Chapter 7
My eyes flutter open and I look around the room, trying to figure out if I’m awake or still dreaming. I can feel Jacques next to me. Still naked, his skin is warm against mine. He inhales, and I can feel his chest rise and fall. He turns a page in a book and shifts his weight.
“Ace?” he asks softly.
“Yeah?”
“You’re breathing hard. Are you all right?”
I squeeze my eyes closed and wait a beat, making sure this isn’t a dream.
“I had a weird dream. Well, I think it was a dream.” I roll over and Jac puts his book down.
“What happened?”
I sit up, holding the blankets around myself. Not because I’m shy to sit here naked, but because I’m suddenly cold.
“I saw Braeya again.”
Jac pushes himself up on the mattress, moving the pillows behind us. He pulls me into his embrace and I feel better almost right away. “Did she talk to you?”
“Yes. She said when the spell reaches its thousandth year, you will turn to stone forever.”
Jacques falls silent for a moment as he considers it. “I suppose that could happen.”
I push away, looking at him with wide eyes. “You suppose?”
“Yes. A thousand years is a very long time. Many spells have constraints.”
“Why are you so calm?” I scramble to get out of bed, set on going right to my book, the internet, and the library, and doing every single fucking thing I can think of to break this curse.
“Ace,” Jac starts, grabbing my arm. “Come back to bed.”
“Why? So I can relish in what might be our last time?”
He cocks an eyebrow. “Even if I do turn to stone forever on the thousandth year of the curse, it’s weeks away. This won’t be our last time.”
My chest tightens and tears prick the corners of my eyes. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t.” He folds his arms around me. “I promise you, you won’t lose me.”
He kisses me, lips crashing against mine in a fury. We fall back onto the mattress, and Jacques moves over top of me. He brushes my hair back and kisses me again.
“Everything is going to be fine.”
I swallow hard. “You’re a terrible liar, you know.”
He smiles weakly. “I know.”
The distant sound of a car echoes through the room, and Jacques sits up and looks outside. “They’re back with the pizza. We should go downstairs.”
“Right.”
“Ace,” he starts, holding me close once more before we get out of bed. “Let’s keep this between us. Just for now.”
I nod, clenching my jaw shut. The only reason he’d ask me not to bring it up is because he knows it’s true.
I only have a few weeks to break this curse before the guys are gone forever.
“Whose ass are we kicking tonight?” Thomas reaches for his fifth slice of pizza.
“No one’s,” I reply. “Unless you want to test me.” I wink and wipe my hands on a napkin. I forced down one piece of pizza but have lost my appetite. I knew time was of the essence with breaking the curse, but now it’s more pressing than ever.
“We should work on your defense,” Hasan says seriously. “You shouldn’t rely solely on magic.”
“I know,” I agree. “And I don’t. I’m a cop, remember? I’ve spent my whole career training.”
“You train to subdue. You need to train to kill.”
I nod, looking Hasan in the eye. “I know.”
“If it’s a person,” Gemma starts, “are you still going to kill them? I mean…murder is still murder and you can get in trouble for that. Never mind it’s, well, murder.”
“There’s a difference between murder and self-defense,” I tell her, though it really feels like I’m justifying a kill for later. “Who knows if it’ll come to that anyway.”
“The fucker sent a golem loose in the city to get your attention. It’s already come to that,” Gilbert quips.
I can’t disagree. Whoever is behind this is dangerous.
Arresting them and sticking them in jail might not do the trick, and I can’t even be sure I’ll be able to arrest them.
“Magically sending a golem after an officer of the law won’t stand up in court. ”
“Do you think there’s hidden magical artifacts in the house?” Gemma asks, looking around the dining room. At first her question seems silly, but then it seems entirely possible.
“The book was hidden in the basement,” I say. “So I guess it’s possible.”
“Did you go through all the boxes down there?” Thomas asks.
“Kind of. I looked in them but didn’t dump every single one out and sort through it. Most looked like they were full of junk, which, now that I think about it, could be a great cover. Unless it got tossed, but maybe my aunt was assuming whoever moved in would be a packrat like her.”
“We should go through them,” Jacques tells us. “Tomorrow.” His eyes meet mine. “We never did get to enjoy a movie night.”
“Right.” I smile, thankful for him making sure I get a low-key night. He knows I’m stressed to the max worrying about them turning to stone right before my eyes. “Yesterday seems like so long ago.”
“So…say you do find something valuable,” Gemma goes on. “Then what? You hide it where no one can find it?”
I shake my head. “I guess it would depend on what it is.” I pick at the crust of my pizza. “If it’s something dangerous, I’d consider destroying it.”
“Really?” Gemma’s eyes widen.
“We’ve all seen enough movies to know what happens when you try to keep some sort of super-powerful magical item. I don’t want this to turn into an Elder Wand situation or something.”
“The book,” Gil says slowly. “It’s full of spells.” He looks at Jacques and I know what he’s thinking.
“Yes,” he starts. “The book could be considered dangerous. The spells have been perfected over hundreds of years and it’s full of information you won’t find anywhere else.”
“That sounds pretty damn dangerous to me,” Gemma says so seriously I laugh.
“Of course it is. But something tells me that’s not what this guy is after. It’s too…it’s too easy.”
“Lyra said the stuff is worth a lot of money.” Gemma flicks her eyes to mine. “Would you consider selling it if it wasn’t dangerous?”
“No way.” I shake my head. “Even if it was some stupid painting with no powers or significance to my family, I wouldn’t on principle. I can be petty, and sending a golem to attack my city just to get my attention brings out the pettiest bitch in me.”
Gemma smiles. “Good. Or you could sell a fake.”
“I think it’s safe to say this person will know the difference between a relic and something fake,” Thomas tells her.
“We’re getting ahead of ourselves,” I say, trying to downplay the situation. There’s something else I want to focus on tonight.
“Exactly,” Hasan says, and for a second I think he’s going to agree with me on letting this go—if only for tonight. “This person knows you have pyrokinetic powers.”
I close my eyes in a long blink, feeling a headache coming on. Normally, hashing things out and painfully going over each and every detail three or four times is my jam. It’s how I think, the way I process shit, and usually the way I come to a solution.
But one of the weirdest things about becoming a witch—other than actually becoming a witch—is how it’s making me change my everyday routines and thought processes.
“Yeah, I know.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “It was a test. Not only to see if I’d go after it, thus proving I’m a witch, but also to test my powers. I faced it and didn’t die. How hard is it to learn a new power?” I wrinkle my nose. “Maybe ice-powers. You know, the total opposite.”
“It’s possible but difficult,” Jacques starts, missing my sarcasm.
“She’s joking,” Gilbert whisper-yells.
“I am,” I assure Jac. “But if it’s possible, I’ll work on it. As long as I’m a witch I’m going to be targeted by demons, humans, and other witches.” I shrug. “Best be prepared.”
“You will be.” Gemma gives me an encouraging nod. “I believe in you.”
“Thanks,” I say. “And speaking of believing in me…I think I should take another crack at the curse tonight.”
“Tonight of all nights?” Hasan lifts his eyebrows.
“Yeah.” I try to keep my voice level. “I haven’t tried to channel anything in a while. I’ve gotten better with tapping into my powers since the last time I tried. I might be able to see something different this time.”
“As long as you feel up to it,” Jacques says casually. Thank you, Jac.
“I do.” I look around the table. “Who wants to try it with me this time?”
The twins look at each other and Hasan avoids my eye. “I can,” Jacques offers. “I was closest to Braeya, after all.”
“Who’s Braeya again?” Gemma asks.
“I’ll explain later,” I say, getting up and clearing my spot at the table. I drink a big glass of water and take an Advil, preparing for the aftermath of channeling the curse. We work together to get things set up, going about this pretty much the exact same way as before.
“Catch me if I fall backward?” I ask Hasan as I sit on the floor.
“Of course.”
I close my eyes, reaching for the bowl of herbs. Jacques sits inside the circle of candles with me and holds out his hands. I invoke the herbs, using my magic to light them on fire. The smoke wafts around us and I reach out, taking Jacques’s hands.
Show me the curse. This time, there’s no delay.
I’m pulled backwards almost right away, and things unfold just like they did before.
Show me the curse. I’m in the forest, and the night is dark and cool.
Something dark moves through the shadows before me.
I know what’s going to happen and my stomach clenches.
When I channeled the curse before with Gil, he was able to see what I was seeing. And that means Jacques will see. He told me he didn’t think he really loved her, but he remembers how he felt when he was under her spell.
Braeya had just gone to see Jacques to warn him of her father’s plans. He gave her a crucifix, and I can feel the cool metal cross in her hand. She’s leaving the church and is about to get ambushed by fellow Templar Knights, who beat, rape, and kill her.
The curse. I don’t need to go through her final moments. Things move as if I hit fast-forward, but the pain hits me in waves, and I can’t skip over the feeling of lying there on the ground, cold and lifeless.
It’s weird how I’m feeling everything she felt, but it’s like I’m standing on the sidelines, watching her body on the ground.
Then someone rushes forward, screaming and cursing before breaking down.
Once Braeya’s father scoops her up, I’m back inside her body, looking out at the world through dead eyes.
I get glimpses of the woods around us, of the stars shining in the night sky.
Darkness starts to swirl around me, and the next time I’m able to see, I’m inside a small house.
Yes…this is exactly where I need to be. This is when the curse is cast, and if I could just move, transfer my channeling to Braeya’s father instead of her, then I’d see everything I need to see.
Move…come on…move. Braeya’s head is turned to the side, facing a wall. Herbs hang around me, and I recognize the smell of sage and sandalwood. Light from a new fire illuminates the room, and the spell starts.
Braeya’s father starts chanting while tears fall from his eyes. He needs Braeya’s blood for the spell, and I can feel the cold knife press against my skin. It doesn’t hurt when it slices through my skin. He slices her other arm, collecting more of her blood.
This is as far as I’ve seen. I tighten my grip on Jacques’s hands. It’s getting hard to concentrate, and holding us here in this vision is quickly draining my energy.
Braeya’s father dips his finger into the cup of blood and draws some sort of symbol on Braeya’s forehead. He’s speaking in Latin, and while I don’t know what he’s saying, Jacques will.
We might finally get a clue on how to break this fucking curse.
The flames in the fireplace grow bigger and bigger, and her father lifts the cup of blood in the air. He chants louder, voice filled with anger.
Move…move…I imagine myself stepping out of Braeya’s body and into her father’s.
I get a weird feeling in my chest, kind of like that falling sensation I get when I’m drifting off to sleep.
Everything turns pitch black for a split second, and then I’m there, standing behind Braeya and her father.
The shift in perspective throws me, and I’m suddenly dizzy.
Hasan puts his hand on my shoulder. I’m having a hard time standing up in the vision, and my balance is off for real too, even though I’m sitting. I’m losing my grip, and I know I’ll come back to the here and now at any second. I need to look around, I need to find something more.
I turn, feeling like I’m underwater and fighting the current at the same time. It takes a great deal of strength just to move my head. There’s a book on the table beside us, and I glance down at it. My vision is hazy, but I get a clear view of the sketch in the middle of the page.
It’s a jackal, and not just any old one. It’s Anubis.
I start to fall back and Jacques pulls his hands from mine, breaking the connection. Hasan catches me, and Gemma quickly moves candles out of the way so Hasan can scoop me up and bring me to the couch.
“Ace?” he asks softly. “Are you with us?”
“Yeah,” I say, unable to open my eyes. Being ripped away from a vision I’d put so much of my own energy into is like riding the Tilt-A-Whirl one too many times after having a few shots of tequila. “Just give me a minute,” I mumble.
“Did you see it too?” Gil asks Jacques.
“I did,” he replies. “Maybe not as clearly as Ace, but I saw bits and pieces.”
“And you’re going to say you saw just enough to break this fucking curse, right?” Thomas asks, only half joking.
“I saw enough,” Jacques starts. “Enough to know that it’s going to take an equal loss to break the curse.”