Wild Magic

by Madeline Freeman

  I end up supporting both Fox and Crystal on the trek back to the riverside park. Owen assists Lexie and Bridget. Griffin trudges slowly behind the rest of us, stubbornly refusing any help.

  My teeth are chattering by the time the playground is in sight and I wonder what time it is. My mom and Jodi are probably worried that I’m not home. I have no idea how I’ll explain where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing. Jodi might understand, but what am I going to tell my mom? She seems to be adjusting well to the fact that I have abilities, but how will she react if I tell her the truth? “Sorry I’m late, I was defeating a centuries-old super-magical psychic dude who’s been posing as a harmless employee at Jodi’s shop.” Yeah, that’ll go over well.

  The silhouette of Fox’s monster truck stands out in the parking lot beyond the playground, but that’s not what draws my attention. There are people milling about the lot, leaning against other parked cars. Did my mom send out a search party when I didn’t come home? It can’t be that late, can it? But as soon as this thought enters my mind, it’s dispelled by another thought—no, a certainty. Before I can make out their figures, I know who the three figures are: the psychics.

  Bria, West, and Felix take off at a run toward us and my heart swells at the sight of them. They’re okay. I’ve been so focused on keeping the circle alive and keeping Seth from reabsorbing all his magic that I haven’t spared a thought for them in too long. They slow as they near us, Bria giving Lexie major side-eye as she passes her to get to me. I smile as she approaches, but Bria doesn’t smile back. Instead, she extends her greeting by punching me hard in the shoulder.

  “Hey! Ow!” I take a step back in case she intends to hit me again.

  “Bria, what the hell?” Fox asks, shifting so he’s in front of me.

  Bria stares at him incredulously. “That’s what you should be asking her.” She peers around Fox, locking her eyes on mine. “What did you do?”

  “Whoa, calm down, psycho,” Crystal snaps. “What? Are you pissed we’re all still alive?”

  Bria holds a hand up to silence her, eyes still fixed on mine. “Someone tell bitch-face I’m not talking to her. I want to know what you did. Something’s different—I can feel it. So can West and Felix.”

  I shake my head. “I didn’t do anything—”

  “The chanting,” Owen murmurs. Leaving Lexie and Bridget with Felix and West, he approaches. “After you got your ring back—there was chanting in my head. You heard it too, didn’t you?”

  The sense memory of being unable to control the movements of my body makes me roll my shoulders. “Yeah. I heard it. But I didn’t do it. I put my ring on and it just happened.”

  Griffin edges up beside his brother. “I think she-psychic’s on to something. I haven’t felt right since I woke up.”

  “Maybe because you almost died, genius,” Owen says dryly.

  Griffin arches an eyebrow in his direction but doesn’t respond. Instead, he looks past Owen to West, who sighs.

  “He’s got a point,” West calls. “I didn’t really understand till everyone got here. I mean, it’s been a pretty crazy day, what, with being sneak-attacked with knockout gas at Seth’s house and all. But since we woke up in his room, I’ve been feeling… more. Emotions I was pretty sure weren’t mine. At first, I figured they were coming from Bria and Felix—or you, Krissa, or Owen.”

  The look on Owen’s face tells me he has no clearer idea what West is getting at than I do.

  “And then there’s the fact we’re here,” Felix adds.

  Owen takes in a sharp breath and I know I’m missing something. “What?”

  “After I dropped you at Seth’s place, I went to Fox’s house to check on him.” His mouth twitches. “You wouldn’t let me help you, and I knew you wanted to make sure he was okay.”

  Fox runs a hand through his hair. “He convinced me not to slam the door in his face and then started telling me about the spell you guys were trying. But before he got too far, he started freaking out about how something bad was happening to you—how he could feel it.” He presses his lips together in a tight line.

  “We went to Seth’s place, but you weren’t there. I couldn’t figure out where you were. I could sense you, but I couldn’t pinpoint your location.”

  “So I called the circle and we did a locater spell,” Fox says quietly. “That’s how we figured out where you were.”

  I look back and forth between them. Besides the fact that they worked together to find me, I’m not seeing the significance. “So?”

  “Don’t you see?” Owen asks. “I’m psychic, and I couldn’t find you. I needed a witch to help. If all the witches were here, how did the rest of the psychics find us?”

  I shake my head. “I don’t… I don’t know.” I survey Felix and West before my gaze lands on Bria.

  “It’s like we were drawn here,” Bria says. “We woke up and we just knew we had to come here—to come to you. But not just you, Krissa. It’s like we were drawn to all of you. Or each of you.” She bites her lower lip, shifting from foot to foot as her gaze flicks to Lexie.

  “Oh, my…” Lexie presses her hand to her mouth. She blinks rapidly, pressing her lips together. “Bria, stop it—please.”

  Bria squeezes her eyes closed. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs. “I just had to see if I was right.”

  “Right about what? What’s happening?” I take a few steps toward Lexie but Bria catches me by the elbow.

  “I just shared a memory with Lexie. I shouldn’t be able to do that because she’s not psychic.” Bria rubs her hand over her face. “Don’t you feel it? It’s like… It’s like my abilities are on hyperdrive, but mostly with Lexie. Like I’m—I don’t know. Like I’m linked to her or something.”

  Crystal sucks in a breath, pressing a hand to her mouth. “I think I know what’s going on. The chanting you and Owen heard in your heads—is there any chance it was a binding spell?”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  A binding spell. In a way, it makes perfect sense. Crystal told me about binding spells before the circle anchored to the crystal. She said they’re a way to pool abilities so a person can draw on them. Seth said basically the same thing earlier tonight. The swell of power I felt after the chanting ended? I was drawing on the collective energy of all the witches and all the psychics, as most of them were in no position to be using it themselves. But how could it have happened? And what are we going to do about it?

  After a few minutes’ debate, the consensus is to deal with the implications of having bound the circle and the psychics tomorrow, after we’ve all been able to rest. As most of the witches are having trouble standing on their own, it’s the only logical suggestion—even if we figure out how to fix things, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to do anything tonight.

  The psychics, being in better shape than the witches, volunteer to take people home. Owen offers to drive me but I refuse in favor of getting a ride with Bria. I don’t need to be a psychic to interpret the look on Fox’s face when Owen suggested I ride with him. Although I have a heightened awareness of the thoughts and emotions of all the witches and psychics, I’m most in tune with Fox and Owen, and I’m not sure why. Is it because of my feelings for both of them? Or is there another reason?

  Bria is quiet when she drives to my house, murmuring a goodbye when I get out of the car. I’m so distracted by the night’s events that I’m almost to the porch before I notice the car parked in front of the house: It’s the black Charger with tinted windows I’ve seen around town. I shiver and my heartbeat picks up. There’s a black Honda parked across the street, behind red Mazda. I sigh. Maybe a neighbor is entertaining and the car in front of our house belongs to some party guest. Jodi’s car is in the driveway, but my mom’s isn’t. Where could my mom be at this time of night? Guilt stabs at me: What if she’s out looking for me?

  I’ve come to a stop at the base of the stairs. I shake my head before starting up onto the porch. There’s only one way to know what’s going on, and t
hat’s go get into the house. I cross to the front door and pause when my hand touches the knob. I can hear muffled voices inside. What could be going on?

  I open the door and cross the threshold. The voices silence immediately. I peer into the living room just as Jodi stands, relief washing over her features. She crosses to me, taking me into her arms. As she hugs me, I glance over her shoulder. Sitting on either end of the couch are Shelly Tanner and David Cole, her alternate-reality husband. I tense. In my timeline, the last time David Cole was here, it was on magic-related business. In her youth, Shelly was also part of Jodi’s circle. I push Jodi from me gently, studying her face. “The chanting—the spell. Was it you?”

  Jodi’s expression clouds. “Before we get into that—there’s something we need to talk about.”

  I cross my arms over my chest. The last thing I need right now is a lecture. If she wants to have a discussion about what happened tonight, she’ll have to wait until tomorrow. “Look, I’m really tired. Can this wait until morning?” Without waiting for a response, I turn toward the stairs. I don’t make it two steps before she hooks my elbow, spinning me back around.

  “No, it can’t wait. There’s something you need to know—”

  I yank my arm away. “What? That you bound the witches and the psychics together? Because I already know that. You wouldn’t happen to know how to undo it, would you? Because no one’s really super happy about it.”

  Jodi opens her mouth, but it’s not her voice that fills my ears. “It was the only way to save your friends.” The voice is masculine, but doesn’t belong to David Cole—I know that immediately. Besides the fact it doesn’t sound the way I remember his voice sounding, it’s coming from the dining room on my right, not the living room on my left. I turn toward the person who spoke and immediately reach for Jodi to keep from falling over. The man standing in the archway between the hall and dining room is tall, with broad shoulders and sandy brown hair. There is more gray in his hair now, and there are more wrinkles around his eyes than I remember, but he hasn’t changed enough that I don’t recognize him.

  “Dad?”

  My father nods, his face tightening. In two steps, he’s crossed to me and pulled me roughly into his arms. He even smells the same as I remember—Old Spice with a subtle note of sweetness under the surface. My eyes prickle and I can’t swallow. After a beat, my arms wrap around his back and he releases a shaky breath.

  How long we stand like that, I’m not sure, and before he finally releases me, he kisses the top of my head just like he used to when I was younger. His eyes glisten and his mouth twitches as he studies my face. “Honey, I’ve missed you so much. Not a day went by that I didn’t think about you.” He pauses, swallowing. “And as much as I’ve been looking forward to the day I’d be able to see you again, I’m afraid my being here isn’t good news.”

  I glance at Jodi, wondering if she has any idea what he’s talking about. “You’re here. How could that be a bad thing?”

  The corners of his mouth droop as he smooths the hair on the sides of my head. “I need you to understand I didn’t leave you and your mother because I wanted to—I left because I had to. And I’m back now because the thing I’ve been preparing for—the thing I’ve been fearing—is beginning. This thing with Seth isn’t over.”

  My muscles tense and my skin prickles. “Wait—what do you know about Seth?”

  “More than you, I’d wager. And I know that him coming back is just the beginning.” He squeezes my shoulders, pursing his lips. “Others will follow. And we need to be prepared.”

  ###

  Thank you for reading Wild Magic. There are countless other books you could have chosen to read, yet you chose mine. I appreciate your time—more than you know.

  If you enjoyed Wild Magic, I encourage you to leave a review at the retailer where you purchased it from. Reviews help other customers determine if a book is right for them.

  Want to know what happens next? Join the mailing list to find out when the next book is available! (http://eepurl.com/DARP5)

  To find out more about her books, visit Madeline at www.madelinefreeman.net

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  Awaking: Morgan Abbey’s life changes dramatically when a mysterious stranger shares two secrets with her: she possesses psychic abilities and her mother—who has been missing for a decade—is still alive.

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Madeline Freeman lives in the metro-Detroit area with her husband, her daughter, and her cats. In the time she should spend doing housework, she rewatches Fringe. She also loves anything to do with astronomy, outer space, plate tectonics, and dinosaurs, and secretly hopes her daughter will become an astronomer or a paleontologist.

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