Read Online The Red Witch (Amber Lee Mysteries Book 6) by Katerina Martinez - Free Book Online
Authors: Katerina Martinez
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bite of the food that had been laid out on the coffee table in the living room made me feel sick.
What happened with Aaron and I in the woods was messed up, I knew. Aaron was upset about it, and rightly so. I had pretty much rejected his proposal, even if I hadn’t quite said no. In truth I had barely said anything at all, but only thought about the ramifications of an answer I, in the end, never gave him.
Was that worse?
It probably was, I thought. A no would have been final. As would a yes, I guessed. But the lack of an answer was probably way more difficult for him to swallow. And by the look in his eyes I could tell he hadn’t swallowed it at all. He carried it with him like an iron ball shackled to his neck by a thick chain, and that was my doing. But the worst part was this: if he were to have asked me again then and there, I still wouldn’t have had an answer for him. And that, I was convinced, made me a terrible person.
“Where’s Collette?” Damien asked, snapping my thoughts in half like a brittle twig.
“Making a long-distance phone call,” Frank said.
Aaron joined us at the table and sat down, grabbing his meatball sub and taking a hearty bite out of it. I was envious of his ability to eat no matter what emotional state he was in. One of the blessings of being a werewolf, I guessed.
Snap out of it, Amber, I thought.
When Frank didn’t continue, I said, “She’s talking to a witch she knows—a man in Berlin.”
“Berlin?” Damien asked, curious. “Berlin, Germany?”
I nodded. “It’s what I wanted to talk to you guys about, actually.” I looked at Frank, searching for approval, and he gave it with a slight nod. “It’s about the Dark Witch. We’ve had a development.”
Aaron perked up at this, if only slightly. Damien put his food down, stopped chewing, and asked “What’s happened?”
“Collette’s been speaking to this Witch in Germany. He says he’s been in contact with Linezka. Says he knows her weaknesses and he’s willing to share them with us.”
“Willing to? As in, he won’t do it freely?”
I shook my head. “Collette’s negotiating terms with him as we speak. He’s pretty adamant about staying hidden, staying out of sight.”
“He’s a hermit,” Frank put in, “Lives off the grid somewhere. He’s terrified of coming face to face with her again, so he wants to be recompensed for his trouble.”
Aaron scoffed, but he didn’t say anything.
“We’re giving him books,” I said, “I keep a stash of tomes in the bookstore, books retrieved from all over the world. Some of them have been useful to us in our research until now, so I figured he would have use for them too.”
“And you think he’ll accept them as his payment?”
“I don’t know. That’s what Collette is trying to arrange now.”
Damien thought, searched my eyes, then Frank’s. “What if we need them?”
“If we need them,” I said, “Then it means that whatever information he’s given us about Linezka has failed us. In which case we’re fucked.”
“Besides,” Frank added, “I’ve gone through a whole bunch of those books looking for anything that’ll help us against this witch and nothing’s come up as immediately useful.”
“And if he agrees to the swap?” Aaron finally asked. He had finished his sub. “Books for information?”
“I… guess we’ll have to make good on the trade,” I said.
“And that means?”
He knew the answer. I didn’t have to tell him. And as it turned out, I couldn’t have told him even if I wanted to. Collette’s arrival on the back of a harsh, howling wind halted all conversation in the room. I turned my eyes to the window overlooking the front porch as, outside, fragments of twigs and fallen autumn leaves picked up off the ground flew at the house, slapping against wall, window, and door alike with impunity. Collette herself was only a shadow on that strange wind; a swift spot of shimmering darkness only visible to a
What happened with Aaron and I in the woods was messed up, I knew. Aaron was upset about it, and rightly so. I had pretty much rejected his proposal, even if I hadn’t quite said no. In truth I had barely said anything at all, but only thought about the ramifications of an answer I, in the end, never gave him.
Was that worse?
It probably was, I thought. A no would have been final. As would a yes, I guessed. But the lack of an answer was probably way more difficult for him to swallow. And by the look in his eyes I could tell he hadn’t swallowed it at all. He carried it with him like an iron ball shackled to his neck by a thick chain, and that was my doing. But the worst part was this: if he were to have asked me again then and there, I still wouldn’t have had an answer for him. And that, I was convinced, made me a terrible person.
“Where’s Collette?” Damien asked, snapping my thoughts in half like a brittle twig.
“Making a long-distance phone call,” Frank said.
Aaron joined us at the table and sat down, grabbing his meatball sub and taking a hearty bite out of it. I was envious of his ability to eat no matter what emotional state he was in. One of the blessings of being a werewolf, I guessed.
Snap out of it, Amber, I thought.
When Frank didn’t continue, I said, “She’s talking to a witch she knows—a man in Berlin.”
“Berlin?” Damien asked, curious. “Berlin, Germany?”
I nodded. “It’s what I wanted to talk to you guys about, actually.” I looked at Frank, searching for approval, and he gave it with a slight nod. “It’s about the Dark Witch. We’ve had a development.”
Aaron perked up at this, if only slightly. Damien put his food down, stopped chewing, and asked “What’s happened?”
“Collette’s been speaking to this Witch in Germany. He says he’s been in contact with Linezka. Says he knows her weaknesses and he’s willing to share them with us.”
“Willing to? As in, he won’t do it freely?”
I shook my head. “Collette’s negotiating terms with him as we speak. He’s pretty adamant about staying hidden, staying out of sight.”
“He’s a hermit,” Frank put in, “Lives off the grid somewhere. He’s terrified of coming face to face with her again, so he wants to be recompensed for his trouble.”
Aaron scoffed, but he didn’t say anything.
“We’re giving him books,” I said, “I keep a stash of tomes in the bookstore, books retrieved from all over the world. Some of them have been useful to us in our research until now, so I figured he would have use for them too.”
“And you think he’ll accept them as his payment?”
“I don’t know. That’s what Collette is trying to arrange now.”
Damien thought, searched my eyes, then Frank’s. “What if we need them?”
“If we need them,” I said, “Then it means that whatever information he’s given us about Linezka has failed us. In which case we’re fucked.”
“Besides,” Frank added, “I’ve gone through a whole bunch of those books looking for anything that’ll help us against this witch and nothing’s come up as immediately useful.”
“And if he agrees to the swap?” Aaron finally asked. He had finished his sub. “Books for information?”
“I… guess we’ll have to make good on the trade,” I said.
“And that means?”
He knew the answer. I didn’t have to tell him. And as it turned out, I couldn’t have told him even if I wanted to. Collette’s arrival on the back of a harsh, howling wind halted all conversation in the room. I turned my eyes to the window overlooking the front porch as, outside, fragments of twigs and fallen autumn leaves picked up off the ground flew at the house, slapping against wall, window, and door alike with impunity. Collette herself was only a shadow on that strange wind; a swift spot of shimmering darkness only visible to a
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