The Return by Nicole R. Taylor Read Free Book Online Page B

floor of her apartment, a pizza to one side, wine to the other and the grimoire in her lap. As she told them about what had happened in the bar earlier, Liz's expression turned into sorrow and Alex's into thought. Arturius had shown interest in her and she told them she was worried that he'd come for her.
    "He's really…" She couldn't think of the right word.
    "Scary?" Liz offered.
    "Psychotic?" Alex countered, even though he hadn't been there that night. Psychotic had nothing on it.
    "Why would he want you?" Liz asked. "I mean , he must have others to do his dirty work."
    "He said he was always in need of a witch. I guess the more he has, the less people would oppose him," she sighed, taking a large gulp of wine, not elaborating further. She felt bad keeping Aya's secret from her oldest friends; friends who had helped her though one of the toughest times in her life, finding her Grams, but she was bound. What she didn't tell anyone was that ever since she'd linked to Aya in the void, she'd hardly been able to control herself. There was a growing darkness inside of her that wanted to get out. Whatever had happened to trigger the growth, she didn't know how to stop it. So, she stopped practicing altogether. Perhaps that's what Arturius had sensed in her.
    "But you'd never do that," Alex exclaimed. "He's mad."
    "Yeah, raving mad," Gabby scoffed. "I'd never help him willingly."
    "We have to do something," Alex declared. "He killed Aya. And god knows what he might do to you."
    "That's what I was trying to figure out before you guys came over," she said, opening the grimoire absently.
    Liz sat up straighter, her eyes lighting up with hope. "Do you have any ideas?"
    "All spells have a work around," Gabby said, leafing through the grimoire . "There is always a way to undo something that has been brought forth with power."
    "Always?" Liz asked, confused.
    "Well, so far I haven't come across a reason for it not to be the case. But, I guess there might be some spells that might be impossible to counter," she shrugged. "In the case of the founding vampires, they were made with the power of a witch. That power can be unraveled. Or at least in theory. With you and the brothers, that can't be undone as you were created by another vampire." She hesitated when she realized she was pressing on a nerve. Liz had never wanted to be a vampire; it had been forced on her.
    "I kind of figured already," Liz said, shrugging.
    "So, what do you think might undo the spell?" Alex asked, directing the conversation away.
    "That's the problem," Gabby said. "I would need to know what the spell was to find out for sure. And a spell like that is kind of bad news."
    "Whoa," Alex said, his eyes widening. "Like black magic?"
    Gabby gave him a look. "Dark magic. It's not exactly the thing that is written anywhere. Not in my grimoire . I was hoping that something might have been written about it. Now that I can read the pages I couldn't before, I though I might find something."
    "But, there isn't anything, is there?" Liz asked, her voice betraying her disappointment.
    "Yep. A big fat zero," she rolled her eyes. Gabby knew deep down that that kind of magic wouldn't be written down anywhere. It was darkness that came from powerful emotions. Hate.
    "How do you think we could find out?" Alex wondered out loud. "Could the be someone alive who knows about this kind of dark magic?"
    "Maybe," Gabby shrugged. "But it'd be dangerous."
    "How dangerous?" Liz asked.
    "Crazy dangerous," Gabby shook her head. "That kind of magic is evil. It's the kind of thing that Aya would have killed a witch for." What she didn't say was that she was afraid she was turning to it without even wanting to. That she was the darkness.
    "Well," Alex said. "There you have it."
    "You need to tell Zac," Liz said. "He could be able to help."
    "I don't think so, Liz. You didn't see him today. I've never seen him like that." She was very hesitant.
    "He has a right to know," she said firmly.
    "Maybe. But,