A Grave Spell (The Spellwork Files Book 1)

by Jenna Collett

  The door cracked open with Caden’s return. He had a towel wrapped around his neck, and he was wearing a sleeveless top and a pair of low-slung joggers. Holy smokes, had he walked through the halls like that? No wonder my RA agreed to let him stay. She’d probably petition the dorm to make him a permanent resident. He’d get my room, and I’d be the one moving into the manor with the rats.

  “So, um . . . it’s password protected.” I held up the cell phone.

  A slow grin spread across his face. He wasn’t looking at the phone. My gaze followed his, and I stifled the urge to slide under the covers.

  “You don’t disappoint, do you?” He gestured to my sleep top with the words “Hands Off My Spell Books” emblazoned across my chest.

  I shrugged as if seeing my choice of sleepwear was no big deal and waved the phone in the air. “Eyes up here, partner. We have a mystery to solve.”

  Caden angled his head, studying me as if I were the mystery. The weight of his stare filled the room with the same charged energy from before. Could this dorm room be any smaller? What was I thinking, agreeing to let him stay here? If I had any sense, I would have dipped into my limited savings and shelled out for his hotel room.

  I cleared my throat to break the spell.

  “I don’t suppose you’re a cell phone hacker?”

  “Did you try her birthday?”

  “Okay, so not a hacker,” I said under my breath as he dropped his bag and settled into his makeshift spot on the floor. “Do you know anyone who can help us? Someone you used to work with on your old team?”

  He paused from shaking out the blanket. A muscle tightened in his jaw. He didn’t answer. Emotions flickered across his face as if he were trying to decide a lesser evil. Why did he hate any mention of his past? I had a right to know why I was constantly stepping on land mines around him.

  Finally, he held out his hand. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “If it’s uncomfortable, I can talk to them.”

  “I said I’d take care of it. Toss me the phone.”

  He caught it and stored it away in his bag. His movements were almost robotic as he rolled up his towel and tucked it under his head. He lay back, eyes open to the ceiling. A quiet moment passed. I checked on Loki, who was still curled up on the edge of the bed, then I followed suit, sliding under the covers and turning out the light.

  We lay there in silence, letting the darkness settle. My thoughts drifted to Ivy and how she would have handled tonight; what she would have said to win him over and gain his trust. She probably would have been the first one out the window, performing a cartwheel on the ledge just to prove she could. Everything came so easily to her.

  Families were like that though. There was always one whose star shined a little brighter. I never minded before, but now, I wished I had a little more of her luster.

  “Do you have any siblings?” I asked the ceiling.

  The floor answered. “An older brother. Three years my senior.”

  “Are you two close?”

  He rolled onto his side, and so did I. We were facing each other even though it was hard to see anything in the dark. Maybe the concealment made it easier to talk.

  “We were, but not anymore.”

  “Yeah, Ivy and I weren’t close at the end either. When we were kids, we followed each other around like we’d been wrapped in a rubber band. It never mattered that we were so different. But then she started training, and things changed.” I rested my chin on my hand and stared into the dark. “What’s your brother doing now?”

  “Leave it, Graves.”

  “No, tell me.” I lowered my voice, mimicking his deep tone, and said, “Strong teams are formed from—”

  “Don’t finish that sentence,” he growled.

  “Why not? It makes sense. Besides, we’re stuck with each other. You can’t pick your family, and you can’t pick your team.”

  Caden heaved a sigh. “Actually, mine were one and the same. Ben, my brother, was the leader of our team. I was his partner.”

  Whoa, I hadn’t expected that. It was unusual for members of the same family to work together. Caden should have been like me, waiting in the wings, going about his life like a normal person.

  I leaned closer to the edge of the bed as if those couple of inches would help me see him better. “What happened? Why did you transfer?”

  A bitter laugh escaped his throat. It was self-deprecating, and my mind drifted back to the moment at the party when we first touched. I’d felt his fear of failure, his own ridicule. I wondered if it stemmed from his relationship with his brother. Whatever happened between them hadn’t ended well.

  “Caden—”

  “Enough, Elle. Leave it alone.” He turned away from me, punching the towel beneath his head. The finality of his tone sliced through the thin connection we’d made.

  I swallowed around the lump in my throat and lay back. The dark no longer felt like a safe haven. His secrets twisted the knot of unease inside my chest, and it was a long time before I fell asleep.

  Chapter 10

  By the time the sun streamed in through the windows, Caden was gone. I turned my head to stare down at his empty spot on the floor. He’d folded the blanket and the towel, stacking them together in a neat pile.

  A note rested on my nightstand, and I reached for it, wondering how he’d slipped out of the room without waking me. It wasn’t a good sign for a demon-hunter to sleep like the dead. Pretty sure it was a good way to end up . . . well, dead.

  Caden’s messy handwriting covered the paper. He’d taken the cell phone to a friend and would be gone a day, two tops. His instructions were clear: our investigation was on temporary hold until he returned. No cat burgling, and no demon-hunting. He’d underlined both activities twice with one of my sparkly pens.

  “You’re no fun, Caden Bishop,” I mumbled to myself as I stretched my sore muscles. Lucky for him, I had no intention of venturing out on my own. Not when I had classes and a midterm paper to turn in. I might be smack dab in the middle of an early-life crisis, but I still had to graduate. With honors, if possible.

  My history class started at nine. The school had assigned a substitute to take over for Professor Roberts for the rest of the semester. I didn’t think attending a class I was already enrolled in counted as investigation, though I’d definitely be on alert.

  Rolling out of bed, I shuffled toward the closet. I selected an outfit, showered, and dried my hair. By the time I’d finished, I was starving and had just enough time for a quick stop in the cafeteria before class. Blowing Loki a kiss and promising to go for a walk with him later, I hurried out the door.

  I was halfway to the stairwell, fantasizing about an egg and cheese sandwich, when my phone buzzed. Sliding it from my pocket, I frowned at the unknown number. I swiped through to the text message.

  Unknown: Take your demon blade with you today.

  Looking over my shoulder at the empty hall, I stifled a devious grin and tapped out a response.

  Elle: Who is this? Are you trying to reach me about my car’s extended warranty?

  Three little dots appeared beneath my message.

  Unknown: Very Funny, Graves. Don’t forget the blade. I know you didn’t take it.

  Elle: You do not know that.

  Changing directions, I hurried back to my room. The blade was still sitting on my nightstand. I placed a finger to my lips to shush Loki to secrecy.

  The thing was, I couldn’t very well carry a knife around with me everywhere I went. It wasn’t practical. What if I wanted to wear tennis shoes? Or go through a metal detector. Besides, at this point, I needed to tie a string around my finger to remember to take it with me. And I wasn’t about to give Caden the satisfaction of knowing I’d forgotten.

  Tie a string . . . My eyes widened. I had an idea!

  Grabbing the energy stones from the shelf above my desk, I arranged them in a circle. I placed the blade in the center. Next, I raided my jewelry box, selecting a chunky bracelet an
d depositing the piece beside the blade. Sprinkling everything with a dash of chalky powder, I hovered my palms over the circle.

  Energy flowed from my hands, amplified by the stones. I murmured an incantation, repeating the chant three times, until the blade took on the shape of a bracelet. The purple stone glittered in the center of a silver cuff. I blew off the dusting of powder and slipped the newly formed bracelet onto my wrist.

  Perfect. It was fashionable and functional. A brilliant combination. Now, all I had to do was reverse the spell when I needed to use it. Plus, it would always be within reach.

  Admiring my handiwork, I wondered if I could sell these to the council to make some extra cash. Demon blade bracelets might be a hit among the hunters—I could take it internationally, maybe expand into other types of jewelry, make a men’s line. The possibilities and earning potential were endless. My entrepreneurial brain was churning. But first, I had to get to class.

  Checking my phone on my way out the door, I noticed Caden had left another text message.

  Unknown: Did you get my note?

  Elle: I did. It was lovely. I plan on framing it.

  Caden responded with an eye roll emoji.

  Elle: I’m on my way to the class I had with Professor Roberts now.

  Unknown: You need to start cloaking your magic. It was fine before, but now, it’s necessary.

  I made a face, punching through the door and into the stairwell.

  Elle: Wow. I haven’t even had coffee yet, and you’re issuing orders.

  Unknown: It’s important, Graves. I need you safe.

  A flutter of warmth expanded inside my chest at his words until I remembered Oscar’s speech. Without me, we were all doomed with an apocalyptic capital D. Caden’s text wasn’t a declaration of his undying affection; he was just doing his job. Why that bothered me so much, I wasn’t going to admit even to myself.

  My phone buzzed with another reply.

  Unknown: Be careful and keep an eye out. I’ll be back as soon as I can.

  Elle: I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself.

  Unknown: Debatable.

  Elle: Miss you, too!

  Three dots appeared then vanished. I laughed to myself as I pushed open the door and walked out into the morning sunshine. If you can’t strangle them, kill them with kindness.

  Walking across the quad, I saved Caden’s number in my phone and stowed the device in my bag. I needed coffee if I had a shot in Hades of making it through the day. A quick bite and the largest cup of coffee they had later, and I was running to make it to class on time.

  The lecture hall was almost full, and I slid into one of the seats in the back. Hushed whispers filled the room, and the normal chatter had taken on a somber tone. It grew quiet when a woman entered, her heels clicking across the polished floor. She stopped in front of the lectern and addressed the class.

  “Good morning, everyone. My name is Julia Henry, and I will be taking over your class for the rest of the term. I realize how difficult this transition is. Professor Roberts was beloved by so many on this campus. I will do my best to continue from where she left off, and with that in mind, could you please pass your midterm papers to the front for collection?”

  I handed my paper to the person in front of me and studied the woman I’d witnessed arguing with Professor Roberts right before her death. Was it a coincidence she was now teaching my class, or something more nefarious?

  Julia Henry appeared at least ten years younger than Professor Roberts. She walked the length of the room collecting papers, dressed in a cream-colored blouse and gray pencil skirt. A silk scarf hung artfully around her neck. She stacked our work on top of the lectern and dimmed the lights. Navigating to a presentation on a laptop, she projected it onto the screen and dived into the day’s lecture.

  Maybe I expected more—a sharing of our favorite memories or even a moment of silence—but it was straight to work. Julia’s voice droned through the hall as students furiously scribbled notes. I couldn’t focus on the lecture. Instead, I opened my notebook and wrote the word “suspects” at the top of the page. Since this counted as neither cat burgling nor demon-hunting, I continued with my list.

  The first entry was Julia Henry.

  My gaze roamed over the class, watching each student individually. I marked down the name of Professor Roberts’ teacher’s assistant, who sat in the front row and had also attended the party. Next, I navigated to the photos I’d taken of the class rosters on my phone and scanned the lists. A few names caught my eye. Members of the waitstaff. I added them to the list as well. I paused, seeing Jake the bartender’s name on the roster. He was in her afternoon class. But that wasn’t the only name I recognized. Zoe was also in her afternoon class—although, according to the roster, she’d dropped the class after the first few weeks.

  That’s odd. Zoe never mentioned she dropped a class. My hand paused over my list, reluctant to add her name. She wasn’t really a suspect, more a person of interest who happened to be at the party and have an outside connection to Professor Roberts. Given those parameters, both my name and Caden’s should go on the list too. But I knew we hadn’t killed her, and I knew Zoe hadn’t either.

  Still, I had to be objective. I’d write her name down with an asterisk and label her an unlikely suspect.

  Scanning the rest of the rosters, there was only one other name that caught my eye. My ex-boss, Angela, had been enrolled in a night class here at the university. Did she have a motive for wanting the professor dead?

  On the list she went.

  After I finished with the students, I moved on to her other colleagues. I downloaded the university’s coursebook onto my phone and matched the faces of her colleagues with the ones I remembered seeing at the party. All told, it was quite a list. Any one of them could be a demon in disguise. The trick to uncovering the culprit was to discover the motive. Professor Roberts had been involved in something that got her killed. It was my job to find out what and eliminate the people on this list until there was only one. Then slay them.

  A shiver worked its way down my back. My words from last night echoed in my head. You can’t pick your family, and you can’t pick your team. All true, but you also couldn’t pick your destiny. I thought I had everything figured out. Now, here I was, filling someone else’s shoes. Shoes I had no business wearing. Shoes that would probably get me killed.

  I fiddled with my bracelet, resting my hand over the stone and feeling it warm my palm. Deep breaths. I needed to take this one step at a time. Start with a name on the list and go from there.

  The easiest name to start with was Angela. I still had to return my catering uniform, and it would give me a chance to talk to her as well as return to the scene of the crime. Yes, this was starting to veer heavily into investigating territory. Some might say I’d crossed right over the line. But my uniform was laundered and ready to return. The last thing I wanted was to be billed for polyester pants, a tuxedo shirt, and a sateen vest with the country club’s logo on it. So, if anybody asked—cough Caden cough—then I’d tell him it was simply a matter of due diligence.

  “Elle Graves, is everything all right?”

  I jumped in my seat, startled by the woman’s voice. Professor Henry stood directly in front of me, her eyes narrowed with interest. Flustered, I snapped my notebook closed and fumbled for my bag. The lecture hall was empty. Sometime during my suspect-building exercise, the class had ended.

  Had she seen my list?

  “Yeah, everything’s fine. I was just taking detailed notes and lost track of time.” I shoved out of my chair and slung my bag over my shoulder.

  “You must be upset by what happened the other night. I can only imagine what you’re going through, witnessing such a tragic event.”

  “Uh, yes. It’s been a lot to deal with.”

  Professor Henry angled her head, studying me. Her features were void of emotion, irises a shade of brown that almost appeared black. I could smell her perfume, thick and cloying. Was
it hiding a darker, more insidious scent? I couldn’t tell.

  “If you need to talk, I’m available. Anytime. Even after-hours.”

  Taking a step back, I nearly tripped on one of the chairs. “Thank you for the offer. Maybe I’ll take you up on it. I have to go, or I’ll be late for my next class.”

  A faint smile formed on her lips. “Of course. We wouldn’t want that. Hopefully, I’ll see you next week.”

  ***

  “It was a threat! ‘Hopefully, I’ll see you next week,’ sounds innocent enough, but there was a tone . . . I think.”

  Loki snorted and stuck his head out the car window as I drove toward the country club. He didn’t seem convinced, and apparently, even ghost dogs enjoyed the wind in their faces. I rolled the window down too, letting the breeze whip through my hair and cool the back of my neck.

  After a long day of classes, I went back to my dorm and gathered my uniform as well as my ghostly companion. The walk I’d promised him around the quad had turned into a car ride. I hadn’t received any more texts from Caden, and to be honest, the dorm had looked kind of empty without him taking up space on the floor. Deny it all I want, but I couldn’t wait for him to get back. I wanted to get his thoughts on my suspect list and hear his reaction to my encounter with Professor Henry. Vaguely threatening or not, there had been a tone.

  My phone sat silently in the cupholder, and I glanced at it out of the corner of my eye. If I didn’t hear from him by tomorrow, I’d call. I was dying to know how his road trip was going. He’d been reluctant to call in the favor, and I had a hunch it was related to the trouble in his past.

  I turned down the paved drive that led to the club and parked in the employee lot. Lights were on in the main building, and I spotted Angela’s black SUV in her reserved spot. A few other cars dotted the lot, but it was mostly empty.

  Loki floated behind me as I approached the club. Inside, the lights were dim and the halls empty. A few people lounged in the members’ bar, but without the buzzing energy from a banquet the place was quiet this late in the evening. I poked my head into the reception hall. The room was a vacant shell waiting to be filled. My gaze fell on the spot where the ice sculpture had landed, and I could almost visualize the scene in my head.