4 Tiddly Jinx Read online

  He smiled, more to himself than to me. “You honestly think she will be my ‘friend’ as you say?”

  I nodded. “Because you’re going to betray me.” Corbin raised his eyebrow. “You’re going to tell her we’re planning to kill her after this is over.”

  We walked for a bit, not speaking. “Even if I told her that, why would she believe me? She knows I helped you through purgatory.”

  This would be the tricky part to explain. “Everyone knows how you feel about me…”

  “That I love you. Yes. Agreed. Go on.”

  “Well…we’re going to use that to our advantage. You’re betraying me because you want her help getting Cheney out of the way. The plan will be for the two of you to devise a way to turn me dark, maybe by forcing me at the very last minute to cast with her. The evil would tear Cheney and me apart, and I would willingly go to you. You can’t just kill him, because I would never go to you if I thought you’d hurt him in any way. This way, the two of you are partners. You feed her information and get closer to her so you can keep a better eye on her for me.”

  “And you trust me to do this?”

  I nodded. “I do.”

  He shook his head. “When is all of this supposed to happen?”

  “In three days. You need to move quickly and be convincing.”

  “And what do I get for helping you?”

  “What do you want that I can give you?”

  He smiled at the qualification. His finger lightly traced my lower jaw. “That I will have to contemplate, my pet.” I frowned at the intimacy of the touch. “Where’s the necromancer?”

  “I’m not sure. Katrina went to find her. She went to her room after closing the tear this morning.”

  “Get her to come outside and I’ll see what I can do.”

  I chewed my lip, debating on whether or not to say what was on my mind. “I read something about vampires sharing life force with the vampires they create—like your creator can’t die so long as you live.”

  “Technically that’s true.”

  “But yours died.”

  “A vampire’s bond lasts until a new bond is formed. I never sired another vampire, so I remained bound to her.”

  “But you didn’t make me into a vampire.”

  He nodded slowly. “You’re not a vampire.”

  I sighed. “So if you sire another vampire, our bond will break.”

  “I can sire as many vampires as I want and they will all bond to me. It is up to them to break the bond. It’s possible when you marry the elf it will break our bond, but I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know what you are. You took my essence and I took yours, just as if I had sired you, but it was done on a level I don’t understand. You still don’t feel the bond, correct?”

  Though his face was blank and his voice was level I knew the answer he wanted to hear, but the fact was I didn’t feel any bond to him other than friendship. “I don’t think so.”

  The left side of his mouth rose wryly. “Still in love with the elf? It’s the castle, isn’t it? I knew I should have kept my castle.”

  I laughed. “Castles are drafty and come with a lot of people who like to tell you how to behave.” I cleared my throat. “I better go find Cheney and get this hand looked at, but I’ll make sure that Frost comes out here soon.” I touched his shoulder lightly. “Thank you. You know, for everything.”

  He nodded once. “Still considering how you can pay me back, pet. I never work for free. Don’t forget it.”

  Cheney wasn’t hard to find. He was in his office staring out the window, which happened to look out over the garden where I was talking with Corbin.

  “Go well?” he asked when I came in.

  “He’ll help.”

  “Imagine for a moment if our roles were reversed. How would you feel about me having private meetings with a woman who loves me, regardless of my feelings for her?”

  I wanted to sigh, but instead I poured myself a drink with my good hand and sat down. “You mean like you and Alanna working together when she was on the council?”

  “That was completely different. She—” He stopped when he saw my hand wrapped in a towel and clutched to my chest. “What happened?”

  “I stabbed myself.” He was to me and unwrapping my hand in an instant. I continued. “And you’re right. Alanna was completely different. You dated her. You had an affair with her. Corbin and I have only ever been and will only ever be friends. He knows it, and is still willing to help, unlike Alanna, who betrayed you. The two situations are nothing alike.”

  Cheney’s two hands ran over my injured one, warming and healing it. Neither of us spoke further until he had finished and the pain had vanished. “But you understand how I feel?” he finally said when his eyes met mine again.

  I nodded. “I’m trying not to hurt Corbin, but you don’t need to be jealous. I love you. I am marrying you. Whether or not you are Erlking, whether or not our enemies are stacked up against us, and whether or not anyone else wants us together, you are the one I choose—the one I will always choose.”

  He took a sip of my drink. “You’re absolutely certain he’s on our side and wants nothing in return?”

  “We need him. He can reach Frost. He has to,” I said, deflecting his question and standing up. “Speaking of her, do you know if Katrina found her and Jess? I need to convince her to go outside so Corbin can talk to her.”

  “They’re in the gym. You want help?”

  “Of course.” We went down to the gymnasium together and by the time we got there we had a plan. When we found them, Katrina was talking about the importance of timing when casting a spell. Jessica still looked completely drained, leaning against a wall and massaging her temples. Frost still had dark circles under her eyes, but otherwise looked livelier than Jess.

  I waved at Katrina. “You guys look tired.”

  “I think I could sleep for a week after that spell,” Jessica groaned. “If feels like my brain is going to seep out of my eyes.”

  Frost simply shrugged, but even that gesture wasn’t as tight and emphatic as it normally was.

  “The elves have a tea that helps rejuvenate. It might help,” Cheney offered.

  “Anything,” Jessica replied.

  “Jess, Kat, go to the kitchen and see if you can find the kettle. I’ll collect the herbs,” I said, then looked at Frost. “After the tea I was thinking about having you practice with some small spells to build up stamina.”

  “Sure,” she said.

  “Great. Could you go to the garden to pick some chamomile? It is more potent when it is fresh. Actually that’s true for all spells. The fresher the ingredients, the better the spell.”

  “Whatever,” she said with another shrug. I gave her directions that would take her directly past Corbin. She got up and slowly went to the door with a scowl. Perfect.

  “Dude, do I really have to go to the kitchen? Don’t you have people who do that shit for you?” Jessica asked.

  I laughed. “No, you don’t have to. Cheney and I will take care of it.”

  We went to the kitchen and made the tea. When we got back, Frost was still gone. So far, so good. That meant that she had to at least be listening to Corbin. I handed Jessica a cup of tea and told her to drink it in her room while sitting on the bed because it would make her sleep, and that she would feel better in the morning. “Oh, by the way, it tastes terrible—like peppery dirt.”

  Jess shuffled out of the room with her tea in hand. Katrina moved closer. “I take it you spoke with the vampire and things are going as planned.”

  I leaned in and whispered, “The fat man walks when the crows fly at midnight.” Laughing, I continued, but kept an eye on the door. “Yes. I talked to him and the plan’s in motion. Have you seen Devin and Leslie today?”

  Katrina shook her head. “They said something about picking out colors, bridesmaid dresses, and tasting cake today. Actually I’m sort of jealous. A day of cake? Ummm, yes please.”

  Frost came bac
k in with no flowers and wearing a scowl. “Couldn’t find them,” she said.

  I sighed. “That’s okay. You took so long I made it with the dry stuff.” I handed her the cup.

  She looked at it doubtfully. “Where’s the other girl?”

  “In her room,” Cheney said. “Selene forgot that the tea pretty much knocks you out. You will feel a lot better in the morning, but you won’t be able to stay awake. It is up to you if you want to drink it or keep practicing tonight.”

  Frost sniffed at the tea. “I’ll drink it in my room, too. We can resume training tomorrow.”

  She turned and left. Katrina and I continued to talk weddings until we were positive she wasn’t coming back, then we headed back to the archive with Sebastian and Grandma, though I itched to see if Corbin was still in the garden. Grandma was mumbling the spell she had been working on out loud, counting the syllables on her fingers as she went. Sebastian had barely moved and was still reading. He cleared his throat.

  “This thing with Frost could be worse than we thought.”

  I puffed out my cheeks and closed my eyes. Of course it was worse. Everything only got worse.

  “How so?” Cheney asked.

  “Teaching her to cast could increase her power exponentially.” He shook his head and looked up from the book. “She knows all of our names.”

  “Yeah, so…” Katrina said. “What does that matter?”

  “According to this,” he gestured to the book, “she would be capable of casting a true-name spell. Hearing a person’s true name spoken from their own lips could allow her to control any of us. Apparently we all speak our names in a unique manner that can be used pinpoint us. Do you know anything about this?”

  I shook my head.

  “If this is right, it sounds bad. Not to mention being able to raise the dead, control vampires, make herself immortal, and curse or hex at will.” Sebastian’s mouth straightened into a firm line.

  I took a moment for what he was saying to sink in. I blew out a slow breath. “Well, at least she really isn’t that familiar with magic, and frankly we aren’t planning on letting her go, so I don’t see the problem.”

  Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “You intend to kill her no matter what happens, then? It’s the pragmatic choice, but…”

  “But what?”

  “It’s not you,” he said.

  I realized everyone was staring at me. Heat rose to my cheeks. “Isn’t that what we all agreed on? I don’t like it any more than you. I don’t want to hurt her, or anyone, but doesn’t killing her solve all of our problems?”

  Katrina’s eyes widened before she looked away. Cheney stared at his feet with his arms folded over his chest. Sebastian chewed on his lower lip, and Grandma was the only one nodding, which I actually found more disturbing than supportive.

  “You’re the ones who agreed to these terms,” I pointed out.

  “If she isn’t evil, then I don’t see how we can kill her,” Cheney said finally.

  I threw my hands up in the air. “Despite all the reasons Sebastian just gave?”

  He nodded. “You or any of the coven pose the same threat. You could all cast those same spells. You are all capable of casting dark magic.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Look. We are planning on destroying the book, so at least that won’t be around to tempt her. If she doesn’t attack us first, how can we in good conscience murder her? Do you really want to start our marriage with innocent blood on our hands?”

  I couldn’t argue with that without sounding like a jerk. My head throbbed. “Okay. So what are you guys saying? You want me to stop teaching her about magic?”

  “You can’t stop. We need her to cast the spells,” Sebastian said. “Is there a way we could erase her memory of us?”

  “You talk like my book is the only dark magic book in existence,” Grandma said. “There are others. It doesn’t matter if she turns now or not. It will be in her blood, and it will keep calling her. She will seek out another book. I used dark magic once and I can still feel it in me. The spells absorb into you and feed on your strength. You can’t let her go, especially after she casts multiple times. Necromancers are already predisposed to dark magic. She is a grenade without a pin.”

  SEBASTIAN AND I WAITED for Selene’s father and the other “concerned” elves to arrive. I assumed they were upset about the election, but the wheels were already in motion and it was going to happen regardless. My legacy to my people would be one of change. Perhaps change they don’t want, said the nagging voice at the back of my head.

  “There’s nothing they can do at this point. Why come here?” Sebastian asked He had been thinking out loud for the past five minutes and it was starting to get annoying. Sebastian did best with a plan—something that wasn’t always possible.

  “Honestly, I don’t care why they’re here.”

  He sighed. “After the election you’ll have to continue to work with them.”

  I laughed. “Sebastian, I appreciate the optimism, but I’m not going to win. I don’t even know that I want to win.”

  “You have let the voices of a small opposing group take up residence in your head and undermine your confidence in what you are doing.”

  “They cannot accept Selene.”

  “They will accept her to keep you. Give them a chance.”

  I held up a hand. “Enough. Let’s just get the Pole taken care of and then we can debate whether or not Selene and I will stay for the next six months.”

  My office door burst open and Lily came through, out of breath. “Selene. Friend.” She waved one hand east while the other rested against her knee as she gasped for air.

  I stood up and took her by the shoulders. “What about Selene?” When I last saw her she was headed down to work with Frost on her control.

  “Not Selene. Her friend.” She shook her head. “Just come with me.”

  We had taken just two steps toward the door when Selene’s father and about five other elves stepped into the doorway. Lily ignored them and pushed through, starting down the hallway.

  “I’m sorry, I must postpone our meeting,” I said to Tahlik, what I hoped was an apologetic smile on my face.

  “We must speak to you today,” Tahlik insisted.

  “Please, have a seat, I will be back shortly,” I replied. I walked as fast as I could without causing alarm. When they were out of sight, I ran to catch up with Lily. “Where are we going?”

  “To the town. She’s in the center.”

  “Who?”

  “I can’t remember her name. One of Selene’s coven.” She sped up.

  “Is she hurt?”

  “Not yet,” she mumbled.

  I moved faster. Selene’s friends had become my friends and they were under my protection. If one of them was in trouble, then there was nowhere else I should be. On the other side of the gates I could hear screaming in the distance. Full-out running toward the sound, it took me a moment to understand what I was seeing when I came upon the chaos. People of all races were running in the opposite direction or ducking into buildings, trying to get away.

  Jessica stood in the center of the street with her arms held out wide and her eyes rolled back in her head so that only the whites were visible. Her feet hovered six inches off the ground. Glass shattered in the windows. A man approached her, but when he got within five feet he burst into flames, screaming. The fire burned hotter and faster than anything I’d ever seen, and judging by the piles of ash slowly vanishing from the street in the breeze, he wasn’t the first to meet a fiery end.

  “Go inside!” I shouted to everyone, waving them away.

  When the street was reasonably clear of people who might decide to be brave, I took a step toward her. “Jessica.”

  Her white eyes turned toward me and a sinister smile spread over her face. As I watched her lips moving fast and wordlessly, I recognized what she was doing immediately. I had seen it too many times not to know. I transported behind her and reached for her, but the nearer
I got the hotter the air felt around me. Shit.

  Just then, Selene ran into the square, her mouth falling open at the sight of her friend. Immediately her hands went up and intense concentration settled across her face. The heat around me eased slightly, but it was still there. Selene moved toward Jessica, her fingers flexing and her cheek twitching. Jessica started to lower toward the ground, but the heat around me grew. Whatever Selene was doing, she wasn’t necessarily winning.

  I waited until Jessica’s full attention was on Selene, then pulled my sword, took a deep breath, and launched myself at Jessica, whacking her on the back of the head with the hilt. She went slack and dropped to the ground, and the air cooled around me almost instantly. Selene and Sebastian ran the rest of the way to us.

  “Are you okay?” she cried, throwing her arms around me.

  “Let’s get her off the street.” I picked Jessica up and handed her to Sebastian. Blood was coloring the back of her head. “Take her back. To the dungeon.”

  A soft child’s cry came from behind me. We all looked toward the noise, and I saw to my horror a pale-blue, somewhat lumpy and deformed looking infant with stark white eyes crawling toward us. Another cry came from the opposite direction and I turned to see another, then another. They kept coming until it became clear that soon we would be surrounded.

  “Take her back, Sebastian, before she wakes up!” I urged again. He vanished with Jessica in his arms, and the remaining sweet, flowery smell in the outdoor air went with them, leaving only the stench of rot.

  Selene and I stood back to back. “Do we kill them?” she asked, sounding as appalled by the thought as I was.

  I reached toward one, and its mouth opened wide as it lunged at me. Scavengers. My sword seamlessly sliced through the small creature, and Selene followed suit. It didn’t take long to dispatch them.