Corruption (Grumpy Old Wizards Book 2) (9 page)

Marjorie waived her sign in front of Josephine’s face which read: “Stop stealing from the elderly.” Josephine kept her expression bland as she didn’t want to incite this crowd and encourage them to continue.

“Go back to where you belong!” Marjorie shouted.

Josephine sidestepped the elderly woman and used her remote to unlock the car so she could make a clean, swift getaway. Marjorie tried to lunge in front of Josephine but wasn’t fast enough. The crowd of picketers were moving in their standard sluggish pace towards the car. Josephine estimated that most of them wouldn’t reach her for another few minutes or so. Marjorie shouted and waived her sign in front of the driver’s side window like a madwoman. Josephine pulled out of her parking spot without any further delay as she didn’t want to give any of these protesters a chance to try to block her car. She saw a glimpse of Dale stepping out of the building to join the crowd. He must have been on a coffee break or something, Josephine thought bitterly.

Josephine tried to bury her grumpy feelings but the sight of the protesters kept popping up in her mind. Jake glanced up from his work as she approached her desk.

“Hey, Grandma,” he said.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Josephine flashed a smile at him as she sank into her seat.

“You look stressed,” Alex remarked.

“This morning has been brutal.” Josephine wished she could expose the Valituras to the public and land their sorry butts in jail.

She started using some of her search tools for information on vampires. Josephine was surprised to find statements about them. She hadn’t thought it would be so easy. The first person explained that it was a side-effect of an immortality curse. Josephine’s breath quickened and she read through the entire account. The individual was young but claimed he was in his eighties and had been cursed. He had suffered a heart attack while being questioned. He had been arrested due to evidence at a crime scene for murder. His victims had died of severe blood loss with no puncture wounds of any kind. There were some witness testimonies of seeing vampires attacking but most of them were dismissed due to credibility reasons. Josephine did see a couple of incidents that were checked out but the victims were fine with no damage to their bodies. Josephine surmised it must be easy to discredit witnesses and also no one wanted to believe in vampires.

Alex burst into boisterous laughter and choked on his coffee. Jake shot him a questioning look while Josephine narrowed her eyes at him with annoyance.

“This is hilarious! You’ve got to watch this!” Alex said.

Josephine couldn’t help herself. She was so curious that she circled around the desks until she was standing beside Alex who was watching the local news live. For several seconds, Josephine struggled to make sense of it. There were a bunch of picketers and the anchorman, a dark-haired man in his thirties, held the microphone up to a clown. Josephine gasped with astonishment when she recognized Marjorie.

“We feel that category six wizards should work their fair share until their conditions are similar to those of us who are normal and of retirement age. It’s absolutely ridiculous and criminal that they’re still in the prime of their life and they’re retired. It’s highway robbery!” Marjorie said.

“That doesn’t even make any sense! How is retiring the same as highway robbery?” Josephine scowled at the screen.

The camera drew back to reveal the condo complex. Dale took up a position beside Marjorie and wrapped an arm around her.

“It’s lucky you’re working because there’s a movement to pass legislature requiring sixes to wait until one hundred-ninety to retire,” Alex smirked.

“That’s completely unfair.” Josephine straightened to her full height so she was towering over him. She wanted to slap the donut out of his hand and dump his coffee in his lap. “You’re a pig, Whiney.”

“And you’re a spoiled little brat.”

Jake pretended not to notice the argument. Josephine returned to her desk and resumed her search. She needed to find a way to access ancient magic so she could create better defenses for herself and her friends and to possibly cure Helen of her vampirism.

Chapter 8

When Josephine’s shift ended, she made a quick stop at the grocery store for supplies Alice had requested then went over to Alice’s condo where Helen was staying. Alice had a roomy place like Josephine but it was packed with furniture. Two large couches, three armchairs and four coffee tables were positioned in the room with large bookcases lining one of the walls. There was also a desk tucked away in the corner. The bookcases were filled with knickknacks and pictures of Alice’s family rather than books.

“How did things go today?” Josephine asked.

“It’s still the same.” Helen’s expression was puzzled. “I haven’t had any craving for blood at all. For some reason, all I can think about is chocolate cake, cinnamon rolls and tiramisu. Luckily, Alice won’t let me go out or I’d end up stuffing my face and I’d lose my new good looks in no time.”

“I’m not keeping you prisoner here.” Alice regarded her with indignation.

“I know you’re helping.” Helen leveled a reassuring look at her friend. “And I appreciate it.”

Alice’s lips curved with an appeased smile.

“I didn’t find much because I have so much work. They really keep me busy at the station,” Josephine grumbled. “It’s enough to make me want to retire again.”

“You poor thing.” Alice cast a sympathetic gaze at her.

“I wrote down a few names of people who may know something helpful. I’m not sure if they have any knowledge of vampires or ancient magic but they’re all leads to follow up.”

“Did you bring the cinnamon rolls and tiramisu?” Helen asked.

“It’s in one of the bags.” Josephine set the grocery bags on the kitchen counter.

Helen rummaged through the bags and grabbed the package of four rolls that came from the bakery. Helen took a large bite and her face lit up with bliss.

“These are just heavenly,” Helen said when she’d swallowed her first bite.

Josephine and Alice exchanged perplexed looks. Helen wolfed down all of the rolls in record time. She went into the living room and flopped down on the couch. Josephine and Alice sat down on the other couch facing her.

“Are you all right?” Josephine asked.

“I think I’m allergic to cinnamon rolls. My stomach hurts.” Helen clutched her belly with her right hand and a pained expression dominated her face.

“Normally, we eat one at a time,” Josephine pointed out. “I think you overdid it there.”

“I need something,” Helen said.

“Like what?” Alice scrutinized her friend with puzzlement.

“I need pizza.”

“You just said your stomach hurts,” Alice reminded her.

“I know but for some reason I’m still hungry.”

“Maybe it’s blood that you need.” Alice adopted an authoritative air. “Open your mouth so I can see your teeth.”

“How many times are you going to ask me that? They’re the same.” Helen leveled an exasperated look at her.

“You’re craving things even though you’re full. I think we need to figure this out.”

Helen jumped to her feet. “I need to get out of here.”

“If you leave, we’re going together. I’ll drive,” Alice said.

“She’s right. You don’t know what will happen,” Josephine interjected.

Helen hesitated with indecision. “All right. Let’s go.”

The three of them left Alice’s condo and traversed the hallway toward the elevator.

“So where are we going exactly?” Josephine asked.

“I’m in the mood for a burger,” Helen said.

Alice drove them to a nearby fast food restaurant and they ordered their meals. Oddly enough, Helen just asked for a kid’s cheeseburger and a soda. Josephine and Alice both ordered burgers and a drink. The three of them sat down with their meals near the corner. Almost all the tables were occupied and it was noisy with the chatter of nearby customers. Josephine and Alice ate in silence for several moments while Helen sipped her soda and picked at the bun with her fingers by taking small pieces and dropping them on her tray without eating.

“What are you doing?” Josephine asked.

“What do you mean?” Helen’s expression was distracted and her eyes held a faraway look to them.

“You haven’t taken a bite of your burger,” Josephine said.

“Sure I have.” Helen gestured at her burger which had a large portion of the bun torn away. “See?”

“You picked that off with your fingers. It’s scattered on your tray.”

Helen frowned with puzzlement at her burger and the crumbs spread out before her. Helen’s gaze honed in on a blond man in his twenties seated behind Josephine and Alice. The man was casually dressed in just a tee shirt and jeans. He had a five o’clock shadow on his face which was also marked with a myriad of zits and his features were average. Helen stared at him as he took a bite of his burger and chewed. The man was talking to another guy about the same age who was sitting directly across from him. The two of them were conversing in casual tones and oblivious to Helen’s attention. Alice and Josephine turned to see what Helen was gawking at. They turned back to ask Helen what was so fascinating about this guy but before they could utter a single word, Helen left her seat and approached the guy.

“Excuse me.” Helen’s voice was husky as she leveled a charming smile at the man.

“Yeah?” The guy regarded her with confusion.

“My watch stopped working and I was wondering if you had the time?”

“Yes, of course.” He peered at her with fascination.

His gaze flicked down to her breasts as she scooted into the booth beside him. His friend regarded them with puzzlement. Josephine and Alice observed the interaction with caution. Helen’s attention remained glued to the blond. After several seconds, she leaned forward and brushed his lips with her own in a tentative kiss. He issued a soft groan of pleasure and Helen deepened the kiss. The blond’s friend finally broke out of his silent shock and cleared his throat to gain their attention. Without breaking the kiss or looking away, Helen reached out with her right hand and rested it on top of the hand of the blond’s friend. He stilled for several seconds then stared off into space with a dreamy smile. Helen brushed her lips over the blond’s stubbled chin then lowered her head so she was positioned over his neck. She kissed the side of his neck then lingered there for several seconds. Josephine and Alice leapt from their seats as Helen kissed his neck again. It took the combined efforts of both Josephine and Alice to pry Helen away from the blond’s neck.

The blond and his friend remained seated and stared at each other with vacant expressions on their faces. Alice waved her finger in front of Helen’s face in a gesture of reprisal but her mouth dropped open in shock when she noticed Helen’s eyes were pure black.

“We need to leave. People are starting to notice us,” Josephine said.

“I don’t know what happened.” Helen regarded her with confusion.

“We can talk in the car.” Josephine nudged her arm to get her moving.

As they left the restaurant, Helen’s eyes reverted back to their normal state. The three of them gathered in Alice’s vehicle. Alice slid behind the wheel while Josephine took the seat beside her and Helen sat in the back.

“I don’t know if I like the idea of having her right behind me like that,” Alice said.

“I can hear you,” Helen grumbled.

“Sorry. It’s just that you were about to take a bite out of that guy,” Alice said.

“No, I wasn’t,” Helen argued.

“Josephine and I both saw you with our own eyes.”

“I saw the strangest thing.” Josephine’s brows furrowed with puzzlement.

“What do you mean?” Helen asked.

“It was like you were sucking energy out of that guy. It was only a trickle so you weren’t causing any damage. And you were drawing from the other guy through his hand and it was an even smaller draw,” Josephine said.

“Are you sure she wasn’t sucking out his blood, too?” Alice asked.

“I’m positive. It was just energy from his aura.”

“That’s terrible!” Helen wailed. “What if I kept kissing him for an hour? Is it possible I could kill someone?”

“It was just a trickle. You would have to keep it up for literally hours before he started to suffer any ill effects and it would be temporary,” Josephine said.

“What would happen exactly?” Helen asked.

“He would become more and more tired first. Then he’d pass out.”

“What if I couldn’t stop kissing him after he’s unconscious?”

“I don’t think that would happen. You’d have to be kissing him nonstop for several hours.”

“Just for the sake of argument, let’s say I’m addicted to kissing. What then?”

“He’d pass out and you’d have to stop because when someone’s personal energy gets that low, it’s harder and harder to draw from. But you’d have to be at it for something like eight hours which is ridiculous,” Josephine said.

“You would start drinking his blood way before that,” Alice advised.

“I don’t like this at all.” Helen’s expression was frantic.

“No, I don’t think you’re a vampire. Lorcan intimated that you might become something else.” Josephine peered at her with contemplation.

“I’ve got it!” Alice snapped her fingers. “She’s going to be a zombie!”

“No, that’s not it,” Josephine said.

“How do you know?” Alice leveled an annoyed look at her.

Josephine pulled the paper out of her purse that contained individuals she suspected may possess knowledge about ancient or dark magic. She tapped her index finger against the name and address she’d placed on the top of the list.

“This is the most promising lead I discovered at the station. I suggest we speak with Emerson and find out if he can help us,” Josephine said.

“All right. Where can we find him?” Alice asked.

Josephine provided directions to his shop which was called Predawn Souvenirs and located in Bradenton in one of the quiet strip malls a couple blocks from Manatee Avenue East. Half the stores on the lot were vacant including a large one that had once been a grocery store. Josephine, Alice and Helen strode toward Emerson’s store.

“We’re lucky we came tonight. This place may have gone out of business if we’d waited another day or two,” Alice remarked in a sardonic tone.

Josephine opened the door and stepped inside first. The store was small and cramped with tall shelves containing various enchanted tools and wands. A dark-haired man in his thirties was seated behind the counter with attentive green eyes. He wore a loose-fitting, black silk shirt and jeans with an enchanted ring on every finger and an enchanted bracelet on each wrist. Josephine could detect other magical jewelry hidden beneath his clothing but couldn’t probe for details because he possessed a privacy shield. He clearly carried an arsenal of potent enchantments with him that were ready to be used. The items for sale that surrounded them emanated a gentle current of power that caressed Josephine’s aura and distracted her with information that whispered into her mind.

“Can I help you?” Emerson leveled a polite gaze at the three women.

Josephine sensed the energy surrounding them flare for a brief moment as he scanned them. She knew he would detect very little from her as she was a category six and didn’t exude much in the way of psychometric energy. Emerson’s eyes slid over to study Helen. Helen hesitated with indecision while Josephine struggled to come up with something to say. She didn’t want to screw up her chance at obtaining valuable information.

“You’ve recently suffered a curse,” Emerson said.

“I’ve become immortal,” Helen explained. “I was wondering if you could cure me.”

“It’s unfortunate that dark magic is illegal because that doesn’t stop it from being used. The books that contain cures are consequently forbidden by the law because they either explain how the dark spells work or contain the dark spell itself along with the antidote.”

“Isn’t there a book with just the cures?” Helen asked.

“I’m afraid that isn’t possible. Dark magic is complex and curses are even more so. There are always multiple antidotes and they often fail. The next step after trying all known countermeasures is to develop your own personalized spell by analyzing the construction of the curse inside you. This is a lengthy process that can take many years and the best chance of success is to have a friend or two willing to help,” Emerson explained.

“I have two volunteers right here.” Helen gestured at her companions.

“I’m sure they have the best of intentions but they will need to devote many years to creating a personalized cure for you.”

“But you said there’s an antidote,” Helen reminded him.

“Theoretically, yes. That’s assuming I can find someone who will sell you the information.”

“I see what you’re saying. You can’t admit that you sell this stuff because then you could be arrested,” Josephine said.

“If I engaged in the sale of the items we’re discussing, I would be in violation of the law,” Emerson agreed.

“I just want someone to get rid of this curse.”

“I will look into the matter and contact you if I find someone who knows anything,” Emerson said. “I will need two thousand dollars as a down payment for the researcher’s fee.”