Page 9 of Fangs and Family
The bottle was at my lips again before I realised.Gutted, fuckingguttedby the mob.Pawel, what did you get yourself into now? And why the fuck do I have to solve your problems again?I felt like crying, but would my tears help anything? They never did, not when my mother died and not when my husband cheated on me. The only time crying didn’t feel like failure was when Adam held me and made me feel I wasn’t so utterly alone.
Fuck, I wanted that. I would give anything to feel the vampire’s embrace chasing my fear away, but it’s not like I could call him. Instead, I walked to the wardrobe and opened the bottom drawer. His old T-shirt, the same one he wore as we sparred after the Fortnite game, was still there. I found it in the washing basket days after we split, and I just couldn’t bring myself to throw away the last reminder of the little spark of happiness he’d brought into my life. It still smelled like him.
Before I realised what I was doing, I tipped the bottle back, draining it dry before I pressed my face into the fabric and screamed.
I tried to keep focusing on one thing instead of letting my eyes float to the sides like some weird chameleon when the door opened and Sara marched in with a massive pizza box.
‘I see you started without me.’ She said, pointing to the empty bottle before placing the pizza on the table. ‘C’mon, spill the beans. What happened?’
The compassion in her voice broke the last string that held me together, and I felt the tears pour down my cheeks again.
‘The police came asking for Pawel. They said he was involved with some southern gang or something, and the men he was with were killed. I can’t believe it, Sara. They said those men were gutted, torn open and….’ I couldn’t complete the sentence, too horrified at what that might mean. ‘And I sent him away when he came asking for my help. What if he… if he….’ I couldn’t talk. My throat tightened at the thought my brother could be out there, hanging upside down with his stomach torn open and dying.
Sara didn’t say a word, sitting beside me, gathering my unresisting body into her arms, and then stroking my hair until the tears stopped flowing.
‘He’s fine, Nina. You know what Pawel’s like. He has more lives than a farmer’s cat.’ Her voice sounded different, but it didn’t register as she handed me some tissues. ‘Eat. I don’t want you passing out drunk on an empty stomach. While you gorge on cheesy goodness, I’ll make a few phone calls.’
I ate what tasted like ashes to my anxious brain, my eyes following Sara as she talked to Leszek, the mobster Nadolny, and then her ex, the former undercover cop, Kamil, before returning to sit with me.
‘None of them knows anything about Pawel, and there are no new bodies in the morgue, gutted or otherwise. Both Leszek and Nadolny will keep an eye out for strangers asking questions, and Kamil promised he would find out more about what happened in the south.’ With that, Sara grabbed a slice of what I realised was a tuna and mushroom pizza and proceeded to stuff her face, groaning obscenely as she ate.
‘So we still have nothing. Can you maybe do your thing? Please?’ I asked, knowing my friend could summon visions of the future, especially when it involved death or violence. A talent that had saved many of her patients in the past.
‘I can try, and well, I’ve been getting a lot better, but when it comes to people I don’t know well or can’t touch? It’s patchy at best. Are you sure you don’t want me to call Adam? If anyone can find Pawel, it’s him.’
‘Fuck no,’ I exclaimed in a drunken panic, then blushed as I caught sight of his tear-stained T-shirt hanging off the chair. I took a moment to calm down and answer properly. ‘At least, not yet. We didn’t part on the best terms, and I’m sure he’d take great pleasure in seeing me beg for his help, but I’m not yet ready for that.’ The suspicious smile that blossomed on Sara’s lips set off all my alarms, and I knew something was up.
‘I’m sure he deserved whatever you did to him, but I’m not here to judge, so get yourself dressed because we’re going to Sopot.’ She said, pointing at the door to my bedroom.
‘To Sopot, wait, you want us to go to the Coven?’
I had been to both Sopot and the Coven’s villa before. The city was in the middle of the three cities, a beautiful part of the Tricity area that was geared almost entirely toward tourism. Somewhere in the undeveloped area that separated Sopot from Gdynia was a sprawling compound the Coven called their villa. It was an administrative hub for witchcraft, theiruniversity,and the seat of their current leader, Veronica Sandoval. I knew very little about Veronica, but the few times I’d seen her with Sara or Leszek were enough to realise she had a commanding presence with a temper as changeable as the element of air she controlled, and her anger could be as cutting as a winter storm or as gentle as a summer’s breeze.
‘I told you evoking a vision of Pawel might be difficult. So we need to go to ask Veronica for the Coven’s help. If they allow, I can call on their power to make it happen, and as he’s your brother, we might need your blood to focus on his presence in Dola’s1 tapestry,’ Sara explained as I hurriedly dressed.
‘Whatever, the sooner we find him, the better, so I can kill him myself. What the hell did he get himself into this time?’ I said, feeling so much better now we had a plan. My friend got the job done, and if there was any solution to my current problems, Sara was going to find it.
We soon arrived at the Sopot villa despite the afternoon traffic, the white walls appearing like magic from the surrounding trees. I know it was just an effect of good landscaping, but the sight never failed to impress. It was a beautiful property, and despite its size, it reminded me of Sara and Leszek’s home with its calm, welcoming atmosphere. Humans with magic, it seemed, liked to be in touch with nature as much as any of the elder races, and this Coven was no different.
When Sara discovered she was a Soul Shepherd, a Seer with powers over spirits, she brought me here, and the feeling of family and acceptance made me wish, just for a moment, that I had that spark of magic that would allow me to join these incredible women. Unfortunately, I was only a human. The only supernatural thing I had in me was the remnants of Adam’s venom from our first and only encounter, but even that must have faded away after so long.
‘Sara? How may I help you? I don’t recall any scheduled meetings.’ Veronica welcomed us into her office, and I could see we’d surprised her while she was drawing what looked like alchemical diagrams and… a man’s portrait. I noticed Sara recognise the subject as her eyebrows shot up, and she quickly glanced at Veronica, who scrambled to hide the sketch under her other notes.
‘Hi Veronica, we didn’t schedule anything, but I need your help. We’re trying to locate Nina’s brother,’ she said, and I felt uncomfortable when Veronica’s gaze slid over me.
‘Are you willing to pay the price?’ She asked, and I quickly glanced at Sara, who nodded, so I trusted her judgment and looked back at the witch.
‘Yes, I am,’ I said a moment later.
‘You know what to do, Sara,’ Veronica remarked. The office was a dark, cosy room with a lounger and a few comfy armchairs, and my friend pulled out her blouse before positioning herself on the lounger. I knew Sara had been training hard here for the last two years, barely finding time for any other activities, but I still felt uneasy seeing her like this, especially when Veronica approached me with a small black-handled knife in her hand.
‘What are you going to do?’ I asked, backing up a little, making her frown.
‘Didn’t you tell her?’ She asked Sara, and my friend gestured me closer.
‘The knife is an athame2, Nina, and whilst very sharp, will not be used to bring harm to you. Remember how I said we’d need a little blood? Well, the athame is made from a material that won’t interfere with magic. We only need a few drops to help locate Pawel through your sibling bond and my special mojo.’ Sara was using her calming doctor’s voice to reassure me, and I couldn’t help giving her a little evil side-eye before I held out my arm to Veronica.
The cut was shallow but surprisingly painful. It was almost like the knife was made of acid that now burned my skin.Clearly, Sara had a different idea to me of what harm was, I thought. Veronica gathered the blood and moved toward Sara. My friend paled slightly but nodded her forward.
