Yeah. She got it now. Well, mostly. The details remained fuzzy. For instance, why he wanted her dead was a mystery. “So you were the one who brought me here? You were the one who was calling my name? You made the vision I had. You made me think it was Yash. You’re the aura!”
Moving a step closer in her direction, Avis cocked his ear. “Well, duh, Sugarlumps. I know, I know. You’re thinking, ‘Well, golly. I knew I didn’t like him, but I never thought he was this big of a prick.’ Am I right?”
A scream bubbled in the back of her throat at the pain searing through her belly, but she refused to give in.
Sweat pooled between her breasts, her hair soaked, but she clung to the wall, pressing her forehead into it, seeking the cool surface to soothe her.
“Winner-winner-chicken-dinner,” she spat. “I’m not surprised, mind you. I knew I hated your stinkin’ fancy-pants guts, but I just couldn’t connect the dots. I haven’t been doing this long enough to fully comprehend all the reasons these things are happening to me. So why don’t you fill me in? What the hell are you doing, why is my death on your plate, and why isn’t this building falling to dusty bits of rubble by now?”
He flapped a hand in the air and winked. “Oh, that. Because it never was going to fall to dusty bits of rubble, Goose. As we speak, those utter buffoons from the demolition crew are having some sort of technical difficulties. They can’t figure it out because there’s nothing to figure out. It’s just a simple spell that, in the end, won’t matter one ding-dang bit. In fact, right now they’re trying to call our man Rick for instruction on what to do next. But they won’t reach him.”
A spike of fear, insidious and hateful, threaded its way through her veins. “Why won’t they reach him? Did you hurt him?”
“Bah! I would never hurt Rick. I’m sure he’s safe somewhere nursing his spell-driven laryngitis. But I would hurt everyone around him in order to get what I want, and that, I’m afraid, includes you. I am, indeed, the aura. Or the person responsible for the insidious aura attached to you.”
“But why?” she squeaked, swallowing hard. “Why would you do that?”
He sighed, exaggerated and long with a roll of his eyes. “Because you’re trouble, Poppy McGuillicuddy. It wouldn’t have been long before you found out about me, and I couldn’t have Rick’s familiar interfering with what’s mine. When I found out you lived in this building, I knew Yash’s spirit had something to do with all this. It’s too much of a coincidence.”
“Yash’s spirit?”
How the hell did he know Yash’s spirit had anything to do with this? Oh, God. His spirit. That meant he was dead. Nonononono!
“Well, of course! You do realize warlocks do all sorts of magical things like summon spirits, don’t you, ninny? So I summoned his—and I have to tell you, he fought it like a caged tiger. Rick would be proud. But in the end, I discovered what I knew anyway. He created that little accident you had with that feline familiar. Yash sent you to Rick to stop me from getting to Littleton. That’s what all those ugly feelings you’ve been having are about, by the way.”
The impact of his statement wasn’t lost on her, but the focus of his words was Littleton. What was so important about Littleton? Still, she clung to the notion, if she could just get one small break in this pain, she could make a run for him.
And then what, Poppy?
So she kept talking. “But why do I have to die?”
“At first, I just wanted to rid myself of you. Like you, I, too, am intuitive. I sensed your dislike of me from the moment we met. That could bring nothing but heartache, you being Rick’s familiar and all. So you had to go. But when I realized Yash was in the mix, it wasn’t long before I knew he’d find some afterlife way to tell you what happened, and it would be curtains for me before I could get to this point. I’ll give you this—you’re strong, Poppity-Pop. Especially strong for a newb. Alas, I decided to turn the tables. When I couldn’t get rid of you, I decided to invite you to join me tonight instead.”
Another white-hot knife of pain cut through her stomach, making her clench her fists so hard, she dug holes in the palms of her hands with her nails. “Join you for what? What does that mean?”
“For the sacrifice, charming girl.”
A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating Avis for the first time since she’d found him—and his face terrified her. He didn’t look at all like what one would expect when they planned a diabolical deed. No. He looked quite calm and very pleased with himself.
“The sacrifice? I’m the sacrifice, aren’t I, Avis?”
He clapped his hands, the sound sharp and jarring. “And the door prize goes to Poppy McGuillicuddy!”
Chapter 19
Landing in the garden of Littleton, Rick was the first to come to a standing position, pushing his way out of the bonsai spiral trees and latching onto Nina while scooping up Calamity.
As the women helped each other rise, Calamity whispered to him, “You see that motherfucker? He’s in there. Poppy was right! He’s a crazy bastard!”