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Another problem hefted on my shoulders with no choice but to bear the burden.
His eyes twinkled. “You are partially to blame after all,” he drawled. “If not for your outburst of magick, Trystan could have never broken into my vault undiscovered. But alas, I will forgive your mishap if you help me retrieve it from Boston.”
“Hilarious, vamp,” I sulked.
His hand lifted to smooth the tension between my brows, but I pushed it away.
Straightening, he slid his hands in his pockets. “Silas and I scoured every usual hunting ground for black market trades, but we found nothing of the talisman. I know Trystan is behind this, and without a spirit witch, I’m hopeless to recover it in time. I can’t do this without you, and I don’t have nearly enough time to train your sister to do my bidding as efficiently as you do.”
I turned away from the laughter in his eyes, feeling strangely lightheaded. “Do you believe in destiny or fate, Alexei?”
The backroom grew deathly quiet.
“Not particularly,” he eventually drawled. I felt the pressure of his chest brush against my back. “Why do you ask?”
Witches trusted coincidences, knowing it meant a sign from the Goddess.
What were the odds that my choice to wear a cursed talisman to the masquerade would guide my path to Salem, while at the same moment, Trystan’s theft of another talisman would alter Alexei’s trajectory to the same destination as mine?
“You overestimate my skill with my spirit magick,” I murmured, trying to find even the slightest reason to disavow the evidence laid before me that steered Alexei and me together. “I can feel vague twinges of power coming from the talismans, but only if the power is immense. I’ve only improved in dulling curses minutely since I started last December. Certainly not fixing the corruption within. To trace the object from nothing? Impossible.”
“You don’t give yourself nearly enough credit,” he soothed me. “But you’re right. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Except you won’t be alone. Together, we will find it. I know it.”
Dread settled within me as Alexei grasped me from behind, guiding me into his embrace.
“If I could keep you away from Trystan and the dangers involved, I would in a heartbeat, but I can’t find it without you, Jade.”
My future seemed set, my path clear for the first time in months. And yet it wasn’t relief or excitement that filled me, but begrudging acceptance.
“Lucky for you, Grandmother has already ordered me to Salem to study my spirit magick with my Great Aunt Liliane. I suppose the witches up north should be able to help me learn control over my power. At least enough to find the staff.” I yanked my arms out of his hold and stalked to the door, holding it open. “I guess I’ll see you in the Witch City, vamp.”
7
Massachusetts in early December could only be described as magical. I adjusted the air vent to blow more heat onto my frozen hands, watching the terrain change from the city lights of Boston to the enchanting bounty of nature in Salem, where my Great Aunt Liliane called home.
A peaceful escape from New Orleans. Or it would have been, if not for Tabitha Harlow’s snide commentary inside the rental car, sending me swiftly to my wit's end.
“Why did Rebecca decide to send you again?” I asked, grinding my molars. “It’s not like you have spirit magick to study.”
Her nails drummed on the steering wheel incessantly, making my temple throb. “This trip has been planned for months, though she never mentioned you or your sisters before this weekend. Do you even remember how to cast after so long away from the Coven?”
Deep breath.
“Like I told you five thousand times already,” I bit out, “I haven’t been neglecting my magick just because I’ve been absent from the estate. Unless you’ve forgotten, I’m the Council’s mystical guide.”
“Mystical guide,” she snorted, sending me a sour look from the driver’s seat before she refocused on the road. “Don’t make me laugh. It’s a glorified assistant position. Menial work that takes no account for your skill.”
My hands clenched the material of my sweater, yanking it further down my legs. “Careful, that’s dangerously close to a compliment. Just mind your own business, Tabitha.”
“Coven businessismy business,” she argued hotly. “And you haven’t seemed interested in your magick for over a year now. Why don’t you divulge what happened at the masquerade with the spirits?”
My face blanched.
Glancing over at me perceptively, she murmured, “It doesn’t take a seer to deduce something is up with you. You have that pinched look around your nose when you’re stressed. Just because we’re not friends anymore doesn’t mean I don’t remember all your tells, Belle.”
“I wonder why I’m stressed?” I muttered to myself, ignoring her gentle concern.
Never more than these past few months have I longed for our former friendship. Tabitha would know what to do with the talismans. Despite not possessing two affinities, she was always the better witch, no matter how hard I fought to steal the acclaim from her when Grandmother’s opinion used to matter. A sliver of shame heated my cheeks before I waved it away.
