Chapter Twenty-Nine
Alex Powell’s words were still echoing in my mind when I left her mother’s house. She wasn’t wrong. If I’d died instead of my dad, this wouldn’t be happening to Lydia now. If he had kept me away until I lost my magic like Virginia, everything would be different. Guilt rattled my bones.
Virginia had insisted on caring for Lydia in her own home. After helping her up to bed, I left them to talk through their past, present and future together. Alex was long gone and when I stretched out a wide net to find her, I found nothing but a blur, a shadow protected by her opal ring and the miles she had already put between herself and Savannah. I hoped, for Lydia’s sake, she’d be back.
One of the most beautiful things about my city was how easily you could get lost on purpose. The walk from Madison Square to Lafayette Square, from Lydia’s home to mine, could take as little as five minutes or as long as an hour. The sudden storm she’d brought about left the sidewalks shining and the rain made mirrors of the streets. Every green thing seemed brighter and more vibrant as I breathed in the city, warm soil, humidair, plants and flowers and trees. Alex wasn’t wrong but she wasn’t entirely right either. Magic wasn’t something you had, it was something you were. She may not have known but Lydia was born a witch. Now it was my job to see she came into her magic safely and with love.
Jackson’s Audi was still outside when I let myself in the front gate but it wasn’t the only vehicle parked up by Bell House. Wyn’s cherry-red pickup truck was around the corner, crusts of mud splashed up both sides. Wherever he’d been, he’d come back in a hurry.
I found everyone in the kitchen, Ashley overseeing the glowering Jackson and anxious-looking Wyn, a huge jug of iced lavender lemonade on the table between them, though they both nursed empty coffee cups.
‘No one needed more caffeine,’ Ashley commented, flashing me a warning look. ‘But boys will be boys. And by that, I mean boys will be dumber than a box of hair.’
Neither of them spoke as I poured myself a glass of lemonade, sensing the calming herbs Ashley had thoughtfully added alongside the lavender; chamomile, valerian and just a touch of vanilla to encourage patience and harmony. Even if no one else here wanted them, I did.
‘What happened?’ I asked, empty and angry and relieved and heartbroken all at the same time. ‘I asked you not to go alone.’
‘And I told you I had to,’ he replied, trying and failing not to let his gaze flick over my shoulder to the spot where Jackson lounged against the kitchen counter. ‘It was too dangerous for us to be there together. Didn’t help anyways, she’s gone.’
‘We came looking for you, me and Ashley. I couldn’t find you, I couldn’t even feel you. The only other time that happened was during the phase.’
An entire field of lavender couldn’t have calmed my nerves when his mouth contracted and eyes flared.
‘Can we have this conversation somewhere else?’ he suggested. ‘Alone?’
Behind me, I heard Jackson scoff.
‘Don’t leave on my account.’
‘Wasn’t about to,’ Wyn replied. ‘I think you’re confused about which one of us should be walking out the door.’
‘How do you know she’s gone?’ I demanded, directing his attention back to the most important subject. ‘Did you find something?’
He looked back to me, a little sheepish. ‘Not much. I had her scent on the beach and at the store, but aside from that I mostly picked up a whole lot of nothing. Either I’m not experienced enough to catch the trail or she’s covering it up somehow, I don’t know.’
‘Covering it up with magic?’
‘I told you already,’ he said, lowering his voice. ‘A Were would never.’
‘Just like a Were could never phase outside a full moon.’ I slammed down my glass, sticky lemonade spilling all over the table. ‘She isn’t playing by your rules, Wyn.’
‘You mean Astrid Hansen?’
Three heads all snapped around to face Jackson as he pushed himself up to sit on the kitchen counter. His white T-shirt was still marked with my washed-out blood from the night before, now a watercolour stain, and his long legs dangled down in front of the creamy white cabinets.
‘You don’t always need magic to be useful,’ he said, rapping his knuckles against the cupboard behind his head. ‘I got online after you and Lyds headed home and found out more about this woman in fifteen minutes than he did in – what’s it been, twelve hours?’
‘What else do you know?’ I asked, ignoring Wyn’s glare.
‘That store has been around for years but when I tried tocall the owners listed with the management company, the Harbors, I couldn’t get a hold of them. I finally got through to this kid, Kyle, who was running their Instagram and he filled me in. Said he usually helps out on the weekends during school breaks so he messaged the Harbors about coming in over the summer and didn’t hear back but they’re always kind of flaky so he went by anyway, found Astrid running the joint and got the hell out of there. Said she gave him bad vibes.’
‘And he still hasn’t heard from the couple who own the place?’
‘Says not. No one has. So I went back to the management company and they confirmed the lease had been amended to include an Astrid Hansen at the beginning of May. Also the Harbors paid their rent up front for the next six months which, according to the guy I talked to, they’ve never done before.’
‘And the management company just told you all this?’ Wyn said, a disbelieving slant to his eyes.
‘It’s amazing what someone will tell you if you pretend you’re interested in opening an Apple Store,’ Jackson replied laughing. ‘Someone at the Robertson Group is going to be super pissed when I don’t come back with an offer Saffron and River Harbor can’t refuse. That guy would’ve sold out his own mother for a pair of AirPod Max.’
