Blood Magic

by Jennifer Snyder

  I licked my bottom lip. The hint of coppery blood coated my tongue. I forced my face into a neutral expression, hopefully hiding the shock I felt from him.

  “It’s okay. Go eat. I’ll be back soon.” I smiled, hoping he could tell I wasn’t upset with him. “Love you.”

  “Love you too.” He didn’t remove his hand from his mouth when he spoke, hiding his fangs from me.

  I grabbed my bag from him and headed toward my car, taking a sip from my coffee to wash away the taste of blood lingering on my tongue. When I reached the driver’s side door, I glanced at the porch of the house to see that Benji was already gone.

  Chapter 2

  Caraway Inn still looked the same when I parked in the tiny gravel lot out front. The energy of Rose’s text messages had made it seem as though the house were falling apart. I cut the engine of my car and pulled in a deep breath before exhaling slowly. My stomach muscles tightened. Would Aunt Rowena be able to see I’d used gray magic again from looking at my aura?

  God, I hoped not.

  I took another sip from my coffee and then moved to climb out of my car. Clothes. School books. And a strong cloaking spell along with its ingredients. That was what I was here for. Once I had everything, I needed to get back to the Montevallos’.

  The front door of the inn opened before I reached it. Mr. Senova fumbled with this suitcase as he made his way onto the porch. I smiled at the baggie of cinnamon twists in his hand. Aunt Rowena always sent guests home with a treat. She also gave them the option to eat a home-cooked dinner before leaving, which was why check-out wasn’t until six, unlike most places.

  “Hello,” he said when he spotted me. “I finished my book this morning, and now I’m all checked out. I was telling your cousin you’ll be seeing my face again soon. This place has done wonders for my muse.”

  “Oh, good. We’re always glad to see a familiar face again.” I flashed him a polite smile and then maneuvered around him so he could start down the stairs with his suitcase. “Have a safe trip home.”

  “Thank you.”

  I stepped inside out of the cold and spotted Raven at the desk, typing on the computer.

  “I was wondering when you were coming home,” she said without looking up from the screen. Hostility hung in her tone. “It’s been crazy around here today.”

  I slipped out of my coat and hung it on a hook near the door. “I heard. Rose sent me a few texts.”

  “I’m serious when I say you couldn’t have picked a better time to go off for a girls’ night and have fun.” Her fingers continued to fly across the keys of the computer. I’d forgotten what my excuse had been for my absence; thankfully, she’d reminded me. “You should have taken me with you. Things have been breaking around here left and right since yesterday.”

  “Rose mentioned that.”

  “Mom needs to smudge this place.”

  “Speaking of, where is your mom?” I asked.

  “Upstairs. Probably still trying to get the stupid washer to stop spraying water all over the place.”

  I arched a brow. “To what? What happened?”

  “I don’t know what the deal with it is.” Raven shrugged as she clicked around on the computer with the mouse. “She told me to wash the sheets from Mr. Senova’s room since he was checking out, so I did. The machine went nuts, flashing some error code at me. When I looked it up in the manual, I realized it meant the thing wasn’t filling with hot water. Mom tried to wiggle the hose and it came off in her hand, sending water spraying all over.”

  “Oh, no!”

  “Yeah. Just a side note for you, the main water shut-off is all the way downstairs in the basement near the water heater.”

  “Did you get it turned off?”

  “Yeah. After we all got soaked to the bone.” Raven stepped away from the computer, having finished checking Mr. Senova out. I noticed then her hair was damp. “All right, I’m heading out for a few hours. Good luck trying to keep this place going without me.”

  Raven grabbed her purse and headed for the front door as I made my way to the stairs.

  “Have fun,” I called after her.

  “I plan on it,” she said before slamming the door shut behind her.

  I jogged up the stairs, ready to get what I needed and get out of here. I hated to leave Aunt Rowena and Rose on their own with the place, but I needed to get back to Hazel.

  When I reached the third floor of the inn, I walked straight to my room. The sound of someone giggling and light spilling from beneath the door had my feet faltering. I swung the door open with more force than was necessary and spotted Rose sprawled across my bed. My computer was in front of her with a TV show playing on low volume. I wanted to be upset with her, but my initial reaction was one of shock.

  How the heck had she figured out my password?

  Rose jumped and glanced at me.

  “Ridley!” she shouted with a half-eaten strand of licorice dangling from her mouth. “What are you doing home? I figured you wouldn’t be back ‘til later.”

  I folded my arms over my chest. “Nice to see you too. What are you doing in my room, and why are you using my laptop without asking?”

  She pushed herself into a sitting position. Her face reddened, and she refused to meet my stare. “Well, I figured since I was doing all your chores plus the extra stuff that keeps popping up while you were gone, you wouldn’t mind if I watched TV on it.”

  I stepped farther into the room and closed the door behind me before tossing my bag at the end of the bed.

  “You should have asked. You know your track record with computers. I’ve got notes and things for school on there that I’d rather not lose,” I snapped as I glared at her. “How did you figure out my password anyway?”

  “I know. I’m sorry.” She sighed. “And, your password was easy. You definitely need a stronger one. It took me like five tries to figure it out.”

  I wrinkled my nose. She was probably right—vanilla wasn’t the strongest password ever created. Oops.

  “Yeah, well,” I fumbled over my words. “You still shouldn’t have used my laptop without asking.”

  “I said I’m sorry.” She flashed me her adorable puppy eyes and my irritation melted. “Does this mean you’re not paying me for the chores I did for you?”

  Oh. This kid. She was good.

  “I’m still paying you.” I sighed. “Just don’t do that again.”

  “I won’t. Promise.”

  I stepped to my dresser and opened the top drawer to grab the zipper pouch tucked away inside. I pulled out three twenties and handed them to her. While I wasn’t sure how much I actually owed her, she’d taken care of a clogged toilet in Mr. Senova’s room for me, and I knew how disgusting that was.

  Rose had earned the money fair and square.

  “Thanks!” She bolted from my room, taking her candy with her, before I could change my mind on how much money I’d given her.

  I shut down my laptop and crammed it into my bag, not wanting to take the chance she’d use it again without asking while I was gone. Plus, I’d need it for school. While Benji had a laptop that I knew he would let me borrow, using someone else’s was sort of like driving someone else’s car—it just didn’t feel right.

  I grabbed an extra change of clothes and the charger to my computer before heading down the hall to the bathroom for more of my toiletries. I had no idea how long I’d be staying with Benji.

  Noises came from Aunt Rowena’s bedroom. She sounded flustered about something. The issue with the washer maybe?

  After I grabbed a few more hair ties, I made my way to her room and knocked on the door.

  “Who is it?” she called out in a shaky voice.

  “It’s me,” I said. “Can I come in?”

  “Yes.”

  When I opened the door, she was on her bed with tarot cards spread in front of her in a small formation. Her hair was wet, and a look of fear reflected in her dark eyes when she glanced at me.

  “They keep
telling me the same thing,” she insisted, motioning to the cards.

  I stepped forward to get a better look at the cards coming up for her and closed the door behind me. While I’d never used tarot cards personally, I’d seen Aunt Rowena use hers enough to know which cards symbolized something bad and which stood for something good.

  Right now, not a single card in her spread stood for good.

  “What are they saying?” I asked, inching closer to the bed.

  While I knew the cards didn’t predict the future, they did give insight as to where things might be headed.

  “That something horrible is about to happen. This card,” she said as her fingertips touched the card in the middle—The Tower. I stared at the castle tower, noticing how it crumbled as lightning struck its top, catching it on fire. My stomach rolled. It wasn’t a happy card; that was for sure. “It’s in the position that represents this situation—the house and the negative energy that lingers no matter what I do—and signifies chaos is coming. Turmoil.”

  My gaze drifted to the two silhouettes falling from the tower to the rocky ground below. Was I one of them? Could Hazel be the other? Was that what the cards were trying to say?

  “And this one,” Aunt Rowena said as she brushed her fingertips over the card crossing The Tower. It was of a red heart with three long swords stabbed through and barbed wire wrapped tightly around it. Twisted, bare-branched trees stood in the background. As did a gray, stormy sky and drizzles of rain. I knew what the card stood for at its core—heartache and loss. My mouth grew dry. “It’s in the position of how whatever is coming will affect me. Pain. The entire card points to pain and loss.”

  My breath hitched. Her pain? From what? Me? Was I going to die?

  “This one is in the position for what lies ahead.” She pointed to the card in front of the two crossing—it was Death. While Aunt Rowena had said multiple times this card stood for change, the sight of it still unsettled me each time I saw it. Something about the skeleton dressed in tattered robes holding the thorny rose flag as he stepped over the body of a man lying on a rock freaked me out. He resembled the grim reaper without his scythe too much for my liking. “A great change. One no one can control. You know how I feel about this card. It’s not one I fear. However, when it’s connected with so many other ill-fated cards in the deck during a reading, it always brings me anxiety.”

  She ran her fingers through her damp hair. I wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how.

  “I know.” My words were barely above a whisper. The entire reading freaked me out.

  “And the last card, in the position of what lies behind me,” she said as she pointed to the final card in the spread. The nine of swords. I knew this card well. It often came up in readings for me when Aunt Rowena did them. It stood for anxiety. The image on the card was of a woman lying in bed with nine swords suspended above her head. Her hand covered her eyes as though she couldn’t take any more stress. “You know this one stands for sleepless nights and anxiety. When you can’t control the outcome of something. Like you’re in a nightmare you can’t wake from. This is bad, Ridley. Something is happening. It’s already in motion, and I don’t know what it is. I don’t know how to stop it.” Her voice cracked and fear clenched my gut.

  My tongue felt like sandpaper scraping against the roof of my dry mouth as I stared at her. Her gaze locked with mine, and she cocked her head to the side. Was she waiting for me to say something?

  “You’re still using gray magic.” Something shifted through her eyes. A sense of fear. Did she think that was what the cards were referring to? My use of gray magic? Was it? “I can see traces of it in your aura. Be careful, Ridley. If this is what the cards are trying to warn me about, then please listen. Please.”

  “I’m being careful. I am.” I licked my lips. “And, I’m not sure that’s what they’re warning you about.”

  My lips clamped tight. I wanted to say more but wasn’t sure I should. Even with the warning of the cards.

  “You don’t understand what you’re dealing with by using it,” Aunt Rowena insisted, acting as though I hadn’t spoken at all. “I don’t want you to end up like Lanie.”

  My brows furrowed. “Who’s Lanie?”

  “She was one of my best friends growing up.”

  “What happened to her?” I’d never heard her mentioned before.

  Aunt Rowena picked up the cards on her comforter and shuffled them back into the deck. From the tension building around her eyes, I knew she didn’t want to talk about Lanie. Maybe she even wished she hadn’t mentioned her.

  “We used to do magic together. Nothing big, just little spells here and there. We read each other’s cards and tried astral projection once or twice.” She paused. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. “Lanie loved magic. She loved being a witch. The problem was, she always wanted more. More magic. More spells. More power. By the time we were teenagers, Lanie yearned for more of everything in a way I found frightening. That was when she found gray magic.”

  I swallowed hard, knowing this story was about to take a terrible turn. I could feel it.

  “Lanie became obsessed with gray magic. It was because of that, and my aversion to using it, that eventually a wedge formed between us. I still saw her enough to notice the subtle changes in her aura, though. The way the gray magic darkened the edges of it like it is yours. It changed Lanie. Her demeanor. Her personality. And then it drove her to the brink of insanity. She couldn’t handle all that power. She couldn’t handle the lack of rules that went with it either. There were no boundaries to rein her in.”

  “That won’t happen to me. I’ve never been power-hungry,” I said certain of what I was saying.

  “I know. I just worry. Especially after what the cards are telling me today and the gut feeling I’ve had that something horrible is coming.” She sighed. “Even the house can feel it. That’s why things are going haywire. Something big is coming, Ridley, and even though you say it doesn’t involve gray magic, I still think it might. I love you too much to not warn you of its dangers.”

  “I know,” I said. Aunt Rowena always had thought of me as one of her daughters. “What happened to Lanie?”

  I needed to know.

  “She was accused of misuse of magic and sent to a prison for witches.”

  I blinked. I’d heard rumors of prisons for witches, but I hadn’t known they were real.

  “Just… be careful,” she pleaded.

  “I will. Promise.”

  Her lips quirked into a faint smile. “Was there something you wanted? I doubt you came to my room to see me fret over my cards or be lectured.”

  “Actually, I was wondering if you knew of a powerful cloaking spell I could use. I need something that will last a little while.”

  “What for?”

  I knew the question would come. However, I didn’t know how to answer. Did I tell her about Hazel and Bram? Or did I tell her the bare minimum first and then elaborate if she pressed? I didn’t want to freak her out any more than she already seemed to be about things, but maybe it was warranted. I couldn’t decide.

  “To cloak the person I found with the locator spell,” I said, deciding to go with basic info first. “She’s in trouble.”

  “What sort of trouble?”

  I hesitated. My gut was telling me time was up with keeping so many secrets. “The kind your cards might be talking about.”

  Aunt Rowena leaned back against the headboard of her bed and eyed me. I knew she was waiting for me to explain further. “Why do you think that?”

  “Because the granddaughter of a spirit who reached out to me is in trouble. She’s on the run from someone, and I need to cloak her from him.” My lips clamped shut. That was all I wanted to say.

  While I knew Aunt Rowena was a strong woman, the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t want her involved in this. Bram was dangerous. And, if her cards were any sign he was the chaos coming to Mirror Lake, I didn’t want him anywhere near Caraway Inn or m
y family. It was too risky.

  “I’m staying at the Montevallo place for a little while,” I said. “That’s where my person in need of saving is staying too.”

  “How long is a little while?”

  “I don’t know. As long as it takes to deal with things, I guess.”

  Silence bloomed between us. I waited for her to tell me I needed to give her more details, especially in regards to who the big bad evil was Hazel was running from, and what made me feel as though the cards were talking about him, but she didn’t. Maybe she didn’t believe that was what the cards meant.

  “Are you in over your head?” she asked instead, surprising me.

  “No.” Not yet anyway.

  “Come to me before that happens. If it happens.”

  I nodded.

  “Let me think of which spell would be best. I know I have a cloaking spell that had a little sticking power in one of my books.”

  She slipped off her bed and stepped to the bookshelf against the far wall. I watched as she scanned the spines of each. When she found the book she was looking for, she pulled it free and flipped through its pages.

  “Here it is. It lasts three days. If you need it to last longer, you’ll have to reset it once the three days are up,” she said.

  Three days seemed like a good amount of time to not have to worry about Bram finding Hazel. We should be able to locate the amulet in that length of time too.

  At least I hoped.

  “It calls for a few ingredients, but the incantation is simple.”

  Aunt Rowena passed the book to me. I took it and glanced at the page. It was simple, but simple was good. “Thanks. It should do the trick.”

  “I’m glad you came to me for another true magic spell. Please, steer clear of using any more gray magic.” Her eyes begged me more than her words.

  “I can’t make that promise. All I can do is tell you I’ll be careful if I do use it again.”

  It was the truth. One she would have to respect.

  She frowned, displeased with what I’d said, but nodded to her deck of tarot cards. “Sit and shuffle them.”