Page 68 of The Cursed Fae

He waved a fading hand at me. “So you've said. I will keep up my end of the bargain if you do the same.”

The night hadn't gone quite as I’d hoped, yet it could've been much worse. I successfully summoned a ghost, even if it was the wrong one. My new spirit friend was a smartass, though he mostly just seemed lonely. He and Missy would probably get along like a house on fire, and I would gladly buy popcorn to watch the flames fly. I really should've asked his name to see if she knew him.

Back in Nana's car with the heat blasting, my phone buzzed in my pocket. My brain registered the words on the display too late—Unknown Caller.

The eternal's voice was frostier and more biting than the wind blowing outside. “Don't get distracted, Winter. Lena's life depends on it.” His gritty chuckle filled my ear. “Or maybe just her humanity.”

Chapter twenty-four

All Aboard the Struggle Bus

Long after I returned to the dorms from the beach, I laid awake in bed and agonized over my predicament. Not only did I not find Ray, the vampire was tracking my movements enough to yank me back on course.

I’d video called Lena on the drive from the cove to Nana’s house, so I saw my best friend was fine and still human. For now. Would the eternal really turn her if I kept investigating the mysterious student deaths? Not a chance I wanted to take. But I promised Missy I would help her.

How to navigate this quandary concerned me nearly as much as the fact the vampire had spies in Arcane Landing. He must have. Otherwise, how would he have known both that I’d successfully used my magic and spent the evening ghost hunting? Someone was watching me and reporting back. Unless my great-grandmother didn’t know her wards like everyone claimed, that person was mortal. Vampires and eternals couldn’t enter Arcane Landing.

My list of suspects proved short since I didn’t know that many people. Nana and my mom were definitely not the culprits. Missy was unlikely, considering she was dead and all. Though she had been around not long before both the mysterious phone calls, and she moved silently. Was my ghostly gal pal actually a spy?

Based on intuition more than hard facts, I just couldn’t envision Missy playing double agent. Not her style. Besides, she wanted me to find her killer, which was a direct conflict with the eternal’s wishes.

Morgan or Astrid? Both possible, but not likely. Astrid had delivered the note from the eternal, which made me question her loyalties. I had to ask her what happened.

Then there were the guys: Laz and Archer.

Each was questionable in his own way. I’d only told Laz about my dinner with Nana. Well, him and Missy. She had been there when Nana extended the invitation. Oh, and Tina. I had said something to her before I left campus. So maybe Laz was off the hook.

Archer, though... the only one who knew I opened the portals. I hadn’t shared my accomplishment with anyone else. Not even my family. But if he’d followed me to the beach, I would’ve noticed him. Right?

That was the most troublesome part. In the astrology tower, when I used my dimensional magic, I’d been so caught up in the moment that someone might’ve been watching us. The cove was a different story. Not only did I not see or hear another living being, I didn’t sense anyone, either. Aside from my new spirit sidekick, I had been alone on that beach.

And that took me back to square one.

My brain hurt from overthinking.

I tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position. Tina mumbled in her sleep, something about roses. Envy reared its ugly head; I wanted to lose myself in ridiculous dreams about nothing of consequence. When I closed my eyes, a slideshow played. I saw the attack on the beach with Nana’s words playing like a voiceover in a movie trailer: “To him, it seems the prophecy is a call for revolution. A time to bring about vampiric rule. The only way he can do that is with his eternal brethren by his side. This is why we cannot allow them to rise.”

Tina’s terrified expression flashed through my mind from the night she witnessed the vampire-wolf at the underground fight club. Whatever she’d seen, it had truly petrified her. My roommate wasn’t exactly the easiest person to rattle.

Then came Archer, and the kiss that never should have happened. The one that left me weak in the knees. What was wrong with me? I was into Laz. We had a good time together. So why had I kissed Archer? Was it really the adrenaline rush from my magic? Or was I just creating excuses for my poor decision making?

I showered and dressed before Tina woke, then headed down to the library to find Laz waiting for me.

“How was dinner with Essie?” he asked, offering a to-go coffee he’d brought for me.

I sipped the sugary latte and settled into my chair. “Oh, fine.”

He laughed. “Doesn’t sound convincing. Anything I can do to cheer you up?”

Fresh guilt gnawed at my insides. Why did he have to be so sweet? It just made the kiss with Archer even more wrong. Unable to meet his gaze, I let my eyes wander to the book open in his lap.

“Thanks. I’m okay.” I gestured with my coffee cup. “What’re you working on?”

He held it up to show me the ancient leather cover. The Gemini constellation branded the front, along with several runes.

“It’s my family grimoire,” Laz explained. “I have to finalize my spell list for initiation. The elders have to approve it ahead of time.”

“That’s on Night of Four Moons, right?”

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