Page 68 of The Vampire and the Case of the Cursed Canine

Connor’s conversations were longer and I could tell that it was taking some persuasion to get his people to show, but finally they agreed to meet at the council chambers in thirty minutes. I was starting to think we could do it – maybe.

‘Bunny, you need to eat. I’m running you home,’ Connor said.

I let him take me and my pets home so we could prepare. Once home, I fed the animals, including Arabella. I’d forgotten about her and had to clean up the mess. I felt bad because I wasn’t that kind of pet owner.

She was much calmer and seemed to look to me for comfort, which she never had before. I held her for a few minutes then went to get washed. I ran a brush through my hair and hurriedly put it up in a ponytail then changed my grubby clothes. Connor had microwaved some blood for us and we ate a couple of pieces of toast.

It was time to go. I let Fluffy out and put Arabella back in Mum’s room, promising I’d bring my mother home soon and that I wouldn’t forget her again. I put the TV on for Fluffy and Shadow, then Connor and I returned to the council chambers.

We appeared to be the last to arrive, which was interesting. I figured everyone would drag their feet, so we must have sounded desperate. Since it was the council members, Sidnee, Connor and I, we sat in a circle while I explained.

I started with the curser and ended with the kidnapping and my choices. ‘So, that’s where I am. I have to collect the gems and give them to the kidnapper. Connor has an idea to trap them so we can retrieve the gems, and we need to set up whatever Liv had planned to take the gems offline for an hour or so.’

Liv spoke next. ‘Yes, I have a plan. I need to gather up my key magic users and the three other witches I brought in. I need at least an hour, maybe two.’ She looked me in the eye. ‘Listen carefully. The gems have to be back in an hour because it will take the four witches – your mother included – to get the barrier back up. If we wait much longer, it will be a two-day process to get it back and we’ll be at the mercy of the beast for that whole time.’

That made me sweat. I couldn’t guarantee anything; I wasn’t even sure if my mother was alive.

Liv cleared her throat. ‘We can’t give in to threats, but we can make it look as if we are. We need to pretend to comply, but the reality is that we won’t let the barrier fall. Not even for your mum.’

The other council members were silent. Finally, Stan, who was still looking ill, said, ‘Let’s vote.’

‘Those in favour say aye,’ the mayor intoned. ‘We’ll go around the table.’

Stan, Thomas and Gunnar voted aye; Calliope and the mayor voted nay and I couldn’t blame them. That left Liv and Connor to decide it. Connor voted aye but I was sure Liv would say no. However, she must have been a gambler at heart because she said, ‘Aye.’

I wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or terrified. We were gathering the gems and putting the whole of Portlock at risk.

Chapter 43

Now that I had the council’s assent and a vague plan, it was down to timing. We had to collect the stones and meet the kidnapper whilst Liv’s magic users held up the barrier, then I had to get Mum back in time for her and the other witches to reset the gems and return them to their places. And we needed enough time for the magic users to get the barrier back online. Simple.

While I was cooling my heels, Connor and I popped home to get Fluffy; I hoped he'd be an asset in tracking Mum down. With my dog in tow, we headed back to the office to wait for word from Liv.

Once Liv had her people in place, it was go time. My floppy heart was thumping with the stress of it all. Was I mad to do all this for a woman who had shoved me under a bus? Probably.

I’d contacted the new barrier witches so they’d be ready to hand over the cursed stones. We’d learned from before that the barrier would weaken after two gems were removed, but it would still stand so I had to time this right. The longer the barrier stood on its own, the better. I could collect two gems, then snatch the others at the last possible moment.

First I had to contact the kidnapper – but how? I still had the threatening note; I reread it, hoping my memory was wrong and there was a contact number listed. There was nothing.

I checked my phone: we had only three hours left and I’d promised Liv two hours to get everyone in place. I couldn’t do anything until then.

I paced and planned. When I couldn’t stand it anymore, I uploaded the coordinates to look at the meeting place, something I should have done immediately because it might hint at Mum’s location. I almost slapped my forehead at my stupidity.

Once the numbers were loaded, I zoomed in on the location. It was the funeral home, the location of the first black market and the first serious curse. Mum could be there now, in the dark depths of the basement. I sat up straight, startling Connor and Fluffy.

‘What is it?’ Connor asked.

‘The funeral home. Mum might be there. We should check it out before we take the gems.’

‘Going to the area early could rile the kidnapper,’ he pointed out.

‘I know, but I can’t risk Portlock by removing the gems when we might be able to rescue Mum without the gemstones.’

We drove there in Connor’s brand-new truck; his last one had been torched by Aoife’s father. And that gave me an idea… As we parked, I summoned the banshee. ‘Aoife Sullivan!’ I called. ‘I need you!’ Desperation leaked into my voice.

The teenager appeared in an instant, an apparition all in white. ‘My mum’s been kidnapped,’ I said. ‘I think she might be in the funeral home, but we don’t want to risk pissing off the kidnapper for nothing. Can you go in there and look for me?’

Aoife considered me, before giving me a thumbs up and winking out of sight.

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