Chapter 28
“Zoe! Your eyes! Were you bitten by a vampire?” Agatha gasped as she walked into Miles’s office, where I’d been sitting alone, trying to process the events of the past few days.
When Mamie had disappeared, I’d shut down.
Incapable of speech, I’d climbed into the back of the SUV, and other than the time I’d spent on the ferry, staring morosely out at the sea, where we did not see the ghost pirates, I’d slept all the way to New York.
Tariq and Jasper had tried to talk to me, but I simply hadn’t had the reserves to talk about what had happened, what I’d learned, or what I’d lost.
I didn’t know who’d called Agatha—I suspected Claire—but I was grateful to have her here. My throat got tight and I let out a small sob. Agatha swooped across the room, sank onto the couch beside me, and swept me into a hug.
“It’s all right, Zoe,” she crooned. I rested my head on her shoulder and she held me and rocked me as if I were six instead of thirty-six. “You’ve been through so much and you’ve been so brave. I’m very proud of you.”
That was one of the many reasons why I valued Agatha. She was always there for me and she always knew exactly what to say. I let her comforting kitchen witch warmth wash over me like a balm.
When I felt as if the broken bits of me were slowly knitting themselves back together, I pulled back and met her warm brown gaze. “Have I ever told you how much I appreciate you?”
Agatha cupped my cheek with one hand and said, “Not often enough.”
I laughed but then sobered and continued, “You’ve been a bonus mom to me all these years, and you didn’t have to be. I don’t tell you often enough how much you mean to me. I love you, Agatha.” And for the first time since I was a child, I initiated a hug.
“Oh Lord, you are a vampire, aren’t you?” she cried, hugging me close.
Another laugh burst out of me and I leaned back and said, “No, I promise. I’m okay.” I gestured to the table in front of us where I’d placed the grimoire. “The book and I have developed a relationship. Yeah, there’s no way I can explain what happened without it sounding super weird.”
Agatha patted my hand. “Oh good, I love weird—”
“Zoe, I have your remedy.” Tariq entered the room with a determined stride that faltered as he took in Agatha and me sitting on the couch, clearly having a moment.
“Sorry.” He put his hand on his heart. “So sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No.” I waved him into the room. “Your treatment for my eyes is priority number one.”
He looked at Agatha, who nodded. “Come in, Tariq. It’s fine.”
Agatha rose from her seat and moved to a chair, letting Tariq take her place.
“Lean your head back,” he instructed. “These eye drops should work immediately.”
“Are they going to sting or burn?” I wanted to be prepared.
“No, they should feel soothing,” he answered. “I’ll put three drops in each eye and then I want you to close them for a few minutes.”
“All right.” I tipped my head, resting it on the back of the couch.
I heard the door open and the footsteps of someone or multiple someones entering the room, but Tariq squeezed the dropper before I could glance up.
I felt the liquid when it hit. I didn’t blink or flinch and when he was done, I just closed my eyes, letting the solution settle.
“Is she—?” a woman whispered and I recognized the voice as belonging to Claire.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Just following Tariq’s instructions for my eyes.”
“Let’s hope he doesn’t turn them a different color,” another female voice said. It was Olive. I knew because only Olive gave Tariq such a hard time.
“That only happened once,” Tariq said. His Nigerian accent got thicker as he defended himself.
“Now, now, we’re not here to bicker,” Miles said. “We need to catch Claire up on what happened.
I felt my lips curve up as I listened. After the past few weeks, I’d come to understand that the staff of the BODO really were a found family, much like Agatha and I were, and I was a part of it. The certainty of this made me feel warm inside, much like my magic did.
“Yes, I’m eager to hear everything, but first I need to follow up,” Claire said. “Jasper, what has happened to the Viking being held in the Lively tomb?”
“It’s sorted.” His voice was a deep, rough rasp that made my insides flutter.
“How?” Claire asked.
“When Zoe sent Ariana irrevocably beyond the veil by destroying El Corazón , he, as a remnant of her magic, went as well.”
“And Moran stayed interred?”
“Yes, I had a colleague in Boston follow up,” Tariq said. “He remains undisturbed.”
Miles took over the telling of the story with added bits and tangents from Olive and Jasper and Tariq.
With my eyes shut, it was disconcerting to have so many voices coming from all directions in the room.
I felt a solid weight sit on the armrest to my right and I knew without opening my eyes that it was Jasper.
There was something both disturbing and comforting about his nearness.
I tried to breathe myself into a state of calm with marginal success.
When they got to the part about Mamie appearing in the barn, they all went quiet. I knew they were waiting for me to finish the tale. I could have passed and let Miles finish, but that would have been the coward’s way out.
Instead, I sat up and opened my eyes. I turned to Tariq first, trusting that if his potion hadn’t worked, he’d come up with something else. Instead, a wide smile parted his lips and he said, “There she is.”
I turned back to the group and saw Agatha’s shoulders drop in relief. When I glanced at Jasper, he winked at me, and I glanced away before my flustered reaction was obvious to everyone.
“You don’t have to talk about this if you’re not ready.” Claire’s voice was gentle with understanding.
“No, it’s okay.” I swallowed around the knot in my throat. The sadness of losing Mamie all over again was going to take some time to fade.
I cleared my throat and described the events that had brought Mamie back and what had happened when she and Ariana had faced each other. I told them that in that final showdown, I had managed to unlock the grimoire and it had showed me how to call up the Dagger of Death.
“About that. Why did you stab the book and not Ariana?” Tariq asked.
“The grimoire specifically stated that I was to use the dagger on whatever the dark witch used for her power, which for Ariana was El Corazón . What happened to it, by the way?”
“We removed the dagger, and the book turned to ash just like Ariana. It is no more,” Miles said.
“How extraordinary.” Claire glanced at me. “Your family is very talented.”
“Apparently.” I nodded.
“I suggest you all take a few days off to recuperate from your ordeal,” Claire said.
“Or…” Olive swept a quelling glance around the room. “We could go out to the collection and do inventory to determine what other books that revenant stole.”
Tariq sighed and stood up. “I knew you were going to say that. Not even a near-death experience gets us a day off.”
Olive followed him out of Miles’s office. “If you knew, then why are you complaining?”
Claire rose and said, “We’d better mediate.”
I grabbed the grimoire off the table and followed the others into the main room to find Tariq and Olive still bickering.
I glanced at the three stories of dubious books surrounding me and felt the same stirring sensation of being home that I’d experienced the very first time I’d entered the BODO.
“What are your plans now, Zoe?” Miles asked. “Since your situation is resolved, we could take charge of the grimoire and keep it here for you if you’d like.”
I felt the book go still as if awaiting my answer. “Thank you, Miles, but I’m going to hang on to it.”
“If you’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
The corner of his mouth curved up and he said, “The job offer still stands.”
I felt all their eyes on me, waiting to hear what I’d say.
“About that.” I cleared my throat. “What’s the vacation situation?”
“Are you accepting?” Miles asked.
I glanced at the group. Both Claire and Agatha looked hopeful, Tariq encouraging, and Jasper—well, the man simply smoldered. I couldn’t look at him too long or I’d lose the entire thread of the conversation. Olive’s expression was bored, as per usual, while Miles seemed pensive.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m accepting.”
“That’s the first sensible thing you’ve ever said, Ziakas.” Olive clapped her hands. “We have an inventory to do, people. Let’s get to it.”
And so we did.