by Nadia Heaton
Tristan suddenly froze, almost comically - one foot still lifted as she started to take her next step. Lisette noticed first and broke away from her path for the ritual, going to Tristan’s side.
“Are you ok?”
“Someone is coming. Two men, I think.”
“Good job! Come on, let’s get inside.” Lisette led the way, with Fleur and Tristan following. It had only been in the last few months that Tristan had started being able to sense the presence of others. All witches had slightly different abilities and specialties which developed as they aged.
Fleur and Lisette were both adults now, and they had a pretty good idea of their powers, but Tristan was still developing. It was exciting, watching her youngest sister discover new things about herself.
They all hurried inside. Supper was done, and their mom was washing dishes while their dad put leftovers in the fridge.
Tristan made the announcement. “Someone is coming. Two men. They’re close.”
Barrett and Emily exchanged a look.
“Bethany and Jermaine, you think?” Emily put the dishes down and went to the window, staring out into the night.
“I imagine so. We don’t often get visitors, much less this late at night. We should make preparations.” Barrett joined his wife at the window. “Fleur, go and get your stuff for sales, just in case it’s someone coming for a remedy.”
That was unlikely, as people looking for cures generally came alone, but Fleur nodded anyway, going for her herb bag.
“Tristan, go to Bethany’s room and cast a sound proofing spell, and make sure it runs both ways.”
Tristan hurried to do as she was told. Lisette went to wait at the door.
“Both ways?” Fleur glanced between her parents. “I get you don’t want our surprise visitors hearing Beth or Jermaine, but why do you want it the other way around?”
“We want to evaluate this situation very carefully,” Barrett explained. “Jermaine has hearing acute enough that without a spell, he’ll hear everything. We don’t need him rushing down here trying to protect Beth. He’s still weak and recovering. If these guys are bad news, the three of you are more than capable of handling it.”
Fleur had to admire how well her parents had taken to Jermaine’s presence here. Lisette and Tristan had struggled more, their natural inclination against vampires being hard to override. Not that Fleur was completely happy with the situation herself, but she had been the one who had made the decision to bring Jermaine here and heal him.
She hadn’t wanted to at first, but Bethany had begged her, and Fleur found that she couldn’t let the man her sister loved die, even if that man was a vampire. It had been difficult, hiding Jermaine’s presence. They usually had coven meetings at the house, and Fleur had had to think of a number of excuses as to why they needed to change the venue.
She knew that if the other witches in their coven found out about Jermaine, they would kick him out at the very least, though in all likelihood it would be much worse.
Tristan got back downstairs after casting the spell just as the doorbell rang. Lisette opened it with her free hand poised in position to cast a freezing spell should their visitors prove hostile.
“Teo!”
Fleur relaxed. Surely, anyone Teo brought wouldn’t be a danger.
“Hey, baby.” He welcomed Lisette with open arms. Lisette stepped into the embrace, but she didn’t look all that happy to see her fiancé. Fleur resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Lisette fell in and out of love quickly. Sometimes, Fleur’s head was left spinning trying to keep up with her sister’s love interests.
“What are you doing here? And who’s your friend?”
“Lis, this is Savion, he’s a friend of Bethany’s. And Rashid, a friend of Savion’s.”
Fleur moved so quickly that she nearly tripped. Savion stepped into view, and their eyes met. The world seemed to stop. Fleur wasn’t like Lisette. She didn’t have any interest in guys. She was more focused on her work with the coven.
Something about Savion drew her in, though. She knew he was more than he seemed. He’d recognized Lisette’s spell for what it was, and his reaction had surprised her. Most people would be alarmed or afraid, but not Savion. He’d looked angry – no, furious.
Of course, it was justified, given the prank that they were plying on him at the time, but Fleur suspected it was about more than something as trivial as his robes flapping up. She thought it was the magic itself that had made him angry.
Savion’s eyes met hers, and they immediately lit up. Fleur clamped her mouth shut to keep herself from groaning. Why did he have to show up here? Did he have to be all handsome and charming? It was bad enough in the shop earlier, but Savion seemed intent on pursuing her.
Or Bethany, which was probably worse. His interest seemed split between her and Beth, but Fleur didn’t think he was interested in Bethany in a romantic way. Good thing too, since, Beth was deeply in love with Jermaine, and it didn’t look like anything was going to change that.
Lisette and Fleur exchanged a look. What should they do? Let Savion in? Send him away? Paralyze him with magic? Fleur knew the decision was up to her. Mirabelle wasn’t here, which meant she was the ranking coven member, despite the fact that Lisette was older than her.
“Come in,” she said stiffly. In her head, she went over which spells she’d use should Savion prove hostile. She and Lis could have him pinned to the floor in seconds, if necessary, without even touching him.
“Thanks. Can I see Bethany?”
“No,” Fleur said flatly. She had brought Jermaine here, and she was going to protect him, despite the fact that he was a vampire.
Savion seemed to take this in his stride. “What about Barrett? May I speak with him, please?”
When his name was called, Fleur’s dad came striding into the hall. “What are you all doing standing around here? Invite our guests in.”
Lisette allowed Teo to put an arm around her and lead her away. Fleur gestured awkwardly to Savion and Rashid to follow. They went to the library and took seats on some of the comfortable sofas.
“I’ll go help mom prepare some refreshments.” Lis extracted herself from Teo’s arms and hurried away. Poor Teo followed her with his eyes, his love-struck gaze all too obvious. Fleur wondered how much longer their engagement would last. It was clear that Lisette’s feelings for him were fading fast.
He wasn’t a bad guy, but Fleur didn’t think he was right for Lis. She didn’t know who would be right for Lis, but she hoped, for her sister’s sake, that the right guy showed up someday.
Emily popped in and asked Teo for some help in the kitchen. Lis probably wouldn’t like that, but it wasn’t wise to have Teo here for this conversation. He didn’t know they were witches, or even about the existence of vampires.
Barrett turned to Savion, his eyes guarded. “How can I help you, Savion?”
7
“I’m sorry for disturbing you so late at night. I didn’t know you address, and when I found Teo, I jumped at the chance to speak with you sooner rather than later. I’m looking for my brother, Jermaine. I’ve been searching for days now without success. Jermaine and I dropped Bethany off at the docks here a couple of weeks ago, and it was clear that she had a connection with him. I figured if he’d come anywhere, it would be here.”
Silence met his words. Barrett and Fleur both looked tense. Barrett answered slowly, clearly picking each word carefully. “I’m sorry you can’t find your brother, Savion. I’m sure he’s alright, and that he’ll contact you soon. Brothers sometimes go off without telling each other. It’s probably nothing to worry about.”
Savion wondered whether he should mention more of the circumstances in which Jermaine disappeared, but decided it wouldn’t be wise. Telling them about his coven fighting against witches probably wouldn’t endear him to Bethany’s witch sisters.
“So you haven’t seen him, then? He’s not here, with Bethany?”
It was Fleur who answered, also with t
he air of choosing what she said very carefully. “Beth hasn’t been feeling well recently. She’s asleep and we shouldn’t disturb her right now. I’m sure she’ll be glad to hear from you, though. I will tell her you came.”
They were being very careful neither to confirm nor deny that Jermaine was here. That was alright. Savion could charm his way past anyone – anyone except Fleur, that was, if his experience earlier that day was any indication.
That didn’t mean Barrett would be immune to him. “You have a lovely home. Have you lived here long?”
Fleur’s eyes narrowed, and Savion could tell she knew exactly what he was doing, but she didn’t comment.
“Nearly thirty years, now. What about you? You from around here?”
Savion suspected Barrett knew the answer to that, but societal pressures were great. Almost anyone would feel compelled to give polite answers to casual questions like that, and Savion used those answers as a gateway.
Rashid seemed content to sit and watch as Savion turned up his charm and wit, attempting to loosen Barrett up before trying again for information about Jermaine. Next time, he’d be less direct in his questioning.
He kept the topic on trivial subjects, mostly, using every opportunity to try and sway Barrett over to his side. Savion suspected that Barrett would be the one who got the final say over whether anyone in his family gave away Jermaine’s location. He was sure, now that he was here talking to them, that they did indeed know where his brother was. They just wouldn’t say, and Savion wasn’t sure why.
Fleur’s mother, who introduced herself as Emily, returned with Teo and Lisette holding a tray of biscuits and tea. Savion knew his time wasn’t limitless. It was late in the evening, which for his kind this was the start of their day, but witches kept a human schedule. Barrett and his family would want to go to bed soon.
As they talked, Savion found out that Bethany was in fact Fleur’s stepsister, which meant it was likely she wasn’t a witch. That was a relief, at least. Fleur didn’t participate much in the conversation, but her eyes kept flicking to Savion.
He watched carefully for signals that they were about to be kicked out. He needed to bring the conversation back around to Bethany and Jermaine before then. Societal politeness only went so far. Savion drank his tea as slowly as he could, knowing that he wouldn’t likely be asked to leave before finishing it.
It seemed that the entire LeBlanc family was immune to his charm. Savion wondered if they had magical protection, or if it was simply their wariness of anyone who knew their secrets that prevented them from relaxing around him.
The tension in the room was so thick, it could have been cut with a knife. Savion didn’t know how much Fleur and Lisette had told their father about the scene in their shop earlier that day, but he was clearly wary of them.
When he judged that he didn’t have any more time to play around with, Savion brought the subject back to Bethany. “Bethany told me she’s really into ocean stuff. It was while diving when she ran into Jermaine.”
“I heard,” Barrett said shortly.
“Perhaps if you give me an address for her, I can pop in on her tomorrow.” Savion hadn’t yet even received confirmation that Bethany was here, though he suspected she lived with her family.
“No, I don’t think so. Anyway, thanks for stopping by, Savion, but it’s late and I should get to bed.”
Great. His time was up. Savion supposed he could try again tomorrow, though he’d really been hoping to see for himself that Jermaine was ok tonight.
He and Rashid got up, but it seemed Rashid had no intention of leaving. Before Savion could warn him against the idea, Rashid grasped the concrete lip of a huge vase on one of the shelves. With one hand, he crushed the lip to dust. It was an easy feat for a vampire, but had Teo’s eyes widening almost comically.
“I suggest you tell us where Jermaine is, and I suggest you tell us right now.”
Savion shook his head frantically at Rashid. Was the guy crazy? He knew these people were witches! Did he have a death wish? Clearly, Rashid wasn’t used to being told no, but that wasn’t any reason to abandon all caution.
No one other than Teo looked impressed. Fleur leapt up almost before Rashid finished speaking and cast her hands toward him. She spoke words in a language Savion didn’t know, and a rushing noise was all the warning they got.
Rashid froze in place as though suddenly turned to stone. He didn’t even appear to be breathing. Savion was torn between fear and wonder at watching Fleur work. He knew she was a witch, of course, but seeing it was something else. She’d reacted so quickly, if Rashid really had been intent on harming her family, he wouldn’t have so much as drawn blood before she had him neutralized.
“What… what did you do to him?” Savion tried and failed to keep the nervousness out of his voice.
Lisette was already ushering a shocked Teo out, and Fleur turned to Savion. “A binding spell. He’ll be fine when I release him… if I release him. You still need to convince me that’s a good idea.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know he was going to react like that.” Savion didn’t admit that Rashid had been here as backup, to help protect him if something went wrong. It was rather embarrassing how quickly Fleur had gotten the spell on him.
“I think you should leave.”
It would be smart to do as she said, but Savion couldn’t bring his feet to move. The display of Fleur’s power had just brought to light how much danger Jermaine could be in with these people. He spoke exclusively to Fleur, trying to convince her.
“I just want to find my brother. I’m not trying to cause you any trouble. All I want is Jermaine. Neither of us wants to get into an inter-coven conflict here. If you tell me where he is, I’ll collect him and be on my way. I can tell you know something, and you’re holding it back.”
Fleur exchanged a glance with Barrett that Savion couldn’t read.
“Look, I’d be willing to submit to a truth spell, if you’re unsure of my intentions.” It was a big concession. Most vampires would die before they willingly submitted to a witch’s spell, but Savion desperately didn’t want to fight Fleur. He couldn’t imagine hurting her, for more reasons than her impressive power and reflexes. The thought was highly distasteful.
“We need a few minutes to discuss this, Savion. Please wait here. Fleur?”
“I think he’s ok, dad. You’re not going to go berserk on us, are you, Savion? Do I need to put a binding spell on you so that my father and I can have a conversation?”
“No, I’ll wait right here.” His instincts were screaming at him to attack, but Savion fought such thoughts back. There was too much at stake to mess up now. Things could go very badly for both him and Rashid.
“Fleur, we’re not risking that. Put the binding spell on him and come to the kitchen.”
Barrett walked away, apparently expecting his instructions to be followed. Fleur leaned close, and Savion was sure he was about to be spelled.
“If you prove my trust in you misplaced, I’ll pull your heart out through your mouth.”
Savion found himself fighting the urge to laugh. “Noted. I’ll stay right here, promise.”
Despite the fact that he was kind of terrified of her now, Savion wasn’t at all keen to leave. He wanted to spend some more time with her. Fleur glanced nervously over her shoulder as she left the room. Savion stayed completely still, trying not to give her anything to worry about.
He wondered if Fleur would agree to meet with him again, and resolved to ask her, once he was sure she wouldn’t use some unsavory kind of magic on him for asking.
8
Fleur knew that she had to get back to the library before anyone else and pretend she’d undone the binding spell on Savion. If not, she’d be in trouble.
Her dad wouldn’t tell Mirabelle – they were still keeping this whole debacle from their coven leader – but that wouldn’t stop him from assigning her every chore under the sun for as long as he decided it took her to become suitably
penitent.
She may be an adult, but she still lived with her parents, and they reserved the right to expect certain chores to be done by non-rent paying residents.
“What do you think?” Barrett looked between Fleur and Lisette. Lisette had gotten rid of Teo, and Emily was upstairs, making sure Tristan stayed away. It was clear that Savion and Rashid were dangerous, and though Tristan could wield magic of her own, she was still young, and they all felt protective of her.
“I say do the truth spell.” Fleur quickly filled Lisette in on what had happened when she and Teo were gone. “If he’s being honest, we don’t have anything to fear from him.”
“I agree, but even if he is being honest, that doesn’t mean we just hand Jermaine over to him. That should be up to Beth and Jermaine. We promised Jermaine he could stay here until he was well, and I know Bethany values spending this time with him alone.”
“I’m not sure about this, girls. He’s Jermaine’s brother, which means he’s a vampire, and Rashid likely is as well. We haven’t had any problems with Jermaine, but who says these two can be trusted?”
“The truth spell will tell us all that,” Fleur argued. “There’s no downside.”
“I just don’t get it.” Barrett glanced nervously back toward the library. “A vampire who would allow a witch to use magic on him? I’ve never even heard of that. I don’t trust it.”
“I think he trusts Fleur.” Lisette shot Fleur a cheeky look. “He likes her.”
“Wait, you know him?”
“No, not really, dad, don’t freak out. He just came to the store today and started talking to me. Lis chased him away.”
“Chased him away how?”
Lisette’s cheeks heated. “I didn’t know he’d recognize it as magic.”
Fleur realized too late that she’d probably earned a reprimand for Lisette at the next coven meeting, and sent her an apologetic look.
“We’ll talk about this later. Lis, can you do the truth spell?”
