words stuck in my throat. We had had this conversation in the beginning, but at that time, Monica had given me a time limit to find my body in a week. If I didn’t, she had planned to inform Mason so Jake could be cared for. As time passed, Monica—and I—started to believe we could continue with this insane way of living. Now I knew we couldn’t. Tevin might be only the beginning of the danger awaiting us.
“It’s over, Monica,” I managed at last.
She patted my hand. “You and Ian? I guess it couldn’t last. He’s weird. I support you and everything, girl, but…”
“No.” A new thought struck me, and I held up a finger and hurried to the hallway near the front door. “Tevin McClain is not welcome in this house.”
I said it just in case it needed to be said. At least that was some protection for Jake and Monica—until they left the house. Knowing he could lay in wait for them just to get to Ian and me made me ill, but I had done something, which felt better than sitting on my hands. I started to return to the living room when the bell rang. I froze, thinking I had called Tevin to me mentioning his name like that. I walked over to the door and listened. Isabelle must have sensed me there.
“It’s me, Libby,” she called softly. “Can you let me in?”
I pulled the door open, and she stepped inside. She’d dressed all in black from her shoes to her slacks and the blouse she wore, all clinging attractively to her slim figure. Her hands were even encased in black leather gloves. “Are you going out?” I asked although I felt the mono-color a bit severe.
“No.” Isabelle’s chuckle tinkled in the air. She straightened her blouse. “This is my covert outfit.”
“Covert?” I blinked at her.
“Yes, I came to invite you to come along. I want to visit Nessa’s house and see what we can find. I believe she was a witch, so she might have had spell books.” Excitement punctuated each word Isabelle spoke.
“You say ‘visit’ her house, but don’t you mean breaking and entering?” The prospect didn’t sit well with me, and it shouldn’t have with Isabelle either. How much shame and embarrassment would the two of us bring to Clark if we were caught?
“Please come, Libby,” she begged, taking my hand. “I would have come earlier, but I had to visit the morgue. Being a nurse at the hospital came in handy.”
I cringed. “Why would you do that?” Was it a nurse’s duty that I hadn’t heard of?
“I needed to consecrate Nessa’s body so she couldn’t be brought back.”
I gasped, not having thought of that. Her body had been drained of blood. From what I had learned from Ian, all that would be needed was for a vampire to feed Nessa his blood to make her rise. Well, there was some other ritual, but it didn’t interest me enough to recall the details. I praised Isabelle in silence for her forward thinking.
When I remained quiet, she assumed I resisted going with her. “There might be something at the house to help you.”
My eyes widened. “Me?”
“Yes, there are many powerful spells in existence. I haven’t scratched the surface, and they’re not lying around on the Internet for anyone to discover. This might be my only chance, and I have to take it. I know my instincts are right. Besides,”—she hammered the nail home—“there might even be a spell to protect you from vampires.”
“Vampires.” My interest perked up. If there were some way I could protect myself, Jake, and Monica against Tevin, I was for it. “But what about Ian? Will it hurt him too?”
Sympathy rose in Isabelle’s expression. I was heartily tired of people feeling sorry for me. “It can’t distinguish between them. I’m guessing you know there’s another one here?”
“Yes.” I didn’t explain who the other one was. She would probably know soon enough.
I gave Monica an excuse about leaving and told her we would talk later. Then Isabelle and I left for Nessa’s place. Nessa had rented
“It’s over, Monica,” I managed at last.
She patted my hand. “You and Ian? I guess it couldn’t last. He’s weird. I support you and everything, girl, but…”
“No.” A new thought struck me, and I held up a finger and hurried to the hallway near the front door. “Tevin McClain is not welcome in this house.”
I said it just in case it needed to be said. At least that was some protection for Jake and Monica—until they left the house. Knowing he could lay in wait for them just to get to Ian and me made me ill, but I had done something, which felt better than sitting on my hands. I started to return to the living room when the bell rang. I froze, thinking I had called Tevin to me mentioning his name like that. I walked over to the door and listened. Isabelle must have sensed me there.
“It’s me, Libby,” she called softly. “Can you let me in?”
I pulled the door open, and she stepped inside. She’d dressed all in black from her shoes to her slacks and the blouse she wore, all clinging attractively to her slim figure. Her hands were even encased in black leather gloves. “Are you going out?” I asked although I felt the mono-color a bit severe.
“No.” Isabelle’s chuckle tinkled in the air. She straightened her blouse. “This is my covert outfit.”
“Covert?” I blinked at her.
“Yes, I came to invite you to come along. I want to visit Nessa’s house and see what we can find. I believe she was a witch, so she might have had spell books.” Excitement punctuated each word Isabelle spoke.
“You say ‘visit’ her house, but don’t you mean breaking and entering?” The prospect didn’t sit well with me, and it shouldn’t have with Isabelle either. How much shame and embarrassment would the two of us bring to Clark if we were caught?
“Please come, Libby,” she begged, taking my hand. “I would have come earlier, but I had to visit the morgue. Being a nurse at the hospital came in handy.”
I cringed. “Why would you do that?” Was it a nurse’s duty that I hadn’t heard of?
“I needed to consecrate Nessa’s body so she couldn’t be brought back.”
I gasped, not having thought of that. Her body had been drained of blood. From what I had learned from Ian, all that would be needed was for a vampire to feed Nessa his blood to make her rise. Well, there was some other ritual, but it didn’t interest me enough to recall the details. I praised Isabelle in silence for her forward thinking.
When I remained quiet, she assumed I resisted going with her. “There might be something at the house to help you.”
My eyes widened. “Me?”
“Yes, there are many powerful spells in existence. I haven’t scratched the surface, and they’re not lying around on the Internet for anyone to discover. This might be my only chance, and I have to take it. I know my instincts are right. Besides,”—she hammered the nail home—“there might even be a spell to protect you from vampires.”
“Vampires.” My interest perked up. If there were some way I could protect myself, Jake, and Monica against Tevin, I was for it. “But what about Ian? Will it hurt him too?”
Sympathy rose in Isabelle’s expression. I was heartily tired of people feeling sorry for me. “It can’t distinguish between them. I’m guessing you know there’s another one here?”
“Yes.” I didn’t explain who the other one was. She would probably know soon enough.
I gave Monica an excuse about leaving and told her we would talk later. Then Isabelle and I left for Nessa’s place. Nessa had rented
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