Casting Curses

  “Maudlin, sit down, please. You sounded frantic on the phone. What’s going on?” Essie eyed me evenly, but I could hear the curiosity behind her voice. She liked to be in on everything that was happening, and though I didn’t want to tell her about this, I needed her advice.

  “Yeah, frantic is the word, all right.” I glanced over at the desk where Shar-Shar was sitting. Her back was stiff, and I could tell she was eavesdropping. “Can we have some privacy?”

  Essie motioned to Ruby, who tapped Shar-Shar on the shoulder and led her out of the room. Shar-Shar shot me a dirty look as she went.

  “Why the secrecy? What happened?” Essie relaxed in her chair, leaning back. I had the feeling I was one of the only people she could actually let down her act for.

  “I need some advice about Aegis. There’s a curse on my house, and it’s causing his predator to come out. I’ve got him locked in the basement, at his own request. Do you know something that can calm a vampire’s predator instinct? Is there some sort of temporary medication for this?”

  She stared at me like I had lost my mind. “You’re truly asking me this?”

  “The curse is affecting all of us, including Aegis. Until we can corral the spirit running around the Bewitching Bedlam, I’ve got to help Aegis find a way to control himself.”

  Essie shifted in her chair, staring at the fire for a moment before looking back at me. “Tell me everything. I can’t help you unless I know what you’re up against.”

  I realized I had no choice. I started at the beginning and told her what had happened. By the time I finished, she was leaning forward, and I realized I had grabbed her interest.

  “You’re actually allergic to magic right now?” Her pale eyes flickered over me. I felt like the prize cow at a slaughterhouse. Witch’s blood was an aphrodisiac to vampires, and I knew she could smell the life force pulsing through my veins.

  “Yeah, so I’m going to have to double down on my physical protection.” I had forgotten my silver dagger, but she knew that I had one, and she knew just how many vampires I had killed with it over the centuries.

  “Warning noted.” She eased back in her chair, resting her hands on the armrests. “There are ways to temper a vampire’s inner predator. Of course, we don’t talk about them with mortals, but if you trust me, I can give you something that will act like a sedative for Aegis.”

  It was my turn to pause. How much did I trust her? How much would I trust that she wouldn’t give me something to harm him, or to make the situation worse?

  She laughed. “It’s not that easy, is it? Trusting someone who—for all intents and purposes—could be your enemy? I find the irony amusing, although the situation is not. The great Mad Maudlin, the greatest vampire hunter ever known, come seeking my help for her vampire lover.”

  I was starting to get pissed. I stood, saying, “If you’re just going to gloat, tell me now and I’ll leave. There’s nothing that says you have to help me.”

  Essie frowned, waving me back in my seat. “I’m not gloating. Although if I were, I’d feel I have the right. I’m simply stating that this is an ironic situation. Don’t you think?”

  “Call it whatever you like.” I continued to stand, unsure of what to do.

  “Do you want my help? If so, you’re going to have to trust me.”

  I slowly eased back into my chair. “You have to understand how difficult it is to trust you. I know you don’t like Aegis.”

  “Whether I like him or not is moot. Don’t you think it would be stupid for me to do something that would kill him or harm him when he is connected to the High Priestess of the Moonrise Coven? The coven on whose goodwill my entire livelihood in Bedlam depends? Do you really think that I’m stupid enough to let my personal feelings interfere with what’s best for my reign here?” She let out a harsh laugh. “If I let my emotions control my actions, I would have been staked by now.”

  Relaxing a bit, I caught her gaze. There was no subterfuge in it, nor any attempt to glamour me.

  “You’re telling me the truth, aren’t you?”

  Essie shrugged. “I seldom lie. I seldom need to. And yes, I am telling you the truth. I just find it ironically amusing that we’re in this situation.”

  Biting my tongue, I tried to keep my ego in check. “Well, you’re right about that. I suppose irony hasn’t had its fill of us yet, has it?”

  “I guess that settles matters. As to what I can do, there are three options. One—I can give you a powder that will put him into a deep sleep until you give him the antidote. It won’t kill him, it won’t hurt him. But until you administer an antidote, which I do have, it will knock him out. The second choice is a collar. You lock the collar around his neck, and with a code word you can incapacitate him. Unfortunately, the collar can be quite painful. I use it for punishment.”

  The first option seemed possible, the second made me cringe. She noticed my reaction and laughed again. “Would you like to see the collar in action?”

  I quickly raised my hand. “No, thank you. You described it quite well. What’s the third option?”

  “If he pledges himself to me, he’ll have to take my authority to heart. And if he won’t, he’ll be destroyed.”

  “No—for the sake of the gods, no. I don’t want him destroyed. Neither do I want to see him kowtowing to you. I’d say no offense intended, but I doubt you’d believe me.”

  “I’m glad we can be so open with each other,” she said, her eyes glowing around the rims. Oh, she was enjoying this game of cat and mouse, that much was apparent.

  “I suppose the first option is the best. You’re sure you have an antidote?”

  “Quite sure. I’ll make certain you have some when you leave. Both are powders, and you have to blow it in his face. It’s only good close up, obviously, and it can’t be injected into his system. It has to make skin contact with his nose. Regardless of the fact that vampires don’t breathe, the powder will enter his body that way.” She rang a bell, and Ruby entered. “Get me one package of Xanafeeb, and a package of the antidote.”

  Ruby raised her eyebrows but disappeared out the door without a word.

  “Essie, I want to thank you for this. I know that we’re on opposite sides, and I know that you’d rather not even have to bother with me, but I truly appreciate it.” I realized just how much trust she was placing in me. I had never heard of the drug before—in fact, most people thought there were no drugs that worked on vampires. But apparently we were wrong. If this got out, vamps everywhere would be in danger.

  “I like to think we’re more than adversaries. We may not be friends, but we each have our place in the scheme of things. And all power systems must have a check and a balance.”

  Ruby returned, carrying a plastic bag with her. I peeked inside. There were two small containers filled with powder. One had a big “A” printed on the top.

  “The one with the ‘A’ is the antidote?”

  Ruby nodded. “All you have to do is open the container and blow it in the face of whoever you’re fighting. If they’re a vampire, it will immediately knock them unconscious.” She paused. “Do you need some help?”

  I considered her offer, but then shook my head. “No, but thank you. I think I’d better do this myself.” I accepted the bag, and stood. “I need to get home. I don’t want to be gone too long.”

  Essie stayed seated, but she looked up at me and I thought I almost caught a sympathetic glance in her eyes. “Let me know how things work out. I’m truly curious to see what happens.”

  With that, I took my leave and headed back to my car.

  I GOT HOME to find things just about the same as I’d left them, with Aegis still in the basement. I thought about my next step. While Aegis had just texted me again, I wasn’t sure how much I could trust him. If his predator had taken over, it would be easy for him to text me whatever he thought I wanted to hear. And while I trusted Aegis implicitly, that predator inside was another matter.
br />   “Well, what do you all think?” I asked Kelson, Sandy, and Max. “I’ve got to blow this powder in his face. I have no clue if he’s still in control of himself.”

  I shuddered, staring at the basement door. If Franny wasn’t trapped in the picture, I could send her down there to find out. Briefly regretting that I didn’t know any more ghosts, I hesitated, trying to figure out how to best go about this.

  “You could ask Bubba for help,” Max suggested.

  I shook my head. “No, way too fraught with variables. Even if Bubba didn’t do anything to mess it up—and I doubt he would—just his very nature could throw a monkey wrench in the business. And I don’t want to put Bubba in danger. No, I have to go down there. But I can load myself up with silver. Kelson, can you run upstairs and grab my jewelry box?”

  Sandy shook her head. “I dunno, Maddy. Are you sure you want to take the chance?”

  I shrugged. “I have no choice. Because his predator is running so high, there’s always the chance it could break through and take over. Aegis wouldn’t hurt us for the world, not normally. But once a vampire’s predator gets free and takes control, you can’t trust them. And as much as I love him, the very fact that he told me his predator was trying to take over shows me that he wants us to be careful.”

  Kelson returned with my jewelry box, and I quickly sorted through it, putting on as much silver as I could. Wearing gloves, she handed me a thick silver chain that served as a belt.

  “Won’t the magic of the powder affect you?” Sandy asked.

  I frowned. I hadn’t even thought of that. But she was right. Since it was a magical powder, being around it when it was released into the air could cause an adverse reaction.

  “Let me do it,” Max said. “I’m stronger than either of you—and I’m stronger than even Kelson. And I can wear silver, whereas she can’t.”

  Silver affected werewolves just about as much as it affected vampires—meaning very bad. It was like iron was to the Fae.

  “You make a good point and I can’t argue it. All right, let’s get you all dolled up here.”

  Between Sandy and me, we blinged out Max, including my silver belt. It barely fit around his waist, but that didn’t matter. As long as it was on his body, it was going to help. Another thought hit me. I turned to Kelson.

  “Doesn’t Aegis have some edible silver leaf in the kitchen that he uses for fancy desserts?”

  “I think he does. Let me go look.” She returned with a small container filled with silver powder. For a long time I had thought gold and silver leaf were both just colored sugar dust, but I had found out they were both created from minute bits of the metals.

  “I need a brush. I’m going to brush this around his neck and his wrists.”

  She vanished again, returning with a basting brush. I dabbed it in the silver leaf and quickly covered every square inch of Max’s skin that was showing. He looked like he was getting ready for a low-budget costume party.

  He picked up the packet of powder that Essie had given me. “So I blow this in his face, correct?”

  I nodded. “You have one chance. She only gave me that one packet. It should knock him unconscious.”

  “Then unlock the door and let me go down. Shut it after I go in. I’ve got my phone and I’ll text you when it’s safe for me to come out again. I’ll text you the code words ‘The tree fell’ so you’ll know it’s me. I doubt if he’ll be able to do much damage to me, as covered in silver as I am.”

  Taking a deep breath, I unlocked the door, and Sandy and I unfastened the locks on the chains. Max prepared to dash through the opening.

  “Remember that there are stairs leading down. You’re not running onto a landing. So if you just charge through, make certain you don’t go tumbling down the steps.” Sandy gave him a long look. “You come back to me, you hear?”

  At that moment I got a text message. It was from Aegis.

  what’s going on up there? i can hear you guys doing something.

  I stared at it for a moment, tempted to text him what was going on. But he could be in predator mode, just trying to take me off guard. Not knowing was hell. I didn’t answer, just turned back to the door and nodded at Max.

  “He can hear something going on, so be prepared in case he’s lying in wait.”

  We opened the door, and Max ran through. I could hear him clattering on the stairs as we slammed it behind him and locked it again. We prepared the silver chains, holding them ready to fasten just in case Aegis tried to break through. There was a loud noise from below. We waited, Sandy looking on edge. I didn’t blame her. Regardless of how much silver Max was wearing, Aegis was still an incredibly powerful vampire. We waited another beat, and then Max texted me.

  he’s down for the count. i’m coming up. the tree fell.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Max did it.”

  Then I texted back.

  can you get him into his coffin and close it? there’s a lock there that can keep it shut. the padlock is in his valet box.

  10-4. will do.

  Five minutes later, Max exited the basement.

  “He’s in his coffin, and it’s locked. He was hiding in the shadows, but when he saw me, he came out. I could tell by his eyes that his predator was really pushing him, but he managed to hold himself in check. I’m not sure what he thought I was going to do, but he stood still as I got close enough to blow the powder on him. Sure enough—he fainted immediately. At least he didn’t try to fight me.”

  Relieved, I slumped into a chair. I hated pulling a trick on Aegis, but at least it would take care of that part of the problem for now. And he couldn’t get out of his coffin with the padlock holding it shut. We had talked about the possibility of something setting off his predator before, and he had ordered the coffin built to be strong enough so that he couldn’t break through if it was locked. That alone showed me how much he trusted me. We had never told anyone else about it, and now only Sandy and Max were privy to his secret.

  “Don’t tell anybody else about the coffin and the lock. It makes him vulnerable, but it’s a safeguard that he wanted me to take. And now I’m glad he did.”

  “So what do we do next?” Max asked as he began to remove the jewelry and the belt. Kelson brought him a wet cloth to wash off the silver leaf.

  “I guess we wait until I can talk to Lilis. And for Leroy and Alaysia to come up with some sort of solution. I feel beat down, I can tell you that. I’m exhausted, even though I took a long nap at Auntie Tautau’s. And my chat with Essie wasn’t a barrel of laughs, either. Oddly enough, I think she and I have developed a mutual respect for one another.”

  “It helps to have somebody in the loop with the Vampire Queen,” Sandy said. “So tomorrow, you talk to Lilis?”

  “Yeah, and my brother comes into town. He would show up right in the middle of all this mess. But I want to meet him. I just hope it goes better than everything else has gone lately.” And with that, Kelson called us into a late dinner, and we straggled into the dining room.

  Chapter 10

  SANDY AND MAX opted to stay the night again. I told them they didn’t have to, but given they were still out of power, and I was grateful they had volunteered to help me, it worked out for the best. Alex had texted that he and Mr. Peabody would be fine. They had the fireplace, treats, and a generator that powered his tablet.

  I had disturbing dreams, seeing Aegis coming at me, eyes flaring crimson, fangs descended, laughing as he bit deep into my neck and feasted on my blood. I woke out of the nightmare to find Bubba patting my cheek with his palm. He nosed my face, and I realize Luna was standing on the other side. They cuddled up next to me, one on either side like stalwart protectors, and I tried to get back to sleep, but it was a long time before I was able to close my eyes again.

  When morning came, I felt like I had barely slept at all. All the rest from my nap at Auntie Tautau’s had vanished. I stumbled into the shower, rinsing off quickly, and the
n brushed my hair back into a sleek ponytail. I had deep circles under my eyes, and I made full use of my concealer and foundation, doing my best to give myself a not dead yet look.

  Finally, I stumbled to my closet and stared at my clothing.

  What did I want Gregory’s first impression of me to be? I sorted through my clothes until I found a pretty blue halter dress with a matching shrug. The shrug was lace with silver trim. I changed into a strapless bra, then slipped into the dress and belted it. I slid on the shrug and laced up my knee-high granny boots. Finally, I added a silver bracelet. I didn’t get to wear my silver often, given I lived with Aegis, so I might as well take advantage of the situation and wear a few of my favorite pieces. Standing back, I looked in the mirror. Sexy but not overt, pulled together but not tailored. It worked.

  As I headed toward the stairs, I could hear Kelson singing down in the kitchen. She often sang when she made breakfast, and I liked the sound of her voice. I had suggested once that she join Aegis’s band, but she shook her head and told me the last thing she was willing to do was sing on stage.

  “Good morning,” she said, looking up as I entered the kitchen. Sandy and Max were at the table, already drinking their coffee. Kelson pressed a mug into my hand. It was a quint shot mocha, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

  “Oh, I need this,” I said, sipping the nectar of the gods. The hot chocolate raced down my throat, fueled by the bitter undertones of the coffee. My body responded and I let out a satisfied sigh as I joined Sandy and Max at the table. I glanced over at Bubba and Luna, who were eating their breakfast. Everything seemed so normal, and yet it wasn’t.

  “Did you sleep?” Sandy asked.

  “Some, but not well. I had nightmares about Aegis attacking me.” I felt like a traitor for even voicing my dreams, but I knew in my heart that it was just fear talking.

  “I checked on him this morning. He’s still in his coffin. And of course, once the sun rises, he would naturally be out for the day. Maybe we’ll be lucky and be able to take care of this by tonight.” Max raised his coffee cup to me. “Here’s hoping.”