Bittersweet (5 page)

 

 

Morning came. Sleep still hadn't. A slow drizzle fell, matching my dreary mood. I dressed for school in a zombie-like trance, stuffing my twisted emotions into the pit of my stomach. When Adrius arrived to pick me up, I barely noticed the cold wetness dripping down my unbuttoned jacket as I walked to his car.

Adrius steered the SUV with caution on the slick streets heading for school, while I stared at the trees whipping by in a monochromatic blur. We hadn't spoken since the night before and the silence only added to my growing despair. Each of us was wrapped in our own separate bubble of worry.

“There must be some way to break the spell. To prevent the veil from sealing,” I burst. Seeking antidotes to curses and spells was becoming my way of life.

Adrius glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “I've been searching, and so far haven't come up with anything. There's nothing in the book to counter it. Like
Octãhvia
's curse, a reversal spell can only be cast by the witch who invented it, or the caster themselves.”

“You think that witch was my grandmother don't you? Why would she be involved in any of this?” The toxic plants growing wild in Gran's poison garden had been on my mind since we'd discovered them. Now this? For a time I'd been closer to her than my own mother. Now it was as though I hadn't known her at all, and it made my heart ache.

“I didn't know your grandmother, Lorelei. But I trust your judgment. If you believe she's an innocent party, then so do I, until we know otherwise.”

He steered the car into the parking lot, the engine purred quietly as he searched for a space.

A spell to seal the veil between our worlds had the markings of Shadow fey all over it, but I couldn't rule out Venus. She'd stop at nothing to separate us forever. Then there was the elven king, who'd never been fond of his son being with me. We had no shortage of enemies.

I twisted in my seat to face him. “What's going to happen, Adrius, if we can't stop this?” The words came out in a whisper. “You won't be able to stay here.” My questions trailed off. Without Hawthrin's regular supply of potion, Adrius could die from lung poisoning before the semester was over.

“I don't know.” He had a tight grip on the steering wheel and his emotions, making it hard for me to read what he was thinking.

“How much time do we have?”

Adrius drew me to him and kissed the top of my head. “Relax, Lorelei.”

And without any conscious effort, I did, a little.

“We have time,” he said. “The spell seems to be slow in taking effect and in the meantime I'll figure something out. I have to speak with my uncle. He may have some insight.”

“If you can find him.” My hope dimmed. If our only chance at solving this was his missing uncle, things were already worse.

I looked down at the dusty volume Adrius had retrieved from my grandmother's house. I hadn't been able to leave it behind. The grimoire, Book of Shadows, contained all of my maternal ancestors' spells. “I wonder if I could conjure something to reverse it. Maybe there's something in here to show me how.”

His jaw tensed when he shrugged. His aversion to witchcraft seeped through his otherwise calm and stoic state.

Immediately, I felt bad for bringing it up. A witch had killed his mother in front of him as a child, a witch had cursed him to a life of emotional bondage, and a witch had tried to take away my soul. His disdain was completely justified. But I was part witch, and this book had belonged to my grandmother, who, despite what her poison garden might indicate, was a good person. “Sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up.” I twirled a lock of hair around my finger, twisting it absently until my fingertip lost circulation.

Adrius gave a sidelong glance and his expression softened. “Maybe you should read it and find out,” he said quietly.

I turned to look at him and was met with a brief smile.

“It's part of who you are, Lorelei. You should explore all sides of your magic.”

All sides of my magic
, his words rolled around in my mind. Magic really was multifaceted. Some types were light, like my healing abilities and Gran's herbal potions; they were organic, rooted in the laws of nature. And then there was the other magic. It was powerful, dark, all-encompassing and often used against the will of others. That magic also coursed through my veins, in equal measure. According to many, dark magic was the only magic I possessed, but I refused to believe that was true.

I fingered the leather straps wrapped loosely around the grimoire. The image of the door flying open in the Lemon Balm, and Phyllis' strange transformation came to my mind. Another confusing piece of the puzzle.

My gaze snapped to Adrius. “Didn't you tell me magic from your world didn't work in my world?”

He frowned. “It doesn't.” He waited for me to continue, and when I didn't he glanced over, his concern amplified. “Why do you ask?” he said cautiously. “What else happened?”

“Nothing really. It's just the thing with Phyllis… I made the door fly open… without using my hands.”

The car accelerated as he pulled into the first available space then skidded to an abrupt stop. The engine rev slowed before cutting out and leaving us in silence.

Shifting in his seat, he faced me, the full weight of his darkening eyes on mine. “You performed magic. Unintentionally.”

I nodded. “I didn't have time to give it much thought, it all happened so fast. But I felt it. The door wouldn't open, there was a rush of emotion, fear, panic. I shouted, and then… it opened.”

He stared at me a moment longer, the same unreadable expression on his beautiful face. And then without another word, he was out of the car and opening the door on my side.

****

To say things were bad would be so far from the truth it'd be a lie. Catastrophic beyond imagining… that came closer. After my sleepless night, I'd spent my morning classes lost in a fog of denial and despair. The absolute last straw was Brianne accosting Adrius and me in the hall after music class. She had Davin in tow, and they stopped in front of us. Brianne looked strangely excited, considering she was coming to see me.

“We're going to be performing together,” she said. It looked like she had a secret she was dying to explode all over me.

So not interested.

“Can't give it away yet, but I was thinking, maybe we should all go on a double date after the performance,” she announced. “You know, to celebrate.”

Davin, Adrius and I gaped in horror. No one wanted to see that happen; how that wasn't obvious to her was beyond me. A double date with Davin and Brianne? Seriously. We'd been civil since the trip to Lynchbrook. Barely. But the four of us, stuck together for a whole evening? Not a good plan.

“I don't know, Brianne,” I said, moving around her to put my books in my locker. I was about to tell her exactly how bad an idea it was, when I tripped over my own foot and fell shoulder first into the open door of my locker.

Brianne snickered and Davin elbowed her.

The momentary stab of pain was quickly followed by a surge of heat and that overpowering scent of rust and salt. Adrius grabbed my other shoulder, extracting me from my locker and moving me upright.

”You alright?” He frowned. “You're bleeding.” He took my arm and investigated it more closely.

Instinctively I clutched it, covering the scrape with my hand.

Brianne lost interest in my clumsiness and went on about her inane plans as if everyone was actually into it.

Her voice helped block out the sting, but when I lifted my hand, it confirmed my fear. I was bleeding. Still. I leaned against Adrius, determined to remain upright. My stomach churned. That was expected, but there was something strange about this injury. I lifted my hand once more. By now the skin should have begun sealing itself back together, a sign that my rapid healing process was underway. If anything, it had become faster since my return from Mythlandria and gaining access to my magic. Until I'd pricked my finger in Gran's garden. Tentatively I peeked under my hand. The wound was still there, pulsing beads of blood.

Both Adrius and Davin directed concerned frowns in my direction.

“Maybe you should get that looked at by the nurse,” Brianne said, when she realized she was no longer the center of attention.

I shook my head. Talking would activate my gag reflex and I barely had the whole bile thing under control. Any moment now it would start healing. It always did. But the throbbing that stretched the length of my arm said otherwise. I held on to Adrius, feeling a bit lightheaded. People who faint at the sight of blood really shouldn't be healers. They just embarrass themselves.

Adrius took out a handkerchief, and wrapped it around my arm. Which meant that it was still bleeding.

“Straight from the pages of a Jane Austin movie,” Brianne laughed.

Davin rolled his eyes. “You do know they were books first, right, Bri?”

Adrius stopped. His hand tightened around my forearm and squeezed.

At first I thought he was applying pressure to stop the bleeding, but now he was cutting off my circulation completely.

“Ow.” I pulled away, frowning up at him. Stormy shadows had covered his face.

“Unbelievable,” he growled beneath his breath as he stared past me.

I turned to find out what made him nearly crush my forearm to a fine powder.

“Hey lovebirds. Remember me?”

Unbelievable
. I clapped my hand over my mouth and Adrius made a feral noise under his breath.

Venus.

She was swaying toward us like a ringing bell, her flaming-red hair swinging in tempo. Dressed in a sheer black top over a black tank top and black jeans, she looked nothing like the demon she was… she looked like… one of us.

Davin looked up, and then didn't look away. His gaze trained on her as if caught in a gravitational pull. Brianne noticed and elbowed him in the ribs, but it didn't help.

The vision of Venus standing in the dim desolate halls of Drearyton High ripped the breath from my lungs.

She smiled, but it was a savage thing, cold and vicious.

“H...hi.” Sound wouldn't come out of my mouth, leaving me stammering in a futile attempt to cover the shock and horror ripping through me.

Adrius was statue rigid. The daggers shooting from his eyes couldn't be mistaken for anything but what they were, pure hatred. I, on the other hand, had my friends to worry about, and the last thing I wanted was for them to get even an inkling that something was up.

Venus' emerald eyes roamed over our group, pausing to drink in Davin's appreciative stare. She grinned. At him. But spoke to me. “It's Lorelei, right?”

I nodded mutely. Her gaze fluttered up at Adrius and she offered her hand. “I don't think we've met before.” Another grin. “Or have we?”

He didn't move. So I quickly tried to cover. “Guys, um, this...” I coughed to clear my throat. “This is…”

“Venus,” she finished, “like the goddess of love.” She winked at the still starstruck Davin.

Brianne's face turned fifty shades of fury before she stormed off in a huff, muttering something about being late for class.

Abby had joined us, watching on the sidelines with guarded amusement. But when Davin had Venus occupied in conversation, she pulled me aside. “Who is that?” she whispered, casting a quick peek over her shoulder as Venus ran her hand through Davin's hair.

Wow, she worked fast. “I, uh… she .... we met at the café. She's new here,” I lied, and fought hard against chewing my thumbnail which would give me away.

“Obviously.” Abby pursed her full lips. “Adrius doesn't seem to like her.”

I swallowed. “Really? What makes you say that?” She was too observant...too perceptive and too curious.

Abby shrugged. “Just look at him, it's written all over his face. And he's completely tense.”

“That's ridiculous. He doesn't even know her.”

“You know what?” She frowned, focusing on me again. “You didn't look that fond of her either. I have a sixth sense about these kinds of things.”

“Well, she was a difficult customer. We should get back.” It made me nervous the way she was all over Davin.

I moved in close to Adrius and touched his arm. He looked down at me and I gave him a smile that I hoped said
just act normal
. I felt him take a ragged breath. Then he cleared his throat.

“What are you doing here?” he asked with tight restrain.

Venus spun around, tossing her red curls. “Same thing as you, of course. Getting a killer education.” She beamed and her emerald eyes shined with malice. “A girl's gotta learn those three R's.”

More like the three T's… terrorize, torment and torture. I pushed back the panic rising in my throat.

Adrius gnashed his teeth.

“I thought you said he didn't know her?” Abby whispered.

I ignored her and took Adrius' hand. “Speaking of education, we're going to be late,” I said, giving him a subtle tug.

He turned mechanically and followed me. But Venus bounced in front of us, blocking our path. He narrowed his gaze, and his eyes turned hurricane dark. His voice dropped to a low, stone-cold tone only the three of us could hear. “Stay out of our way.”

Venus looked back over her shoulder at the curious group still watching us. With the quick flick of her wrist she held up her hand. From a small gash across her palm a steady stream of blood dripped down her forearm. I gasped.

“Ouch,” she said dramatically. “Lorelei, think you can take a look at my hand for me?” She waved it in front of my face. “I hear you have the healing touch.”

I leaned into Adrius as the nausea I'd just gotten over resurfaced. The strength seeped from my legs and I was already light-headed. Adrius wrapped an arm around me and pushed her hand away. With one last glare he said, “We're leaving. Move.”

Her eyes flashed
make
me
, but she stepped aside for us to pass. “Don't worry,” she said in a honeyed tone. “I'll still be here when you're done. Wouldn't dream of leaving without you.”

When I looked up, her hand had healed and the blood had disappeared. While the handkerchief bandaging my arm still seeped fresh blood.

Adrius pulled me down a few halls, and once we were far enough away from her, he led me into the custodian's storage closet and shut the door.

“Ok, what is she doing here?” I burst. “And did you see her arm? I can't seem to heal at all and somehow she can? How does that work exactly?”

“Shhh,” he pressed a finger to his lips. “Listen to me. We have to get you out of here. Now. It's not safe if she's here.”

“I'm not letting her drive me away from my home, Adrius. Besides, where would we go? If we returned to the Nevermore she'd only follow us. She won't stop until she gets what she wants.”

He dragged his hand through his hair. “We don't even know what that is.”

The realization that came over me left me queasier than the blood.

“I know what she wants,” I whispered. It was the ultimate payback.