Witch Way to Turn (24 page)

“Looks are deceiving. Take me for example. I seem petite and fragile, right? But try to starve me and this vamp will drain a two hundred pound cowboy in three minutes flat.” Dandi stuck out her tongue, followed promptly by a flash of fang.

Okay, so Myles had a vampire…friend. Breena noticed something shiny pierced through Dandi’s tongue. The same smooth copper as Myles’s ring. What was up with the jewelry? She carefully tried to scan the vamp’s fingers, neck and ears for any other sign of bewitched jewelry without her noticing.

Subtlety fail.

“Like what you see, Ash?” Dandi licked her fangs.

“Ash?”

“Your hair color. Ash brown, right?”

“Yeah, it is.”

Fashion seemed to hold a high-ranking position in Dandi’s heart so it didn’t surprise Breena that she’d chosen something so superficial as her nickname. She kind of liked it, though. At least she wasn’t calling Breena “dimples.” Lord help Dandi, if she did.

It didn’t take long for Breena to realize that straightforward would be the best way to go with Dandi. “What’s the deal with your tongue ring? Is that how the WC keeps track of you?” It was the only reasonable thing she could think of.

“Somebody’s observant.”

“Somebody has to be when she’s being hunted,” Breena snapped. The chill inside her stirred despite the heat of the afternoon.

“Yeah, Myles has kept me up to speed.” Dandi flicked her braid off her shoulder.

“Glad to be the topic of conversation.” Even she flinched at the sound of her sarcastic tone. She tried to level it out. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“I’m not allowed to talk about it.”

“Says who?”

She nodded toward Myles.

“He’s got too many damn secrets.” Breena huffed.

When she glanced to the side, she noticed Dandi had stopped. As they faced each other, Dandi’s gray eyes hardened. What was that all about? It’s not like she had said something offensive. At least she didn’t think she so. Whatever. Took two to play the stare game. She crossed her arms, cocking her head at the vampire.

Dandi closed the distance between them. “Hey, cut Myles some slack. It’s hard to watch someone grow up then fall–”

“Enough.” Myles zipped between them like a lightning bolt.

Dandi sighed. “Yes, Master.”

Breena was surprised Dandi let him cut her off. And why did she keep calling him
Master
? Did he have a god-complex she didn’t know about?

When Breena caught up to Jenny, they walked the rest of the way to the building in silence. Once inside, they followed Myles across the smooth white-marble floor. The sound of their shoes tapping across the floor joined the melody of other clicks. Straight ahead stood four glass elevators, the shafts ten stories tall.

Beauty consultants dressed in black skirt suits, like the cleaning crew, bustled in and out of the lobby. A few men in suits, and some normally-dressed folks, scurried about. Breena wanted to ask questions, but every time she opened her mouth to form the words she shut it again. Tight.

Weird.

Myles pushed the button for the elevator, and Dandi looked like she’d struck-a-pose as she watched people–particularly the pretty ladies–walk by. Breena’s cell vibrated in her pocket, but she ignored it. Draping an arm around her sister’s shoulder, she held Jenny close.

Jenny snuggled into Breena’s waist. “It glo–”

“Jennifer.”

“What? Doesn’t matter. Couldn’t finish sayin’ it anyway.” Jenny rolled her eyes.

“Why?” Seemed strange that Breena’s always-speaking-her-mind sister couldn’t say something.

Jenny shrugged. “Dunno. Just couldn’t get the word out. Gl…” She
humphed
.

“Stop it.” Breena squeezed her arm as they stepped into the elevator after Myles and Dandi.

Jenny tossed a pout up at Breena.

Looking away from her sister, she tried to say “Glow,” just for the heck of it. Nope. Jenny was right.

A few moments later there was a high-pitched ding, followed by the slippery silence of the doors gliding open. Once they’d walked off the elevator and into the hallway, Breena said “Glow,” under her breath.

Her lips loosened, and the word floated away like a weight lifting. “What’s the deal?”

Myles headed down the hall.

“Silencing ward.” Dandi pinched her lips together like a duck.

“What?” Breena grabbed Jenny’s hand and followed Myles’s lead.

“The WC put a spell on the lobby and elevators so no one could talk about supernatural stuff.”

“Why?”

“Humans frequent The Gathering either as employees, visitors or food. Either way, the WC is all about secrecy.”

“The Gathering? New one on me.” Breena shrugged.

“Basically it’s the supernatural hierarchy. The WC and directors make up the voting part.” Breena noticed she didn’t say the WC was the head. “Then there’s family, friends and…” Dandi rolled her eyes, “…prisoners.” Her voice itched with contempt.

Hadn’t one of the Betty Lou consultants at Norma’s mentioned something about Myles’s sentence?

At the end of the corridor they faced a giant window. Breena had been lost in her own thoughts and hadn’t paid attention, but as she glanced back down the hallway, she noticed there were no doors or windows along either side of the corridor. The strange thing was, people passed the entrance to the hallway they stood in as if it were just another part of the wall. It seemed like a Hogwart’s kind of moment. “Does this hallway move or something?”

“No. It’s an invisibility ward,” Dandi answered.

“The tassel.” Myles pointed to the bright pink curtain pulled to the side by a black satin tie-back.

Breena let loose of Jenny’s hand to walk over and pull the rope. She half-expected the hallway to disappear and leave them standing in the middle of an orchard or in a castle with students wearing pointed hats. But the curtain only fell in front of the glass. “What now?”

“Push it to the side.” Myles nodded.

“Well, duh, why didn’t I think of that, Sherlock?”

“Maybe if you spent a little less time on questions and a little more time trusting me–”

“Can we move past the lovers’ quarrel already? Some of us would like to eat,” Dandi said.

Ignoring her, Breena yanked the curtain back. The window had vanished and a beautiful wooden door with inlaid panels and a long wrought iron handle stood before them. She opened it.

Another corridor stretched ahead of them. The smell of magic wafted up her nose like a cool breeze. At least it didn’t smell like lemons this time. More like a crisp fall day.

They followed Myles down the new hallway and to another elevator. The ride to the top floor was a quiet one, and not because of a silencing ward.

The elevator dinged, the doors opened, and they stepped out. Light flooded the hallway.

“Go to the end of the hall. The president’s apartment is the only door on the left.” Myles pointed.

“You’re not coming with me?” Breena tried to keep the anger out of her voice.

“No.”

“Where are you going?”

“We’ll take Jenny and get supper in the cafeteria.” Myles looked at Jenny and Dandi. “Come on girls.”

“Hey, wait a second. Where the hel…heck am I supposed to go after this?” She realized she sounded a little harsh, but something wasn’t right. Darkness crept around in the depths of her mind…clawing, climbing its way out.

“Go to the lobby in this building, not the lobby through the hallway. I’ll wait for you there.”

“Later, calculator!” Jenny chirped.

“After awhile, turnstile,” Breena replied only half-heartedly, hoping her sister didn’t notice.

Breena watched them go down the hall and heard the elevator doors close as she walked to what she hoped was the president’s apartment. She knocked and, a moment later, a young woman with bright green eyes and long silver hair answered the door. Despite her hair color, Breena figured her for mid-thirties.

The woman wore a blank expression and only gave a slight nod to indicate that Breena should follow her. The green-eyed lady walked ahead of her through the foyer, down a short hall, and into a large open room surrounded by a wall of windows leading to a balcony.

“Have a seat.” She gestured to the white couch in front of the fireplace. “The president will be with you shortly.”

The young woman’s eyes held her gaze for another beat before she stalked out of the room. Breena knew her from somewhere. But where?

Whatever.

She just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. Even though she didn’t feel worried about meeting the president, she grew more anxious by the second.

What’s wrong with me?

She looked down the hallway to see shelves flush against the wall, filled with hardcover books. The kitchen and living room melded into one large room, only separated by a bar. Breena could see the black granite countertops gleam, even from where she sat on the couch.

On the wall outside the kitchen hung a large piece of art, which displayed the four elements: earth, wind, fire and water. She recognized the symbols from senior year biology. Breena stood then walked over for a better look. The art blended copper, glass, wood and silver seamlessly.

“Breena Cross. I’ve waited a long time to see you again.”

Again?

Breena turned to face the voice. The green-eyed lady stood next to an older woman with snow-white hair cut into an A-line bob.

“Leave us.” Ms. Snow-white nodded.

“Is that wise?” Green Eyes didn’t move.

“Don’t question me, Rae.”

“As you wish.” Rae slunk away like a wounded pup.

“Please, have a seat, dear. Would you like some tea?”

“No, I’m good, thanks.” Breena headed back to the couch to sit down. The older woman sat in the oversized matching chair across from her, the massive square mahogany coffee table between them. Ms. Snow-white’s bright violet eyes met Breena’s.

“Your eyes…they look like mine.” Typical Breena. Speak first, think later.

“It’s a recessive trait on the women’s side of our family.”

“Our family?”

“Yes, child. I’m your grandmother.”

Chapter 20

Breena sat in stunned silence.

“My name is Lucinda Vale. My son, Victor Vale, is your father.” The president smoothed the hem of her tweed skirt.

“I…uh. My…”

C’mon, Breena. Use your words.

It took her a minute. “Father? What’re you talking about? My parents are dead. The social worker showed me the file, the death certificates.” She couldn’t believe this. Why hadn’t Myles prepared her? Did he know?

“I’m sorry there isn’t an easier way to tell you all this.”

Breena’s palms suddenly pulsed. Quickly she sat on them and tried not to focus on the heat they gave off. Everything she’d ever gone through could’ve been avoided. What the hell? “You mean to tell me, I was in foster care my entire fuckin’ life, and my parents are still alive?”

“I assure you, dear, it was for your own protection.” Her violet eyes dulled.

“I’ve been cursed at, belittled, beaten up, not to mention nearly sexually assaulted a bunch of times, and you call that protection?” Breena stood and paced the length of the couch.

Total bullshit
.

“Look at the bright side, dear.”

A bitter laugh leapt off Breena’s lips. “Which is?”

“You’ve been able to protect Jenny.”

She froze and faced Lucinda, fists clenched at her sides. “How do you know about Jenny?”

“My dear, who do you think sent her to you?”

“Why would you think I’d be able to raise her? I was in foster care when I found her, in the woods of all places!”

“I wasn’t the one to
actually
deliver her to Rhodhiss, deary.”

Her supposed grandmother’s pet names were really starting to tick her off. “Whatever. I don’t care. Because of you, Jenny has suffered years of abuse. Do you know how hard I’ve had to work to protect her? Do you even care?”

Silence. Not golden.

The president crossed one leg over the other and wove her fingers together around her knee.

Anger fueled every cell in Breena’s body and once again she hoped for the blue light to explode from her trembling hands. She needed to calm down. She needed information. If nothing else, she deserved answers. “Where are my parents?”

“It’s complicated.”

“I’ve had it up to here,” Breena cut off the air above her head, “with ‘it’s complicated’. Un-complicate it.”

“What I’m about to tell you is of the utmost secrecy. If word of my cover-up gets out, everyone involved will be executed, including you and Myles.”

“The executioner will have to get in line. I’ve already got a queen breathing down my neck.”

“The queen? Your mother doesn’t want to kill you, Breena. She’s searched for you for years.”