The Book of Lost Souls (27 page)

Nick took a few steps back to her. “I thought that was you. That means...” Nick frowned and scanned the area around them.

Ivy glanced out through the windshield and into the woods. Nothing stirred. Other than the three of them, no one else seemed to be here.
 

Yet she knew differently.
 

He was here. Watching. He’d probably been watching ever since she took her first step into the woods. Who was this mystery guy and what did he want with her? Why had he helped them at the bridge and then chose to remain in the shadows? Ivy rubbed her arms as a chill came over her. She wanted to be home, and it suddenly had nothing to do with the surprise Nick mentioned.
 

“Yeah,” she said. “I know exactly what it means. It means that someone else was out there with us.”
 

CHAPTER 30

Ivy pulled into the Connors’ driveway and let Shayde out. Shayde hopped down from the car and padded across the lawn toward the back of the house, where Ivy knew there was a doggie door large enough for werewolves. Changing back hadn’t been an option. Driving with a naked passenger would draw too much attention. After seeing Shayde off, Ivy got back into her car and drove next door to her own house.
 

When she went to retrieve her book bag, she found Nick’s surprise. He’d gotten into her car and left her a small book. It was one of those pocket-sized ones that people often bought at checkout registers at bookstores—no more than ten or fifteen pages. This one had probably been bought at Pages and Sages, a bookstore and potion shop over on Hawthorne Street. The title was
Simple Spells for the Suburban Girl.
Cute. Nick had a sense of humor knowing the other book she carried with her.

The thought of Nick and their almost kiss would have normally made Ivy dance with joy. And, if she thought finding out who was behind this would solve all her problems, she was wrong. How long before Vlad and the Countess figured out where to find them? True, they couldn’t just ask around, and they stayed hidden in the woods most of the time. Still, she had to get rid of
The Rise of the Dark Curse
before Nick told his dad.
 

She retrieved her book bag and after glancing around, hurried to the front door and went inside. She had to figure out where and how she was going to get rid of the book
.
She’d be glad to be rid of it. The idea of touching the book again scared her. It’d be like walking into a dark alley full of everything nightmarish.

Devlin met her with his usual exuberance and tail wagging. Spike bounded down the stairs, nearly as happy as Devlin.

“You’re home!” he said, nearly shoving Devlin aside to give Ivy a death-grip of a hug. “Geez, it felt like you were gone forever and ever!”

When he finally let go he stood and stared at her—just like Devlin. Both of them were waiting for her to do or say something. She half expected Spike to cock his head to one side when she asked Devlin if he needed to go outside.
 

“I wasn’t even gone a full day,” she said to Spike.
 

Spike was happy enough to go outside with Devlin for a few minutes. Ivy stayed inside, trying to decide what to do next. It would be easy enough to say she didn’t want to be grounded for ditching class, but that wasn’t it. Not really. All she could think about was protecting her mother from the whole ugly truth. Because, no matter what Ivy told her, what excuse she might have, her mother would be horribly hurt. And, she’d fear that Ivy really was like her dad. And that was something Ivy just couldn’t bear.
 

She thought of calling Raven and asking if they could use the funeral home’s incinerator, though she doubted the book would even burn.
But
, she could go back and hide it someplace in the cemetery. After all, when the Council questioned Mr. Evans, he’d have to tell them where he’d found
The Book of Lost Souls.
She could put
The Rise of the Dark Curse
in an area they hadn’t cleared weeds and vines away from yet.
 

If she were going to do that, she needed to hurry. She wanted to be home before her mother. Spike could stay here with Devlin or they could both come with her. She weighed which place would be safer for them. The last thing she wanted was to run into Vlad and the Countess in the cemetery and put Spike and Devlin in any danger. The thought of ever seeing the Countess and her evil grin again made Ivy shudder.

She felt the side of the book bag. Funny, when she touched the bag, she no longer felt that weird pulse of energy she used to. She no longer felt agitated or even the need to lock herself in her room to read the book.
 

Ivy let out a sigh of relief.
 

And then she started to wonder why she didn’t have the usual
craving
to read it. There had been no other word for it. Ivy reached for the zipper on the book bag, hesitating for a brief moment.

Let it be. Maybe it’s just... sleeping. Don’t touch it until you’re ready to dump it in the cemetery.

Her traitorous hand unzipped the bag anyway, and she carefully reached inside to remove the book.
 

Which was when she realized it had been switched out with another.
The Rise of the Dark Curse
had been replaced with a large, hardbound thesaurus.
 

Frantically, Ivy searched the bag, although there was no other place it could be. Heart pounding, she raced up to her room and searched there, nearly ransacking the drawers in her panic to find the book.
 

The book wasn’t anywhere to be found.
 

She collapsed onto the bed.
Think, think. Who would have switched it out?
 

Her first thought was the mysterious man in the woods. If he had just wanted the book, then why stay and help her? She hardly thought someone like that would have a guilty conscience. And why even swap it out with another book? Then, her heart sank and Ivy thought she might just be sick. There was one other person who was with her today who knew she carried
The Rise of the Dark Curse
. And, not only had he replaced it with another book, he’d left her a token gift.

As if that would ever make up for it.

Nick had played her. He actually managed to not only break down every last bit of her defenses, he’d taken the book, just like he said he would. It’s why he didn’t think there was any need to wait and tell everyone that Mr. Evans had the
The Book of Lost Souls
. In fact, she bet Nick wasn’t going to tell anyone other than his father. She’d also bet money the two of them were over at Mr. Evans right now.

It’s why he hadn’t called her yet. And, even if he were home, Nick never had intentions of calling her.
 

She didn’t know if she should be angry, or hurt. As much as she wanted to be angry, hurt won out. The pain she felt where her heart had been, the burning of tears threatening to spill from her eyes was beyond what she could keep in. Images flashed through her mind again—the leaves turning into rose petals, the glass fireflies, how she felt in his arms.
 

Now, she couldn’t even breathe.

This was more than just the pain she’d experienced when her father left. This was how betrayed her mother had felt.
 

She’d like to say she’d never seen this coming, but hadn’t she? She wanted to tell herself that at least her mother would never know she had the book, never know how involved her daughter had been in all this. Nick and his father had what they wanted.
 

Let it be.

Could she? Already, part of her was afraid of what they might do with both books.
 

Maybe Vlad and The Blood Countess would hunt them down. Maybe when they did they’d...

But, Vlad and the Countess belonged to Mr. Evans. Nick and his father would certainly get rid of them. Wouldn’t they?

Shaking and unable to control her emotions any longer, Ivy hung her head and let the tears flow.
 

“Ivy?”
 

She couldn’t look up at Spike and yet she didn’t care to make him go away, either.
 

Devlin padded across the floor, head down. He lay at her feet and rested his head on her hiking boots. No crazy antics this time. This time, Devlin’s instincts must have told him that whatever was wrong wasn’t something he could fix with his puppyish charm and mayhem. This time, the ever-devoted Devlin knew all he could do was wait it out—to be there for her. She wondered what a Beezlepup’s life expectancy was.

“Ivy?” Spike repeated, his voice soft and uncertain. He gently sat on the bed beside her. “Did you have a bad day?”

His naivety almost made her laugh. Almost.

The next morning, Ivy got herself ready for school, doing her best to put on a perfectly normal face in front of her mother. All she could really think about was how to avoid seeing Nick Marcelli ever again. And how to tell her friends how foolish she’d been in losing
The Rise of the Dark Curse
.
 

When Shayde caught up with her at school, she couldn’t even manage to tell her best friend, which made Ivy feel even worse, more isolated.
 

“You don’t look so good,” Shayde said. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it,” was all Ivy could manage to say as the two walked to their first period classes. She had never withheld anything from Shayde before.
 

For a moment, Ivy swore Shayde might burst into tears. “I just want you to know how really sorry I am,” Shayde said. “You know I’d never do anything I thought would hurt you, Ivy. Never. Please always believe that.”

The sentiment choked Ivy up, and so she simply nodded as the two parted ways. Shayde turned left to go to her World History class, Ivy turned right to go to Calculus. Of course Shayde wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt her. Over the years, they’d disagreed on many things, but through it all, Ivy knew that next to Devlin, Shayde was the most dependable and loyal of any of her friends.
 

Between the next couple of classes, Ivy avoided her locker entirely. Twice Nick texted her, asking where she was and why she hadn’t texted him back or returned his call from late last night. She’d wanted to ask why he hadn’t called when he got home like he’d promised. The call hadn’t come in on her cell until after ten.
 

She wanted to ask why he felt the need to trick her the way he had.
 

Before darting into her last class of the day, Nick texted her again.
 

She stared at the message, which wanted to know why she was avoiding him. Then, she turned her phone off.

“You’re going to have to talk to me sometime,” Nick said, causing her to jump. He shouldn’t be here. He had class downstairs, at the other end of the school.
 

All the pain from last night returned. And so did the anger. “What’s the point? You got what you wanted!”

She turned to walk away. Nick tugged at her book bag and she spun around to face him, furious. He was still smiling. The jerk was still
smiling
.
 

“Did I
really
get what I wanted?” he asked.
 

She folded her arms defensively. “The book, Nick. Stop pretending you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“Cute, huh? I was hoping you’d like it.”

Ivy stepped forward. She wanted to pound him, but now that she was standing so close, she couldn’t do it. “
Like
it? You—”

“Hey guys!” Shayde rushed up and snatched Ivy by the arm. Ivy hadn’t been aware that Shayde was among the small crowd staring at her and Nick. “Don’t mind if I borrow Ivy for a minute, do you Nick?”

Nick shook his head and before Ivy could say more, Shayde was briskly leading her away.
 

“Wait!” Nick said, catching up. “Geez, Ivy. I’ll pick poetry or something next time. It was a joke, I didn’t mean you were only capable of simple spells. We’ve got to get rid of that damned book. It’s really getting to you.”

Despite Shayde’s grip, Ivy turned to face him. “Funny, Nick. Since you’ve already got it.”

Shayde went white. Nick stared at Ivy in disbelief for a minute, then to Shayde and back to Ivy. “I don’t have the book. You mean, you thought I took it?”

“No!” Shayde said. “She doesn’t mean that at all. I’ll tell her. Gotta go,” Shayde said, dragging Ivy away. Nick stared after them looking more than a bit angry.

“Witch’s Curse,” Ivy said as she finally followed Shayde into the classroom. “For taking the book, I hope he gets everything coming to him.”

There was an uneasy moment of silence before Shayde spoke again. Probably because it had been a long time since Ivy had invoked the Witch’s Curse on anyone. She thought it was much nicer than any of the hexes she’d cast lately. The Witch’s Curse was barely a curse at all. It hardly even qualified as a jinx. It simply was a wish that those who’d meant good received good things in return, and bad things to those who meant harm.

“Then, that’d mean you two get back together,” Shayde said quietly. “See, Nick didn’t take the book. I did.”

Ivy turned to face her. “You? Why? The book doesn’t do you any good. You can’t cast spells. You’re not making any sense.”

Shayde seemed miserable. “It makes all the sense in the world! I did it to keep the book from hurting
you
. It did all the good in the world. Until now. Nick doesn’t know anything about this.”
 

“Uh oh,” Ivy said, realizing what she’d just accused Nick of doing. “He really has to hate me by now.”
 

“I’ll fix it. I’ll explain,” Shayde said.

Ivy sighed. “Not this time. I need to apologize in person.” She didn’t think any apology in the world would fix things between them now. Lately, she’d been more trouble to him than she was worth. If she were in Nick’s shoes, she’d find a new girlfriend.
 

“The book. Where—”
 

“The book is safe,” Shayde assured her. “I was going to tell you, I really was. Tonight. Raven and I were going to tell you. Then, we figured we’d dress up in costume and go back out to the cemetery after dark and get rid of it. No one would know it’s us. We wouldn’t be the only ones in the cemetery on Halloween. Don’t be mad. We did it for your own good.”