Chapter 45
Forty-Five
VIVIENNE
When I wake up, Lucca’s side of the bed is empty and cold to the touch.
I have a feeling he couldn’t sleep and went to the gym to work out.
I get out of bed and head over to the bathroom.
With him gone, I can take my time getting ready without being interrupted for a quickie.
Not that I mind Lucca’s interruptions, especially the ones in the shower, but sometimes a girl just wants some time alone to preen.
But before I can actually take a shower, my stomach feels queasy. The urge to throw up hits me out of nowhere, and I’m glad I’m in the bathroom already or I wouldn’t make it to the toilet in time.
I hurl until I’m dry heaving. My throat is rough now, and my skin is clammy. “That came out of nowhere,” I mumble.
I don’t remember eating anything that would make me sick. Maybe opening the portal to Ellnesari and then feeding Sophie took a toll on my body. I get up on shaky legs and turn on the shower. More than ever, I need to get clean.
I was planning to really take my time under the hot jets, but I still feel unwell, and also a little lightheaded. The last thing I need is to pass out in the shower stall and crack my head open.
I cut my preening time short and put on my fluffy robe with the intention of getting back to bed and waiting for Lucca there. But a scratch at my door draws my attention. “Vivi, are you there?”
That’s Sophie’s familiar. Why is she standing outside my door? No way of knowing without asking her. I open the door, and without preamble, she rushes into my room.
“Uh… what’s going on?” I close the door again.
She jumps onto my bed and makes herself comfortable. “I need your help with something.”
“Okay?”
“You noticed my current situation, right?”
I squint. “You’re a cat who can talk.”
“I’m not a cat who can talk. Have you ever seen a familiar who’s verbal in their animal form?”
“I haven’t met that many familiars, to be honest.”
“We can’t usually, but I was cursed many centuries ago. I’m stuck in my animal form, unable to change into human, and the only piece of humanity I retained was my ability to speak.”
“Who cursed you, and why?”
She waves her paw, and it’s such a human thing to do that it’s a little unnerving. “You’re not going to believe me.”
I cross my arms. “Try me.”
“Hecate.”
My brows arch. “Hecate? As in the Greek goddess?”
“That’s the one.”
“Wow. So those gods are real, then.”
“Of course they are. And I was dumb enough to not take them seriously.”
“Why did she curse you?”
Tish licks her paw before answering. “I may have told her a truth she wasn’t ready to accept.”
“Like what?”
“Not important. Can you help unhex me? I’ve tried everything.”
I shake my head. “How can I lift a curse that was put on you by a freaking goddess? I’m not that powerful.”
“Bullshit. I’ve seen what you can do. Nightingales are equals to gods.”
“Not all Nightingales. Only the sovereigns of each land might be as powerful.”
“Aren’t you Queen Maewe’s heir?”
“You don’t understand how our magic works. My mother’s powers come from the land of our kingdom. I don’t have access to that magic. If I did, I’d have been able to open a portal to Ellnesari without resorting to elaborate spells or needing a Nightingale relic.”
“Come on. There’s gotta be something you can do.”
A knock on my door interrupts our convo. “Tish, are you in there?”
“Yes, she’s here.” I open the door for Sophie using my magic. “Come on in.”
“Is she harassing you?” she asks.
“Not at all. She wants my help to undo the curse, but I’m not sure I can.”
“I’ve looked everywhere for a spell or a way to contact the entity who cursed her in the first place to no avail.”
“Maybe if you two worked together, you could help me,” Tish suggests. “You have no idea how awful it is to be stuck as a cat. I hate it.”
Guilt swirls in my chest. I know what it’s like to be in a situation where you’re only a shadow of yourself.
“Have you ever come close to finding a way to contact Hecate?”
“There was a spell in an old diary Tish got for me at the Nightshade Market that mentioned summoning a powerful entity, but it wasn’t specific to Hecate.”
“You said there was nothing there,” Tish complains.
“I didn’t want to get your hopes up. The ingredients it requires aren’t something I had access to before.”
“Had? As in you have access now?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. It mentioned something about the blood of a beautiful otherworldly being. I had no idea what it meant, but perhaps it was referring to the blood of a Nightingale.”
“Of course. That must be it!” Tish exclaims. “It had that spell to travel the wind. That’s a Nightingale thing, right?”
“Come again?” I look at the familiar.
“That’s how Sophie was able to get to Indigo Mountain so quickly and save your asses.”
I look at Vaughn’s girlfriend. She looks embarrassed and won’t meet my stare. “Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“What is this book exactly?”
Sophie looks up, and her eyes are guilty as hell. “You’re not going to like the answer. It’s a diary from someone who dabbled in dark magic.”
I swallow hard. “You’re right. I don’t like that at all. The last time a book containing dark spells was misused, an evil witch set a demon free and opened a portal to Hell.”
“Probably because she was evil. Sophie isn’t. I know you don’t know me at all, but I am living in my own personal hell.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. Tish doesn’t need to say much to make me empathize with her plea. “Where is this book of yours?”
“In my apartment. But it’s not safe to go there. My father might be staking out the place.”
“Balls,” Tish blurts out. “Totally forgot about that pesky detail.”
I press my index finger to my lips. “Did you set up wards in your apartment?”
“No, it didn’t occur to me. In hindsight, I should have done it. Why do you ask?”
“Because I can walk the wind right into your apartment with you. If your father is just watching the place from the outside, he’ll never know we’re in there.”
Sophie widens her eyes, then smiles. “That’s a brilliant idea.”
“Hooray! So does that mean you’re going right now?” Tish asks.
I glance down at my robe. “I need to get dressed first. Wait here. I want to be in and out before anyone knows we’re gone.”
“Oh, I like you, Vivi,” Tish says. “I like you a lot.”