Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
I hesitate. There’s a flaw in my plan.
“Or North Carolina?”
“It would be better if we went to North Carolina first,” I admit. “Just long enough to make sure we’re clear of Vivian.”
Claire immediately looks less certain. “And Vivian is the woman who pretended to be my teacher?”
“Yes.” I soften my voice. “And trust me, Claire, I know how this sounds. I know how hard it is to trust people when your whole life has been full of people who abandon you.” She looks at me curiously. Right. She still has no idea how much I know about her life. And maybe that isn’t fair.
“It isn’t safe for you to stay out here,” I continue. “You don’t have to get on a plane with me right this second. We can go somewhere public. A restaurant. A bookstore. Anywhere you feel comfortable. We can sit down and talk about it.”
“My mom told me I could trust you,” Claire says. Then she takes a more confident step forward. “Tell me my mother’s name. So I know you really are who you say you are.”
“Eudora.”
Her face changes.
“And technically, it’s your first name too. It’s a family name. I think you’re the fourth or fifth.”
“Couldn’t have picked a better name to keep passing down,” she mutters.
I laugh. Claire almost smiles.
“Okay.” She reaches down, grabs a bag, and slings it over her shoulder. “I’ll go with you.”
Relief hits me so hard my knees nearly weaken. I turn and wave my brothers over from across the street. I introduce them, and we decide to go around the convention center instead of cutting back toward the parking lot. The more distance we can put between ourselves and those hunters, the better.
“Should I call for the car?” Antonio asks.
“Yeah,” I reply. “We can at least sit inside and drive around for a while. Stay out of sight.”
“Out of sight?” Claire repeats. She tenses the second Antonio and Leo fall into step beside us. I can’t blame her. Honestly, this kid is taking a massive risk by coming with me. I silently thank Eudora for telling Claire to trust me. And I have to fight back another wave of emotion, because the only way any of this makes sense to me is if my mother and Claire’s mother somehow found each other in the spirit world.
We reach a dead end at a locked door leading into the convention center. Leo grabs the handle. “I can pick this. Give me a minute.”
“Wait.” I remember the incantation Marie whispered when she unlocked the door at the Covenstead. “Recludere,” I say quietly. I probably butcher the pronunciation. But the lock clicks open. Claire stares at me in awe. Apparently the glowing ball of energy wasn’t enough proof.
Though honestly, I’ve known I had magic my entire life and I’m still impressed by half the things Marie does. We step inside. The convention hall is mostly empty. One of the cleaners gives us a curious look as we cross through, but no one stops us. We continue toward the opposite side and exit through the main entrance.
The second I step outside, the air changes. It hits me like a punch to the stomach. Every hair on my body rises at once and nausea twists through me. I stop. Turn.
And see Vivian step out of the shadows.
Chapter
Thirty
“Mom!” Leo shouts. He starts to rush forward, but Antonio catches him by the arm. Claire looks between us skeptically. I literally just told her we’re trying to escape this woman, and now my brother is calling her Mom.
“It’s not her anymore,” Antonio reminds him, pulling him back.
“Hello, boys,” Vivian says in a singsong voice. Vaelric is trying to appeal to our emotions. Which is almost funny. He’s been inside Vivian’s head for days. He should know better than to approach us with affection. Vivian barely did that when she wasn’t possessed.
“Get behind me,” I tell Claire. I hold out my hand and summon a ball of energy. “If you want her, you’re going to have to go through me.”
Vivian shrugs. She blinks a few times, and I get a better look at her. Her blue eyes are bloodshot and clouded. The skin around her lips is dry and cracked. Her hands are filthy. Demons burn through human bodies quickly. I always assumed the more powerful the demon, the faster it would destroy its host. Maybe I had that backward. Maybe the stronger the demon, the more sophisticated it is. The less it needs to drain just to keep a human body functioning.
“I was going to go through you anyway,” Vaelric says. His demonic voice blends with Vivian’s. “You’ve been very helpful, Florence.” He smiles. “First you released me from my prison.” His gaze shifts toward Claire. “And now you brought me the other half of the key.”
“I’m not going to let you trick her the way you tricked me.” I keep my hand raised. “My family locked you up once. We can do it again.” I stare directly into Vivian’s eyes. “And this time, you won’t have your little group of demon cronies backing you up.”