“Sure,” I agreed and then immediately felt my gut churn.
What the hell had Sebastian gotten us into?
Chapter 4
Nova
What a day. I’d started by wandering through my aunt’s apartment, taking an assessment of what she had, and what I should do with it, and ended agreeing to pose as a vampire’s girlfriend.
When I returned to the room after dinner with the guys, I gazed in bewilderment at all the stuff. Apparently, my aunt wasn’t into the Marie Kondo technique of decluttering that had led me to clean out a good portion of my belongings last January, only keeping what “sparked joy.” Since I didn’t know where to begin, it was overwhelming.
The room on the main floor was mainly a sitting area. It had a light blue sofa with a lounger at one end and an impression left in the cushion where she might have spent many hours. She didn’t have a television, but had stacks of books in the bookshelves built in between the windows of the circular room. Her reading taste was eclectic, from books on science and nature to fiction of all types. Colorful Tiffany-style lamps provided lighting. Plants hung from every wall and almost every surface. They appeared to have been recently watered, which was good. Some framed photos were also strewn around the room and on a desk—photos of my aunt and other women, whom I guessed were friends.
Before I opened any shades, I made sure the door to the other side was locked to avoid repeating that incident with Diego. When I opened the ones upstairs in her bedroom, sunlight streamed into each window of her bedroom. In the center of it was a queen-sized bed with lilac-colored sheets and a white down comforter. Light purple was prevalent in her wardrobe as well as the color of the house, so I guessed it to be her favorite color. Her closet and white dresser were stuffed with clothes a size bigger than me. Touching her personal things made me feel strange, but I’d have to deal with it all, eventually.
Her workspace on the top floor left no doubt where she practiced magic. An altar with an athame, wand, and salt was set before one of the windows. Bookshelves were stuffed with tomes on witchcraft and magic and numerous small glass jars filled with herbs and who knows what. Just staring at some old leather bindings left me near spellbound. More photos in small frames were set about the space. One in particular stood out—it was my aunt holding me as a toddler. She had a wide smile on her face. Another one included the two of us holding hands. I was older in this photo, maybe four. It raised more questions. Why had she once been a part of my life and then poof, gone?
By the time I’d met up with the guys and Sebastian had invited me for dinner, I’d been thoroughly overwhelmed. There was so muchstuff.It was kind of them to offer to help, and I’d do my best to take them up on the offer. Yet the payment in return was utterly strange. Agreeing to go to the ball and pretend to be Diego’s girlfriend would be weird. He was quiet and intense. One part of me found him cold and aloof, another part found the mystery fascinating.
Maybe after a good night of sleep I could think more clearly.
Before I settled in for the night, I changed the sheets. In a closet, I’d found another light purple set, this one with a plaid design. The sense of impropriety remained. Could I sleep here? My aunt had died in the house. I didn’t know exactly where and didn’t want to find out because that would add to the creepiness.
To unwind, I read a book. The mystery I had been reading wouldn’t help with my nerves, so I bought a light romantic comedy on my e-reader.
When I was tired enough to sleep, I put the device down and turned out the light. My gaze traveled over the unfamiliar outlines of the bedroom and I stared into the darkness for too long. I tossed and turned with my eyes open for what seemed like hours before I finally fell asleep.
It seemed like no time had passed when I awoke with a jolt and sat upright. My heart was racing. Was there something in the room with me?
Or someone?
I turned on the light and scanned every inch of the room. Nothing stood out. Yet something was there. I could feel the creepiest of sensations slithering across my skin.
My breath came quick, and goosebumps crawled up my arms. I tried to move, but couldn’t. I was frozen.
No. That couldn’t be possible.
I attempted to call out for help, but my lips wouldn’t move. Fear clutched every nerve.
Was I awake? Or was this some sort of nightmare brought on by my unease?
My gaze darted to every corner, and I kept alert for any sounds of movement.
Years seemed to roll past before I could move again. The statue-lock situation lifted, and I was able to move my limbs.
I climbed out of bed, rushing from the room in a desperate attempt to get out of there. My heart thundered in my skull as I sprinted out and down the stairs. I darted on bare feet into the shared kitchen. Fortunately, it had some light cast from beneath the stove hood.
After I reached inside the cabinet to get a glass of water, I closed it. A pair of bright eyes stared at me from the darkness of the living room.
I gasped and dropped the glass. It shattered on the tile floor around my bare feet.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” a familiar man’s voice asked.
The figure rushed closer to me, and I stepped back. It was Diego.
My heart beat louder than the bass that had been thumping through the club earlier. “What are you doing?” My voice came out at a high-pitch.
“Nothing.”
