Page 3 of Voyage of Magic and Malice (The Vampires of Charleston #3)

THREE

power from beyond

I stare at the giant lycanthrope, seeing the resemblance between him and Topher. They share the same dark hair and the same bright green eyes. Where Topher has a more rigid jawline and scruffy beard, Cameron’s jawline is softer and home to neatly trimmed facial hair.

“Explain this,” Thorne says. “How the hell did she make us think we flew to New Orleans?”

“It’s what they do,” Cameron answers. “Spells are amazing things. Especially spells from powerful casters like Sable.”

“To be clear, we’re still in Charleston?” I’m still not sure I know what to believe.

“You are.”

“If you’re Topher’s brother, why are you here, in Charleston?” Thorne asks.

“It’s my job,” he repeats. “I’m guessing you figured out I’m the brains behind the alpha?” He smiles warmly, easing the tension. “Topher sent me to help the Charleston pack. The future Alpha has stepped away from his duties for a while, and the Alpha requested help from the New Orleans pack.”

“Micah stepped away?” My heart sinks, thinking about Luna and the connection they formed before her death.

“He did. Connor needed someone to step into his position for a few weeks. That person is me.”

“How do you know Sable?”

Dark eyebrows raise. “Part of my position with the pack is dealing with the local covens. Most work well with the paranormal community. Occasionally, we run across a group that doesn’t.”

“I’m guessing Sable’s in one of the groups that doesn’t work well,” Thorne says.

“You’d be guessing correctly.” Cameron’s energy is light and easy. “Sable’s group seeks power through darkness. She’s powerful, ruthless, and will stop at nothing to get what they want.”

Thorne and I share a look. “She’s after my brother’s grimoire.”

Cam raises his eyebrows. “Your brother was a witch?”

“He was a warlock. To be honest, I don’t know if they’re the same thing or not.” I sigh, feeling very uneducated. “My brother was Aaron Abernathy.” The lycanthrope lifts one side of his mouth higher than the other. A move I’ve witnessed Topher perform a few times. “Have you heard of him?”

“Legends of Aaron Abernathy have passed through the paranormal community for centuries. He was one of the most powerful practitioners to live in Charleston and New Orleans. Hell, to live in America.” Tears fill my eyes with Cameron’s words. “He never had children of his own, which is how grimoire magic is usually passed down. Through research on Aaron and the coven, I determined the reality of his grimoire but was never able to locate it.” He pauses, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Why are lycan interested in witch business?” Thorne asks.

“Interested isn’t exactly the word. My job is more of a liaison between the worlds. My job is to assess a situation and advise as needed.” Cam’s muscles move slightly as he stares at the two of us. “Can I ask where you found it?”

“It was being guarded by an older witch.” I’m not willing to give every detail to a man I just met. Topher’s brother or not, I don’t know him well enough to divulge information about Ms. Phyllis.

“It was Phyllis, wasn’t it?” he asks, surprising me. “I knew that old bat had it the whole time.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Damn, she was sneaky. Where is it now?” He looks around.

Alarms ring through my mind. “It’s safe,” Thorne answers. “Call Topher, now.”

Thorne shares the same concern. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I pretend to have a call. “If you’ll excuse me. I need to answer this.” Stepping out of the warehouse, I move away from the building at vampire speed.

“I’ll keep him busy.”

Pulling up my contact list, I search for Topher’s number. I finally find it listed under Alpha T , and my thoughts immediately turn to Luna, who added his information to my phone. I push the sadness away and call the number listed. He answers on the first ring.

“Elsie?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

Topher laughs deeply. “I wasn’t sure who this was. Your name is listed as ‘Bitchy Vampire’ in my contacts.”

I laugh with him. “Luna must’ve added our numbers to each other’s phones. I’ll admit, she wasn’t wrong with the bitchy part.”

“How can I help you, Elsie?”

“Cameron?”

He pauses. “Cameron? I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

“Your brother, Cameron. Is he in Charleston?”

“Yeah. I sent him a few days ago. Is everything okay?”

I sigh, not sure how to answer. “Can you find where he is right now?”

“Sure. Let me hang up, and I’ll call him.”

“Perfect. Thank you.” I hang up the phone not sure what to think about everything. Several minutes pass before he texts back.

He’s at a lycan bar on Broad Street. I just spoke to him.

Shit! The sound of crashing metal echoes off the buildings behind me as I slide my phone back into my jeans. I don’t bother responding to Topher before returning to the warehouse. The door is standing open, and the room is silent. “Thorne!” I call through our connection.

“Outside,” he answers. I run through the warehouse, exiting the other side into a group of overgrown trees.

“Where?” The sound of limbs breaking draws my attention and sends me moving toward what I imagine is a fight between Thorne and the veil of shadows.

I arrive just as Thorne is thrown into the air, slamming against the thick trunk of an ancient tree. In front of me stands Sable, the woman from before. She’s all of five feet tall and looks more like a soccer mom than someone capable of throwing a three-hundred-year-old vampire anywhere.

“Hey!” I yell, drawing her attention to me.

“Where’s the grimoire, Elsie?” she asks, stalking closer.

“It’s safe.” My words are a lie. It’s sitting on a bed at our temporary house in Charleston. Phyllis warned me there were powerful people after it. I had no idea she meant this.

“I will not hesitate to kill him.”

“That was a lucky blow,” Thorne says, back at my side. “I can assure you, it won’t happen again.”

A deep growl echoes off the trees. Without turning, I know the real Cameron St. James is the source. Energy I associate with Topher rushes me. How could I have been stupid enough to believe the facade she cast? Beside me, a dark brown wolf stands tall. The arch of his back is level with my shoulders, and angry energy rolls from him. The three of us stare down the tiny woman while energy forms in my core, begging to be released.

“You will die,” Thorne warns. Cameron growls in agreement.

“Burn,” I say the word aloud that killed my maker, Kragen, not long ago. On demand, lightning strikes the tree behind Sable, igniting it instantly. “You’re next,” I warn. The tiny woman smirks and disappears, leaving no trace of her ever being there.

“Is she gone for real this time?” I ask the men on either side of me.

“Aye. I think so.” Thorne turns to our lycanthrope guest. “Cameron St. James?” The wolf howls in response before running into the woods.

“What the hell is going on?” I ask Thorne. “I don’t know who or what to believe at this point.”

“Aye, me either.”

Seconds later, the man we thought we met earlier walks out of the woods completely naked. “Hi.” He waves. “I’m Cam. Topher told me you might need help.”

“How’d you find us?” I ask, trying to detour my eyes from the obvious. “When I spoke to Topher, he said you were on Broad Street.”

“I smelled you,” he answers simply, pointing toward town. “Besides, Broad Street is just over there.” I glance in the direction he’s pointing. He’s right. It wouldn’t take a human long to get here, let alone a lycanthrope.

“Thank you.”

“I didn’t do anything.” He looks between the two of us. “Which one of you did the tree thing?”

“That was me,” I answer truthfully.

Cam laughs. “That was awesome! I’ve never seen a vampire do that before.”

“That’s probably a good thing,” Thorne answers for me.

“What did she want?”

“A very important book,” I answer, not willing to share more information. That lesson was learned quickly.

“She seemed…determined.”

“Yeah,” Thorne agrees. He moves toward the lycanthrope. “Thank you, Cameron, for your help.”

“Please, call me Cam. My mom called me Cameron when I was in trouble.” He chuckles with his answer.

“Thank you, Cam.”

“Anytime.” He turns, leaving the two of us in the woods. His bare ass shines as he walks away, clearly not giving a shit. His carefree attitude makes me laugh.

“Why do I feel like that’s on purpose?” Thorne asks, laughing with me.

“Because you’re right.” Turning toward the man I love, I say, “I want to go to the library.”

“Aye, that’s exactly what I was thinking. Ms. Phyllis is the only person we can trust right now. At least, I think we can trust her.” We move vampire speed through the woods and into downtown Charleston. We’re standing in front of the double doors of the brick library within minutes.

A blast of cool air hits me in the face as we enter the quiet building. Ms. Phyllis turns from her stack of books as soon as we enter, no doubt sensing our energy. “The library’s closed,” she announces loudly while making eye contact with me. Her voice echoes through the crowded room. “Leave your books where they are and get out now. There’s a gas leak.”

Following her orders, patrons drop their books, heading toward the doors immediately. Phyllis moves from her perch at the circulation desk and in front of us. The last human exits, and she locks the door behind him. “What’s happened?” she asks, looking us up and down. “Did you lose the grimoire?”

“No,” I answer truthfully.

“Then why are you here?”

“Sable Arden.”

Phyllis sighs deeply. “Shit. How did that bitch find you?”

“We don’t know, but she did,” Thorne answers.

“She knew things she shouldn’t know. Vampire things,” I add.

“Like what?” Phyllis moves toward an empty table, pulling a chair out to sit.

Thorne and I share a look. “She cast some sort of spell to make us think we flew to New Orleans to visit a friend of ours. She called it the…”

“The veil of shadows,” Phyllis interrupts.

“Yeah.”

“How did you uncover the veil?”

“What do you mean?” Thorne asks.

“What made you realize it wasn’t real?”

“She dropped her disguise, well, one of them. It’s a long story.” I rub my temples, not sure how to explain what happened. “What didn’t you tell me?”

“I warned you there were people more powerful than you who would love to have his grimoire.”

“You did, but I thought you meant metaphorically.”

Phyllis laughs at my words. “I may be a librarian, but my words are not flowery.” She stands, propping her hands on her hips and walking around in a small circle. “How the hell did Sable find you so quickly?”

“Who else knows I have it?”

“No one.”

I stalk closer to the witch. “That’s not the truth, is it.”

Phyllis stops walking, looking me in the eyes. “Young lady. If you think for one minute, I had anything to do with knowledge of you or that book getting to Sable, you couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve dedicated my life to the protection of it and kept it hidden for nearly as long.”

I sigh. “What are we up against?”

“Sable is powerful and crazy, which, in my book, is a lethal combination.”

“What does she want with the grimoire?” Thorne asks.

“Aaron Abernathy was a powerful warlock. She wants what others have wanted before—his power.”

Remembering what Cameron or Sable, or hell—I don’t know— said, I ask the question that’s been on my mind ever since. “Was Aaron into dark magic?”

Phyllis sighs while straightening the few buttons on her dress. “There is no such thing as dark magic. Most people get that wrong. Dark and light magic aren't opposites, they're simply two sides of the same coin. The magic itself doesn't change, only the intent behind it. Both can heal, protect, or destroy, depending on how they're wielded. ‘Dark magic’ is feared because it’s often used for personal gain or control, but so is ‘light magic’ when someone casts a love spell or bends fate to their will. What truly matters is the heart of the witch casting the spell. Magic is neutral—just energy waiting to be shaped. Whether it's called light or dark, it's all the same force flowing through us. It’s our choices and our desires that give it meaning. So, to answer your question, Aaron was not into dark or light magic. He was simply into magic.”

“She’s not going to stop, is she?” I ask.

“No, she won’t. Not until she has the grimoire or dies trying.”

“How can we stop her?” Thorne asks.

“Use what’s inside of you,” Phyllis answers. “Both of you. There’s magical power inside you. I felt it the moment you entered the library.”

Thorne and I share a look. “What do you mean?” he asks.

“I mean, both of you hold magic in your blood.” Phyllis turns toward me. “Hell, Aaron Abernathy was your brother, for goddess’s sake. It wouldn’t make sense that he would be the only one with power. Harness the power, use it, and take what is rightfully yours.”

“How?” I ask. My words are no louder than a whisper.

“That’s what you’ve got to figure out.”

“Can you help us?” Thorne asks for the two of us.

Phyllis laughs. “Child, I’m old. I’ll do my best, but I’m not promising anything.”

“That’s all we can ask for,” he answers.

“Tell her,” I urge through our connection.

“Elsie and I are what others call special, ” he admits to the witch.

“Special, how?”

“We can communicate with each other telepathically,” I admit.

“I don’t know much about vampires, but is that not normal?”

“No, ma’am,” Thorne answers.

“Is that all?” Phyllis asks.

“I burned my maker by telling him to burn.”

“Explain.” The librarian wrinkles her nose.

I shrug. “I don’t know how I did it or what caused it. I told him to burn, and he did.”

Phyllis crosses her arms across her chest. “No doubt, turning into a vampire enhanced your abilities.” She turns toward Thorne. “There’s no denying Elsie’s talented. I can feel the power flowing from her. But you, Thorne, are the powerful one. Magic runs through you—ancient magic.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. The power that runs through your blood is old, wise, and dangerous.”

Thorne shifts awkwardly from foot to foot. “Can we start now?” I ask, taking the attention off him.

She holds her empty wrist up dramatically, staring at an invisible watch. “Well, shit. I’ll have to cancel my date.” She winks with her words.