a wizard, cackling her amusement. Arik darted across the corridor and caught the woman before she noticed him.
“Who—” Carrig began. “Blimey, I know you. You drugged me, you banshee.”
I winced at the pain stabbing my palm. “Who is she?”
Nick pulled off his T-shirt and wrapped it around my bleeding hand.
Arik dragged the woman into the light.
“Aunt Eileen?”
She looked completely different. Gone were the loose black clothes and the teased crimson mushroom. Instead, her green shirt and black pants hugged her curves, and her red hair fell softly around her face. The black cat-eye glasses and heavy makeup were also missing, replaced with light makeup and pink lip gloss.
Sinead blew into the hall, followed by Bastien and Demos. “What’s all the commotion?” She spotted Arik holding Aunt Eileen and yelled, “Let her go! She’s an ally.”
“No, she’s hurt Gia,” Arik said.
Bastien stormed over to me and bent down. “You’re injured?”
“I’m okay,” I said, leaning over to see around him.
Aunt Eileen struggled in Arik’s hold. “She’s probably aiding Conemar,” he said.
“Lorelle, is it true?” Sinead asked Aunt Eileen.
Lorelle? Why is she calling Aunt Eileen that?
“Oh please,” Aunt Eileen said. “You had your chance to serve Conemar, but you wanted to shack up with an overgrown elf.”
Carrig pulled his knife out of his belt. “Watch your tongue, banshee, or I’ll slice it off.”
Sinead eased Carrig’s arm down with a gentle hand. “Don’t let her antics upset you. It happened a long time ago, and I chose you, not him.”
Wow. Conemar’s a player. He’s been with Jacalyn, Sinead, and Aunt Eileen. Gag.
Sinead slanted a look at Aunt Eileen. “How did you get into the shelter?”
“Our queen gave me carte blanche to get in.”
“Why would she do that?”
“I told her you were in danger, sister.” There was so much hate in Aunt Eileen’s voice.
“Okay,” I cut in. “Who is Lorelle, and what happened to my aunt?”
“I’m Lorelle, you stupid girl,” she said, a snarl in her voice. “I killed your aunt years ago. Oh, and it was too easy. We became instant friends at a witches’ convention in Salem.”
Lorelle shook her head, and a flurry of glittery dust blew into Arik’s face, blinding him. She slammed her heel on his toe and threw a sharp elbow into his groin. He stumbled back, losing his hold on her, and she quickly backed away from him. From her belt, she pulled out a dagger and held it up, daring anyone to make a move.
“I sliced your aunt’s throat from here”—she ran her index finger across her throat—“to there. I dumped her bleeding body off a pier and waited for the sharks to circle, and before long…sharks’ bait.”
Fury rose in me as Sinead inched toward Lorelle. “How did you know how to find Gia?”
“You told me Carrig believed Marietta had fled to America.”
The look Sinead gave her was a cross between pity and hate. “What happened to you? Why are you doing this?”
“Love. I would die for Conemar.” Lorelle smiled. She clearly enjoyed talking about her conquests. “Conemar is brilliant. He knew Marietta must have had a Pure Witch shield her and the baby, so he sent his followers to stake out the most talented ones, and we waited for a sign. My assignment was Katy Kearns because of my close resemblance to her husband’s child. It made it easier for me when Eileen told me that she and Katy hadn’t seen each other for over eight years due to a dispute. I glamoured myself to look like that hideous woman. Katy immediately forgave me, or rather, she forgave Eileen, after I groveled about how sorry I was and turned on the waterworks. What a pathetic woman.”
“You’re the one who’s pathetic,” I hissed through gritted teeth.
“Whatever. And you’re a brat. It was always Gia this and Gia that. And you were right under my nose the entire time. I never met Marty, or maybe I would have put it all together. She had a different last name, and she was already dead when I arrived. There wasn’t a clear picture of her anywhere. The ones I did find looked nothing like Marietta. She’d gained weight and cut her hair short. And you never showed any signs of magic.”
She took a few steps backward.
Arik took a few steps forward.
“Then Carrig showed up,” she continued. “We all know what happened next.”
“Wow, you’re stupid,” I said. “My name didn’t clue you in?” I wasn’t going to mention I hadn’t put Gian and my name together, either.