Without me saying a word, Vera’s eyes widened and then fixed on Gage. She looked him up and down, as if seeing him for the first time. “She’s right, you aren’t a Shade anymore.” Vera leaned forward, turning her head, and squinting her eyes. “But you’re not really a Lumen either. But you are… something.”
“Aunt Vera,” Gage growled. “I asked you to stop reading Tate.”
Vera waved her hand, brushing off Gage’s admonishment. “Pish, you know I can’t always help it. Tell me what happened? How did you lose your house affiliation? I’ve never heard of such a thing before.”
Gage ran a hand down his face. “It’s a long story, and unfortunately we don’t have the time to get into it now. We need your help with something quite urgent. We need to find a talisman.”
Vera slammed her teacup down on the tray hard enough that the remaining liquid splashed out and the handle cracked off. “I already told you, Idon’tget involved in Watcher business anymore,” she said forcefully, and then grabbed the tea tray, stomping back toward the kitchen.
“Not even for your favorite nephew?”
“You’re my only nephew,” she grumped.
“Not even to stick it to my father?” Gage called after her, and Vera froze.
Turning slowly, she stared at Gage. “Come again?”
“If you help us, it hurts my father,” he said. “Big time.”
She set the tray down on the nearest piece of furniture, which happened to be a bookcase made out of branches and seashells, and returned to her seat.
“Well,” she said almost pleasantly, “you should have led with that.”
I was close enough to Gage to feel the tension leave his body. “Thank you.”
Wow, Vera had been pretty adamant about not helping us before. She must really hate Arthur.
I didn’t blame her though, and it made me trust her a tiny bit.
“So, whose talisman are you looking for?” she asked, folding her hands on her lap.
“Tatum’s mother’s,” Gage said, reaching over to take my hand.
“That seems simple enough, but in order to find this talisman, I have to pick up on the owner’s energy first. I’ll need something of her mother’s to do that.” Vera’s gaze turned to me expectantly.
My heart sank. I didn’t have anything of my mom’s.
But wait… maybe I did.
Leaning forward, I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the note my mom had left for me. I’d read it at least a dozen times and had taken to carrying it with me everywhere.
“Will this work?” I asked, handing the folded piece of paper over to Vera. “It’s not one of her possessions, but she did write it.”
“Hmm,” she said as she eyed the note. “It’s worth trying.”
Opening the letter, she placed it flat on the coffee table and then put both her hands over it. She closed her eyes and her mouth started to move as she chanted silent words.
I caught my breath when a faint green glow emanated from the palms of her hands. Gage squeezed my hand, reminding me he was still there.
Suddenly, Vera’s eyes popped open. A milky-green film covered her eyeballs. Her hand lifted and shot toward me as fast as a viper, latching on to my forearm. I gasped and tried to yank free.
“Auntie, let go,” Gage yelled, as he tried to help me pull from her grasp, but her fingers were clamped around my arm like a shackle.
Vera looked right at me, or at least it seemed like she was, it was hard to know for sure since the white covered her irises and pupils.
“This power you carry might be too much for you in the end,” she said in a strange monotone voice. “You may lose your soul before your next birthday.”
A blast of green magic detonated from Vera, blowing my hair back and washing over and through me like I’d been plunged into a pool of ice. Goose bumps broke out on my arms and the hair at the back of my neck prickled. Once it passed, her eyes rolled back in her head and she let go, flopping back in her seat with closed eyes.
