Chapter 19
NINETEEN
Three women appeared in the fog. I recognized two of them. The third was a short redhead with wild curly hair and somber green eyes.
“Hello, Alex,” said the one with blonde hair. “Nice to see you again under better circumstances.”
I squinted at the woman. She looked familiar, but I was having trouble placing her. Her voice…
The woman in the alley the night of my attack. Then later, the house I woke up in. Tiegan, I think her name was.
The first woman was taller, brunette with lighter brown eyes. “Come with us.”
I took a step back. “No, thanks.”
The redhead’s upper lip curled. “This is the one who slipped away? She doesn’t look like much.”
“I was enough to get away from you,” I snapped.
The blonde sent the other woman a dark look. “We mean you no harm. All we want is to speak with you. That’s the reason you’re here tonight, isn’t it?”
I frowned. These were the women Marinka had sent me to? Did she know what had happened to me in that alley and was the one who sent them in the first place? My stomach tightened. When this was all over, I decided I should probably pay Marinka another visit. “Maybe I’m just here for a drink.”
The redhead rolled her eyes. “Come on. If she’s not taking this seriously, neither should we.”
Tiegan sent her a quelling glance. “You know who sent us. We’re on the same side.”
While Tiegan and the other witch had ensured I survived my encounter in the alley, that did not mean they were trustworthy.
My burning need for answers might get me killed one day, but Tiegan had saved my life once, and Marinka had been friends with my mother.
Going with these women might get me what I needed.
I put my hands on my hips and watched them for a moment.
The redhead was brash and seemed annoyed by my existence, but the other two women had a more gentle, solid presence.
A memory brushed against my skin. When they’d held me in that alley, they’d been gentle and their words had been kind.
Marinka’s advice to trust someone might have been a nudge for this exact moment. Shit. Here goes nothing.
“There’s a woman here I’m worried about. I’d prefer not to leave her.” Blaze was a witch and could probably take care of herself, but there was always safety in numbers. I wouldn’t leave her if I could help it.
The women exchanged glances. “We’ll keep everyone in the bar for a little while. That will rouse less suspicion than if we try to intervene directly. Casting a spell over the building will keep people inside for a little while longer than they’d normally stay.”
“We won’t be gone longer than half an hour,” Tiegan said. “Is that acceptable?”
“You’ll return me here when we’re finished?”
Tiegan smiled. “Yes, Alex. You have my word.”
She seemed friendly enough, but I still hesitated. My need for answers finally won against my caution. “Fine. Let’s go.”
The redhead waved her hand, sending the room into a warping spin. I lurched forward and threw my hands out to break my fall only to land in a familiar house a second later.
Tiegan’s cool fingers rested around my elbow. “Steady. It takes a while to get used to that spell of Macy’s.” A disapproving note rested in her voice.
I straightened, swallowing down the nauseous feeling, and tugged my arm from Tiegan’s grasp. “How long have you known Marinka?”
The first woman ignored the question. “My name is Heather.” She pointed to the blonde. “Tiegan.” Then to the redhead. “Macy.”
“Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?” Tiegan asked.
Neither would mix well with two vodka and tonics. “No, thanks.”
“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Macy said.
Tiegan sighed. “Your mother belonged to our coven many years ago. Long before she became a solo practitioner. When she became pregnant with you, she left us.”
At my look of surprise, Heather nodded. “She wouldn’t reveal who your father was, and only said she wished to raise her daughter in a stable environment with no outer influence.”
Macy snorted. “Look how much good that did her. She doesn’t even know who she is.”
“Macy!” Tiegan snapped.
For whatever reason, Macy was not a fan of me. The redhead plopped down into a chair and crossed her arms, glaring at Tiegan.
“Anyway,” Tiegan drawled, giving Macy an exasperated look, “no witch is required to be in a coven, so we parted with your mother on good terms and stayed that way for years.”
Silence fell. “Your pause tells me there’s a but coming.” Mom had been anti-coven when I was growing up. Had something happened to make her that way? Or did her reasoning have to do with me?
Macy’s eyes glittered with malice. “Your mother started associating with unsavory people.”
I stared blankly at her. Unsavory could mean a lot of things, and perception wasn’t everything. “Unsavory like they don’t shop at certain stores or unsavory like they murdered an entire village?”
Tiegan snorted.
“You’re just like your mother,” Macy muttered.
I tensed. “Maybe you’re the reason she left.”
Macy scoffed. “Hardly. She fell in love with that piece of—”
“Macy!” Heather snapped. “That is enough. You will treat our guest with respect, or you will leave.”
But her words had torn off a long tender scab.
I’d never known my father, but Mom had loved him enough to leave behind everything she’d ever known to have me.
Whatever had happened between them, he must have been a good man.
At least in the beginning. Mom had always been discerning in her relationships and did not give her trust to just anyone.
She made you work for it. Even I had felt like that sometimes and had pressed myself harder to earn her approval.
I found myself wondering again who my father was and what had happened for my mother to change everything in her life for him.
I’d been told he was dead, and it made sense—how could a man leave his child behind?
I don’t think I’d be strong enough to do something like that. And yet, my mother had.
Something I’d tried not to think about resurfaced in my mind as I reflected on my mother’s paranoia. Had they left me behind to protect me? Was this the reason I’d been shipped away? I kept the eagerness out of my voice in the hopes Macy would answer. “You knew my father?”
Tiegan and Heather looked at Macy. “Is she right?”
Macy’s expression turned mulish. “I saw him once,” she muttered. “He was with your mother, and neither looked happy.”
At my dubious look, she held her hands up.
“I swear. That’s all I know! I was too far away to get a good read on him, but there was something about him, a darkness prowling around him.
You don’t get that from the kind of magic we do.
” She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Handsome bastard, though. Your mom picked a real looker.”
“Helpful as always,” Tiegan said.
“What were they arguing about?”
Macy looked like she might not answer me for a moment until I stepped forward. “Something about hiding something. That’s all I heard.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” Heather asked.
Macy shrugged. “Didn’t seem important.”
As interesting as all of this was, they’d said nothing helpful yet. “You know about my attack.”
Tiegan nodded. “Yes, and we know you’re experiencing… side effects.”
I froze. The morning I climbed out of their window, I wasn’t experiencing anything except some pain from the injury. How did Tiegan know what was happening to me? “Are you spying on me?”
Heather snorted. “You work in a coffee shop where witches are regulars. Did you not think one of us would see you making googly eyes at someone’s neck?”
I winced. And here I was thinking I’d played it off just fine. No Oscars in my future, I guess.
“I didn’t bite her,” I grumbled.
“No,” Tiegan said quietly. “And it’s a good thing you didn’t.”
She sighed and sank into one of the chairs. “Hybrids are rare in our world. Do you know why?”
“Um. Because most people don’t get caught between two creatures in an alley and almost get stabbed to death?”
Macy snorted. “True. Idiot.”
“Do you have a problem with me?” I snapped.
Macy’s eyes flashed. “As a matter of fact, I do.” She started to come closer, but Heather waved her hand and Macy stopped mid-step.
“Let go of me,” she growled.
Heather shook her head. “Alex’s circumstances are due to birth. If you can’t treat her with some respect, then you need to leave.” The witch’s face turned grave. “And if you do decide to leave, we will discuss your future with this coven at a later time.”
Macy’s eyes widened. Her jaw clenched, and I thought she might leave anyway until she gave Heather one sharp nod.
Heather watched her for a moment longer before releasing her hold. “You made the right decision.”
From Macy’s dark look, she wasn’t sure she agreed.
Sighing, Tiegan rubbed her hand over her face. “Any other side effects we need to know about?”
I told her about my rare steak cravings and pulled the wolf necklace out from under my shirt. “Someone gave me this.” They didn’t need to know who.
Heather leaned forward and studied the pendant. “Straightforward and simple magic. Does it help?”
I nodded.
“Good. Keep it. I sense no hidden spells. Someone must have brought it to you in good faith, though it’s concerning that they know what’s going on with you. Have you spoken to anyone about your attack?”
I shook my head. Addy could take care of herself, but I wouldn’t voluntarily get her involved in this if I could avoid doing so.
“And has the vampire side calmed down now you have this pendant?” Tiegan asked.
“Before, some people looked and smelled delicious. Some don’t.” I had no idea what triggered the blood craving, but the urge wasn’t always there now. Whether it was the pendant helping or my body adjusting to what happened to me, I didn’t know.
“Every vamp has their preferred blood type,” Tiegan said. “If you don’t feel the urge all the time, maybe yours is a rarer kind.” She stepped closer and peered into my eyes. “Are you feeling fatigued or anything like that?”