There was damage there, I was sure. Something about his life was just so…solitary. That couldn’t be good for a wolf.
And yet, he was totally unwilling to talk about it. Not that I should be interested. I was starting to like him a little too much, and I still didn’t want to fall for someone so soon after Tommy.
We avoided each other for the next few days, though I did always make a point to bring him lunch. It was different than it was with Tommy, though. Rafe was helping me out in a big way, and the least I could do was make him a sandwich. But we didn’t talk as much, even though I could feel his eyes on me every time I walked by.
On my twelfth morning in Charming Cove, he didn’t show up at Lavender House. In fact, he was gone before I even woke. I knew because I’d peeked into his open bedroom door and found it empty. He hadn’t been up at Lavender House, either, and he didn’t show up all day.
Where did Grumpy McHottiePants go? Poa asked in the afternoon. I thought he’d be here.
“Me, too.”
You sound disappointed.
“I shouldn’t be. He doesn’t owe me anything, and he’s already helped me so much.”
You miss him.
“I don’t. I just need the help with the house.”
Liar.
My familiar could see right through me, but I didn’t confirm it. “I’m getting back to work.”
Rafe
I should have told Isobel that I wouldn’t be at Lavender House today, but I’d been an absolute coward instead. I rarely felt any kind of nerves, but I was meeting the Jade Sorceress. It felt like she was my last chance to remove this damned curse, and I needed to focus only on that.
I’d left while it was still dark. The drive to London was a long one, and I couldn’t be late. My mind spun the entire way there, hours of thinking about what was at stake.
The Jade Sorceress lived and worked in Shoreditch, an eclectic neighborhood entirely dedicated to supernaturals. Humans didn’t know it existed and couldn’t enter—if they tried to turn onto one of the streets, they had a sudden and overwhelming desire to go the other way.
I found parking about a quarter-mile away from her address and left the car, walking past potion shops and cafés specializing in enchanted coffees and cocktails.
The Jade Sorceress lived in a brick Victorian building with an ornate external staircase at the side. The iron spiral rose to the top floor, where the door to her flat was surrounded by lush potted greenery.
At five to two, I knocked.
She opened the door almost immediately, and her power washed over me. Relief made the tightness in my shoulders loosen a bit. A sorceress as powerful as she was would be able to remove this curse, surely. She was definitely the strongest one I’d encountered over the years, and I’d been to plenty of them.
“Rafe.” She smiled, gesturing me inside. Her long skirts shifted around her as she stepped out of the way. She was in her mid-seventies, with a wild mane of silver hair and bright blue eyes that felt like they could gaze into the soul.
“Thank you for seeing me.”
She nodded. “You’re welcome. Come with me.”
I followed her down the hallway, which was lined with bookshelves that were packed full of volumes with names like A Witch’s Guide to Hexes and Understanding Devious Spells. She led me to a room at the back of the flat that was empty except for a round table draped in purple velvet and an antique armoire with a mirrored front.
“Please sit.” She gestured to one of the two chairs that faced each other around the table, then took the other.
I did as she commanded, my heart pounding. A crystal ball waited in the middle of the table, the interior of the glass swirling with dense gray smoke.
“Put both hands on the table.” She held her hands out for mine, one on each side of the crystal ball. My pulse accelerated as I did as she bid, and she rested her palms on top of the backs of my hands. “Now tell me about your curse.”
Her blue eyes pierced me as I began to speak, and I could feel the faint buzz of her magic against the back of my hands. My tone was wooden, and the words came out in exactly the same order they always did. By now, I’d told so many witches and sorceresses what had happened to me that it was a routine.
Her brow creased as she listened, and then she looked down into the crystal ball. She was deathly silent, not even breathing, and the smoke inside the glass turned brilliant gold.
That had to be good, right?
She frowned.
Damn.
“I’ll be back in a bit. Stay here.” She released my hands and stood, then walked toward the armoire behind her. Instead of opening the door, she stepped right through the mirror, which rippled like water as she disappeared.
“Well, shite.” I sat back in the chair, looking around. Did this mean she could help me?
I waited, the minutes turning into an hour. When she returned, she looked paler than she had when she’d gone in. “It took a bit of time and effort to make your potion,” she said, “but it’s done.” She handed it to me, a small cup with a dark liquid inside. “Drink.”
“All right.” I took the cup and drank the liquid in one quick gulp. It tasted sickeningly sweet, and I winced.
“Now stand.” She gestured for me to join her next to the table.
I did as she commanded, letting her put her hands on my shoulders. She stared into my eyes as she began to chant in a language I’d never heard before. Her magic filled the air with power, making it spark around us. I could feel it seeping into my skin, past my muscles and into my bones.
I grimaced. It hurt like hell.
The Jade Sorceress didn’t look much better. The rest of the color had drained from her face, and there were dark shadows forming beneath her eyes. But the brilliant blue of her gaze brightened, burning into me, and I gritted my teeth.
This had to be working. No other witch or sorceress had made me feel so damned miserable, and they’d never looked as shattered as she did.
I was nearly blind with the pain when she stumbled back and collapsed, her head slamming into the floor. I snapped out of my agony-induced trance and knelt, worry surging through me.
“Sorceress?” I laid a hand against her neck, feeling for a pulse as fear spiked.
Had I killed her? She was so pale, so still.
A faint pulse beat against my fingertips. Thank fates. I looked around the room for a pillow to put beneath her head, but saw nothing. Should I leave her to find one?
She gasped and sat up, her eyes wide and blind. She blinked, shuddering slightly, then looked at me.
“Are you all right?” I asked, putting my hand behind her back in case she lost her strength and fell backward.
She ignored the question. “There’s nothing I can do for you.”
My shoulders sagged. Damn it. But there was no arguing. She’d clearly tried her best, and it had knocked her unconscious. I shoved away the desperate disappointment and asked, “Can I get you anything? Call anyone? You had a bad fall.”
“I’ll be fine. Just help me up.”
I did as she asked, sincerely doubting her words. “You’re very shaky.”
“I know. It’ll go away in a while.” She looked at me. “I’m sorry. I had hoped I could help, but the curse is just too strong. The witch who did this was powerful, and there’s an element to the curse that I couldn’t quite see. Without that information, I can’t devise a proper cure.”