My aim was simple: finish my workload of answering emails and placing stock orders for Seren and David; and keep my mind off the conversation I just had with Gage. It would be something I'd have to think about another time, but not today. Today, I just wanted to feel okay. I wanted to not deal with the emotions that threatened to bubble up any moment. Plus, I promised to babysit so Annalise and Beau could have their first night out post-birth. I could hardly turn up crying.
Just as I got off the phone with a new herb supplier, who had a bunch of questions about what the stock order was for – they eventually settled for a new age beauty store — my phone rang again, Étoile's name flashing onto the screen.
I sighed and picked it up. Gage wasn't the only person I'd been avoiding these past two weeks. Étoile had called a couple of times, but I didn't want to talk. I wasn't mad at her either. I was just tired. Tired of politics, violence, secrets, and lies. But I did make a resolution to start dealing...
"Hello."
"Stella? You're alive!"
"Of course, I'm alive!"
"I know. My joke. Are you okay?" Étoile sounded worried, unlike her.
"Fine."
"Still in a mood?"
I tutted, which made it sound exactly like I was in a mood. "What is it, Étoile?"
"Just thought I'd call, chat, let you know how things are."
"Okay," I said, zoning out as Étoile told me the latest city news. I knew how things were. When Astra and Kitty followed me home, moving in without a word — not that I minded one bit; actually, it cheered me up to hear them bustling around the house while I wallowed in self-pity — their conversation gradually filled me in. The High Council added Gage to their roster of representatives, although the demon contingent was still "in talks" not least because Hunter had disappeared, leaving Irina to shoulder the burden of treason. She was returned to the demon's version of a council; and for me, her story ended there. No one knew what became of her.
Using the evidence Evan and Gage both accumulated, along with the family history Astra and I unearthed, Étoile issued an edict for Georgia Thomas's arrest, since she, too, disappeared in all the commotion. With the High Council in effect, Étoile successfully ensured her role as president. Peace, apparently, had been restored to the supernatural world. Astra and Kitty seemed pleased to be in Wilding, and made every effort to involve me in their plans. I figured I probably had some apologising to do for my sullen behaviour since we returned from the city. "Stella?"
"Hmm? Yes?"
"I said, were you ready for the next batch of documents?"
"Oh, sure. Yes, whenever you like."
"I thought Clare might help you sometime."
"Clare?" I asked, wondering whom she was talking about.
"My assistant! She's nice. I think we should all get to know her better."
"Because of the prophecy?" I asked, thinking back to how something that previously seemed so big had been all but forgotten after the threat of the bomb. Now it again rushed to the forefront of my mind. Discovering if Clare had a connection to us would be interesting. More so, if she were truly the super witch of her grandmother's vision.
"I won't lie. Yes, of course, that's a factor. I spoke to my mother and she was happy to hear of Clare, but more than that, I think it would be nice to know Clare for simply being Clare. I thought I'd throw a birthday party for her next month. Her mother might attend. It'll be here in the city. Will you come?"
"Yes, thank you. I'd like that."
"I'll send invitations out soon."
"Don't forget you still have to come here to see Annalise's baby? She loved your gift, but you need to see her in person." I heard the front door open and shut before the happy sounds of Astra and Kitty talking. I waved to them as they passed the sunroom. Both had shopping bags in hand and Kitty had a small stack of library books.
"Actually, I've been feeling bad about that. Maybe I'll come over on the weekend. I have a few free days and I could do with the down time. How does that sound?"
"Sounds great. I'll tell Annalise. She'll be thrilled."
"Good. I must go, but there's one other thing. Listen, don't freak out, but can you look into something for me? Something local."
"I knew this wasn't a social call!"
"It is!" Étoile protested ineffectually.
"It's about work."
"It's both. Plus, we already spoke about the archival documents so we've already covered some work things and... Don't be mad at me, please. It's a hard job trying to be the boss." I smiled at Étoile's plaintive tone. "I'll do better. I promise. I'll even swear on something I like. I know! I'll swear on my new Prada dress. It's beautiful."
"Send me a photo of the dress, and tell me what you want me to look into. Is it something to do with the Wilding pack?" I asked, placing a guess.
"No, not them. All the wolves are being very well behaved now that they have a new master. It's a witchy thing. A witch disappeared and her family reached out to us. She lives in Deliverance. Since you're nearby, I'd like you to go out there and take a look around. Maybe bring Astra or Kitty with you."
"She disappeared?" I frowned, wondering how out of the loop I'd become. I was supposed to be monitoring that sort of thing on our fledgling website.
"It might be nothing. Her family say she often takes off for a few days, but never this long. Like I said, it's probably nothing but..."
"But," I prompted, sensing Étoile's hesitation.
"We've had a few other reports of witches disappearing; although none of them are connected to each other."
"That's strange."
"Yes, it is."
"I don't recall anyone posting anything about disappearances on the website."
"You wouldn't. These have come through official channels."
"Brotherhood?" I asked, since it was the obvious question.
"I've been monitoring the forum, same as you," said Étoile, making me feel guilty for my cursory skim reading, "and I haven't seen anything that suggests The Brotherhood are behind this. No sightings, no strange phone calls, or visits. They simply disappeared. Five of them. One in England."
"Did you tell Anders?"
"No, I'm calling him in the morning as a pre-emptive measure. I don't expect he'll have anything to tell me. Did he say anything in reference to it while you were visiting?"
"No, he didn't. Give me the address of the missing witch. I'll drive over tomorrow and take a look." I searched my desk for a pen and a clean sheet of paper, noted the address down and took the missing witch's particulars. We spoke a little longer, and then Étoile said she had to go because she had a date with Matthias and still had to get ready.
"Was that my sister?" asked Astra when we hung up as I reached the kitchen, pinning the address on the fridge.
"Mmm. She has a date with Matthias. Shall I make dinner?"
"No, Kitty wanted to change. We're going out again. Come with us?" Astra paused. "Do you know how long Etty and Matthias have been dating?"
"Decades," I replied, remembering a conversation long ago.
"He's the love of her life."
"How come it can be so simple for Étoile and Matthias, and I..." I broke off, not wanting to put it into words. Not just yet.
"I don't think it's simple at all."
"Doesn't she have pressure to be with a witch?"
"Oh yes, but Étoile really is her own law on that one. She and Matthias have separated before. A few times, in fact. They always go back to each other."
"Can they ever truly be together?"
"I think if Étoile gave up the presidency, they probably could be."
"Why can't she have both?"
"Why can't you?" asked Astra and I wondered which man she was referring to.
I shook my head. "It's not the same. Étoile has power."
"So get some of your own," said Astra, "and do whatever you want. Or, say to hell with everyone and do whatever you want anyway."
That was a revelation, and a refreshin
g one. "Is it really that easy?" I mused, half to myself.
"Nope, but you can try."
"Try what?" asked Kitty, striding into the living room as she looped a scarf around her neck and snapped off the tag.
"Nothing," I said. "Cute scarf. Where are you going?"
"Burgers, then the movies. Want to come?"
I checked my watch. "I don't have enough time. Babysitting, remember?"
"We could come by after."
"I think I'll have an evening on my own; but have fun," I told them, hugging Kitty as she grabbed her jacket, Astra close behind her.
"Maybe we'll see Annalise and Beau. We could crash their date night!" Kitty giggled.
"Don't you dare," I warned, waving to them as they walked over to their rental car.
As I closed the door, the phone rang again. I glanced at it, expecting it to be Étoile, but instead, it was Evan.
"Hey," I said, smiling as I answered.
"Hey, how was your day?"
"Working," I replied, glossing over everything that happened, with an answer to a question he didn't ask. Strangely, or perhaps not so, Evan was the one person I hadn't ignored over the last couple of weeks. True to his word, he kept in contact and we'd spoken every couple of days. Short conversations at first, then longer, until two days ago, we talked for more than an hour. I checked my watch, finding I had time to curl up on the couch and enjoy the rekindling of our friendship. "How about you?"
"Working too. Micah made a great manager while I was otherwise occupied. I raised his salary. You know what he did?"
"Tell me."
"He smiled."
"Get out!"
"No word of a lie, sweetheart. The demon looked happy."
"I'm glad you gave him a raise. He deserved it."
"He did, but don't tell him that. He might want a bigger raise. He might smile on a weekly basis."
"We wouldn't want that. It wouldn't be the same."
"Exactly," laughed Evan and so did I before we moved onto other topics, passing the time with gentle conversation that didn't require much thought or emotion. One day soon, I knew, we'd have a real, in-depth conversation, and I was preparing myself for that. There was a lot I wanted to know about his actions in our time apart, and some things that I would be glad not to know. There were many things I already decided not to ask him; and Irina was at the top of that list. I wasn't sticking my head in the sand; I just wasn't going to invite anymore hurt for now. A friendship was my sole priority. Anything else... well, I still had some thinking to do today.
"What was that noise?" Evan asked as a chime rang through the house. He was telling me about a job Micah took that turned out to be anything but simple.
"Ugh, the doorbell."
"Want me to go?"
"No, stay on the line. I want to know what happened next. Just give me a minute."
"Sure."
I carried the phone against my ear as I walked over to the door. "I just saw Kitty's purse on the back of the armchair," I told him. "I bet she forgot it. She did that two nights ago."
"She sounds like she's preoccupied."
"Yeah, she's pretty upset about being used by that werewolf guy still, even though she's being really strong. She said she was lonely in the city, and wasn't sure if she wanted to go back." I didn't mention that Astra said they'd seen Ryan only a few days ago, and Kitty mentioned him a couple of times since. I wondered if he would be a factor in her return, but didn’t get a chance to ask. I hoped she chose to stay, and not just for Ryan. My house felt full again.
"She'll be okay."
"I know. She made the yard really sunny today, so I think she's feeling better." I picked up the purse and opened the door, ready to hand it to Kitty, but it wasn't she. A man stood with his back to me, a beige mac belted around his waist. "Can I help you?" I asked.
He turned around and the blood drained from my face. "Auberon?" I said, the name wheezing from my lips as the most evil man I'd ever come across turned to face me. A murderer. A witch hunter. The man who tried to kill me... My uncle.
"Hello, Stella." His lips curled into a cruel smile. "You look well. Doesn't she look well?" he asked, not turning, his eyes never leaving me. A woman stepped into view from behind him. Georgia Thomas.
Lucky me. She chose to resurface in my yard and she looked... happy. That was disconcerting. She stepped forwards, her mouth moving silently and I felt something unseen push at my head.
I opened my mouth to scream, as she gave me the nastiest smile I'd ever encountered, but I was frozen, my body rigid.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't call for help.
Something otherworldly was binding me, rendering my limbs and voice useless.
The phone clattered to the floor; and the last thing I heard before blackness closed around me was Evan screaming my name repeatedly.
About the author
Author and journalist Camilla Chafer writes for newspapers, magazines and websites throughout the world. Along with the Lexi Graves Mysteries, she is the author of the Stella Mayweather urban fantasy series as well as author/ editor of several non-fiction books. She lives in London, UK.
Visit Camilla online at www.camillachafer.com to sign up to her newsletter, find out more about her, plus news on upcoming books and fun stuff including an exclusive short story, deleted scenes and giveaways.
You can also find Camilla on Twitter @camillawrites and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CamillaChafer.
Other books:
Lexi Graves Mysteries:
Armed & Fabulous
Who Glares Wins
Command Indecision
Shock and Awesome
Weapons of Mass Distraction
Laugh or Death
Stella Mayweather Series (Urban Fantasy)
Illicit Magic
Unruly Magic
Devious Magic
Magic Rising
Arcane Magic
Arcane Magic (Stella Mayweather Series) Page 26
