Page 35

CHAPTER 35

“T ake a left here.” Elora was studying her phone, her face glowing softly in the screen’s light.

Jonah turned left, the headlights cutting through the darkness and the snow drifting lazily from the sky.

He glanced at the rearview mirror, studying Cece in the backseat. She had the same worried expression he knew was on his face.

“I’m not a dark witch,” Elora said abruptly.

“We know that,” Cece said.

“Do you? Because both of you are staring at me like I’m going to lay a hex on you at any minute.”

“No, we’re not,” Cece said.

Elora sighed, staring moodily out into the darkness. “I’m having a hard time controlling my magic, but I won’t use it to hurt an innocent.”

Jonah reached across the seat and took her hand. “We know, baby.”

She took in a shuddering breath. “My magic has never been this strong before, and it’s kind of freaking me out, but it’s good, right? If I want to defeat Malencia, I need more power.”

“Elora, maybe I should -”

“No, Jonah.” She scowled at him. “Don’t tell me you should go alone. I don’t want to keep having this conversation with you. You need me if you want to have even a chance of defeating her. It’s the only way to save Caleb.”

“I don’t want to save him at the expense of losing you,” he said.

“You won’t.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m not going anywhere. We are going to find Malencia, and we will take Caleb back.”

“You’ll have to kill her, Elora. You know that, right?” Jonah said, his voice hoarse.

“I know,” she said, still staring at the darkness.

They drove the rest of the way in silence. As they parked in front of the townhouse that belonged to Malencia’s daughter, Jonah’s stomach was a stew of guilt, fear, and regret. This was his fault. He had brought Malencia into Elora’s life, and now there was the real possibility that she would die because of it.

For a moment, he thought he might throw up. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat, willing his churning stomach to calm the fuck down.

Elora turned to him when he didn’t open the door, studying him before reaching out and taking his hand again. “Hey, you okay?”

“No, I’m fucking not,” he rasped. “All of this is my fault and -”

“Stop,” she said. “I told you before, this is not your fault. This is Malencia’s fault. She’s the one who used dark magic to trap you. She tried to kill you.”

“If I hadn’t slept with her daughter, then -”

She leaned across the seat and cupped his face. “You had no way of knowing what that decision would lead to, Jonah. Stop beating yourself up over it. I could have walked away from you after I broke the spell. I didn’t because I wanted to be with you, even if being with you means rescuing your brother from a crazy dark witch. Okay?”

He nodded, putting on his game face and hoping it was convincing, even though the guilt was still eating him alive. Elora kissed him, her mouth soft and warm and exactly what he needed. He returned her kiss, sliding his hand into her silky dark hair and deepening it with an almost frantic type of need.

“Hey, friend in the back seat, remember? Don’t make this weird,” Cece said.

They broke apart, and Jonah had to grin when Elora blushed and said, “Sorry, Cece.”

“Okay, let’s go talk to Malencia’s daughter,” Cece said and climbed out of the car.

Jonah and Elora followed her up the neatly shoveled sidewalk. Elora rang the doorbell, and Jonah’s stomach clenched tight when a woman opened the door. Her dark hair now had a pure white streak at the front and she was a little thinner than before, but it was Shawna. She had a toddler on her hip, and the little girl stared at them as Shawna said, “Can I help you?”

Jonah stepped into the light. “Hello, Shawna.”

“Hello,” she said, giving him a blank look.

He glanced at Elora before clearing his throat. “It’s Jonah.”

Shawna made a half-shrug, and feeling weirdly embarrassed, he said, “We, um, we spent the weekend together about three years ago.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Is that right? Well, if you’re looking for a repeat performance, I’m married and not interested.”

“We’re looking for your mother,” Elora said.

Shawna’s face turned cold. “You’ve come to the wrong place.”

She started to shut the door, and Jonah grabbed it. “Shawna, please. We need your help. She has my brother.”

Shawna sighed, studying the child in her arms before stepping back. “Come inside.”

Ten minutes later, they were crowded around the small kitchen table. Shawna’s daughter had glommed onto Cece the moment she sat down, sitting in her lap and giving Cece a stuffed animal to hold. Cece smiled at the little girl as Shawna studied Jonah.

“You don’t remember me?” Jonah asked. He glanced at Elora. “We hooked up about three years ago.”

Shawna shrugged. “I was in my slut stage. I slept with a lot of guys.”

“Slut,” the little girl said brightly, and Shawna sighed.

“That’s a Mommy word only, sweetheart.”

The little girl giggled before turning to Cece and struggling to hold up three fingers. “I three.”

Cold fear washed over Jonah, and he stared at Shawna. “Um…”

“Relax, Casanova, she’s not yours,” Shawna said dryly. “My husband is her father. If you and I did hook up three years ago, it was at the tail end of my slut stage just before I met my husband.”

“We hooked up,” Jonah said. “We spent the weekend at your apartment, and when I woke up Monday morning, your mother was there, and you were making wedding plans.”

“Oh shit,” Shawna said as her eyes lit up with recognition. “Now I remember!”

“What exactly is it that you remember?” Elora asked, her voice thick with anger. “When she tried to kill him or when she cursed him to live as a crow forever.”

Jonah took her hand, rubbing her knuckles to ease the tension from it. He was relieved when she relaxed slightly, and the faint blue glow in her knuckles disappeared.

Looking embarrassed, Shawna said, “My mother was over-the-top about my sleeping around. I’d promised her I would stop, so when she showed up unexpectedly and realized I had a guy at my apartment, I, maybe, sort of, made it sound like we were serious and getting married.”

“Are you fu -” Elora glanced at the toddler, “Are you kidding me?”

“Look, it was a dumb thing to do, okay? I admit it,” Shawna said defensively. “I shouldn’t have told her that, and I shouldn’t have pretended to be upset when he didn’t play along. But I didn’t realize at that point how much my mother had embraced dark magic and -”

“She tried to kill Jonah,” Elora snapped, “and she cursed him as a crow.”

Shawna frowned. “She told me that she released him from the spell once she took him away from my apartment.”

“She lied,” Jonah said. “I’ve been a crow for the last three years, and I was only freed when Elora figured out how to break your mother’s curse.”

“Shit,” Shawna said, leaning back in her chair. “I had no idea.”

“Shit,” the toddler gleefully told Cece.

“Mommy word only,” Shawna said absently as she stared at Jonah. “I’m sorry, I really am.”

Elora scoffed. “Like that means anything.”

Jonah leaned forward. “Your mother found me again and tried to kill me and my friends before she kidnapped my brother. She says that you’re still heartbroken over what I did to you, so maybe you could talk to her? Because it seems to me like you’ve moved on.”

“I’ve gone no contact with my mother,” Shawna said.

“You can make an exception,” Elora said.

“No, I can’t,” Shawna said flatly. “She has no idea where I am, and I’m keeping it that way.”

“She’s a powerful dark witch,” Elora said. “You’re fooling yourself if you think she doesn’t know where you are.”

Shawna’s eyes flashed fire, and every cupboard in the kitchen suddenly opened and slammed shut.

Her daughter squealed laughter and clapped her hands. “Again, Mama!”

“She’s not the only one with power,” Shawna said. “The spell I’ve performed on my family has kept us hidden from her for the last two years, and it will continue to do so.”

“Mama, I hungry. I want a bana,” the little girl said, pointing to the fruit bowl on the counter.

“Mama will get you a banana in a minute, Lauren,” Shawna said.

“Why did you go no contact with her?” Cece asked.

“Dark magic has destroyed the person she was. I could see it happening but didn’t know how to stop it, and then…”

“Then what?” Elora asked.

“Bana, Mama,” Lauren said, impatience creeping into her voice.

“She tried to take my daughter,” Shawna said. “Lauren’s magic is already very strong, and my mother wanted it for herself.”

“How strong?” Cece asked.

Before Shawna could reply, the fruit bowl rattled, and Jonah, Elora, and Cece watched as a banana tore apart from the bunch and rose in the air before floating across the kitchen. Lauren snatched it out of the air with a happy squeal and held it out to Cece. “Peel bana, please.”

Lauren’s hands glowed a light orange, and she hummed a tuneless song under her breath. Cece peeled the banana and handed it to her.

“Her aura is stronger than yours,” Elora said, soft amazement in her voice.

Shawna nodded. “I know.” Her fingers reached up and absently stroked the streak of white in her hair. “It nearly killed me, but I stopped my mother from taking Lauren. I haven’t seen or spoken to her since.”

She gave Jonah an earnest look. “I’m sorry for the part I played in what happened to you, and I’m sorry that she’s taken your brother, but I cannot and will not let her back into my life. Not when it puts my child in danger.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Jonah said.

Elora leaned forward. “I get why you won’t help, but at least tell us where your mother lives.”

“I don’t know where she is,” Shawna said. “She used to live in Camryn Heights, but I know she isn’t there anymore. The bank foreclosed on her house about seven months ago. I don’t have a new address for her, I’m sorry.”

“I don’t suppose you have an old hairbrush of hers just lying around?” Cece asked.

Shawna shook her head. “No, but even if I did, I’m sure my mother has protected herself from location spells.”

“Stopping another witch from doing a locator spell on you is really difficult to do,” Cece said doubtfully.

“It is, but it can be done,” Elora said. “She’s been practicing dark magic for a long time, and I’m sure she’s gained plenty of enemies.”

Looking sick to her stomach, Shawna lifted Lauren from Cece’s lap and kissed the little girl’s smooth cheek. “I need to put Lauren to bed, and my husband will be home soon.”

Defeat making his limbs heavy, Jonah heaved himself out of the chair, linking his fingers with Elora’s as they headed toward the front door. Even her touch didn’t soothe him, but he tried to smile at her as Cece opened the door and stepped outside.

Elora followed her as Shawna tapped Jonah on the back. He paused on the threshold as, from the safety of her mother’s arms, Lauren raised her tiny hand and opened and closed her fist several times. “Bye bye, boy.”

“I am truly sorry, Jonah,” Shawna said, remorse shining in her eyes. “I hope you find your brother.”