Page 51 of Magical Mischief

I nodded slowly and turned my attention to Bella. “He’s locked in a cycle of vengeance. But that doesn’t change what he’s done.”

Stella put an arm around my shoulder. “Can we all just stop for a moment, though…” She glanced at everyone around me. “And congratulate our new witch on an exceptional little trick she used for her dad?”

Keegan’s low, gravelly chuckle coated over me as his hands left my arms. “Yeah. That was unforgettable. Nice work.”

I laughed and shook my head, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks. “I was terrified when I realized he’d made my dad human. My entire plan hinged on Frank becoming a giant bulldog to shock the heck out of Gideon.”

“Well, it worked,” Nova said, smiling. “That spell work isn’t for the faint of heart.”

“Desperate times and all that…” I shrugged.

“Let’s regroup at the cottage,” Keegan said hoarsely. “We need a real plan.”

“Yeah. I don’t think Gideon will be thrilled that he left without me.” I glanced at Keegan, and his gaze held mine. “Thank you for saving me.”

“You didn’t need my help. I just ensured the process didn’t take so long.” He looked away, not believing his own words.

“I don’t know about that, but thank you.”

Nova squeezed my hand. “We’ll figure this out. Together.”

“And there were only a couple of lookie-loos,” Stella explained. “The last thing they’ll remember upon waking tomorrow is drinking the best tea of their lives at my humble tea shop.”

I chuckled and looked at the scorched and snow-dusted runic circle. But the truth hummed beneath the surface.

Gideon was a foe beyond illusions and Wards, and our battle of wills had only begun.

Chapter Twelve

Twobble stared at me incredulously.

“Wait a doggone minute.” He shook his head. “No pun intended.”

I tried not to laugh at the goblin’s befuddled expression, but it was hard to keep a straight face. Because, honestly, he had a point.

My dad sat next to the cottage in his giant-sized self from the spell I’d used to break Gideon’s hold on him.

He was now a bulldog so large that his panting stirred the wind like a restless storm.

My dad rested his massive jowls on the roof, tongue lolling in contentment. I worried about the structural integrity of the entire place, but couldn’t get over what I’d just managed to pull off.

“So, you figured out how to make Frank the size of theJolly the Green Giant,” Twobble said, looking like he couldn’t decide if he should laugh or cry, “but how to get him back down to size never occurred to you?”

I glanced at Nova and Keegan, both standing with arms folded near the porch. The shadows of the night sky bounced off the hidden smiles of their expressions.

Stella snickered behind me, not even bothering to hide her amusement.

Bella, meanwhile, hovered off to one side, half-transformed into her fox state with her ears and tail flickering between shapes like she couldn’t decide which form best conveyed her disbelief.

I squared my shoulders and cleared my throat.

“No. I can’t say it did occur to me. I just got so excited when I found that spell in the book Bella brought over that I jumped on the chance to confuse Gideon and free my dad.”

“Oh, keep me out of this.” Bella shifted back into her human form. “I learned long ago never to get between a goblin and a human argument.”

Twobble frowned. “We’re not arguing. I’m pointing out the obvious.”

“Fine. It does seem like a fairly obvious step now that I shouldn’t have skipped over.”