Song of the Ancients (Ancient Magic Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

I picked up it up. Instantly, an image sprang to my mind, so sudden and vivid it made me reel. A man, his head covered by a black hood, peered into the window where Rumor now stood. I swayed and put out a hand to steady myself, but the window screen buckled inward. It had been cut and carefully fit back into place to mask the entry attempt.
    "Whoa." Rumor stepped back, surveying the sagging screen. "Nice job, klutz. Breaking in makes you look more like a stalker than a love interest."
    "I didn't do it!" I showed her the black-handled knife.
    She ran her thumb along the blade, and looked at the clean cut of the screen. "Do you think we should call the police?"
    I pulled the screen down further and braced my palms on the window, trying to push it up. It wouldn't budge. "I don't think anyone has been in here recently." I slipped the knife into my sweatshirt pocket. "Let's put everything back and tell Nicholas. Let him handle it."
    Rumor repositioned the screen into the window frame. I felt a pang of guilt about removing potential evidence. But for the second time in a week I'd touched something and been struck with…what? Visions? Premonitions? Suddenly, I wanted to be away from this house, away from Jerome.
    On the way home I examined Nicholas's business card. "It says family practice . Is he a doctor? A lawyer? Or were he and his aunt in some kind of business together?"
    "I don't know," Rumor said, "but he's had relatives living here for decades."
    "Really? How do you know?"
    "I mentioned him to Maya the other night," Rumor said. "She knows him. His aunt was High Priestess for the coven before she and Nuin took over."
    "Really?" I shook my head. "I'm surprised Nuin doesn't know either one of them."
    "What makes you think he doesn't?" Rumor seemed surprised.
    "I'm pretty sure he doesn't know any of the Orenda family. He certainly didn't act like he knew Nicholas the other night. And then he came into the store yesterday and asked me about the aunt."
    I stared at the distant buildings of Jerome above the trees. What would cause Nicholas' aunt to desert her life here so abruptly? "This woman made some pretty drastic changes. I don't think she's coming back."
    Rumor looked at me and shrugged.
    I realized I had no idea what type of work Nicholas did, where he lived, or his interests. If he was married and simply didn't wear his ring. In fact, I knew nothing about the man, except I had consigned his aunt's clothing. And now he was selling this empty isolated house. He r house. My gut said be careful. He was keeping something about his presence here a secret. My heart, however, wanted to know everything about him. I lit on the web he was weaving and was unable to resist the pull.
     

Chapter 6: Best Laid Plans
    "Nicholas, how are you?" Maya hugged him before sliding over a stool to make room at the tiny outdoor bar at the Hideaway.
    He ordered a scotch neat and lit a cigarette with a slim silver lighter while the bartender served their drinks. "I have been away too long. This feels like returning home. Except home is empty."
    Maya's brown eyes followed Nicholas's restless fingers playing a tap-dance of frustration on the bar. She covered his hand with hers and squeezed. "Heard anything from your aunt Bella?"
    He tried to smile, but it didn't quite hold. "Nothing since she disappeared." He raised the cigarette, and the end glowed as he inhaled. "I took her clothes to her old store."
    "Past Lives?"
    "Yes." Nicholas crushed out his cigarette with a disgusted grimace and shook out a fresh one. "I don't know why she agreed to sell the place so low. She could have gotten twice what this girl offered. But those were her instructions." He gave Maya a sideways glance. "Have you met the new owner? Danroe. Samantha Danroe."
    Maya nodded. "Yes, just recently. She came to the full moon last weekend."
    Nicholas swiveled in his seat to face her. "Interesting. She's a witch?" It could explain why she reacted so strongly to the cloak. It might also