“Heading to the shop?” he said.
“Yep. You want to follow me and make sure I do?”
He cocked his eyebrows. “Do you want me to?”
I grimaced. “No.”
He chuckled. “I didn’t think so. You are a lot tougher than you look.”
“Finally, someone that sees the real me.” The real me when I wasn’t screwing up and feeling like crap. I slid behind the wheel and started to close the car door, but he caught it.
He studied me with a weird expression. “You know, I’ve spent a couple of centuries fighting alongside women, and I don’t necessarily mean in combat. I’m talking about women fighting to be seen and heard. Women fighting for survival as their world fell apart. Women sheltering children and the elderly from men mad with power.”
He had my full attention. Andris and Torin tended to dominate everyone, so whenever we all got together Blaine often disappeared in the background. Yet, as an Immortal, he must have led an interesting and colorful life, just like the Valkyries.
“What I’m trying to say is Mortal women are a lot tougher than they look. Theirs is a quiet but resilient strength. Like bamboo. They can bend and get bruised, but they don’t break. You may look like a china doll, but you’re not that fragile. He’ll get it. Just give him time.” His eyes narrowed, and I turned to follow his gaze. Sebastian and the twins just left the building. “Drive safely. If you need me, you have my number.”
“Happy hunting,” I said. He laughed. Blaine Chapman was full of surprises.
I gunned the engine and took off. I didn’t check to see what he and Ingrid were doing. Whatever it was, they’d be fine. They were Immortals, and Blaine sounded like he’d seen it all.
I paused at the stop sign and noticed a familiar blue coupe pull up behind me. Rita and Gina. What did they want? After they broadcasted what I’d seen, they were the last people I wanted to talk to. In fact, I was so over witches.
I kept an eye on them all the way to the back parking lot of the Mirage. When they pulled up behind me, I jumped out of the car, dug inside my jean’s back pocket for Rita’s amulet, and dangled it on its chain. Her face was red by the time they reached me. She took it.
“I want to apologize for the way I reacted on Saturday,” she said.
“Yeah. Whatever.” I turned and started for the shop.
“You were right,” Gina said, following me. “My mother made a call and members of our coven raided Madam Bosvilles’ villa. They found jars of potion made with my sister’s hair, my mother’s, and hundreds more. She’s been stealing powers for hundreds of years. Moving from place to place, staying young.”
I slowed down. Only an Immortal could live that long. I’d never heard of an evil Immortal. Not from the stories Femi shared or Blaine’s accounts. I tucked that away for later.
I turned near the back entrance to the shop and faced them. Up close, Rita looked a lot better. Her eyes weren’t so haunted, and her cheeks had more color.
“I’m already feeling better because of you, Raine,” she said. “Thank you. Madam Bosvilles killed so many witches and took power from even more, including our mother. Her powers are returning, too.”
“She’s done this all over the world, in Europe, America, Australia, Asia, even South Africa,” Gina chimed in. “Word spread fast, and those whose powers she stole are slowly recovering their abilities.”
I forced a shrug, faking indifference, but inside, I was dancing to Gangnam Style. Of course, Torin would say I’d exposed an Immortal to the Mortals, but damn it, it felt good. I’d discovered an evil Immortal Seeress.
Hoping my face didn’t show my emotion, I said, “You shouldn’t have told the others about me.”
They exchanged a puzzled look. “What do you mean?” Gina asked.
“Three new boys at school followed me around, calling me a witch.”
“Sebastian and the twins?” Rita asked.
I crossed my arms and glared without saying a thing.
“But we didn’t tell them,” Rita protested.
“We only told our mother, who called home,” Gina added.
“I swear, we never told,” Rita said again.
“Yeah. Well. They know, so excuse me if I don’t celebrate with you. I’ve gone through being ridiculed by students at school—”
“We heard about that,” Rita said.
“What we don’t understand is why you didn’t just put a spell on the entire school or town to make them forget,” Gina added.
I stared at her, blanking out. Of course, as a powerful Seeress, they expected me to know such spells. I racked my brain for an answer.
“I don’t believe in messing with people’s heads, so if you don’t mind, don’t tell anyone else about me and, uh, just leave me alone.” I turned and entered the store, locking the back door behind me. Yeah, I know. It was petty and childish, and really counterproductive, but I was making a point. I wasn’t one of them.
The store wasn’t busy, so I went back to the car for my backpack and even got some homework done between talking to customers. When there were no more customers, I went in search of Mr. Hawk.
“Could I get an advance?” I asked.
He stared at me as though I was crazy. “I don’t understand.”
Warmth crept up my neck. “Mom forgot to put more money on my debit card, so I’m kind of broke. I need to buy a prom dress. Two prom dresses, actually, but I don’t have the money.”
“Please, sit.” He pointed at the chair across from his, pulled out his phone, and punched in numbers. Within seconds, the full mirror in his office churned and dissolved into a portal. My eyes widened when I saw part of my living room. Then Femi entered the office.
“Hey, sweetie. How is it hanging, Hawk?”
I almost laughed out loud at her informal greeting. Hawk glared at her, but she didn’t seem bothered by it. In his suit and tie, Hawk had an air of grimness around him that was downright intimidating. Femi was opposite him in every way. She dressed in army fatigues and T-shirts when out of her nurse’s uniform. Today she sported her least favorite—a floral tunic and light-blue pants. Her black hair was spiked, and her ageless face makeup free.
“You’re scaring the poor child with your glowering, Hawk. What’s going on?”
“Ms. Raine tells me she doesn’t have money for personal use. Were you not supposed to inform me when she needed an allowance?” Hawk demanded, staring down at the shorter Femi.
Femi’s slapped her forehead. “Oh crap! I’m so sorry, doll.” She walked to where I sat and squeezed my shoulder. “With everything that’s been going on, I completely forgot your mother’s orders.”
“I repeated it several times, too,” Hawk said.
“Oh, don’t get your undies in a wad, big guy. I’ll make it up to her. So sorry, sweetie.” She rubbed my back.
I tried not to laugh at her colorful language. “That’s okay. You’ve been so busy with Dad; it’s understandable.”
Hawk shot me a disapproving stare. “No, it’s not okay.” He sat and tapped on the keyboard of his laptop. “I can add some money to your card right now.” He glanced at me from above his computer. “You said you need two prom dresses, so we are talking about how much?”
“Four hundred—”
“To six hundred a dress,” Femi cut in, her hand firm on my shoulders.
Six hundred dollars a dress? Was she crazy?
“She’ll also need accessories,” she continued. “Shoes to go with each dress, a clutch for her cell phone and artavo, and of course, earrings, bracelets, and a necklace.”
Hawk studied her, then me. I bet he could see through her extortion scheme and my guilty expression. I would never pay six large ones for a dress I planned to wear only once.
“They only have one junior prom, so of course she must look her best. But the senior prom, ah… that’s going to be spectacular this year. Torin is a shoo-in for the prom king after his stellar performance at the state championship, and Raine, as his gi
rlfriend, will be crowned the prom queen. You don’t want her looking cheap in knock-offs. The best for our girl here.”
Ohmigod, she was terrible. Hawk had that look Torin sometimes wore when he wanted to throttle me. Usually, he ended up kissing me. I didn’t see Hawk doing it. I had a feeling he didn’t approve of Femi much.
“Two thousand?” Hawk said.
“Really, Hawk,” Femi said. “There’s no need to be so tight-fisted.”
I opened my mouth to tell him I’d be happy with a quarter of that when a knock resounded on the door. We all froze. Femi wasn’t supposed to be in the shop and the portal was still open. Of course, Jared wouldn’t see it, but still…
“I better go,” Femi said.
I jumped as she started toward the portal. Jared must have assumed someone had said, “come in” because he opened the door and peered into the room. Energy pulsed into the office like a giant tsunami. It was familiar yet different. Whoever was out there was powerful. Femi must have felt it, too, because she turned, a frown on her face.
“Sorry to interrupt, but there are people here to see you, Raine,” he said. “Hello, Ms. Femi.”
“Hey, Jared. How’re things?” she said, smiling so hard I was sure her teeth would pop from her gums, and she kept craning her neck to see behind him. She moved toward the door as though drawn to whoever was out there. Hawk was also on his feet, an expression I couldn’t define on his face.
Jared looked over his shoulder and then closed the door. “I don’t know what’s going on, but there’s a crowd out there asking for Raine, and I don’t think they’re customers.”
Witches.
Panic must have shown on my face because Hawk indicated I stay behind. He waved Jared aside, opened the door, and disappeared inside the shop.
“Yes, may I help you?” We heard him ask.
“We are Raine’s friends from school,” Gina said.
“All of you?” Hawk asked. There was disbelief in his voice.
“No, sir. This is my mother, Stefania Donohue. I’m Gina, and this is my sister, Rita. My mother would like to apologize to your daughter, sir.”
Daughter? Femi and I exchanged a smile. They must have learned that the Mirage was family owned. I angled my head to catch Hawk’s response.
“My sons and nephew would like to apologize to your daughter as well, sir,” a man said. “They behaved terribly toward her.”
I recognized the voice of the gray-haired man who’d come to the store last week with a picture of his wife. He’d mentioned framing the smaller pictures for his sons. Must be Sebastian’s sidekicks.
“I’m afraid Lorraine is busy at the moment, but I will let her know that you came.”
This was stupid. I wasn’t a coward, and the sooner they apologized, the faster they’d leave. I didn’t want them cornering me when I was alone. I started for the door.
“Raine, let Hawk handle this,” Femi warned and gripped my arm.
I shook my head. “No, I started this when I agreed to help those girls. I have to finish it.”
“What are you going to tell them? Remember, your identity… our identity must be kept a secret at all cost.”
“Even when one of us is evil?”
She blinked as though I’d slapped her. “We don’t hurt people, Raine. The Valkyries are very particular about who they select to make Immortal.”
If only she knew. There was Maliina and now Madam Bosvilles. “I’ll explain later. Right now, I’ll tell the witches in there that I’m a novice and their presence is interfering with my training.” I rubbed my arms. “Can you feel that?”
“Powerful magical energy. Is the girl you told me about out there?”
I nodded.
“Okay, go.” She indicated the door.
“I’m here,” I called out as I pushed the door open. My jaw dropped. I’d expected Rita, Gina, their mother, the old man, his twin sons, and a sulky Sebastian in tow. Instead thirty or so pair of eyes stared at me. No wonder the air sizzled with magical energy.
16. BAD WITCHES
They watched us with varying expressions. Curiosity. Gratitude. Anger. No, actually, only Sebastian looked pissed. What did he have to be angry about? Had Blaine and Ingrid smacked him around a bit? I hoped so.
I returned smiles and nods. My eyes widened when I spied a shaman in full regalia in the back by a black woman in a big ceremonial hat. I didn’t know what to think or say. It was as though people of different ages and from various parts of the world had walked into my shop at the same time.
The robes. Long, white beards and hair. Wooden staffs. One of them was so old that he leaned heavily on his crooked wooden staff. It was a wonder people weren’t gawking at them through the store window.
I focused on the familiar. Rita and Gina.
Their uncertain smiles said they weren’t sure how I’d react. The twins looked genuinely contrite, while Bash still glowered. Unlike the old geezers, most young people in the group were dressed like me, in jeans and T-shirts.
I glanced at Hawk to see how he was taking all this. He wore a disapproving expression. No wonder the people were focusing on me and not him. He really needed to smile more. Something changed when I faced the witches again. The traditional and witchy clothing were gone. No long hair or beards, and they held regular walking sticks and umbrellas instead of staffs.
How was that possible? Were they using magic to hide who they really were? I didn’t realize Femi had moved to my side until she took my hand. I squeezed it.
Color me a coward, but I felt a whole lot better having her by my side.
The man who’d brought his wife’s portrait cleared his throat and said, “Seeress, my sons and nephew—”
“Uncle Ignacio, the Noma,” Sebastian interrupted.
What the heck was a Noma?
The man mumbled some words and pointed his fake walking stick at something to my right. I whipped around just as poor Jared’s head lolled to the side. Ignacio gently lowered him to the floor.
“I beg your pardon, Seeress,” Ignacio said. “In my haste to apologize for my sons’ and nephew’s deplorable behavior, I forgot there was a non-magical person in the room. We try to shield ourselves from people until we know they are practitioners of the Old Religion. He will not remember seeing us here.” He glanced at the twins. “Come on, boys. The Seeress doesn’t have all day.”
The twins apologized and sounded sincere. Sulky Sebastian didn’t. His uncle added a long-winded speech about showing respect to someone of my caliber, which was totally embarrassing. I even started to feel bad for the twins.
Rita’s mother stepped forward with Rita and Gina. “I want to thank you for what you did. You exposed an evil witch and saved my daughter’s life.” Her voice broke. “I was a student of Madam Bosvilles’, and she stole my powers, too. They are coming back.” Her chin trembled.
“I’m happy I could help.” Then I did what any compassionate person would. I reached out and gripped her hand.
Bad idea.
Scenes flashed in my head. A younger Stefania with the same Madam Bosvilles cooking potions. The older woman looked younger. She had to be an Immortal. She probably faked aging using makeup and disguises.
Standing in the shadows was a man. All I managed to glimpse was long black hair and his broad back before he disappeared. I shivered. Something about him was so familiar. I let go of her hand and stepped back.
Silence followed. The stares said my eyes were glowing.
“This is no time to cry, Stefania,” a voice cracked like a whip from behind her, and she stepped aside to reveal one of the wizened men. He was the one with the crooked staff.
“My name is Carlos Alberto De Los Parlotes De Vaca. For thirty years, my son couldn’t practice magic because of what that woman did to him. Today, he called me with the good news. His magic is coming back. May I shake your hand?”
“No,” Hawk barked. “The child is a novice and is still learning to control what she sees. The visions might be
overwhelming.”
The old man’s crestfallen face had me saying, “It is okay. I can handle it.”
Someone should definitely slap duct tape on my mouth because that was the wrong thing to say. He clasped my hands and visions followed. The old man was going to die a violent death. I’d barely let his hand go when someone else took my hand. Another grabbed my arm. Scene after scene flashed in my head. People’s pasts and futures. So many deaths it wasn’t normal. I became overwhelmed quickly.
“That’s enough,” I thought I heard Hawk say.
I tried to move toward the office, but the crowd followed. Since they weren’t asking questions, I assumed they just wanted to touch me, which was really creepy.
I was so focused on escaping I almost missed a vision taking place in my bedroom. I’d never had a vision of me before.
I stood near my bed laughing. A male voice came from the bathroom, but it wasn’t Torin’s. Then a man wearing a duster came into view. At first, the vision wasn’t clear. The duster was like Echo’s, long, black, and heavy, but he wasn’t Echo. The dirty blond hair was like Eirik’s, but he didn’t sound like him. His voice was deeper, his shoulders broader and more buff. He stopped in front of me, reached out, and stroked my hair and cheek.
Please, let it be Eirik.
Panicking, I tried to see his face. As though my thoughts controlled the vision, the scene changed angles and I saw his face. Eirik. He looked different. Older. More handsome. But his eyes were cold, like a guy who’d been to hell and back. I couldn’t tell whether he was happy or not.
Eirik pulled me up and wrapped his arms around me. I wound my arms around his neck. Okay. He was going to come home in the near future and I’d be happy to see him. That was good news.
Then he kissed me. Not a peck or I’ve-missed-you kind of kiss. He pressed his lips against mine in a deep, tongue-in-the-mouth, soul-blending kiss. Even worse, I grabbed his head and kissed him back.
“No!” I yelled, my eyes focusing on the faces around me. None of them was Eirik’s. I pulled back, frantic to get away. Why was I kissing Eirik? I mean, why would I kiss him in the future?
Seeress: Book Three (Runes Series) Page 24
