Chapter 1
EMMA
Dallas, Texas Six Months Ago
The little bell over the door chimed, announcing another customer in the already crowded bookstore. Warm, humid air brushed my face.
The air conditioner rattled to life. I finished with my current transaction by placing the two thick travel guides in a bag, followed by the receipt.
"Have a good evening," I said to the woman as I handed her the bag.
She smiled and headed for the exit. A couple stepped up to the register, their arms loaded with old fantasy paperbacks. I scanned each one while my gaze wandered over the store behind them. Alex was supposed to be assisting customers, but, as usual, he was nowhere in sight. Slacker. I hated working with him.
As soon as I had a break in customers, I picked up the intercom and announced, "We're closing in ten minutes. Please bring your purchases to the counter." A line formed and I went back to ringing up merchandise.
When the last shopper was out the door, I slid the lock in place and sighed.
"Alex!" I glared at the rows of bookshelves.
His curly blond head poked up. "'Sup?"
I scowled. "Where have you been for the last hour?"
"Straightening up the floor." He shrugged. "Why?"
"Never mind." I pinched the bridge of my nose and went to work, closing out the register. "That floor better be pristine by the time I'm finished with this, Alex."
He shot me an annoyed glance before disappearing down an aisle.
"Dude, you're not the manager."
Nope. I wasn't, but if I waited around for Liz to show up and close, we could be here all night. She'd gone to grab something to eat like... two hours ago. I was tempted to tell the owner how his staff slacked off on the job, but that wasn't my style.
As I finished the closing and grabbed my purse, Liz came in through the back door. She rushed to the counter, knocking over a stack of newspapers in her haste.
"Oh! You did the final count." She beamed at me. "Thanks, Emma, I owe you one." She said that every single time.
"Well, I'm out of here. Goodnight." I waved over my shoulder and let myself out. The humid night air felt dense as I drew it into my lungs. A sheen of sweat glistened on my bare arms by the time I opened my car door.
The old Toyota Corolla sputtered as I turned the key in the ignition. It started, then settled into a muffled purr. I backed out of the parking space, the weight of the day diminishing with each minute.
Home was only a couple of miles away in a dingy apartment complex.
It put a roof over our heads, and that was all I cared about right now.
I parked in a free space near enough to my ground-floor entry. Loud, thumping music spilled from a half-open door as I passed. Right, it was Saturday. The next apartment was blasting opera, apparently trying to drown out the hip hop. Good luck with that. The cacophony quickened my step.
Fishing my keys out, I let myself into my place. The lights were on, and at this hour my brother should be home.
"Orion?" I called. No answer came.
I rounded the corner to the kitchen and jerked to a halt. Orion stood in front of the table, his face pale, staring at a small bracelet-sized box. The box's gold-and-black swirl pattern was all too familiar. Dread pooled in my gut. Not again.
I snatched it up. "When did this arrive?"
"Just now." He turned his wide eyes on me. "There was a knock on the door like two minutes before you came home."
I studied his worried features. Though eleven years younger than me, he was taller and still growing. I turned my attention to the box and eased off the lid. Inside was a receipt from the bookstore where I worked, dated today -this evening. On the back, written in what looked like blood, was Emma, get out or you die.
I dropped the box to the table. It disintegrated in a whirl of magical crimson sparks. My stalker had found us again.
"I'm not doing it," Orion said, folding his arms. "Let them come."
"Are you insane? Has it been so long since last time that you forgot what happens if we don't get out right now?" Damn it! I'd warded the place, but they always managed to get to us.
"I'm too old for this crap." Orion frowned.
"You don't even have a wand yet. Now, get your bag. We're leaving.
Two minutes."
With a huff, he disappeared down the hallway.
I drew out my citrine wand and summoned my purse and go-bag.
Shoving my purse in the backpack, I heaved it over my shoulder. "Orion, let's go!" I called.
This was unfair to him, dragging him with me from place to place every few months. We'd been doing this for about seven years now, but we had no other choice. There was no safe place to stash Orion. Though, now that he'd finished high school and was about to turn eighteen, we had a sliver of hope. He'd spend the next two years at the supernatural boarding school- Academy Obscura. The place was impenetrable. He would be safe there.
Then I'd be able to deal with my stalker and those who hunted us.
"Ready," Orion said, jogging down the stairs. "Where are we going this time?"
"Far away." I clutched the locket at my throat and swallowed hard.
Closing my eyes, I visualized the place. A beautiful waterway surrounded by hills, trees, and the city. I'd been there once before when I was much younger-prior to all this running.
I released the locket and grabbed Orion's hand. The kitchen window shattered, glass spraying everywhere as a black-shrouded figure climbed into the room. My pulse spiked. With a flick of my wand, we teleported in a haze of purple smoke.
When it cleared, we stood in a park looking out over the serene body of water. Twinkling city lights and a quarter moon reflected in the still surface.
The air was cooler here-almost chilly.
We'd escaped again, barely in time. There was always a delay between receiving the gold-and-black box and being attacked, but the timing was never consistent. To this day, I wasn't sure if my stalker was trying to warn and protect me, or if this was some sick cat-and-mouse game.
The same fear always nagged at me once we were safe. One day, I'd be too slow. One day, they would catch us.
"Where are we?" Orion asked.
"Olympia, Washington."
