“Hey, Ridley.” He flashed me a huge grin. It didn’t reach his eyes. I knew it was because he more than likely thought I was here because something was wrong. “I thought I heard you. How have you been?”
“I’ve been good,” I said.
“Good. I’m glad you’re doing okay.” He slipped the folded towels in a drawer near Mina. Afterward, he gripped her hip and placed a kiss to her neck. I averted my gaze. “I’ll let the two of you catch up. If you need me, I’ll be at Dorian’s discussing pack stuff.”
“Everything okay?” Mina asked.
“Yeah. Just touching base with him on something minor.” Eli released her and headed to the door, passing me in the process. “It was nice seeing you. Tell your aunt I said hey.”
“I will. Thanks.”
“So, what’s up?” Mina asked once Eli left. She dried her hands on a dish towel and spun to face me. “Your text was sort of cryptic.”
“Yeah, everything’s fine.” I adjusted my glasses. “Sort of. I had a late night and I’m a little exhausted still.”
“A late night? Doing what?” She stepped to the refrigerator. “Do you want something to drink? We’ve got water and sweet tea.”
“No, I’m okay. Thanks, though.” I bent to pick up Moonshine and scratched behind her ears. “Witchy stuff.”
Mina’s face fell as genuine concern worked its way through her features. God, I loved her. She was the only female friend I’d made since moving to Mirror Lake. Actually, Mina was the only friend I’d made period since moving here. Benji didn’t count since we were more than friends.
“What happened?” She motioned for me to follow her to the living room.
“Remember that spirit who was trying to get through?”
Mina sat on the couch, and I moved to sit beside her, Moonshine still in my arms. I set her on the couch between us, but continued to scratch behind her ears. She seemed to like it.
“Yeah,” she said. Her eyes fixed on me in the intense, predatory way she sometimes did, reminding me there was a wolf lying somewhere inside her.
“Well, I opened the door and now I need a favor.” I licked my lips. “Would you be willing to give me a sachet of salvia tea?”
I hated asking, but knew there was no way I’d get any without doing so.
“What’s it for?” Her words were soft. I got the impression she was scared her question and hesitation might offend me, but knew she needed to ask nonetheless.
I understood.
“A locator spell.”
“Okay.” Curiosity rippled through her tone. I lifted my gaze to meet hers. “Who are you trying to locate? Did the spirit need you to find someone for them?”
And, now for the tricky part—telling her enough of the situation to justify my need and nothing more.
“Yeah. One of their loved ones. Hence, the need for a locator spell. The one my aunt gave me is simple to use, but it calls for salvia tea.”
“Why do they want you to find their loved one?” Mina asked.
My stomach bottomed out. Of course she’d ask. Anyone would.
One look at her had me knowing I wouldn’t get away with cryptic answers and avoidances like I’d foolishly thought.
I had to give her something more. I had to give her the truth. After all, she was my friend.
“The granddaughter of the spirit who reached out to me is in trouble, and I need to find her,” I said.
Something shifted through the color of Mina’s eyes, and I knew she wanted to know more details but wasn’t sure she should ask.
“The guy who’s coming after her is a vampire-witch hybrid who siphons magic from entire bloodlines and full covens. Apparently, he was trapped in an amulet by the spirit who reached out to me, but has now somehow been released. The old woman’s granddaughter, Hazel, is at risk of dying if I don’t find her before this guy does.”
Mina’s mouth fell open. “Holy crap! Okay. That’s insane!”
“I know.”
“What happens when you find her? Can she put the guy back in the amulet?”
Crap, I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet.
“I doubt it. She knows nothing about magic or the supernatural world. Her mom bound her magic when she was little and raised her as human.”
“Figures. Well, if you need help with anything, let me know.” She patted me on the knee. “And, I can get you some salvia tea. It shouldn’t be a problem. Gran keeps it on hand at all times. We can head over now and get it, or you can wait here and I’ll bring it to you. Whatever you want.”
“I’ll come with you. I haven’t seen Gran in a while.” I grinned. “Not since the wedding.”
Mina’s face lit up at the mention. “Yeah, I guess it has been since then. She’ll be excited to see you.”
“How is married life, by the way?” I asked as I followed her out the front door.
“Great,” she said without hesitation. “I never thought I wanted to get married, but I guess that changed when I finally gave in to Eli.”
From what I knew about their past, Eli had been pursuing Mina since they were kids. Their love was the kind of stuff fairy tales were made from.
“How are things with you and Benji?” she asked, shifting the attention to me.
Gravel crunched beneath my sneakers as we started across the trailer park toward her Gran’s place.
“Okay,” I said. “I’m headed to see him at the Montevallos’ after I leave here.”
“Is he doing okay there?”
“Yeah.”
Mina glared at me. “And how are you handling him being there? Still okay?”
My insecurities about Benji living with two drop-dead gorgeous vampire women reared up. Mina knew how much it bothered me when Benji first moved in with the Montevallos shortly after becoming a vampire. While I still was bothered by it, somewhat, I’d mostly gotten over it now.
“I’m okay with it, I guess. I mean, Octavia wouldn’t have anything to do with him even if he tried. She seems picky about the type of guy she dates, and I don’t think Benji fits the bill.”
“What about Ivette?”
“Ivette seems too sweet to go after someone already in a relationship,” I said. “Besides, I like her.”
“I like Ivette too.”
“Hey, Ridley,” Mina’s little sister, Gracie, said. She stood outside Gran’s trailer, waiting on her yorkie, Winston, to do his business.
“Hey,” I said. “How are you?”
“I’m good.”
“How’s Winston?” I nodded toward him.
“He’s fine. What are you two doing here?”
“We came to see Gran,” Mina answered.
“Oh. She’s in the kitchen, cooking as usual.” Gracie rolled her eyes.
“What’s she making?” Mina asked.
Gracie shrugged. “No clue, but it smells like chicken.”
I followed Mina up the steps to the trailer door and then inside. The scent of something delicious hung in the air.
“Girls, what a nice surprise,” Gran insisted. She stood at the stove, stirring a large pot of something. Her gaze shifted between the two of us. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
“Hey, Gran.” Mina moved to where the old woman stood and pulled her in for a hug. “What are you making? It smells good.”
“It does,” I said.
“It should. It’s homemade chicken stock, which is a good base for soups and stews.” Gran’s attention shifted to me. “How are you?”
“I’m doing well. Thanks.”
Gran arched a brow. “If both of you are fine and dandy, then why are you here?”
The old woman always was intuitive. I’d heard Mina say once that if Gran hadn’t been born into the werewolf world, she would have been born into the witchy one.
“Ridley needs a small batch of salvia tea for a locator spell she’s performing,” Mina said.
“A locator spell?” Gran’s eyes narrowed on me.
“Yeah. It’s a sim
ple one.”
“Trying to diversify your magic?” Gran asked.
“Something like that.”
The old woman continued to stare at me while she stirred her chicken stock. “Hmm. Okay. There are some sachets in the cupboard down the hall. Why don’t you get one for her, Mina?” Gran insisted. Her eyes never wavered from mine when she spoke. The second Mina was gone, the old woman smirked at me. “I know you don’t want to tell me everything that’s goin’ on, but just remember, if you get in over your head, I’ll be here to help.”
“Thank you,” I said, meaning the words wholeheartedly.
When Mina came back with a sachet of dried herbs in her hand, she held it out to me. “Let me know how everything turns out.”
“I will. I’ll talk to you later,” I said as I headed for the door. “Thanks again.”
As I climbed into my car, all I could think about was how close I was to finding Hazel Dupre. Hopefully, I’d be able to get to her before Bram.
Chapter 14
With a scrying crystal, a sachet of salvia tea, and a map in my coat pockets, I headed to the front door of the Montevallo mansion ready to find Hazel Dupre.
I extended a hand to knock once I reached the door, but it opened before I could. Julian flashed me a smile.
“Hello, Ridley,” he said as he adjusted the dark-framed glasses he wore that I still wasn’t sure he needed. Not like I did, anyway. For him, I assumed they were for looks. A disguise or a way to blend in more. “Come in out of the cold. Benji is in his room.”
I trailed my eyes over him as I slipped inside, taking in his gelled to perfection hair, blue cable-knit sweater, dark-washed jeans, and bare feet. There was a book in his hand. It was old—I could tell from the tattered leather-bound spine—but I couldn’t read the title. I loved that he read though. There was nothing sexier than a man who enjoyed reading.
“Thanks,” I said.
“No problem.”
I made my way to Benji’s room instead of hanging back and having a conversation with Julian like I normally would. If he thought my behavior was odd, he didn’t say so. Besides, Julian could read minds or something, so chances were he most likely knew exactly what I was thinking or feeling. Maybe even both.
As I made my way to Benji’s room, I didn’t spot any of the other Montevallo siblings. For which I was glad. However, I did notice the hint of something burning in the air and figured Ivette was home, attempting to bake again. There also seemed to be a light on in Roman’s office as I passed its closed double doors, but I didn’t hear any sounds. Out of all the Montevallo siblings, he was the one I knew the least about. Which was funny, considering our history.
Once I reached Benji’s room, I knocked on the door.
“Why are you knockin’?” he asked as he opened the door with a wide grin. “You know you don’t have to. I’ve been waitin’ on you to get here.”
“Habit,” I said as I entered the room.
I crossed to his bed, pulling off my jacket as I walked. The journal I’d spotted last time I was here was open on his desk again. Was writing his feelings and thoughts down helping him any? I made a note to ask—after I located Hazel. She was my top priority for the moment.
“Were you able to get everythin’ you needed for the spell?” Benji asked.
I reached into the pockets of my coat and pulled out the ingredients it had called for.
“Yeah.” I tossed them on his bed. “Got a mug of hot water?”
“One minute.” He blurred out of existence, and before I could count to ten, he was back with what I’d asked for. His speed startled me sometimes, but not today. It was welcomed. “Ivette had a kettle goin’ in the kitchen already. She’s a tea drinker”
“Wow, okay.” I licked my lips and took the mug of steaming water from him. “Thanks.”
After situating myself on his bed, I dropped the sachet of dried salvia into the hot water. The sharp, unfamiliar scent floated to my nose.
“Can you spread the map out for me, please?” I asked.
“Sure, thing.”
I watched as he did what I’d asked, wondering how long I was supposed to wait before dipping the scrying crystal into the tea. In my head, I counted to thirty. Hopefully, it was enough time. The water had changed to an amber color already, which had to be a good sign.
“Are there words you need to say?” Benji asked.
“Yeah, I memorized them.”
“Okay. Well, need me to do anythin’ else, then?” He scratched the back of his neck.
“No. Just sit here with me.”
He winked. “I can do that.”
As he situated himself on the bed beside me, I dunked the crystal into the tea and then held the mug out to Benji. “Actually, could you hold this for me, please?”
“Sure.” He grinned.
It wasn’t lost on me I’d told him there was nothing else he could do to help and then asked him seconds later to hold something for me. “Thanks.”
I closed my eyes and sloshed the scrying crystal around in the tea while thinking of finding Hazel. Intention was everything with spells. When I felt as though enough time had passed, I lifted the crystal from the tea.
“Find me, find me whom it is I seek,” I whispered.
In my head, I attempted to picture Hazel as an adult knowing it would help focus the spell better. My skin prickled as the tiniest hint of magic threaded through the air. If this was going to work though, I needed to feel something a hell of a lot more than that.
“Find me, find me whom it is I seek,” I repeated.
The words came out with more authority this time. As they did, the hint of magic in the air grew. I opened my eyes and hovered the crystal over the map, waiting for something to happen. This wasn’t like the locator spell I’d done before. I wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen, but figured I’d know when it did.
Time creeped away. Just when I was questioning whether I should give my crystal another dip in the tea, it became deadweight over the state of Georgia.
“It worked,” I whispered.
I’d performed a locator spell by myself and it worked. A grin sprang onto my face. I wasn’t a half-whit when it came to this whole magic, witchy thing after all.
“So, she’s in Georgia?” Benji asked, pulling my thoughts back to what was important—I’d been able to pinpoint where Hazel was.
“It looks like it.”
My excitement at having narrowed down where in the United States she was waned. Georgia was a large area to search.
“Do you have a map of Georgia?” I asked. “We need to narrow down where in Georgia she is.”
“No, but I can get one.” He went to his desk and booted up his laptop. A few minutes later he’d printed out a map of Georgia and placed it in front of me.
I dipped the crystal back into the tea and repeated the spell. It dropped like a deadweight on a town outside of Atlanta after only a few seconds.
Helen. I hadn’t heard of the town before, but at least she wasn’t in Atlanta. If there was ever a city I hated driving in most, it was Atlanta. The traffic there was terrible.
“Can you print me out a map of Helen, Georgia?” I asked. “Please?”
“Sure thing.” Benji chuckled as he moved to his computer again. His fingers moved across the keyboard and after a few clicks of his mouse, he spoke again. “From what I’m findin’, it looks like a small town.”
“Good. It should be easier to find her, then.”
Benji printed the map and placed it in front of me. I dipped the crystal in my lukewarm water and tried scrying again. When the crystal became deadweight once more, I let out a sigh of relief.
Escowee Drive.
I’d found her.
“Now we know where she’s at,” Benji said. “What happens next?”
“We go get her.”
Benji arched a brow. “As in right now?”
I exhaled the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding and thought for a moment. Hoppin
g in my car and heading to Helen, Georgia was what my impulsive side wanted, but the logical side of me knew it would be best to form a plan first.
“I want to,” I said. “But, I should probably grab a few things from my place first.”
“Also, you might want to mention your goin’ on a road trip to your aunt.”
He had a point. I couldn’t rush off on a road trip without at least mentioning something to Aunt Rowena about it first. She would worry and that wouldn’t be fair. Plus, I felt a need to make sure things at the inn were caught up before I left.
“Yeah. I’ll have to let her know something,” I said.
My brain started working on what I could tell her that would cause her the least amount of worry. She knew I was trying to help someone locate a loved one, but I didn’t want to give her any more specifics. It was time I started dealing with all this other side stuff on my own. She had enough to worry about with running the inn and raising Rose. I was eighteen. Therefore, I should be able to handle the things life—and the other side—tossed my way. Maybe not easily, but still.
“Tomorrow, then,” Benji insisted. “What time do you wanna head out? I’m cool with whenever.”
“Um.” I ran my fingers through my curls, thinking of how early I wanted to leave. “I don’t know how far from here Helen is.”
I pulled out my cell and searched. Five hours. That was how long it would take to get from Mirror Lake to Helen, Georgia.
“It’s five hours from here. So, we could leave first thing in the morning if you want,” I said. The earlier we left, the better. Besides, I didn’t have anything going on in the morning. Did I? “Oh, crap! I have a test tomorrow in my second-period class I can’t miss.”
With everything going on, school stuff was the last thing on my mind.
“We can leave after. That gives you time to pack and tell your aunt somethin’. It also gives me time to prepare.”
I hadn’t thought about him needing to prepare, as he’d put it, before we left. Maybe leaving in the afternoon would be best after all.
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