Chapter 15

“I found him.” Abby slammed a book in front of me, rattling the cafeteria table and my paper cup of black coffee.

I’d been sitting here for a half hour, people watching and deciding what to do next. Vivienne managed to persuade them to let me sit in on some music and drama classes. She clearly had a lot of pull in this town. But for the moment, the cafeteria was the perfect space for my quiet reflection. Until now.

I peered up at her. “Found who?”

“Peterson. We can go see him and demand answers, finally.”

I choked out a single laugh before turning my attention back to my coffee. “And you think that will get you any? Good luck with that.”

“I won’t need luck. And you’re coming with me.”

“What?” Hot coffee sloshed over my hand as I slammed the cup down. “No. No. I’m most definitely not coming with you. Because in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I have my own plans.”

She pressed her hands against the table and leaned in. “Yeah, I know. But those plans include rebuilding the Lemon Balm, and for that you need my help. Plus, I’m not too crazy about the idea of leaving you here without a babysitter.”

“I can take of myself, Abagail.”

“Sure you can. But who’s going to take care of everyone else?” She picked up my coffee, took a long sip, and handed it back to me. “You’re coming. I have the afternoon off, and since you don’t actually go to school here, we can leave now.”

Luc, the boy from last night, sauntered into the cafeteria just at the moment of our detente. He glanced in our direction and flashed a half-smile that was rather sexy for a mortal.

Luc. Our date. My first real date with a real human. I mean, that wasn’t worth trading for another of Abby’s inane road trips. Cause the last one went so well.

I breathed out a long sigh. “Abigail. I said I already have plans. Normal, regular, human plans,” I muttered. “I’m not here to hunt witch hunters.”

“So, you don’t care that he’s involved in your great aunt’s murder.” She slapped some photos on the table in front of us and slid one around to face me.

I sucked in a breath; my gaze darted to make sure no one was watching. Luc had made his way to a table in the back with his friends, but his eyes were still focused in our direction.

“Where did you get these?” I whispered.

“These are the photos of Camilla that weren’t made public.”

I stared at the image. A woman’s dead body swung from a vine noose with the word WITCH scrawled on the wall behind her. Sick.

“This is horrific. What sort of sick and twisted humans did this?”

“Humans with a deep hatred for our kind.”

My gaze lifted. She’d lumped us together in the same category. How interesting... Seems I’d graduated beyond the class of better-off-dead. Something in me thawed.

I nodded, sliding the photos back toward her. “Well, if this is the sort of sick pleasures they partake in, best to steer clear of them, no? I mean, your fledgling powers are not going to be a match for any of that.”

“What’s best is to stop them from doing it to anyone else.”

I covered her hand with mine. “Abigail. I may not seem overly concerned with what Lorelei thinks of me, but getting her bestie murdered during my staycation... even I can see that would be crossing a line.”

She jerked her hand away. “You’re not responsible for me, Venus. And I have no intentions of getting murdered. Stop being dramatic. I just want to question him.”

“Um, okay Detective, and when that fails, then what? Drug him, toss him in the trunk, and tie him up in your basement till he spills his secrets?”

She stared at me for a longer than comfortable moment—a moment long enough for me to see her working out the feasibility of that plan—before she finally shook her head. “It isn’t going to come to any of that.”

What else could I do but laugh? Moxie. She had it in spades. I mean, the girl was seriously crazier than I’d ever given her credit for. And crazy witches, well, I had a soft spot for them.

Just then, Davin entered the cavernous eating room. Most of the students had vacated, heading to their respective classrooms. Luc had winked at me when he walked past but didn’t stop to chat.

Just as well. Abigail would have found another excuse to threaten me about toying with the humans.

Davin spotted Abby and headed in her direction. It took him a few moments to notice that the redhead sitting next to her was me. Then only a fraction of a moment for his gaze to harden and his mouth to twitch.

I smiled up at him. “Davin. Long time no see.”

His lips pulled back in a sneer. “What is she doing back here?”

“Davin, just listen... she’s only here for a while, and she’s here to help this time.”

“Help what? Destroy the rest of the town? Why are you with her, Abbs? She’s dangerous.”

Abby nodded. “I know. But trust me, she’s harmless now.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “She has no magic here.”

Abby went on to explain an abridged version of how I came to be here and why, while I watched the expressions Davin's face went through—anger, disbelief, shock, extreme shock, disgust, and back to anger.

I crunched on a carrot, taking in their heated exchange in silence and trying not to let on how entertaining it was, until his anger returned its focus to me. The true source.

“So, what is it this time? Too many humans and trees left standing for you, psycho? You know what? I don’t care why you’re here, just stay away from me. And if anyone gets hurt again, you won’t get to just take off this time.” He shook his head at Abby and stormed to the food line, aggressively slopping mounds of food onto his plate like he meant it.

“Wow. Again with the trees. I don’t hate trees. I’m such an outdoorsy girl.” I shrugged, turning back to Abby.

Abby squinted at me. “Tree-hugging nature-lover doesn’t exactly seem like your thing, Venus.”

I frowned. “That’s ridiculous. I adore nature.”

“You scorched an entire forest.”

“It was a nature crime of passion.”

Abby scoffed. “We are witches,” she whispered. “Shouldn’t you be more aligned with natural elements?”

I crunched another bite of my carrot and talked around my mouthful. “First, don't compare your kind of witch to my kind of witch. And second, I've already said I was sorry twelve billion times.”

“Actually, you said it once, and completely without any genuine emotion.”

I stared at her; my eyes widened. “Really? Well. I'm sorry.”

She shook her head and picked up her tray of half-eaten food and took it to the trash.

Following, I circled in front of her and forced her to face me. “Truly, Abigail, I am sorry. You have to believe me when I tell you that the darkness inside me made everything I've done seem... justified. I would make very different choices now, and I think you know that.”

She sat down on the edge of the closest table, and I dropped into the seat across from her. “I think I believe that, Venus, but make no mistake, I don’t trust you, and we will never be friends.”

“I'm fine with that. At least we're no longer enemies.” I shrugged. “Baby steps.” Did it matter if she was my friend? She was Lorelei’s friend. I didn’t need her to be mine. Only, it was somehow important to me that she not hate me.

Davin returned with a tray loaded with food. The moment he sat down across from me, I was hit with the aroma of maple sugar, bacon, and coffee.

Mmmm. I picked a strip of bacon from his plate, ignoring his death glare. “Mortals might not be very interesting, but the food is definitely worth saving.”

“Nice.” Abby got up and nodded toward the exit. “We should go. It’s a long drive. We don’t know exactly where it is, and we have no idea if we’re even going to find this guy. Of course, there’s also the issue of what to do if things go south.”

Davin stood abruptly and pulled Abby closer. “Three more reasons you need to ditch the ginger witch,” he half-whispered in her ear.

“Not ginger—crimson,” I said. “And in case you missed that science class, sound carries. This crimson witch can hear every word you're saying.”

“Good,” he snapped. “I mean it, Abby, she's trouble.”

“I, of all people, know how much trouble she is, believe me, but she's Lorelei’s sister now.”

He rolled his eyes.

I know the feeling.

“Davin, listen, I will never—” She glanced at me, “—never forget or forgive what she did to you. The things she put us all through... as unforgivable as they are unforgettable. But as unstable as she is, we need her. And if she can actually serve a purpose this time, shouldn’t we use that to our advantage?”

“I've never felt more loved,” I purred.

“Love isn't something you'll ever get used to feeling,” Davin barked.

“I get it. You're still ticked about the whole possessing-your-mind-and-nearly-killing-you thing. Totally understandable. For what it’s worth, I am sorry."

“Save it. It’s not worth anything. I'm not interested in your pathetic apologies or your sorry excuse of life being the reason for your bad behavior. You and me, we have nothing to talk about.”

His scathing eyes flicked down to my crossed arms, and then he sighed, shaking his head. “Abby, if you care about me at all, you'll stay away from her, too. Because I can't bear to lose you.”

“Like the way you lost Lorelei,” I said, plastering a false smile on. I don't know what it is about poking the bear; there's just something too irresistible to pass up.

Abby gave me the death glare, naturally. Bringing up his long-standing crush on Lorelei in front of his current girlfriend was sure to ruffle feathers.

I sighed. They were no fun. It was too easy to get a rise. “All right.” I raised both hands in surrender. “Sorry. I'll shut up now.” I turned my back to them and pretended to ignore everything else they had to say. Which was nothing because Davin stormed off.

I winced at Abby “I'm—"

“I swear if you say sorry again, I will smack you,” she snapped. Abby threw her bag over her shoulder and ran to stop Davin from leaving.

“Don’t think about her. This isn’t about the people we loathe. We’re doing this for the people we care about.” She touched his cheek. “And we love Lorelei, riiiight?” She nudged him.

My stomach rolled. Doesn’t everyone? How was it possible the only person in two worlds not a member of Lorelei’s fan club was me?

Finally, he groaned. Locking his hands behind his neck, he paced. “Of course we love Lorelei. But for the record—this, I hate.”

“Good. Then it’s settled.”

Davin walked us outside, and Abby fished around for her keys. “Why don’t you go tomorrow, Abby, and I’ll tag along? I have practice today.”

“Davin, relax. It’ll be fine.” She stretched up on her toes to kiss him.

As I watched them, a strange sensation tugged at my heart. I wanted that. That sort of companionship. Partnership. Someone to worry I was spending time with the wrong sort of people. Someone to want me to stay safe. Someone who wanted... me.

The phone Vivienne had insisted I tote around with me buzzed in my pocket. I stared at the screen as a message popped up. Luc. He wasn't that guy, of course. The one to make the butterflies go wild in my belly. But he was a close enough second, and so very available in the here and now.

I read his text.

We still on for tonight?

I'd considered cancelling when Abby announced our impromptu road trip. But this was my one chance to live in their world, and I found myself texting back.

Yes.

I didn’t realize both Abby and Davin were watching me with matching quizzical expressions.

“What?” I jammed the phone back into my pocket.

Abby pointed. “Nah-ah. Who was that? You were texting someone. Who?”

“No one you’d know.”

She gave me that look again. That classic, ever-so-irritating, I’m not giving up ‘til you tell me look.

I waited for it to pass. “Okay. You win. I’ll be your wingman and go see the infamous Peterson with you, if only to prove he’s as completely useless in all of this as that potion book of yours. But we need to make it quick.” I flicked my hair over my shoulder. “Tonight, I have a date. With the devil.”