Page 80 of Hexed, Vexed, & Undersexed

“Fix it later! Preston won’t crumble. You can kiss and make it up to him when we’re out of this mess.”

“Ah, now,” Mindy says, pulling my attention back to her. “I've already got that covered. Chance, darling, show Evanora the proof.”

Chance scrambles to do as he's been told and, in the process, drops whatever he's holding.

Mindy rolls her eyes skyward as if to pray for patience.

“Oh, and Preston, darling,” she sniffs, “you're fired.”

When Preston doesn't say or do anything, I flip her the bird on his behalf. Chance walks cautiously past Preston and holds up a tablet to me—it's live footage of my house. And there, on the floor of the solarium, is Gram-Gram, knocked out cold or worse—dead.

“So, you see, my sweet littlebitch, I do have the leverage!”

Oooooooooooooooooooo, Mindy can certainly bring it.

“What's happened to her!” I demand.

“Nothing that can't be fixed. If you give me what I want,” Mandy says snootily.

Mentally, I debate with myself—and Bellamy.

“You can't give it to her. It means the end of the world for everyone else,”Bellamy reminds me.

“Do you not know anything about family?”I cry almost desperately because I know he speaks the truth.

“I know everything about family, Nora,”he returns gently, using Preston’s nickname,“but sometimes you have to do what’s for the greater good.”

“I'm not giving up on my gram-gram!”

With that, I shut him out of my mind and make my resolve.

“It's in a cave in England where Mother Shipton lived,” I announce.

My two magical husbands and one human. . . not quite sure what he is, all groan.

“You're supposed to make her trade off or something first, at least,” Preston mutters with a disappointed sigh.

“I'm sorry! This is my first time negotiating with such high stakes!” I defend lamely.

“Fabulous,” Mindy chirps. “That's all we need from you. And now I just need, honestly, the four of you out of my way.”

With the wave of her hand, she signals for people that I didn't notice before. Recognition flares in my mind; it’s the high priests in the Baker coven!

“Oh!” I cry in outrage. “My Gram let you stick your bat in her belfry!”

The old horn dog laughs.

“Yeah, so that she could have look at our grimoire,” he counters. “Fat lot of good it did her, but c’est la vie.”

From beneath his robe, he pulls out a doll, as do his three coven henchmen.

“I realize that they’re voodoo dolls, but it’ll get the job done.”

With a casual flick of his wrist, he tilts the doll sideways and his henchmen follow suit. Bellamy, Preston, Kai, and I all go flying against the opposite wall in the hall. We slam into it hard and crumple to the ground. Moans fill my ears—those of my mates and my own. Through my pain, I grit my teeth.As usual, my mouth doesn’t know when to shut and begins sarcastically running itself.

It must have taken notes from my ovaries.

“It's ironic, Mindy, that you use witches for your dirty work even though you plan on eradicating us.” I throw the high priest of the Baker coven a look. “I bet you didn't know that!”