She shook her head, smiling in the darkness. “I don’t want your money.”
I lifted my chin a bit higher. “Then what?”
“I want your necklace.”
My fire opal? It wasn’t even visible through my jacket, so how could she have known about it? Then again, she knew exactly who I was, so she probably also knew about my mother’s “gift” to me. Could I part with it? It was the only thing keeping my unruly Fire element contained. Had I mastered my power enough to do without it?
Did I actually have a choice?
Gritting my teeth, I yanked the chain off my neck and held the opal out toward her. It dangled in the glow of the crystal ball, reds, oranges, and pinks flashing as it spun.
“Yes,” Madam Lucia whispered as her eyes widened. “That will be perfect.”
I pulled the necklace back and stuffed it in my pocket.
“First, tell me how to call the dead.”
She laughed loudly. “My, my, such dark and terrible magic you seek! I’ll ask you once more—are you sure this is what you want?”
No, I wasn’t sure at all, and my resolve was only slipping more and more with each passing second.
“Yes.”
“All right.” She rose from her seat behind the table and breezed over to a bookshelf in the back corner with more grace than a woman her age ought to have, then returned with a book. Its cover was gnarled, like it was made of some sort of old skin, and it had sharp edges, like the tips of black talons. Carefully, she unlocked the metal around the spine and flipped to the proper page by memory. Or, perhaps she’d had a vision of a page number appear in her crystal ball.
She flipped the book around and tapped the title at the top of the page: Summoning the Dead.
“Follow the instructions exactly, and you will find what you seek.”
She held out the book in one hand and awaited the arrival of my necklace in the other. Swallowing hard, I made the trade as quickly as possible for fear she’d go back on her word, but she didn’t. In fact, she looked tickled pink by her new treasure and not concerned in the slightest about losing an extremely dangerous book that practically dripped with dark magic.
Suddenly, my Fire sense lit up and I sensed a new heat signature entering the room.
I gasped and shot to my feet, prepared to run, but when the face became visible in the dim light, it wasn’t Nicholai, as I’d feared.
It was Jay.
Chapter Eight
“Hello, Valerie.”
My lips instantly quivered. The pain of his betrayal still stung like a whip.
Stashing the book in my jacket, I darted into a run, but Madam Lucia swirled the Wind around my head and began sucking me back toward them.
Growling, I reached behind me and created an icy wall between us, effectively blocking the pull she had on me, and then started running again.
This time, Jay used his power over Water to remove my ice, and once again I was being sucked ever closer to them, possibly to my doom.
Why the hell wasn’t Cade bursting through the doors to save me? Sienna, Xavier, Kale? Had Jay done something to them? Hurt them? Tied them up in that stupid Elemental-proof rope?
As the Wind pulled at me, I dropped to my knees and clawed at the ground.
“Enough, Val,” Jay said with a heavy sigh. “I just want to talk.”
“Like hell you do,” I replied through gritted teeth as I crawled all of one inch in the opposite direction.
“Lucia, kill the Wind,” he said calmly.
It vanished, and suddenly, I was face-down on a dirty old hardwood floor.
“Give us a moment,” he said to her.
Lucia’s chair made a scraping noise as she moved, followed by the sounds of retreating footsteps and a slamming door.
I spun around just in time to watch Jay throw a vial of some sort to the floor in front of him. Red smoke curled out and surrounded us, and when I tried to scamper through it, I smacked into it like a solid wall. I realized I was going absolutely nowhere.
“What the hell is this?” I snarled, fueling up my elements for a fight. Blue flame erupted in my right hand, and a whirlpool of water funneled in my left.
Jay merely smiled. “It’s a moment in time spell. We’re stuck in this moment until the effects of the spell wear off. Everyone else is frozen mid-breath. They have no idea anything is happening.”
I ground my teeth until my jaw muscles hurt. “Why are you doing this? What do you want?”
“I told you already—I just want to talk.”
I cocked a brow. “And you just so happened to come prepared with a spell that would trap me in place?”
He shrugged. “A smart move, don’t you think? We are talking, aren’t we?”
I snapped my mouth shut, unwilling to give him the conversation he desired—if that was even the truth. Freaking gutless traitor.
He sighed and walked around the tiny circle of red smoke, gesturing to the vivid color in the air. “I had to kill a Fire Elemental to complete this spell,” he commented offhandedly. Then he pointed to my jacket where I’d stashed the creepy book. “Do you know what sort of sacrifices are required by the incantations in that tome?”
I pursed my lips, refusing to speak.
He ran his hands through his fauxhawk and somehow didn’t mess it up. “Listen, Val, I don’t know what you’re up to, but I can tell you right now, this is not the way you want to go.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” I spat, accidentally breaking my vow to remain silent.
He smirked. “We were friends, Val. I know you better than you think.”
“We were never friends, Jay. You played a role, and you played me. I was dumb enough to fall for it, but I won’t make the same mistake twice. Now, tell me what the fuck you want before I unleash this Fire and scorch your dumb ass.”
He put both hands up and took a healthy step back. “Calm down. I have a deal for you.”
I scoffed. “From my grandfather and the Elitists?”
He shook his head. “No. From me.”
I narrowed my gaze as he crossed his arms before me.
“I’m already dark, Val. I’ve done some seriously awful things in my life. Let me complete the spell for you, and you can keep your light.”
“That’s not a deal,” I said, wondering what the catch was. “What’s in it for you?”
He swallowed hard. “I know what you want that book for. I heard you telling Lucia. You’re going to call the dead.” He paused, and when I didn’t deny it, he kept going. “I want a chance to talk to Charlene again, one last time.”
My heart melted a little bit, and for a moment, it was like I was with the old Jay, the sweet guy who was wise beyond his years, mourning the girl he loved.
But if he truly did love Charlene, and if he actually was trying to help me…wouldn’t that make him good in some small way?
“Are you still with the Elitists?”
He glowered, but not necessarily at me. “No. I’m not with anyone. If Nicholai ever catches me, I’m sure he’ll make sure I’m never with anyone ever again.”
“Prove it.”
He held out both arms. “How? There’s no way to provide any evidence, and you know that. You either believe me or you don’t, but it doesn’t really matter if you do. All I want is the chance to talk to Charlene.”
Did I really want to involve him in this? To rely on him? To trust him not to screw me over? Then again, did I really want to chance going dark? If I was the key to the Revolutionists overpowering the Elitists and saving humanity from supernatural slavery, could I truly risk jeopardizing that?
“How do you know the spell even requires something so awful? Maybe I can catch a squirrel and use that as my sacrifice.”
He chuckled. “You really don’t know anything about dark magic, do you?”
Jay turned his head, focusing on the red smoke, so I did the same. It was settling down, almost like a retreat. I had a feeling our moment was about to be over.<
br />
“Trust me, Val—the sacrifice will be awful. I’ll do that part, and since you’re stronger than me, you do the Elemental power part. Deal?”
The smoke lowered, dispersing around our feet.
My mind was insisting he couldn’t be trusted, but my heart was hoping beyond hope that I was wrong. I missed my best guy friend, and I desperately wished there was a way to redeem him. If Sienna’s parents could help redeem her, why couldn’t Charlene do the same for Jay?
I found myself nodding before I even made up my mind.
“Deal.”
We shook on it as the smoke dissipated completely.
Jay closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ll go get the sacrifice. Meet me in the woods in fifteen minutes. You know the pond that’s just outside of town?”
I nodded. We’d passed it just a few minutes ago and Xavier had said it was clear.
“That’s where we’ll meet. Now go. I’ll see you soon.”
As he ran out the same back door Lucia had exited through previously, my stomach sank to my feet. What were the odds he was going to backstab me? What if he was gathering the Elitist army that very moment to intercept us in the woods and kill us or kidnap us?
“Son of a bitch,” I growled to myself, raking my hands down my face.
What if he wasn’t? What if Sienna’s and his problems were about to get solved and I wouldn’t have to dabble in any darkness myself to achieve it?
I no longer had any clue what to do.
I walked to the front of the store and unlocked the door, surprised to find a stream of red smoke floating by on the breeze.
That was why Cade and the others hadn’t come rushing to help me—Jay had clearly hit them with a moment in time spell, too, a longer-lasting one than I’d been subjected to if their yet-frozen forms were any indication. I waited a few minutes longer until the smoke completely faded and they were thrust back into reality, none the wiser.
Sienna blinked. “That was a hell of a quick trip.”
Kale frowned. “Was no one in there?”
I plastered on a smile and shook my head. “Nope. We’re good. Time to go home.”
Cade, who was halfway down the alley, spun around and eyed me suspiciously. “That’s it?”
I shrugged. “That’s it.”
He stormed back over and got right up in my face. “So, we argued over this just for you to pop in and out in less than fifteen seconds? Mission accomplished, no harm done, time to go home?”
I swallowed hard and stared at him, unwilling to lie but equally unwilling to tell the truth.
“You promised not to ask questions,” I said in a whisper.
“Damn it, Valerie!” He turned away and ran his hands through his hair.
“Just trust me,” I called after him.
He whipped around, emerald eyes blazing. “Do you trust yourself?”
I stared at the ground, a sickening sensation swirling in my gut. “I don’t know.”
Growling, he spun around and stormed off again.
Kale and Xavier had found extremely interesting spots on the ground to study, but Sienna simply eyed me with a curious expression. It was almost like contempt or condemnation.
Keep it together, Valerie, I told myself. Shit is falling apart, but if you can hold it together for like ten more minutes, everything can be fine again—better than fine.
I had to reel them back in, ease the tension before the line between us snapped. Unfortunately, that required me relenting a bit, giving some slack.
I sighed and squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m meeting someone in the woods.”
I couldn’t see anything besides darkness, and I couldn’t hear anything either, no footsteps, no voices. I stole a peek and realized everyone was staring at me, even Cade.
“My secret mission is almost finished,” I admitted with a nod. “Whether I succeed or not, there’s the potential for things to get ugly. If you want to back out, I wouldn’t blame you in the slightest.”
“No,” Cade and Sienna said at once, while Xavier and Kale shook their heads.
“Seriously, you guys. I have no idea what’s going to happen in the next ten minutes. It could be gloriously life-changing, or it could be a gory and gruesome death. I have no idea.”
Kale frowned and shook his head as if I were a child who’d made some inexplicable mess. “Why? Why risk everything like this?”
I closed my eyes, feeling guilt and sadness mix with hope in my bloodstream. Images of Sienna and Jay flooded my mind, times when they were happy, smiling, and laughing. Their happiness was worth the risk to me.
“Because I love my friends.” I smiled right at Sienna, and her features finally softened. “But we’re running out of time. So, let’s get moving.”
I waved a hand and started jogging toward the woods. Thankfully, they all followed my lead, despite not knowing if we would live or die.
Chapter Nine
When we reached the pond, I slowed from a run to a cautious walk. My gaze darted between the trees, searching for any enemies hiding and waiting to pounce. I switched to my Fire sense and scanned the area for heat signatures, mercifully coming up empty.
Licking my lips, I turned around and faced my team. “This is actually a good sign.”
“What is?” Sienna asked, putting a hand on her hip.
I gestured to the silence all around us. “The emptiness.”
Xavier frowned. “But I thought you were supposed to be meeting someone—why would the emptiness be a good thing?”
“Because it means we might actually live.”
That shut him up, though it wasn’t my intent. I reached into my jacket and withdrew the nasty-looking old book. A collective gasp escaped from everyone’s mouths except mine and Cade’s; his lips were in too tight of a thin line for that. He stared at the book in mild horror as if it were a severed head. Really, it was an ugly thing, so I couldn’t blame him.
Or maybe he was staring at me? I tried my best to follow his gaze. It trailed off to the side of me and into the woods beyond. Slowly turning, I finally saw what had him frozen in fear.
An actual severed head hung by its hair from the fingers of Jay’s left hand. The mouth was agape and the eyes were wide with shock, but even through such an expression, I could tell it was Madam Lucia.
Cade powered up the Earth, sending the ground rolling in uneasy waves, but I quickly held out my hand. He glared from me to Jay then back to me. “This is who you’re meeting?” Then he gestured to the head. “This is why you couldn’t tell us the truth? Because you’re secretly committing murder and you fucking knew we’d never support that?”
I quickly shook my head and fought off the urge to puke. I was dizzy. I’d never seen something so atrocious. It horrified me to think Jay had killed her in cold blood, but at the same time, I was beyond grateful it hadn’t been me to do it.
“I didn’t know he’d be bringing…a head.”
Jay strolled through the trees with an unreadable expression on his face. When he got close enough, he dropped the head at my feet.
“Here’s your sacrifice. May I see the book?”
I turned away but held the old tome out for him to take.
“Jesus fucking…” Cade muttered, pacing about the forest as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do.
“Valerie…what in the actual fuck?” Sienna asked, her voice coming out strangely normal. It was like she wasn’t sure whether to be livid or terrified so she’d compromised on the tone.
I shook my head. “I know this looks bad—”
“Bad?” Xavier shouted, cutting me off. “This looks like the worst thing I’ve ever seen! You’re my little brother’s girlfriend. You’re supposed to be leading the good guys. Instead you’re secretly meeting with the enemy to discuss severed heads and sacrifices?” He gasped and pointed a finger at me. “Oh no! Plot twist! You’re secretly evil, aren’t you? You’ve been playing us all this time, waiting for the perfect moment to get us all alone and feed our pow
er to your sadistic grandfather!”
I wasn’t entirely sure what came over him—fear-fueled annoyance, probably—but Cade stormed over and punched his brother right in the face. “Stop fucking talking.”
“Listen,” I said, hoping I wasn’t next in line to receive a blow. “I can explain everything.”
“Oh, now you want to talk?” Cade asked with a deadly glare. “Now that shit’s hitting the fan and your devoted followers are starting to question your sanity?”
“Cade,” I said, closing my eyes and shaking my head. “I’m not insane, and I’d never do anything that was outright evil, because I’m not evil. I didn’t know this would happen.”
Jay glanced up from the book. “I told her she didn’t know what she was getting into.”
“And I really didn’t,” I insisted. Then I got back on track. “Remember in the woods that night, Cade? Right before you nearly died—remember what Chase said?”
Understanding dawned on his face and his eyes fell shut. “That’s what this is about? Talking to dead people?”
Kale and Xavier shared horrified glances while Sienna simply glowered harder.
“I thought if Sienna could just talk to her parents again and get the closure she so desperately needs, maybe she’d be able to find some peace and move on, and maybe they’d even be able to give her some words of wisdom about her self-destructive commitment issues.”
Her hand flew to her mouth, but a sob escaped anyway.
I didn’t know if she was sad I’d gone this far or secretly appreciative that I cared enough about her to try. Either way, she was crying, and I felt like shit.
“You traded that poor woman’s head for the sake of Sienna’s pathetic love life?” Cade shouted.
“No! That’s not what I meant to have happen!”
How could I have not seen this epic fallout coming?
Jay glanced up from the book again. “I also need to talk to Charlene for my own bit of closure. I’d truly hate for Madam Lucia’s death to be for nothing, so let’s just get this damned spell over with.” He snapped the book shut and stood, pointing to the ground at our feet. “Draw a circle around us with your elements,” he told me.
The Essential Elements: Boxed Set Page 64
