wondering if she’s just a normal witch, not under the possession of evil.
Good, then I won’t have to kill her.
“What kind of a spell?” She glances up and down the street as a brick building suddenly erupts in flames.
“A transporting one.” I step onto the curb. “I need to get somewhere quick, and transportation right now is really fucking limited.”
The corners of her mouth quirk. “I could do that for you, but I need something from you in return.”
I shake my head in annoyance. This journey is really starting to test my patience. “What the fuck do you want?”
“Your help.” Her grin broadens. “With removing a mark.”
I pretend to have no clue what the hell she’s talking about, but I’m tense inside, worried she might know more about me than I want her to.
“I can’t help you with that.”
“I know you can’t,” she says, “but you know someone who can.” Without explaining further, she grabs my arm and steers me into another alley. The noise quiets as we step farther into the shadows and away from the street.
“I heard a rumor there’s a Keeper who possesses Wicca powers,” she whispers when we’re out of earshot from anyone. “And she’s created a spell that can remove the Mark of Evil.”
Aislin?
“Look”—I pry her fingers from my arm, trying to keep my cool—“even if that’s true, if there is a witch who can do that, it doesn’t mean I know her.”
“Fine, if that’s how you feel, then I guess I can’t help you.” She turns to leave.
“Fuck,” I curse under my breath then grab ahold of her arm and pull her back. “You get me to where I need to go first, and then I’ll help you find this witch.”
She nods before a warm smile comes over her face as she slips from my hold and sticks out her hand. “I’m Amelia, by the way,” she says, and I shake her hand. Then she waits for me to give her my name, but I don’t, so she starts back down the alley, signaling for me to follow her.
She leads me out to the street and to the nearest building that isn’t on fire. It’s a small space, covered with shelves that carry headless dolls, odd-shaped cat statues, and lots of strange incense. She locks the door behind us then rushes for an armoire in the far back corner. Then she unlocks the main drawer with a key she fishes from her bag then removes a black candle and purple amethyst before setting them down on a small, oval table.
A scream comes from somewhere as she lights the candle, and my hand instinctively moves for my knife.
“That’s my daughter,” she explains. “That’s why I need your help. She’s cursed with the mark that haunts the streets and possesses the mind with madness.”
I keep my hand close to my pocket. “Where is she?”
“Chained to the wall upstairs.” She pulls a red pill out of her pocket, sets it down on the table, and smiles up at me. “Whenever you’re ready.
I roll my eyes. “You seriously think I’m going to take a mortem pilula?”
“You are if you want me to help you.” She slides the pill toward me. “This way assures me you’ll hold your end of the deal. No offense, but a Keeper’s word means nothing to me.”
Growling with frustration, I snatch the pill from the table, realizing screwing her over isn’t possible, because if I do, I’ll drop dead.
I pop the pill into my mouth and force it down my throat. “There. Are you happy now?”
She smiles, satisfied, and then gestures for me to take a seat. Once I’m sitting, she asks, “So, where am I taking you exactly?” She starts to dip the amethyst toward the flame.
“To Niveo Mountain,” I tell her, feeling nervous the moment I say it.
She jerks the amethyst away from the flame. “To the Keeper’s Castle?”
“Yeah, but that’s not where we’re going.” I push the candle toward her, growing impatient. “We’re going to the graveyard nearby it.”
GEMMA
“Well don’t I feel honored,” Nicholas says as I barge into my room, fuming mad. He’s sitting in the windowsill, looking as unbothered as ever. “A visit from two Lucas’s. What’s the occasion?”
“Shut the hell up.” I stride toward him, battling back the overwhelming compulsion to wring his neck. “You’re already on the shit list.”
“I’m always on the shit list.” He yawns as if I’m boring him to death. “In fact, I think I might even hold the top slot on it.”