“Damn. We need to check it out. Let me get the others.”
I touched his forearm. “Why, what are you going to do?”
“See what’s going on.” Diego’s expression turned determined.
I kept my hands on him. “But what if you get hurt?”
“Don’t worry,” he assured me. “I’m supernatural.”
I wish I had his courage.
Once Diego gathered Sebastian and Lucas, we walked back to my aunt’s apartment together, me clinging to Diego’s arm.
The pungent scent made my lips pucker. “There it is. Awful, isn’t it?”
Diego sniffed. “I don’t smell anything.” He glanced at the others. “You?”
Lucas shook his head and muttered, “Nope.”
Sebastian’s nostrils flared. “Nothing. And a wolf has an acute sense of smell.”
This didn’t make sense.
Diego opened the door, and I sucked in a breath.
“Be careful.” I held onto him with both arms. The scent wasn’t as powerful as it had been, but it still lingered. “Do you smell it now?”
“No,” they replied one after the other.
I couldn’t believe it. “How can I, a talentless witch, smell it, but you three supes with phenomenal senses of smell, can’t?”
They all exchanged glances before Diego fixed his gaze on mine. “Maybe you’re more gifted with magic than you realize.”
As the hours passed by,I questioned what I’d been so certain about. Why would I sense dark magic and not them? Why had I been so certain my aunt was killed by it?
Still, there was no way I would stay there tonight. A raging desire to sell the house and be rid of this mess rose, but I couldn’t even do so at this point. Not with all that remained to be done.
And could I in good conscience sell a house with dark magic to someone else, saddling them with a problem that could kill them?
Nope.
“Since we can’t help you figure out what it is,” Sebastian said, “You’re better off finding someone who can.”
“Like who?” I asked.
They all looked at me as if waiting for the answer to become clear—and it did. “Right. A witch.”
“Fortunately, you’re in the right town to find one,” Lucas said with an encouraging grin. “Home of the Salem Supernatural Network.” He stood. “Hold on.”
He went into his bedroom and returned a minute later with a business card. “I worked with a witch named Colleen. She has a store right here in town.”
“Thanks.” I had Lorna LaRue’s number, but she was a lawyer. Maybe this Colleen would know more. I made the call and explained how I wanted to talk to someone about a problem, she replied that she had an open appointment at noon tomorrow.
“Is it urgent?” Colleen asked. “If so, I can connect you with someone else.”
Although inside I screamed yes, was it truly an emergency? I started to wonder if my perception was off. “I’m not sure. I sensed dark magic, but my roommates didn’t. But I don’t have any magical talent.” As I explained it, more doubts surfaced. Maybe I’d imagined the entire thing after all despite how real I’d convinced myself it was.
“Okay, we’re a little backed up with so many calls at the moment. Stay out of the area for now and keep the doors closed. If anything changes and you need someone sooner, call back immediately.”
