The Book of Lost Souls (22 page)

“Well, they’re shaken, naturally. Can’t blame them. Mrs. Harrison wants them to go to her sisters for a week,” someone said.

“Well, we’d better figure this out before midnight, Halloween.”

“If we don’t find out who’s behind all this before Friday... well, I hate to think—”
 

“How hard can it be? We’ve got nearly every Kindred in town on the lookout.”

“Who’d do this? Who’d open
The Book of Lost Souls?”
One of the women said as they walked out with their order.

Mr. Evans sat at the counter, his foot tapping impatiently against the stool’s rung. Why hadn’t anyone ever told him his pants were always too short and that white socks didn’t go with dark slacks? Like Shayde and Ivy, Mr. Evans seemed to be listening to the conversations around him.

“It’s almost impossible, but I think Mr. Evans looks worse than us,” Shayde said as they waited in line at the counter.
 

Now that Shayde mentioned it, Mr. Evans didn’t seem well at all. He was pale, and his hair, if possible, looked greasier than normal and hung in limp strands across his forehead. He rubbed at his temples as though he had a headache or was seriously stressed. She couldn’t blame him. The whole
town
was stressed.

“Here’s your order, Mr. Evans,” Nick said, sliding four large boxes of pizza in front of him. “Sorry it took so long. Hope the other teachers aren’t starving.”

“Thanks,” Mr. Evans said distractedly as he collected the pizza boxes and pushed past Ivy and Shayde.

“That’s a lot of pizza,” Shayde mentioned to Nick as Mr. Evans scurried out the door.

“Says he and some of the teachers are working late grading papers. He offered to get dinner.” Nick’s eyes caught Ivy’s. “What can I do for you two?”

“Two large pizzas, half pepperoni, half extra meat,” Shayde said, stepping aside and pushing Ivy closer to the counter.
 

“Hi, Nick,” Ivy said simply, only mildly aware Shayde had plunked down the money for the pizza on the counter.
 

Three more people joined the line behind them and Ivy wondered if Nick would be able to get away long enough to talk.

“You okay?” Nick asked, his voice far less harsh than it had been earlier. Only the slightest hint of edginess remained.

Ivy shrugged. “Yeah.” But she couldn’t quit staring at him and she didn’t feel okay. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. This was horrible! What idiot ever said that if you really liked someone it was comparable to walking on clouds? It felt more like dodging traffic on a New York freeway.

Nick’s face softened. “Give me a few minutes.” He motioned toward an empty booth.
 

Shayde pulled Ivy away from the counter toward the booth. They slid onto the vinyl seats to wait for their order.
 

“Hey, guys!” Raven said sliding in next to Shayde. “Just saw you guys here and thought I’d say hello. Gareth is down at the pet store picking up bugs for his new lizard.”

Nick strode toward them with two sodas in to-go cups.

“While you’re waiting,” he said, scooting in next to Ivy.

Raven nodded to Shayde. “Gareth wants your opinion. On the... Oh, never mind. Just follow me.”
 

Shayde followed Raven’s lead. “Be right back.” Shayde snagged her soda. “Thanks for the soda, Nick.”

Ivy waited until they’d gone outside. “I’m really sorry, Nick,” she gushed. “I’m not any good at this.”

“Good at what?” he asked, the cold tone back in his voice. Even his dark eyes had an icy look to them Ivy hadn’t thought possible.
 

He’s still hurt and still putting distance between us
, she thought.

“Dating. Figuring out if it’s the right guy or not. If I really like someone, or I just think I do.” She hoped he’d say something to let her off the hook, but he just sat there, staring at her like she hadn’t finished speaking.
 

“Don’t do this to me, Nick. What do I have to say? Look, I think what you said to me the other night was right.”

He raised his eyebrows. “What was that?”

Ivy swallowed hard. “That, we may not be who we end up with, but I think we’re both what we need.”
 

She couldn’t meet his eyes for fear he’d see how nervous she was. She would not beg for forgiveness. Not even from Nick Marcelli. She waited. It felt like eternity, although it was probably less than ten seconds.

“Fine. Never mind then,” she said. “Is our pizza ready?”

“In a minute,” he said softly. When Ivy finally met his gaze, he offered a slight smile and slid out of the booth. “What makes you think all the sudden I’m really the one? That this is the right thing for you?”

Ivy’s insides were in turmoil. Part of her wanted to stand up and kiss Nick in front of everyone. Another part wanted to storm past him and put him out of her thoughts. This wasn’t an audition! How could it turn out like this?
 

“I don’t know, Nick. I have no idea when it’s really right between two people. I only know when it’s wrong. Dean was wrong. All I could think of was you.”

Nick’s uncle called her and Shayde’s name, holding their order.
 

A smug little grin appeared at the corner of Nick’s mouth, but he still didn’t say anything.

“Like I said, never mind.” Ivy took her soda and shoved past Nick, brushing up against him. She turned, startled at how that single moment of contact made her feel. Nick seemed just as puzzled.

Why couldn’t he say anything? Had she spoken up too late? Oh, this was so humiliating and... painful.

She spun around, feeling the weight of his stare—possibly everyone’s stare. Snapping up the pizza boxes, she ran blindly out the door, hoping Shayde hadn’t wandered too far off with Raven.
 

Phoebe was in the parking lot leaning against her silver Mazda Miata. Her arms were folded loosely across her chest, but Ivy found nothing casual about the hatred on Phoebe’s face. “You should have stuck with Dean.”

“Don’t mess with me right now, Phoebe. I’m not in the mood,” Ivy shot back, feeling a crackling, tingling sensation within her. A low humming throbbed in her ears.

“Or what?” Phoebe jeered. “You might just have some of those new powers everyone thinks you do. That is, if last night’s third-rate carnival event when you sent your friends over the Prescott’s wall was any indication. Where did you ever find a spell like that? Still, you have no idea what black magic is until you tangle with me. See, I really
do
practice black magic.” Phoebe laughed and placed a finger across her lips, which were curved sardonically. “Shhh! Don’t tell.”

Phoebe?
Phoebe
was the one who had followed them last night? Where did she think Ivy was going? If Phoebe really did practice black magic, she might be the one behind all this. Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember seeing Phoebe the night of the dance. She might have been in the cemetery.
 

Phoebe grinned. “I see you’ve put together a little piece of the puzzle, Ivy. You always were so smart. You were so busy paying attention to Dean and the rest of your little friends that you never noticed me. If Bane and your miserable dog had been upwind, they might have known I was less than a hundred feet from Dean. Even he didn’t know I was there. The spruce tree hid me and my scent pretty well, I think.”

“You
followed
me?” Ivy said, furious. The tingling in her body felt worse, it was moving outward into her legs and arms. A spell came to mind, and Ivy couldn’t quit thinking about it.
 

Snakes. She remembered it having to do with snakes. Lots of them. Page two hundred nineteen,
The Rise of the Dark Curse
. She wondered how Phoebe would look with a head full of writhing, venomous snakes.

Don’t,
a voice echoed in her head.

She set the pizza boxes on the hood of her car, barely aware she was preparing to duel Phoebe if she had to, and yet she felt sure she’d lose in such a silly display of anger. Whatever was happening to her, even if she were going dark herself, Ivy thought Phoebe was darker.
Way
darker.

Okay, Ivy thought. No snakes. But she couldn’t just let Phoebe walk away. Not untouched, anyway. Phoebe had to know who
she
was dealing with. Another spell from
The Rise of the Dark Curse
came to mind.
 

Phoebe laughed again, a high and bitter sound. She stood taller, hands tense at her sides. “Bring it on Ivy, if you think you’ve got what it takes. But no matter what, Nick is mine. How many ways do I have to spell it out for you? I suppose I could wipe you off the face of the earth, send you to the very depths of hell itself. But, I’m going to make you a deal—”

“Nick will make his own decisions. If he chooses you it won’t be because of any deal.” Ivy feared Nick had already made such a choice, but she wasn’t backing down now.

Ivy softly uttered a curse from the book, pausing long enough to raise her hand and block one of Phoebe’s spells.
 

In near zombie-like fashion, Phoebe raised her hand to her mouth and tore off the end of a perfectly manicured nail. Then, she began to gnaw on the ragged edges of it. Ivy noticed a small trickle of blood. It was mesmerizing. She could stand her and watch until Phoebe chewed the whole nail from her finger and start on the next.

“Ivy!” Shayde and Raven were hurrying toward her, breaking her concentration.

Raven stared, speechless at Phoebe, unable to say a word. Like Ivy, she was momentarily fixated on the blood.

“Stop it!” Shayde demanded, shaking Ivy.
“Stop it right now!”

The buzzing in Ivy’s head had vanished. Phoebe was still worrying at the nail bed of her index finger. The sight no longer held Ivy in a trance and she recanted the curse. Her friends had to intervene. If they hadn’t come when they did, how much longer would she let the hex go on? What if someone else had seen?
 

It’s that damn book!

“What’s this?” Phoebe said, spitting out a bloody piece of nail. “You need backup? A werewolf with absolutely no powers over me and some vegan of a vamp?”

Shayde growled, low and guttural, sending the hairs on Ivy’s neck on edge. It was a sound she’d only heard when Shayde hunted and was going for the kill. But that was as wolf, not human.
 

Raven didn’t look any happier. “I normally don’t drink low-grade, but I’m off my diet,” she said.

Phoebe grinned, the blood making her red lips even more crimson. She licked the blood off the end of her finger. She examined the nail bed for a moment or two. “Nice,” she said. “I wonder where you learned such a spell. But, if you want to play rough, MacTavish, then we’ll play rough. Next time, leave your friends at home.” She gave a quick glance at someone approaching from the restaurant, but Ivy didn’t dare turn to see who it was. Phoebe pivoted on her four-inch heels and got into her car.
 

“That book has to go, Ivy,” Shayde said quietly.
 

“Ditto,” Raven agreed. “I don’t ever want to see you use that book again.”

Ivy forced herself to nod. They were right. “Thanks, guys.” She looked to see who was approaching. It was Nick.

“Isn’t there a Bitch-Be-Gone spell?” Raven asked a bit loudly.
 

Despite her use of a spell from the book, Raven was trying to cover it up. For now. But, how much longer? Ivy shook her head. “Don’t I wish.”

“Too bad,” Raven said.
 

Nick erupted into laughter. Thankfully, he hadn’t seen the whole incident. “
Bitch
-Be-Gone?”
 

“Just looking out for your girlfriend, Nick,” Raven said. Her tone had an edge of sadness to it.

Nick shook his head and sighed heavily. “Ivy’s not exactly…” His eyes locked with Ivy’s.
 

Not exactly? Not exactly what?

“Fine!” Ivy said. A tangle of emotions overwhelmed her—fear, shame, and now, total embarrassment. “See you at the house, Raven. Come on, Shayde, let’s go.” Ivy snatched the boxes off the hood of the car and shoved them at Shayde. The pizza was probably cold by now and they’d have to heat it up when they got home. Or, they could eat it cold for all she cared. It had been stupid to come here. They should have gone over to the Wok of Life and had Chinese. If Phoebe wanted Nick so badly, she could have him.
 

Good riddance, Ivy thought, and felt more miserable than she ever had in her life.

CHAPTER 26

“I don’t know which one of you is more depressed,” Shayde said to Ivy and Spike.
 

Ivy adjusted from her slouched position at the kitchen table and pointed to Spike. “He is. I’m okay, really. Just deep in thought about the missing book.” There were a lot of things going on in her mind, and the book was at least part of it. But Nick took center stage. His comment to Raven had hurt more than she’d expected.
 

Ivy’s not exactly my girlfriend...

Okay, he hadn’t finished the sentence, but that’s what he was
going
to say. There was an empty ache in her chest unlike anything she’d ever experienced. What was she thinking? How could she let someone into her heart like she had Nick? Stupid, stupid,
stupid
!

Spike sighed heavily. Ivy detected a small hitch in it that sounded more like a sob. “She’s beautiful,” he said. “I don’t blame him.”

Ivy’s head jerked in his direction. Yeah, Phoebe was rather pretty, but beautiful? Who’s side was Spike on, anyway? “You weren’t there! You didn’t see her. I didn’t think she was that hot. I don’t know
what
he sees in her.”

Spike didn’t know what he was saying—it was the bug withdrawal. But Phoebe
…
maybe she could think of a way to turn Phoebe into a slug or make her butt the size of Texas.

Spike and Shayde both put down their pizza slices. Raven took a sip of her soda. The grandfather clock ticked loudly in the other room.
 

“What?” Ivy said. “You guys think she’s beautiful?”

Spike fidgeted with his pizza slice. “But I
did
see her,” he said, his eyes now a bit watery. “Gareth showed her to me. I was only hanging out in the parlor when you came to get me because I couldn’t stand to see her in my old terrarium any longer. Her skin is amazing—so sleek and coppery with the darkest, most perfect black spots.”