The Book of Lost Souls (2 page)

Raven groaned. “Ugh! Phoebe! That was
her
story, not his. Anyway, Nick’s just...mischievous. You could do with a little adventure.”

“Uh huh.” Ivy motioned to Spike. “Isn’t this adventurous enough?” She shook her head. “Forget I asked.”

“Besides, Nick is hot,” Shayde added. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”

Ivy considered Nick. Sicilian complexion, dark, short hair. When he smiled, his coal-colored eyes had a way of smiling too. And he was tall, just over six feet.

“Ever notice,” Shayde said, interrupting Ivy’s visual, “Nick has a way of entering a room with all eyes on him and a way of leaving without being noticed when he wants? Nick is like smoke.”

Yeah
, Ivy thought. She’d noticed. Nick was trouble in more ways than one. Her father had been like Nick, full of mystery with a past full of rumors. She disliked anything or anyone who reminded her of her father. And that meant that every demon and bad-boy wizard in Northwick was on her do-not-trust list, which meant they’d never make it to her must-date list. No matter how hot they were. “Nick isn’t my type.”
 

Raven sighed. “Well, I can’t say you don’t set high goals, Ivy. You’re not the only one who lies awake at night thinking about Dean.”

Raven was right about Dean being a hot commodity. Without a doubt, Dean was red carpet, paparazzi material all the way: perfect smile, lean and muscular, thick blond hair, and eyes so blue the whites looked glacial. To top it off, he was captain of the football team and a fairly talented wizard. No black magic practitioners in his family. No mysterious rumors. No glamours on lockers.

Unfortunately, Dean wasn’t going to the party alone. It took both beauty and popularity to gain Dean’s attention. Ivy figured that if she showed up with an eye-catching, college-aged date, she just might stand half a chance against Dean’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, Tara.

Yeah, right.
 

It took twenty minutes for Ivy to find a makeshift intelligence charm from the advanced section of
Spectacular Spells Explained
to make Spike act more human. She skimmed through the spell, frowning at the warning written above the incantation:

Important Note: The Intelligence spell accelerates over time. Please use caution. We suggest using a Hesitation spell, (pg. 73), and a Reducing spell, (pg. 119). Best practice is to remove this spell after a few hours. May cause headaches or nose bleeds with prolonged use. In some rare cases, severe depression and paranoia have been reported.

“Two
more
spells?” Ivy glanced at the small clock sitting on the desk. “I don’t have time for two more spells.”

“
Ivy
,” Shayde grumbled in cautious protest.

 
Ivy waved her off. “It’ll be fine, Shayde. Really. It’s not like Spike is going to be human more than a few hours. And this way, he’ll at least
have
an IQ. He’s not hanging around long enough that he’ll need to be Einstein.”

Shayde shook her head and went back to work on Spike’s hair.

Ivy felt a little better about ignoring the warning when the Intelligence spell didn’t start off so well. Spike’s conversational skills weren’t the best—he mostly just parroted what everyone said around him. She glanced at the clock.
 

“Okay, I’ve got time for one more incantation,” she said. “Feel better?”

Shayde didn’t comment.

“Well, hurry up!” Raven said. “Or we’re going to be the last ones there.”

Ivy flipped through the spell book and found a temporary charm to make Spike appear a bit more formal and reserved. “This should work.”
 

While Ivy worked on the last spell, Raven and Shayde finished up with Spike’s hair. They’d done a good job. He now looked just like the magazine photo. Sort of. From a distance. Maybe.
 

Spike had a strange look in his eyes Ivy couldn’t quite figure out.

CHAPTER 2

The bedroom door creaked open and the girls all turned their heads at once toward the sound. “It’s just me,” called a male voice. “Did it work?”
 

Gareth stepped inside. Unlike most vampire families, Raven and Gareth shared more than the same black hair, haunting eyes, and lithe bodies. They really were brother and sister. In spite of the decades they’d both been vampires, Gareth somehow managed to appear more thoughtful, more innocent than his sister—if a vampire could ever be considered totally innocent.
 

At least he had looked that way until tonight. Now, Ivy thought he looked...
creepy
. He wore a black suit and white shirt. He’d slicked back his jet-black hair and his lips were painted a dull red. The Phantom of the Opera mask complemented Gareth’s sharp features, making him look older than his mere fourteen years. Well, if he were still human. All said, Gareth actually looked menacing and Ivy had to remind herself that the Gray family never drank blood from the living—only the dead.

Raven swore under her breath. “You ever think of knocking, Gareth?”

“Why? It’s my room.”
 

“Freaky costume,” Ivy said.
 

“Really?” Gareth asked, apparently pleased. Then, his eyes cut to the daybed and to Spike. He grinned broadly. “Whoa! Is that him? Dude, you are awesome.” His grin faltered, ever so slightly. “You’ll be able to change him back when you’re done, right Ivy?”

Ivy nodded. Gareth trusted her with Spike, because he trusted her ability to master advanced spells. Otherwise, he never would have let her experiment with his prized pet.
 

“Sure. Simple,” she assured him. At least she thought it should be pretty easy.

“Let’s go before someone comes looking for us,” Gareth said.
 

Everyone filed out of the room and moved briskly down the hall. Although Ivy worried that Spike might not communicate as well as she’d like, he walked just fine. Gareth unlocked the door separating the living quarters from the main building of Forever View. The doors always remained locked whenever guests were present or during a viewing.

Bane, Shayde’s twin brother, waited for them outside viewing room one. The werewolf twins both had thick sable brown hair, eyes the color of deep liquid amber, and skin that appeared lightly tanned year round. Ivy took in Bane’s costume—a black bandana tied around his head with holes cut out for the eyes, a black poncho, matching boots, and hat. His partially unbuttoned black shirt fit snug against his chest.
 

Raven grinned at the sight of him—a long, appreciative, and very hungry grin. “Well, hello Zorro!”

Bane’s grin was just as primal. “So glad you approve, your Majesty.” He removed his hat and bowed low.
 

Shayde playfully shoved her brother as she strode past, knocking him off balance. “Please. I’d say get a room, you two, but we’re late.”

Ivy guided Spike past Bane and Raven. Gareth followed her. “Don’t lose sight of him,” Gareth instructed.
 

“I won’t,” she replied. “Spike won’t leave my side.”

“Good luck, Ives.” Bane caught up to them and started to ruffle her hair, but after noticing her head dress he winked instead. You’re too good for him, you know.”
 

Ivy liked to say her infatuation with Dean was Bane’s fault since he was also on the football team and sometimes hung out with him. Occasionally, Bane teased her about her crush on Dean, but he never did it to be mean. They’d grown up together and Ivy thought of Bane as a big brother. And in moments like this, he could be incredibly sweet and just like a
real
big brother by thinking that Dean wasn’t good enough.

Ivy beamed. “Thanks, Bane. You really think so?”

“Yeah. I do. Who’d want their sister dating a lizard?” He smiled and ducked, avoiding Ivy’s good-natured swat before disappearing into the viewing room and slipping his arm around Raven.
 

“Jerk,” Ivy called after him, and laughed in spite of herself.

Shayde whispered to Ivy as she entered the room behind her brother and Raven. “Hope it works, Ivy. You’re starting to scare me as much as Raven.”

Gareth hurried into the room next, leaving Ivy alone in the foyer with Spike. Maybe this
was
a bad idea. If her mom found out about the Changing spell, she’d be totally furious. Oh, well. No time like the present. It wasn’t like she could go back now.
 

“It’s show time, Spike.” Ivy sighed deeply, then took Spike’s arm in hers and followed her friends into viewing room one.
 

When the Grays remodeled the funeral home, they’d installed full-length moveable partitions to separate the viewing areas, in place of walls. Tonight, every partition had been pushed back making it one huge room. Music boomed from the ceiling-mounted speakers which usually played soothing music meant to calm the grieving. Gourds and carved pumpkins rested on haystacks in the nearby corner. Black and orange streamers twirled from the ceiling, an obvious contrast to the room’s bland beige and soothing blue-green. A cauldron sat on the center of the refreshment table, tendrils of fog from dry ice cascading down the sides. Sparkling purple and orange confetti littered the black paper tablecloth. Teachers and chaperones were busy serving punch and soda in black plastic cups.
 

Cookies, cake, and fake Jack o' Lanterns topped to the brim with chips filled another table, replacing the casket that would normally have been in viewing room two. Tonight, the only coffin in sight was a black, varnished casket to the right of the doorway. Fake spider webs stretched out from the casket’s handles and plastic spiders had been woven in along the thicker strands of webbing.
 

Spike stared a bit too long at them.
 

“Come on, Spike,” Ivy said, urging him on.

Shayde and Bane were standing near the refreshment table, and she made her way toward them, squeezing in between the crowd chatting at the entrance. A few of them gave Spike a once-over and Ivy smiled as she passed them. Spike was definitely drawing attention.

She expected Dean to be with his usual group and he surprised her when he emerged from the crowd alone, nearly running into her. He had dressed as Robin Hood complete with green tunic and matching tights, which she tried
not
to stare at. Ivy bet Robin Hood never looked so good. In fact, Dean could make Adonis jealous. The image of the naked Greek statue crossed her mind and she felt her face flush almost painfully. She averted her eyes to his hands, which held two sodas. Tara had to be close by.
 

“Sorry, MacTavish. Didn’t see you.” Even his voice was gorgeous—smooth and masculine. He surveyed Spike, then her. “Nice costumes. They’re, um, sweet.”

Ivy patted Spike’s arm, and Spike smiled serenely. “Thanks,” she said, unable to do anything except stare at his ice-blue eyes and his to-die-for flawless face. For a moment, she thought she’d quit breathing.

“Well, see you later,” Dean said with a smile before walking away.

He smiled at me!
For a second or two, Ivy thought the room spun. She couldn’t contain her own grin as she met up with Shayde and the gang who were talking to Nick and a couple of his friends. Nick had dressed in all black from his shoes and greatcoat, to the tall, rimmed hat on his head. He held a beaker filled with a bubbling, greenish concoction. Apparently, he was Dr. Jekyll. It was the perfect costume for a demon.

Nick surveyed Spike. “Hey, Ivy.”
 

“Hi,” she replied nervously. It felt awkward standing here with Spike. Nick had asked her out twice now. Last week, and once over the summer. Both times she’d said no. Sure, he was a demon, and sure, he had a reputation, much of which
was
probably overly exaggerated. So why did he make her so nervous?

Because he reeks of trouble, she thought. Definitely not trustworthy.
 

Raven handed Ivy and Spike their drinks and whispered, “Nick still has a thing for you. His heart rate goes up when you’re around.”
 

Ivy tried to ignore Raven’s comment, including her weird ability to hear someone’s heartbeat, and took a swallow of her soda. Nick followed suit and took a drink of his own, never taking his eyes off her. Ivy felt a hint of remorse. If he’d been anyone other than a demon she could see herself saying yes to his advances. He was off her list as dating material. He’d actually never really even been on it due to their fathers’ friendship, but maybe he wasn’t quite the bad boy she’d convinced herself he was. Maybe she could be at least a little more social to him.

Nick leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Want a sip? It’s got a some rum in it. I enchanted the beaker to smell like soda. No one will ever know.”
 

Ivy looked at the fizzing liquid, which now matched something else tingly deep inside her and shook her head.

Spike had downed his drink and was busily licking the inside of the cup. Ivy snatched it from him and handed it to Raven.
 

Nick gave Spike a long, curious glance.

“Not a good idea on the sugary stuff,” Shayde said.
 

Ivy couldn’t have agreed more. The Coke had definitely wired Spike, and she didn’t think she could pass off licking the inside of a plastic cup as a college thing. His head jerked left and right, eyes intently scanning the room. She murmured a Quieting spell, hoping no one would notice and that it would make Spike appear more normal.
 

Unfortunately, Nick was still watching Spike pretty closely. While demons didn’t always use the same spells as witches and wizards, he’d be one of the first to figure out what she’d done. On the other hand, changing Spike to human might be dark magic for witches, but probably not for demons. Would he tell anyone?
 

Nick slid a suspicious glance her way.

What a stupid idea this had been.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she warned him.

Nick grinned. “Like what? Care to talk about it on the dance floor?” He leaned forward and whispered in her ear again. “Are you always this full of surprises? I like it.”