One Night With a Witch (Keepers of the Veil #5)

Chapter 6

6

A very rounded out of the hallway into the open community room with the huge TV and several sofas. Chatter came from the kitchen one doorway away. The back door opened and shut twice, letting in laughter from the back porch where brunch was served.

Matt hovered over a backpack with a tube of baby sunscreen in one hand and a beer in the other.

She called out, Matt, can we speak about something in private?

Sure. My room should be clear. He tossed the sunscreen onto the sofa. Outwardly, Matt and Eli looked identical, except for Eli s scar, but the similarities ended there. To her, she d never mistake the twins.

She followed him two flights up a back stairwell. The beach house was a three-story monstrosity on stilts that seemed to have endless numbers of rooms and hallways. There was even a widow s walk and bar on the roof. Everything was painted in hues of gray and pink with cutesy lighthouse and seagull decorations in every corner.

Matt led her into a spacious bedroom suite, a shrine to east coast lighthouses. Clothes were strewn across the bed as if a suitcase had exploded. He swiped the garments toward the lighthouse-shaped headboard.

My daughter helped me unpack, he said with a smile while turning off the forgotten bedside light, also shaped like a miniature lighthouse. He opened the curtains to allow in the natural light, revealing a stained glass window ornament in the shape of a lighthouse.

She bit back a giggle.

He wrung his hands and paced. I want to ask you something, too, but I want it to remain confidential, okay?

Sure. She noticed a glow in the corner from a small ghost, a shy ghost. Good, maybe it wouldn t bother her.

Have you seen Eli? Matt asked.

Just ran into him. Her gaze drifted back to the ghost, who d perked up at her second look. She was better than this when it came to ghost encounters. One glance and that was it. Two looks and the ghost knew she d picked up on its existence.

The ghost moved in close and peered at her. It said, You see me, don t you?

She didn t acknowledge it.

Did he seem okay to you? Matt asked.

I don t know. No. Something was definitely not right with him.

The ghost started chattering. Like all lonely spirits it verbally vomited a frenzied spew of personal information. Matt said something, but she missed it.

She held up her hand to Matt. I m sorry about this, but there s a ghost talking so loud that I can t hear you. She turned to the ghost. I mean no disrespect by this, but I need to chat with Matt. If you d like to speak later, can we do that. Please, be quiet.

The ghost paused for about two seconds and then resumed. Typical.

With a sigh, she exhaled out the shield spell she d used too many times in her life:

The breath of my life and the light of my mind

I surround myself with an orb of gold.

This golden haze is constantly purified.

May my space be protected.

The ghost s noise disappeared even though the glowing entity remained next to her. Sorry about that. What d you say?

Matt glanced around as if trying hard to see the ghost. Is it still here?

It s to your left by the framed picture of three lighthouses. She pointed.

He gazed at the picture, oblivious of the spirit. I don t see anything other than lighthouse crap.

It s still there. Count your blessings that you can t see them. They talk a lot and never give you privacy. The ghost probably still talked and probably thought she heard, even though for her it was silenced. She couldn t see a distinct mouth or hands to know if it gestured or spoke.

I said, Eli seems off. Matt stared through the area where the ghost still hovered.

Agreed. Did you know the girls cast a spell on Eli to make him attracted to me in Paris? It made things between us challenging.

Did he do something inappropriate? Matt s brows drooped low. Is that what you wanted to talk about?

No. Never. The Eli I know I d trust with my life whether or not he was into me. But, just now, he didn t seem like Eli at all. He seemed like someone I d never met. That s what I wanted to ask about. He s always been a rock for me. Maybe he s weird with me because of Paris.

Maybe that s it. Matt didn t look convinced.

Why d you send me to Paris? Eli made valid points when I found him in Paris about why you sending me made no sense when I showed up. You disregarded your own edicts about my safety to let me go save him, which makes no sense.

You volunteered.

I did, but you wanted me to go. What was really going on?

Matt gazed out the window and sighed. I wanted my brother to come home.

You thought sending me would get him to opt out of super spy missions and opt back into following one of us around? Eli had been right. Damn Matt for using her.

I don t care if he does protective duty or sits on his ass in an apartment eating chips and drinking beer all day. I need him back here. When he arrived today, he said he quit MI6 but is working on the next step. I need you to help me to convince him he belongs with us. He responds to you. It s not safe for him working for spy groups, which is where I know he ll try to go. He ll find some new job working for private sector dipshits. Can I can count on you to help me convince Eli here is where he belongs?

I m not sure I can get through to him. He s not the same.

You re his person, Avery. You re the one he responds to. That s why you went to Paris. He paused. Okay, not entirely. Nicole said it had to be you to go to Paris.

It wasn t just that I volunteered. Didn t think so. I need to find out what Nicole s vision was exactly.

I don t care how you do it. Use your wiles or charm or whatever you ve got, but get him to stay and not go back. We got information we re going to lose him if we don t keep him grounded here. You don t want him to die, do you? Matt snagged a purple unicorn off the bed and turned it in his hands. I don t want to lose my brother like this.

Of course, I don t want him to die. I went to Paris to save him, although I never saw an overt threat. There was a guy there, Eli s person of interest, who was scary, but I never saw him after I got Eli out of the bar. Henrik something. I can t remember his last name. Totally suck at names.

Please, help us convince him we need him here. That he should quit MI6 for good. Matt s tone begged her. He dropped the unicorn as if just realizing what he held.

Sure. I ll do what I can. You do know he wasn t in Paris for MI6, right? He was working for Merck.

What? Matt thundered.

Uh oh.

Don t move, Matt ordered. He stalked out the door across the hall. She heard terse male voices. Moments later, he reappeared with Merck. As the norm whenever she came face to face with six-foot-two of blond intensity named Jason Merck, his powers overwhelmed her. He almost glowed they were so potent. This came from him being the child of two gods-a full-blown god in human form. But he was also the Enforcer, the being entrusted to police deviant people of magical power who hurt humans.

She waved a silent apology at Merck.

My brother was in Paris working for you, not MI6? Matt was one breath away from an aneurism.

Merck gazed at the pendant around Avery s neck without comment and then back to Matt, unfazed by Matt s fury. We were chasing the same person. Seemed logical to work together. Eli was instructed to only handle recon. He had explicit instructions to remain hands-off.

Something s not right with him, she said. I don t know if something happened in Paris, but he s off. She touched the pendant. He wasn t wearing the protective items you gave him when I found him in Paris. I found them by accident in his jacket pocket.

Damn it, Merck muttered. He texted me he found Henrik but then lost him. We were trying to trace him back to where he lives, which remains a mystery. Eventually, I ll get that bastard.

What is Henrik? she asked.

The Spirit Peddler. He makes deals with lost spirits or souls. Tell me you didn t find Eli actually talking to him. Merck sucked in his cheeks and his eyes narrowed as if he already knew the answer.

When I found them they were deep in conversation.

Working with amateurs sucks. Merck released an agitated snort and rolled his eyes heavenward. He scrolled through a few screens on his cell phone. I ll evaluate him as soon as I can get him alone. I m kind of a key player this weekend, which means I ve got a lot on my plate.

Matt stopped him when he turned to go. We re not done. What do you think s going on? Spell it out for me.

Eli might ve gotten in trouble with the Spirit Peddler. If the Peddler had grabbed his soul then he d be dead. He s not, so his soul is still in there. But if he s off like you say, his soul might not be in great shape. His gaze drifted to the pendant around her neck. I m not sure what s been done to him. Be assured, the Spirit Peddler won t come within a thousand miles of me, although it d save me a hell of a lot of effort if he tried. So, no worries for security risk here from him. Maybe Eli got hexed, or something came back with him. I ll handle it. For now, watch him. Don t let him wander off or be with any of the Pleiades alone. He pointed at her. Don t kiss him.

I m not going to kiss him, she said indignantly.

Merck flashed her a yeah-right grin. Shannon mentioned something about the Sumerian crystal and an attraction spell. Only the gods know how long it ll last if they invoked the relic. You should get more specifics from her on what they did. If a spell is on, then it means you two will be trying to shag like rabbits every time you re together.

Great. Her face scorched. We will not.

You re not taking this seriously enough, Merck. Matt bristled.

Merck dropped his head and released a long sigh. Matt, I take this very seriously. I ll add it to my list of to-do s. Be assured, it ll get done.

Your list? This is my brother. He s not part of a list. This is top priority. We re going to figure this out right now.

Merck rubbed his forehead. Look, I ll deal with it later today. I promise. But, I ve got my father-in-law having a meltdown at the tux store because they lost his tux. Shannon decided last night we re writing our own vows. She wants to see them in four hours, but I haven t started. The caterer put shrimp on the menu when I clearly said no seafood. And, my best man who should be dealing with the majority of this shit is stuck in Atlanta until tomorrow acquiring an item that emerged on the black market. It s a black mirror that gives the seer unlimited powers to scry but also enables one very nasty demon to enter our realm. So, I need you to back off. My shit tank is on overload. He dangled a small crystal on a chain, gazing at it for a moment. Take this, Avery. None of this is your fault, but let s be real. You re not going to leave Eli alone until I can assess him. I m sorry Shannon stole the crystal and the ladies might ve gone overboard with a spell. Wear this on your wrist. It ll protect you from things that might be after your soul. He left.

Stay away from Eli until Merck does his thing, Matt ordered.

You just asked me to do everything I can to convince him to stay. She affixed the bracelet s clasp.

After he s cleared by Merck, then yes. Matt was back to rotating the unicorn in his hands.

I ve got to get down to the brunch. I m sure the ladies will keep me busy. She stalked toward the exit but got distracted by the ghost who decided to accompany her. She smacked into the wall, and her forehead took the brunt of the hit. She blinked to clear the sparkles in the periphery of her vision.

You okay? Matt asked.

Fine. Gotta learn to slow down. She laughed, but it didn t come off genuine.

Stay away from my brother, Avery, Matt warned. If you can t, I ll put you on lockdown.