I Write Sins, Not Tragedies
I pitifully turned on my heels, finding Val stepping out of the vehicle.
“Whatcha doing?” he teased.
“Visiting a friend,” I snapped. “You?”
“I may not be allowed in the house, but that doesn’t stop me from keeping an eye on you. And my brother thought you may require some looking after, so I obliged.”
“Kat!” Footsteps trampled down the porch, and I barely had enough time to turn before being tackled into a hug.
“Hey, Car,” I choked out. With my irritation still flaring from Val’s little drop-in, I didn’t dare hug her back, afraid that my unruly magic might accidentally make me snap her spine. Instead, I just patted her as gently as I could.
“Who’s your friend?” she asked, biting her bottom lip as she pulled away from me. Add in her batting lashes, and it was evident she liked what she was seeing.
And Val didn’t seem the least bit opposed to her flirtations either.
I rolled my eyes. “Carly, Val. Val, this is my friend, Carly.”
The ruffian took in my beautiful blonde friend, admiring her from head to toe. Car had an odd way of appearing both posh…and a bit risqué. Her butterscotch hair and lash-grazing bangs were bone straight with such gloss that every silky strand shone in the simplest movement. She wore a simple black top adorned with lace sleeves, not an inch of cleavage on display. It was the red plaid mini skirt, whose length just barely met with the school’s dress code, that had Val ogling. With the black thigh-high nylon stockings, matching lace garter, and towering stilettos, she looked like a sophisticated, yet naughty schoolgirl.
The Mage bowed—literally bowed, before taking her hand into his and planting a kiss atop it. “Pleasure.”
Her smile only broadened.
“This is Blaine’s brother,” I interjected, watching Carly instantly blanch. The girl outright scowled as she ripped her hand free from his.
“He’s not here, too, is he?” she growled.
“No,” I assured.
“I’ll be inside.” Car spun around and stomped back up the steps, slamming the front door behind her.
Val knew precisely why I’d thrown in that little fact and he shot me a dirty look in response. I only smiled back at him sweetly.
“Was that really necessary? I can play nice,” he said, looking over my head into the front windows, as if he could see through the drawn curtains.
“Considering your brother’s responsible for turning her boyfriend into a murderous monster who tried to kill her, yes, it’s entirely necessary.”
“So she’s single, then?”
I didn’t care if my runes were lit or not. I all-out punched him in the arm.
He didn’t so much as grimace. “What? It’s a legitimate question.”
“Did you miss the part about Daniel being a Hellhound?”
“Who?”
“Remember the guy who started harassing me at the Hideaway?”
“That halfwit?” Val snickered. “Blaine didn’t do that. That was m…” He glanced down at my arm, seeing more runes glowing beneath the sleeve of my hoodie. He couldn’t even keep a straight face. “I mean… That was m-my friend.”
“Your ‘friend’?” I derided.
“Uh-huh.”
“And pray tell, what’s your friend’s name?”
“…Bob.”
“Bob? Bob the Mage?”
His shoulders shook in silent laughter. “Yep.”
“Sounds fearsome.”
“He is.”
I punched him again, this time nailing him in the face.
Val, being the cold hearted bastard he was, may not have felt pain, but his ego could still certainly be bruised. Along with his vanity. And by the blood pooling down his upper lip, he knew the damage had been done. “Son of a motherf…”
“Now, be a good little lapdog for your brother, and stay put,” I scoffed, retreating up the steps. My victory was short-lived, however, as I pulled the front door open—and slammed into an impenetrable wall of air.
“Missing something?” Val drawled behind me.
I didn’t even bother turning to him as I hit the doorbell, simultaneously flipping him off.
Carly appeared in the front entrance a few seconds later, still scowling at the jackass in the driveway. She did seem appeased though, noting the blood he tried and failed to clean up. “What’s up?”
“Can you invite me in?” I murmured.
Her nose scrunched up in confusion before realization hit. “Oooh, sorry! I totally forgot!” She pushed the door all the way open. “Please, come in.”
“Thanks.”
“Does that invitation extend to me as well?” Val drawled.
Carly tilted her head, as if contemplating the inquiry. He wasn’t using his creepy powers of persuasion, was he? Crap! I reached to yank her inside, but she brushed me off.
Car gestured down the stretch to where a small boating dock rested over the water, and said all so sweetly, “I invite you to take a long walk off a short pier.” She even imitated his sugary smile before pulling me inside and slamming the door shut.
Either Val liked a challenge, or he may have just met the first human immune to his ‘charm’.
Hands grabbed a hold of me from behind, and I gasped, feeling heat flood my chest. The scent of honey and musk tickled my nose, and I sighed, letting myself melt into the embrace.
“Hey, Princess.”
I’d gotten so used to that feeling being associated with Blaine, the surprise was beyond welcoming.
“Your doctor friend is in the living room with Mark,” said Carly, pointing to the left.
“We’ll be with you guys in a minute. I just want a quick word with Reese.” I prepared to steer him away when a hand fell on my shoulder.
“I’m afraid I have to request that ‘minute’ first,” declared Doctor Madsen in that distinct Danish lilt. “Please.”
He looked just as I remembered, down to the tweed blazer and oxford button-down. Even the same earnestness remained in his russet eyes as he guided me toward the back of the house and into the kitchen, easing the swinging door shut to make sure we didn’t have an audience.
“I know this is a delicate subject, and I can only suspect you’d prefer not to have Mr. Blackburn privy to the exact details, but I have to ask,” he said softly. “Have you experienced any…warning signs, that perhaps the hex is taking effect?”
I didn’t even realize I’d been gripping the counter until I felt the quartz surface splintering beneath my pressing palms. He seemed to notice the same moment I did, because he rubbed his eyebrows jadedly as I yanked my hands away.
“How bad is it?”
“I keep having dreams…”
This seemed to pique his interest. “What kind of dreams?”
“The kind where I keep getting killed,” I murmur, “along with some other…intimate ones.” I was probably blushing from head to toe, and for the life of me, I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eyes, settling my gaze instead on his shoes. I felt too ashamed.
“You know this isn’t your fault.”
“I know.” But it didn’t change anything. It didn’t help ease my trembling hands. It didn’t help erase the tears building behind my eyes. It didn’t help me forget the things I’d seen last night, the details no one else knew about Blaine. Before I could react, Madsen’s arms were wrapped around me, pulling me into a hug. His jacket smelled of coffee and cigars. He smelled like my dad. The thought made my knees buckle. I tried to find something else to say, something constructive. But I couldn’t, not as my mouth trembled. “I’m scared.”
It was barely a whisper, and the Light Mage only held me closer, so wholly unafraid that I’d hurt him.
“We’re not giving up on you.” A floorboard creaked somewhere behind Madsen, and he finally pulled away, looking less than pleased. “It’s not polite to eavesdrop, Mr. Blackburn.”
The swinging door leading to the main hall eased open, only to reveal Carly, along with my other old friend Mark McDowell, standing on the threshold.
“Sorry,” Carly lamented. “It’s just us.”
Madsen only deflated all the more. “If only.” He strode across the kitchen to the other door that headed into the dining room and pushed it open. Sure enough, Reese was on the other side, looking just as guilty as Mark and Carly. “What did you hear?”
Reese just kept his eyes fixed on me, sorrowful in a way I’d never seen before. Madsen turned to the others when it was clear he wouldn’t answer.
“Nothing,” Car blurted, “I mean…not much, anyway.”
“Yeah, apart from Kat having the hots for Blackburn whilst fantasizing about a psychotic nutcase,” Mark added impassively. “Nothing.”
***
“Since it appears nobody here can respect boundaries, I suppose we shouldn’t waste anymore of what little time Katrina has left before she has to go.” Madsen gestured for us all to take seats as we congregated in the living room before handing me a manila envelope. It didn’t have a return address, but it was addressed to:
Dr. Jonathan Madsen - Whitmore University, 418 Winsor Rd. Creighton, Maine.
I looked up at him, but he merely gestured for me to open it. Adjusting the prongs, I tilted it until an old piece of parchment slid into my hand. There were words dictated all across the aged paper, but it wasn’t written in English…or even Latin for that matter. “What is it?” I asked.
“Something I suspect only a well-connected sibyl would be able to find.”
“Lucinda?” Well, hot damn.
“It’s an ancient ritual, inscribed by pagan high-priestesses.” The doctor reached into his pocket, thumbing what appeared to be a necklace. On closer inspection, I could see the pendant was in fact a stone of some sort, made up of green jasper and flecks of earth red. “And this is what they call a Bloodstone amulet. When performed with this, the ritual is said to be one of the most powerful casts known in natural magic.”
“What does it do?”
“With a blood offering, it can allegedly remove even the deepest rooted hexes.”
Everyone perked up at the sound of that.
“But…blood offering?” Carly questioned, looking a bit queasy.
“It only requires a few drops of blood,” assured Madsen.
“Hell, what’re we waiting for?” said Mark, nodding to me. “Let’s get this show on the road, before she has to hit the road.”
“Blood magic is not something to be trifled with,” said Madsen. “With a pagan ritual as powerful as this, it presents a threat to the host. When cast, the stone’s energy would literally rip the hex’s blight out of Katrina’s body, no matter how deep it may be rooted. It could very well kill her. Only until it’s absolutely necessary should we ever consider using this.”
Reese was already shaking his head.
“Do it.”
Everybody froze, all four pairs of eyes slowly sliding over to me.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Reese demanded. “You heard what Madsen just said—”
“Blaine can already get inside my head,” I murmured, slumping back into my chair. “When we were driving up here, he touched me, and he saw my vision. He saw how I’m supposed to die. And when he demanded to know about it, I told him about what happened with Lucinda. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t help it… It’s only a matter of time before this gets worse.”
“No.” Those amber eyes flared like raging flames as Reese took my hand. “We’ll find out where he’s keeping the Sanctus blade, one way or another.”
“I know we can’t kill him, for obvious reasons, but why don’t we just kidnap him?” asked Mark. “You know, go all Casino Royale on his ass, and beat the answers out of him till he tells us where the sword is.”
“If I recall, that didn’t turn out so well for the interrogator,” I grumbled. “Besides, we’re talking about the same guy who escaped silver shackles and a literal prison cell after being shot and repeatedly tortured. If Mr. Reynolds couldn’t hold him, we wouldn’t stand a prayer.”
“We can always offer him an incentive,” Mark offered.
“Like what? Cold beer? This isn’t Shawshank.”
He seemed to ponder this, stroking his chin for added effect. “I got it!”
The whole room shared in a collective eye roll, waiting for the moronic punch line. Sure enough, Mark delivered.
“Lap dances.”
Carly immediately slapped him in the arm.
“Owww!” he howled. “What? The guy’s still human, right? If someone like Kat offered me that in exchange for imprisonment, I’d save her the time and handcuff myself.”
“Could you try to be serious?” Reese growled.
“Oddly enough, Mr. McDowell has a point,” said Madsen.
Everyone’s heads, including Mark’s, snapped to the doctor, openmouthed.
“Not about the method,” Madsen amended. “But the underlining concept has promise.”
“What are you talking about?” I begged, praying the outcome didn’t end the same way Mark’s had.
“You need to get closer to him.”
“Closer? He went from sleeping next-door to literally being in the same house,” I said. “You don’t get much closer than that.”
His jaw tightened. “That’s not what I’m suggesting.”
Everybody gawked at him in horror.
“You don’t seriously mean—” Reese couldn’t even finish the thought, springing up from his seat. “No.”
“If you have a better alternative, I’m all ears,” said Madsen, watching the Mage pace the length of the room.
Reese cut him a lethal glare. “Anything would be better than that!”
“The Angel of Death is never going to lend his blade to us, no matter how noble the cause may be. And the Crown Prince of Hell isn’t going to disclose where he’s hidden the one in his possession. Not to Kat, not without trust,” he said, gesturing at me. “She needs to give him incentive. She needs to convince him.”
“Of what?” Reese seethed. “That she…wants him? Kat can barely stand the thought of being in the same room with that psycho, let alone…” His words fell away as everyone’s gaze redirected to me.
I remained silent, feeling the immobile floor somehow spinning beneath my feet. “I can’t.”
“I’m not sure there’s another option,” Madsen muttered. “We don’t know how much time we have left before the hex takes over. It’s at least worth a shot.”
I couldn’t stop shaking my head. “Blaine may be crazy, but he’s not an idiot. There’s no way in hell he’d buy into that. I can’t go from telling him I hate him to suddenly asking to become best friends. If anything, he’ll find a way to take advantage of the situation. We don’t know anything about how this hex even works. For all we know, being around him that much could accelerate the process!”
“Alright, what’s the alternative?”
I searched every dark corner of my mind, hoping for a light bulb, a lifeline, anything at all. But there was nothing. No saving grace. I had but two choices: Admit defeat, or venture to the last place any sane person wished to travel—behind enemy lines.