by L.H. Cosway
“Rita has always had a mind of her own,” she sighed.
“I’m sure she didn’t mean to speak to you like that. As Alvie said, she’s just upset about the house.”
Noreen dried her hands and went to sit at the table, rubbing the tension lines on her forehead. “She’s a little mad at me because I forbid her from using more powerful magic to stop them from attacking us. I didn’t want Michael Ridley seeing the full extent of what she can do. He’s power-hungry, and if he knew the level of my daughter’s talent, he’d try to lure her to his side. I’m sure you noticed how he looked at you when you used your magic.”
“Yeah, I did. I’m not entirely sure where that came from. It just kind of … happened.”
“Your mother was clearly a powerful witch. That’s why her magic was passed down to you. Now that it’s been unlocked, you’ll find yourself discovering more and more abilities.”
The weight of her words sat heavily on my shoulders. I wasn’t sure I was ready for the responsibility of having magic. “Rita said it was uncommon for magic to be passed down if only one parent comes from the magical families.”
“Well, yes, that’s true but there are always anomalies.”
“Is Rita an anomaly?” I asked. I knew I was prying but I was curious. Besides, Noreen might be more inclined to share the truth with me while we were alone.
“What do you mean?”
“Her magic is incredibly strong. I just thought that perhaps her father—”
“Rita’s father is of no consequence,” Noreen replied, her posture stiff.
“No, of course, he isn’t. I just had this crazy idea about the sorcerer Theodore. When I met him, he weirdly reminded me of Rita.”
At this, Noreen paled. Her eyes grew wide as she wrung her hands. She looked away, reaching into her pocket for a tissue to dab her eyes. Oh, my God, she was crying.
“Are you okay?” I asked, reaching out to comfort her, but she stood from the table.
“You must promise me you won’t mention any of your ideas about Theodore to Rita. She wouldn’t understand,” Noreen said desperately, and I stared at her, stunned.
“Are you saying that he is her father?”
A long silence fell. Noreen walked to the window, staring out at the street before she spoke. “I was so young and foolish.” Her voice was barely a whisper, and she refused to meet my gaze. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
Finally, she dabbed away her tears and lifted her chin. “I was only twenty-two when I had Rita. I became pregnant when I was travelling across Europe. I’d been spending a few months in Paris when I started keeping company with a group of Wiccans. I’d never heard of magic outside of fairy tales and storybooks before then, and it was when they convinced me to join them at one of their rituals that I met Theodore.” She stopped to take a deep breath, and my pulse pounded just listening to her.
“He was intrigued to discover that I was from Tribane and began asking me lots of questions about the city. I know now why he was so interested. He hadn’t been able to return since he’d faked his death, and he clearly missed his old home. His interest in me took me off guard since everyone seemed to worship the ground he walked on.”
I tried to imagine a scenario where Theodore’s interest could be anything other than entirely creepy. But I couldn’t blame Noreen. Surely, she was too young and inexperienced to see past his flattery.
“What was he like?” I asked, curious to know if Theodore had always been so terrifying and inhuman.
“Admittedly, he wasn’t the most handsome man I’d ever met, but he had charm and charisma. We spent a few weeks together, and within that time he taught me all about the supernatural world that existed right under my nose. I learned a lot about witchcraft from him. I’ll admit that I was attracted to the idea of being able to do things other people couldn’t. I became consumed by the desire to use magic to my advantage—to better my position in life. Then one day he just … disappeared. I never saw him again. I was angry at first, and then I discovered I was pregnant.” She paused to grimace.
“I was distraught that Theodore had left me all alone, but I pulled strength from somewhere and determined to keep my baby. It was the best decision I ever made. I was in a dark place for a while, but Rita came along and changed my entire world. I realised Theodore was wrong, that magic shouldn’t be used to gain power over others, but instead to better ourselves and the world around us. I returned to Tribane and raised my little girl, all the while teaching her that magic was something to cherish and respect and never to abuse.”
“It’s kind of a happy ending then, right?” I said.
“In a way it is, but sometimes I get glimpses of Theodore in Rita and it frightens me. I’ve taught her as best I can how to practice magic responsibly, but she gets more and more talented with each year that passes. It worries me that one day she might decide that she’s sick and tired of playing by the rules. That she might become like her father. My daughter is a wonderful woman, but there’s a darkness in her that will always be there because of Theodore.”
“Rita’s more like you than she’ll ever be like Theodore,” I disagreed. “If there is darkness, then it only balances her out. I don’t think it would ever be strong enough to take her over completely. Besides, nobody in this world is completely good. We’ve all got good and bad qualities. If we didn’t, then we wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two.”
Noreen gave a watery smile. “You’re a very insightful young woman.” She gazed at me for a long moment. “Are you still trying to find out more about your mother?”
“Yes, but I haven’t had time to do much digging,” I replied. My quest to save Rebecca and my concerns about my dad’s disappearance took up the majority of my thoughts.
She studied me then, and I wondered what she was thinking. “You know,” she finally said, “I do recall the story of a teenage witch from the Petrovsky family. They’re a very old magical family, originally from Russia. The witch’s name was Darya, and she was always considered to be extra special by her father, Filipp.”
Excitement filled my chest. Darya wasn’t too far off from Dora, right? Had my mother changed her name? Was she this teenage witch Noreen spoke of? “What happened to her?”
“Well, the rumour goes that Filipp kept her locked up in their house, never allowing her out of his sight. Then on Darya’s nineteenth birthday, she disappeared. It’s a legend among the magical folk of Tribane. Filipp became consumed by madness, accusing the vampires, and even other magical families, of taking her. He searched far and wide, but she was never seen again. Your mother’s name brought back the memory since I’m almost certain Darya is the Russian equivalent of Dora.”
I breathed out heavily, processing the information. I had to admit it made sense. Growing up, I’d never known any of my mother’s family, but I didn’t question it because she died when I was so young. It had always been just Dad and me.
“You do resemble the Petrovskys somewhat. They’re known for their dark hair and light eyes.”
A moment of quiet fell before I spoke, “I don’t know what to do with this information.”
“You don’t need to do anything with it. You’ve survived this long not knowing where your mother came from. All you really need to do is embrace your magic and learn how to use it for good. Sometimes it’s best to leave the past in the past.”
“You’re probably right,” I reached out to squeeze her hand. “Thanks for talking to me. And you don’t need to worry, I won’t mention anything about Theodore to Rita.”
She nodded quietly, her expression thankful. “That’s very kind of you. I really don’t know how my daughter would react if she discovered Theodore was her father.”
“Theodore is my what?” Rita exclaimed, and we both turned to find her standing in the doorway.
12.
“Come. Let’s talk in private,” Noreen pleaded, anxiety lacing her voice.
“No, let’s talk here. You cle
arly have no problem telling Tegan who my father is, yet you kept it from me my entire life. Jesus Christ, Mum, I banished him to a hell dimension!”
“Yes, and it was the right thing to do. He was power-hungry and reckless. He would’ve destroyed this city.”
Rita gave a joyless laugh. “If you haven’t already noticed, this city went to crap anyway. Are you forgetting that our house just burned down?”
“Please, honey, let’s go upstairs so we can talk properly. I’ll tell you everything.”
Rita lost some of her steam as she stared at her mother’s pleading expression. “Fine. But I’m still really bloody angry at you.”
“And you have every right to be,” Noreen said as she led Rita from the kitchen.
When they were gone, I glanced at Gabriel and Alvie, who appeared just as stunned at the revelation.
“Well, that’s a turn up for the books,” Alvie said, eyes wide.
Gabriel leaned against the counter, his arms folded. “Poor Rita.”
I cleared my throat. “I think she’ll understand once Noreen has a chance to explain everything. Did you guys manage to save anything from the house?”
“Not much,” Alvie replied. “We grabbed some clothes for Rita and Noreen. Everything else was too badly damaged by smoke. They had insurance though, so hopefully the money from that will help in repairing the damage. Oh, and we made a small bed for her cats out in Finn’s shed. Luckily, all of them are much more outdoor cats than indoor, so none of them were in the house when it caught fire.”
“That’s good,” I said as a wave of tiredness hit me. It had been a long night, and I needed some rest. “Well, I’m going to bed. I’ll see you both in the morning.”
Alvie and Gabriel said goodnight, and I went up to my room to find Finn under the covers fast asleep. I almost forgot I agreed to share with him. He was completely silent, not snoring or anything. I stripped off and changed into some shorts and a T-shirt before slipping under the covers, keeping to my side and doing my best not to wake him.
It didn’t take long for me to drift off. Somehow, Finn’s presence in the room was a comfort. My dreams were far from comforting though. I dreamt that I was tied to a chair in the middle of the dance floor at Crimson. Around me stood a circle of vampires, their eyes black as night. I struggled against the rope that tied me down, the rough texture grating against my skin. All the vampires I’d ever met were there, even Antonia and Howard Herrington.
At the head of the circle was Jeremy Whitfield. He stepped forward, and a slow, snakelike smile curled around his lips, almost to the point of a rictus grin. Then he laughed quietly, but it grew increasingly louder as the rest of the vampires joined in. Suddenly, he stepped closer and glared down at me.
“Did you think you could fool me?” he asked, his voice slithering across my skin, humid and clammy.
I woke on a gasp. A ray of sunlight shone through the curtains, and to my embarrassment, I found my entire face was pressed into Finn’s neck. His arms were snug around my waist. I tried to slip away from him, but he pulled me closer.
“Quit it, would you?” Finn groaned, his voice husky with sleep.
“I will if you let go of me,” I hissed.
His eyes opened blearily. When he realised his arms were around my waist, he smiled and removed them. Without a word, I scooted from the bed and ran for the bathroom.
Too embarrassed to go back and face Finn, I headed downstairs in search of breakfast. Rita, Alvie, and Gabriel were already up. Somebody had cooked eggs, fried tomatoes, and hash browns, and it smelled delicious.
“Where’s your mum?” I asked Rita as I sat down and grabbed myself a plate.
“She’s not feeling well,” Rita replied, her voice solemn, as she leaned against the counter. I hoped they’d managed to talk things out last night.
A minute later Finn appeared wearing only his boxer shorts. I tried not to let my eyes wander up and down his fine physique and failed. The magical poultice had shed his wound and in its place was perfectly healed skin. He went straight to Rita, throwing his arm around her shoulders and scruffing her dark hair. “Look at me,” he exclaimed, grinning wide. “Good as new. I’ll have to get you to fix me up the next time I’m injured.”
Rita moved away from him, scowling. “Don’t ever touch my hair.”
Finn laughed merrily. “Ah, don’t be such a dry shite.”
Rita lifted her cup of coffee and walked over to sit at the table. “You’re lucky I need you to let me stay in your house, or you’d be growing a tail right now, Finn Roe.”
He shot her a wink. “A tail might be interesting.”
Rita shook her head and continued sipping her coffee while Finn pulled up a chair next to me and began digging into the food.
Rita cleared her throat. “By the way, Finn, you wouldn’t mind if I had my clients come to see me here today? They usually come by the house, but obviously, that’s not going to work until the fire damage is repaired.”
Finn chewed on a bite of food. “You should be nicer to people you ask favours from.” I could tell he was enjoying this immensely.
Rita sighed. “I healed your stupid leg, didn’t I?”
“I suppose. Go on then. You can bring them into the living room and do whatever it is you do in there. Just clean up the mess when you’re finished.”
“Fine,” Rita said, and my curiosity piqued.
“What exactly do you do for your clients?”
“Small spells for minor stuff. Pain relief from arthritis, cures for acne, that kind of thing.”
My eyes widened with interest. “Don’t they wonder how you do it?”
“Lots of people believe in magic,” Rita said. “Also, you’ll find that once you can achieve the results they’re after, they don’t ask a lot of questions.”
Finn’s leg brushed against mine, distracting me from Rita. I glanced at him, and he shot me a cheeky wink. Clearly, he hadn’t forgotten how we woke up this morning.
I stiffened, feeling self-conscious. “Can’t you put some clothes on?”
“My house, my rules,” he answered happily.
“I definitely don’t mind if you want to walk around topless,” Alvie said, waggling his eyebrows.
“Yeah,” Rita added. “Feel free to flaunt those abs where we can all admire them.”
That wiped the smile right off Finn’s face. He went over to the washer/dryer and pulled out a clean T-shirt, covering himself up. “Bunch of perverts,” he grumbled as he returned his attention to his food.
After breakfast, I joined Finn and Gabriel on a trip to the supermarket. We needed to stock up on groceries since there were so many of us staying at the house. When we got back, I hung out with Wolf in the kitchen, sharing a packet of corn chips. I dropped every second chip on the floor for the dog to snap up.
“Having fun?” Finn asked when he entered the room.
“Lots,” I replied, grinning down at Wolf. It was official. We were buddies. I couldn’t believe I ever thought he was scary.
“Good,” Finn went on, “because you’re not going to like what I have to say next.”
“What is it?”
“I spoke to Pamphrock just now, and he’s getting impatient. He says you have three more days to get to Rebecca before he gathers his men and breaks into Whitfield’s mansion himself.”
I sighed. “Does he actually think brute force will work? I mean, he could always try attacking during the day while the vampires are asleep, but I have a feeling Whitfield has lots of protection set up for the hours when he’s most vulnerable. I can’t see him leaving himself open to attack.”
“You’re right,” Finn agreed. “But give Pamphrock a break. He’s worried about his daughter. He’s not thinking straight.”
I dusted the salt and crumbs from my hands and stood up. “So, three days?”
“Three days,” he confirmed.
“Looks like I’ve got some work to do then, doesn’t it?”
***
That ni
ght, I headed out to Crimson. I despised having to grovel, but I needed to get back into Ethan’s good graces if I wanted to gain access to Whitfield’s private home.
It was just after ten when I got to the club. I spotted Dru and Lucas standing by the entrance, but they hadn’t noticed me yet. I took a deep breath for courage and skipped the queue, walking towards them. Lucas smiled when he saw me.
“Tegan, you’re looking particularly delectable tonight.”
“Thanks. I’m here to see Ethan,” I said. “Can I go inside?”
“I’m not sure that’s a wise idea. He was pissed after you left last night.”
“I can handle him,” I replied evenly.
He shrugged and stepped out of the way, gesturing me in. “If you say so.”
My anxiety built as I stepped into the club, wondering exactly how angry Ethan was with me. The place was so packed there was barely enough room to breathe, let alone move. I struggled through the masses and managed to reach the bar where I promptly ordered a gin and tonic. I swallowed the whole thing down in a few gulps, hoping the alcohol might take the edge off my nerves.
I scanned the club but couldn’t spot Ethan anywhere. Then I noticed a girl heading determinedly in my direction, her gaze fixed on mine. She had short brown hair and wore dark clothing, but the most noticeable thing about her was her eye patch. As she drew closer, I sensed her panic. She stepped right up to me and pulled me into a hug as though she knew me, which she definitely didn’t.
“Don’t move or pull away,” she said, speaking right into my ear. “I know you don’t know me, but I have information about your father.”
My jaw dropped and my heart raced. I didn’t know what to say. “Wait until I get to the door, then follow me outside.”
She let go and gave me a meaningful look before she turned and walked toward a side exit. For a second, I just stood there, frozen. I couldn’t decide whether or not I should follow her. This could be a trap, and if I went outside, I’d be walking right into it. But there was something about her panic that made me believe she was telling the truth. This girl had information about my dad, and I wasn’t about to let her slip through my fingers.
