Page 28 of Slaying With Sylphs (Haven Ever After #6)

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

LOU

I stare up into a hooded face with no visible features, willing answers to spill from the wraith’s mouth. “I’ve seen him twice,” I continue. “Right after he hurt Amatheia and Bellami.”

“Marrrrked,” the wraith grits out. “Iffff you can seeee himmm, you are marrrrked by the rrrrrevenant.”

And here we are again. Somehow I’m the center of this dark magic bullshit despite not having an ounce of magic in my veins. Somehow, this is my fault. My shoulders stiffen.

The manager rounds the desk and stands next to me, removing his hands from his wide sleeves. He’s huge like this, probably twelve feet tall. He has to curl in half to bring his face to my level.

“Mayyyy I touch your foreheaaaaad?”

I nod, gulping around a knot in my throat. “I’m gonna need some answers, though, please. What’s a revenant? What does it mean to be marked? Why couldn’t my niece, Morgan, heal the victims if she’s a black witch?”

He reaches forward and places the tip of his thumb between my brows. For a long moment, I don’t breathe; I don’t think; all I can focus on is the scattered drumbeat of my heart. It feels like it’ll explode out of my chest. My friends, my males, stand frozen across the room.

The wraith sighs and straightens, floating backward a foot or two before he addresses our group. “Revenantssss are not evillll by nature. Typically, theyyyy are protectorssss of wayward, lossst souls. But the warlock Wesssllley’s magic bounnnnd Leighton heeeere in pain. Louanna was marrrked by Leighton in his finnnnal moments. Onnnnly sheee will seeeee him.”

Of fucking course.

Of. Fucking. Course!

“How do we unbind him?” I snip.

“Releassseeee him with the same black magic that bound him…”

Relief fills me. “Okay, so we get Morgan.” I turn to the group. “Maybe Vikand can help us research how to do th?—”

“Nooot Morgannnn Hectorrrr,” the wraith interrupts. “Sheeee issss a goood blaaaack witch… Sheeee isss a healllerrrr. Heeee musssst beee releasssed. Not heeealllled.”

Arkan speaks up, “That’s blue magic. There are no blue witches anywhere in the haven system.”

I spin and look at Dirk, my genius mate on all things hunt-y. “Dirk, have you heard of this? Got any ideas?”

His gaze falls, eyes flitting from side to side as he thinks. Eventually, he lifts his focus back to us. “I jest might, Louanna. Arkan and I can put our heads together.”

“Can you help us?”

Arkan’s question surprises me, and I turn to the wraith. The big monster shakes his head, slipping his hands back into his sleeves. “Nooot with darrrrk magiiiiic, Keeperrrr. Sorrrryyyyy.” With that, he returns around his desk and reseats himself. The half moon of wraith surrounding him float through the walls and ceiling and disappear.

“Let’s go,” Arkan says grimly.

I turn to follow. Dirk and Connall sandwich me between them as we leave, and I’d almost chuckle, except there’s nothing funny about this. They can’t see Leighton, can’t sense him or do anything about him. I feel…hopeless, like there’s a weight crushing my chest and refusing to allow air into my lungs.

By the time we get back to Richard’s truck, I’m in full fight-or-flight mode. How the hells are we gonna fix this?

“Eyes on me, Lou.” Connall’s directive snaps my focus to him. Green eyes are wide and concerned as he brings a hand to my throat and wraps his fingers around it. “We’ll figure this out, alright? Dirk has contacts all over the place, probably even some he shouldn’t, if my intuition is right.” He glances at Dirk. “Am I right? If anyone was hiding blue witch knowledge in their back pocket it would be you.”

Dirk rubs a hand over the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “Well, I was a bit of a fright as a younger man, so yeh. I might know a few folks dabbling in other magics. I’ll call ‘em.”

Arkan joins us. “Same. I was a horrible teenager, and I’ve kept up with some of those contacts. I didn’t want to share that so publicly, but I might know someone.”

I must give him an incredulous look, because his shoulders rise to his ears as he shrugs guiltily. “What? They were a lot of fun! I was a kid!”

“How are we going to fix this?” I whisper.

Richard joins us and claps a hand on Connall’s shoulder, staring grimly at his Second. “I don’t know, but we will. We have to, before anyone else gets hurt.”

I clench my jaw as I resolve to be part of the solution.

H ours later, I’m reorganizing the Alkemi checkout area with Malik. I insisted on going back to work, and Dirk and Connall insisted on Malik staying with me throughout my shift. They don’t want me to be alone at all, and while I appreciate the thought behind the mandate, it rankles too. I want to do more. I wish I could.

They’re working with Arkan and haven leadership to spread the word about what’s happened. The official recommendation is for monsters to remain inside, especially those in Shifter Hollow. I know it’s hard, though, because all the bigger monsters live here. Many of them spend a majority of their day outside their homes.

Still, fierce danger is within Ever’s wards. We can’t be too safe.

I’ve seen Leighton twice. Both times, he interacted with me but didn’t try to hurt me. Somehow, I think he either doesn’t intend to hurt me, or perhaps can’t. Because, surely, given my role in his death, he’d do that if he could?

I’m mulling that over when Malik taps me on the shoulder. When I turn, his eyes crinkle in the corners, his lips flat. He looks so worried.

“I won’t let him hurt you,” I state, straightening. I don’t know how I’m going to make good on that promise, but somehow, through sheer grit and moxie, I’ll make it happen.

Malik scoffs. “I’m hardly worried for myself, Lou. I’m worried about you, and Alba, of course, although she insisted, if I hovered, she’d kick me in the leg.”

I hold back a bitter laugh, because I can picture Alba pointing a long finger at Malik and shouting about being coddled.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve been through shit before. I’ll get through this shit now.”

He makes a disapproving sound under his breath and pulls me close to his body. Like this, my face is pretty much pressed to his belly button, but I’m going to pretend that’s not weird. He curls over and rubs the top of my back. It’s nice, and I appreciate it, but I?—

Shadows at the edges of the room flicker and shift, a display lamp turning off and cloaking that section of the wall display in darkness. Malik releases me as I stiffen and pull out of his embrace. The lamp blinks repeatedly, and then a dark figure steps out of the shadows.

Leighton.

I ball my fists as he sneers at me, that same oversized sneer that would have been too much when he was alive. It seems to stretch across his entire face.

Malik touches my shoulder. “Lou, what’s going on? You’re so tense.”

Leighton’s glowing eyes flick over my shoulder to Malik, and he smiles, shoving both hands into his pockets.

“Don’t do it,” I hiss, taking another step forward.

Leighton’s smile goes cruel, distorting his once-handsome features. He lifts his hand and crooks a finger, indicating I should follow. Then he strides toward the back of the shop and disappears through the wall.

I dash after him, Malik at my back shouting for me to stop.

But I can’t, because Leighton’s going to hurt someone. I feel it in my bones.

Malik’s hand grips my shoulder, and he spins me in place, an urgent expression on his face. “What are you doing, Lou?”

“It’s Leighton,” I bark, yanking out of his hold. “He’s going to hurt someone. I have to stop him!”

“You don’t know how!” Malik shouts as I sprint for the back door and bash my way through it. When I emerge behind the building, Leighton stands at the corner, waiting.

I stomp up to him and look way up into his face. He was tall and built in real life. He’s just as tall and built in revenant form. Glaring up at him, I point a finger.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but I need you to stop. I’ll find a way to release you, but give me time. Don’t hurt anyone!” It’s a plea more than anything, despite the steel in my voice.

Malik rushes out the door behind me and stares around, but it’s obvious he can’t see Leighton.

Leighton glances at him again, then back at me, and the smile falls. He turns and strides up the alleyway toward Sycamore Street. When I go to jog after him, Malik stops me.

“Stop, Lou,” he shouts. “We need help for this. You can’t tackle Leighton on your own!”

“Let go!” I yank out of his hold a second time and dash up the street to find Leighton. He’s there at the corner, waiting for me. Heat and ice sizzle through me in equal measures. Even my skin feels alive with energy. I can’t allow him to hurt someone. Malik’s right. I don’t know how to fix this, and I’ll do everything in my power to find a way, but I can’t stand by while Leighton stalks into the darkness and hurts another monster.

Not on my watch.

I follow him, Malik a silent, upset presence at my back. But he doesn’t stop me.

Leighton heads up the street and disappears into the alley that leads to Richard and Lola’s treehouse. All the heat in my skin turns to rock-hard ice as he looks at me, then vanishes into the staircase.

Dirk and Connall are upstairs with the rest of haven leadership, discussing how to find someone who knows the right kind of blue magic to dispel Leighton’s energy.

I move without rational thought, flying up the stairs and shoving my way through the door. Every head jerks up to face me. My mates. Richard. Arkan. Alo. Shepherd. Ohken. Catherine. Even the former Keeper, Abemet. They’re all here.

“Lou?” Connall stands, a confused expression on his face.

Leighton floats across the room as I watch in horror.

“No…” My command is barely above a whisper as Leighton stops next to Connall. He eyes my mate up and down. Then he glances over his shoulder at me, and that awful smile returns.