The Scarlett Legacy (Woodland Creek)(27)

“Is he going to be okay?”

Malka peered at him from her bifocal glasses. She tapped her teeth together as she thought.

“This curse is one of the worst I’ve seen,” she said in a soft voice, sitting in a chair next to the bed Wes rested on.

“What can we do about it?”

Malka shook her head. Her long red hair was a stark contrast to her dark brown skin. She looked more like a fantasy creature than a human.

From what Wes told her, Malka wasn’t exactly human. At six-foot-five, Olivia believed it.

“This curse is from the old world. Ancient power fuels it. Who did you say cursed him?”

Olivia shook her head. “I didn’t.”

She didn’t know if she could trust her the way Wes did. She wasn’t sure who she could trust.

Malka stared at her. Her skin was littered with dark moles and freckles on her high cheekbones. Almond-shaped brown eyes examined her.

“I can’t help you if you’re not going to trust me.”

“Avalon Prince,” Wes said before crying out.

Olivia took his hand into her own and stood to lean over his body. “Baby? Are you okay?”

“I see now. The Prince family. That explains it. They’re from the old world, Scotland, right?”

Olivia nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Yes.”

Malka tapped her teeth together again. Olivia cringed at the sound. She stood and went to the back of her cottage to a room that’s door was bolted shut.

The hairs on Olivia’s arm stood on end when Malka took out a long key from a jar in the cupboard. Something about that room frightened her.

When the lock clicked open, Malka pushed on the door, releasing a gust of black wind that filled the room. Olivia shot to her feet. She pointed at the wind that formed a black cloud that clung to the ceiling.

The color drained from Olivia’s face, leaving her cold. “What is that?”

The house vibrated. She could feel it in the floorboards. Gripping Wes’ hand, she fought to keep herself from running out the front door.

“It’s fine, Mrs. Scarlett. Willow here is going to help you, not harm you.”

“Willow?”

“Yes. Willow does what I tell it to. You have nothing to fear.”

“Okay,” Olivia whispered. She clutched Wes’ hand. Her eyes locked on the black mass as it flew over and hovered above his body.

Malka closed her eyes, and the mass shot into Wes’ body, making him shake and then freeze.

The chill of Wes’ hand-made Olivia’s entire arm turn cold. Still, she refused to let go. She watched his face, and yet it was expressionless as if he wasn’t there.

When she opened her eyes, the mass flew out, and back into the dark room. Malka closed the door and locked it again.

Olivia waited. Her heart raced with each passing moment of silence.

“What’s wrong?”

She watched Malka stand there with her back turned to them. Wes’ eyes were closed, and yet he breathed steadily.

Malka looked at Olivia over her shoulder. She shook her head.

“This magic is too dark. I cannot help him. He will die within the next two days.”





THE MOON CAST an eerie glow on the empty street. No rain. No wind. Just silence.

It was a beautiful night, one that Olivia could enjoy in a way most would never experience. Tonight, however, was not about joy or peace. She wanted to watch Avalon die a slow, painful death.

She took off her clothes, leaving each article neatly folded on the passenger’s seat of her car. She parked in the parking lot of the university. Across the street stood the old Albrecht Mansion, where her target lived.

Once she was naked, she began to shift. It was instant. Her body morphed into that of a tiny black spider, one packed with enough venom to take down the man that stood between her and her family’s happiness.

One purple stripe set her apart from other spiders, along with sparkling legs that glimmered in the light.

All sounds were magnified once Olivia was in her second form. She climbed out of the window and hopped to the ground by a shimmering strand of spider web.

The road was silent as she scurried across the street and to Avalon’s mansion.

The ground was covered with dew as she made her way over the front garden.

Olivia loved the invisibility that her shifter form brought her. She could go anywhere virtually unseen.

She crept along, passing by the men that Avalon had hired to watch his home. Finding entry wasn’t difficult. She crawled into a window with a hole in the screen.

Inside all was quiet.

Too quiet.

Up the walls and stairs she went. She’d been in the Albrecht Mansion a few times in her life. The schools all used to have field trips there to learn about the town’s history. Remembering the layout of the mansion gave her an idea of where Avalon’s bedroom might be.

Olivia went up the stairs, guided by her memory, and sensing his presence, she found the master bedroom.

She paused as she watched Avalon sleep in his large antique bed.

Early sleeper.

Even as a spider she was frightened by the old Albrecht Mansion. She was a creature of the shadows, but the cold and dark of this ancient house left her on edge. All she wanted was to get in, bite him with her venom, and get out.

She hopped from the ceiling; a single strand of the sparkling web carrying her to the chandelier above his bed.