Dark Spirits (21 page)

I flipped to the first two pages. “What about invoking demons. Have you ever done that?”

He shook his head.

“Why not?” I couldn’t believe he hadn’t tried it. If this was my book, I would have tried everything in it. Even if I didn’t think it would work. It wouldn’t hurt, right?

“Because I deal with dark spirits all the time. Why would I want to conjure them?”

“Good point,” I said.

I handed the grimoire back to him and opened the
Book of Shadows
. I read a warning written in both English and Latin:
Those who would betray the Book of Shadows would be cursed until they made it right again.
The next page had a hand-drawn picture of an altar and details on how to set it up. I skimmed over it and asked, “So why do you think Solomon’s incantations are calling to me?” I still thought it was silly he thought that, but whatever. I looked on the following page and it had detailed instructions on opening rites. Nathan was right. This was an instructional book on magical rituals. I closed it and handed it to him.

He rose and stuck the books back on the shelf. “I think that because everything is made up of energy, and there are spells you can split in half. I’m guessing that’s what Solomon had done. And when he split the spell, he did another one, sort of like a sleeping spell. It made them dormant. But when you became aware of what resided inside you and came to terms with it, the other half of its energy sparked back to life and now wants to be reunited with it.”

I watched him unroll the rug over the pentagram and thought about it. In my gut, what he just said felt right, and if I really considered it, it made sense. I had to admit, though, there was a skeptical side to me that wanted to do a serious eye roll. However, I couldn’t deny the visions and everything else that had happened to me since I became immortal. I then realized Nathan never answered my earlier question.

“Why do you have the pentagram on the floor, and how long have you been into witchcraft?”

Right then a ringing sound came from his pocket. A weird look crossed his face, and he pulled his cell phone out. I wondered who would be calling him. Maybe it was Ameerah, but then I remembered Nathan had programmed the theme song to “The Exorcist” for her ring tone.

“Hello.” He looked at me and shrugged, but then his face lit up, and he smiled. “It is? Great. Can I pick it up in about an hour?” He paused. “Yes, I do.” He looked at me and winked.
What was he up to?
“Okay. I’ll see you then. Bye.” He snapped his phone shut and stuck it back in his pocket.

“Who was it?”

“It’s a surprise.” He turned the light off, took my hand and pulled me off the couch, leading me out of the room. “So I’m going to drop you off at your house and go get it.”

“Why can’t I go with you?”

“Because it’s a surprise.”

“Fine, but can you answer my question first?” I asked as we climbed the steps.

“I’m not a witch, Paige. I’m a tracker. However, when I had learned witchcraft was real and it could help me in what I did, I became interested in it,” he said, crossing the kitchen into the living room. “That was when I started creating my own incantations. But I can teach you how to create your own someday if you want.”

We stepped outside. It must have just sprinkled earlier because there were no puddles. The air had a crisp, earthy smell, and the red and golden leaves were rustling in the gentle breeze. The pink and orange sky was beautiful, making the trees around us appear larger and animated.

“Of course I want you to teach me,” I replied.

“Anyway,” he continued when we were settled in the truck, “throughout the years, I learned about witchcraft and collected books on it. I have the pentagram drawn just in case I ever decide to cast another circle. But to be honest, Paige, I was lucky I was able to create those incantations, and I’m not sure if I could do it again.”

I shot him a look. “I’m sure you can do it again.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. But everything has to be just right, or it won’t work.”

“How come I’m able to do the things I can do? Wouldn’t that be considered magic?”

“Yes, but you’re different,” he said simply. “You have Solomon’s power in you. Not to mention you come from an ancient line of witches.”

I didn’t reply, and we both fell silent, probably thinking the same thing: Solomon’s power and my heritage were like a mixed cocktail the “old one” thirsted for. If he were to succeed in his mission, he’d completely castrate this world and bring back all magic. And if he knew Solomon’s power was inside me, there was no telling what he would do.

I stared out the window, watching us snake down the dirt road between the trees. A few yards away, a doe jumped out in front of us. I looked at Nathan, twisting my fingers in my lap.

“Don’t worry,” he said with reassurance. “I’m keeping an eye out for animals.”

I couldn’t help but think about the deer that had run out in front of my mom’s car, causing her to swerve out of the way and flip her car several times, killing her. The forest suddenly got blurry, and I closed my eyes, trying to think of something else. I could feel the tears escaping the corner of my eyes and then a warm hand on top of mine.

“Are you okay?” Nathan asked, his voice soft and caring.

I hastily wiped the tears off with the palm of my hand. “I’m fine,” my voice cracked. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I want to cast a circle with you or do the rite of consciousness inside the pentagram.”

He squeezed my hand. “We will. I promise. But tonight, I’m going to go get your surprise. Then when I get back I’m taking you out to eat.”

We were on the coast now, and a fog horn blew from one of the ships moving through the thin mist that covered the water like a ghostly blanket.

I managed a smile. “What’s the occasion?”

“There’s no occasion,” he said. “I just want to do this for you.”

 “You’re sweet to me.” I kissed his hand and watched the white lines on the road flash by, wondering what the surprise was.

Chapter Twenty-One

Paige

After Nathan dropped me off at my house, I went into the kitchen to get a snack. I rummaged through the cupboards, not really knowing what I wanted until a box of Lucky Charms caught my eyes. I grabbed it, along with a bowl and a spoon. When I opened the refrigerator, below the bottom shelf, I noted some brown stuff with onion peels stuck to it. It had to be spilt pop, I decided, while getting some paper towels and kitchen cleaner from under the sink. Bending down, I rested on my knees, feeling the cool air raise goose bumps on my arms. I sprayed the gunk with kitchen cleaner and proceeded to scrub.

Nathan seemed really excited about the surprise, which made me even more curious about it. For the life of me, I couldn’t imagine what it could be. It was something that had to be ready at a certain time, but what could you buy you had to wait for?

Damn, this stuff was hard to get off. Lifting my finger, I eyed the brown goo beneath my nail and picked at it.

Gross.

Shrugging, I continued to scrub while I pondered what Nathan was up to.

Oh, wait.

Could it be a puppy or kitten? But why would he buy one with everything going on right now? We wouldn’t be able to fully commit to a pet. However, since we knew I could communicate with animals, which was so cool, it did change some things. I could tell the animal what we were doing and what to do.

Then reality sunk in. He wouldn’t buy me a furry friend. At least, not right now, because it seemed almost every day we were pelted with another problem. I thought about Zeruel. I hadn’t seen him in a while, and it almost felt like he’d been avoiding me. But why would he? He was just probably busy, I told myself.

Finally, the sticky crap came off. You’d think with a little immortal elbow grease it would have been a piece of cake, but not this stuff. It made me wonder what sort of chemicals we were putting into our bodies. But then again, I was immortal, so I guess it didn’t matter.

My head jerked toward the living room. A vehicle pulled into my driveway. The unfamiliar engine made deep growl and choppy sounds. I stood, wondering who it could be. Then a familiar knock at the door caught me by surprise, and against my will, my heart skipped a beat.

It was Brayden.

I knew it by the uniformity of the raps. When we were kids, he’d used that knock so I always knew who it was at the door. But he shouldn’t be here. What the hell was he thinking? I needed to get rid of him before Nathan came home.

Crap.

“Hold on,” I called and quickly washed and dried my hands. I hated being in this position. Brayden should know what an awkward situation this was. But obviously he didn’t care; otherwise he wouldn’t be here.

Before I opened the door, I peeked out the front window. He was standing there in his blue jeans and black Ramones T-shirt, looking cute as ever. I stepped back and closed my eyes, thumping my fingertips on my forehead.
Why couldn’t he just stay away for at least a little while?

“Come on, Paige. I know you’re there. I can hear your heart racing.” He sounded pleased, which wasn’t good. So I decided to play along.

I took a deep breath, ran my fingers through my hair and opened the door. “It’s racing because I thought you were somebody else pretending to be you.”

He smirked, then snorted. “Yeah. Right.” But then something dark flashed across his face, and his expression became hard.

I frowned. “What?” I gripped the knob, prepared to slam the door in his face if I had to, though, I’d never had a reason to do such a thing.

His voice was low; his face twisted in disgust. “I can smell
him
on you.”

 I moved the door toward him. “You should go, Brayden.”

“Wait.” He put his hand out, stopping me from closing it, so he could still see my face through the gap between the door frame. “I’m aware you two are together, but I have one hell of a reason for the way I just acted.”

“What?”

He made a gesture toward the living room. “Are you going to let me in?”

 “No,” I said. “I don’t want you here when Nathan comes home, which should be anytime now.”

“Nathan won’t be back for a while,” he replied, sounding so sure of himself that my resolve to send him on his way faltered.

I eyed him suspiciously. “How do you know?”

He walked in when I opened the door wider and turned to me. “I’m going to get right to the point because you need to come with me.”

I laughed. It was short and humorless. I crossed my arms. He was crazy if he thought I would go anywhere with him, especially since he’d been hanging around Anwar and possibly the “old one.” Brayden was my best friend, and I knew he’d never allow anybody to hurt me, but still, I wasn’t about to take any chances. “I’m not going anywhere with you because for all I know, you’re on the ‘old one’s’ side.” I studied him, instantly feeling bad when I saw the hurt in his eyes. I wanted to take it back, but it was too late. The words hung in the air and the meaning behind them was obvious: I didn’t trust him.

Brayden’s gaze fell on his feet. “Had I ever given you a reason not to trust me?” He looked at me with sad green eyes. And although I wanted to comfort him, I spoke the truth instead.

“Actually, you have.” He looked confused, so I continued, “When you forced your--”

“I already apologized for that.” He rubbed his forehead and squinted. “I thought you forgave me.”

“I did, but then you kept calling me and--”

“I was
worried
about you.”

“Okay. I understand you were concerned,” I said and then made a face. “But your behavior was edging toward creepy, like in the stalker sense.”

He stared at me with a dumbfounded look on his face, speechless.

The silence between us grew until finally I said, “I’m serious, Brayden.”

He glanced at the ceiling, then planted his eyes on mine, his face red. “I want you to get this straight in your head,” he said, carefully weighing each word. “I would
never
hurt you, and if my actions made you feel uncomfortable, it wasn’t my intention.”

I didn’t say anything because he looked like he had more to say. I was right.

“As for the ‘old one,’ I do agree with the his view on humanity and this world, but I’m not on his or anybody’s side. You’re the only person I want to stand next to.”

“Brayden, I don’t--”

“You need to come with me.” He took my hand, and I knew I should have pulled away, but I couldn’t. There was a pressing urgency in his voice. It made me both nervous and curious, which took precedence over everything else.

“What’s going on?” I refused to budge until he at least gave me some insight on the matter.

“My mentor Cassondra and Nathan had a hot relationship years ago, and he’s with her right now.” He tugged me forward. “I want to show you. C’mon.”

I dropped his hand and held my stomach, feeling like somebody just kicked me in the gut. But then the feeling passed as quickly as it came because when I really thought about it, I couldn’t believe it. There was no way Nathan would cheat on me.

“I can see on your face you don’t believe it. It’s why I want to show you.” He grabbed my hand again, but this time I followed him out the door without protest.

It was a clear, dark night. The stars were like chipped diamonds. I could see Orion’s Belt and the wispy, creamy bands of the Milky Way bending across the sky. The moon was bright, casting shadows from the trees that surrounded my house. In a nearby tree, I could hear a squirrel gnawing on what I imagined to be a nut. And then a potent smell reached my nose, and I looked about for the offender.

“The skunk is across the street.” Brayden pointed in that direction, and I caught a glimpse of a black fluffy, white-striped tail, sliding between the trees, disappearing into the darkness. He led me to the side of my house where a badass car was parked. I then realized it never crossed my mind what kind of vehicle he drove until now.

“Is this yours?” I released his hand and walked around it. It looked straight out of a comic book.

He trailed his fingers along the glossy black paint and grinned. “Yeah, it’s mine. It’s a 1970 ½ Rally Sport Camero.”

“Wow.” Two white stripes ran down the middle of the trunk and hood, and it had a chrome split bumper that looked bitchin’. “How did you get this?” Open-mouthed, I stared. I never even knew something like this existed. I’d seen plenty of muscle cars before, but nothing like Brayden’s.

With the grin still on his face, he yanked his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. “Hop in, and I’ll tell you.” He ducked inside and reached to the passenger side to flip the lock up.

“Wow,” I gushed again when I sat in the seat and saw how clean the black interior and the chrome on the dashboard were. Everything looked original.

Brayden turned to me. “Isn’t it fucking cool?”

I nodded, smiling so much my face hurt.

“Listen to this.” He stuck the key into the ignition and turned the key. A deep, rich, choppy sound erupted from the engine, and when Brayden tapped his foot on the pedal, revving it, an insane growl exploded in front of us.

I laughed but then stopped. My joyous emotions were suddenly replaced with thoughts of infidelity and a nervous stomach. I stared at Brayden and pursed my lips. “I don’t believe you about Nathan. There’s no way he’d cheat on me.”

Brayden glared out the window. “You’ll believe me when you see it.” He sighed and scrubbed his hand on his forehead and down his face. “I don’t want you hurt, Paige, but it’s best you find out now instead of later. Nathan isn’t like us. He was born in a different era and has a lot more skeletons in the closet than we do. And Cassondra is one of them.”

“He might have dated her,” I admitted. “But he wasn’t in love with her. He told me once, I was the only one he’s ever been in love with . . . unless, he was lying,” I said in a small voice, suddenly worried. I shook my head to clear it. No, he was telling me the truth, I reassured myself.

“He didn’t love her,” Brayden confirmed. “Cassondra told me so. But they were sexually involved until she told him she was in love with him. Afterwards, he left her.”

I hugged my stomach when he said that and felt a heaviness in my heart. I should have been happy to know Nathan wasn’t romantically involved with her but I wasn’t. Somehow, the whole sexual thing seemed worse. So Cassondra wasn’t a one night stand, which meant Nathan must have enjoyed being with her . . . well, okay. So what? I told myself. Most people had prior relationships before finding their true love, and it would be silly for me to get upset over it. But why would he be with her now? If he was that is. I just didn’t get it.

Brayden stopped at a red light and looked at me with questioning eyes. “Has Nathan ever done anything to cause you to be suspicious of him being with another woman?”

I stared out the window, watching cars go through the intersection, thinking if there was a time when I thought Nathan was with another woman. I opened my mouth to say no, but then stopped.

My heart dropped.

Brayden’s voice was soft. “Tell me.”

I cleared my throat, hoping my voice wouldn’t fail me. “Not too long ago, Nathan came home, and I smelled floral perfume on him. I remember telling him he smelled like a whore.” I hugged myself tighter. It was still hard for me to accept, though. I guess I would have to see it with my own eyes to believe it.

“What did he say?”

“He said he didn’t cheat on me. I’m the only person who matters to him in this world, and he loves me. He told me he ran into an old friend and that was it.”

Brayden stopped at another light and turned to me. “I don’t question his love for you, Paige. I know he does. But sometimes a person’s sexual appetite will cause him to do things he normally wouldn’t do, especially when he knows a person who shares the same appetite.”

I twisted the end of my shirt around my fingers, tugging the material forward and unraveling it. I didn’t like what he said or the sudden doubt weighing heavy on my chest. “I’m not a prude, Brayden,” is all I could say.

Brayden held up a hand, then dropped it to shift gears. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Tell me how you got this beautiful monster of a car?” I asked, because I didn’t want to talk or think about Nathan seeking out sexual pleasures outside our relationship. It was ridiculous to even consider, and I believed him about not cheating on me.

Brayden flashed me a proud smile. “I restored it myself. It took two years, but I did it.” He paused, and his smile vanished. “When we moved to California, I didn’t come out of my room for weeks. I was too depressed. I missed you, Tree, and Carrie like crazy–mostly you, though. And I was angry at my mom for splitting us a part. One day she had a long talk with me about why she’d made the decision to uproot us. She apologized. Afterwards, she presented me with this car. It was primer gray when she bought it, but she thought it would be a good restoration project for me to keep my mind busy. And there you have it.”

“Did she pay for all these vintage parts?” I ran my fingers over the chrome face and the knobs on his retro radio.