Time Spell (15 page)

Sullen’s Grove, Present Day

F
INN PROPPED
his shoulder on the hardy oak. Half his body was cloaked by the shadows. He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. It only took me a second to find him. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t ignore the magnetic pull he had over me. I reminded myself to stay strong and to stay focused.

“Emergency, huh? What’s going on, Ivy?” he teased.

Clearly, he didn’t remember that I never threw around the word “emergency.” I wasn’t here to play games or get wrapped up in him again.

I chewed on my bottom lip, sorting through how I should approach my request. Before the words were passed my lips, he shifted from the tree and snaked his arms around my waist. All I could hear was my heart beating. I tried to steady the beats so Finn wouldn’t hear it too.

“Finn—” I pushed against his chest, trying to create some distance. He was too close, and in the space that affected my inner good girl.

“Aw, babe.” He brushed the side of my cheek.

I shook my head and took another step back. It was better if there was more air between us.

“Thanks for meeting me so fast. I know you might have plans that don’t involve helping me in the middle of the night.” I paused.

His lack of response suggested maybe I had interrupted his plans, but I rambled on and tried to ignore the jealous surges worming their way into my imagination.

“I do really need your help. I need a
Guardian Spell
.” My voice was strong and urgent. He needed to understand how critical the request was. I didn’t want Finn to start charming me with his charismatic smile, crystal eyes, and fiery hands. This was serious.

“Hmmm… Who needs protecting? I need a little something to go on.” His hands were back in his pockets, and he leaned into the sturdy trunk.

I didn’t have the kind of time Finn was going to soak up. “It’s a ridiculously long story, but can you just fly to Atlanta tonight and take care of this girl for me?” I shoved the crumpled piece of paper with Emily’s address on it into his palm. “It would really mean a lot to me. Can you help her?”

He opened the note and his eyes shot to mine. “Sure. Of course, babe, but first I want to know what it’s about.” He folded the paper in half and shoved it in his pocket. “I haven’t heard from you in months. I saw you were in New York. Ian’s keeping his distance from me at work, and now, in the middle of the night, you need
my
help. And I’m supposed to start doling out spells? You realize it’s a spell that happens to be my gift.” He was irritated, but it felt more like he was trying to see how far he could push me and if I’d push back to get the protection spell.

Maybe this was too much. It was unfair to ask him to do it, considering everything he said was true. The only reason I texted was because my magical life was unraveling in front of me, and he was the one person who might be able to weave it back together. I reread the awful letter in my mind, recounting each scratchy, evil word before responding. The letter dissuaded us from involving the authorities, but didn’t say anything about adding allies. If I ever needed an ally, it was now. Like it or not, Finn was the only Guardian I knew.

I sighed. “I need your help, for more than just the spell, but we don’t have enough time to get into the details now.” I smiled, trying to convince him to relent. “Can you please go help this girl, and then meet me back at my house? I’ll fill you in on everything there, I promise.”

I could tell from the gleam in his eye that I had won. “We’re going to talk, Ivy. But, yeah, I can take care of this for you. It’s nice to know you still need me.” Without warning, he fisted his hands through the back of my hair, tilting my chin upward, and crushed his mouth onto mine. I felt the rush of electricity pulse through my limbs and my knees wobbled as his lips broke free.

He stepped back. “Miss me.”

He pulled his arms across his chest, shot up through the towering limbs of Oak Park, and was gone. Dammit. I specifically vowed not to get tangled up with him. I ran my fingers along my bottom lip, still feeling the heat from the kiss. How could he be so hot and so infuriating?

The danger of letting Finn back into my life didn’t outweigh the more dangerous option of ending up dead, or letting these evil people hurt my family. He had no discretion about his magic and was so easily ready to use it at any time—to have a good time, to hurt someone, whatever he needed. Finn was unpredictable, but right now, I couldn’t let myself get sucked in trying to anticipate his next move. He would help Jack’s sister tonight.

I looked at the sky and wondered how long it would take him to fly to Atlanta and finish the spell. My body shook with the realizations crashing over me. I needed Finn. I needed him to help me fight. There was darkness swirling ahead. I couldn’t worry about our past or our future.

My witchy instincts started firing as I raced up the stone stairs to my front porch. Cooper was waiting in his usual post by the front door, but something didn’t feel right. I dropped to the floor to check Cooper; he was wagging his tail and whimpering.

“Reveal!” I shouted. I felt frantic and nervous.

At once the glittery particles formed an orange trail that circled the hall and into my bedroom. Not knowing if someone was still in the house, I grabbed the fire poker from the living room hearth and cautiously inched down the hall to my room. I gripped the metal rod and held it over my shoulder like a baseball bat.

My milk glass lamp was broken. My
Vegas Star
premiere shoes along with some others were strewn around the floor, and boxes and bags were pulled from the closet and littered everywhere. The orange glitter stopped and began to disintegrate.

I lowered the poker and assessed the damage. It was hard to feel relieved when I knew someone had ransacked my house, but I was glad he or she was gone. The drawers on my dresser were open, and my jewelry had been picked through. Everything looked like it was still here, just not in any kind of order.

Unscathed and obviously in need of an outside break, I led Cooper to the door where I attached his leash and took him outside. I was hesitant to leave even for a few minutes, but the little guy couldn’t wait.

I tried to grasp what had happened. Someone had been in my house, and he or she was looking for something specific. I twisted my grandmother’s ring around my finger while Cooper sniffed out a spot in the grass. A cat howled in the distance, probably the same one Cooper had been chasing yesterday. Whoever had broken in had to be tied to the letter Jack received.

I watched as Cooper’s nose twitched in the air. Then it hit me. I closed my eyes as if that would make it go away. There were spells for this, there were ways to erase my memory, but that would only delay the inevitable. I took a breath and opened my eyes. I had an idea of what might be after us. It was an awful, evil theory, but it suddenly seemed obvious.

I glanced at the sky, wanting Finn to come barreling down with that killer grin and no-fear attitude. I needed him more than I ever had.

Cooper followed me into our bungalow and headed straight for his food bowl. I filled it to the brim, topped off his water, and headed to my room. It felt normal to worry about things like dog food when I was in the midst of a crisis.

I twirled the ring on my finger, grateful I never took it off anymore. I learned that lesson the hard way. I spelled my room together.

“Erase.”

Like a scene I had watched many times in
Mary Poppins
, the soft, white duvet neatly folded into place, all the drawers closed, my shoes found their stations in my closet, and the bags and boxes stored themselves under my bed. Well, this will make it much easier to pack for my flight tomorrow. I went to the hall closet and pulled out my suitcase, the same one I had used on my last flight to Las Vegas.

Cooper whimpered again when he saw me unzip the layered flaps of the suitcase and lay it flat on top of my bed. “I know, boy, but this will be a quick trip. I’ll have someone come watch you.”

I made a mental note to call Holly in the morning and have her keep an eye on Coop for a few days. I patted him on the head and started laying out enough outfits to get me through the trip. Usually, I packed with a fashion-centered purpose, but this time, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What does a girl need to wear to evade evil, diamond-hungry forces?

My front door slammed and Finn strolled through the house. “It looks like you’re the one who needs the
Guardian Spell
, Ivy. I just walked right in. Do you ever lock your doors?”

“Is it done? Emily? Is she safe?” I folded a pair of jeans and threw my running shoes in my bag.

“Yeah, she’s good. No problem.” He eyed the suitcase. “Wait, you’re already leaving? I thought you were going to explain what’s happening.”

Finn sat on the bed, examining each article I stuffed into the bag. I couldn’t help but remember all of the nights we had spent in this room, not sleeping. It seemed I never did much sleeping with Finn. He taught me there were too many other fun things to do in the dark. Shaking the thoughts of skin and heat from my mind, I grabbed my shampoo and conditioner from the corner of my shower.

“Good, good. Thank you. You don’t know what it means to me, that you did that and she’s ok,” I called over my shoulder as I hustled back to the bathroom to collect my razor and shaving cream from the same spot.

“You’re welcome. But I think I deserve a few answers. I flew to Atlanta in the middle of the night to protect some girl I’ve never heard of. Info, please.” His fingers motioned, beckoning me to talk.

I tried to think of the best way to explain the night’s details. I paused too long.

“You know I’m a detective, right? I actually piece clues together for a living. That’s my job, and I’m good at it. Am I going to have to start interrogating you, or are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I bustled back and forth to the bathroom, loading up with lotions, makeup, and my toothbrush. “You’re starting to freak me out a little.” He grabbed my wrist as I laid my last cosmetic bag on top of the suitcase. “Baby, talk to me. It’s me. Tell me,” he pleaded.

He was going to try to dissuade me no matter what version I gave him. He would freak out, maybe even panic, but there was no sugarcoating what I had pieced together. I ignored the “baby” comment and launched into a rundown of what I knew had happened in the past twelve hours.

“I think it might be Proxies, or at least one Proxy. I don’t know why it didn’t hit me until now, but it has to be. I mean I came home from the park, and my house had been broken into, but not visibly, you know?” He looked alarmed but let me continue. “And my room was ransacked, but nothing was taken. My jewelry box was the main target. I did a
Reveal Spell
. I think they were after this.” I held up my grandmother’s ring, and the sapphire glistened. “When they realized it wasn’t here, they trashed the place to throw me off, but the
Reveal Spell
doesn’t lie.”

Finn looked stunned or maybe he had that look because he thought I was crazy. “Proxies? Holy shit, Ivy! Why is a Proxy after you? What have you gotten into since I’ve been gone? You do need a
Guardian Spell.
”

He jumped off the bed. His crystal blue eyes were icy with concern. I could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to comprehend what I told him. There was so much still unspoken between us since the breakup. Every word he uttered reminded me we had spent months apart.

“Hold on, I have to change.” I rushed to the bathroom with a tank top and jeans in hand. I still had on the same outfit I had pieced together for my impromptu meeting at Jack’s house.

“Aww, babe, you don’t have to close the door. It’s not like I haven’t seen everything a few times.” There was a smile in his voice.

I ignored Finn’s flirty attempts to see me naked and talked through the crack in the door. He was relentless.

“Here’s the quick version. You know
Vegas Star
, right? Well, I missed something when I was in 1968. I don’t know what it was, but someone out there knows about me. They know about my
Time Spell
. They know I was in 1968, they know about my grandmother’s ring, and they’re pissed. My editor, Jack, got a threatening letter today from whoever is behind all of this, and they want to make sure there are no more
Vegas Star
sequels. They want the rest of the VonRue diamonds, wherever they are, and if we don’t comply with the demands, they’ve threatened my family and Jack’s sister.”