Wicked Betrayal

  James scanned the congested tunnel. “Do you see anymore red-eyes?”

  “Not yet.”

  “What should we do?”

  “Nothing. Come on, I hate being underground.”

  I had my fair share of experiences with red-eyes, but they still freaked me out. Red-eyed spirits came in two forms. The free floating ones didn’t have a lot of energy. I couldn’t see them unless they were attached to an object - like the spirit trapped in Grandma Claudia’s mirror.

  The second type of red-eye possessed people. They slipped in and out of unsuspecting bodies at will. When the spirit inhabited a body, their eyes turned bright red. The average person couldn’t see a red-eye. Only people that had been close to death or conjured a spirit could see them.

  Lucky me.

  We emerged from the escalators underneath Madison Square Garden. Seventh Avenue overflowed with people. I didn’t want to ride the subway, so we waited in the cab line for the next available taxi. I’d seen a total of three red-eyes. The homeless man. A teenage girl. And an old woman. Liam was definitely watching me.

  “I don’t know how people live here,” James said. “There are too many bodies in such a small space. And now that you’ve seen a red-eye, I feel like a million spirits are watching us.” He pulled a baseball cap out of his back pocket and lowered it over his eyes.

  “That’s a great disguise. Wearing a Red Sox hat in New York City is a sure way to blend in.”

  James tipped his hat at me. The yellow taxi cab squealed to a stop and James and I climbed inside. It smelled like beets and sweat.

  “Where to?” The man asked through the Plexiglas window.

  “130 Hudson Street.”

  The taxi driver stomped on the gas pedal and midtown Manhattan flew by. Shops, bodegas, subway stops and high rise apartment buildings flashed by the dirty window. We stopped at a light on Canal Street in Chinatown. The street was packed with tourists buying black market items. The neighborhood grew nicer a few blocks south when we entered Tribeca.

  The cab skidded to a halt in the middle of a nondescript street lined with flowering cherry blossom trees. “Here.”

  “Where?” James grabbed his wallet.

  The man pointed to a faded blue door across the street. “130 Hudson. Thirteen dollars and seventy-five cents. Pay now.”

  “It doesn’t look like a store, does it?”

  “No, it looks abandoned.” James paid the cab driver.

  “Do you think Jana gave me a fake address?”

  “I don’t know,” James said. “Let’s check it out.”

  The unlocked blue door led to a small vestibule. An intercom with five buttons hung on the wall next to another door. I pushed each one. Someone finally answered on the fourth floor.

  “Is this Nora’s store?” I asked the metal box.

  “Who’s asking?”

  I cleared my throat. If I gave fake names, we might not gain access. On the other hand, I didn’t know how notorious I was. I debated for a second, but honesty was always the best policy. “Alexandria Longfellow and James Van Curen.”

  The door unlocked and we were greeted by the smell of urine. Graffiti covered the walls. A lone elevator stood at the end of the small hallway.

  “Nice ambiance.” James pushed the button.

  “I don’t like the sound of this elevator.”

  The doors groaned open and we stepped inside the metal box. It was a long ride up to the fourth floor and I hyperventilated the whole way.

  The elevator opened directly into the shop. See-through black drapes covered the windows and shut out the daylight. A bulky cast-iron chandelier with electric candles lit the room.

  “Welcome to Nora’s Emporium. I’m Nora.”

  Nora had inky black hair cut above the ears. It was spiky and styled stiff with hairspray and mousse. Her skin was ivory and flawless. She had on grey slacks and a black blouse. Was she a witch? I doubted she’d let me inspect her neck for a birthmark.

  “I’m Alex and this is James.”

  “A Longfellow and a Van Curen. That’s a curious duo,” Nora said. One eye was blue and the other was brown.

  “Do those names mean something to you?”

  “I hear whispers.”

  I shifted in front of James. “About what?”

  “The Ross pure blood. And, might I say, you do have Ross eyes.”

  I gritted my teeth. I was ready to pounce. This lady knew way too much about me.

  “Don’t worry, you are welcome here,” Nora said. “Along with your hunter friend. However, I do believe this is the first hunter I’ve ever had in my store.”

  James tensed.

  “He’s not a hunter.”

  “He’s a Van Curen.” Nora smiled. “What can I help you with?”

  Electricity vibrated through my fingers. I didn’t trust this woman, but I desperately needed her help. “You gave a girl a spell from a blue book.”

  “I’m sure I did. Which spell?”

  “I don’t know. It was seventeen years ago.”

  Nora puckered her lips. “My memory may be good, but not that good. If you don’t know the name of the spell, then I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

  “It was powder based. A gold metallic with green flakes. It was created in a cemetery and then blown on the victim.”

  Nora blinked her bi-colored eyes.

  I stepped forward. “The spell put the victim into a coma. Do you remember giving a girl that particular spell?”

  Nora smiled. Her teeth were yellowed. It contrasted horribly against her alabaster skin. “The Divinicium Comtantus spell. I do remember. Two blonde girls. Young. One was particularly eager.”

  “I need the reversal.”

  “The spell is still intact?”

  “It is.”

  “Then a life was taken.”

  My heart squeezed and, for a second, I thought I was having a heart attack. “What do you mean?”

  Nora laughed. “One of the ingredients in the spell is a heart.”

  “A human heart?” James asked.

  “There is a list of ingredients to create the powder. However, the spell calls for a heart.” Nora shrugged. “The witch has three options. Bird. Dog. Human. The length of the trance correlates to the length of the life of the heart. If a bird’s heart is used, the trance will last for three years. A dog is ten years. A human heart will make the spell last sixty years.”

  “It’s been seventeen years,” I whispered.

  “Like I said, a human life was taken to cast the spell. Those blondes were tougher than I gave them credit for.”

  My breathing accelerated. “He’ll be spelled for sixty years? There’s no reversal?”

  “I didn’t say that. I have the reversal.”

  “I need it,” I said. “I have money. Please.”

  Nora walked away. “Not interested.”

  “What? Wait. What do you mean you’re not interested?” I followed the woman deeper into the store.

  “Why should I help you?”

  “Because it’s your fault the person is in a coma! You sold the spell.”

  “I only supply the spells. I’m not responsible for what happens afterward.” Nora rubbed her hands together. “But, perhaps we can negotiate.”

  “Name your price.” I’d brought my checkbook. I only had three hundred dollars in my account, but Nora didn’t know that. Hopefully, she wouldn’t charge that much.

  “I’m not interested in your money.”

  “What do you want?”

  “A few drops of your blood.”

  “What? Seriously?”

  “I want to study the blood of a pure witch.”

  James tugged my arm. “Let’s go. She’s crazy.”

  My blood? Why on Earth would she want to study my blood? But she had what I needed. I unclenched James’ fingers from my arm. “I need the reversal.”

  “We should go. Now.”

  “I can’t.” I turned to Nora. “Fine, I’ll give you a few dr
ops. Give me the reversal first.”

  James groaned.

  “Deal.” Nora went to the far shelf.

  “I don’t like this,” James whispered. “Something’s not right.”

  I dragged him to a display of necklaces and bracelets on the other side of the room so Nora couldn’t hear us. “I need the reversal.”

  “Here it is!” Nora held up a large blue book. “Excuse me while I make a copy in the back. I don’t loan this book out.” She disappeared behind a curtain.

  “You can’t give this woman your blood,” James said. “There’s no telling what she’ll do with it.”

  “It’s the only way she’ll give me the reversal.”

  “This lady is psycho.”

  I bit my lip. “Do you think she’s a witch?”

  “Possibly. Her elf cut’s too long in the back. I couldn’t get a good look at her neck.”

  Nora appeared from behind the curtain with a folded piece of paper and a ceramic bowl.

  “What are these?” I pointed at the necklaces and bracelets.

  “Charms.”

  “What do they do?”

  Nora frowned. “They keep you from being spelled, of course. You’re wearing one now.” She pointed to my silver ‘R’ necklace that Grandma Claudia had given me.

  I squeezed the necklace. Grandma Claudia’s words whispered in my ear. “Don’t worry it’s not a talisman or anything special. Only the family’s crest.” But it was a lie. She’d given me a charm to keep me safe.

  Nora placed the bowl on the counter and held up a sewing needle. “Are you ready?”

  “Is that the reversal?”

  She scooted the piece of paper across the glass.

  I unfolded it. It looked like the reversal, but what did I know? I went to give my hand to Nora, but James squeezed in between us.

  “If you’re going to prick her, you’re not doing it with that needle.” James pulled out a Swiss Army knife. He opened the blade. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  I nodded.

  “For the record, I’d like to say that this is a stupid idea.”

  I smiled. “Noted.”

  He shook his head and gently nicked my fingertip with the blade. A droplet of blood bubbled up. I held my finger upside down and four crimson drops dripped into the ceramic bowl.

  “Transaction completed,” Nora said. “I’ll give you some pointers about the reversal.”

  “Okay,” I said. Was my blood worth that much?

  “The reversal, like the original spell, must be performed on hallowed ground,” Nora said. “It will not be a powder, but instantaneous. As soon as you perform the spell, the victim will awake from the trance.”

  “Are any of the ingredients exotic? Or can I find them easily?” I scanned the list. A smudge of blood from my finger decorated the photocopy.

  “Well….” Nora smiled.

  “What?”

  “There are only two ways to do the reversal. The original speller - whichever blondie actually performed the spell in the cemetery and created the powder - can take those mundane ingredients and perform the reversal on hallowed ground. The victim will immediately wake up.”

  “That’s not likely,” I said. There’s no way Vanessa would willingly unspell Ethan. That would be too easy for my life. “What’s the other option?”

  “You perform the spell with those ingredients on hallowed ground. However, because you are not the original speller, one more ingredient is needed.”

  My stomach tightened. I knew it. There was always a catch. Always.

  “Spells and reversals usually have a balance,” Nora said. “Because a human heart was used in the spell and because you are not the original speller, you must use a human heart to complete the reversal.” Nora’s bi-colored eyes lit up.

  James placed his hands on my shoulders. “Alex has to kill someone in order to reverse the spell?”

  Nora shook her head. “Not just anyone. You will need the heart of the person who cast the spell. You will need the blonde girl’s heart.”

  Nora’s smile grew from ear to ear. James’ fingers dug into my shoulders as we comprehended what she was saying.

  The only way I could unspell my father was if I had Vanessa’s heart.

  CHAPTER 12

  “You want me to kill her?” I didn’t say my aunt’s name.

  Funny that I still protected her even after everything she’d done to my family and me. Vanessa spelled my father. She committed the ultimate betrayal against my mother. And, apparently, she killed an innocent person and used their heart to cast the spell.

  Nora raised an eyebrow. “It’s a dark spell. The reversal’s equally as dark.”

  “Let’s go, Alex.” James dragged me away from Nora.

  Vanessa’s heart?

  “Stay awhile. Let me show you the rest of my shop. Perhaps, you’ll be interested in some of my spells.” Nora’s right eye, the blue one, flickered to the elevator door behind us.

  I glanced over my shoulder. No one was there.

  “James is right. We should go,” I said.

  “Would you like one of the charms, too? I can throw it into our transaction. Your blood is worth more than one reversal.”

  “No thanks.” I followed James to the elevator.

  “Wait!” Nora said.

  James and I turned around. “What?”

  “Did I show you the pre-made potions?” Nora’s bi-colored eyes floated over our shoulders again.

  At that precise moment, the elevator’s old wheels hummed. The number one lit above the elevator doors.

  “You called someone?” James screamed. “Didn’t you? When you went into the back room!”

  We needed another exit. Fast. I scanned the room. Nothing. The only way in or out of the shop was through the elevator, which was now on the second floor and heading up. We were trapped.

  “Who’s on the elevator?” I slid out from behind James.

  The number three lit up. One floor to go.

  Nora darted around the counter. Her face flushed with concentration. Sweat beaded her forehead and her cheeks puffed. She flicked her wrist, like she was throwing darts and I was the bull’s-eye. An electric blue ball of something flew out of her palm. It was the size of a baseball and hurled itself through the air in the direction of my head.

  I had no idea what it was - it resembled the fireball from Super Mario Brothers - but whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. I jumped in front of James. My body hummed with energy. I was upset, but not out of control. My senses were heightened and my nerves were calm. But more than anything, I was pissed off.

  I pushed forward with both hands. The blue fireball deflected off an invisible wave and rebounded back at Nora. The deflection was faster than her original shot. She ducked behind the counter. The ball of energy smashed against the wall and burned a perfect circle in the drywall.

  “Nice,” James said.

  I was stronger than Nora.

  Way stronger.

  I ran to Nora before she fired at me again. She crouched down on the floor. I had no idea how to conjure a fireball, but she didn’t know that. I held my palm up like a loaded gun. “Who did you call?”

  Nora tried to crawl behind the curtain.

  “Nora! Who’s on the elevator?”

  “Donovan and Gabriel!” Nora slid backward on her butt.

  I hopped over the counter and aimed my palm at Nora’s chest. “Who are Donovan and Gabriel?”

  “Hunters! Hunters! The Vega twins!” Nora screamed.

  James’ jaw clenched. “The Vega twins? Alex, we have to get out of here. Right now.”

  “Who are they?” I asked James.

  James knocked over a wooden display tree holding dozens of wind chimes. He broke off one of the limbs and wielded it like a bat.

  The elevator chimed.

  The doors creaked open. Inside were two large men. Very large. And very muscular. The twin assassins had dark olive skin and deep black eyes. Evidently, black w
as their color of choice. They were wearing it from head to toe - combat boots, pants and armored vests. One twin had a long dark ponytail. The other sported a military crew cut.

  Their hairstyles were the only way to tell them apart. They were absolutely identical and I instantly thought about the Cooper twins. I dismissed the random thought. I needed to focus, because I was one hundred percent sure that these twins wanted to kill us.

  Ponytail stepped out of the elevator. His shoulders grazed the doors. He was that big. He briefly glanced at me before turning his full attention to James. With a gigantic gesture, his muscled arm swung forward and pointed at the bookshelf behind us.

  I was so captivated by what was happening that I failed to react. I didn’t move. I didn’t counter with my own magic. I stood there. Like a moron. James pushed me out of the way right as the heavy wooden shelf slammed to the floor.

  “What in the world?”

  Magic. The hunter with the ponytail used magic. How was that possible?

  Crew Cut stepped out of the elevator and the twin brothers advanced toward James.

  “A little help here,” James said. “You want to do some magic or something?”

  Nora shot up from behind the counter. She wanted to fight now that she had five hundred pounds of solid muscle reinforcements.

  James was right. I had to do something quickly. I motioned to the ceiling. The large cast iron chandelier crashed to the ground in front of the twins, but they didn’t even look my way.

  I needed something bigger. A splash of blue registered in my peripheral vision. I ducked as Nora’s blue fireball zoomed by my ear. She was really aggravating me. It was time to try out my newest trick. I twirled around with both arms extended. “Vieomorphis!”

  A gust of air blasted Nora against the wall. Her arms and legs sprawled out like she was caught in a spider’s web. The Vega twins didn’t spare us a glance. They were one hundred percent focused on James. They cornered him. Books and objects levitated through the air at James.

  “Hey! You! Over here!” I screamed at Donovan and Gabriel. “Hey! Look at me!”

  With my free hand, I levitated a mirror from the wall. It soared across the room and smashed into the side of Ponytail’s head. He reeled back from the blow.

  Crew Cut’s cheeks puffed and his face turned red. A zap of orange light shot from his palm. James ducked and the fireball shattered the glass display behind him.