Page 24

Chapter 24

A prickle rose up the back of my neck as the phone rang. All I had to do was keep my wits about me and nothing would go wrong. This was going to be a simple business transaction; I would get the info I needed and they would get paid. No selling my soul or whatever else they demanded.

“How did you get this number?” A sly voice answered on the other end so abruptly I nearly dropped my phone.

“Stole it,” I said. No need to beat around the bush. Besides, if anyone should understand theft, it was this person. “I have a proposition for you.”

A long pause made me wonder if they had hung up.

“And who did you steal this number from, little dove?” they asked.

I tried my hardest not to bite back at their chosen nickname for me. “Asher.”

A wry chuckle on the other end had me massaging my forehead. Whenever Asher spoke to this person, they always seemed to just do business in the space of thirty seconds and then call it a day. There was no doubt about it, I needed to earn this person’s respect.

“Oh, please tell me I’m speaking with Beatrix Bishop.” They spoke my old name as if they were enjoying a decadent truffle.

“Not Bishop,” I said, sharply. “Silver.”

“That’s right , you want to put some distance between them, don’t you?” Why did they sound so delighted? “I’m so glad you called. I’ve been asking Asher to get me in touch with you for such a long time.”

Discomfort slithered around in my gut like a venomous snake. What would this person want with me ? What did they already know about me and how?

“Why?” I asked. “And how do you know about me, anyway?”

“Oh, little dove. I make a point of knowing everything about the people I do business with, and let’s just say you caught my eye.”

I leaned back in my seat, the snake squeezing in my belly. This wasn’t exactly a good start. They knew a lot about me and I knew nothing about them.

“Does that mean you’re willing to do business?” I asked.

“Absolutely. What would you like? Intel? Dirt? I could always dig up a little something on that ex of yours.”

I snorted. “Let’s leave Asher out of this. I need you to do something you’ve done for us before, but just for me. I need you to track down a power for me.”

“What kind of power, little dove?”

“A power that can trace someone with precision.”

“And why don’t you just ask me to track them down for you?”

“Privacy,” I said. This person already knew enough about me without handing her the key to my deepest desire.

“Of course. Consider it done.”

“How much do I owe you?” I asked.

“We’ll get to that part at a later date, little dove.”

“No, we’ll get to it now.” I added a little spice to my tone. “Asher’s told me enough that I know not to leave payment an open-ended question. We’re going to negotiate, right now.”

The silence that followed made me worry that I’d spooked them, but a moment later, they returned with ice creeping along each syllable.

“Very well, Beatrix. All I want from you is a favour that only you can give.”

“Which is?”

“When the time comes, I want you to steal a power for me. Nice and simple.”

I ran my thumb up and down the handle of the coffee mug. That did sound simple. A piece of the puzzle I needed in exchange for a service I provided anyway? It sounded too good to be true, but at this point I couldn’t avoid to be picky.

“Done,” I said.

The moment I had spoken the word, a sizzling noise reached my ears, followed by the white-hot burn of pain on my left forearm.

I nearly dropped the phone again, but quickly fumbled it into my right hand and pulled my sleeve down with my teeth. Black ink spread across my skin like a stingray through the ocean, but a split second later, it dissolved, leaving behind a rune.

“What is this?” I asked.

“You’re a druid, aren’t you? You should know what the rune means.”

Promise. They had bound me to them in a magical contract that I had verbally signed.

“You never mentioned this,” I said.

“This is a service, little dove. The terms are discussed and agreed to,” they replied, their tone as casual as if they were ordering a fruity cocktail at a beachfront bar.

“And what about exit clauses?”

“Oh, Beatrix. You aren’t really telling me you’d want to take a step away from your dream now, are you?”

My jaw clenched as I looked the rune over with a more critical eye. How stupid was I to think that they didn’t already know what I was doing and why? But regardless, they were right. I wouldn’t have backed out even if they gave me the opportunity.

“No,” I said.

“Then consider our agreement binding. Look out for my email with everything you need.”

They hung up, the dial tone ringing in my ear for a solid minute before I had the wherewithal to put my phone down.

I ran my fingers over the rune. Promise.

As much as I needed the intel this person was going to get me, my gut screamed its distress, and I doubted it was down to breakfast.

What had I just signed up for?

My escape for some breathing room hadn't exactly made me feel freer, I realised as I parked my bike back in the house garage. That phone call had contorted the bars of my cage even closer, and the claustrophobia only increased. Worse still, I had a mark on my body that I would have to hide. Asher had enough experience with this person to know what the mark meant. Long sleeves it was for the time being.

The sun was on its way up so I set about making breakfast, turning on every hob and dumping bacon, eggs, and hash browns into frying pans. It kept me busy as a war waged in my head; had I done the right thing? Being beholden to someone, especially someone whose identity remained a mystery to me, was something I despised. But what other option was there? Who else would find the power I needed?

Whoever they were, they were right: I needed to find Romilda too badly to let my doubts get in the way. If they wanted a grimoire, they would have one, and then I could get rid of this mark once and for all. Nice and simple, just like they said.

Priya was the first one down, as always, and was still rubbing her eyes when she walked in. She had on a sarong-style skirt that morning, and a blouse adorned with gold thread and intricate, colourful designs. Given the dropping temperatures, it was safe to say she was having a day at home.

She blinked at me for a few moments, as if surprised to see me there. It was true, my household responsibilities had slipped since my breakup with Asher, and they had all been really generous in allowing me leeway. With so much on my mind, a little housework definitely wouldn’t hurt, even if I didn't have the energy. I needed to keep busy.

"Need a hand?" she asked.

"Sure."

We cooked together in silence, the eggshells barely cracking beneath our feet. When I went to put the plates out, Priya eyed the stack in my hands.

"We only need six," she said, flipping a piece of bacon. "Asher left late last night."

I nodded, put one of the plates back in the cabinet, and turned my back on her to set the table. Finally, the tears had dried up, and a prominent but dulled ache pulsed in my core. I knew from the past just what a true, all encompassing numbness meant: emotions too severe to handle. Did I even feel sad that he was gone, or was I happy to have the space to cope?

Sorting out my emotions was hard enough, but sinking into this fog and numbness made even deciding what I was feeling harder still.

Before I had put the final plate down, an arm wrapped around my neck and Priya pulled me into a one-armed side hug.

"You're a real trooper," she said, ruffling my hair with her other hand. I pulled a face at her. "I wouldn't have handled my ex coming home nearly as well as you have."

I snorted. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah! You haven't fought with him or anything, you've just kept your head down. I'm proud of you, Bea. This couldn't have been an easy time for you."

Finally, something broke through the uncomfortable cushioning that had enveloped my ability to feel. A tsunami of sorrow crashed through the numbness, smashing it into shards of glass that pierced my core in too many places to stem the flow of agony.

Tears spilled down my cheeks and the remaining plate clattered out of my hands and onto the table.

"Oh, Bea !" Priya wrapped her arms around me and I buried my face in her shoulder as sobs wracked my entire body. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

Even if I wanted to tell her, I couldn't. How Asher's return and all he had said and done had left me hollow again. How I had thought when he first arrived that just having to live with him would be the worst of my problems. If only. Avoiding him would have left me far less heartbroken than this.

Priya sat me down and took a chair next to me, and holding onto both my hands, she leaned right into my space. "Don't tell me you've been holding this all in the whole time and dealing with Penny?"

I chuckled in between the sobs and grabbed a napkin off the table, burying my face in it. Taking care of Penny's problems had been a welcome distraction from my own, but even then Edward had taken that off my plate, too. Selfish git.

The urge to tell her everything pushed words up my throat, but my lips were too occupied with sobbing to let anything else past them. Priya let me cry for a little while, squeezing my hand and rubbing my back as I folded over to press the napkin to my eyes. As if that would stop the tears. In that moment, I doubted anything would.

But before long, my energy drained away with my tears, and I straightened up, sniffing. I met Priya's gaze, her eyes brimming with sympathy.

I wanted to tell her all about what had happened between Asher and me; what he had said to me, and how he had helped me take one more step toward finding out about my prophecy. Most of all, I wanted to tell her about the deal I had just made to take the very next step, and how at my core, I wondered if I had made a mistake in doing a deal with this unknown contact.

I sniffed again and looked into her eyes, the confessions ready to spill from between my lips.