Page 11

“You might be better, but you’ve still got a long ways to go. Looooong,” she said again, drawing out the word. “I didn’t think I needed to remind you that the enemy is still out there. Demons aren’t a joke, Norah Girl. They suck all the good out of people. They kill everything around them out of pleasure and then they keep going. They thrive off hate and anger and death. This thing needs to be taken care of.”

“Well, apparently we’re not Order members anymore. The superiors—”

She threw her hand up. “Oh, I saw. But what I didn’t see was you coming to grips with the fact that this is still your problem. I didn’t need no Order or coven to change my magical world, and neither do you. Fight against the darkness, Baby Girl. You need no one’s permission for that.”

I swallowed, staring up at the grandmother who raised me. She’d done just as she said. Granny didn’t take crap from anyone, and I could do the same. Who was the Order to tell us we couldn’t do what every magical person in this town should be afraid of? Who knew what else Jax could do? If what he’d already done was any indication, we were in for a world of hurt.

“You are not a puppet on their string. This is everyone’s problem.”

“I just said that.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“In my head, I did.”

She gave a doubtful look.

“Really, I did.”

“Like I tried to tell you when you were a teen, I still can’t read your mind.”

It was my turn to give her a doubtful look. There’d been plenty of times I was sure she had that ability. It seemed like she always knew exactly what I was going to do before I even knew it myself. “It doesn’t matter. You’re right.”

She beamed. Her teeth almost glowing in the shadows. “Alive or dead, being told you’re right never gets old.”

I ignored her statement. “Granny,” I started. Looking over at Travis, he looked so peaceful in the arm chair sleeping, but his brows were just a little furrowed as if even when he slept this whole Jax thing got to him. He was carrying a lot of weight on his shoulders and I wasn’t sure I agreed with him on his belief that Jax could be saved.

“Well, out with it,” she snapped.

“Granny, I, um, Travis thinks his friend can be saved. The one who summoned the demon to give him his powers back.”

Granny turned toward Travis as I spoke. She’d come to him before in his sleep and I had a feeling that she had a soft spot for him.

“Is it true? Can Jax be pulled back?”

“I wish I knew, Norah. I wish I knew. I always strived to live in the light. I never got into the messy dark side, and I sure as heaven wouldn’t have gone that far dark nor spoke to anyone who did. But I think…I’d like to think that if that person wants to be saved, they can be. All of us have a choice. Just like you, Norah. You can choose to sit around this place eating pizza and drinking it up, or you can get up, and start working on what’s more important. Get everyone involved. It’s not just your fight. It’s all the witches here. It’s everyone here who has any shred of magical abilities. Those that burn the brightest dim the quickest.” She stepped forward, a frown tugging at her lips. “That’s why I’m scared for you, Norah Girl. So scared for you. The minute you were born you lit up everything. Everywhere you go, light, light, light. You can’t let the dark affect you. You’ll be the first, I’m afraid.”

I shook my head. “I’m going to be fine. We all are.” A surge of adrenaline shot through me. At the same time, it seemed to die out way too soon. Talking with Granny kept me alert, but I had a feeling that as soon as she left, I’d be passed out. I didn’t have a clue as to why I was so tired. Maybe that talk earlier with the guys had taken a bigger toll on me than I thought. Or maybe it was the fact that we hadn’t been a unit that had taken its toll on me and this was the aftermath.

“All I know is, I’ll be right here for you. I’ll always be right here for you.”

The familiar pain of losing Granny struck me again. I knew enough not to reach out to her as she slowly faded away, but it made it all the worse to lose her again and know that not even trying to catch her would work. “Miss you, Granny.”

“Did you not hear what I said?” She shook her head as the shadows rolled in, taking her away.

I couldn’t help but smirk. She was always so literal.

Somewhere in my unconsciousness, I was still there. Caught somewhere in that strange realm of dreaming and not dreaming. When Granny came to me, I wasn’t dreaming. I was fully conscious of it all even though my body was in a state of sleep. I didn’t understand it, but I was one of the lucky ones. Still able to see the most important person to me in this life even after her death.

I yawned again, my eyes stinging. I tried closing my eyes, wishing I’d go back into sleep. Back where I wasn’t conscious of the fact that I was just laying here on top of Randy. This only happened when Granny came though.

I opened one eye. Was she fully gone? Maybe she was coming back.

I looked around the room. I couldn’t see her. Her usual flourish of fog and haze was gone. I saw everything just as it was before we went to sleep. Gabe sprawled out on the opposite sofa. Travis in the recliner. Liam on the floor in front of me while Randy and I took up this couch.

I closed my eyes again, waiting for this part of my brain to turn off. Or was this a magical thing? Did I control it before and not know it? “Sleep,” I mumbled.

Nothing.