She studies me. “You have Darya’s eyes, but it seems that is where the similarity ends. Darya was a gentle creature. You are tough, like old boots.”
“Old boots are survivors. I’ll take that as a compliment,” I quip.
Before she can reply, a man dressed in a chauffeur getup walks into the driveway and whispers in Emilia’s ear. It’s only after seeing him that I notice the fancy black Mercedes Benz sitting out on the road.
She nods to the chauffeur and he returns to the car. “I have an engagement I am late for. I will come see you at lunch time tomorrow, if that suits, and you can tell me all about this spell you endeavour to cast.”
“Yeah, okay,” I answer, still wary.
She glances at Ira. “It is good to see you whole again, Mr Wolf. My word, you really haven’t aged a day. It’s a marvel.”
“I’m afraid I can’t say the same for you,” Ira replies. His tone is so casual that it takes me a second to recognise the insult. I feel like giving him a high five for that one. What a weird girl I am, taking pleasure in someone slagging off my own granny.
Emilia’s face hardens slightly, but she seems to accept that she deserves far worse treatment from Ira after what she did. She inclines her head, turns on her pointed boots and walks to the Mercedes, sliding gracefully in the back.
“There’s never a dull day around here,” I say, standing on the doorstep.
“It’s this city. There are too many supernaturals here. It’s a big place, but not big enough to contain them all,” says Ira.
“Makes a person feel like moving to a remote cabin in the woods.”
“True,” he smiles. “So now you know where your magic comes from.”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “I kind of wish I didn’t.”
Chapter Eleven
Oh The Shark Has Pretty Teeth, Dear
Throughout the rest of the day I find myself slipping my hand inside my pocket to fiddle with Edwards’ coin. I get paranoid that he won’t be able to locate me unless I’m touching it. God, I’m going to drive myself insane with all this fretting.
Ethan doesn’t come to the house once it gets dark, which is a relief. We all enjoy a nice dinner together without the presence of the vampires. Delilah does stop by though, and I notice her cheeks colouring a little after Ira answers the door to her. I hadn’t realised it before, but she seems to watch him a lot. I just can’t tell whether it’s in fear or infatuation. They’d certainly make an odd looking couple, with her so fair and diminutive and him so large and dark.
As per usual, I find myself reciting my recent discoveries to everyone. This time I tell them about Emilia’s visit.
“Emilia Petrovsky came here?” Noreen asks in awe.
“Yeah, she wanted to apologise to Ira. When I used my magic to block her from entering the house she recognised my sparks as a skill that only the women in her family possess. She called it electrical fire. That’s how I ended up figuring out she was my grandmother.”
Noreen wears a thoughtful expression. “If she’s returning tomorrow you need to watch her. She might claim to have turned over a new leaf, but you have to know that you’re dealing with a witch renowned throughout the city for her underhandedness and cruelty. There’s a rumour that she once had a servant killed simply for stealing a few pieces of jewellery.”
I rub at my forehead and sigh. “I don’t know whether to be more disgusted by the fact that she had a servant killed or that she actually keeps servants to begin with.”
“I know,” Alvie agrees, tutting humorously. “In this day and age.”
“The magical families are very old fashioned,” says Gabriel. “Some of them like to think of themselves as superior beings, sort of like royalty.”
“They’re deluded,” Rita comments, biting at her nails. It’s a bad habit of hers. Sometimes I feel like buying her that varnish that helps you give up nail biting because it tastes so awful.
“The main thing to keep in mind is to be wary of her,” says Gabriel. “If she really does just want to get to know her granddaughter then that’s great. It could be useful to have her as an ally. However, if she’s not all that she seems the consequences could be dire. You’ve seen how she cursed Ira with barely a second thought. People who don’t have a conscie
nce like that are nasty work. They don’t care who they hurt.”
For the rest of the night, Gabriel’s warning rings in my ears. If it’s not one thing I’m worrying about, it’s another. I’m going to end up giving myself a nervous breakdown. Before getting into bed I place Edwards’ coin on my night-stand, in the hopes that I’ll wake up tomorrow morning and my dad will be returned to me.
I open my eyes at the light streaming in my window, but Edwards’ coin remains on my night-stand, unmoved. Disappointment takes hold and I begin to wonder if he really will return come hell or high water like he said he would. What if he loses track of time over there and ends up being gone for years and years?
Pulling myself away from such morose thoughts, I shower and get dressed, finding that Finn and Ira have already gone out for the day. When lunch time comes around, I make sure that Rita is in the house with me. I don’t want to face Emilia’s visit alone, and I’m thinking Rita will be able to tell me if she’s trying to pull the wool over my eyes, pretending to want to help when she really has other reasons for being here.