Page 94 of Shifting Tides
The connection of magic had just ended, leaving me feeling oddly cold in its absence. Or maybe that was the moonlit breeze that kept blowing past me where I stood outside against one of the tower walls.
Her voice had caught me completely off guard. Though I had hoped she would, I hadn’t actually expected the young witch to reach out so soon—or at all, for that matter. I certainly hadn’t expected her to come calling while I was under Hadrian’s nose.
It had been a century since I’d had a conversation like that. With Alice.
But Shea was not Alice, and I hated that I had to constantly remind myself of that fact.
She even sounds like Alice.
But that could just be my mind playing tricks on me. Because I was so desperate to hear her voice again, to find anything tangible of my lost love.
I wondered for a moment if there was any possibility Shea and Alice were related. I had no idea how many witch families existed in the world. Alice was originally from New York andhad fled to Vancouver, Washington, due to a bad home life. That’s where we’d met, at the Skye Boarding House. Was it possible that part of her family immigrated to Illinois?
I’d have to find out Shea’s last name and see if it was all more than just coincidence.
We had traded addresses, and I took her warning about her home being guarded very seriously. Witches were cautious people. Was I making the right choice, entrusting one of my most treasured possessions to one?
The grimoire was one of two of Alice’s belongings I’d kept after she died. The other object was the brooch she’d worn every day. I felt the outline of it in my pocket. I always kept it on me so that a part of her was still with me.
But her grimoire, that was a different story. The book was bulky and tattered and smelled like an old shoe. I rarely ever looked at it. There wasn’t much reason to since I couldn’t use the spells it contained. Mostly, I didn’t want to risk damaging any of the pages for the sake of my curiosity. The massive book could very well hold the secret to bringing Alice back.
So I kept it hidden in a lockbox in the closet of my small apartment in Chicago, and soon, it would be back in the hands of another witch. Was it foolish to hope Shea would come through? She was young, and I had no idea just how experienced she was with her powers.
I knew her motivations weren’t centered around helping me. Not directly, anyway. She wanted the grimoire, likely to learn ancient spells. However, if trading the grimoire resulted in Shea finding a resurrection enchantment that would bring Alice back from the grave, the trade would be more than worth it.
And if she couldn’t end up helping?
That was why I was back at Heritage Prep, currently downing my third blood bag in preparation for whatever twisted plan Hadrian had in store.
I took in one last deep breath of the early morning air before heading inside. The faint glow of dawn was creeping along the mountain tops, and the sun would be rising soon.
To any other vampire, the first rays of the sun would scorch any exposed flesh. But not me. The enchantment Alice had placed on me over one hundred years ago was eternal and unbreakable.
Today, the first rays of the sun meant it was time to meet Hadrian and face whatever fate he’d decided on for me. I began the long walk up the stairs that rolled up into the fortress of Heritage Prep.
It didn’t take as long to make the climb this time around, probably because Marguerite’s repelling presence wasn’t lingering at the top. The memory from last night sprang into my head, and I found myself wiping my mouth again, as if her kiss had left a stain on my lips. It had certainly left a stain on my soul.
The huge, dark, cast-iron doors were shut to keep the sun out. No doubt all the windows in the school would be shut, too. Except maybe for the rooms where humans were waiting. Humans, who served as feeders for the vampires, as well as the ones trying to prove their worth to Hadrian.
I was familiar enough with the entrance to know how to get inside. A door within the door formed. It was wide and high enough to let me through. It was just another trinket of technology Hadrian had somehow come to possess over the years, but it did the trick—only allowing minimal light to enter the fortress.
Stepping inside, my eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness. Once they did, the familiar figure of Marguerite came into view in front of me. My hands clenched into fists, and my jawtightened. I couldn’t stop the scowl from forming on my face. She was the last person I wanted to see first thing in the morning.
She had her weight on one foot, her shoulders hunched a bit with one hand on her hip, and dressed all in black as usual.
“Have a good night?” she asked warmly, but her words felt icy.
I nodded curtly. “Actually, one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time.”
Marguerite smiled wickedly, touching her tongue to the pointed tip of one of her fangs. “Must’ve been from our dance.”
A shudder trickled through my body. “I assure you, that had nothing to do with it.”
She put her free hand on my chest. “Ooh, Julian, that hurts.”
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.” I pointed between myself and Marguerite several times in rapid succession. “You and I? Whatever we used to have together, before becoming vampires, is long dead. Whatever romantic ideations you have with me willneverhappen. Not after the events you set into motion by turning me.”
Her grin only spread wider. “I can offer you an eternity of love. That witch of yours would have died eventually, anyway.”
