“That’s a wonderful idea. I’ll head over there now. I hope to hell she can help me.” I stood up, sliding my purse over my shoulder. I glanced at the clock. It was almost six p.m. All of a sudden it hit me that Aegis wasn’t up yet. “What the hell? Aegis should be awake by now. He should have been awake an hour and a half ago.” I dropped my purse on the table and headed toward the basement door. Sandy followed me.
As I turned on the light and started downstairs, holding on to the new railing that Aegis had put up a few months ago, I realized the room seemed more shadowed than usual. In fact, it felt like there was a dark mist down here.
“Sandy, can you see the mist?”
“Yeah, I can. And I don’t like the way it feels. Maddy, there’s something wrong.”
At that moment, Aegis’s voice boomed out from the shadows below.
“Stay back, Maddy. Stay up there on the stairs in the light.”
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” My heart was beating a mile a minute. I wanted to race down the stairs, but when Aegis warned me about something, it was usually for a reason. It took everything I had to stand there, frozen on the stairs, holding tight to the rail.
“I’m having a hard time controlling my predator tonight. That’s why I haven’t been upstairs yet. I couldn’t text you because I forgot my phone in the office last night.” He sounded frantic, but beneath that I could feel the glamour in his voice, the seduction oozing out.
“Crap. What do you want me to do?”
“Get back upstairs and lock the basement door. I’m trying to hold on. You should put a silver barricade across the door. Hurry. I don’t want to hurt anybody.”
The angst in his voice hit my heart, and I turned around to find that Sandy had already run up the stairs. I followed, slamming and locking the door behind me. Sandy was calling to Max.
“He can still get out through his secret entrance, but I don’t know if he’s thought of that. Max, can you grab his phone out of the office? I want to slide it down the stairs to him. Then at least we can communicate. Kelson, in the storeroom you’ll find the box with the silver chains. Bring them, quickly.”
We worked frantically. Max and Kelson took some of the silver chains out to bar the secret entrance that was near the driveway. I quickly opened the basement door again, setting his phone on the first step, then slammed it shut and locked it again. Sandy and I crisscrossed the door with the rest of the silver chains, locking them into place with the system we had rigged up some time back, just in case of an emergency like this. Even if Aegis broke through the door, the silver would drive him back.
At that moment, I got a text from him.
i’m still down here. i still have enough control to text you.
don’t try to get out your secret entrance. we blocked it with silver. we’ve also barricaded the basement door.
i love you, maddy. i don’t know what’s happening, but i woke up so thirsty that all i could think about was drinking. and i’m not talking bottled blood.
i think it’s the curse. we found out a lot today. i’ll tell you in a bit, but i need to go see auntie tautau now. i love you. hang on.
i love you too.
I turned to the others. “I’ve got to go see Auntie Tautau. If for any reason you feel unsafe, get out of the house. Take Bubba and Luna with you. There’s not much more we can do at this point for Aegis, but I think I’ll have a talk with Essie, too. Maybe she can help.”
I didn’t want to involve Essie or leave the others to the mercy of Etum and his curse, but I realized I had no choice. I turned and, grabbing my purse again, ran out the door, heading to my car. I could only pray that Auntie Tautau would be at home.
Chapter 9
AUNTIE TAUTAU LIVED in a cottage set off from the road. It was on a big lot, covered with a tangle of vegetation. Huge overgrown trees, huckleberry bushes, waist-high ferns, and rosebushes filled the yard and shrouded the path to the porch. You could barely see the house through the knotwork of green, and the smell of growing things filled the air. Even in November, when all the flowers had died back and the leaves had fallen from the trees, it was like walking through a ghostly jungle to get to her place. The ivy was still green, though, and it covered the walls of the cottage.
The pathway was lighted by grinning jack-o’-lanterns on stakes, and her porch was outlined with orange and purple faerie lights—her nod to the season. Using a stick, I brought down the spiders that built their webs between the bare branches of the trees, covering the sidewalk. There were always a plethora of the orb weavers here, and I had a feeling Auntie Tautau encouraged them to keep strangers away. I brought down web after web, shaking the spiders off onto the sides of the path. I wasn’t afraid of them, but neither was I fond of the creatures.
As I knocked on her door, I could hear the rustle of movement inside, and then she was peering out, her eyes twinkling.
“Why, Maddy, what brings you here this evening?” She opened the door and let me in.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I stepped into the cottage. It was filled with bric-a-brac, but it didn’t look cluttered. It reminded me of an Irish grandmother’s home, filled with keepsakes and pictures. And I had known plenty of Irish grandmas over the years.
Auntie Tautau herself was a squat, sturdy woman. Most often she wore a Hawaiian muumuu, but tonight she was dressed in a tidy floral shirt dress, with a checkerboard apron tied around her waist. Her hair was long and gray, and she had braided it back and tied it off with a pretty bow. She wore her straw hat, as always, and on the brim perched a crow. The crow was alive, and his name was Merriweather. He let out a squawk when he saw me, but I recognized it as a greeting rather than a threat.
“Auntie Tautau, I need your help. I’m in serious trouble, and so is my family.” The frantic mess of the past few days hit me full force and I dropped to the sofa, bursting into tears. I was tired, and the magic that was pervasive throughout Auntie Tautau’s house was making me queasy. I felt sick to my stomach, and tingly around the lips.
“What’s wrong, girl?” Auntie Tautau sat down, reaching across to stroke my hair out of my face. “Oh my, you are in trouble, aren’t you?”
As I looked up, I see the worry in her eyes. I stammered out my story, punctuating it with an occasional flood of tears. I finally finished, adding, “Have you ever heard of Lilis Spencer? Did you know her when she lived here?”
Auntie Tautau leaned back against her chair, folding her hands on her lap. “I believe we need some tea for this.”
I didn’t want tea, but I knew better than to rush her. You never could rush the Aunties—they worked in their own time, on their own schedule, and I had learned that sometimes it didn’t matter how long it took. What went on in an Auntie’s house often happened outside of time as we knew it. Sometimes I would leave Auntie Tautau’s house and find that it had been merely moments since I had entered, even though it felt like hours.
I started to follow her into the kitchen, but she motioned for me to sit down. “Breathe. Just breathe.”
I curled up on the sofa, sliding my shoes off so I could sit cross-legged. I tried to do as she said, breathing deeply, clearing my head. But the incessant tingle of magic made me jumpy, and my throat felt raw and slightly swollen. After a moment, Auntie Tautau returned and handed me a cup full of something that smelled like woodland mushrooms and moss.
“Drink this,” she said. “It will help you handle the magic in my house for now.”
Even though it smelled like pungent dirt, I gulped down the liquid, eager for anything that would help. It tasted as bad as it smelled, but a moment later I began to notice a decrease in my agitation. I could breathe better and focus better.
“Thank you, I needed that.”
“There are reasons that you can find no more mentions of Lilis after 1932. She vanished into the Witches’ Protection Program, for her own safety.”
I groaned. “Please tell me that you know how to break this cur
se. I was hoping she would be able to tell me what to do if I could find her, but if she’s in the WPP then there’s no hope for that, I suppose.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Not necessarily what? That you can help me break the curse, or that there’s no hope to meet her?” Even though my agitation was decreased, I was still stressing like crazy. But the moment I said it, I realized how churlish I sounded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”
“Oh my dear, if you think that’s snapping, then you haven’t met the true definition yet. Let me go get the cookies and the proper tea now. I’ll be back in a moment.”
As she headed back into the kitchen, I forced myself to breathe. I felt like I was on pins and needles, as though every second was working against me. Once again, I reminded myself that time worked differently in the presence of the Aunties.
She returned, carrying a tray with the teapot and two teacups on it, along with a plate of sandwich cookies. I accepted a cup of what smelled like peppermint tea, along with several of the cookies. Sugar seemed like a good idea, and I realized that I was hungry.
Auntie Tautau settled back into her chair and then, taking a sip of her tea, set her cup and saucer to the side on the end table next to her. Once again, she leaned back, folding her hands across her stomach, staring at me.
“As to whether I can break the curse for you, no. Once a curse is given by a god, only the god can break it. As to whether you can talk to Lilis, that I might be able to swing. It’s been so long, she might be willing to come back for a visit.”
I stared at my cup, at the steaming pale green liquid. “Then you’re saying that Lilis can’t break the curse either? Because Ereshkigal cursed Etum?”
“Yes, my dear, that is what I’m saying. However, Lilis may know the proper way to petition the goddess. And she can answer the question as to why she set up a shrine in what is now your house.”
My heart sank. Right now I didn’t care about the whys, I just cared about the hows.
“Auntie Tautau, what am I going to do? Aegis needs help. His predator is fighting him for control.”
“Essie might be able to help you. I would consult her about that. As to Lilis, sometimes knowing why something happened can lead you to the knowledge of how to take care of it.”
I glanced up at her, a sheepish grin on my face. I swear, sometimes I thought the Aunties could read minds despite their protests that they couldn’t.
“Please, get in touch with her. And I do have Alaysia Weatherhaul and Leroy Jerome on the case as well.”
Auntie Tautau brightened up, a smile springing to her lips. “If Alaysia Weatherhaul is helping you, then all I can say is that you’re in good hands. I know her from a long time back.”
That made me feel better. “How long before you can contact Lilis for me?”
“It will be sometime. Perhaps half an hour. Perhaps a day. Perhaps longer. It depends on whether she decides to answer. No one is at the beck and call of the Aunties, regardless of what you may think.” She urged me to eat another cookie. “You look tired. Why don’t you take a nap?”
I shook my head. “I can’t afford to take a nap. I have to get back to the house and make sure everything’s okay.”
Auntie Tautau laughed. “You know that time isn’t a factor when you come visit me. I will make certain that you don’t lose more time than you can afford. Lie down now, and rest.”
Her words made me tired. My eyes began to flutter, and slowly, I sank down on the sofa, resting my head on one of the throw pillows. The last thing I remembered was Auntie Tautau covering me with a soft blanket as I fell into a comfortable, deep, dreamless sleep.
WHEN I OPENED my eyes, Auntie Tautau was sitting there, a wide smile on her face. I wasn’t sure if she’d even moved, or how long it had been, but I noticed the tea and cookies had been cleared off of the coffee table.
“How long was I asleep?” I asked, sitting up. I felt slightly stiff, as though I’d slept for a long time, but I also felt refreshed and full of energy.
“You slept as much as you needed to. But no worry. As I told you, time works for the Aunties, the Aunties don’t work for time. Meanwhile, I contacted Lilis. She’s willing to come back for a brief visit to tell you what happened. She can’t get here until tomorrow, so why don’t you come back at around noon?”
I thought about Aegis, and hung my head. “There’s no chance she can get here tonight?”
“I’m sorry, Maddy. But no, Lilis can’t get here until tomorrow. Go talk to Essie. She may have something to help your situation with Aegis.” She guided me to the door, and patted me softly on the back as I left the house.
Once back in my car, I reluctantly put in a call to Essie.
Essie Vanderbilt was the queen of the Pacific Northwest vampires. She had been born in New Orleans in 1844, and had been an active part of the Voudou community. She had studied with Marie Laveau, commonly known as the Queen of Voodoo, and later on with Marie’s daughter. Essie had reached the peak as one of the most powerful Voudou priestesses ever, but Philippe, the Vampire King of the Southern States, had fallen for her.
He had turned her, expecting her to bend to his will, but Essie had a surprise in store for Philippe, waging war with him until she managed to stake him in front of his own court. She had taken the crown, and then moved on up in the vampire hierarchy, coming to the Pacific Northwest later on. Once here, Essie had taken her throne by assassination. She was constantly trying to increase her influence in Bedlam, and she skirted the edge of the law set by the Moonrise Coven. Somehow, over the past year, she and I had managed to become friends—well, as close as I could be a friend to a vampire, other than Aegis.
Shar-Shar answered. Shar-Shar was Essie’s personal lapdog, as I liked to call her. Sharlene was Essie’s secretary and she liked to think herself above most of the other humans in the area. How she got her job I had no clue, but she was officious, pretentious, and altogether an offensive figure. Essie knew exactly what I thought of Shar-Shar, and I had a feeling that she was amused by it, but she did her best to protect her assistant.
“It’s Maddy. I need to talk to Essie. It’s important.”
As usual, the protests began.
“Essie’s busy right now. May I take a message?” That was code for, I want to make you wait and squirm a little.
“As High Priestess of the Moonrise Coven, I can command your mistress’s attention anytime I want. Put me through to Essie right now. I’m in a bad mood, and you don’t want to make a witch mad.” I wasn’t in any mood to cope with her petty pretensions.
Shar-Shar let out a huff, but all she said was, “One moment, please.”
Exactly thirty seconds later, Essie picked up the phone.
“Maudlin, I see you’re back to needling my secretary. What’s going on?” Essie wasn’t one for small talk and that suited me just fine.
“I need to come talk to you. I need your help.”
There was silence on the other end, and then, a puzzled, “My help? Did someone in my nest do something that I should know about?”
“Nothing like that. It’s easier to explain in person. Are you at home?” I was usually more polite with Essie, but I was feeling at my wits’ end. At least I wasn’t exhausted like I had been before I arrived at Auntie Tautau’s.
“I’m at home. Come on over. Leave your boy toy at home.” Essie didn’t like Aegis, primarily because Aegis wouldn’t kowtow to her and refused to join her nest.
“I’m alone.” I hung up and put the car into gear, heading out toward Essie’s.
ESSIE HAD DECKED out her Victorian house and yard to out-goth the Addams family. She was even encroaching on Munsters territory. I parked in the driveway, pausing for a moment before heading toward the door. I made sure I was wearing my silver pentacle. It was uncomfortable, because it was magical, and I was already developing a rash from the metal. But right now, it would save my throat in case Essie went off her rocker. I d
idn’t expect her to—harming the High Priestess of the Moonrise Coven would be tantamount to vampire suicide—but you never knew when somebody was going to go fucknut crazy.
As I dashed up the stairs, the front door opened. It was Ruby, one of Essie’s personal assistants. Ruby was actually a fairly pleasant vampire, and she and I got along all right. She wasn’t someone I would want for a good friend, but we were pleasant to each other and seemed to have a sort of rapport.
“What, Shar-Shar isn’t going to greet me?” I couldn’t help but laugh.
Ruby suppressed a smirk. “You shouldn’t be so mean, Maddy.”
“I’d like to know why not,” I said, giving her a big smile. It was the first laugh I’d had in a while.
“You’re bad. Follow me, Essie’s waiting in the parlor.”
I looked around. The new decor had held, surprising me. While the outside of the house looked like it was straight out of a horror movie, Essie had renovated the inside, and now it looked very New England Cape Cod. I wasn’t sure exactly what mood she was going for, but it was better than the heavy black drapes and red tapestries the place had sported earlier.
Ruby led me into the parlor, where Essie was sitting near the fireplace, waiting for me. A fire crackled merrily in the hearth, though when I looked closer I saw it was gas and not actual wood. But I welcomed the warmth, and the cheer that the flames brought. I loved fire. It was my element, and I had a sudden pang as I wondered if I would ever be able to conjure it again.
I curtsied briefly in front of Essie. It was proper, given she was a queen.