Vengeance (Master's Protege 1)

Lottie’s voice is pained. “I didn’t do it, Mr. Master. I had nothing to do with it.”

Never a good way to begin a conversation.

“Do what?” I just want to get inside so I can ask some questions. I take a step toward her, and she steps back. Violet watches us both curiously.

“Any-anything.” She’s terrified of me.

Sometimes, that works against me. Sometimes it’s in my favor.

I consider shoving past them to get inside, demanding answers to questions and scouring the place for clues, but I know that brute force isn’t always the best response.

I look to Violet, and with subtle eye movements and a slight jerk of my head, silently ask her to get us in here without someone shitting their pants.

She steps forward, a smile on her lips.

“We didn’t think you were to blame.” Her voice exudes confidence and grace. She looks so small, so wholesome, no one would realize how quickly and easily she could cut or maim them. Her voice gentled, she stands close to me, as if showing with her physical presence that she’s with me, and we mean no harm. “We’re concerned, though, and want to help. Let us in, please?”

Lottie releases a breath, steps aside, and beckons for us to go in.

The sweet, nearly acrid smell of incense hits me when we set foot inside. It’s hard to tell it’s daytime, with the blinds drawn and nothing but candles lighting our way. Several cats curl around my ankles before gracefully gliding away. I take in every detail I can. Skylar’s never invited me, but I’ve had surveillance on it since she came here. I know the basic layout, but now I’m looking for other details.

It’s a small, crowded apartment. Two bedrooms? The kitchen sink is tidy but cluttered, dishes stacked on a drying rack that’s nearly bursting. Beside the dishes there’s a stack of coffee mugs, Zodiac signs engraved on the outsides of them. A velvet cushion lies on a table to the left, and several long, carved sticks that look like wands sit atop it. A carved structure featuring three women in dresses, holding hands around a white candle base, sits to the left of the cushion with the word goddess engraved below, and beside the candle a long incense burner casts smoke heavenward. The scent grows stronger.

On one wall several silver pendulums hang on a silver peg, and in the living room, there’s a stand with a large, clear sphere. A crystal ball? Several dragons are displayed on the walls, some carved in 3D and some flat prints. The door to one bedroom’s ajar, revealing an unmade bed and a large stack of unfolded laundry in a wicker basket. One of the cats walks into the room, quickly swallowed up by darkness.

“Miss Price, meet Lottie. Lottie, Miss Price. Lottie’s Skylar’s best friend and roommate.”

“Pleased to meet you.” Violet sticks her hand out, but Lottie doesn’t take it. She stares at her, untrusting.

I turn to her companion. “And you are?”

“Haven, my boyfriend,” Lottie says. He gives me a jerky nod, then steps back, falling into the shadows. Can’t speak for himself? Interesting. I turn back to Lottie.

“You called us. What has you concerned?”

Lottie wrings her hands and paces in front of me. “Skylar had a date. Someone we met at a local gathering.”

Gathering. What exactly is a gathering? I do my best to reserve judgment, but it’s hard, seeing the dark, cramped apartment my sister shares with her friends, knowing I’m fully capable of putting her in a bigger, better place.

“They were supposed to go to dinner,” Lottie says. “They had plans, and she even told me where they were going.” Tears brim behind her glasses.

“Where?”

“Bubbles and Broomsticks.” Pretty common name. In a city like Salem, over a quarter of the local establishments features names playing off some variation of the word “witch.”

“She went to meet him, and she came home earlier than she expected. She’d texted me that the guy creeped her out.”

“Did she give you specifics? What exactly creeped her out?”

I fucking hate that my sister went out on a date with someone she didn’t trust and I didn’t know.

I pace in the kitchen, trying to ignore the way I want to break things. My hands clench, and I try to steady my breathing. I hate this. If they hadn’t tampered with anything, I’d have gotten full footage of everything. “And I have no idea where she is because you two thought it smart to remove all surveillance.”

Violet places a gentle hand on my arm. My skin heats where she touches me, and I take in a calming breath. My fingers unclench, relaxing by my sides.

I didn’t know she’d have that effect on me.

Lottie doesn’t respond but plays with a silver lip piercing, her brows drawn together over her large glasses.

“What happened after she came home?”