of burning wood, and then the knob fell into the store through the singed hole in the door. “You’re welcome,” he said, gesturing dramatically for me to enter. Hoping that no one on the street was watching, I propped the door open with my bag so the missing hardware wouldn’t be noticeable.
Bel shuddered dramatically as he pushed past me into the store. “Charming,” he drawled.
Chloe was staring at the painting of Baron Samedi with a frown on her face. “What?” I asked.
She shook her head and looked away. “Nothing.” I didn’t believe her, but the girl wouldn’t look me in the eye.
“C’mon, the stairs are this way.” They followed me up the narrow staircase, Ava trailing at the end, but at the top, I came to an abrupt stop. The door to Adelaide’s apartment was slightly open.
I couldn’t move. A complicated routine of turning the knob on the door back and forth in series of three might have broken the compulsion, but I wouldn’t touch the door.
Bel was waiting for me to enter first. “Maiden?” When I didn’t respond, he pushed past me and went inside. After only moments, he came back out again. “Turn around and go back down.”
I had to swallow three times before I could speak. “Why?”
His eyes sparked with an inner fire, glittering in the gloom. “You know why.”
I nearly skidded down the stairs and the howling in my ears had nothing to do with Voodoo magic this time. Back in the store, I slammed my hands hard against the glass of the front counter three times. Ava tapped the counter listlessly in response.
Chloe and Bel were staring, but agitation was still running through me like ants under my skin. Shoving my smarting palms into the pockets of my sweater, I found the little Voodoo doll. My hands seemed to have a mind of their own. Yanking strands of hair out of my head, I wrapped them three times around the doll’s neck. When I finished, some of the tension left my body and I felt like I could breathe freely again.
“Adelaide’s dead?”
Bel snorted. “It looked like somebody vomited a Jackson Pollack all over the place.”
“Bones?” Chloe asked.
He shrugged. “Not that I could see, but I wasn’t about to go wading through the muck to make sure.”
One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. My heart finally settled back to a normal rhythm. Taking a deep breath, I was about to ask what we should do next when I realized that both Chloe and Bel were now staring at the painting of Baron Samedi.
It’s funny how anger can burn away more complicated, less complete emotions. “For crying out loud, what is it? Why are you both staring at that thing?”
“Why?” Ava echoed blankly, but there was no real question behind her eyes—she was just parroting what she heard. Anger swelled in me. It was obscene that Ava’s bright and vibrant soul was trapped behind Michel’s spell.
Bel and Chloe shared a look. The man made a complicated gesture with his hands, and a ball of flame leapt from them to hover in front of the painting. The flickering light made the figure seem to breathe.
I saw it then—the thing that had caught the attention of my subconscious the first time. There were many versions of Baron Samedi in the candles, books, cards, and dolls throughout the store. None were like the painting on the wall though. I realized now that I recognized the face under the death’s mask, even though I’d seen it only once before in a scrying bowl when the Crone made a deal to deliver a dragon to Cernunnos, the horned god of the Celts, the Lord of Avalon, the wizard of Camelot—
Merlin.
CHAPTER TEN
A DEAL
I jumped when my phone went off. I’d dropped it in my bag, and as I searched for it, my hand brushed against the strings of the harp. There was something in the resulting sound I wanted to pay attention to, but the phone in my hand was ringing insistently, demanding I answer.
“Hello.”
“Lacey, is that you?” It was
Bel shuddered dramatically as he pushed past me into the store. “Charming,” he drawled.
Chloe was staring at the painting of Baron Samedi with a frown on her face. “What?” I asked.
She shook her head and looked away. “Nothing.” I didn’t believe her, but the girl wouldn’t look me in the eye.
“C’mon, the stairs are this way.” They followed me up the narrow staircase, Ava trailing at the end, but at the top, I came to an abrupt stop. The door to Adelaide’s apartment was slightly open.
I couldn’t move. A complicated routine of turning the knob on the door back and forth in series of three might have broken the compulsion, but I wouldn’t touch the door.
Bel was waiting for me to enter first. “Maiden?” When I didn’t respond, he pushed past me and went inside. After only moments, he came back out again. “Turn around and go back down.”
I had to swallow three times before I could speak. “Why?”
His eyes sparked with an inner fire, glittering in the gloom. “You know why.”
I nearly skidded down the stairs and the howling in my ears had nothing to do with Voodoo magic this time. Back in the store, I slammed my hands hard against the glass of the front counter three times. Ava tapped the counter listlessly in response.
Chloe and Bel were staring, but agitation was still running through me like ants under my skin. Shoving my smarting palms into the pockets of my sweater, I found the little Voodoo doll. My hands seemed to have a mind of their own. Yanking strands of hair out of my head, I wrapped them three times around the doll’s neck. When I finished, some of the tension left my body and I felt like I could breathe freely again.
“Adelaide’s dead?”
Bel snorted. “It looked like somebody vomited a Jackson Pollack all over the place.”
“Bones?” Chloe asked.
He shrugged. “Not that I could see, but I wasn’t about to go wading through the muck to make sure.”
One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three. My heart finally settled back to a normal rhythm. Taking a deep breath, I was about to ask what we should do next when I realized that both Chloe and Bel were now staring at the painting of Baron Samedi.
It’s funny how anger can burn away more complicated, less complete emotions. “For crying out loud, what is it? Why are you both staring at that thing?”
“Why?” Ava echoed blankly, but there was no real question behind her eyes—she was just parroting what she heard. Anger swelled in me. It was obscene that Ava’s bright and vibrant soul was trapped behind Michel’s spell.
Bel and Chloe shared a look. The man made a complicated gesture with his hands, and a ball of flame leapt from them to hover in front of the painting. The flickering light made the figure seem to breathe.
I saw it then—the thing that had caught the attention of my subconscious the first time. There were many versions of Baron Samedi in the candles, books, cards, and dolls throughout the store. None were like the painting on the wall though. I realized now that I recognized the face under the death’s mask, even though I’d seen it only once before in a scrying bowl when the Crone made a deal to deliver a dragon to Cernunnos, the horned god of the Celts, the Lord of Avalon, the wizard of Camelot—
Merlin.
CHAPTER TEN
A DEAL
I jumped when my phone went off. I’d dropped it in my bag, and as I searched for it, my hand brushed against the strings of the harp. There was something in the resulting sound I wanted to pay attention to, but the phone in my hand was ringing insistently, demanding I answer.
“Hello.”
“Lacey, is that you?” It was
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