Ruby Shadows (Born to Darkness #3)(16)

“Thanks, Grams,” I said, smiling.

“And the sandwich container will always have food. I only had time to spell it to have one kind of sandwich, though. Chunky peanut butter and my homemade strawberry jam. I hope that’s okay,” she said anxiously.

I hadn’t had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in years—it’s one of those foods you give up as an adult when you realize how incredibly fattening peanut butter is. But I recognized this was just Grams trying to take care of me—it was the same sandwich she’d packed me when she sent me off to school as a little girl. I was probably going to get pretty tired of it before my trip to the realm of the damned was done, but right now it sounded perfect.

“That’s my favorite,” I told Grams gently. “Thank you so much.”

“Oh, child…” She shook her head, her eyes sad. “I can’t believe I’m letting you do this. I can’t believe I’m letting you go.”

“We’ve been over this, Grams,” I said softly. “I have to go. This thing is relentless, and while you and I might be able to protect ourselves,” (although I had my doubts about that,) “If it came after Keisha…”

“You’re right. You’re right…” She shook her head. “If only she would have listened to my warnings. After all she’s been through, I doubt she’s got even a hundredth part of the natural power she was born with left.”

“That’s Ray’s fault,” I said angrily, the old, helpless rage rising inside me.

“Not all of it. She went wrong long before she met him,” Grams said. She frowned. “Just like you went wrong when you started seeking to do that spell to get vengeance on him.”

“It’s not just a vengeance spell,” I protested. “If it works—”

“It’s not going to because you’re not doing it.” Grams glared at me. “You’re already putting your soul at risk enough. If—no, when you come back from this trip—I want you to put it all behind you. Keisha made her choice and she’s just like your mama was—stubborn.”

“But if—”

“You can’t save those that don’t want to be saved, child,” Grams said softly. She sighed. “Besides, she has no power of her own left anymore and you know she was always so proud of what she could do…before. Such potential and all of it wasted…” She sounded sad.

I thought about the fate of my little sister and shivered. Every time a witch has sex without forming a soul-bond, her power is halved. After the life that Keisha had led, being passed from man to man…her power waning with each loveless encounter…Grams was right. She wouldn’t be able to help herself, even if she wanted to.

Was that going to be my fate too? Would I lose myself and my power to Laish as he seemed so certain I would?

No, I promised myself firmly. He’d said that he wouldn’t force me to have sex with him. Instead, he seemed to think I would want to at some point. Want to badly enough to not mind losing half my power and all my self-respect.

Well, he was wrong about that. No matter what else happened or what else I let him do, I wasn’t going to let him do that, I promised myself. No matter how hot he was or how it made my stomach flutter when he touched me. I wasn’t going there. I just wasn’t.

“If only your sister had waited for the right man,” Grams said, interrupting my fervent promise to myself. “I knew when I met your grandpa, you know. I knew he was the one I’d been waiting for. And on our wedding night, when I finally gave myself to him—”

“Grams,” I said uneasily.

“No, listen to me, Gwendolyn. On that night, when I gave myself to him body and soul, I felt the bond form,” she said. “It was like…like a golden cord, binding us together. It was so beautiful, so right. I just knew we’d be together forever.” She sighed. “And we would be, too, if his heart had held out.”

“Oh, Grams…” I put an arm around her shoulders. My grandfather had died when I was just ten but I had plenty of memories of the big, smiling man who used to ride me around on his shoulders and tell corny jokes to make my Grams laugh. Grams still grieved for him, all these years later, and she had never even considered marrying again, though she was still a very nice looking woman for her age.


Just then the grandfather clock in the hallway began to chime. This was it—my time was up and it was time to do what had to be done. Grams and I looked at each other and her hand slipped into mine. I squeezed it tightly as we waited together. Bong…bong…bong…bong… the clock chimed on and on.

Right on cue, on the last chime, Laish appeared in a puff of smoke. He was wearing another one of his expensive, tailored suits with a crisp, blood-red shirt open at the throat. I couldn’t help thinking that the color suited him. It was just a few shades lighter than his eyes and it made his inky black hair even blacker. The shoulders of the jacket draped over his broad shoulders impressively—he looked like a Fortune 500 businessman.

I couldn’t help looking down at myself, contrasting my own outfit with his. I’d had no idea what to wear but since we were going to be traveling through a strange region, (major understatement, I know) I had decided to dress like I was going on a long plane trip. Accordingly, I had on a pair of jeans, a dark green t-shirt, which I had tucked in, and some comfortable black ballet flats I knew I could walk in for hours without pain. Not that I thought we would be hiking through Hell—at least I certainly hoped not. But I was prepared if I had to.