Page 81 of Under a Wicked Moon
Sensation prickled his skin. Glancing behind him, a will-o’-the-wisp poofed into existence in the corner whispering,“Follow.”
Ky holstered his gun and jogged after the blue wisp. “This way. Something’s not right down there. Call them off. Don’t go in.”
“I’d ask why we’re following some random blue light, but I’ll text the others.” Ky overheard Flynn typing into his phone.
The puff of light led him a quarter mile southeast to a small antiques store in the Park District.
At the doorway, he heard a whisper of “danger” before the will-o’-the-wisp disappeared.
“Here,” Ky announced.
“It told you that?” Flynn texted. Then he swiped through a few screens on his phone. “I turned off all street cameras. Internal security of this store and building is now also nixed.”
Ky nodded, not questioning how Flynn did it that fast or that it’d been done. Same as he expected not to be questioned further about following a blue light that spoke telepathically.
“Should we wait for the others before going in? They’re five minutes out, max.” Flynn swiped through a few screens on his phone. “This store’s ownership history is odd. It’s been owned by someone with a similar name iteration for about a hundred years. Marietta Simone, Mary Simon, Marianne Simmons, andMarnie Sims.”
“That’s not at all suspicious; it’s owned by a magical.”
With a deep inhale, Ky tried to listen to the internal voice, but all he could hear was his raging need to be sure Vivi remained safe. “The ladies should go to safety with Colin, but we’re going to need Roman. Just us. This won’t be good.” He waved at Flynn’s phone. “Text them that.”
Moments later, Roman appeared with Nova, who wore a blond wig with straight bangs under a knitted hat, and Vivi, who looked herself but wouldn’t look his way.
His jaw slackened at the sight of her in those skintight jeans that outlined her long legs. Her jacket with the faux fur at the sleeves was cute. He pulled himself together to say, “I told Flynn these two shouldn’t—”
“It is what it is,” Roman interrupted in an exasperated tone.
Nova said, “We’re saferwithyou than alone or with Colin. He’s sweet, but it’d be us defending him if someone tried to reacquire Vivi.”
The sign on the door readClosed, but the store was unlocked. Trinkets from many eras crowded cabinets, tables, and walls, predominated by old china, cheap oil paintings, silverware, and used toys. Above the musty smell of stagnant old items harboring the body odor of their previous owners was the smell of sulfur dioxide. Could be the magical entity itself, or from a lit match. The aura of foul magic permeated the air.
“This place is so much more than an antiques store,” Roman announced.
“You think?” Ky picked up magical energy off many of the pieces. This was a magic store disguised as an antiques retailer.
“Smell that? A Dragonfire witch is here.” Roman nodded Nova toward a cabinet of antiquities that blocked the view from the front of the store and spoke quietly to her, “You two guard the door, but stay away from the windows. Disappear. There’s awitch with firepower here.”
“Like bullets or something else?” Nova asked.
Roman’s eyebrows rose. “Something else.”
One moment the ladies were both visible, and the next, neither could be seen with the naked eye.
“How’d they do that?” Ky whispered.
“One of Nova’s skills.” Roman marched to the checkout desk and tapped the bell. Ballsy.
“Hate how unpredictable this type can be,” Flynn muttered as he gripped the hexenspiegel that rested beneath his shirt. The talisman would ensure any spell coming his way would bounce off without affecting him. “Not looking to get barbecued today.”
A woman with long black hair in fine braids that had been pulled into a bun pushed through curtains from the back room. A plethora of piercings wove through her brown skin. In a thick Indian accent, she said sarcastically, “What a surprise. Been expecting you.”
“Have you?” Roman said, “We’re looking for someone we lost. One of our kind.”
“Are you sure you’re not trying tofindhim?” A smirk tweaked her lips. She scratched beneath her high-collared shirt, revealed a glimpse of an electronic collar Ky recognized. She was one of the human’s brainwashed soldiers? Bad news. Being here independently meant she was under orders to do something like kill them or distract them or kill Simon.
Ky caught Roman’s attention, confirming he caught a glimpse of the collar too.
Roman winked, fast and subtle. He needed Ky and Flynn to distract her for some reason. A time stall. These sucked. Things often got out of hand.
