CHAPTER EIGHT
I sat silently respectful as Seth Olarescu went over everything that had happened. Hearing the events through another’s perspective was helpful. But, when he spoke about Tadd Caruthers’s murder, I could see the anger in his eyes.
It turned out that Tadd was well known to the Olarescus. He had designed the computer tech for all of their companies and had been one of their employees.
“May I ask a question?” I said to Seth.
He inclined his head. “You may.”
“Did Sawyer and Shelby know that Tadd had connections to the Olarescu House?”
“No.” Seth shook his head. “Tadd signed an NDA with us. I have no reason to doubt his loyalty or his discretion.”
“Tadd was much more than our employee,” Ekaterina said, her voice trembling.
Concerned by her reaction, I looked to Seth for clarification.
“Tadd,” Seth said, “was voluntarily blood bound to me.”
That information had my mind reeling, and I stifled a gasp. In my mind’s eye, that Tarot card—the Nine of Swords—that had fallen out of the deck when Circe had done a reading for me a few weeks ago was now making a hell of a lot more sense.
Tadd and Seth hadn’t simply been employer and employee.
They had shared a psychic connection, and Seth had thought of him as family.
Many incorrectly thought that a blood bond meant you were indentured to a Vampire, but truthfully it was reserved as an honor.
It was about the highest one a mortal could receive from a Vampire House.
It was a deeply emotional bond...like between brothers, or even a father to a son.
“I’m very sorry for your loss,” I said to the Vampire couple.
Seth inclined his head. “We have recently received information that Sawyer Weston’s parents are also missing.”
Charles flinched slightly at the news.
My eyebrows rose. “Doesn’t Sawyer’s family live in Hemlock Hollow?”
“They do,” Seth confirmed. “My theory is that the Fae have paid a visit and are looking for the grimoire and have either frightened off his parents...or eliminated them.”
“I wonder,” I said half to myself, “if Sawyer went home to the hollow thinking he could simply disappear in a rural area, and the Fae caught up to him?”
“Or they were already at his parents’ home, waiting for them,” Charles added.
Seth leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and putting himself closer to me. “I want you and Charles to go to the Hollow. It is our understanding, Lorna, that you have had dealings with the Fae in the past, and that you also have a professional connection with Ruby Prentiss-Dragos.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could say anything Seth was plowing right along.
“Retrieve the Fae grimoire,” he said, “and either lock it away never to see the light of day again, or better yet bring it to me and I will personally destroy the damn thing. Find out who murdered Tadd and what became of the Westons. Help bring their assailant to justice.”
If anyone else—or any other Supe—had dared to give me an order, my argument and outrage would have been loud and long. However, I was face-to-face with an ancient Vampire and as I didn’t have a death wish…I zipped my lip and simply inclined my head.
Sometimes, discretion was in fact, the better part of valor.
“We will leave right away,” Charles was saying.
“Good.” Seth nodded. “The Fae cannot be allowed to run unchecked through the mortal realm, killing in their quest for old treasure.”
“Agreed,” Charles said.
Old treasure? I thought.
As one, Ekaterina and Seth rose to their feet, signaling the end of the meeting.
“I will expect daily updates from the two of you,” Seth said.
Now I stood as well, and then Nadia was back again to escort us both out. Charles moved beside me, resting his hand at the small of my back. I was grateful for it—for once. Because a small part of me was shaken by what had gone down.
Nadia accompanied us to the elevator, pressed the button and smiled. “The number for you to contact us with has been sent to your cell phones,” she said.
The elevator door slid open and Charles and I stepped inside.
“Thank you, Nadia,” he said.
I gave her a polite smile and waited until the doors slid closed.
“God damn it,” I said under my breath as soon as the elevator began to move. “Looks like we’re going to Hemlock Hollow.”
“You never told me you had a contact in Hemlock Hollow,” Charles said.
“You never asked,” I shot back.
“Can you be ready to leave by noon tomorrow?” he asked as he pulled his phone from his pocket.
“Yes.” I sighed, thinking of how I was about to lean very heavily on Dex and Kathleen to run the store.
He nodded as he shot off a text message. “I’ll make arrangements for Chloe to stay with my brother and his wife for the next few days.”
I blinked up at him. “You have a brother?”
“I do,” he said. “Are you comfortable with me arranging for our travel?”
“That’s fine,” I said. “But FYI, it’s about a seven-hour drive...maybe longer. And it’s a rural area. Gravel roads. One of your fancy luxury cars wouldn’t be a great idea. We’d stick out like a sore thumb. Also dress casually. No fancy suits. Dress like a regular person.”
“You wound me,” Charles said dryly and kept on texting away on his phone. “But I understand.” He only glanced up from his phone as the doors slid open. “I’ll text you later with details.”
“Okay.”
My driver was standing right outside the elevator, there waiting for me. “Magistra.” He inclined his head and gestured to the car that was parked only a few feet away. Then he walked over and opened the back passenger door for me.
“Thank you,” I said to him as I slipped inside the car.
Once the car door was shut, I sat back with a sigh.
I had a hell of a lot to do and prepare for—and only about twelve hours to pull it all off.
Pulling my phone from my purse, I began to fire off texts of my own.
First to Dex and Kathleen asking them to fill in for me for the next several days.
Dex was an instant yes, with no questions asked.
Kathleen was happy with a chance for more hours, and she also volunteered to water the gardens at my house while I was gone.
The final text message I sent was to a Witch friend of mine from the hollow, Ruby. She was also a bookseller. We’d met a few years back and had stayed in touch.
Hey girl, I texted. Looks like I’m coming to the hollow tomorrow.
She responded almost immediately: Looking forward to seeing you. Damien told me what was in the wind about an hour ago.
Damien was her husband and active in Vampire/ Supe politics. Which was probably how the Olarescus had known of my connection to Ruby.
How’s Xander doing these days? I texted next, asking about her son.
He skipped right over his terrible twos, and is a mini terrorist now that he’s three, she texted back.
Can’t wait to see you both, I replied.
See you tomorrow, she responded.
I ended the text message chain. A text, while not very secure, was still one of the quickest ways to communicate with a fellow Witch that lived several states away…
and if anyone happened to see it or intercept it, they would see nothing other than two friends chatting.
Cell phone conversations were a risk—landlines were still the most secure method for speaking, which is why I had one at my house.
Selecting the notes app on my phone I began to make a list of what I would need to bring with me—clothes and magickal supplies—for the trip.
I’d been home for less than an hour when my house phone rang. Very few people had the number to my landline and so I checked the read-out on the phone, recognized the caller and picked up the receiver in my bedroom.
“Hello, Granny.”
“Lorna Josephine Southern...” she began in a lecturing tone.
“Uh-oh,” I said, “you’re using my government name. I must be in trouble.”
“I’ve been having nightmares and visions about you for the past few weeks! Something about bats and blood and a book that glows with golden light. You tell me what is happening down there in Birmingham and tell me right now, young lady.”
With a quiet sigh, I sat on the edge of my bed and explained the situation. I respected my Granny too much to be anything other than honest with her. “A grimoire belonging to Charles Montgomery was stolen by his assistant from his personal library.”
“Montgomery. That’s the grand high poobah of ceremonialists from the rich part of town.”
“You never miss a trick, Granny.”
“Just because I choose to live in the Appalachians doesn’t mean I’m stupid,” she reminded me.
“The thief was a member of the lodge and his name is Sawyer,” I said, as I began to pull clothes out to pack.
“His girlfriend worked for me as my secretary for Witch community business. And we discovered that shortly after the grimoire was taken that she had cleaned out our Witches Ball account and that those two had skipped town together.”
“Shelby?” Granny asked. “I think I met her the last time I visited you. Blonde hair and she worked at the University?”
“Yes, that’s Shelby.”
“Lord almighty,” Granny breathed. “Tell me the rest.”
“Sawyer and Shelby had a roommate named Tadd. He was found murdered about the same time the couple disappeared. And to add to the trouble, I recently learned that their roommate was blood bound to a local Vampire House.”
“Sonofabitch!” Granny hissed.
“Exactly,” I replied.
“So, the Vampires are out for blood.”
“Granny.” I shook my head. “That’s a terrible pun.”
“I’m right though,” she insisted. “Which Vampire House?”
“House Olarescu.”
My grandmother began to swear, but eventually she wound down. “How soon do you leave for the hollow?” she asked.
“Soon,” I said, hauling my giant tote bag from under the bed. “Tomorrow, I imagine.”
“You be careful in Hemlock Hollow,” she said. “The Fae, they play dangerous games.”
“I’m not likely to forget.”
“I’m sorry, darlin’,” she said in a completely different and softer tone. “I didn’t mean to bring back bad memories.”
“It’s okay, Granny,” I was quick to assure her.