“Amber,” Noah said her name warmly. “Thanks for seeing us on such short notice.”
“I have your potion ready,” she said. Then she looked past him, straight at me. Her eyes flicked to Sage’s ring on my finger and filled with suspicion. “Who’s your friend?” she asked, turning back to Noah.
I almost introduced myself. But then I remembered what Noah had said about staying quiet, so I pressed my lips together, saying nothing.
“Raven’s a human,” Noah said. “She lives in the apartment above Tarotology.”
“You were able to get to her before Azazel?” she asked. “And you’re all still in one piece? How…?” She looked back and forth between Noah and Sage, her mouth open in shock and confusion.
“Azazel had already been to the apartment by the time I got home,” I told Amber. “He took my mom.”
Noah glanced his shoulder and glared at me.
I almost asked him what the look was about, but then I remembered—he’d asked me to let him and Sage do all the talking.
I really wasn’t good at the whole staying quiet thing.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Amber lowered her eyes, and I had a feeling that she was thinking of the sister she’d lost last night.
“Yours, too.” Screw that not talking thing. Amber didn’t seem to be offended by the fact that I was speaking to her, and I wasn’t just going to stand here and act like I didn’t exist. “But my mom’s not dead. Azazel took her, but she’s still alive.”
Amber tilted her head, looking at me quizzically. “How do you know all of this?” she asked.
“It’s a long story,” Noah said. “One that Sage and I will tell you once we’re inside.” He turned slightly in my direction while saying that final part, as if reminding me that I was supposed to let the two of them do the talking.
I nodded to let him know the message was received.
I didn’t like it, but this was only day one of our mission, and I didn’t want to continue on a worse foot than we’d already started on.
“I can’t wait to hear it.” Amber opened the door wider, watching me with interest as the three of us entered the mansion.
Raven
Amber’s sisters, Bella, Evangeline, and Doreen, joined us in the living room. The women looked nothing alike. I figured they weren’t biological sisters, but that they called each other sisters because they were in the same witch circle.
Their house was clean and pristine… except for an area stained red near the steps. A shiver ran down my spine at the sight of it. It looked like blood.
Had their sister been killed here, in the house? Was that her blood?
I wanted to ask, but even I knew that would seriously be crossing a line.
Once we were all situated on the couches, Noah and Sage caught the witches up on everything that had happened since they’d found me in the apartment.
“You really stabbed Sage in the shoulder?” Evangeline asked me once they were done. “With a crystal wand?”
“It was the only object in my room that could double as a weapon.” I shrugged.
“Smart.” She smiled. “I like you.”
“Thanks.” I smiled in return.
At least one of the supernaturals in the room had taken a liking to me.
“Anyway,” Sage said, and the witches refocused on her. “We’re here because we need a scrying spell to find the next demon.”
“No more staying close and waiting for them to appear in nearby cities,” Noah added. “We need to get to Avalon as soon as possible. So if the only active demon is all the way across the country, then we’ll go all the way across the country.”
“Are you sure?” Sage asked. “The Montgomery pack’s strongest allies are on the West coast. If we venture farther out, we’ll lose that safety net.”
“I’m sure,” Noah said. “The demons have to be abducting these humans for a reason, and whatever the reason is can’t be good. The sooner I get to Avalon, the sooner I can join the Earth Angel’s army and start making a real difference in this war.”
“And the sooner we get to Avalon, the sooner I can start the Angel Trials so I can save my mom,” I added.
“You don’t even know what the Angel Trials are,” Sage said.
“And you do?”
“I’ve heard things.” Her eyes flickered with hesitation, and she leaned back in her seat, not looking willing to share. “It’s supposed to be pretty dangerous.”
“That’s why I’m coming with you on the hunt.” I sat straight, refusing to back down. “So that I’m prepared for whatever these trials entail.”
“Enough jabbering,” Amber said, and all eyes in the room went to her. “You can discuss the Angel Trials on your own time. Right now, we have business to attend to.”
“Right,” Noah said. “The scrying spell to find the next demon.”
“We’ll get to that,” she said. “But first things first—the potion I promised you yesterday is ready.”
“What potion?” I asked.
“As you know, Azazel is a greater demon, so Sage and Noah can’t kill him—not even with a heavenly weapon,” she said.
“Right,” I said, since I’d learned all of this already. “Only Nephilim can kill greater demons.”
“Exactly,” she said. “Which makes the three of you helpless against Azazel if he shows up. But my sisters and I stayed up for hours last night trying to figure out something that would allow you to defend yourselves. I think you’ll be pleased with the result.”
“And?” Noah tapped his foot, clearly running out of patience. “What is it?”
“A potion that if administered to a supernatural with teleportation abilities, will send them back to the last place they jumped from and will leave them unable to jump again for five minutes,” she said. “Those five minutes should allow you enough time to run to safety.”
“Perfect.” Sage smiled mischievously. “I always love a new potion for the dart gun.”
My hand instinctively went to my neck. At the mention of a dart gun, I’d suddenly remembered the way my nightmare last night had ended—with someone shooting a dart straight into my neck. Of course, the skin there was fine. But the coincidence of dreaming about a dart gun and then having one pop into conversation today was strange.
“The potion is pretty old school,” Evangeline said. “We had to pour over dusty books for hours last night before finding it. And the ingredients needed for it were rare.”
“They were.” Bella spoke for the first time since introducing herself. “Luckily it wasn’t dark magic, and we’re also invested in stopping Azazel, so the potion plus the scrying spell will be only twenty grand.”
My mouth dropped open at the high cost. Twenty grand for a few hours worth of work?
If that was the cost of a light magic spell, how much could the dark magic spells cost?
No wonder the witches were able to afford a mansion in Beverly Hills.
“No problem.” Sage whipped out a black credit card and handed it to Amber, who ran it through a little swipe machine attached to her phone.
“Perfect,” Amber said, returning the card to Sage. “Now, who’s ready to scry for a demon?”
Raven
Amber led Noah, Sage, and me into a room she called her apothecary. Her sisters stayed behind.
The apothecary was the size of a den, with no windows and shelves full of plants and potions lining the walls. I imagined that the person who’d originally built the house had intended for it to be a home theatre of sorts.
“Your sisters don’t need to help with the scrying spell?” I asked.
“Nope,” Amber said. “Scrying spells are light magic. My sisters all practice dark magic. Whitney was a light magic witch, but since Azazel murdered her, now it’s just me.” Her eyes flared with grief and anger at the mention of her fallen sister.
I had no idea what to say—I’d never lost anyone close to me—so I stayed quiet.
Amber gathered the necessary ma
terials—an atlas that she spread out on the center table, four differently colored candles, and a pendulum with a crystal on the end.
My mom sold pendulums at the store and had a few of them around the house, but they never seemed to do anything.
I supposed that wasn’t the case when an actual witch was doing the spell.
After lighting the candles, Amber held out her hand to Noah. He reached inside his jacket, pulled out his knife, and handed it to her. The knife didn’t burn her like it had burned me.
Noah must have been right that it had burned me because I was human.
Amber muttered a few words I didn’t understand, and the pendulum started to swing. I looked at her fingers to check if she were making it swing or not—my mom had been known to do that whenever she used pendulums—but Amber’s fingers were perfectly still.
The pendulum was swinging on its own.
It led her hand across the map, and Sage, Noah, and I leaned forward to watch. It was going east.
Eventually, the pendulum stopped swinging—right over the lower half of Louisiana.
“I’ve found your next demon,” Amber said, the flames from the candles reflecting in her eyes. “In the heart of New Orleans.”
Raven
It looks like we’re going on a road trip,” Noah said.
“I’ve never been to New Orleans.” Sage rubbed her hands together—I couldn’t tell if she was excited or nervous. “The Montgomery pack isn’t allied with the rougarou, so the city’s always been off-limits.”
“The rougarou?” I raised an eyebrow in question.
“The wolf shifters who live around New Orleans,” she said. “They’re Cajun French, so they call themselves by their French name. They dominate the New Orleans area, and they don’t take kindly to visits from other shifters.”
“Then it’s a good thing we have our cloaking rings,” Noah said. “We’ll be in and out of the city with the rougarou never the wiser.”
“And luckily for the three of you, New Orleans is a hot spot for witches,” Amber said. “I have a contact for the most powerful witch circle there. I’ll text you her information.”
“Great,” Sage said. “And again, I really am sorry about Whitney.”
“Thanks.” Amber sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. “Azazel was…” She paused, as if unable to put her feelings into words. “He was terrifying. I hope the Earth Angel’s army is able to stop the demons. If they can’t…” She trailed off, the possibilities of the destruction the demons could cause lingering in the air.
“Annika’s army will stop the demons.” Noah sounded absolutely sure of it. His unwavering faith in the Earth Angel was clear every time he spoke of her.
What kind of history was there between them that made him admire her so much?
“I’m sure she’ll welcome you to Avalon, if you’re interested in joining to do as much as you can to help,” he said.
“I’d been considering it.” She twisted a strand of hair around her finger. “But Whitney used her Final Spell to strengthen the boundary around the house. Not even greater demons can get past it now. And I refuse to let her Final Spell have been in vain. My place is here. But I am hoping to make an alliance with Annika—one that will involve my sisters and I staying home, where we belong, and offering whatever support the army needs.”
“From what Noah says about Annika, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it,” Sage said. “But now that we have the potion to use against greater demons and the location of the next demon for our hunt, there’s no time to waste. We need to get to New Orleans as soon as possible.”
“Of course,” Amber said, turning to me. “But there’s one more thing I wanted to give you.”
“Me?” I asked. What could the witch possibly have to give to me?
She didn’t even know I existed until I came over here with Noah and Sage.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out something I’d recognize anywhere—my mom’s lapis lazuli necklace.
“How do you have that?” I eyed Amber suspiciously, glancing back and forth between her and the necklace.
“Azazel brought it here last night.” She looked down at the necklace as she spoke, unable to meet my gaze. “He wanted me to track its owner.”
I was speechless as the pieces of the puzzle shifted into place. “You did it, didn’t you?” I clenched my fists, anger rushing through my veins. “You did a scrying spell for her like you did for the demon in New Orleans, and you told him where she was. That’s how he knew to go to the store to begin with.”
“I’m so sorry.” Her lower lip trembled—she sounded like she was about to cry. “I didn’t want to do it. But he killed Whitney, and he was going to kill my other sisters if I didn’t do as he said. I had no choice.”
“There’s always a choice.” I snatched the necklace out of her hand, unable to look at her.
If she hadn’t told the Azazel where to find my mom, my mom would still be home today.
But was it really fair to blame Amber? After all, if I hadn’t been wearing the necklace last night, my mom would still be here today too. If I hadn’t gone out last night at all, I never would have met Eli and gotten involved in this whole mess in the first place. So really, if anyone was to blame for my mom’s abduction, it was myself.
But that wasn’t fair either.
Because the only person responsible for my mom’s abduction was Azazel.
“I’m sorry.” I looked her straight in the eye so she’d know I meant it. “I know it wasn’t your fault. If Azazel had been threatening to kill my mom or someone else I loved, I would have done what he’d asked, too. I can’t blame you for protecting your family.”
“Thank you for understanding,” she said. “I really do hope you’re able to get your mom back.”
“Can you use the necklace to scry for her?” I asked, hope blooming in my chest. “You were able to scry for her before, so you should be able to now. Right?”
“I can’t.” She hung her head, looking defeated. “I tried last night—I thought that if Azazel had taken your mom, I might be able to use the necklace to track him, too. But I should’ve known better. Azazel wouldn’t have left the necklace here if he’d thought I’d be able to use it to track him. Wherever he brought your mom is guarded with a powerful cloaking spell. When I tried to scry for her, I hit a wall. It’s too powerful to break through. I’m sorry.”
I deflated. Just when I thought there might have been hope, it was ripped away from me.
“Thanks for trying,” I said, although the words felt hollow as I spoke them.
But I needed to get ahold of myself. So I fastened the necklace back on my neck, hoping the stone would bring me the strength my mom believed it would. Because all wasn’t lost. I could still save my mom. I just needed to focus on what I could do.
Which was helping Noah hunt down his final four demons, getting to Avalon, and participating in the Angel Trials.
“So, are you guys ready to hit the road?” I asked Noah and Sage, trying to infuse as much confidence into my tone as possible. “Because there’s a demon in New Orleans waiting for you to put that magic knife of yours straight through its heart so you can add its tooth to your collection.”
Raven
We headed back to the compound so that Sage and Noah could pack.
Once in the pool house, Noah took out a suitcase and started haphazardly throwing an array of clothing in there. His clothes were pretty much identical—jeans and t-shirts in both solid black and white. No other colors, no other patterns, no other designs.
Nothing that might give any clue of his personality. It was like he’d bulk ordered everything and called it a day.
Although I supposed that was better than my situation, seeing as everything I owned was in a pile in his room. Even the clothes I was wearing now belonged to Sage.
“Do you think we could stop by my apartment when we leave?” I asked. “I’d like to get some of my clothes. And my phone.”
I couldn�
��t remember a time when I’d ever gone this long without checking my phone. We’d been so busy that I hadn’t even had the time to think of it, but I surely had tons of worried messages by now.
Noah’s head shot up, his eyes alarmed. “Absolutely not,” he said. “Your apartment is a crime scene now. You can’t go back there.”
“Then what am I supposed to wear?” I asked. “I have no clothes.”
“Sage can lend you more of hers.” He returned to packing, as if that answer was supposed to have satisfied me.
“Fine,” I said. “But if I can’t get my phone, can I borrow yours? I need to get in touch with my grandparents and friends to let them know I’m okay.”
“Are you crazy?” He slammed his suitcase shut and stood, towering over me with a menacing scowl. “You can’t let anyone know where you are. Don’t you understand that by now?”
“I wasn’t going to let them know where I am,” I said, since clearly that would be stupid. “I just wanted them to know I’m okay. So they won’t worry.”
“And what exactly do you plan on telling them?” He crossed his arms in challenge. “That you’re tagging along with two wolf shifters on a journey halfway across the country to kill a demon?”
“Of course not.” I scoffed. “I’d just say I was going on a cross country trip and not to worry about me. After what happened with Europe over the winter, I doubt anyone would be surprised.”
“What happened with Europe over the winter?” he asked.
“I went there on a backpacking trip without telling anyone.” I shrugged.
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” I picked at my cuticles, the same unsettled feeling coming over me that I experienced whenever the topic of my trip to Europe came up.
It was a feeling of emptiness, like something I was saying wasn’t right.
“You jetted off to Europe for the winter and don’t know why?” He smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like I’m not the only one with secrets.”
The Angel Trials (Dark World: The Angel Trials Book 1) Page 10
