Page 7 of Disabling Relics for Dummies
Killian and I were going deep researching this guy. Minerva Krauss first introduced me to the supernatural dark web at the academy when I started my independent study with her on breaking curses. Of course, she made me do a blood oath never touseany of the shit people posted there, but it was great for research.
Minerva had to be up to date on all the hexes and curses people were coming up with because she had a reputation for being the best curse breaker in the world. So instead of waiting for someone to call her, she scoured the dark web to see what kind of nasties people were coming up with to be ahead of the game.
Valentine used it too because people liked to use it to sell dangerous relics. I used it too so that I could find things that needed to be taken off the street and contained in my museum. I was stillsuper pissedI’d been trying to find Beatrix Halliwell’s missing pendulum for ages, and Dorian Gray was using it on his ceiling fan. That was just blasphemous.
Did Valentine and Doctor Key meet on the dark web? That was the only thing I could think of. Killian and I couldn’t find Doctor Keyanywhere.That probably wasn’t even his real name. We couldn’t even figure out what he was a doctor of or where he got his doctorate from.
Doctor Key was way sketchier than anything I’d found on the dark web.
“How are we going to figure out his username if we don’t even know his first name?” Killian asked.
“First off, he’s probably not even a doctor of anything. There are only a few places to do that. Most people go to a magical academy after high school to learn what they need to know because they allow you to specialize. It’s usually the healers and scientists that continue their education, but there are programs. There aren’t programs for the Cult of the Aether Sisters. They are still the supernatural boogeyman.”
“Real doctor or not, he’s managed to get on this dig with Valentine and has his ear. Something on that ship shut everything down, and Doctor Key got it running again, so they weren’t stranded. He got at least something right because I’m sure the next step after the ship stopped was to sink it.”
“It makes little sense. I was around Valentine way more than you were. Iaskedto go on one of his digs. Gertrude probably would have approved it as a work trip because she has a crush on Valentine. He knew damned well I apprenticed with Minerva Krauss and am an expert in my field. He told me his team is a well-oiled machine, and heneverbrings in anyone from the outside unless they’ve met his team and meshed with them.”
“You know what he does on jobs, Ravyn.He could have just said that because screwing his way through villages and getting into brawls with the local men would be hard with you there. But, honestly, it’s pretty stupid of him to come back here after he sent you that book. Most sane people leave the state and don’t come back if they’ve pissed off a witch.”
I grunted because that was totally true. I could fuck up his whole life with a little bit of his hair and a few ingredients in a mason jar. I still might.
“I didn’t get the vibe he was lying about that. Yeah, he’s a cheating goat scrotum, but he takes his job seriously.”
“Ravyn, he’s fucking locals and fighting men on his digs. I’m shocked he hasn’t been run out of town before.”
“Yeah, me too. I’m not finding anything on the dark web that would make me think Valentine met Doctor Key there. It’s five. Ready to head home?”
He nodded, and we started walking home. I couldn’t believe we spent an entire day on the dark web and found nothing about Doctor Key. We’d found literally nothing on him so far. Who was he?
Killian and I made a quick dinner and chatted while we ate. I was tired of dancing around things. Ilikedhim, and I was tired of pretending otherwise. I didn’t want to rush into anything and ruin it. I was perfectly capable of taking things slow. Before he disappeared to his bedroom, I caught his hand.
“Will you sleep in my room tonight? Just to sleep.”
He broke into this huge grin and squeezed my hand.
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
He’d seen me change clothes before, but I went to my bathroom to change into my pajamas. I didn’t own a single set of modest sleeping clothes, but he’d seen those too. When I came back out, he’d stripped down to his boxers.
Killian was reed thin but had wiry muscles. I knew he was strong. I climbed under the covers. He spooned me back and wrapped his arms around me.
“Is this okay?”
It was more than okay. Killian took modern grooming seriously. He had a whole host of manscaping items from the supernatural market, and he smelled amazing. He had me pick out the scent. It was bourbon, sandalwood, tobacco, and vanilla. It also made his hair and skin very soft.
I felt safe like this. Minerva had already called me to tell me she had a weird tarot reading for me. Killian and I had already read the cards and gotten the same reading. Something big was coming our way, and I had a feeling it had something to do with the Cult of the Aether Sisters and the mysterious Doctor Key.
Lying here in Killian’s arms, it felt like we could handle anything.
“This is perfect.”
Chapter7
Killian
Things had been moving slowly with Ravyn and me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. She wasn’t used to me like this. Fuck, I wasn’t used to me like this anymore. We were getting used to it together.
We spent the next few weeks waiting for the ship to get here doing the most marvelous things. Ravyn and I were heavily researching the Cult of the Aether Sisters and Doctor Key. That was something we both enjoyed. We’d gone on little dates and held hands. We snuggled every night when we slept, but we still hadn’t kissed yet. I was completely fine with that. Back in my day, if you kissed a woman before you married her, it would utterly ruin her. So I could wait until she was ready.
