The Runaway Witch (The Cursed Prince Book 2) Page 9

  Maria ran to my side in the nick of time. She grabbed my arm. The one I was perilously close to using to punch Owen’s dirtbag neighbor in the face.

  “I know exactly what you mean,” I said, glaring at him. “But unless you enjoy the idea of your wife crying over you at your funeral, then you’d better stay away from Willow. Hear me? Don’t look at her, don’t talk to her, don’t even think about her.”

  He took a step backward, his hands up. “Chill, dude. I was just kidding.”

  “Nicolai, c’mon.” Maria tugged at my arm again. “Let’s just go.”

  I took a deep breath and followed Maria back to the car, looking over my shoulder every few seconds at Owen’s neighbor.

  “You should’ve let me punch that son of a bitch in the face,” I said, slamming the driver’s side door closed.

  “You aren’t royalty in this country,” Maria replied. “The last thing either of us needs is you getting arrested for assaulting someone.”

  I gritted my teeth and gripped the steering wheel tighter.

  “Calm down.” Maria put her hand on my shoulder. “Owen will be back in a few hours. We’ll have our answers then.”

  We goddamn better, I thought. We goddamn better.

  Chapter 14

  Willow

  Grace’s visit gave me something to look forward to for the first time since Frederic had visited me in the hospital. The thought of seeing my best friend lifted my spirits. She promised to be here by nightfall. Ithaca was a college town, and like any other college town, it was brimming with bars and clubs. A night out with my best friend would provide a desperately needed distraction. Since my aunt didn’t want me using magic to stop thinking about Nicolai, maybe alcohol would do the trick.

  While I waited for Grace, I kept busy by cleaning all the broken glass that my failed spell had created. I’d wanted to use magic to undo the mess I’d made, but Delilah insisted that we tidy up the attic the old-fashioned way.

  “Do you not use magic at all?” I asked, thinking how much faster we could get things done with it.

  “I do sometimes,” she said. “But only when I’m desperate, like if I’ve spent an hour searching for my keys and still can’t find them. I worry that if I get into the habit of using magic, I might accidentally use it when I shouldn’t.”

  “What does Lisa think about you being a witch? Was she freaked out when you told her?”

  “No. Actually, she found it fascinating at first, but it’s not like I go around using magic all that often, so I don’t think she gives it much of a thought anymore,” Delilah said.

  “I’m thinking about telling Grace that I’m a witch. She knows something … strange has been going on with me. She’s asked a few questions that I told her I couldn’t answer. But she’s my best friend. I feel like I owe her the truth.”

  “I don’t want to tell you what to do, but you have to be careful. Even though the bonds of friendship are strong, they aren’t the same bond that one shares with their partner.”

  While we finished cleaning the attic, I thought about Delilah’s warning. By the time Grace arrived a few hours later, I was no closer to a decision on when and what I’d tell her.

  I was so happy to see her that as soon as she stepped into the house, I hugged her tight.

  “Easy there, Willow. You’re going to break one of my ribs like that.”

  “I just can’t believe you’re here. Come on.” I pulled her toward the kitchen. “I want you to meet my aunt.”

  Delilah stopped chopping and lifted her head as Grace and I entered the room. She walked over to us. “I remember you from when you were just a little girl.” Grace smiled but didn’t offer a reply. “Will you be staying for dinner?”

  “Um, actually, would you mind if we skipped dinner?” I glanced at Grace. “I was thinking maybe we could go out somewhere. That is, if you’re not too tired from the drive.”

  “I’m always up for going out,” Grace said.

  I turned my head to look at my aunt. “Maybe you and Lisa can join us,” I suggested.

  She smiled. “Thanks for the offer, but you two don’t need a bunch of old ladies ruining your fun.”

  “You and Lisa are not old.”

  “Compared to the two of you, we are,” Delilah replied. “You should go. Have a good time with your friend. We’ll catch up in the morning.”

  “I need to change my clothes first,” I said.

  I turned to walk away. Grace started to follow, but thankfully my aunt beckoned. Now was not the right time for Grace to see Delilah’s attic.

  “Come and sit with me while you wait for Willow. I just brewed some coffee,” Delilah told her.

  “No thanks. I don’t like coffee.”

  Had I heard her right? The Grace I knew practically had an obsession with coffee. Half her Facebook posts were coffee memes.

  I ran up the stairs. The jeans I already had on were fine, so all I needed to do was pick out a nicer shirt to wear. A few minutes later, I returned to the kitchen.

  Grace stood. “Are you ready to go?”

  “You sure you don’t need to rest up a bit?”

  “No. I’m fine.”

  “I suggested a few places to Grace that you two might enjoy,” Delilah said. “I won’t wait up.”

  We headed out. Grace offered to drive, so I followed her to her car. I was so tempted to ask Grace about Nicolai that I had to bite my lip to keep the words from spilling out of my mouth. Nothing she’d say would make me feel better. I’d hate it if he was hurting, but I’d also hate hearing that he was getting by just fine without me.

  “So, how have you been?” I asked.

  “Good. Just bored without my best friend around,” she replied. “So you’re really not planning on coming back to Beaver Falls?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

  “What are you going to do with your father’s house?”

  “I’ll let Finn sort that out.”

  “And how long are you going to stay with your aunt?”

  “I don’t know. Probably a few weeks.”

  Grace’s expression turned serious. “Looks like you’ve got everything all figured out, then.”

  I was about to ask Grace what she meant by that, but we had arrived at our destination. Grace parked in a nearby garage. Inside the club, the music was thumping. A sea of gyrating bodies filled the dance floor. It was the sort of scene you didn’t come across in Beaver Falls. My hometown had a few bars but nothing like this. Ithaca was a college town, and even though Grace and I had to show our ID to get in, a lot of people looked quite a bit younger than me. I wasn’t sure I was up to being around so many people. For a moment I was tempted to tell Grace to forget about it and go back to Delilah’s. But then I decided that I didn’t really care about the crowd. I was here for the drinks, certain that after a few of them, I’d get manage to get Nicolai out of my head at least for a little while.

  “Let’s get some drinks,” I said.

  Grace smiled. “You read my mind.”

  We ordered fancy cocktails and found a table. It was so loud in the bar that I practically had to shout for her to hear me. “So, what’s new in Beaver Falls?”

  “The police think Peter may have been murdered. They’ve been questioning everyone who knows him,” Grace replied.

  I almost spat out my drink. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  Grace shrugged. “I thought you already knew. Haven’t the police contacted you?”

  I shook my head and took another gulp of my drink. “Why do the police think he was murdered?”

  “People don’t just vanish, and no one has heard from him in days.”

  “Peter is a businessman. He travels all the time.”

  “So that’s where you think he is? On a business trip?”

  “How should I know? It’s been a while since we broke up, and it’s not like we kept in touch.” I glanced at Grace, trying to read her expression. “Did the police question you?”


  “Yup. But I don’t know anything, so I didn’t have much to say.” Grace downed the rest of her drink and stood. “You know what? I feel like dancing. What about you?”

  I scanned the dance floor and shook my head, too daunted by the crowd. Maybe I really was a small-town girl after all. “No thanks. You go ahead.”

  With a wide grin, Grace walked away. A moment later, she was swallowed up by the crowd. I turned back to my drink. Grace had to have been exaggerating when she’d said the police thought Peter had been murdered. They would’ve contacted me. People in Beaver Falls knew we’d been dating. I hoped that Nicolai had returned to Sarabia. The last thing he needed was a bunch of police officers asking him or his brothers questions. Although if he was still in Beaver Falls, Maria would know what to do.

  I was doing it again, thinking about Nicolai even though I’d gone out tonight to forget about him. I finished my drink, then walked over to the bar and ordered another. On my way back to the table, someone’s elbow came out of nowhere. I let out a yelp as my drink spilled all over my shirt.

  The man who elbowed me turned his head. “Oh shit. I’m so sorry. Let me buy you another drink.”

  I let out a frustrated sigh. “That’s all right. Don’t worry about it.”

  He smiled at me. “How about a dance, then?” Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him.

  “No thank you,” I said, taking a step back.

  He took another step forward, closing the distance I’d just put between us. “What’s your name?” he asked.

  I tried to walk away, but his grip on my hand tightened. I glared at him and at the same time pictured myself kicking him in the balls, making him double over in pain. Under my breath, I whispered,

  Look inside my mind,

  where my true thoughts, you will find.

  His eyes widened. He dropped my hand and took a step back before turning and retreating to the other side of the bar. I smiled. It was always so satisfying when I got a spell to work exactly like I wanted it to.

  I sat back down and waited for Grace to return. My patience didn’t last long, and after a while, I got up and headed to the dance floor to look for her. This evening hadn’t turned out the way I had thought it would. I’d had only one drink, but it was a strong one and had me buzzed just enough to realize that another one wouldn’t help. Some people were crazy drunks and some people were mad drunks. I had a feeling if I drank more, I’d break down into a puddle of tears, and the last person anyone wanted to be around was a sad drunk.

  I finally managed to find Grace in the corner of the dance floor, pinned against the wall with some guy grinding on her. Her eyes were closed, and she wore a strange smile. I couldn’t believe she actually enjoyed being dry humped like that in front of a room full of people. That was not like her. Had someone put something in her drink? I pushed my way through the crowd and tapped Grace on her shoulder. She opened her eyes.

  “I’d like to go,” I said.

  “What? Why? I’m having a good time.”

  I pointed to my shirt. “Some asshole made me spill a drink on myself. I’m wet and I stink, and I just want to go back to my aunt’s house.”

  Grace frowned and then leaned in to whisper something into the ear of the man she’d been dancing with. He walked away.

  “I’m not ready to leave,” she said with her arms crossed. “But if that’s what you want, then fine, let’s go.”

  The drive back to Delilah’s was mostly a silent one at first. I could feel a wave of disapproval rolling off Grace. After a long stretch of silence, I finally asked, “Are you mad at me?”

  “Why would I be?”

  “I don’t know. You tell me.”

  “I’m not mad, just disappointed. I thought you wanted to go out and have a little fun,” she said. “I know I did. We’re not in Beaver Falls. That means it’s time to loosen up.”

  “I’ve never really been that good at loosening up.”

  Grace didn’t reply. I tried to think of something to say to break the awkwardness between us, but before I could think of anything, Grace asked, “Are you ever going to tell me what happened that night you wound up in the hospital?”

  “It’s complicated. Some secrets aren’t mine to tell. At least not yet,” I said. “I promise that eventually I’ll tell you everything. Just not right now.”

  “That was the night Peter disappeared.”

  Why was she mentioning Peter again? “Was it?”

  “What do you suppose happened to him?”

  “I don’t know, and to be honest, I really don’t care. He wasn’t a good guy, Grace.”

  “I can’t believe you’re being so heartless, Willow. Just because you stopped caring about Peter doesn’t mean everyone else did too. Don’t those people deserve answers?”

  I wanted to tell Grace the truth. That Peter was a monster who deserved what had happened to him. But I couldn’t say those things, so I stayed silent.

  “If you know something about what happened to Peter, you can tell me. I promise to keep it to myself.”

  I didn’t understand why she was so preoccupied with him. But perhaps this had less to do with Peter than it did with her trying to get me to share the secrets she knew I was keeping. “Well, I don’t. And if you don’t mind, I’d really rather not talk about him anymore.”

  I glanced at Grace out of the corner of my eye. Her blank expression once again left me clueless as to what she was thinking. Usually I was quite good at reading her. “Are you mad?”

  “Not mad, disappointed. We’re best friends. You used to tell me everything, I don’t understand what’s changed.”

  “Nothing’s changed.”

  Grace just shook her head. She knew better, and of course she was right, because truthfully, everything had changed.

  Chapter 15

  Nicolai

  Maria and I sat in the car for hours, waiting for Owen to return. At just after four, he finally parked in the driveway. I got out of my car and followed him as he headed for the front door.

  Owen must’ve sensed me behind him, because he turned around. Staring right at me he said, “Finn was right.”

  I ran a nervous hand through my hair. “About what?”

  “He told me you’d show up. Said you were looking for my sister.”

  “Is she here?”

  Owen shook his head. “Nope. I haven’t seen her since Dad’s funeral.”

  “It is imperative that I find her,” I said, trying to hide my frustration. Looking at Owen intensified my ache for Willow. He had her same dark hair and hazel eyes. “If you know where she is, then I beg you to tell me.”

  “You know what else my brother said?” Owen crossed his arms.

  “I haven’t a clue.”

  “That Willow doesn’t want to be found.” The tone of his voice had changed. “Which means you and your friend”—he glanced at Maria—“need to leave.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “Actually, I think you’re the one who doesn’t understand,” Owen said. “You and my sister were dating. She decided to move on, and you can’t accept it. Am I right?”

  “No. It’s not like that. If Willow doesn’t want to be with me, then I will accept her decision. All I’m asking is to hear those words from her lips. After what we shared, I’d like a chance to say goodbye. That can’t be too much to ask for. Once I’ve made sure she’s all right, then I’ll walk away. I swear.” Damn. I’d said more than I intended to.

  Owen frowned. “Why wouldn’t my sister be all right?”

  “Before Willow and Nicolai got together, she was dating someone else,” Maria said, jumping into the conversation. I glared at her, willing her to keep her mouth shut, but she continued, “Someone who wasn’t happy when Willow ended things with him. We have reason to believe he might try to come after her.”

  “Hmm. Seems to me that the only person who’s not happy that Willow has moved on is you, Nicolai.” Owen’s jaw twitched. “I w
asn’t lying when I said I don’t know where my sister is, but even if I did, I wouldn’t tell either of you.”

  “Owen, please,” I begged.

  “If you don’t leave, I’ll have to call the police.” Owen turned, unlocked his front door, let himself inside, and then slammed the door shut without another word.

  “Did you really have to tell Owen that some guy was stalking his sister?”

  “I was trying to give him a reason to tell us that Willow is with him.”

  “Well, it didn’t work,” I muttered.

  Maria frowned. “What do we do now?”

  “I say we wait for Willow to come out. She can’t stay inside forever.”

  “What if she’s not actually here? We’ll have wasted precious time for nothing.”

  “She has to be. You read Finn’s mind. That’s what led us here. And you saw how Owen was acting. He wants us to leave because Willow is in there.”

  “I don’t know, Nicolai. We’ve been sitting in front of this house all day. Do you really think Willow is inside?”

  I would have picked up her scent if she was. I took a deep breath and then shook my head. “She’s not. But you read Finn’s thoughts,” I said, aggravated and confused. “They are what led us here.”

  Maria frowned again, then crossed her arms and tapped her foot. After a few moments she said, “Willow was at Finn’s. That much we know. She must’ve told him that you might come looking for her. And she must have figured I’d be helping you, so she also told Finn I could read peoples’ thoughts. I think he purposefully led us astray. That’s the only explanation that makes sense.”

  Maria was right. It made sense. It also made the knife in my heart twist. Did Willow really hate me so much that she’d go to such lengths to keep me away? I pressed my palms to my temples and bit back the frustration building inside. I wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was anymore.

  “What are you thinking?” Maria asked.

  “Before my brothers invited Willow to the castle, she had a normal life. I took that from her, and now she wants it back.” I dropped my hands to my sides. “Maybe we should go back home. What right do I have to go chasing after someone who clearly doesn’t want to be found?”