Real Vampires: Glory and the Pirates by Bartlett, Gerry (red white royal blue TXT) 📕

nose and realized Flo had just quit breathing. I still had the mortal habit of taking breaths. It was hard to break it.

Helen threw open the door. “I was expecting you, Mistress Gloriana.”

The smell was worse inside and I resisted walking in when she gestured.

“I am brewing something new. Is it bothering you? Let me take care of it.” Helen smiled. With a muttered incantation and a wave of her hand, the air suddenly smelled like spring flowers. “Is that better?”

“Yes, thank you.” I stepped inside. There were dozens of candles lit all around the room. Flo followed me, Valdez on our heels. “Do you know why I’ve come?”

“Of course. The potion. How did you like what it did for you?” She smiled. “Please sit. I have a message for you.” She motioned for me to sit at the table facing her. Flo and Valdez were going to be left standing.

“What?” I glanced at Flo. “A message? From who?” I did sit. The same bowl she’d used before was already on the table and she filled it with water.

“I have no idea. All I know is that I’m getting the sense that it is important.” She pulled her herbs or whatever they were from her bag at her waist and sprinkled them into the water. Before I could ask any more questions, she started moving her hands over the bowl, making the water darken and swirl.

“This is nonsense. Let’s go, Glory.” Flo tugged at my cloak.

“No, I want to hear what she has to say.” I put a coin on the table. I had a feeling the swaying and swirling could go on for a while if I hadn’t paid for it.

“You are not who you think you are.” Helen stared into the water and said that in a strange voice that could have come from the bottom of a well.

“I know that. I saw a building, a palace, last night. Is that where I come from?” I leaned forward. If only I could learn the truth about my past.

“I am not seeing that. Someone is calling you, searching for you.” She ran her hands through her hair, a deep red tonight, making it stand out from her head.

“There were two people in my vision. Are they looking for me? They wore crowns.” I reached for her. I wanted to shake the answers from her.

“Do not touch me!” She glared at me, her eyes glowing, and I jerked back my hands.

“I see danger coming for you. Your fight is not over.” Suddenly the bowl rose from the table and flew through the air, making a circle over our heads.

Flo shrieked. “Don’t you dare drop that on me!”

Helen ignored her, staring up at the ceiling as if looking for an answer. She waved her hands and the bowl finished its circle around the room.

“Who is trying to kill me?” I was glad to see the bowl full of water come to a sloshing rest on the table again. “Is it the pirates? Who is looking for me? Is it my family? The two people who wore the crowns? Are they my parents?” I hated the way the witch ignored me. I slammed my hand on the table. “Answer me!”

Helen lowered her eyes to stare into mine. “You cannot demand answers, vampire. The universe will deliver them when it is ready.” Her voice could have come from hell, it was so low and unsteady. “Watch your back or you will die.”

“I have heard enough.” Valdez pulled Flo out of the way and lifted me out of the chair. “We are getting the hell out of here.” He tossed another coin on the table. “Give her the potion she came for. It had better not harm her or I will be back for your head. Do you believe me, bruja?”

“I believe you, shifter.” Helen stood and walked to her shelf. She brought back one of the glowing bottles. She lifted the stopper, sniffed, then replaced it and smiled. “This is it.”

Valdez snatched the bottle, staying in front of me.

“Be careful with your threats, shifter.” She held out her hands as if ready to cast a spell on all of us.

“Enough. Keep your spells to yourself. We are done here.” He pushed Flo and me out the door. “Go, ladies. Back to the castle.”

I realized Valdez was truly spooked. He slammed the witch’s door, then took my arm and Flo’s, walking between us so fast we had to skip to keep up. It was almost laughable except I breathed a sigh of relief when we were safely back inside the gates.

“That visit was not to my liking.” He handed me the bottle of potion. “Do with this what you will. I hope you weren’t lying when you said Jeremiah approved it.”

“No, I wasn’t. I will wait until he comes home near sunrise to try it again and do it in his presence. I swear it.” I slipped it into my pocket. I was still shaking. Would I try it? I wasn’t sure.

“Mio Dio! I did not like that either. Strange messages. Why can’t she say what she means?” Flo had pulled out another of her beautiful silk fans and was using it to cool her face. “I wouldn’t drink anything I got from that woman if I were you, Glory.”

I sat on a wooden bench. “I’m thinking about what she said and didn’t say. Surely, she meant the pirates want to kill me. I am to blame for Zarah’s death. They’ll want revenge.”

“You didn’t get answers about your home, your visions.” Flo sat next to me and put her arm around me. “I’m sorry, amica. I know who I was and have always been. Sometimes I wish I didn’t. I had a hard life when I was young. I did bad things to stay alive. There were acts that shamed me and my family.” She leaned her head on my shoulder. “I won’t tell you what they were or you would hate me.”

“No, I