Malice (23 page)

“I really doubt that. I’ll be expecting him, too. It goes without saying that you two need to come alone.

“You have half an hour,” he reminded.

Before I could respond, he hung up.

I removed the phone from my ear and stared at it a moment, trying to grasp what had just happened.

“This is a bad idea,” Tristan said. “You know that, right? That it’s actually a
terrible
idea?”

He had been standing so close that he’d undoubtedly heard every word.

“He has my mom. And my sister.” I said nothing else because I didn’t think any further explanation was needed.

“You do know I’m coming with you, right?”

“He doesn’t know for sure that you’re with me right now. You don’t need to go to the cemetery.”

“I don’t give a damn what he thinks. I
do
need to be there because you’re not going alone. I’ll be careful. But I’m coming with.”

His tone left no room for argument. I didn’t care. I argued anyway.

“I don’t want to take that chance.”

“He doesn’t need to know I’m with you. He won’t see me.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because by the time we get there, I’ll have a plan. Now, if you’re sure this is what you want to do, we should go. Are you ready?”

I shoved my phone into my pocket and glanced around the small cottage. I hadn’t left anything of mine lying around simply because I hadn’t come in with anything other than the clothes I wore and the phone in my pocket.

I glanced at the kitchen. The mess from our dinner was gone. Tristan had used magic to take care of it. The rest of the cottage looked untouched as well. I turned to him to tell him I was ready to go.

He held his phone in his hands. He was obviously texting.

“What are you doing?” I cried. “You can’t tell anyone where we’re going. You heard him!” I tried to grab his phone but he was finished and neatly stuffed it into his pocket. He grabbed me by the shoulders and held me gently. His face was set into a look of pure determination.

“Sam, listen to me. I know what Levi said. I also know that it would be beyond stupid to put ourselves at his mercy and not let anyone know where we’re headed.”

“Please tell me you didn’t let The Council know,” I begged.

“Of course not. I told Alex.”

“Alex? Why?”

“Because if he happens to show up at the cemetery, he won’t look so out of place. If anyone from The Council showed up, it would look like an obvious ambush. Besides,” he said morosely, “if something bad goes down, Alex might be the one we want to have on hand anyway.”

It took me a few moments to get what he was saying. Not because I didn’t comprehend it, but because I was, yet again, in denial.

“If Levi strips Magnolia’s spirit, you want Alex to be there to capture it.” I blinked hard, trying to chase the tears away. A few escaped and I swiped at them with the back of my hand.

“Sam—”

“I’m fine,” I interrupted. “We don’t have time for me to have a breakdown. Let’s go. We need to get my mom and sister back.”

“Did you come up with a plan?” I asked Tristan.

“I did. I don’t want you to worry about anything,” he said.

I gave him a look that said he had to be out of his mind for making such a ridiculous request.

I glanced around The Bella Luna. It was dark, the curtains were drawn. Usually this time of night the windows were lit up. Even on the very rare occasions that no one was home Mom always left a light on inside.

It looked abandoned and desolate in its darkened state.

“Sam?”

I turned to face Tristan. His fingers tapped across the steering wheel of the commandeered car. I wasn’t entirely sure how he’d managed to obtain it for us. I was fairly certain a good amount of magic and thievery were involved.

“I don’t see any good way out of this,” I admitted. “We don’t know exactly what Levi has planned.”

“And he doesn’t know what I have planned, either. I’d say that levels the playing field a bit.”

“So what is your plan? You dodged the question before.”

“I think that the less you know the better off you’ll be.”

“Tristan! You can’t leave me in the dark like that!”

He’d been somberly quiet the entire drive to my house. One glance at his expression and I could practically hear his mind at work. Tristan was like that. He was a thinker. A planner. And possibly the smartest person I knew.

“Think about it. If I don’t tell you what’s going on, then Levi can’t drag it out of you. It’s important that I have the element of surprise on my side,” he insisted.

Under other circumstances I would’ve argued. Not tonight, though. Tonight I had somewhere I needed to be. I wished I’d been able to come up with a plan of my own. If needed, I had every intention of using my magic to get me out of a bind. I only wished my magic was stronger than it was.

“So that’s it?” I asked. “This is where we go our separate ways?”

He’d brought me here so I could get my car. He thought it was best if I showed up at the cemetery on my own.

“Yeah, it is. I promise to do whatever I can to keep you safe. But I need to know that you trust me. You
need
to trust me if we’re going to pull this off.”

His eyes drilled into me and I nodded.

“Of course I do.”

He shifted in his seat and pulled his leather band out of his pocket.

“Here, take this,” he said. “Take it for good luck.”

I reached for it with trembling fingers. Maybe I should’ve protested but just the thought of having Tristan’s talisman with me made me feel better.

“Thank you,” I said. I laid my wrist in my lap, preparing to put it on.

“No,” Tristan said. “Put it in your pocket. Keep it somewhere that Levi won’t see it.”

I hesitated only a moment before doing as I was told.

“Come here,” he said.

I leaned forward and he pulled me into a quick, tight hug. He pressed a kiss onto the side of my head. I wrapped my arms around him, silently cursing Levi Devane for coming to our town.

“We better get going,” Tristan said. His arms slid away and I moved back toward the door.

“You’re going to the cemetery?”

“No questions. Remember? It’s safer that way.”

“
Tristan
!” I growled in frustration.

I glanced at the clock. My half hour was almost up. Did I sit here and pepper Tristan with questions, hoping he’d give in? Was I willing to take the chance that Levi wasn’t going to hold me to his timeline?

“Okay, how is this. Keep him talking. Keep him talking for as long as possible. That will buy me a little more time. Get as much information as you can out of him. Anything that will help us locate those thieves who stole Jude and Bree’s bodies.”

“That’s all you’re going to give me?” I stared at him in disbelief.

“It’s important that we get information out of him. The longer you can stall him, the better.”

“You’re basically asking me to go in there blind!”

“You have your magic Sam. It’s strong. If you need to use it, don’t hesitate. But I’ll be there. I’ll have your back. I swear to you. Even if you don’t see me, I’ll be there. Levi will have to go through me to get to you.”

“You promise this is going to work?” I asked.

He nodded. “I promise. There’s still so much more I need to tell. When this is all over, I’ll tell you everything.”

“You have more secrets?” I asked.

He nodded. “I have more secrets. But I don’t want to keep anything from you. Not anymore. So everything
has
to work out. It has to because there’s so much more I need to tell you.”

I wanted to question him now but I didn’t have time.

He leaned across me and opened my door. “Now go. Let’s get this over with.”

I hesitated but only for a moment. In that moment I let myself soak up every detail of Tristan’s sweet face. His pale green eyes.  His rumpled hair. His reassuring smile. I blinked hard and then slid from the car, knowing if I hesitated a moment longer, I wouldn’t be able to hold back the tears.

“See you soon, Sammy Jo,” he said.

“Bye, Tristan.” I closed the door of the stolen vehicle. I glanced over my shoulder. Tristan was intently watching me, making sure I got into the Comet safely. As soon as I was inside, the engine running, he raised his hand in a salute. Then he rolled out of the driveway. I waited until his taillights were out of sight before leaving as well.

The drive to the cemetery was less than five minutes. My Comet creaked and groaned over every bump and rut. I edged as close to the fence as I could before parking.

I gripped my steering wheel so hard my hands ached. The black iron gates of the cemetery loomed directly in front of me.

I hated not being filled in on Tristan’s plan. But I had to admit he had a point. Levi couldn’t manipulate me into telling him something I didn’t know.

Furthermore, after what I’d seen him do last night I had a hunch he was capable of holding his own.

Still, that didn’t mean that I liked it, or that I approved.

But I didn’t have time to dwell on that now. My mom and sister were nearby; somewhere within the confines of the cemetery’s fence. I tried to dredge up some confidence as I alighted from the Comet. For just a moment I was hit by a wave of panic. I wanted to crawl back inside, drive far away, and let someone who knew what they were doing handle the situation.

I immediately shoved the cowardly thoughts aside. I slammed my door shut and took off toward the mausoleum. The stone walls stood out against the backdrop of the plum colored sky.

The gravel crunched with each step I took. My fear began to fade and anger took its place. No one had the right to terrorize a child. Magnolia’s voice had been dripping with fear. Her fear only bolstered my determination.

I stalked past the gate, past the headstones, the mausoleum the center of my attention. It seemed so quiet. The entire cemetery did. The usual fluttering of spirits seemed to be absent. This time of night, with darkness falling, they were usually the most active. This time of night, they were easiest to spot. I caught a glimpse of a few, here and there off in the distance. Any other night they wouldn’t hesitate to swarm closer. I found myself wondering if Levi’s malevolent presence was scaring them away.

I reached the old, stone building and rounded the corner to find the door. It was old, the white paint cracked and peeling off in places. The decorative door handle felt icy under my palm. The hinges creaked when I pulled it open; announcing my arrival in case anyone had missed it.

I took a step inside and was immediately wrapped in cool, damp air. I shuddered as the musty scent hit my nostrils.

The door swung shut behind me. I cringed as I took another step into the dimly lit confines of the building. A soft glow from within kept it from being completely dark. The glow flickered, danced across the cement floor and the brick walls. Somewhere further in, candles must be lit.

“Well, hello, there. We’ve been expecting you.” A woman moved toward me, coming from the dimly lit door at the opposite end. It wasn’t until she was directly in front of me that I saw her face.

“Bree?”

“You can call me Bree,” she said. She had a slight southern accent and she was soft spoken. It seemed out of place with the jeans and simple red tee shirt she wore. “I rather like that name. I have a handy driver’s license to match. It fits the times so much better than the name I was given. Hazel is so…dated.”

So Tristan and Alex were right. The spirits had been stripped to turn the bodies into vessels. Vessels that were waiting to be filled with someone else’s spirit.

It was creepy and terrifying all at once. I tried to pretend it wasn’t.

I straightened my spine and willed my voice not to quake. “Where are my mother and sister?”

“They’re at home, dear. Sound asleep in their beds.” She leaned forward and winked at me. “Very, very sound asleep in their beds. At the risk of sounding like a braggart, I have some lovely spell casting abilities. They should sleep for several more days, as long as no one disturbs them.”

I stared at her a moment as my eyes adjusted to the poor lighting. Was she serious? Were they really safe? Had they been in The Bella Luna while I was getting my car out of the driveway? Relief mixed with anger flooded over me.

The irony was almost too much to believe. “You’re lying.”

She patted my shoulder. “Levi lived up to his end of the deal. Now it’s time for you to live up to yours.”

The hand that rested on my shoulder tightened. She tried to tug me forward. Now that I knew Mom and Magnolia weren’t here, the need to flee was overpowering. I dug in my heels and braced myself. The moment her grip loosened in the slightest, I would bolt for the door.

Or not.

Tristan wanted me to get some answers. Mom and Magnolia were safe but there was still so much we didn’t know.

And where was Jude? Well, not
Jude
, exactly…

I decided to do as Tristan asked for the time being. I let my body go limp in her grip as I began with my inquisition.

“What exactly is it that he wants from me?”

“Why, your vessel of course.”

“Calling it a vessel sounds so
impersonal
, don’t you think? Or is that the point? Does it make it easier that way? Does it help you to forget that you’re destroying a life?”

“It’s all a matter of semantics,” she said with a shrug.

“Why me?”

She eyed me up. “Do you really think you’re in the position to be asking questions?”

“Most definitely not,” I grimly agreed. “But what will it hurt to answer? Who am I going to tell?” I let out a bitter laugh as I motioned toward the empty cavern. “If I’m going to die, don’t you think I at least deserve to know why?”

“Because growing old is tedious business,” she said, not clarifying things in the least.

I was silent, waiting for her to elaborate.

She sighed.

“The Striga have found their own version of the Fountain of Youth, if you will. Only instead of drinking from that mysterious source, we simply exchange our aging bodies for a new one. Our numbers are low enough as it is. We see no point in letting ourselves die out completely. Not when we have the means to stop it.” She looked at me with raised eyebrows, wondering if she’d explained things well enough.

I swallowed the lump of dread that had been building in my throat.

Keep her talking. Get information
, I thought.

“Why Bree and why Jude?”

She cocked her head to the side contemplatively. “If we’re going to all of the trouble to make a transfer, then it seems only prudent to make the most of it. Why move into a vessel that is weak? Or one that is old? One that is lacking in magic? Why, when we can handpick the vessel and magical ability that is to our liking?”

“So you chose Bree?”

“To be honest with you dear, I would’ve preferred to have chosen your sister. But there are complications with that I didn’t have the patience for.”

“What kind of complications?”

“My my, you are just full of questions, aren’t you?”

“If it was your family’s life at stake, wouldn’t you be full of questions?” I volleyed back.

“I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out by now. Little Magnolia would pose a problem. The girl is far too young. If a child of that age went missing, the authorities wouldn’t let it rest. Not until the girl was found. We avoid minors if at all possible. Not to mention, who would take a child of that age seriously? Can you imagine being my age and being stuffed into the body of a
child
? What a predicament
that
would be. She’s not even old enough to purchase some of the finest potion making herbs. Not to mention the uproar it would cause if she took off in a car. Or the dilemma it would be to try to rent an apartment.”

“On the other hand,” I said, “Bree was eighteen. An adult. And you made it look as though she took off on her own free will. It was the same with Jude.”