Chapter 13: Stakeout

SERAPHINA

I’d taken up a new pastime—avoiding Marcus for a checkup after he blabbed to Garrick. I was also dealing with the sensations of magic returning to me. I didn’t want Elis Ashwin to know I had power, especially if I felt a surge when he tried to use his gifts on me while I searched for him today.

I found myself in a pottery shop, hoping to catch Elis’s eye as I scanned the people around me. I knew that if he wasn’t here yet, this was certainly his next location. This tip was given to me by one of Damien’s men in town.

The shop was one of those places where you could buy a piece and paint it yourself. I wasn’t a fan of the pieces on display or in the window. My artistic skills were lacking, which didn’t exactly inspire me to spend any money here.

However, I needed a way to pass the time that looked realistic and blended in. I knew that my own guards would be doing the same within moments as soon as a few entered the building. I wanted answers, and Elis had been dodging my calls for far too long.

My intel informed me that Cynthia was indeed cured and well from what they could tell. She and Elis had been doing the dirty regularly in their car for the past week. Not exactly something a sickly, frail woman could be up to in the dead of night—let alone broad daylight on the side of a highway.

The only reason I hadn’t tracked him down yesterday was because of the strange surge of dizzy spells after Garrick had left. Dizzy spells I was starting to realize were magic surges within me. Something that lack of sleep seemed to make even easier to roll in at a random whim.

This made me think that maybe Marcus was right. Maybe I would get better one day, and perhaps Garrick was somehow the key. Today, I felt far and very lost from the source.

~Maybe it just took time for the body to recover from trauma.~

“I like using those for soup and tea when I’m sick,” a voice said, making me jump as my brain recognized it instantly.

Lilith sat down with her large blue eyes and dark raven hair. Her complexion was a deep olive hue that was stark against the faded and stained birchwood tables. She showed off her feminine figure with her coat and thermal long removed on a coatrack nearby.

There was an innocent radiance about her that told me she wasn’t entirely human, but I hadn’t ever bothered to ask her what sort of creature she was. It wasn’t exactly something you just asked a supernatural creature. Especially when they were attempting to blend in as a human.

Her hair was loose, and she wore no jewelry as she twirled a mug in her hands. Her eyes were bright as she wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“I hadn’t thought about that, but something pretty to drink out of that’s so big…” I mused, reaching for a blank piece. I was happy to see my friend here of all places, and she was a warmer comfort than Evelyn since Jack’s passing.

Despite not liking one another, Lilith was more than a little supportive of my grief.

“I’m not very good at painting the inside of things.”

“Just make the bottom a base, and swirl a design in the cup with some paint. It’s art, it doesn’t have to be perfect,” Lilith said, picking up a mug. “I’ll walk you through it if you’d like. I came to replace mine that’s starting to chip.”

“Thanks.”

“So who in the hell are you hunting, or did you lose a bet to end up here?” she asked, giggling.

I rolled my eyes with a small sigh, feeling more than a little distressed. “Elis.”

“Ugh, that old fart. He can’t tell his compression socks from his regular ones. Not that he can probably put them on either by himself,” Lilith bemoaned as she pulled out her phone. “Let’s figure out your mug. This is where I Pinterest.”

“What’s that?” I asked, confused.

“It’s an app. Here, let’s sit over there, and we can look over some of my boards and maybe make one for you on your phone.”

“Boards?” I asked, puzzled.

As I turned to face Lilith, it was as if I were suddenly in a whole other reality. The moment I blinked, my perception of Lilith distorted. Her lips moved, her fingers pointed between her mug and her phone, but everything seemed gray and lifeless.

The room transformed with the sunlight. The mugs around us morphed into exotic plants, and the table turned into glistening white marble, piled high with food and golden fruit. However, as I looked down, the fruit in my hand rotted instantly.

A feast of horrors lay before me. The stench of decay was overpowering, with images of maggots writhing through the food. The smell of blood and death choked the air.

~This isn’t real. It’s not real.~

***

I blinked again, forcing my body to stay relaxed as I breathed through the vision. I tried to keep my face expressionless as the moment passed, and Lilith continued to explain how she created different designs inside her mug.

I did my best to blink away the vision, pretending to be engrossed in her demonstration while my heart pounded in my ears. Heat flooded my cheeks and fingertips as I tried to focus on anything but the sensations coursing through my body.

The tingling sensation spread to my tongue, and my stomach churned. I was feeling magic, but it wasn’t the good kind—and I had no idea what was triggering it.

“I really like that, the dark blue with the gold on top,” I managed to say. A tingling sensation hit the back of my throat, and my body alternated between hot and cold.

The sensation made me feel as if the room was flipping upside down. I fought to stay steady.

“Thank you. It kind of reminds me of the ocean where my Aunt and—”

Her words were lost to me. My head was suddenly overwhelmed by the tingling sensation, and a burning feeling slid down my throat into my chest. The sensation spread throughout my body, making my ears ring.

~Power.~

~Too much power.~

I didn’t have time to question it because of the pain. Lilith looked at me with concern as I clutched my head, stifling a cry as I hunched over.

Lilith reached out, her face etched with worry, just before she felt the surge of energy ripple through the room. It was an energy everyone likely felt as I tried to push it away from me, to send it back to the earth and the creatures around me.

The energy was so strong that Lilith’s mug separated in her hands, the base falling onto the table with a small clatter. The wave of energy became a tangible force around me as it released.

She didn’t move, blinking a few times as if trying to comprehend what had just happened. My security detail rose from their pretend pottery station in the corner. I gave my security a small shake of my head, signaling them not to approach.

This caused my head to swim. Lilith’s eyes darted around, as if wondering if anyone noticed.

“Should I ah… Did you..?”

“Sorry,” I said, shaking my head and avoiding her gaze as I thought about how to fix the situation. “It won’t…happen again.”

I was already reaching for my purse and shopping bags when Lilith’s cool hand covered mine, stopping me.

“Hey, you told me you were powerless. Something changed. I’m here to help. Just talk to me,” Lilith said with compassion, begging me to stay. “Plus, you need to face off with Elis.”

As if to prove a point, Lilith glanced around the mostly empty shop, picked up her mug’s base, and moved as if to reattach the handle. Without an ounce of glue in sight, she leaned to press her cheek against it as she stared at the crack.

She gave me a small wink before she began to hum. The sound was low, deep, and would have been hard to hear if I hadn’t been so close. Somehow, the sound repaired the damage before my eyes.

The crack in the mug fused back together as if it had never been there. Lilith ended her tune with a sigh of relief, as if it had taken a lot out of her.

This time, it was my turn to be in awe, realizing exactly what she had done with the tones of her voice. “You’re a…a siren.”

“Guilty,” Lilith replied, covering her smile and a small laugh.

I now understood that this gesture was to muffle any sound that might seem unnatural to human ears. It also explained why she had drawn me in so easily, despite my guarded nature the moment we had met and why Jack had been so furious we were fast friends.

I was stunned. I had read about creatures that blended in with us, and knew I dealt with them on a regular basis.

Never though, had they interacted or shown themselves, and I had only known Lilith for a few short months. It was a huge gesture.

“I knew you were something special, but I think that’s due to my innate gifts rather than what’s been happening lately.”

“Does your doctor know? You mentioned that you tell him everything about your health. Are you still fainting frequently?” Lilith asked, concern etched on her face as she leaned forward to touch my leg.

“I’ve missed a few checkups. It’s mostly because Marcus has been visiting a colleague. Garrick’s all good and fine, but I know nothing about his associates other than the bad reputations they’ve earned. I hate that he knows so much about my background. The jerk even tried to take a bullet for me the other night.”

“Sounds romantic,” Lilith stated, a tiny smile playing on her lips.

I rolled my eyes, about to tell her just how romantic I found it. My phone vibrated. I held up a finger to her, mouthing an apology as I saw the caller ID.

I was unable to speak, my heart pounding, a sense of foreboding washing over me. ~The Sultry Seductress…the club where Jack was killed.~

I took a deep breath and answered the call with shaking hands, not bothering to hide anything from Lilith.

“~Seraphina~,” the voice on the other end of the line said, the words dripping with sweetness. “This is Nathaniel Chen. I didn’t get a chance to see you at the funeral. I thought I might personally deliver my condolences today, and we could catch up a bit. If you’re not too busy?”

I fought the urge to grimace, wondering if he was trying to assert some sort of dominance. I recognized the crime boss’s name and his cocky attitude.

Whatever his game, I wasn’t scared. I was prepared to tell him exactly where I stood on any new deals. I knew that if I didn’t show up, he was likely to become a wild card and burn down the entire establishment while there.

“I can be there in about fifteen minutes. I’m just around the corner doing some light shopping and was planning to rest my feet. I’d be happy to stop by for a chat if you could wait with some of my staff,” I said.

My words were sweet, but the look I gave Lilith had her pulling out her phone. She already knew the routine to text Damien in times of emergency.

“I look forward to it, Seraphina,” he replied.

The way he used my first name irritated me, enough to make me end the call. I abandoned my mission to hunt down Elis on my own.