Page 22 of Devoted in the Midlife

Kendra hummed thoughtfully, already flipping through the worn pages of her spell book. "It won't be easy, but I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve. Let's see what we can do."

Together, Kendra and Adalinda set to work, carefully arranging the non-magic-nullifying dagger within a circle of rune-inscribed candles. The scent of burning herbs intensified as Kendra began to chant, her voice rising and falling in a complex rhythm that tugged at something primal within me.

I watched, transfixed, as tendrils of smoke wove themselves into intricate patterns above the dagger, forming ghostly images of faces and places I didn't recognize. For a moment, I dared to hope that the spell was working, that we were on the cusp of a breakthrough.

But as quickly as the images appeared, they dissipated, leaving nothing but a cold sense of disappointment in their wake. Kendra's shoulders slumped, her expression one of grim resignation. "I'm sorry. The dagger isn't giving us anything.Whoever last used it must have some serious magical protection in place."

I fought back the urge to scream in frustration. Another dead end, another unanswered question. But I couldn't let myself wallow in defeat.

Squaring my shoulders, I met Kendra's gaze with a determined nod. "Then we keep looking. We keep digging until we find something, anything, that can help us stop this killer before they strike again."

It wasn't much of a plan, but it was all I had.

12

HAILEY

Just like the weather,my nerves fluctuated between the scalding frustration of another failed spell and the cool embers of fragile hope. Each time the daggers slipped through our magical nets, it chilled me further, but I had to believe we would find a way. Even if it took every magical being in the supernatural world banging their heads together to come up with some solution.

I glared down at my phone. After days of hitting dead end after dead end trying to magically track the killer, a spark of static from the dry fall air made me jolt as my finger brushed the screen. The sting sharpened my determination. This couldn't go on. We needed a new approach. Something bigger. Bolder.

I typed out a text, stabbing each letter with enough force to slay a vampire, if autocorrect was any judge.

Emergency Magical Hive-Mind Session. Our place. 2 hours. Everyone better be here.

I jabbed the send button, then added a bit for clarity.

Bring all your magic, all your brains, and all your pointy objects. It's time to make these daggers give up their secrets before someone else dies.

The tiny gray text bubbles appeared and vanished in quick succession as the others started responding with variations of "On my way." Thank goodness. We needed the whole crew together, with all of our magic in one place.

Maybe a full dragon-vampire-witch brainstorming session could finally break through whatever wards the killer had wrapped around those daggers. Or maybe getting all our particular brands of supernatural crazy together would knock something loose. It wasn't like I had a treasure map with a big red X marked "Solution Here." But I had my friends, my little found family of things that went bump in the night. And I had a really big backyard. If we couldn't figure this out between the dozen of us, then I was officially out of ideas.

After sending the text, I sank into our oversized couch. I stretched out and reached for the remote, flipping through channels until the familiar chords of the Supernatural theme song filled the room.

In the kitchen, I heard the distinctive sound of Jax moving around. The soft thunk of the refrigerator door, the rattle of a pan being set on the stove, the click of the igniter as he lit the burner. A smile tugged at my mouth as I picked up the warm, savory smell of chicken and herbs. My Jax, cooking for one tiny hungry dragon. Gosh, I loved that man.

"Is this the one where Dean makes the devil's trap bullet?" Kendra asked as she flopped down on the other end of the couch.

I shook my head. "No, I think this is the one where they find out the Colt can't kill Lucifer. Oh, hey, Adalinda."

The dragon queen gave a regal nod as she settled into Jax's favorite armchair.

Flint's happy trill drifted out from the kitchen, followed by Jax's deep chuckle. "Yes, you can have the big bowl, you little beggar."

The front door opened, and Luke walked in just as Dean Winchester plunged a machete into a snarling vampire's neck, lopping the head clean off in a spray of way-too-fake blood.

"You know, it really is a good thing that vampires aren't actually like that," Kendra said as the headless body thudded to the ground. "Can you imagine the mess?"

"Excuse you, Dean Winchester can hunt me anytime." I waved a hand at the screen. "Or Sam. I'm not picky."

"Preach." Luke high-fived me as he passed to settle on the arm of the couch. "Team Winchester all the way."

From the kitchen, Jax's voice carried a distinct note of amused warning. "Hey, I heard that!"

I leaned my head back to smirk in his general direction. "I said hunt, not hump! I'm a taken woman, but I'm not dead. Well, no more than usual."

Kendra snorted, Adalinda raised one elegant eyebrow, and Luke chuckled. "Don't worry, no fictionally hot hunters are stealing your mate anytime soon."