as the spirit of Blanca pushed back into the night.
I slumped over with grief as Elaine ran for the overhead lights.
A stuttered laugh burst from Sara, sharp and joyful in the silent basement. “Well, that was certainly interesting.”
The others stared at her with shock before she pointed a finger at my chest.
“Secrets, secrets, secrets,” she slurred. “You’re teeming with them, Jade Belle. You’ll fit in with our crew perfectly. And one thing a Salem witch never does is reveal another witches’ confidences.”
My lips twitched, and the sorrow from Blanca’s fate fluttered past me like the wind. “That was pretty fucking wild, right?"
Then I was laughing too.
The girls joined in as we swayed deliriously, clutching our sides as the basement echoed our infectious giggles around us. When we could breathe once more, Genevieve stood and held out a hand to help me up.
“Let’s get out of here,” she said. “It’s nearly two, Elaine. Rita is surely hexing you as we speak.”
I dusted off my jeans with a smirk, watching as the water witch unsteadily ran for the stairs, while Sara helped her to little effect.
Alone, Genevieve handed me the papers torn from her notebook. “I tried to get everything she said, but it was difficult without spirit magick. Once again, I’m jealous as Hell over your affinity.”
Gratitude bloomed in my chest as I took the pages, cradling them against my heart. “Thank you, Genevieve. And I’m sorry if I was untruthful before—”
“Don’t worry about it, Jade,” she interrupted, clasping a hand on my shoulder familiarly. “If you need any help with all this, you can let me know. Sara and Elaine are toasted and probably won’t remember much about your revelations with the talismans, so you can rest easy on that score.”
I bit my lip, coming to another decision. “How about tomorrow night? I know we’ll be at the Coven orchard get-together all afternoon, but maybe we can meet up for coffee after. Alexei can come too, if you don’t mind, and maybe amongst the three of us, we can figure out how to finally fix the magick inside the talismans.”
Decided, we climbed the staircase that led back to the cemetery. A giant oak tree stood like a weathered sentinel amongst the overgrown graveyard, and near the base waited Sara and Elaine.
“Let’s go, bitches!” Sara shouted. “We have a long walk.”
Genevieve passed me the mead, and I took a hefty gulp before hiccupping. Though my head already swam, the frazzled intensity from the basement had faded as we shivered in the cold street.
As we turned onto the main road, a fancy sports car zoomed past us, coming to a screeching halt when the driver noticed four women skulking in the shadows.
I inwardly prepared myself to fight some unknown attacker when the passenger window rolled down, revealing the astounded face of an all-too-familiar vampire.
