Chapter 4
Chapter
Four
Ihave to find Mercedes. I have to find her.
Flo kept repeating that mantra in her head as she floated from her safe space and through the dead-and-breakfast. She did it so she didn’t forget what she was doing, because she didn’t want Sven to be trapped in there forever.
Over the years, she’d heard him talk about his curse and she’d overheard what happened to Magnus when he was too far from Harmony Glen for too long.
The funny thing was, her safe space was inside Harmony Glen, but the iron-imbued magic of the room that stopped ghosts from coming in had obviously trapped Sven as if he were outside the boundary of town.
If it was her father who sent for witches to put this curse on her, what kind of magic had been woven into this place?
Don’t think about that right now. Find Mercedes.
She usually didn’t like going to the basement and into Magnus’ apartment because he had the propensity to walk around naked, but after searching a couple of spots for Mercedes which Flo could remember, she knew that she’d be in Magnus’ apartment.
Flo squared her shoulders, closed her eyes, and floated through the walls of Magnus’ room. She kept her eyes shut tight because she heard the giggling and the sounds of kissing, and she had no doubt about what they were up to.
It was something she really didn’t need to see.
“Sorry,” she shouted, loudly clearing her throat, announcing herself to the room.
“Flo!” Mercedes screeched.
“Are you serious? There’s a ghost in here now?” Magnus growled. “Right now?”
“Yes. Right now,” Mercedes responded.
Flo could hear rustling and she hoped it was them getting some clothes on. “Tell me when it’s safe.”
“It’s safe,” Mercedes said.
Flo opened one eye and saw Magnus, under the covers of his bed, his arms crossed and scowling at the far wall. He obviously thought she was there. Mercedes had a robe on.
“I’m sorry again,” Flo apologized.
“What’s up?” Mercedes asked breathlessly.
“Sven is trapped. I need you both to get dressed and come to the dining room and I’ll show you.”
“Sven is trapped?” Mercedes gasped.
Magnus’ head snapped around. “What do you mean Sven is trapped?”
“Would you both come to the dining room?” Flo said. “There’s really no time to explain.”
“We’ll be right there,” Mercedes assured her.
Flo nodded and quickly left their room, floating through the floors to the dining room to wait for them. Thankfully, it didn’t take them long to join her.
“How did my brother…” Magnus trailed off. “The wall is open.”
“A secret passage?” Mercedes asked.Flo nodded. “Yes. Sven thinks it’s where my father ran gin, but at the end, behind a very large iron-infused door is my hiding place. It’s a place he can’t dissipate from, because it’s meant to repel spirits.”
“What’s she saying?” Magnus asked as he approached the hallway. “How can he be trapped in there? It’s a dead end.”
“She said there’s a secret room down there and it’s iron infused. It keeps out the ghosts and your brother can’t dissipate and move through the walls.”
“Ah,” Magnus said. “That’s why I hate this hall too.”
“Please, just follow me,” Flo implored.
“We’re coming.” Mercedes took Magnus’ hand and they followed her down the hallway.
“There’s a small lever inside the crack,” Flo said to Mercedes. “Magnus can pull it. It’s a bit rusty.”
“There’s a lever in there, a small one, and you need to pull it. She says it’s rusty,” Mercedes explained, pointing to the crack in the stone.
Magnus nodded and reached in, pulling the hidden lever. The door creaked and slid open. Sven was standing there, his arms crossed, but he was ashen in color, even more so than usual, and looked a bit exhausted. At least he was intact. That was the main thing. She was relieved.
“It’s about time,” Sven teased.
“Sorry. Your…ghost interrupted us,” Magnus said.
“Are you okay?” Flo asked.
Sven smiled at her sweetly. “I am, but I think I’m going to head out of this gin trap.”
Flo nodded. “Okay.”
Mercedes and Magnus walked ahead and Sven spun around, pulling the lever again so her room would remain hidden.
Part of her wanted to stay in that room, because she felt slightly overwhelmed, but also, she didn’t want to be alone.
She wanted to stay with Sven and make sure that he recovered, so she floated alongside him.
Once they got out of the hallway, Sven pulled the other lever and the dining room bookcase slid back into place, hiding the passageway once more.
“There,” Sven said and he took a deep breath. Already his color was returning. “Thanks for coming to my rescue. All of you.”
“Our pleasure, but next time try not to get trapped,” Magnus grunted before scooping Mercedes up in his arms and carrying her off toward the elevator.
“Night!” Mercedes called out, waving over Magnus’ shoulder.
Sven rolled his eyes and then turned to her. “So I take it you interrupted them…”
“I kept my eyes closed. I have been shocked by your brother’s cavalier nudity in the past, and I really didn’t need to see it again.”
Sven groaned. “I warned him about it. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I usually avoid his level and when you…” Pink tinged her pale cheeks. “I’d leave to give you your privacy.”
A sly smile spread on his face. “You have seen me like that before, you know. Well, only shirt off.”
“I don’t remember,” she responded, but she could feel heat bloom in her cheeks as she touched them. “And something tells me I was a lady.”
He chuckled. “You were indeed.”
“Were you a gentleman?” she teased.
“Always. The night… It doesn’t matter.”
“It does. What were you going to say?”
“The night you disappeared, we were going to run away together. We were finally going to be together. I was going to marry you, even though at the time we weren’t legally allowed to get married. Monsters and humans didn’t mix.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Sven wanted to marry her? It frightened her, but also made her feel warm inside, like it was right. The heat in her cheeks moved throughout her entire body as if it remembered wanting him.
The way he kissed.
The way he tasted.
It all came flooding back.
“So we couldn’t get married?” she asked.
“No. Not back then.”
“But you were human once so we should’ve been able to.”
“I was, but the curse turned me into a ghoul. Red eyes, fangs, immortality. There were a lot of legends about Magnus and I. None of them good and none of them true.”
“Well, I mean ghouls were considered eaters of the dead. I read about it in books in the library here.”
“Yes. I know, but we don’t eat corpses. We eat meat, but not generally rotting meat.”
“That I do know.” She didn’t know what else to say to him. All she wanted was to stay with him. He promised her safety and she needed that. “I’m really glad you’re not trapped in there anymore.”
“As am I, and I’m sorry that you’ve spent so long in there.”
Flo shrugged. “Again, I felt safe, but it doesn’t feel that way at the moment.”
“Oh?”
“Your guests know about the hallway.” She hugged herself. “I don’t know why it’s bothering me.”
“They’re leaving in the morning.”
“Still…it’s been found.”
“Well, then come stay in my apartment tonight. I have an extra bed. It has to be more comfortable than curling up on an old rug on some matted old bedding in the corner.”
“I hover for the most part,” she said gently, but she was glad he was offering that to her.
“Well, whether you hover or not, I have a spare bed. If you don’t want to be alone tonight, come and stay with me. I can keep you safe.” Sven held out his hand and she knew deep down that he would. He’d promised her that.
Even if she couldn’t completely remember him, she always trusted him. It’s why she was drawn to him. She slipped her hand into his, setting her feet on the ground to walk up with him rather than float.
He amusedly looked down at her feet. “We can float now. I mean, there’s no cold wrought iron around here and I can move through walls.”
“Right.” She giggled nervously. “I forgot. It’s your brother who can’t move through walls anymore.”
“Not since his curse was broken.” Sven squeezed her hand and floated, just like her. “Let’s go. Onward and upward.”
Flo smiled and nodded, still holding his hand as they moved up through the ceiling and the various levels of the dead-and-breakfast. His gaze locked on her, and she could see the ghosts lingering as they passed, surprised by the two of them together.
Usually, she didn’t like that much attention on herself, but right now, she didn’t care.
Finally, they were at the top of the house, in Sven’s apartment. Unlike his brother, who had a lot of brick, leather, and earthy colors adorning his apartment, Sven’s furnishings were more modern and mixed with antiques. The colors were whites and greys. It was very calming.
“I’d ask you what you think, but you’ve been up here before.”
“I do like your space. I don’t feel as anxious here.” She sighed. “It’s bright.”
“Good.”
“After so long in the cave, I like the light.” He walked across his bedroom and opened a connecting door. “This was your room.”
Flo wrung her hands together and crept over to where he’d opened the door. The room wasn’t as modern and bright. There were lush velvets and dark woods. A chaise lounge upholstered in pink was at the foot of the bed. A polished vanity set held a brass brush and comb. She ran her fingers over them.
“I remember this,” she whispered, in awe. She had a vision of herself brushing her hair here.
“I’m glad.”
“Well, I’ve been in this room before, but I don’t remember having a reaction like this. So why now?” she queried.
“I don’t know, but I’ll take that as a good sign.”
“Me too.” Flo made her way over to the portrait on the wall. It was her, that’s how she knew her name. However, the girl in the portrait looked sad. And she didn’t like it. She didn’t want to feel that way. “I don’t think I want to stay in here tonight,” she whispered.
“You don’t?” Sven asked, surprised. “I thought…seeing how this was your room.”
“I’d rather sleep in your bed tonight, if that’s all right by you?”