Duplicity (Spellbound #2)

by Nikki Jefford

  “They stole my powers from me.”

  “I’m beginning to see why.”

  Adrian’s steps clipped across the linoleum floor as he moved off the carpet into the kitchen. Gray held her ground. Once he was by her side she ripped off several sheets of paper towel from the dispenser above the sink. “Here, give me your arm.”

  Adrian pulled back.

  Gray rolled her eyes. “What am I going to do? My powers are exhausted.”

  Adrian studied her face.

  “You should rinse off first.”

  “I’m not leaving behind a drop of blood.”

  “Fine, then hand me your arm.”

  Adrian didn’t give her his arm, nor did he pull away when Gray stepped forward and applied pressure to the open puncture. A paper towel wasn’t as good as a syringe, but blood was blood and Adrian’s seeped into the wad of towels. Once Gray got them home, she could tear off the bloodiest bits and stuff them inside the vials.

  A quiet settled over the kitchen. Adrian had gone completely still. Maybe the sight of blood bothered him because his eyes were on Gray. She felt his stare even though she was concentrating on cleaning up his arm.

  She took her time. Goose bumps rose over Adrian’s flesh and then, as though contagious, they appeared over Gray’s arms. She dabbed delicately at the wound and swiped the area around it. Gray’s hand stilled. “I think it stopped.”

  Adrian had become so quiet she could hear his breath.

  “Here,” Gray said, handing him the wad of bloodied tissues.

  As soon as Adrian leaned forward to take the paper towels, Gray grasped a cast iron skillet on the stovetop across the counter and swung it around. Adrian never saw it coming. His lips opened, as if he were about to say something, when Gray knocked him over the head.

  Adrian hit the ground much like a bird dropping after smacking into a glass window. Gray winced. Violence wasn’t her thing; magic was. But it turned out her brute force wasn’t as bad as she thought.

  Gray grabbed the tissues off the floor. Time to go.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Gray slammed her foot on the gas pedal. If The Contact didn’t hurry up and take care of her, Adrian would... that is, if Ryan or Nolan didn’t beat him to it.

  “Look at that, another green light.” Gray had started talking to herself the moment she revved up the engine.

  She sped across town. More than once, Gray had considered aborting her mission and taking off for California. Maybe even Mexico. Her Spanish was decent. But what would she do once she got there? Where would she stay? How would she get by? She had absolutely no one.

  The house was dark. That was a good sign. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about her mother’s safety after The Contact purged her. However that worked. Gray doubted he’d be sticking around once he was done with her.

  Someone had closed the front door. Gray found herself reaching for the handle rather than throwing it open. She clutched her purse in her free hand.

  Upon entering, she snapped on all the lights. And there in the living room, as though lit upon a stage, stood the cloaked figure of The Contact. A scream rose from Gray’s throat. She’d tried to convince herself she was prepared, but it turned out she wasn’t.

  You’re back.

  That was way too quick. “So are you.”

  I never left.

  Fabulous. Gray glanced toward the stairway. The three pendants were tucked inside her sock drawer. “Look, before you get started unmaking me, I have something I need to do.”

  The Contact took a step toward her.

  “It’s really important.”

  You must be destroyed.

  “Yeah, I know, but if you don’t let me do what I need to do, then the witches and warlocks of Kent won’t regain control of their powers.”

  That is not my concern.

  “It should be. It upsets the natural order of things… doesn’t it?”

  The Contact lifted an arm toward Gray as she tried to run. If by some small miracle, she made it out of this alive, Gray was going to have to find herself a counter-freezing spell. She was tired of losing control of her limbs.

  The Contact approached in his slow, terrifying way, as though he were floating across the room on a light breeze. He looked taller the closer he came, or maybe that was simply Gray’s eyes expanding.

  The Contact stopped a foot away. There was no way to tell where his focus was with the hood draped over his face. Not even a chin was visible. Gray wasn’t sure she’d want to see his face anyway. What if his eyes and mouth were sewn shut?

  A tingling sensation made her fingers clench and unclench. She wanted to scratch at her chest. Gray looked down and gasped. Her chest was opening the way Raj had opened Stacey Morehouse’s forehead when she was in her coma.

  It tickled more than anything else. Gray barely felt a thing, as though powerful morphine was pumping through her veins. There was a tug inside her chest. Gray panicked. Rather than throw a hand protectively in front of her, she reached forward, fingers curling around a fold in The Contact’s cloak. When she yanked back, it was like pulling the curtain from a stage, only no actor stood in waiting. The Contact was gone.

  Gray reached forward again. It was a given that a warlock powerful enough to perform resurrection spells could turn invisible in a heartbeat. But her arm sliced through air.

  Gray looked around frantically. That was when she noticed Lee standing in the entryway, mouth ajar. “What are you doing here?” Gray demanded.

  Lee rushed to her side. “Was that The Contact?”

  “Was is right. He’s gone now.”

  Deep laughter echoed through the house. This time it wasn’t in her head. Gray nearly leapt out of her skin. Lee looked pretty spooked, too. She reached out and grasped Gray’s arm. “We need to get out of here.”

  Gray nodded, but as they made their way to the door, it slammed shut. Wind blew across their faces. Gray’s hair flew back. She and Lee huddled together and looked all around. The wind stopped. Neither girl said a word.

  Gray was trying not to choke on her heart, which had lodged itself inside her throat.

  The front door flew open and banged against the wall. Both girls screamed. The first foot, then the second, landed in the entryway as Adrian stepped inside. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, even Adrian. He looked like something out of a horror movie: dried blood smeared down his arm and the cast iron skillet dangling from his right hand.

  Lee looked at Gray. “I take it he’s not here to make us pancakes.”

  Gray shook her head.

  “Leave Adrian to me.” Lee took a step forward. “You did a memory wipe on me.”

  Gray swallowed the lump in her throat and glared at Adrian. “He did what?”

  Adrian stopped his advance and smiled. “Found me out, did you?”

  “I should have never gotten your powers back for you,” Lee said. “You have done nothing but cause problems.”

  Adrian shrugged. “That’s what I do, sweetheart.”

  “Not to me, you don’t.” Lee lifted her arm. Adrian’s right arm lifted simultaneously. The skillet hit him in the face. Adrian roared and dropped the pan. The clatter it made when it hit the tile entry was deafening.

  There was a moment of silence in the quiet that followed. Then, Adrian lunged toward Lee. Gray gasped when she saw the black cloak begin to expand off the floor as it filled into the shape of a person. Gray sprinted for the stairway, only to run into The Contact. Bony fingers shot out of a cloaked arm. He shoved them into Gray’s chest.

  Her scream could have shattered glass. It ended abruptly and unnaturally. Gray stared wide-eyed at Lee and Adrian, who’d stopped fighting to look at her. Just as everything had felt like it was moving in slow motion, now everyone looked far away, as though at the end of a long tunnel.

  Gray’s lower lip hung open. She tried to close her mouth, but it fell open again. The pain inside her chest wasn’t as severe as it had been a moment ago. Her breath
became ragged. Her jaw and neck ached. Was this what a heart attack felt like? If Gray had to die again, she would have preferred to go with sudden unexpected death syndrome. That hadn’t been so bad. She hadn’t felt a thing.

  As Gray began gasping for breath, Lee and Adrian pulled apart. Adrian got to Gray first. He tackled The Contact from the side and passed right through him, landing with a thud on the living room floor.

  The room began to go out of focus. Her energy drained fast. Gray was already exhausted from all the teleporting. Specks of white blurred her vision. Raj had once told her that white meant death.

  As Gray gasped for breath, Raj appeared before her. His lips formed the word “Gray.”

  Gray stopped gasping long enough to smile. It’s okay, she wanted to tell him. Everything is going to be okay. She looked into his eyes and held his gaze. Her last memory before she faded into oblivion.

  Chapter Thirty

  Lee watched in horror as The Contact shoved an arm inside Gray’s chest. Gray’s scream was the worst sound she had ever heard. Now her double slumped against the cloaked arm. It was like witnessing her own death.

  “Wait!” Lee yelled. “I, too, am Graylee Perez, and in exchange for my duplicate’s life I offer you my powers.”

  “Lee!” Raj said.

  He and Mom had entered just as Adrian charged The Contact. Adrian looked at Lee, aghast, from his place on the floor. Lee turned her head slowly to locate her mother. Their eyes met. Mom nodded and Lee turned her attention back to The Contact.

  He pulled his hand out of Gray’s chest and she fell to the ground. Hopefully, she was still alive. She’d begun to turn a pale shade of green.

  There was no expression to read on The Contact. No wonder Mom had never wanted to talk about the guy or thing or whatever he was. Gray was right; he looked more Grim Reaper than warlock.

  Are you certain?

  “Lee, don’t do this,” Raj said.

  Lee focused on The Contact. “I am.”

  Very well, Graylee Perez. The Contact lifted his cloaked arms.

  First, Lee’s fingertips tingled, and then she could feel it in her toes and at the top of her head. The sensation intensified in her brain. Lee fought the urge to clasp her head in her hands. If she had to lose her powers, she’d do so with dignity.

  This hadn’t been the plan, not initially. Lee might have laughed if her brain didn’t hurt so much. She’d come over to suggest Gray give up her powers in exchange for her life, but when Lee saw The Contact begin draining the life out of her duplicate, she knew what she needed to do.

  She could get by without power. Mom did. Mr. Morehouse wasn’t even aware a realm of magic existed outside his belief system. Lee had a new life now. She had family, friends, and the world’s greatest boyfriend. She didn’t need magic.

  The Contact lowered his arms. Lee opened her mouth to speak. Perhaps she had been about to say, “you have no power over me,” but once her lips parted, a white mist began pouring out. It flowed across the gap between them in a steady stream and disappeared under The Contact’s hood.

  “No!” Raj cried, but he made no move toward her.

  Lee was about to gasp for breath when the final white puff was inhaled by The Contact. With the last of her magical abilities consumed, he vanished, leaving behind only the black cloak, which fell to the ground like a limp rag.

  Lee thought she’d faint or at least stumble after being so thoroughly drained of power, but she kept her footing. The Contact hadn’t taken everything from her. She still felt it within her. Strength.

  “Lee…” Adrian said her name, soft as a whisper. He was still on the floor.

  Lee straightened her shoulders. “Adrian, you need to remove the spell you placed over Kent and leave town.”

  Adrian got to his feet slowly and glanced at the floor where Gray lay breathing steadily, unconscious.

  “She’ll be fine,” Lee said.

  Adrian began to kneel beside Gray. Raj balled his hands into fists. He took a step toward Adrian. “This is all your fault. If you hadn’t created a second Gray, Lee would still have her powers.”

  Adrian straightened. His lips formed a flat line, unreadable. Then his eyes flashed and his lips curled back. He squared his shoulders as Raj started toward him.

  Mom stepped between them. She shook her head at Raj then placed a hand on Adrian. “I know why he did it.”

  While Adrian had looked prepared to take Raj head on, his expression turned to confusion when he stared at Mom’s fingers on his arm.

  “I know why you did it,” Mom repeated. “But you went too far.” She looked around the room. “We all went too far and this has to stop now.” Her eyes returned to Adrian’s. “You must leave Kent, Adrian, and never speak to my girls again.”

  It might have been a trick of the light, but Lee could have sworn she saw tears glisten in Adrian’s eyes. He blinked and turned abruptly, leaving the room and house.

  Lee had to wonder for the second time if her mom had regained some of her powers. Or maybe a mother’s wishes were just that strong.

  Once Adrian left, Lee turned to Raj. He was looking at her like someone had died. “Lee, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t upset you…”

  “Raj, it’s going to be okay.”

  Mom joined them. “She’s right. We’re all going to be fine.”

  The sound of groaning at their feet caught Lee’s attention. She crouched down and placed a hand on Gray’s arm. “Are you okay, Gray?”

  Her duplicate stared at her with forlorn eyes. “Why did you do that?”

  Lee pulled her hand back and shrugged. “To save you.”

  Gray lifted herself to a sitting position. She winced halfway up then ground her teeth and straightened up. “But magic means everything to you.”

  Lee looked beyond Gray’s head to where her mom and Raj stood watching them. “Not everything.”

  Mr. Morehouse agreed to let Lee spend a girl’s night out with Ms. Perez and “Charlene” the next evening.

  “You ready, Stace?” he called from downstairs.

  “Just a minute, Dad.” Lee paused in front of her window. Dad. It was the first time the word came out naturally, unlike the classic Stacey Morehouse “Daddys” she was so accustomed to faking.

  Lee smiled to herself and went to her jewelry box. The evil eye stared at her when she opened the lid. No one had to wear the amulets anymore. Adrian had done what Lee said: removed his spell and left town. The empty fixtures were all that remained of his shop.

  The luck amulet with the letters “GP” rested in the spot beside the nazar. Lee lifted it gently out of the box and held it, dangling, in front of her face. Since assuming the identity of Stacey Morehouse, she had stopped carrying it with her. It was silly to keep it boxed up. Besides, it didn’t belong to her.

  Lee closed her fingers around the amulet. “I’m coming, Dad!”

  At dinner, Lee and Gray each ordered the spaghetti marinara. Gray laughed as she told their waitress she’d have the same thing as Lee. The waitress grinned. “Are you two sisters?”

  Gray’s head turned to face Lee, a question forming on her face. Lee flashed her a grin, then turned to the waitress and said, “we’re really close friends. I swear sometimes Gray knows my own mind better than me.”

  With a smile and shake of her head, Mom went back to sipping her glass of Merlot. She was seated beside Lee.

  Lee rested her elbows on the table and looked across at Gray. “So, Gray, what now?”

  “You know, I’ve always wanted to go to Spain.”

  Lee smiled. “I know.”

  Mom’s cell started ringing inside her purse. She turned to dig it out.

  Gray rolled her eyes. “Let me guess.”

  “Mr. Morehouse,” Lee finished for her.

  Mom scooted out of the booth. “I’ll be right back, girls. Hi, Daniel. We just ordered food. Yes, having a wonderful time with the girls.” Before she’d walked out of earshot, Mom giggled. This time Lee rolled her eyes.r />
  “He makes her happy,” Gray observed.

  “He’s a good guy.”

  “Heck of an improvement over Marc Phillips.”

  Lee wrinkled her nose. “Don’t spoil my dinner.” She glanced over her shoulder. “You know Ryan’s not going to rest until he finds you.”

  Gray shrugged then studied her fingernails. “Yet another reason to flee town.”

  Silence fell over their table. A young couple was seated in the booth beside them, and their waitress began reciting dinner specials.

  While Gray listened in, as though considering the options, Lee reached inside her purse and pulled out the luck amulet. She ran her thumb over the smooth moonstone and lifted the charm up and down in her palm as though weighing it.

  When Gray met her stare, Lee pulled her hand out from under the table and held the charm out to Gray. As soon as she saw Gray’s eyes light up, Lee knew it was the right thing to do.

  “The luck amulet from Raj!”

  “It’s yours.”

  Gray’s eyes jumped from the amulet to Lee. “What do you mean?”

  “Take it.” Lee shook the amulet in front of her, but Gray made no move to take it.

  Gray shook her head sadly. “That belongs to you now.”

  It was like looking into a mirror. This one reflected her true self—from the snowy hair that tended to crimp if a straightening iron weren’t taken to it; the pale, but flawless skin, fresh as snow; right down to the pouty lower lip when she wanted something, but was too proud to take it.

  Graylee Perez lived on.

  “Raj didn’t give it to me,” Lee said. “He gave it to you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Lee nodded. She had her own trinket, hidden beneath her sweater. The silver heart rested beside her own beating heart. It was better not to mention it to Gray. If the roles had been reversed, Lee wouldn’t want to know.