Chapter forty
Here we go again, she won’t stop.
A heat wave was passing through London in July. Many people were out and about enjoying the sun in beer gardens and walking alongside the river during their lunch hours. I was lucky that I could use Roberto. As the crowds of people invaded the tube, the air was always sticky and filled with sweat. The days were longer which meant that we had to work more hours, as vampires couldn’t come out until the sunset. I loved sun, but I hated working in the summer.
There was no news about Rufus and everyone at work feared for the worst. I kept making phone calls to the rival agency, but I never had enough courage to speak to Fiorillo. I wasn’t quite sure what I thought I could achieve.
On Wednesday I managed to get out early and asked Roberto to drop me at my parents’. Mum was happy when I announced that I was living with Nathaniel, only it was temporary. It wouldn’t have surprised me if she was secretly planning our wedding. I was hoping to talk to Dad about his investigation. Since the anonymous phone call there wasn’t any more news about Rufus. Mum was working late in surgery, so I had a chance to talk to Dad while he wasn’t on the go. It’d been a few weeks since he found out what went on with Ella, so surely he must’ve had some news. As I walked through the door, I found him cooking. This was an unusual picture, as he normally didn’t use the kitchen.
‘Wow, Dad, what are you doing?’ I asked, wrinkling my forehead.
‘Cooking,’ he replied. ‘That’s what people do in the kitchen.’
I grinned. ‘Yeah, but you leave all the cooking to mum.’
‘You mother is working late all week, besides, I can cook, sometimes even better than her,’ he said, winking at me. ‘But don’t mention this to her. Fancy some sausage casserole?’
‘No, thank you. Nathaniel is taking me for dinner later on. I wanted to ask about Ella and Rufus.’
He sat back in the chair, frowning.
‘I have nothing new to say, hun. Ella might be overdramatic. A few of my guys kept an eye on her, but no one who she described showed up.’
‘She was petrified, Dad. She wouldn’t make this up.’
‘We wasted a week, no one showed up. Maybe she isn’t coping with her new knowledge.’
I paced around the room for a bit, trying to figure out if Ella was making this up. When I saw her last she looked serious. I’d been calling her, but she wasn’t returning my calls yet again. I was sure that we made progress and she was willing to forgive me.
‘My boss was on my back, and people kept telling me that I was wasting my time with some human.’
I was just about to asked him about Rufus’s case when we both heard the door. Dad frowned and looked at me, surprised, muttering something about mum finishing late. Then Grandma walked into the kitchen wearing her Coco Chanel suit. Dad flinched staring at her, startled.
‘Mother, what are you doing here?’ he asked.
I tried to walk back to the living room, but she caught my arm.
‘Stay, Julia, I need a word with you.’
‘Mum, I thought you weren’t speaking to me,’ Dad said. The air was suddenly warm and thick with pulsing energy.
‘I came for Julia,’ she announced, ignoring Dad.
‘For me? I don’t get it.’
‘There is no time. I need to show you something. Jerry there is no point resisting. I’m not going to let you waste your daughter and my granddaughter’s life. That vampire is a trouble!’
Here we go again; she won’t stop.
‘Grandma, please! We have been through this already,’ I protested, but then she whispered a spell. Dad started saying something, but I couldn’t hear him. I felt like the air was sucked out of my lungs. The world around us started spinning. The blackness obscured me.
When I came back to consciousness, my shoes were soaked. It turned out that I was in Kent in my grandparents’ living room. All the lights were on and my grandmother was sitting on the sofa staring at me with a tense and hard expression. It was half past five and my reservation in the restaurant was at seven.
‘What’s going on, Grandma? Why did you bring me here against my will?’ I shouted, angry.
I had no idea how she managed to transport me miles away from my father within a blink of an eye.
‘We are going for a little trip to a different century,’ she said, smiling. I needed to speak to Grandpa, because Grandma was out of her mind. She couldn’t possible think that I would believe in a little time travel.
‘Different century? Grandma, I know you are worried, but I don’t have time to do this right now. Why don’t you just accept that Nathaniel and I are together? Nothing that you do will change this.’
‘He lied to you about Geneva.’
My eyes narrowed. ‘How do you even know this?’
My grandmother shrugged. ‘This is not important at the moment. You read the magazine, sulked a little, but he knows how to manipulate his women. You need to understand that he is dangerous.’
I rolled my eyes and got up. I hated to be told what to do. My grandmother and Jasper should pair up. ‘Not one of those elves that you sent to the agency will make me happy. Don’t you understand that I’m in love with him?’
My grandmother patted her styled hair nervously, the current of electricity passed through her palms. Long moments of silence stretched between us.
‘Love exists in fairytales, dear.’ she said. ‘We are going for a little trip, so please close your eyes.’
She clapped her hands and I clenched my fists. There wasn’t any point making a fuss. No one was going to help me. Dad had no idea where I was. Her magic was beyond comprehension. I’d heard about time travel but thought these were just myths, that no one could actually do that.
Next thing I knew I wasn’t in my grandparents’ home anymore but in central London. I had no idea what had just happened. My grandmother was standing beside me, pouring some liquid into a small bottle. The mists covered the streets. It wasn’t London that I knew. The building reminded me of an eighteenth century drama. A carriage passed through the street and I stared, unable to make any kind of sound, widening my eyes with amazement. The time was also different. Through the mist a large clock was showing quarter to five in the morning. The smell of decomposed food was outrageous. I covered my mouth.
‘Now let’s go, we don’t have time to mess around. Your great-great-great-cousin is waiting to meet her lover,’ Grandma said, walking over a pool of dirty water. I couldn’t even understand how she could ignore the smell. I could barely breathe.
‘We went back in time?’ I choked. ‘How is this even possible?’
She stopped and turned around to face me. ‘Everything is possible, so now listen to me very carefully. No one is supposed to see us here, the timing is appropriate. Now you will see your cousin. She is just about to meet with the man that she loves, well, if I can call him a man.’
‘This won’t work, Grandma. I know about elves and fairies and being murdered by vampires, but Nathaniel is a Dhampir. He can control himself.’
‘No vampire can control himself!’ she fumed.
There wasn’t any point trying to explain to her what I felt. She was stubborn like a donkey, so we continued walking. I couldn’t say how far in time we travelled. Looking at the building it might have been the seventeenth or eighteenth century. The road narrowed, the water running between the buildings. My heart leaped in my throat as I noticed a couple of rats. We stopped between two alleys, the fog was thicker here, and there was a child who was crying in the background. I had goose pimples all over my arms. It was freezing cold and I was wearing a summer dress.
‘Can you do this all the time? I mean, why don’t you just jump into November and not let me meet Nathaniel at all. This would save you a lot of hassle.’
She gave me a startled look. ‘I wish I could, but I’m not skilled enough to change the future. Treat this like an echo. We can’t do anything for Gloria.’
Who the hell is Gloria?
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We stood in the misty street in the darkness; the sun was going to rise soon. My grandmother was holding me by my elbow.
‘Why didn’t you ever say that you could do this?’ I asked as she glanced around looking for someone.
‘Because I didn’t need to.’ She shrugged and told me to be quiet.
Then we both saw a movement, a woman came out of the street looking nervously around. I gasped, admiring her beauty; she had long blond curly hair, high cheekbones and smooth vanilla skin. Even her movements were focused and thoughtful.
‘What is she doing here?’ I whispered. This street was completely empty and I doubted very much that a girl as beautiful as her would just walk around alone in the darkness. She was a pure elf.
My grandmother smiled. ‘Gloria is visiting her lover. They met a few times, but she knows she can’t be around him so she snuck out.’
Gloria looked relaxed as she stood not far from us. She couldn’t see us, which meant that grandmother was right. We couldn’t change anything, we could only watch. I had so many questions. Gloria stood in the alley for about five minutes, and then out of nowhere I saw a man approaching her. There was no doubt that he was a vampire. His face was in the shadow, but that paleness wouldn’t go unnoticed.
‘Gloria, you came,’ he said. He had a thick French accent and I had the impression that I’d heard it before.
My cousin beamed, looking shyly away. Her chest rose and fell as a flush crept over her cheeks.
‘I wouldn’t miss it,’ she whispered, smiling. The vampire wrapped his hands around her waist and brought her to his chest.
‘You are so beautiful,’ he growled, and they embraced each other in passionate kiss.
‘Is that it?’ I asked Grandma, enjoying the show. ‘He is making out with a pure elf, is that what you were trying to show me?’
‘He is controlling himself well enough,’ muttered Grandma, watching the scene with a stone-faced expression.
I wanted to tell her that she was wasting her time. Gloria was obviously enjoying the danger, falling for the wrong guy. He cupped her face in his hands and then I saw his face. For a split second I thought I was having hallucinations, so I blinked rapidly. I knew the vampire that was holding my cousin because I met him in Paris when I was visiting with Nathaniel. Unease unfurled in my stomach and I felt like someone just punched me. I was choking.
‘You smell like sun,’ he growled, and before Gloria realised what was about to happen Jacque extended his fangs and attacked. Gloria whimpered trying to cast a spell, but he was strong, obviously hungry, and immune to whatever she was trying to do to him. I watched while the current husband of Charlotte was draining my great-great-great-cousin. My heart pounded in my chest, confusion swirled, as I lowered my eyes. I tried to hide the horrifying expression on my face, but my grandmother noticed it.
‘She thought he loved her, but then he couldn’t resist her.’
I was speechless and sickened, seeing someone that I knew murder a member of my family.
Chapter forty-one
Did she just read my future or maybe she was just teasing me to get this job?
I stood immobile for several moments, watching as Jacque sucked the life out of Gloria. My heart pounded in my chest. Drops of blood streamed down his neck. His chest rose and fell. I searched for remorse and regret in his expression, but I found nothing. He stood there watching her for a few more seconds before he vanished. Gloria’s eyes remained open and I swallowed up my tears, looking away. I remembered those cold eyes when Charlotte introduced us.
Was he planning to drain me, too?
I kept telling myself that this was in their nature, but he had a choice. Everyone always has a choice. He knew that he couldn’t control himself, but he made that decision to see her.
It was so unfair that Gloria had to die; she was in love with him. My grandmother held my hand whispering the spell, and within a split second we were back to her home in Kent. She smoothed her white hair and cleared her throat.
‘Now you can see, you won’t find happiness with that vampire. You will end up just like Gloria, if you stay with him.’
‘You didn’t have to show me that.’
Nathaniel wouldn’t lose control like Jacque—or would he?
‘She was too young to learn the spells and too weak to even hurt him,’ continued Grandma. ‘I wanted to show you that all vampires are the same, vicious and filled with greed for our blood.’
I shook my head wondering if I should mention what I saw today to Nathaniel or Philip. Surely they must have known about Jacque’s past; they wouldn’t just accept him. It wasn’t just an ordinary family and Charlotte wasn’t Nathaniel’s biological sister. Philip turned her and he was her maker.
‘That won’t change anything.’
She narrowed her eyes, giving me one of her looks. I could tell that she wasn’t expecting that. ‘It’s your choice but you must know that I won’t accept it and I will do anything to break this relationship. He will hurt you.’
He already has and I’m giving him another chance.
‘Is that it? Can I go now?’ My hands were shaking; I needed to get out of her house.
‘It might be a bit too late for a dinner now,’ she snapped, pointing at the clock. It was two o’clock in the morning. We were gone for about half an hour, but it seemed that we lost over ten hours.
‘What? How is—’
‘This possible?’ she asked, smiling ‘Well, time works differently when you witness the echo of the past.’
‘Great, that is just great,’ I muttered.
‘You can stay in your bedroom. You can’t travel now,’ she said, walking away from the living room. ‘Think about what you saw last night.’
I was too pissed off to respond. My great-great-great-cousin was dead, killed by a vampire that I knew who was now married to Nathaniel’s sister. Grandma was already rubbing her hands; she was so certain that after what I saw I wouldn’t want to continue seeing him.
I went to bed ditching the idea of taking a shower. There were several missed calls from Nathaniel, so I called him and explained what went on with Grandma. I didn’t say anything about Jacque. I wasn’t sure if I should tell him what I saw. I had to sleep on it; maybe in the morning I would have a better idea of what to do.
***
Next day Grandpa ordered me a taxi to take me back to London. He cursed Grandma off, assuring me that he would take care of her. She was gone before I woke up, so I didn’t even have a chance to talk to her. She ditched me, knowing that Grandpa would give her hell in the morning. I didn’t tell him what I saw, but he knew, he always knew. On my way to London I had a bit of time to think about yesterday but my mind was tangled, I didn’t know if I should tell Nathaniel what I saw.
I got to the office just before ten. Kate entered a few minutes after me. We didn’t have time to chat as we were busy with new clients. Just after two we had another client. Kate was on the phone so I went to take care of her.
‘I saw the advert for a fortune-teller and I was wondering whether the job is still available?’ asked the short, slightly overweight witch, smiling shyly.
‘Yes, I’ve been advertising this post for weeks, but unfortunately no one seems to be interested,’ I said, getting up.
‘I’m a qualified reader. I studied in a small private school that specialised in fortune telling and I just came back to the country from Australia, so I wouldn’t mind applying,’ she said.
‘Sorry, but I didn’t catch your name?’
‘My name is Roxanne Walters.’
‘Great. So, Roxanne, have you a CV with you?’ I asked her, writing her name on the top of the page.
‘No, I haven’t, sorry. I was just browsing job centre sites and I saw your advert so I decided to pop in,’ she added, studying me carefully. Her eyes looked at me with interest and reservation and I felt the magic inside begin to stir.
No CV. Well, that isn’t a good start at all.
‘Well
, we do need a CV, so tell me a little about your experiences.’ I began with the easy questions. I learned she’d lived in Australia most of her life, where she worked as a reader for a small business that hired five other fortunetellers. Her boss saw the gap in the market and decided to start the business. After all, many creatures wanted to know what the future held for them. When Roxanne’s husband died, she decided to return to the country of her childhood. Her mother needed a lot of help, so she was looking to settle back in London. Fortune telling wasn’t popular at all. In the end, I told her I had to speak to the employer and see whether the company would agree to an interview.
‘I appreciate your help,’ she said as she shook my hand goodbye. I felt an odd wave of energy travel down my spine, more powerful than mine. Her magic wand was tucked in her trousers.
‘I’ll call you as soon as I hear anything from the employer,’ I said uneasily, as she held my hand longer than she should have.
‘You have a foe around, so be careful,’ she whispered, pulling me slightly closer to her. I stared at her, shocked. After a moment, she pulled away, grabbed her coat and walked out, shutting the door behind her.
Did she just read my future or maybe she was just teasing me to get this job?
‘She didn’t tell you anything new,’ said Kate as I returned to back to my desk.
I sat there a moment, staring at my notes.
‘Yeah maybe, so far everyone is wishing that I was dead.’ I sighed. ‘I think we should give her a chance. After all, we don’t have anyone else,’ I said, wondering if the witch had been talking about Nathaniel or McGregor.
There might be a Jacque as well; he obviously loves elves.
Kate pulled a face and continued staring at her computer.
I went to look for the contact details of the forgotten client after a while. I managed to get hold of Nickolas, the managing director. It took a bit of convincing, but in the end he agreed to interview without a CV. My day wasn’t a complete loss.