He threw his head from side to side, trying to knock it off. “No.” His words were muffled like he had something in his mouth.
“Drop the nugget then try.” I leaned against the nearest stone needing to regain my strength.
Just as I was about to walk over to him and take the bag off his head, the church rubble lurched. And the front doors flew off and out. They landed on the ground, sending clumps of grass flying up. Hecate stumbled out of the door, her dress smoked in all different places and her perfect blond hair now frizzed out from her head like she’d put her finger in a socket. She pointed a finger toward me.
“You have got to be kidding me.” I held my hands out, ready to call my magic once more.
“Now that’s how you do it!” she yelled across the field.
“What?” I held off.
She smiled and clapped her hands together. “You want to be a boss bitch witch. Well, there you go.” She patted the flames out that gathered on her dress.
I took a step back as she got only a few feet away. “Don’t come any closer.”
She froze. “Astrid, that’s what I’ve been waiting to see.”
“Say what now?”
“Power, pure powers.” She clasped her hands to her chest. “Well done.”
“Is this some kind of trick?” I glanced at Odin, who managed to get the nugget out and was now trying to swallow it down in one bite.
She shook her head and held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor. You have proven yourself.”
“Good, now give me Beckett back.” I put my hand on my hips. “So we can continue on our journey.”
“Oh, you didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did you?” A dark chuckle escaped her lips, sending a chill down my spine. “You have to want it.”
“What the hell are you babbling about? Want what?” I was so confused. I fought, she approved. Apparently I proved myself and now I had to want it.
“You’ll see.” She chuckled once more then snapped her fingers in my face.
My head lulled back on my shoulders and I collapsed to my knees. The damp dirt seeped into my pants and I fell forward. My cheek smacked into the mud and my eyes fluttered. Exhaustion overcame me and I fought to stay awake. This wasn’t right. We’d fought. I’d won. She was supposed to freeze then explode into a million pieces.
“Not my daughter, you biiiiii—” My words came out sluggish and I couldn’t finish my sentence.
“Aww, isn’t that cute. You think this is some kind of movie.” She squatted down low and met my eye. “This is real life, Astrid . . . or is it?”
What? I blinked against the exhaustion and watched as she spun around and walked away. Her cloak billowed out behind her. Dimly I knew this was how people ended up dead. They passed out at night in strange places. Like freaking graveyards. The world became hazy and I could no longer fight my eyelids.
Chapter 48
Astrid
“Yay happy birthday, Astrid!” Tilly reached up and plopped something on my head. “Make room for the birthday girl.”
What was this? I sat up and glanced around at the inside of my father’s stretch limo. How did I get here? My birthday was weeks ago. I reached up and felt the pointy edges. “A tiara? Really, Til? No, I’m not wearing this.”
“Too late now.” She wrapped her hand in my jacket and yanked me back, then tossed a white sash over my head. “Now we’re ready.”
When I looked at the other people in the limo I was faced with Brody-brad? And his goons. I hadn’t seen them since the night of my birthday. This night? I tried to pull the sash over my head. “And I’m definitely not doing this.”
Tilly grabbed it and jerked it back into place then spun me around and shoved both of her hands into my shoulders, forcing me out of the limo. I tripped forward and barely caught myself before I ate pavement. That was close. I tugged my skirt down into place and pulled my boots up higher on my thighs. My breaths came in light puffs of white fog. This is the worst déjà vu ever. Winter was coming and the chill seeping into my skin was proof it was just around the corner. November was one of my favorite months in New York and standing on the corner waiting for everyone to pile out of the limo gave me a small chance to enjoy it. I looked up at the hotel, admiring the exterior, when a flash of blue light coming from an alley caught my eye.
I spun toward it. “Beckett.” It was his portal. Any second now he’d come out of it. I stood waiting. Tilly led our little group toward the door, but I couldn’t force my feet to move. This was the part where Beckett came out and stopped a fight for me. This was the first time we met. He had to be here.
Tilly spun back around. “Astrid, come on.”
I shook my head. “I’m just going to wait for Beckett.”
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “Who’s Beckett?”
Ice shot through my veins and I stood still as a statue shivering in the night. What the hell was happening? Why was it my birthday again? Did that magic asshat erase what happened? Only one way to find out. I called my magic to my hands . . . nothing. What? I tried again . . . nothing. No dark tide, no rolling power, no gold smoke. I shook my hands, trying to force it to work.
Tilly stomped her foot. “Come on, you’re being weird, let’s go.”
“I got this.” Brody-brad rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. He walked over to me and threw his arm over my shoulder, pulling me toward the door. He walked like he was the king of the world in his black dress pants, light blue button-down, and dress shoes. I almost felt bad for him, almost. He had no clue about the world, and I was going to let his cocky ass in on the secret as soon as possible.
I ducked out from under his arm. “Yeah, why don’t you get yourself.”
I shoved him forward and walked over to Tilly. I hooked my arm with hers. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Are you okay?”
“Do you honestly not remember Beckett? Or Warwick?” We walked past the line of waiting club goers and the bouncer opened the velvet rope for us. My heels clicked on the marble floor as we headed straight for the club elevator.
“Did you fall and hit your head when I wasn’t watching? I have no clue what you’re talking about.” She pressed the button for the top floor. The doors slid shut and the elevator lurched upward.
I shook my head. “No, I’m fine.” How could she not remember?
The doors slid open and I walked out into the club. The base thumped against my chest. The sound of bottles being tossed into garbage cans mixed with the music. I marched across the dance floor and around the blue velvet seating areas, out past the floor-to-ceiling windows, and to the terrace. A chill ran over me all the way down to my spine. What the hell was this? I walked to the area where I spotted Beckett gazing up at the stars last time. I stopped outside the VIP area and glanced around, looking for him.
“Astrid.” My name was so faint among the thrum of the music, but it was his voice and I knew it. I spun in a circle and there he was like a faint hologram standing in the middle of the party, reaching for me. He looked over his shoulder and was dragged back. The sight faded and I stumbled after him.
I tripped into the crowd of people as I searched for Beckett. A set of strong arms flew out and caught me. “Hey, everything all right?”
“Yeah, fine.” I shrugged out of his arms. When I looked up to where I’d spotted Beckett, he was gone like a mirage in the desert.
The guy ducked his head to meet my eyes. “Can I buy you a drink?”
He was tall and beautiful in a metro stylish kind of way. He was tall and fit with a slim sleek build. His skin was smooth and wrinkle free. He had to be my age, maybe just a bit older. He gave me a wide, dazzling smile then pulled his long hair up on the back of his head into a messy man bun. He wore a navy blue suit and white button-down shirt that was open at the collar, exposing his tan skin.
“I don’t drink.” I pushed past him and he reached for me. Then ran his fingers over my wrist.
When I spun back around, he
wrapped his hand all the way around my wrist. “Try the wine. It’s delicious.”
My panic ebbed and I sighed, feeling relaxed for the first time since I got here. His touch was so calming. “It’s my birthday.”
“Well, happy birthday, beautiful.” He leaned back on the bar and the lapels of his jacket opened. He reached back toward the bar and grabbed a glass of red wine. He held it in front of him and swirled it around. “My own personal vintage. It’s delightful to the senses.”
He lifted the glass under his nose and inhaled sharply. Then held it out to me. “A delightful array of floral yet sweet.”
I sucked in the vapors and my eyes rolled into the back of my head. I swayed with the music. “Do you own this place?”
“In a sense.” He took a deep sip. “I am the life of the party no matter where I go.”
“Bold words.” I felt so drawn to him, drawn to the party. Finally relaxed.
“Astrid . . .” My name came as a whisper on the wind and I glanced around once more. I was supposed to be looking for something.
“Try the wine.” He shoved the glass at me. It sloshed over the side of the glass and dripped on my shoes.
I pushed it back at him. The wine fell over the side of the glass onto his pristine white shirt. The red stain spread over it, ruining his outfit completely. I took a step back from him. “What is it with you and the wine?”
He spread his arms out wide. “I’m Dionysus. Why wouldn’t I like the wine?”
“No, this isn’t another test!” I stepped up and shoved him in his chest. I held my hand up to summon my magic but nothing came to me.
He threw his head back, laughing. “What are you going to do to me? Stare me to death?” He shoved away from the bar and towered over me. “Face it, without your power, you are nothing.”
I turned on my heels and threw my shoulders back. I was Astrid Lockwood, the last warlock of my line, and once I got my powers back I was going to deliver the ass kicking of his life. I headed back toward the VIP section where Tilly sat with the rest of our crew. Ten feet from my friends and Brody-brad got up from the seating area and walked over to me. He threw his arm over my shoulders and yanked me in close to his body. His cologne was like a slap in the face. Wait, it’s going to happen soon. The blood moon would come and with it my powers. His jacket scraped my cheek and I tried to duck under his arm, but he clutched me even tighter. Five more minutes.
He held his drink in the hand he had wrapped around me. As he stumbled back toward our area, it sloshed over the side of the glass and spilled down my jacket. “Slumming it, I see.”
His words slurred together and I craned my head away from him. “Come on. Let me go. You’re drunk.”
“Now why would I do that?” With one hand behind my head and the other pressed to my chin, he turned my face up toward his then slammed his lips down on mine.
His teeth hit mine and pain surged through my mouth. I ducked under his arm and spun out of his grip. The glass he was holding fell to the ground and shattered. I wiped my hand across my mouth, trying to rub the burning flavor of alcohol from my lips. He wasn’t the fresh minty flavor I’d grown accustomed too.
I shoved him in the chest, only moving him back an inch or two. “What the hell?”
He took another step toward me and reached for my arm. I leaned out of the way. My muscles shot tight with anger and I felt something shift inside my chest. I glanced up toward the sky. The blood moon! My moon! It was coming and so was my dark tide. “Back off!”
“Just one little kiss.” He took another step toward me.
Something in me snapped and I hauled my fist back then snapped it forward. My knuckles cracked across Body-brad’s face. Golden magic exploded from me as the moon turned a dark red. The club goers all screamed and ran from me. I lifted my arms up and smoke traveled across the area toward where Dionysus stood.
“Oh Dion!” I yelled over the panic of the club. “Let me buy you a drink.”
My power flooded around him and he lifted off the ground, hovering in a ball of my magic. I sauntered over to him and stood directly under him. “Let’s stop playing. Where is Beckett?”
“I don’t know who that is.”
I snatched the wine glass from his hand and smashed it on the ground. “I’m done with this! You Greeks think you’re going to be in charge of everything and this isn’t any of your business. So give him to me or else.”
“Or else?” He snorted. “Don’t threaten me.”
“Who’s threatening?” I threw my arm out and the wine bottles at one end of the bar shattered to pieces, leaking wine all over the floor.
The smile dropped from his face. “Hey! Stop!”
I let my power crawl down the bar, ruining one bottle after another. They popped like firecrackers, raining down glass and wine. “Shall I move on to the white?”
“Okay, fine!” He held his hands up in surrender. Then pointed to a door that looked like a bank vault that hadn’t been there moments before. “He’s in there.”
“If you’re lying.” I reached up, grabbed his arm, and spun him in the bubble where I held him. “I will come back and I will ruin everything you love.”
“And they wanted to teach you to embrace your nature. I’d say you damn well fit the freaking warlock profile, you wretch.” His face turned a bright red.
I left him hanging there in my magic I turned on my heels and sauntered over to the vault door. I grabbed one of the oversized bars and yanked it down, spinning it. The mechanism on the inside slid and the door clicked and began to swing open. I waved to him. “I know.”
I yanked the door open and stepped over the threshhold, leaving the party behind. I glanced around at the walls lined with metal safety deposit boxes. An empty pallet sat in the middle of the floor. “What the hell?”
I spun to turn back toward the club, but the door swung shut, locking me in. Great, just great.
Chapter 49
Astrid
I hauled my leg back and kicked out at the solid metal door. Bang, bang, bang. The metal rattled but didn’t budge. This was something straight out of a movie, with the marble tiles, horrible overhead lighting, a single table, and empty pallet. “Dionysus! When I get out of here I am going to ruin all your freaking vineyards. Wine be damned!”
“Yeah, see, I wouldn’t recommend that.”
I turned to face the man standing behind me. “Where’d you come from?”
“I’ll keep this quick, well, because I don’t like you. Or your little friends who like to throw people off of platforms into the Amazon because of one harmless prank.” He was average height, about five-foot-ten, slender, with light brown hair parted down the middle of his head. The straight locks fell onto the sides of his face like a ’90s boyband wannabe. He didn’t even look up from his cell phone. His thumbs flew across the screen in a blur of activity.
“I’m sorry, my friends? Listen, bud, I have no idea who the hell you are, but I’m guessing you have some kind of stupid task for me to do.” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back against the door.
He paused and his head snapped up. When he turned those eyes on me, I leaned away from him. They weren’t the eyes of a normal human or any other supernatural I’d seen. Within those chutney-colored eyes was a swirling mass of silvery flecks that held untold secrets from the ages. “I’m Hermes. I swear they teach you nothing.”
“Well, apparently you’re here to teach me something.” I rolled my eyes. “So let’s get it over with.”
He pulled up his khaki shorts and the winged tattoos that ran up his calves fluttered. “I got places to be. The holiday season is coming, and prime doesn’t run on its own.”
“Fine, then let’s have it.” Something told me I wasn’t going to beat the lesson out of him.
“I want all of the loot that’s in here to be on the pallet and then you’ll get your little boyfriend back.” He looked back down at his phone. “Off you go.”
“Seriously, you want me to rob
a bank to pay for the ransom to get Beckett back?”
“If that’s his name then yup.” He hopped up on the table, still looking at his phone.
I threw my arms up. “This is stupid.”
“Duh,” he answered in a valley girl voice.
“Then why do I have to do it?” I shoved away from the wall and moved to stand before the pallet.
“If you did your homework then you’d know I’m the king of thieves. I don’t need a reason.” He glanced up at me. “Are you gonna do it or not?”
“Yeah, okay, fine, I’ll do it.” This felt so wrong. I was going to rob people to get Beckett back. Would he do this for me? Was this the right thing to do?
I held my hands out and at the same time all the locks snapped out with one resounding click. Hermes dropped his phone. “Impressive.”
The doors all few open and stacks of money, coins, jewels, and stock certificates floated out. They all spun together around the room in a slow tornado with the pallet at the base. Hermes hopped off the table and stood in the middle of it. “As annoying as you are, you’d come in handy. This is going to be a beautiful relationship.”
Say what now? No, I didn’t want to be a thief and definitely didn’t want to have any kind of relationship with hipster Hermes. If Beckett were here, would he do this? The second I asked myself the question I knew the answer right away—a big resounding no. He’d find another way. Just because we were warlocks didn’t make us evil. “No.”
“What?” He stopped gazing at the spinning fortune. “What do you mean no?”
Gold smoke seeped from my hands and I forced all the money to go back to where it belonged. The money, coins, jewels, and everything else flew into the deposit boxset and one by one they slammed shut with a metallic thud. I twisted my hands and all the locks slid back into place as if I’d never been here. “No, Beckett wouldn’t want me to do this. To take the easy way out. That’s not how magic works.”
“Ugh, are all of you so goody-goody?” He threw his arms up. “First that crazy one with the silver sparkles and now you with your golden bullshit. Who can stand teenagers?”
Wicked Wish (The Royals: Warlock Court Book 2) Page 24
