“You never know when you’ll need to transport a body or two,” I said. “Almost had to call you to the park earlier myself.”
Opal snorted, waving the larger of the two bags in front of Paisley while the demon dog cycled through a series of stretches on the sidewalk.
“Jesus,” Jenni muttered. “The crazy thing is, you aren’t joking.”
I flashed a smile at her.
She glowered. “You said you’d fill me in about the new asshole in town.”
“Three new assholes,” I said. “And I don’t have much info. Telepath and two witches. The witch magic will … stink. If you can pick up their scent at all. Their masking is impressive.”
Jenni snorted. “Jesus. Impressive to you? The rest of us are fucked.”
“They’re not going to want to get on the wrong side of mundane law. Or the pack, for that matter, which they’ll assume you are.”
She nodded, but doubtfully.
“We’re heading over to the Grant farm. Are you on guard duty?”
“Apparently I have little choice in the matter.”
“You always have a choice, shifter. You just made it long before you met any of us.”
Jenni narrowed her eyes at me. “You getting philosophical on me, Emma?”
“Pragmatic, actually.”
She snorted. “I’ll follow. And call around, check in with the motels and B&Bs on the way. Also, I’ll check in at the station for any sightings. And Donnie usually has an eye out for any newcomers gassing up.”
“Thank you.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, not quite meeting my gaze. Then she climbed into her red Jeep, getting ready to follow us out to the Grant farm.
Chapter 5
A shimmering field of light-blue energy surrounded the oozing, blackened swamp that was all that remained of the Grant house and barn. I’d been emotionally — if not magically — compromised the last time I’d been on the former pig farm, but the swamp now appeared about half the size it had been when Lani and I freed Christopher, Paisley, Opal, and Jenni from its sticky depths.
Aiden was there, leaning against his SUV and looking over as we drove up the muddy drive. With multiple vehicles coming and going, the snow was turning to slush fast. The sorcerer had his spiral notebook and black marker in hand. His gaze flicked to Samantha in the driver’s seat, then to Opal and Paisley in the back seat. He offered me a tight smile, magic simmering in his sharp blue eyes.
A glance over at the two witches waiting in the second vehicle was more than enough to let me know the source of the sorcerer’s irritation.
“Hot, hot, hot,” Samantha said.
Opal shoved herself between the seats. “Aiden?”
“Oh, yes.” The telekinetic sighed mockingly. “Does he do that dark and deadly thing in bed too, Socks?”
Ignoring her, I turned to address Paisley. “I’m not going to force you to wait in the car. But the witches will be scared of you, so you’ll have to ignore their fear.”
Samantha snorted, parking the SUV to the right of Aiden’s vehicle, firmly aligning us with the sorcerer over the witches. As it should be. Samantha might have been the most hot-tempered of the Five, but she wasn’t an idiot.
Opal patted the top of the demon dog’s head. “We’ll hang out in the car together, okay?”
Jenni pulled her red Jeep up beside us. Samantha was already out of the vehicle, slamming her door shut and striding over to Aiden.
The sorcerer flipped his notebook closed, tucking it into his jacket pocket with one hand as he reached to shake the telekinetic’s hand with the other, without hesitation. He had greeted Daniel the same way.
I wasn’t certain why that gesture pleased me so much. It might have been because Aiden’s skill at navigating the intricacies of a potentially volatile situation was so different from the way I barreled through life. I appreciated it. Him.
Opal opened the back passenger door, yelling, “Hey, Aiden! You want some chocolate-chip banana bread?”
Aiden flashed her a wide grin, stepping our way as Samantha strode toward the edge of the swamp, still ignoring the witches.
The sorcerer climbed into the driver’s seat, raking a sharp-eyed gaze over me, then nodding stiffly at whatever assessment he’d arrived at. Presumably the fact that the encounter with the unknown magic users we’d advised Christopher of had left me unharmed. The clairvoyant had presumably told the sorcerer what was going on.
I stopped myself from reaching over and caressing his face. I could feel the weight of Capri’s gaze as she slowly exited the rental car. Her attention flicked from Samantha to our vehicle and back again.
Having paused to eye the swamp with her hands on her hips, the telekinetic spun back, grinning at me, then mouthing, “Nice work.”
I resisted the impulse to shake my head at her.
Aiden twisted to look back at Opal, who was digging through the brown-paper bag from the diner. She offered him a slice of banana bread, along with a paper napkin.
“Thank you,” he murmured, taking a bite and chewing thoughtfully. “Mmm, dark chocolate. So good.”
“Emma?” Opal asked.
“Save mine, please,” I said, giving in and brushing my fingers over the back of the hand Aiden had rested on his knee. The affectionate gesture was hidden from the witches’ view by the high dashboard. “For tea this afternoon.”
The sorcerer winked at me, capturing my fingers within his own. “Did you have a good lunch?” Concern overlaid with frustration filtered through the empathic connection made through our skin-to-skin contact. He wasn’t really asking about lunch. Rather, it was the presence of the Mystic of the Golden Peninsula in town that he wanted to know more about.
“Great,” Opal said, abandoning one paper bag for the one that contained Paisley’s burger. “They have milkshakes. And three dipping sauces!”
Aiden’s grip tightened on my fingers, then relaxed. His concern eased, his grin becoming less edged. “Good to know.” He took another bite of the banana bread.
“Can I have one of your fries?” Opal asked Paisley, carefully opening the lid of the cardboard to-go container.
Paisley grumbled agreeably, though her attention — like mine — was on the witch steadily approaching the SUV.
To my right, Jenni Raymond hopped out of her Jeep, holding her phone to one ear and carrying a large red-and-white thermos in her other hand. She shoved herself in Capri’s path, offering her whatever hot drink was contained in the thermos.
Aiden chuckled, satisfaction filtering through our empathic connection. Obviously, Capri Pine bothered him as much as she did me. But neither of us was going to mention it in front of Opal.
“Tell me what you need from me?” I asked.
Aiden’s grin widened, playfully leering.
I laughed quietly. “We need to be home for that.”
“The sooner, the better,” he muttered, flicking his gaze to the back seat, where Opal was feeding Paisley fries and listening to everything we were saying.
Aiden cleared his throat. “The witches and I almost have it.”
“You just need a boost.”
He shook his head. “More like another anchor point. Christopher would be a better choice —”
“I can do it,” Opal piped up. “I’m a witch. Emma isn’t.”
“Yes …” Aiden’s gaze flicked to me, then he grimaced. “It was discussed.”
Opal’s face fell. “But … you would have let me do it, right?”
“It’s a simple enough working. But, as was pointed out, not only do I have no authority when it comes to you, I also might have a skewed sense of …” He waved his half-eaten banana bread.
“Right and wrong,” I said, heavier on the sarcasm than I should have been while trying to appear neutral in front of Opal.
He snorted. “Yes, though it was stated in more black-and-white terms.”
Opal crossed her arms, slamming her back into the leather seat with a huff of indignation. “Well, I�
��m not white!”
I had no counterargument to offer against that statement.
Aiden quashed a grin with some effort. “Well, we decided to ask Emma to join us in case we’re wrong and the spell just needs a boost.”
“I can’t amplify spells. Just people.”
Aiden’s lip curled. “As I indicated to the witches.” He lowered his voice. “But Christopher didn’t want to leave the property.”
“That’s his right.”
“Of course. Always. That’s not what I meant. Simply that he appears to be waiting for something to manifest.”
I nodded. But before I could respond, Capri Pine, looking peeved, stepped around Jenni Raymond. The witch swiftly crossed to and yanked open the back passenger door beside Opal.
Paisley stepped over the young witch at the exact moment that Capri thrust her head into the vehicle.
The older witch paled, stuttering over whatever she’d been prepared to say.
Paisley dropped her mouth open, tongue lolling in a playful smile. Even displayed in only a single row, her teeth had to be intimidating just a hand’s width from Capri’s face. But to give Opal’s foster mother some credit, she didn’t scream or run away. Courageous.
Of course, I’d never ranked bravery terribly high. Being able to step back, assess the situation, and make an actionable, effective plan to ensure long-term survival beat bravery any day. Even more so when the plan involved vanquishing my enemies as well.
“Opal,” Capri finally managed to gasp. “We’ve spoken extensively about you running away.”
“You’re letting the cold air in,” I said.
Capri tore herself away from Paisley, meeting my gaze over the headrest. “Excuse me?”
“Close the door. You’re making Opal uncomfortable.”
The witch snapped her mouth shut. Bright points of red appeared on her cheeks. Anger, I presumed — not embarrassment.
“We were just discussing the plan, Ms. Pine,” Aiden said. “We’ll join you in a moment.”
“Opal must be held to her promises —”
I cut the witch off. “She went for a walk. Then we went for lunch. Making rash accusations is just going to undermine your authority, Capri. Even I know that.”
Capri glanced at the young witch in disbelief.
“We brought back banana bread. With dark chocolate chips,” Opal said, seemingly perfectly comfortable sheltered under Paisley’s belly.
“We’re leaving,” Capri snapped, curling her lip at me. “The moment we finish cleaning up your mess.” She stepped back and carefully closed the door.
Aiden scrubbed a hand over his face. “Witches and the moral high ground,” he muttered.
I smiled. “Your mother is a witch.”
He snorted. “As are two of my half-sisters. I most definitely know of what I speak.”
“I have to go, hey?” Opal asked softly, barely able to peer over Paisley’s back to meet my gaze.
“Yes,” I said. “And quickly. Before whatever Samantha has brought with her explodes all over us.”
Opal transferred her gaze to Aiden. “But I’m going to visit on vacations. And Emma is going to adopt me.”
Adopt?
“You want me to … be your mom?”
“Yep.” Opal reached around Paisley’s front legs, shoving the door open with her feet. “Come on, Paisley. Let’s see if Ember wants a piece of banana bread.”
The demon dog leaped from the SUV without further encouragement. Opal scrambled after her, paper bag in hand. She slammed the door closed. So much for hanging out in the vehicle, away from prying eyes and snap judgements.
“Adopt?” I whispered. “That’s … um … that’s probably going to be even more difficult, right?”
Aiden grinned at me. Then he leaned forward and brushed a kiss against my lips. “You’ve been chosen, Emma Johnson.”
“But … I’m not anyone’s idea of a mother. I can’t possibly be anything like Opal’s birth mom …”
“Exactly.” He kissed me a second time. Then, still grinning, he exited the vehicle.
I followed automatically. My head was reeling, overwhelmed but oddly empty of concrete thought. My chest was warm, though. Then, finally remembering that I should try to be aware of my surroundings, I scanned the property. Aiden had joined Samantha and Jenni by the swamp. Paisley was at his heels. Still by the rental car, Ember was breaking one of the banana bread slices in half, sharing it with Opal. Capri stood with the other two witches, arms crossed and eyes narrowed on me.
Right.
Step back, assess the situation, formulate a plan, then vanquish my enemies.
I had this.
I grinned at the peeved witch. Capri blanked her expression, but only after I caught a flicker of something. Not fear, but definite trepidation. I widened my grin, then wandered over to join the others at the edge of the swamp.
The witches really did just need a fourth anchor on the edge of their already established circle. With an intense push of magic — triggered and wielded by Capri — the last vestiges of the swamp disappeared, leaving only a large oval of bare dirt.
At the center of that oval were my blades and Christopher’s shortsword.
As soon as the witch magic had settled into the earth, I retrieved my black-steel double-edged blades. They fit my hands as perfectly as always. The three raw diamonds embedded into each hilt gleamed with blue witch magic — residual energy the gems must have collected as the last of the swamp had been vanquished. I really hoped that magic had simply boosted the existing sharpening spells Aiden had placed in the gems. Because I had no idea what good a cleaning spell would be in a sword fight.
I instantly felt more grounded with the blades in hand. It was odd that the only things I had taken with me as I fled the Collective — besides the other four and Paisley — made me feel easier about facing the so-called Mystic of the Golden Peninsula.
Technically that would have been considered ironic, but I didn’t deal in irony.
Either way, releasing Samantha from the mystic’s spell would be something I could do much more efficiently with my blades in hand.
I handed Christopher’s shortsword to Aiden, realizing that without a sheath, I couldn’t really hold three exceedingly sharp blades. The gems on its pommel and cross guard glowed light blue as well. The sorcerer briefly eyed the gemstones, then gave me a look. I nodded, acknowledging that the conversation needed to be had in private. Nondisclosure binding or not, I really didn’t need Capri Pine knowing all my secrets, including how my weapons of choice normally functioned.
With the casting complete, Capri had taken off toward her rental car without another word, though Ember had lingered at the edge of the clearing while I retrieved the weapons.
Aiden headed to his vehicle with the sword, nodding at the lawyer as he stepped by her. Before the casting, Jenni had moved her Jeep, parking close to the road to keep an eye out for potential trespassers. I could still see her vehicle by the open gates. The road wasn’t generally heavily traveled, but with the snow cleared, traffic had started to pick up.
Samantha was napping in the back seat of her SUV. Opal and Paisley had been playing in the snow, chortling madly. Their game involved making ice sculptures — formed by a spell of Opal’s — and the demon dog then eating them.
Ember stepped up beside me, following my gaze.
Capri veered abruptly right, heading toward Opal instead of the car. The younger witch kept her head bowed and her hands on Paisley’s back during the short conversation that took place between them. Then, abandoning the game, the young witch crossed to and climbed into Aiden’s SUV.
Capri’s shoulders slumped, and she returned to her own vehicle at a much slower pace. Presumably emotionally as well as magically drained.
“Opal requested …” I faltered momentarily, needing to absorb a burst of what I was fairly certain was self-doubt. It was an annoying sensation, layered with vulnerability. Amp5 never doubted. And Amp5 would have ne
ver let a thirteen-year-old witch into her life willingly. Eagerly.
“That you adopt her,” Ember said.
I glanced at her, surprised.
She smiled, briefly but genuinely. “When we were sharing the banana bread, she mentioned that she’d just demanded that you do so. And that you couldn’t say no to her.”
I laughed, sounding shakier than I would have preferred. “I’m slightly worried that the attachment is … circumstantial. That an adoption is more difficult to untangle, if needed.”
“For you?”
“No. No. I care for Opal. Very much.”
Ember nodded. “I’m not a psychologist. But given the circumstances or not, forming attachments is fundamental for Opal’s mental health. Attachments that she chooses for herself even more so.”
I cleared the clog of fear in my throat. “And if it’s magically induced?”
Ember stilled. “What do you mean?”
I turned my back, just in case Capri could read lips. “I amplified Opal. In San Francisco.”
“I understood that she’d been magically drained, and you were worried about her surviving.”
My motivations weren’t quite that clear in my recollection. I’d been propelled by anger, and seeking retribution on the sorcerers who’d attempted to hold me. But some part of me, going against my own programing, had rescued Opal, not even thinking about how she might have been a security risk until hours later.
Ember was watching me.
I really needed to answer her. “Yes. And again, when she showed up at the house.”
“For the same reasons.”
“Similar, yes. She was fighting a sorcerer curse.”
“And your amplification forms a magical bond?”
“Logically.”
Ember nodded. “But that would ease, sixteen months between contact. And even if it hadn’t, it wouldn’t explain her attachment to Christopher and Paisley.”
“Anchors.”
“Which we all need. Which is why any of us form relationships.” Ember smiled, brushing her hands together. “I have a bit more paperwork to do before we can head to the Academy.”
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