Page 80 of Twisted Ties

The magic burns in my veins, scorches my fingertips. And I want to. I want to use it. I don’t want this man chasing me. I don’t want to live in fear the whole time that any moment he’s going to leap from the shadows. I don’t want to feel this strange pull to a cruel murderer like him. I don’t want him hurting the people I love the most.

The thought has me lifting my eyes to the landing. Winnie? Is she okay? Is she – my throat constricts so that I can’t breathe – alive?

As if my thoughts summon her, she steps through the doorway, Pip at her heels. She lifts her hands and the man on the ground is too entranced by me, his eyes locked on my face, that he doesn’t see.

Winnie’s lips move, her hands dance through the air and Renzo vanishes from sight.

26

Rhi

I stare downat the space Renzo Barone occupied only moments ago. Did I see that right?

I step forward, squinting at the ground. Only those white objects remain on the floor where he’d lain only moments ago.

“Come on,” Winnie shouts, hobbling down the staircase as she clutches her stomach. “That spell won’t have sent him far. We need to get out of here.”

“Wh-wh-what did you do to him?” I say as Winnie pushes my shoulder, forcing me down the remaining step. “He’s gone.”

“It’s just a stupid spell. Me and my sisters used to mess around with it all the time. Drove Mom mad.”

“I don’t understand,” I say dumbfounded as shegrabs my wrist.

“It just sends the person someplace else. My little sister used to do it all the time to my middle one – just as she’d be lifting her dessert spoon to her mouth, she’d shoot her upstairs to the bedroom.”

“So where is he?”

“I don’t know exactly. I sent him as far as I could, but the spell is limited. He won’t be far. Which is why we need to move.”

“Wait!” I say, tugging on her arm and pulling her towards the objects.

Teeth. They are teeth. Two white molars and a canine.

“Are they human?” Winnie says, her voice quivering.

“I don’t know. He said … he said they were a … gift.” I swallow down bile in my throat.

“Oh my god!” Winnie says, sounding equally sickened.

“Should I take them?” I ask.

“NO! They could be cursed!”

“But shouldn’t we hand them over to Azlan or something? Have them work out who … whose they were?”

“Rhi, no!!” Winnie yanks on my arm, pulling me away towards the door.

Outside, she sprints to the car, Pip chasing after her. I swing my gaze round the meadow before ducking into the car.

Winnie jerks the vehicle into gear and shoots us out of the meadow.

“Are you hurt?” I ask her, noticing the way she rubs her stomach.

“It’s not too bad. Grandma’s protection spells are pretty hardy things.”

“Your Grandma placed a protection spell on you?”

“Yeah.”