Dark Spirits (25 page)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Paige

As I ran home, I couldn’t stop thinking about Bael knowing Solomon’s power resided in me instead of the ring. I was so screwed now. The best I could hope for was to find those incantations and destroy them.

When I stepped onto my porch, I realized in my haste to leave earlier with Brayden, I had forgotten to lock the door.

Crap.

I hesitated to listen for any strange noises inside the house. A continuous slow rush of air blew through the heating vents, and a low buzzing issued from the refrigerator. Nothing out of the ordinary. As I reached for the doorknob, Zeruel popped on my shoulder, making me jump. Reflectively, my hand flew back, touching his warm furry body. I pulled him into my arms and hugged him. He smelled like Frankincense.

“The house is safe. You need to stay here,”
Zeruel told me inside my head.

I opened my mouth to respond, but decided against it. Instead, I answered him telepathically, hoping he could receive my thoughts.
“I can’t stay. I don’t want to run into Nathan. I know I should probably talk to him, but I can’t bring myself to do it. And by the way, don’t scare me like that.”
I added the last part because he did scare the crap out of me, and I could have dropped him. Yeah, he was an exalted soul, but so what? He still startled me and should know it wasn’t a cool thing to do.

“My apologies.”

An image of an olive-skinned woman with long dark hair and brown eyes dropped into my mind like a fallen angel making herself known. Then Zeruel said,
“Aosoth.”

“She’s in town?” I squeaked next to his ear, forgetting to talk to him mentally. Fear knotted in my chest, and in one fleeting moment, I considered staying home. But then a rush of chaotic feelings eclipsed that window of clarity, shadowing it with pressing thoughts of finding the damned incantations before Aosoth or Bael got hold of me. I’d have to outwit them, as Nathan would say.

Nathan.

Why, oh why, did he kiss Cassondra? I still didn’t get it. If he were here, he’d know what to do. I didn’t even have a clue where to--

“She arrived in town an hour ago.”

“Where is she?”
Holy crap! She could be looking for me right now. This was so not good. My stomach ached, and the sudden urge to run to my room and hide under the covers engulfed me. But then the impulse to cower beneath layers of fabric passed.

No, I had to stick to my flimsy plan and risk running into her.

“Her location is unknown to me.”

“What? You’re supposed to know everything. In fact, where are the incantations?”

“The incantations are lost to us as well.”

“Ask Solomon then. I’m sure you can go to heaven or wherever and ask him.”
I couldn’t believe he didn’t know. I mean, how could he not? Come on, he could travel from this realm to the next. If I were Zeruel, I’d do it. Then this whole mess could be done and over with.

“Solomon has vanished. We do not know where his spirit dwells.”

“Are you serious?”
My life just kept getting better and better.

“We suspect when he cast his spells, he included a cloaking charm on his spirit, so none of us could locate him after his physical body expired. We think he did it to protect the incantations.”

“Why didn’t he destroy them?”
This was just wonderful. Why in the hell would Solomon hide his soul from the spiritual world? Just so he could protect the incantations? I wasn’t buying it. There had to be another reason but one on the bottom of my list to figure out. Frankly, I didn’t give a crap what he had done with himself. All I cared about was getting my life back–whatever life it may be.

“He very well could have. However, we are unaware. But we believe his power will guide you to it.”

“Well, I better get my stuff and bail.
” I didn’t want to hear about it being up to me. I was sick and tired of the whole thing. I didn’t ask for Solomon’s power, and if I could I’d destroy it. But I wasn’t willing to bleed myself to death, so I had to live with it.

I kissed his head (I couldn’t help it) and set him down, but before I released him, he spoke to me again.

“Stay vigilant in your quest to find the incantations, but above all, be safe, my friend. You may have witch’s blood coursing through your veins, but you’re much more. You’re still fresh to this life, and your youth is a hindrance you must take into account. There is little you know of this world and the powers you possess. Take the time to observe and think through things clearly. Use knowledge like a whetstone to sharpen your mind, and when the time comes, take the journey inward to discover yourself, what you are, and what powers flow through you.”

I ran a hand from the top of his head to the base of his tail. He looked up at me with his shiny green eyes. When I repeated the gesture, his eyes half closed, and he purred. I got down on my knees. My hair spilled over my shoulders as I continued petting him. I knew I had to hustle and get what I needed. I certainly didn’t want to be here when Nathan came home, but rubbing Zeruel felt therapeutic to me. There were so many questions I wanted to ask him, but of course there was no time for it. It seemed since I became immortal, time constraints had been placed on me, and my problems continued to mount. Instead of going off to college and leading a normal life or traveling the world, I’d been whisked away into a dark, seedy world. But I knew what I was getting into when I accepted immortality, I reminded myself, I just didn’t realize how deep the rabbit hole went.

I understood what Zeruel was saying, though, and would take it to heart. If my lot in this life was to become a nomad and wander through it alone, then so be it.

So be it.

My hand dropped to my side, and I slouched forward at the thought of a lonely existence. I tucked my hair behind my ears and swallowed back the tears. In all honesty, I couldn’t imagine life without Nathan. I didn’t want to. I was still in love with him, but I couldn’t get past the kiss. If Nathan’s desires weren’t for me alone, then I couldn’t be with him, no matter how much we loved each other.

Something wet trailed down my cheek. I touched it and captured a tear on my thumb. It glistened in the moonlight, my immortal eyes catching a prism of colors reflecting from it. Fascinated, I stared at it, directing my attention away from the emptiness that had settled in my chest a moment ago. I didn’t know how I’d get through this mess, and God I missed Nathan. I buried my face in my hands and moaned.

Zeruel rubbed against my leg.
“Things aren’t always as they seem. Your eyes can deceive you,”
he said, nudging his head underneath my elbow so I had to drop my hand and rest it on his body.

 The smell of rain filled the air, prompting me to my feet. The last thing I needed was to get caught in a rain storm.

Opening the front door, I flipped a light switch on and turned to Zeruel. He was sitting on the railing watching me. His eyes gave the illusion of emerald glass. “Thank you, Zeruel.” I blew a kiss to him and dashed inside. A hint of cinnamon and nutmeg hung in the air, reminding me of a normal, less dramatic life. A yearning ache trembled through my heart, tugging at it. But I pushed it aside and hardened myself to those feeling, shifting my frame of mind to the task at hand.

I zipped up the stairs, straight to my room. At the beginning of the summer, I’d obtained a passport knowing eventually Nathan and I would be hopping a plane to Europe. It was in my top dresser drawer beneath a bunch of socks. I grabbed it and paused when an unexpected thought occurred to me–
self disguise
. A fleeting image of me as a kid wearing camouflage while playing war games entered my mind. But since I’d be out in public, it wouldn’t work. However, changing my appearance might.

Quickly, I clad myself in all black: cargo pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and laced-up boots. I put my hair in a ponytail and tucked it into a dark army ball cap. All black would blend in with the shadows. I needed one more thing to complete my disguise. I opened the closet and dug through a wooden box covered with knotted Celtic symbols full of memorabilia from my childhood. I picked up a slam book Carrie and I had shared. It held our deepest thoughts and desires. The dark purple velvet cover had a silver lock to which I had no idea where the key was. I pushed it aside, along with friendship bracelets, coloring books, a photo album, a fairy wand. Ah, there it was. I lifted a cream-colored eyeglass case out of the junk and closed the box. Years ago for Halloween, I dressed up as a dead librarian and had bought a pair of non-prescription glasses to complete the look.

I slipped the black, angular frames on. “Perfect,” I said to my image in the full-length mirror. I doubted anybody would be able to spot me looking like this. A flicker of hope that I just might pull it off cancelled whatever reservations I had regarding the venture. I pursed my lips when I reminded myself I needed to get going. I glanced at my nice, comfy bed and longed to be a part of it. I imagined myself sinking into the soft, cotton sheets, pulling the covers over me and drifting off. Shaking my head, I redirected my thoughts and bolted out the room.

Downstairs, I went straight to the kitchen and took what I needed from my purse, shoving some money and a credit card into my pocket. The Lucky Charms box, along with the bowl and spoon, were still on the counter from earlier. My stomach growled at the sight, making me realize how hungry I was. I snatched a fruit and nut bar from the pantry and looked around the room.

Where was my cell phone?

I thought about it, then remembered I’d left it at Nathan’s house. That sucked. Oh,well. I’d just have to get one of those prepaid ones if it came down to it. I certainly wasn’t going to go to his place to retrieve it.

As I headed out, I pulled a black and silver rain parka out of the coat closet and shrugged into it, slipping the bar, my keys, my driver’s license and passport into one of the deep pockets. I thought about taking my car, but it would give my position away, so I’d have to run instead. But where would I go? I was tired and hungry, so I couldn’t go too far. Wrenching the door open, I knew exactly where I could get something to eat. It was after midnight, but I knew this one place would be open for two more hours.

Zeruel was sitting on the top step, staring off into the distance, his tail wrapped around his side. The huge black star on his back caught my eyes. Of course it was bent over his sides, but even a skeptical eye couldn’t dispute the celestial symbol.

“Bye, Zeruel.” I patted his head as I walked by. “Keep my house safe. I hope to see you again.”

And then I took off, wishing I’d worn better shoes. I wasn’t even halfway to town when my feet started to ache. I kept to the shoulder of the road in the shadows of the trees. Thankfully, the hat protected my glasses from the spitting rain. At least I thought so until it rained harder, and the wind blew it sideways into my face. I stopped and stepped behind an oak tree. I removed my glasses and placed them inside my pocket. In the distance were two glowing lights headed my way. I crouched behind the trunk and waited for it to pass. A deep, rich sound rumbled in front of me as the headlights whizzed by. It looked and sounded like Brayden’s car. For a split second, I contemplated chasing after it. But if I were to do that, it would add more drama to my life, which I already had too much of.

After it disappeared into the darkness, I took a deep breath, trying not to think about what Bael had told me
–“Brayden is only loyal to two people, himself and you.”
Pushing the bill of my hat down and rubbing my cold hands together, I took off again. As I ran, I felt that sense of elation. If I weren’t so tired, I’d have more fun with it and would leap on top of the rooftops I was now passing. I could hear jazz music and people laughing in those buildings and smelled a smorgasbord of different foods: hot wings, french fries, onion rings, burgers, pizza.

Finally, I made it to the pier where a cute restaurant stood. It looked like a white wooden house with tinted windows covering the front of it lengthwise, like a four season room. It overlooked the Columbia River that was now covered in a light misty fog. The red door had a huge anchor on it. I slipped my glasses on and stepped inside. The smell of clam chowder and fried fish enveloped me. There were only a few people dining here, much older than I, talking in low voices as if we were in church. I sat in a red vinyl booth beside a window so I could gaze out onto the river. There was a bar across the room. Its glossy, dark wood shone beneath the soft light. Above it hung a wide chalkboard with their specials–clam chowder and fish and chips. Perfect.

I shrugged out of my jacket and sat back, staring out the window, watching the fog swirl around the river. But when I heard a familiar voice ask to take my order, I turned my attention to him and smiled. It was Max from my class who had stood up for me against Ashley. He still wore his dark hair the same way–short and spiky on top. I noticed he’d definitely matured over the summer. He no longer looked like a cute boy. Instead, he looked like a hot, cute guy.

Wow.

He didn’t recognize me.

“Hey, Max,” I said, knowing he’d realize who I was by the sound of my raspy voice (he should since we’ve known each other since second grade).