Page 17

Chapter

Sixteen

I t was eight forty-five p.m. on the longest godsdamned day ever—discounting the day I’d found Mom’s body. The drive out of town had taken a good twenty minutes, and I’d fumed the whole way there.

“You know, I’m pissed about a lot of things tonight, but I think the cherry on top has to be that Desmond took Bronwyn and Margaux to the same place where my homicidal stalker took me,” I said to the occupants in the car. “Feels like a real slap to the face.”

Fennel peered out the passenger side window. “ Meow .”

Cecil chittered.

And six rats in the back seat made chirping noises.

The rats were the most senior members of Alpha Lydia’s security team. She’d insisted I take them with us, and I didn’t fight her on it. The more the merrier, as far as I was concerned. Plus, I wasn’t responsible for them beyond a ride there. They’d find their own way home.

I pulled onto a dirt road a half mile from the property. The three-quarter moon seemed bigger and brighter than usual, which was good, since as soon as I switched off my headlights I wouldn’t have been able to see much without it.

From my vantage point, I was able to view the ramshackle, one-story house in the center of an overgrown alfalfa field. Angry black slashes covered one side of house, a colorful graffiti mural depicting a beautiful woman decorated the other. Bare boards showed through on the places not covered with spray paint.

A short distance up slouched a fifteen-foot tall, rectangular stack of hay bales. I parked behind the disintegrating moldy mess, crossing my fingers it wouldn’t collapse, tossed the keys to Ida’s LTD onto the floorboard, and opened my door.

The rats filed out in an orderly single line, like furry little soldiers. Cecil and Fennel followed, much less orderly and—in Cecil’s case—slightly less furry. By the time I’d pulled out my tote bag and Cecil’s backpack and shut the car door, the rats were gone.

“That was quick.”

Fennel’s black ears pricked up and his tail was rod straight and swishing like a windshield wiper in a rainstorm. He did not like that house.

“You sensing any magic?”

He growled.

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. It was Ida.

“Don’t worry,” I said, “I’ll fill up the tank before I bring your car back.”

“You better,” she replied. “What’s going on? I went home to take care of Meredith and by the time I got back, you and the boys were gone, and the rat alpha was sitting at your table eating cookies with Maya.”

“Be nice to that alpha. She told me where I could find Bronwyn and Margaux.”

“Good news. And Ronan?”

My chest tightened. “No.”

“So, where are you?” she asked quickly .

“You aren’t going to believe this, but I’m back at the house where you rescued me last time.”

“ That’s where that squirrelly little punk is hiding? Where your psycho demon-cousin tried to off you? What a slap in the face.”

“Right?”

“That place is awful.” She clicked her tongue. “I thought the wolves burned it to the ground.”

“Nope. It’s still standing. On the bright side, at least this time you won’t have to use that app to track me down should I go missing.”

“You should’ve let me come with you. I could’ve helped.”

I stared at the darkened windows of the bedraggled little house to see if I could detect any movement behind the broken glass. “You left that life behind years ago. What kind of friend would I be if I dragged you back into it?”

“You’ve already dragged me back into it. Remember the mayor job?”

“What are you talking about? That was your idea. I dragged you into the highway demon job. Sort of.” I thought it over. “Come to think of it, that one was your idea, too. I’m starting to think you’re a bad influence on me, Ida Summer.”

“ Starting , my foot. You’ve always known that.”

“Yeah. It’s part of why I love you.” I watched the moonlit field surrounding the house for rustling but saw nothing. The rats were either still or very good at masking their progress.

“Anyway, I don’t mind helping. Might feel good to whip out the old powers after all this time.” Her voice turned serious. “How dangerous is it out there?”

“According to Alpha Lydia, the rats who were here before detected no magic.”

“And that’s a good thing, right?”

“Maybe. It might also mean the witch in there is good at hiding his magic. Desmond isn’t that kind of witch, so he likely has help. My guess is Aldrich Redding. He’s got the skill—or maybe Carolina Foster. Billy Lopez doesn’t have the juice, and neither does Gordon Lu. The latter is a healer and the former is, well, Billy.”

“Yeah, I can’t see Chela Lopez’s son helping a guy like that.”

“Me neither, but as the weakest coven member, he might not have a choice.”

“I don’t like this, Betty.”

You and me both. “I’ll be fine. Keep watch over Maya. If anything happens to me, send her off with Alpha Lydia. The rat pack will keep her safe.”

“If I have to do that, I’m going to come barreling after you.”

“Don’t you dare. If this guy is strong enough to take down six rats, three witches, a magic cat, and survive Cecil’s explosives, you’re going to need to stay as far away as you possibly can. Be good, Ida.”

“Don’t tell me something like that,” she snapped.

“Oh, don’t worry. I doubt he’s that strong.”

“Of course he isn’t. You could kick his butt six ways from Sunday with one hand tied behind your back,” she said. “I meant the part about being good. You know that’s not something I’m capable of.”

We ended the call, and I set the phone to silent.

I could’ve pulled the LTD around to the front of the house. I wasn’t going in as a surprise—my happy ass was storming through the front door. Still, I kept the car parked where it was for Ida’s sake. Cecil’s explosives had serious range.

There was another reason for my parking spot, too. One that had nothing to do with the LTD.

Before I faced Desmond Mace, I needed to take a contemplative little walk.

Though it was chilly, I shucked off my jacket and tossed it into the car through the driver’s side window. My shirt was a sleeveless, black cotton tee. Then I pulled off my shoes and socks. I wasn’t worried about stepping on anything. Once I was on the soil, it wouldn’t matter.

I used an elastic band to secure my hair in a ponytail then took a long, deep breath and headed into the overgrown alfalfa field with Cecil and Fennel to my left and right, respectively.

Electricity drove up through the soles of my feet. It was fiery hot—what I assumed walking on hot coals felt like—but I held my ground. Literally. When I felt like I could move again, I began the trek through the field. As I walked, dust plumed up in a cloud that superheated and steamed into my skin.

I ground my teeth against the pain.

Magic dumped into my bloodstream and bulleted to my heart to be pumped out to the rest of my body. A sparkling silver light enveloped me, and the rallying cry of my ancestors emanated from deep within my soul. I might not have been one hundred percent connected to my own soil, but I had to be doing something right, because I was worlds beyond where I’d been even a month ago, when I’d scoured the flesh from my stalker’s skeleton with a handful of dust and a lot of rage.

By the time I emerged from the field, I felt as if I’d been stuffed into an oven and baked on low heat. Sweat poured down the sides of my face and my spine. It soaked my top and the waistband of my jeans.

“Meow?” Fennel sounded a mile away, yet I could clearly see him beside me.

If Cecil made any noise, I didn’t hear it. Both of them looked up at me, waiting for the plan.

“I’m going to take down any defensive spells the witches cast on the house. Wait until I’m done to start looking for them. Stay out of sight of enemies.”

Cecil’s purple hat bent back like Fennel’s ears did when I pissed him off.

“Look, I know you know all that. It just makes me feel better to say it, okay?” My patience was wearing thin, but I kept my voice even and calm. “Remember the plan. Once everyone’s clear, you have my permission to reduce this house to sawdust.”

He let out a snide snicker and his hat poked straight up. I resisted the temptation to compare it to anything, because the only thing that came to mind wasn’t something I wanted to think about in regard to Cecil.

“ Make sure everyone’s clear first. Got it? You have to wait.”

His hat flattened again, so I gave him my cell phone to play Angry Birds while he waited. He greedily snatched it out of my hands, and he and Fennel took off to lie low until I needed them.

“Keep the sound off,” I whisper-shouted at his retreating back.

When they were out of sight, I walked the perimeter of the house, chanting a single word, over and over.

“ Reveal , reveal , reveal .”

Nothing showed itself.

“It’s just like Desmond said, Aldrich. ‘She’ll be easy to beat because she relies on spoken spells instead of her element,’” a shrill feminine voice said.

I stopped. Shot a quick look over my shoulder.

Carolina Foster stood behind me, arms crossed over her chest. Aldrich Redding was on her left, flashlight in one hand, both arms hanging loosely at his side. He was dressed in traditional coven robes and leather sandals, and his beard was white and scraggly.

“Turn around and face us with your weak magic, Betty Lennox.”

“Nah,” I said. “I’m fine looking at you this way.”

Carolina had big brown eyes, smooth olive skin, and perfect white teeth. She was young and pretty and looked like she knew it. Aldrich was elderly and much less pretty. He looked like he had no idea where he was.

I despised them both for different reasons. Mostly, Carolina was an annoyance. I wasn’t worried about her in the least. Aldrich was experienced and cruel. He might have difficultly locating his car at the mall, but he could easily whip up a spell to incapacitate me.

“ Weak magic ,” I said.

“Exactly. We know why you want to sell your trashy little trailer park and leave town. Desmond told us you can’t connect with your own soil. And what good is an earth witch with no connection to her element?” She smirked, tossed her long hair over her shoulder. “You have to rely on learned magic, and you aren’t a made witch, like me. You haven’t trained your whole life like I have.”

“ Weak magic ,” I repeated, rolling the words around my mouth.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Fennel and Cecil duck behind the remains of a dead Mesquite tree. They weren’t afraid of Carolina or Aldrich. They were afraid of splash damage from me.

“Leave or we will attack,” she said, her high-pitched voice comically threatening. She sounded like an angry mouse—in fact, in her black capri jeans and red polka dot top, she kind of looked like a certain famous mouse. “This is coven business, and you aren’t one of us.”

“Kidnapping and murder is coven business?” I asked, all the while spooling the words weak magic in my brain.

“How did you know about—” Carolina elbowed Aldrich in the gut. He let out a pained grunt.

“There’s no murder or kidnapping here,” she said. “Only a coven leader challenge. Again, none of your business.”

“Maybe I want to challenge the coven daddy next,” I said.

“You’ll have to go through us first.” She moved so close behind me her breath shifted the small hairs on the back of my neck. I hadn’t heard her move—had barely seen it.

Carolina had leveled up since I last ran into her. Margaux’s doing? Definitely not Desmond’s.

She gripped the nape of my neck and chanted a prayer. Some taught witches chanted words into the universe, like me, and some chanted prayers to the gods. Either worked.

“ Goddesses, I call upon the power of the — Ouch!” She shoved me away. “Why is your skin so hot ?”

I whirled slowly around and rested my gaze on the elder of the two witches.

“ Weak magic ,” I chanted. “ Weak magic .”

Aldrich dropped his flashlight and stumbled back, his sandals sliding halfway off his feet. “Your eyes. ”

“ Repello .” Carolina thrust her hand into my chest, palm forward, fingers curled. Her spell dissipated like smoke blown into a fan.

I didn’t move a muscle. “Was that supposed to do something?”

“ Repello .” She thrust her palm at me again.

I caught her hand in mine and curled her fingers into a fist.

“Stop it,” she cried, “you’re burning me!”

“You started it.” I snarled in Carolina’s face as she dropped to her knees in front of me.

I went down, too. Scooped up a handful of loose dirt.

Aldrich decided to make his move. He shoved his feet back into his sandals and raised his hands. Unfortunately for him, he did this at the precise moment that I tossed the dirt into the air.

He coughed and rubbed his eyes.

“Pathetic. I can’t believe I was ever cautious around you stupid people,” I said.

The dust I’d thrown overhead heated, vaporized, then sank hotly into my skin. I hissed in pain. The sting was getting worse.

“You,” I gasped, “both of you, eighty-sixed the strongest witch in La Paloma in exchange for a lazy earth elemental not fit to carry her basket of poisoned apples.”

Behind me, Cecil snickered at the Wicked Queen insult.

“What are you even talking about?” Carolina whined.

“Ask Magic Moses over here.” I flung a hand toward Aldrich, who winced. “Tell her.”

“When Margaux left the coven, her power went with her,” he said gruffly.

“She left us, like, permanently?” The sneer dropped off Carolina’s face. “B-But she wasn’t supposed to. She was supposed to stay and serve the new coven father. That was the plan. Aldrich, you and Desmond said she’d never leave.”

Gods, was she always this whiny?

“Sure,” I said. “Margaux’s going to share her power with a bunch of witches who lied to get her fired. Makes perfect sense, you dimwitted clown.”

Aldrich’s lips moved silently. It wouldn’t be smart to take him too lightly. He’d been around a long time, and though he might be as old as the dirt on my skin, he knew a lot of magic.

I shoved Carolina away from me. She clutched her burned hand to her chest and fell over onto her ass. I kept her in my peripheral as I faced the elder witch.

“Let it be known, if either of you cast against me again, I’ll consider it a death challenge. And after I kill you, I’ll carve your sins and my name on your headstones so every witch in the county knows exactly who took you traitors down and why.”

Carolina backed further away. Aldrich held his ground and continued chanting.

I paid close attention to his chant while continuing to hold the weak magic spell on Carolina. With the amount of power surging through my bloodstream, it wasn’t difficult to keep it going in the background.

“ Be still ,” he commanded.

My body grew heavy, my mouth lethargic, my mind slow.

Simple and clean, the old man’s spell was far more effective than Carolina’s. I had to hand it to him. I’d been expecting something with a little more showmanship, but this … this was good.

Just not good enough.

The first time I’d attempted to connect the roiling magic bottled inside me with the magic in the soil was when my stalker had tried to murder me. I’d been so broken and lost I’d had to beg my Lennox witch ancestors for help.

This time, I knew exactly what to do.

I crouched and scooped up soil with both hands.

“ Be still ,” he repeated.

Magic blasted through my pores, and I hurled it at Aldrich’s face. “ Cover .”

The soil wrapped around his entire head, looking a bit like a brown ski mask with no slits for mouth or eyes. He went to his knees, and muted mewling sounds leaked out of the bottom of the “mask. ”

“You’re going to suffocate him,” Carolina shrieked.

“That’s the point. What part of ‘ if either of you cast against me again, I’ll consider it a death challenge ,’ did you not understand?”

“Please,” she clasped her hands together like she was praying, “don’t kill him. He’s an old man.”

“Old enough to know exactly what he was doing. Did you think I was kidding?”

“Stop. This is serious.”

“Do you not think what you did was serious? You agreed to assassinate Ronan Pallás.”

“No, I— That’s coven business,” she said lamely.

I looked her in the eye. “ Bajar .”

The soil beneath her feet cracked, flinging fissures outward, like the rays of the sun. There was a hollow boom , a crater opened, and she dropped down to her neck.

“You can’t do this?—”

“ Silencio .”

Her lips kept moving, but no words came out. Meanwhile, Aldrich was lying prone on the ground, one sandal on, the hem of his robe revealing far too much thigh.

He wasn’t dead. Although it looked as if he was getting no air, he was getting plenty. His brain just wasn’t yet registering it. I’d found the creepy spell in one of Beau’s books a couple weeks ago, and this was the first time I’d gotten it to work. Cecil had been super pissed the three times I’d practiced it on him.

Speaking of, I swiveled around to look for my partners. They must’ve still been hiding, because I didn’t see as much as the tip of a purple hat.

I left the witches and walked cautiously to the front door, feeling for magic. Nothing. I reached for the knob, and the door flew open. I jumped backward out of the way of a swiping dagger.

“You’re trespassing in coven business, Betty Lennox. Get back.”

Gordon Lu lunged at me again, the blade coming within inches of my belly. He wasn’t as strong a witch as Aldrich nor was he a knowledgeable taught witch like Carolina and Bronwyn. He was an elemental. A weak one, but his element was air, and we were usually surrounded by the stuff.

Fortunately, the minute he kicked up his element, we’d be surrounded by mine, too.

Un fortunately, he seemed to have figured that out ahead of time. Hence, the knife.

I cast the same spell on him that I’d used on Carolina. “ Bajar .”

Crack, boom , down.

In what must’ve been his profound shock at finding himself neck deep in the ground, he’d dropped the dagger. I scooped it up and tapped him on the head with it. “You shouldn’t bring a knife to a magic fight. It’s bad form.”

He spat out a series of what I could only assume were curses, since I didn’t speak Mandarin.

“I’m telling your brother what you did. Your family isn’t going to be happy with you, Gordon. They’re good people. Pretty sure they don’t condone murder—even coven-sanctioned murder.”

He spat at my feet. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You aren’t one of us.”

I peered down at him. “You really should stop with this outsider nonsense. Learn to work with the paranormals around you, and you’ll be a happier person.” I tucked the blade into my back pocket. “Gotta go now. Things to do, witches to save. You know how it?—”

“ Betty Lennox ,” a man called out in a voice so deep it sounded like it had come from the bowels of the planet. It was Desmond Mace, but it also … wasn’t.

The earth rumbled beneath me. Cracks spidered under the soles of my feet.

“ Face me ,” Desmond said.

I began to sink.

“Cecil, Fennel, time to move .” I leapt onto the crumbling concrete front step .

Cecil and Fennel darted out from behind the tree, circled the hole where I’d been standing, and joined me.

The hole widened, and the voice called out again. “ Face me, coward .”

Desmond had never sounded this strong. Something was off here. The rest of the coven was pathetically weak, yet he had this much power?

His gray-blond head popped out of the hole he’d started beneath my feet, followed by his spray-tanned face and those beady blue—no, black —eyes. All black, including the sclera. They looked inhuman, as if he were possessed by something demonic, something dark.

“The Weret-hekau Maleficium ,” I whispered.

Fennel’s tail swished. Cecil rooted in his backpack.

The rest of Desmond’s body broke free of the soil as if the earth itself had birthed him. His grin was maniacal, unnaturally stretching from ear to ear, and the sound he expelled was more like a succession of clicks than a laugh.

He halted in front of Gordon Lu’s head. “ Failure ?—”

“Sir, no, I?—”

“Will not be,” Desmond bent his body in series of bone-crunching, awkward jolts and stared directly into his coven brother’s face, “tolerated.”

“Coven Father, we tried to kill her as you commanded, but she was too strong.” Gordon’s voice shook. “You said she’d be weak! She was stronger than you?—”

“Failure will not be—” Desmond said.

“Please.” Gordon’s voice was whisper-weak. “Sir, I’m begging you to listen.”

“ —tolerated .”

Desmond straightened, bones crackling, popping. He shuffled back two steps, and with the moon behind him clearly illuminating his actions, charged forward and kicked Gordon’s head off.