Wicked Wings (Lizzie Grace #5) - Keri Arthur Page 0,97

is outed before that happens, there’ll be questions about why we disappeared and why he and your father went to such lengths to hide it.”

It went against every instinct; went against the need for self-preservation, and the desire to grab the few precious moments of life and love I had left to me before it went to hell.

And yet, it made utter sense. To hold on to secrecy now would be playing into Clayton’s hands.

I glanced at Monty. “I don’t suppose you know anyone up there who might have the pull to get the marriage certificate released?”

He hesitated. “I could perhaps ask my father. He and Clayton have what can only be described as a rocky relationship, and I have no doubt he’d jump at the prospect of causing Clayton a little embarrassment.”

“It’s a start. I’ll also ask Ashworth—he already has people up there keeping an eye on Clayton’s movements.”

And if the Black Lantern Society was as powerful and as righteous as he implied, then two of the most powerful witches in Canberra forcing an unwanted marriage on a minor was something they’d surely want to investigate.

Monty reached across the table and caught my hand. “You know I’ll do everything in my power to protect you, don’t you?”

“Yes.” My voice held a tremulous note. Monty might be distant family, but he was also the only family who meant anything to me.

“And you know Ashworth and Eli, and even Aiden, will do the same. All of us will get you both through this. It’s a promise.”

I smiled, even though my heart wasn’t really in it. “Remember that old saying? The one about making promises you can’t keep?”

“It doesn’t apply here. Believe that, if nothing else.”

I nodded. There was nothing else I could do. The dice had been thrown, and the game was now in motion. There was nothing we could do to stop it.

My only real hope was that when Clayton made his move, he did so openly and honorably.

But I seriously feared that would not be the case.

The rest of the day crawled by. I called Ashworth once we’d closed for the day and told him what had happened. He immediately said he’d get the Black Lantern Society onto it. It didn’t make me feel any easier. Nothing would now. Not until this mess was all finally sorted, one way or another.

As evening began to stain the skies, I settled down to read the book on tracking spells Belle had retrieved from our storage locker earlier.

She came out of her bedroom, looking glamorous in a red dress that skimmed her curves and only barely flirted with her upper thighs. I raised my eyebrows. “If your plan is to make Kash realize exactly what his inattentive manner has caused him to miss, I think you’ve got it spot-on. But I’m not sure that dress will be legal in many places.”

She grinned. “We’re off to Émigré, which has a ‘less is more’ policy on certain nights.”

“I wouldn’t have thought Émigré would be Kash’s thing.”

Belle snorted. “He is, above all else, a player, even if his nerdy self came to the fore when he was scanning Gran’s books.”

“Then I won’t expect you back home tonight. Have fun.”

“Oh, I very much intend to.” She swung her purse over her shoulder and headed out.

I spent the next hour or so reading the book, marking a couple of pages that had spell possibilities, although I didn’t find anything designed specifically for Empusae. Not yet, anyway.

With a frustrated sigh, I put the book down and then headed downstairs to make myself something for dinner. I’d barely finished eating when someone knocked loudly on the front door.

I frowned and glanced across to the old clock on the wall. It was just after eight, so it surely couldn’t be a customer, and anyone we knew would have rung us first.

“Who is it?”

“My name is Judy Rankin. I need your help.”

I hesitated, studying the closed door for several seconds, feeling her out with my ‘other’ senses. Unfortunately, they were giving me squat.

“If you need help, Mrs. Rankin, you should talk to the rang—”

“I can’t,” she cut in. “Please, can we just talk?”

I thrust a hand through my hair and juggled the need to help with the desire to tell her to go elsewhere. As usual, the former won out. My sister’s death had certainly affected me in more ways than one.

I walked across to the door but didn’t immediately open it. Instead, I peered through the bullet holes that we’d