Page 28 of Corrupt Shadows
THIRTEEN
Evie
The last of the sun’s rays dissolve through the drapes, shrouding my bedroom in darkness. Rosa flicks on the lamp, and it emits a low, orange hue over the room. Gomez watches from the bed as I pull a blanket over the mirror on the dresser, the last one left to cover. “Now he won’t be able to see us,” I say, and my lip curls at the corner.
After hopefully arousing him yesterday at the asylum, the best way to get him to communicate with me is by cutting off his visibility. Granted, he can still hear us, but that may just work to my benefit. I quickly look away when I catch Rosa staring, but it’s too late.
“You’re enjoying this.”
Gomez extends his wings, as if he agrees with her.
I shrug. “I don’t know what you mean,” I reply and turn to face her fully. “Did you text you know who?”
“Yes.” She displays her phone, and her last message to Aiden is on the screen. “It’s all set.”
She ties the necklace I gave her, matching mine, around her neck. “Are you sure this will protect us?”
I nod. “Enough that he won’t be able to listen to our thoughts and therefore influence them.” I slide my fingers along the necklace of rosemary entwined with sage, then dipped in anointing oil. “There’s not much we can do to keep him away indefinitely.”
I walk to my closet as she sits on my bed, tickling Gomez’s stomach. His wings curl around him, and he throws his little head back. Despite being a bat, he acts more like a puppy. Ever since I found him injured, he’s stayed close to me.
Rosa clears her throat. “Now that we’re openly acknowledging your witchiness…”
I pull open the closet door to exhibit my dresses, skirts, pants, and tops in an array of shades of black and dark purple. “Yes?” I ask but desperately fumble through my clothes to avoid looking directly at her. I want to be honest with her, but I can’t get into my childhood, coven, or the truth about the type of magic I possess. If I know Rosa, the questions have been spinning through her mind for a long time.
“Does that mean Gomez is your familiar?”
I blink twice and stop what I’m doing. I turn to look at them, and Gomez tilts his head. “Yes,” I say with a smile. His black eyes bulge, as if he can be any more adorable. “It was an instant connection.”
She shifts her braid to one side. Fuchsia threads interlace with blackish brown, complementing her ombre lip shade. “Can you hear his thoughts?”
“No, but I can sense what he’s feeling, and I think he can sense me too. I mean, myths say that familiars are supposed to be evil witches who were turned into animals as some kind of punishment, but I don’t think that’s true.”
She cuddles Gomez, tenderly holding him close to her chest. “Impossible! My sweet Gomez doesn’t have a bad bone in his body.” She looks at him, her pupils dilating. “Isn’t that right?”
He nestles against her warmth, and I roll my eyes. “Don’t baby him. He’s already such a brat,” I tease, but she doesn’t listen, and instead pulls out a bag of nuts from her purse, holding him with her other arm. She places them in a small pile on the bed, and I tsk-tsk, knowing crumbs will await me later when I climb under the covers. “I’m going to need to start paying your grocery bills if you keep bringing food over for him.”
I turn back to my task: finding an outfit for tonight. While I’m terrified, it’s about time I meet this Aiden. I can’t keep looking over my shoulder, and if he knows who I am, what more harm can be done?
Rosa pulls out the necklace Aiden gave her, and I stare at the upside-down cross. The memory of being tied to a hospital bed in Edward’s basement swarms unwantedly into my mind. I clamp my eyes shut. I can still feel the searing heat and pain coursing through me from when he sliced my skin off while wearing that same pendant. He was finally inducted into the Order when I turned thirteen. If only they knew what he was hiding…
Every coven has a branding tattoo. The Fallenmoores are no exception. They are marked with purple roses, skulls, and leaves. The elders believed placing a spell on each coven was a good idea, so they could easily recognize each other from the markings. But that was centuries ago, when the covens helped each other and had treaties, and there were more of us. Now, the tattoos are dangerous, and the roses are proof of who I am. I examine the one on my arm, trailing my finger along the purple and black but stopping at the skull. Under it is the word “Fallenmoore,” inked between a thorn and two smaller roses.
I opt for a black top with intricate lace sleeves. Mercifully, the lace is thick enough to conceal what lies beneath. I pull it on, and the fabric hugs my waist and wide hips. Only a little cleavage shows, but if Aiden is an Order member, showing a little skin won’t affect him. With that in mind, I pull my ponytail down, not bothering to straighten out the kinks formed.
Rosa laughs. “Black, why am I not surprised?”
“Not all of us can pull off… that,” I point out, eyeing her neon-orange top. “I suppose it’s a good thing.” She arches her brow, and I pause. “We won’t get hit crossing the road. You’re a beacon.”
“Thanks,” she replies, deadpan. “We better hurry. So I’ll go in first and then you follow. We’ll be in public, so he can’t do anything.”
A slight tremble vibrates in my lip.
“I won’t let them hurt you. You’ve done nothing wrong. I’ll take care of you.”
She pats Gomez on the head and grabs her purse. If she knew the truth, then maybe she might hand me over herself.
My victims’ screams haunt me as I walk to the door, leaving Gomez behind safely tucked away in our bed. “I’ll be back soon,” I promise, careful not to let on where we’re going. “Don’t go near the mirrors.”