Chapter 9
Nine
SOPHIE
SALEM
Tish lets out a squeal of delight as she zooms into our new apartment, which is located downtown and near the border to dragon shifter territory.
Larsson van Praag, the dragon kingpin, has always kept his people away from the conflict between the two vampire factions, never fully committing to any side.
My father believes that hasn’t changed, even though he tried to pit the dragons against Raphael and failed.
I stand on the entry foyer and take a moment to look around my new home.
All the windows have automatic shutters that lower before sunrise, and they’re hidden by off-white heavy curtains.
The walls have been painted a soft lavender save for the one behind the purple couch that has a big flower pattern wallpaper.
“I didn’t know where you wanted your violin, so I just kept it in the case.” Igor points at it.
My beloved violin is propped against the wall in a corner. All this time, I had assumed it had been lost along with our other belongings. “I can’t believe it didn’t sink with the Titanic.”
“It made sure it was safe.”
Something akin to warmth spreads across my chest, surprising me. I’m usually dead inside unless it’s anger. That I feel in spades.
“Thank you,” I say through a choke.
“Do you like it?” Igor, who’s standing next to me, asks.
“Yes, it’s lovely. Thanks for putting it all together.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Hey, don’t go taking all the credit,” Tish complains. “It only looks nice thanks to my input.”
“I know. Thank you so much, Tish.” I walk farther into the apartment, then drop my duffel bag near the couch and head over to the kitchen, which is in plain view. Tish calls it an “open concept.”
“The fridge is stocked with blood bags in case you’re hungry,” Igor says.
“Thanks, but I’m okay for now.”
Tish jumps onto the kitchen counter. “What about food for me?”
“Yeah, yeah. I got that too,” Igor replies.
I open the cabinets, looking for the ingredients I asked Igor to procure at the Nightshade Market. “Were you able to find everything on the list I gave you?”
“Yes, Miss Sophie.”
“I already asked you to call me Sophie.”
“Your father doesn’t like it.”
Smirking, I look over my shoulder. “He’s not here, is he?”
Igor blushes, then rubs the back of his neck. “Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”
“Yes, you whipped me into shape. And you said I was ready. Are you doubting yourself now?”
He stands straighter. “No, of course not. I… I worry, that’s all.”
I read guilt in his eyes. He wasn’t around when I was attacked, and I can see it weighs on him. “I’ll be fine. And I promise you, I’ll never let anyone hurt me again.”
They’ll regret the day they were born if they try. I curl my hands into fists as my fangs descend. Fury brews deep in my belly, ready to erupt. Secretly, I want someone to try something with me. I have all this pent-up anger that needs to be unleashed or I’ll go crazy.
“I’d better go, then. I don’t want to be seen here.” He pulls his hood up, concealing part of his face.
“All right. If I need anything, I’ll call you.”
He nods. “You do that.”
When Igor walks out, shutting the door behind him, Tish turns to me. “You know he’s probably going to lurk around, right?”
I frown. “Do you think my father asked him to spy on me?”
“Not spy per se. More like a bodyguard.”
That doesn’t work for me. I can’t have a tail on me while I’m trying to figure things out. I suppose I’ll have to be sneaky, then. I take the supplies Igor bought for me and lay them out on the counter.
“Oh, we’re doing witchy things now?” Tish sniffs them.
“Yes. I need a couple of potions.” I fish the old grimoire out of my purse.
“I got you a gift.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Now where did that baboon put it?” She jumps off the counter and rushes to the bookcase. “Oh, I think it’s on the top shelf.”
I walk over and inspect the books on the shelf. “You got me a book?”
“Yeah. It should have been wrapped, but I can see Igor didn’t do it.”
“Which one is it?”
“The one with the faded red leather.”
I pull out the book fitting that description and realize it’s an old diary.
The leather is battered, and the pages inside are yellow.
The cover of the diary doesn’t have any writing or symbols, but when I flip the pages and read some of the text, my heart skips a beat.
Wide-eyed, I turn to Tish. “Where did you find this?”
“At the Nightshade Market. The guy I got it from had no idea what he was selling. It was a bargain.” She laughs.
“This is wonderful. Thank you, Tish.”
“Are you going to perform any spells from it?”
I close the diary and put it back on the shelf. “Not tonight.”
I’ve been studying the arcane arts for centuries, and what Tish found is a treasure.
Just quickly glancing at its contents told me whoever owned it was an experienced and powerful witch.
Vampires don’t usually mess with witchcraft, but I’ve always been drawn to the occult.
Plus, I have magic within me, which I assumed I’d inherited from my mother.
Now that I know Queen Tatiana is the female who birthed me, I doubt my gift came from her.
If she could yield magic, she’d have used it against the usurper king and not relied on rogue mages.
“What type of potions are you talking about?”
“One for concealment so we can sneak out without Igor knowing. One for my hair—”
“Makeover time!” Tish yaps in delight. She’s been sending me several pictures for inspiration for the past two months, but I only decided on the look I want last night.
“Yes, you’ve been waiting for that.”
“Duh. Makeovers are fun.”
“Well, the last potion is the hardest one.”
“Human disguise?” Tish asks.
I nod. “Precisely. I don’t want anyone knowing I’m a vampire. This is my first recon outing. I want to know what I’m up against.”
“Oh, fun. Where are we going? Havoc?”
I shake my head. “No. That’s crawling with vampires and stupid humans.”
“You want a place where you can hear all the gossip from the supernatural community of Salem. If not Havoc, then we should check out Night Crawlers. I hear it’s a good mix of humans and supernaturals who prefer to keep their identity on the down-low.”
“Perfect.”
I don’t tell Tish, but I’m worried about going out in public. It’s been too long, and the last time I ventured out on my own, something awful happened. But I can’t let my fears keep me jailed. I have to see this through.