Page 48 of Reap the Night
Once inside, she slammed the door and turned to face me, wide-eyed.
“I thought you had something in your?—”
“Listen to me.” She grabbed my hand. “That woman out there is not who she seems.”
“What?”
“That face she’s wearing…it’s not real.”
“I don’t understand what you’re?—”
“It’s a glamour, Orina. An extremely powerful glamour.”
Blood rushed to my head. “Are you sure?”
“I’m certain.”
“Is there a way of stripping the glamour?”
She smiled, thin and cunning. “Give me three hours and I’ll have a potion ready.”
“You got it.”
Ariella was wearing a fake face, which could only mean one thing. She was playing at being an incarnation of Arabella, which meant…It meant that she knew about the curse. But how?
Was she working alone?
Why do this?
There was only one way to find out.
We’d have to corner and question her.
But first, I’d give her a fabulous day out. Enough time for Holly to prepare the glamour stripping potion.
I should have goneinto the theater. How I managed to stay ‘normal,’ relaxed, and sunny was beyond me.We laughed and joked, browsed the local bookstores, then had our nails done,and soon it was time for me to swing back to the office to pick up the potion. I made some excuse about needing to check in before we headed back to Branwood.
Ordell was already outside, Betsy parked on the curb, engine idling. Holly had pulled him aside to ask for help with one of our cases as I’d left with Ariella. He’d thrown me a confused glance because hunters didn’t help with our Order cases, but I’d given him a pointed look, and he’d obediently followed Holly into the back office.
So now he’d be up to speed on the glamour just as the rest of the team no doubt was.
I had Ariella wait in the van with Ordell while I hurried into the building in search of Holly. She must have seen me through the blinds because she was ready with the potion.
I pocketed it quickly. “Are you sure this will work?”
“Positive,” she said. “You need to make sure you get it on her face. It will bubble on her skin when it gets to work.”
“Send a Raven to let us know what’s happened,” Padma said.
“I promise.”
Ariella had taken my spot in the front passenger seat, kind of annoying, but I’d let it slide; after all, I was about to reveal her true face. Let her play at being Arabella reborn for a little while longer. Let her smile and peer up at Ordell through her glamoured lashes.
In less than an hour, the truth would be out. And I could not wait for it.
Chapter 17
There was something odd about the atmosphere at the castle. A lack of…something. It took a moment to pinpoint it, but when I did, ice filled my veins.
