“What?”
He swallows, taking his time to speak. “I kept telling myself that it would be fine when the shadow was gone. That I could still do this…” He points between us. “I blamed it all on the darkness still inside of me. I thought, once it was gone, I could look at the two of you and not be crippled by the thought of my own loneliness. I was wrong, Willa. It hurts so much more.”
He starts to reach toward me, but he stops himself. “I have a future now. And it doesn’t have you in it, not in the way that counts. And I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to accept it.”
My lips won’t stop shivering. In fact, my entire body is shaking. “What do we do?”
“I don’t know,” he says, that lost look in his eyes. “I want to be happy here. I want to be at the bar celebrating. Most of all, I want to tell you that I can give you real friendship.”
I start to cry. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”
His fingers dab at the tears at the corner of my eyes. “I think I need to, Willa. For both of us.”
“No.” I can’t breathe. “You can’t.”
Selfish. Weak. Greedy.
I’m all those things, and I can’t make myself care.
“Wilhelmina…”
There’s a knock on the door. I whip around, unsure who it might be. No one in my family knocks anymore. They usually text to give me fair warning they’re about to barge in my house.
I go to open the door, but Julien catches me by the hand. “Wait a second.”
It sounds like someone is scratching on the door. Fingernails scrape against the wood. Julien holds me in place before quietly sidestepping over to the window. He pulls the curtain back to peek out at the front porch. “I think it’s Mrs. Morrow from the cupcake shop in town.”
“Why would she be at my house?”
“She’s acting really weird.” Julien ducks his head around the edge of the curtain so he can see better.
Suddenly the scratching becomes a loud thumping on the door. “Come out!”
That doesn’t sound like Mrs. Morrow at all. She has always been a sweet lady and very meek. I’ve never heard her speak above a whisper on the occasions I visited her shop. Julien jerks the curtains closed. “Something is wrong.”
The banging becomes louder. “I know you’re in there. Why don’t you come out and play?”
That definitely doesn’t sound like her. I glance at Julien, and the fear in his eyes matches my own. He rushes to me. “Stay here. I’m going to check the lock on the back door.”
“What’s happening?”
“I have no idea, Willa, but we are not letting that woman in your house.”
Julien checks the back door as Mrs. Morrow’s voice becomes steadily louder. She paces back and forth outside the door. There’s a distinct scraping noise across the porch, followed by a hard thud against the door. Then again.
She’s beating one of the chairs on my porch against the door to force it open. Julien holds onto me, and I cling to him. “How long do you think it will take for her to realize the window is the quickest way inside?”
Julien’s breath hitches before he turns to face me. “If she gets in, you have to use your magic on her.”
By use my magic, he means forcefully subdue her…hurt her. “But it’s Mrs. Morrow.”
He stabs his finger at the door. “That is not the old lady who sells us cupcakes, Willa. You have to stop her.”
The door cracks, the wood splintering in the middle. I had no idea the old bird was that strong. She could barely walk the last time went in her store, and tonight she’s wielding a chair like it’s a feather floating in the wind. The lock on the door breaks before the actual door, and it swings open on its hinges.
Her eyes are black, and a livid wildness flashes in them at the sight of me. “There you are.”
Mrs. Morrow discards the chair over her shoulder, but the vision of her vanishes behind a black figure. It takes her to the ground with a scream. I run to the door to find Leo on top of her, winding a black cord around her hands as she kicks and screams beneath him.
Leo’s gaze darts up to me. “Are you okay? Have there been any more of them?”
“I’m fine,” I say, still in a panic. “Have there been anymore of what?”
I stare down at Mrs. Morrow and her black eyes. I’ve seen them before…when Julien was consumed by the shadow. Leo stands, and Mrs. Morrow continues to thrash around, but he’s got her too tied up to do more than roll back and forth. “It’s the first night of the New Moon, Wilhelmina. I tried to make it back before nightfall, but I was delayed.”
“You knew this would happen?”
“Louie and I suspected it, but we weren’t certain. The Bessettes had the main portion of our library. I took the books back to Louie, and he’s reviewing them, but there’s a lot of information to sort through and figure out.”
Julien moves in front of me. “So, will there be more of these people coming after Wilhelmina?”
“Most likely. We need to get to Shadow Bend, to the Grand Hall, as soon as possible. Call the others and make them meet us there. We need all the help we can get to keep you safe until daylight.”
Julien, who seems to have sobered up rather quickly, jerks his phone from his pocket and disappears into the house. I stare at Leo. He’s not wearing his suit tonight, and for the first time, he actually appears to be someone capable of providing protection. He has two blades strapped to his ankles, and I can see more hidden inside his sleek leather coat.
“All that stuff you said the other night about not failing me…”
Leo takes my hand. “I took an oath to guard the Innocent who would end the curse. I didn’t know it would be you for certain until you were chosen that night in the Tower. You are the strongest one of them, Wilhelmina. It knows who it must defeat to get its power back.”
“It? Who are you talking about?”
“The shadow.” Julien appears back at my side, and Leo looks at both of us earnestly. “Louie says there is mention of the shadow as far back as the very first settlers here. He’s trying to read more to figure out what exactly we are up against, but for now, I know we have to get to Shadow Bend.”
Julien takes my hand. “The others are on their way.”
I point at Mrs. Morrow, who still lies on the porch, desperately trying to free herself from Leo’s ropes. “What about her?”
“She should return to her senses when the sun rises. I will put her somewhere safe until then. Go to the Grand Hall, and I will meet you there. Do not stop for anyone.”
Julien picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”
I guess he isn’t leaving just yet after all.
Chapter 17
TO THE CASTLE
The others are already at the Prescotts’ Grand Hall when Julien and I arrive. He quickly fills them all in on what Leo told us. Apparently, Mr. Raney, the grocery store clerk, showed up at Rooster’s looking for me right before they left. Abby locked him in a closet so they could get away. When Leo shows up a few minutes later, I’m ready for more answers. In fact, I’m ready to find Louie and help him speed read through all those old books if it helps us figure out what’s going on.
Leo bypasses us immediately, though, shouting instructions over his shoulder. “Make sure all the doors are locked. This place needs to be a fortress until daylight.”
Lyric and Reid rush to check all the doors and windows, but there are so many of them. Leo disappears down the hallway as Abby pulls me over to sit on the steps leading up to the throne. She checks me over like a doting mother. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. Thankfully, Leo showed up just in time.”
“Good,” she says, sitting next to me. She locks her arm around me, pulling me tight to her side. “I thought we had all this behind us.”
“Me too.”
Leo returns to the throne room and practically tackles Julien. “Didn’t you say you found the chalice in the Pre
scotts’ study room?”
Julien pries Leo off. “Yes, it was hidden in a secret room behind a bookshelf.”
“What else was in the room?” Leo asks in a panic.
“I don’t know.” Julien tries to step away from Leo, but he grabs Julien by the collar of his jacket.
This time he screams it at him. “What else was in the room?”
Julien successfully shoves him off the second time. “I told you I don’t remember. I was a little transfixed on finding a golden cup to worry about anything else.”
“Was there a blade? Did you see a blade with a ruby encrusted in the handle?”
Julien straightens out his clothes. “No.”
Leo looks like he’s about ready to tackle Julien again when Erika steps in front of him. “A ruby, you say?”
“Yes.” Leo is beyond frustrated now. “I need that blade, and I know the Prescotts have it. Louie found a letter in one of the books that describes a trade Roux made with Gabriel Prescott that included a bejeweled blade.”
Erika clears her throat like what she’s about to say is difficult to get out. “There was a blade my father kept in his study, and it had a ruby in the handle, but he took it and the chalice with him when he fled Sanctuary. He said those two things were too valuable to leave in the hands of anyone but a Prescott.”
“What happened to that blade?” Leo asks, his voice rough.
“Well, if the memories I’ve been getting back are real, it seems I recall killing my father with it.” Her voice is small, and it keeps getting weaker. “Then I seem to recall bringing it and the chalice back to Sanctuary. I placed the chalice back in the study for safekeeping, but kept the blade with me. It was pretty and apparently very useful.”
Julien’s eyes widen as he points his finger at her. “The blade you used to stab me had a ruby in the handle.”
Erika grimaces. “Like I said, it seemed to be a rather useful thing to keep handy.”
“Erika,” I scramble to my feet so I can see her better, “what did you do with the blade that night?”
“It’s still a little blurry. I don’t remember everything just yet. I do remember running from you. I knew I had to get back here, to hide the blade.”
“You must have succeeded, because you didn’t have your blade when I caught you.”
She nods, walking out into the aisle. “And you caught me about here, right?”
Erika stands in the middle of the room, walking back toward the door. “That means I would’ve stashed it somewhere near the door.”
Erika hurries down the aisle, glancing everywhere, when suddenly her gaze locks onto a vase sitting next to one of the columns. She pulls the top off and reaches inside, pulling out a single blade. She flips it over to showcase the ruby in the bottom of the handle. “Is this it?”
Leo lets out a gush of air that sounds more like a windstorm than a sigh of relief. Erika brings the blade to him, and I find myself in the same boat as all the others. I keep staring at it. “What is so special about it?”
Leo twists it around. “It was gifted to my family when the first Galloway took the oath. I’ll need it to fulfill mine.”
He doesn’t say anything more. I’m reminded of the words on his necklace. Keep secret. Keep truth. Protect the light until thine own be tested.
He places the blade inside his coat, into a sheath next to his chest. “Look, we need to hunker down and survive the night. Tomorrow, we go find Louie and help him figure out exactly what’s going on. The answers have to be in those books, or the Bessettes wouldn’t have stolen them from us.”
I resist the urge to interrogate him, but his gaze keeps meeting mine. There is something more Leo hasn’t told me. There’s something that has created this glaze in his eyes…this sadness…that he can’t seem to hide despite his best effort. It has to do with that knife. He was too eager to find it, even before we completed the spell.
I barely sleep. I huddle close in Reid’s arms while Leo remains poised in front of me, ready to pounce at anything that might dare sneak through the darkness. He finally gives way to relief at daybreak. We all do. Seraphina and Jade come to the Grand Hall to find us shortly after sunrise. It’s tough to stand up, let alone walk, after a long night on the marble floor.
Seraphina helps me to my feet, grabbing me into a hug. “I’ve been so worried about you.” She touches my face as if I’m a delicate piece of glass. “Six people were overtaken by the darkness last night.”
“Are they okay?”
“Most of them were arrested, and all of them can’t remember a thing they did during the night. I went by the jail and tried to explain everything to the sheriff.”
“What about Mrs. Morrow?”
“Her husband was there to pick her up. I told them we didn’t want to press charges for the door.”
Leo starts to gather up his things. He checks twice to make sure the blade is still on the inside of his coat pocket. “We need to get Wilhelmina out of Sanctuary and to the castle without anyone seeing her. We don’t want to risk being followed.”
My stomach twists at the thought. How evil must something be to turn innocent people into murderers?
Abby and Lyric stay behind with Seraphina and Jade to handle anyone who might show up at my house tonight. The rest of us follow Leo to Castle de Galloway. Julien is quiet in the back seat, his knee bouncing so much that it starts to shake the car.
The sight of the castle is just as shocking as the first time. Julien’s face presses against the window as he tries to bend down to see the top of it. “Leo actually lives here?”
“Yes. He and his brother Louie.”
Julien throws a smirk over at Sadie. “If the Prescotts knew about this, they would have died of jealousy.”
Sadie frowns at him. “That isn’t funny.”
He turns back to the window, gazing up at the tall towers that flank the east and west wing. “Maybe, but you know it’s true.”
Reid comes around and opens the door for me because I haven’t moved yet. All the answers await us inside the castle, and I’m not sure I want to know them. I’m not sure I can handle knowing what has caused that look in Leo’s eyes.
The daylight brings an entirely new look to the castle. Sun floods through giant windows, streaking the hardwood floors with rays of light. The soft hint of music flows through each of the large rooms into the next, following us along our journey to the west wing. Leo shows us to our rooms for the night. Sadie and I choose a small room close to the kitchen, while Reid takes the first room up the stairs. Julien whispers something to Leo, and I watch as he takes his luggage down the hallway out of sight.
Once we are settled in, Leo takes us to meet Louie in the library. Stacks of books decorate a large table in the middle of the room.
Louie stands, taking off a pair of reading glasses. “Thank goodness, you’ve made it safely.”
Leo walks directly to him. “Barely. I made it back to her just in time. Have you found anything?”
Louie discreetly hands Leo a small black book then walks out to greet us. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe I’ve met all of you.”
Julien snarls at him. “You mean you didn’t invite us to your private dinner date with Wilhelmina? Oh, that’s right. You didn’t.”
Reid shoots Julien a grin, but then steps forward and offers Louie his hand. “I’m Reid Thomas. The grumpy one there is Julien Cote.”
Sadie steps forward before Reid has a chance to introduce her. “And I’m Sadie Lawson, Wilhelmina’s cousin.”
Louie’s smile deepens for Sadie, and I don’t blame him after the hateful glares Julien keeps giving him. “It’s nice to finally meet all of you.”
Leo places his hand on his older brother’s shoulder, the black book clutched in the other. “I’m going to go get some rest before nightfall. I’ll meet back up with you at dinner.”
Leo departs, and Louie lets out a deep breath. “Well, I’m sure Leo informed you that I’ve been trying to piece together all the info
rmation we have about the curse, but as you can see, it’s quite a bit of information.”
“So, you still don’t know what’s happening?”
Louie puts his glasses back on and sits down at the table. “I know something horrible is happening. I know that what happened last night won’t end until we figure out how to stop it.”
Reid walks over and picks up a book. “Well, I guess we better get reading.”
We all take a couple books and find a quiet area in the library to read. I can’t help but notice the emblem in all the books. Thank goodness, Talbot got bored last summer and decided to read some of them, or they might still be forgotten in the Bessettes’s house.
Hours pass, and there is nothing of any significance in the stack of books I’ve combed through. Mainly, idle recollections of mundane happenings in Sanctuary. Apparently, it used to be a pretty dull place until I showed up.
A grandfather clock chimes in the distance, and Leo appears in the doorway of the library, looking more tired than when he left. “Anything new?”
We all glance around at each other, no one speaking, and Louie simply shakes his head.
Leo sighs and motions us to follow him. “Let’s go have some dinner.”
Everyone gets up except Louie. Sadie stops at his desk. “You aren’t going to join us?”
“I’ll get something later. I want to finish this one.”
Sadie nods and comes along with us, leaving Louie to his books. Leo leads us to the kitchen, setting out food onto the counter. We each busy ourselves making a sandwich, when Reid finally speaks up. “So, what is the plan for tonight?”
Leo leans on the counter. “Survive. Hopefully, no one has caught wind of Wilhelmina’s location. I’d be more worried about those left in Sanctuary.”
Everyone starts to become antsy the lower the sun goes in the sky. I can see it out the window from my desk. Louie didn’t stop reading to have dinner, so Sadie took a sandwich to him. The light starts to go dim in the room, the fire in the hearth making me hot around the collar, and my eyes start to dip close.
Leo sits beside me, and it startles me back awake. “The sun is about to set,” he says softly.
Shadow Bend (Witches of Sanctuary Book 3) Page 14
