Pickup Styx (Easy Bake Coven) Read online

  “Old, dark magic. But I don’t feel it. Not even a trace.”

  “They could have left, moved for some reason.” It wasn’t likely. Why would they move without taking any supplies or their things? My gut said this was an attack, but I clung to the hope that there was another possibility.

  He nodded. “It’s possible. We can’t set up a search without causing a panic. Can you find any tracks?”

  Circling the perimeter, I found nothing. If anyone left from here, they must have transported.

  “This is bad, Cheney. The people are already upset about Selene. If they find out an entire community disappeared and you don’t find them or bring their killer to justice in a very public fashion, they will lose faith in you.”

  “I know. We’ll find out what happened.”

  “You should make an announcement and get in front of this. Let people know you are looking into it. If you wait and they find out on their own, it will look like you either didn’t care or were covering something up.”

  “I don’t want that kind of attention drawn to my father. Not yet. Not until we know what’s going on.”

  “You still think he will change his mind and come around to what you are doing with Selene, don’t you?”

  “We should go back and see what sort of spell could do this. It might narrow down suspects.”

  Sebastian and I headed to the Elven Archive, though we had no idea what we were looking for. It was like trying to isolate a single drop of water in an ocean, but somewhere in the ancient history of the elves, something like this had to have happened before. After hours of unsuccessful searching, I leaned back in my chair with my eyes closed. Selene would be leaving soon and I might never see her again. I didn’t want to spend all of my time seeking something I may never find.

  “I could ask Adan.”

  Sebastian looked up. “Do you trust him not to tell others?”

  That was a good question. I trusted Adan, but would he keep this from the other high elves and give me time to figure things out? I didn’t know, but I also didn’t have much choice. “I trust that he will have the answer we need and asking him will waste less time—time we already don’t have.”

  Sebastian tossed a scroll to me. “That’s your choice. I found this.”

  I unrolled the tanned hide to reveal a crude map spotted with what I could only assume was blood. I looked closer. The Underworld. Every bit as daunting as Katrina and Sebastian had made it sound. Desert and mountains, physically and emotionally taxing.

  “Are you sure this is accurate?”

  “Of course not. How can anything about the Underworld be verified?”

  The Office was becoming my second home, but Sy didn’t smile at my return this time. Worried creases around his eyes showed exhaustion. Guilt seeped in around the edges of my fear. This was why I’d tried not to involve him before, when I became a changeling. I couldn’t stand being the cause of my cousin’s pain. I loved Sy like a brother because that was pretty much what he was.

  He nodded toward the back. His entire bar was one big, dark corner. None of the bounty hunters liked to be the center of attention, well, except for maybe Femi, who I hadn’t seen for a couple days, but that wasn’t unusual. She was probably tracking someone down. I headed to Frost’s table slowly, giving her time to measure me up. Bounty hunters were suspicious. I didn’t want to ruin my chances of getting her to help me by appearing too needy or forceful.

  She nodded to the chair across from her, and I sat down. Frost was petite with stark white hair and black eyebrows. The air had a chilly quality around her, but I had no idea how she did it. She was just a human—a human with extraordinary magical capabilities, but a human nevertheless. I held out a hand, which she ignored.

  “What can I do for you?” Her icy blue eyes met mine for a moment then flickered away.

  I ran my tongue over my lips then leaned toward her. “I need a way in and out of the Underworld.”

  She didn’t react. “Getting in is easy. Getting out is a bit more tricky.”

  A flutter of hope started in my chest. “But it can be done?”

  She shrugged, looking a little bored. “Yeah. It’s a little harder for an elf, but I could do it.”

  “Why is it harder?”

  “Your vessel disappears when you die. There is nothing left to bring you back to.”

  I hadn’t considered that. “But you can do something?”

  She shrugged again, gave a half nod.

  “Will you help me? I would be glad to pay you. Name your price.”

  “Look, if you want me to kill you and send you to the Underworld, I will. It wouldn’t be the first or the last time I did it. But while I’ve sent plenty of people down, none of them have made it back here. I don’t know or care why you are going and don’t bother telling me because it isn’t going to tug on my heartstrings. I want that to be clear from the start. If you go, you aren’t coming back. Say your goodbyes. No refunds.”

  I swallowed my fear. “I will.”

  “I can’t just pluck you from anywhere in hell. You need to come to the exact location you entered within twelve hours of arrival or you never get out. That’s the longest I can hold on to your body before it disappears and you’re gone forever.”

  “But if I make it back there, you can bring me back to life?”

  “You make it back to me and I will throw you a fucking parade.”

  “But you can?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I can … In theory.”

  I exhaled slowly. I didn’t have time to hold out for better than “in theory.” The clock was ticking. “Okay. When and where should we do it?”

  She tucked a piece of her wild white mane behind her ear. “We can do it right here and now for all I care. Name a time and place, and I’ll be there. The price is $100,000 and I want it up front.”

  My heart raced and my mouth went dry. “Is there anything I should know about the Underworld?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never been.”

  Cheney and Sebastian were gone when I got back. I found Katrina poring over books, her hair rumpled in every direction from running her fingers through it too many times. When she saw me, she glared. “You aren’t going.”

  I smiled and sat down across from her. “I have to go.”

  “Well, if you won’t stay for yourself, stay for me. If you go and don’t come back, I’ll have to go home to the real world. I don’t want go back. I like it here.”

  I laughed. “Cheney won’t make you go back. Besides I’m pretty sure Sebastian would object to even the idea of you leaving.”

  She still didn’t smile. “Sebastian wouldn’t object.”

  “Are you so sure about that?”

  She nodded.

  “Well,” I shrugged, “maybe Sy would take you in.”

  Katrina wasn’t in the mood to joke. “Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?” She pushed a book in front of me.

  I didn’t dare look down. No, I didn’t know exactly what I was getting into, but that was for the best. If I knew too much, I’d never find the courage to do it. “I’m already into it. Going is my only choice.” I shut her book and stared at the blue leather cover. “I might not be able to make it home to say goodbye to everyone. Could you—”

  She shook her head. “No. You make the time. It isn’t fair to the people who know and love you. You tell the other girls and your grandma.”

  My spine stiffened. “I’m not talking to her.”

  “If there was ever a time to forgive and forget, it’s now.”

  “I may forgive her someday, but I will never forget.” I pushed back from the table and stood up. “Have you seen Sebastian and Cheney?”

  Katrina stretched. “Not for a few hours. Let’s do something fun.”

  I loved Katrina, but I didn’t have time for fun. Before I could try to explain that, the door opened and we both turned at the sound. One of the castle guards approached stiffly. “You have a visitor, my Qu
een.”

  I held back the cringe I felt at the title and followed him down to the great room with Katrina walking beside me.

  Corbin lounged in one of the ornate chairs, his leg hanging over its arm. “You may go,” I told the guard.

  Instead of leaving, he planted his feet, his hand on a sword. “If it is all the same, I would prefer to stay, my lady.”

  Vampires seldom came this deep into the Abyss. They generally stayed along the edges so the feeding was easier. “Corbin won’t harm me. Will you, Corbin?”

  “Not today.” Even though he looked relaxed, his voice was tight and strained.

  The guard didn’t budge.

  Corbin stood up so fast that the guard pulled his weapon. “Moonlight stroll, my lady?” Corbin asked.

  I rolled my eyes but followed him. “Kat, you should stay. I’ll be back soon.”

  “Not a chance.” She shut the door behind us. “I never get to see vampires.”

  “I hope I am all you ever wished for and more.” He bowed, reaching for her hand.

  I slapped his hand away before he could kiss the back of her hand. There would be no feeding off of my friends. “How do you know he’s a vampire?”

  “Sebastian and I have been working on my aura readings.”

  Corbin stalked toward the hedges. Once inside, he spun around, again too fast for comfort. “Do you still need my help?”

  I nodded.

  “I’ll do it,” he said the same time Kat said, “Help with what?”

  “Corbin has been to and made it out of the Underworld. I need him for a guide.” I looked at Corbin. “What changed your mind?”

  “That doesn’t matter. I am willing to go with you. You will get what you want.”

  Katrina clasped my hand, looking truly relieved for the first time since she found out I was leaving.

  “I assume you have a way in and out?” he said.

  I nodded. If I had to die to get into the Underworld, what would someone dead have to do? “How will you get there?”

  “I’ll need a coven, but I take it that won’t be a problem.” He shot Katrina a predatory smile that made me want to stand between the two of them.

  “We’ll do anything,” Kat said.

  I shook my head. “She doesn’t mean anything. They will send you to the Underworld and help you get out. That’s all.”

  “I don’t want anything else. I just need them to cast a spell that will send me to the Underworld. I will take care of the rest.”

  I stepped toward him. “And you won’t tell me what you get out of this?”

  “Just the pleasure of your company.” He was as still as a corpse, not giving anything away. “If you don’t want my help, just say the word.”

  I bit my lip. He was up to something. “What day works best for you?”

  “Dawn. Day after tomorrow.”

  “Fine.”

  Corbin’s normal lecherous look finally returned to his eyes. “Want to seal the deal with a kiss?”

  I leaned toward him and waited until he matched my movement. “No.” I stepped back.

  His lips curled. “You don’t want me now, pet, but the Underworld changes people. Our deepest, darkest desires are brought forth. Can you swear you won’t want me then?”

  I swallowed. “Pretty sure,” I said, but my voice cracked.

  He raised an eyebrow, not convinced. “I’ll bring the spell by later.”

  “We have one that opens a porthole. Is that good enough?”

  He shook his head. “It could let anything in or out. Too risky. My spell is better. See you soon.”

  He disappeared into the night.

  “So that’s a vampire.” Katrina looked after him. “I expected more brooding. I wanted to feel the angst.”

  I laughed.

  “You seem happy.” Cheney’s voice startled me.

  “I’ve been looking for you. Where have you been?”

  He kissed my cheek. “Sebastian and I had a problem to deal with. Nothing to worry about. How was the meeting with the necromancer?”

  “She’ll help, and Corbin changed his mind about coming with me.”

  Cheney’s lips thinned as they pressed together, but he didn’t say anything. “When do you leave?”

  “Two days.”

  “Cutting it kind of close, aren’t you?”

  I tucked my hair behind my ears. “It works best for Corbin and gives me a little time to say goodbye to some people.” I shifted my feet. “You know, just in case.”

  The weight of Cheney’s arm over my shoulders made me feel secure. “You are going to come back. Don’t even utter a word otherwise.”

  I nodded.

  “But it is a good idea to go see your friends—and your grandmother too.”

  “I told you so,” Katrina said.

  I moved out from under his arm. “I don’t want to see her.”

  “She’s your family, Selene.”

  “Fine—but I don’t make any promises about what will happen if she tries to kill me again.”

  Cheney pulled me back against his chest. “But not tonight. Tonight you are all mine.”

  Katrina smiled. “And that’s my cue. I’m outtie. We’re hanging out tomorrow, right?”

  I nodded, though I needed to see Grandma, Aunt Lorelei, and the rest of my coven the next day, too. Who knew my dying would require such social planning?

  Kat disappeared, and I leaned against Cheney for support. “Tell me about your day.”

  He ran his fingers down my spine. “I don’t want to talk about my day.” His lips grazed the side of my neck. “Or your day.”

  His tongue darted along the edge of my ear and my toes curled.

  “I don’t want to talk at all.”

  I pushed my palms flat against his chest. “Is that so?”

  He bent down and kissed me, his tongue caressing mine. “Mmmhmmm.”

  I squirmed away, biting my lip to keep from smiling. “I thought you loved me for my mind?”

  “Your mind, your body, the taste of your skin—it’s all intoxicating.” He grabbed me and held me close again. “But right now, we are both doing entirely too much thinking.”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  I stood outside of Grandma’s house. She was the last person I wanted to speak with. I was still furious over what she had done, but if I didn’t go, I’d probably regret it. I knocked on the door and waited. Grandma’s head peeked out.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to say goodbye.”

  She opened the door and Stewie darted out between her legs, meowing loudly. It had been so long since I’d seen my cat that I almost cried.

  “What do you mean?” she asked as I scooped Stewie up and cradled his squishy body in my arms.

  “Everything has a price. Do you know the cost of the hoodoo spells I bought to break the curse put on me?”

  She looked down but stepped out of the way. “Come inside, Selene.”

  I didn’t budge. The spark had set fire to my resentment. Stewie squirmed in my arms until he was free. “No guess? My life, apparently.” I nodded, my throat tightening. “Cheney and my coven think I need to say goodbye to you because I owe you something. And I guess I do owe this whole situation to you.”

  “Selene.” She looked at me with watery eyes.

  The words caught in my throat. I shook my head. “I have to go.”

  “Selene, please. I should have called you sooner, but—” She shook her head. “Come in.”

  I went toward the porch swing, not trusting what she would do to me if I went inside. “Why don’t you come out here?” Stewie rubbed against my legs, purring.

  She sat next to me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  I closed my eyes. “You believed the worst about me.”

  “I loved you. I did the best I could to protect you.” Her breath hitched. “And now it is too late. When are they taking you? Is there nothing you can do to stop it?”

  Stu
pid nagging guilt. “I have to go to the Underworld and retrieve something. That’s the only way to stop it.”

  She let out a breath. “Are you going?”

  I nodded and she stood. “I have something for you.”

  I focused on my breathing and the rhythmic swooshing of the ocean while she was in the house, but emotions clouded my thoughts. The salty breeze ruffled my hair. I stared out into nothing. Could I trust her?

  “Here.”

  I jumped. She held a small item wrapped in tissue paper out toward me. I hesitated.

  “It won’t hurt you. I promise.”

  I took the package and unwrapped a necklace. Seriously, this was what she’d had to run off to get? Before I could ask, the golden locket started humming with energy.

  “Make sure you’re wearing it when you die so you have it with you in the Underworld.”

  “What does it do?”

  “It will hide you from Death.”

  “But I will already be dead.”

  She nodded patiently. “Yes, but you cannot be judged. If you are judged, you will be stuck forever. You must avoid judgment and this will help.” She squeezed my hand that was loosely holding the locket. “I will see you again when you come back.”

  I nodded. Stewie jumped back into my lap. Everything seemed very real.

  One day. One last day and we weren’t even spending it together. Selene was talking to her grandmother and aunt and then she was having dinner with her coven.

  I massaged my temples, wishing I could see the future. I needed to know Selene would be back. Then I could focus. Not knowing was torture. It should’ve eased my mind that Corbin was accompanying her, but it didn’t. I didn’t know why he’d changed his mind, which concerned me.

  “Cheney, are you listening?” Sebastian asked.

  “No.” My eyes sought out Sy. “Do you know why Corbin changed his mind? Why he decided to go with her?”

  Sebastian and I had decided to bring Sy in on the disappearance issue because he knew more about what was happening in the Abyss than anyone else. The Office was a central hub for every lowlife the Abyss had to offer, and Sy was always listening.

  “I have no idea and neither does Paolo, or at least he isn’t talking about it if he does. I made some calls, but no one’s saying anything.”

  “But you think he has an agenda.”