Keeper(37)

“You’re right,” Gareth said. “I’ll tell her.” He let out a long sigh. “When I find the right moment, I’ll tell her.”

I couldn’t move. The wheels in my head were whirling, trying to process the information I’d overheard, but it was like trying to punch through a brick wall—nothing was getting through. My stomach pitched and rolled, and I wanted to throw up. I would’ve put my head between my knees if not for Maggie yanking on my arm.

Serena and Gareth were now talking in more hushed tones, her arm looped through his as they slowly made their way toward the front of the shop. We needed to move or we’d be seen.

Following Maggie’s lead, I crawled toward another row of bookcases.

“Over there?” Ty was gesturing toward a door off a small alcove.

Maggie nodded, and it was all I could do to follow them. We crawled inside the tiny space and Ty shut the door behind us, careful not to let it slam. The smell of old books, incense, and cleaning supplies burned my nose. It must have been the supply closet.

“Lainey? Are you okay?” Maggie was whispering to me, but I’d lost all ability to speak. My brain was spinning out of control, and my heart thumped against the walls of my chest. If he finds out who she is, what she is, he will hunt her down just like they did her mother. Serena’s words reverberated in my ears. Every inch of my skin was covered in goose bumps, and a cool shiver danced up and down my spine.

“I don’t understand,” I managed to whisper. “I don’t understand.”

My entire body was shaking. Maggie wrapped her arms around me and held me tightly. Ty watched from his post at the door, his fists clenched at his sides.

“I don’t understand,” I kept whispering.

Who am I?

What am I?





CHAPTER FIFTEEN


Maggie held me long enough for the shaking to subside.

“Are you okay?” she asked me when I pulled away.

“I don’t know,” I whispered. The weight of that horrible conversation between Gareth and Serena weighed down on me, but I sucked down a large gulp of air and exhaled slowly. I would not let it crush me. “But I’m going to find out.”

Neither Maggie nor Ty said anything as I pushed past them and out the door.

Who am I? What am I? Like a cadence, the words bolstered and guided my steps as I marched past the rows of bookshelves.

The wooden planks of the floor creaked as I walked into the main room of the shop. Maggie and Ty walked wordlessly behind me.

“Serena?”

Serena’s head popped out of the office. She was holding a ledger and small stack of papers. She looked at me first with confusion; then her eyes widened. “Lainey, what are you doing here?”

I ignored her question. “I heard what you said to Gareth. I heard everything.”

The color drained from Serena’s face.

“You need to tell me what’s going on.” My voice wavered but grew louder as a rush of adrenaline coursed through me. “You said I deserved to know the truth. What truth?”

Serena squared her shoulders. “You need to talk to Gareth. He—”

“No, Serena,” I said, the volume of my voice causing us both to jump. “I want the truth now.”

We stood staring at each other, locked in a silent showdown, but then Serena lurched forward, closing the distance between us, and yanked me forward. Her other hand reached up to grip my chin, angling it to see better.

“Your eyes,” she whispered. “They’re green.” She let go of my chin. “It’s happening.” The words were barely more than a whisper. The hand that held my arm tightened.

I squealed as Serena jerked my arm closer and forced my clenched fist to open. Behind me, Maggie muttered a curse word under her breath and Ty moved closer, his eyes darting between the two of us as if he were trying to decide whether or not to intervene.

“What are you doing?” I squirmed, trying to pull my hand from Serena’s surprisingly firm grip. “Stop!” I tried to push her away, but Serena was unhearing as she pored over my hand, her fingers tracing over the lines in my palm.

Abruptly, Serena gasped and dropped my hand as though it were on fire. She muttered something incomprehensible under her breath, swept past Ty and Maggie—whom she seemed not to even notice—and rushed back into her office.

“Where are you going?” I cried out, my hands clenching into fists. “Serena!” I bellowed. “What the hell is going on?”

She didn’t answer me, but when she came flying back out of the office, she had two lit candles in her hands. She was still murmuring under her breath.

“Serena!” I tried again, louder this time.

If Serena heard me, she didn’t acknowledge me in any way. She walked over to the large table between the two blue reading couches and pulled a stack of thick, colorful cards from the front pocket of her long skirt. She cut the deck, shuffled the cards with nimble fingers, and placed the cards on the table.

I marched over and yanked the remaining cards from Serena’s hands. “Talk to me! What is going on?”

At my touch, Serena seemed to snap to her senses. “Oh, Lainey,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.” Her large brown eyes were full of sympathy and regret. “We should’ve told you. It’s not supposed to happen like this.”