“No. I’m not having this conversation with you. I’m not participating in your fishing expedition. I know you,” I said and narrowed my eyes. “I know your type. You want Thorn’s job, and if you can’t discredit him, you’ll settle for me. It’s not happening.” I stood up and walked over to my office door. When I opened it so Lincoln could see his way out of my office, he didn’t budge. “We’re done here. Unless I’m under arrest, but even in that case, I’m done talking to you.”
“I’ve heard that Richard cried out about a redheaded witch when he died,” Lincoln said as he stood up.
He was close enough to me that he twirled a strand of my hair, which had morphed into a deep shade of blood-red since Thorn had returned, around his finger. My hand shot up and grabbed his wrist. I yanked it away from my hair, but unfortunately, the strand was still wrapped around his finger and it smarted like crazy.
“I could arrest you for assaulting an officer.” He sneered at me. I’d given him exactly what he wanted.
“You would bring down the wrath of my family on your head,” I said, and I could almost feel the fire burning behind my eyes. He even shrank back a little. That bravado and fake courage withering away under the confidence of a powerful woman. It was delicious. “Any part of you that ever touches me again, you won’t get back.”
Lincoln’s mask of calm slipped away, and I saw his pure, unadulterated rage simmering under the surface. He looked like he wanted to kill me, but Lincoln just turned and fled my office like the scared little man he’d revealed himself to be.
“Don’t go anywhere,” he said as he stormed out.
“Wasn’t planning on it,” I said and gave him a mock salute.
Chapter Six
The rest of the afternoon went by in sort of a blur. Reggie and I had customers galore when the afternoon tours let out. I told her a little about the confrontation with Lincoln, but we were so busy that we didn’t have much time to talk about it.
After work, she had to head over to the nursing home. Her grandmother had refused to eat most of her meals. Reggie was trying to get over there to eat dinner with her as much as possible. She told me that if she was there her grandma would eat all her dinner and dessert.
“Is something bothering her?” I asked on the way out of the shop.
“I don’t know for sure. She won’t talk about it, and I don’t want to press it to the point where she won’t eat with me,” Reggie said with a shrug. “I don’t want them to change her meds again. It’s so hard on her when they do.”
“Well, I’ll send you home with a protection spell bag for you to put in her room. Maybe if she feels safer, she’ll open up to you,” I said. “I’m sorry I hadn’t done that before.”
“You didn’t know,” Reggie said. “But, I would appreciate that.”
After that, I went home. Next thing I knew, Thorn was coming through the front door, and I was sitting on the sofa reading the book. Meri sat on the floor near the front door staring at me with a combination of concern and anger in his eyes.
“I’m just going to tell him,” Meri said. “I know at first I said we shouldn’t, but this has gotten out of hand.”
“Meri, don’t,” I warned.
“No, if you’re not going to tell people what’s going on, then I will. It’s my job to protect you. That’s how I’m going to do it.”
“What is the cat talking about?” Thorn asked as he took off his hat and hung it on the coat rack.
“Tell him,” Meri warned.
I closed the book and set it on the coffee table. “This book is kinda bad,” I said.
“Then why are you sitting there reading it?” He crossed the room to join me on the sofa.
Thorn sat down and tossed a couple of beige file folders down at the end of the coffee table. “I wasn’t reading it,” I said with a shrug. “Not consciously, anyway. I can’t read it. I can’t understand the language, but I find myself staring at it. Sometimes for hours. I just lose the time.”
“That’s not all,” Meri said. “Don’t you dare leave it hanging there.”
“What is he talking about?” Thorn asked.
“Ever since the book showed up on my porch, I’ve been sleepwalking,” I said and let out a deep sigh.
“Sleepwalking? Around the house? But I’ve stayed here. I haven’t seen you sleepwalking.”
“It’s not around the house,” I said. “I wake up other places. Sometimes far away from here.”
“Show him what you found,” Meri said.
I’d completely forgotten the dagger I found in the woods until Meri said something about it. It wasn’t like I was trying to hide what could have been evidence in a murder. I’d legitimately forgotten about it. Probably because of the book.
That was about the moment I realized I was in over my head, and I needed help. My whole life, I’d been told I was this all-powerful witch that was destined to save the world, and I’d sworn I’d never let it go to my head. It was times like that when I realized that it had gone to my head.
“I found a dagger out in the woods,” I said and went right to my purse. “It has some dried blood on it, and it definitely looks ceremonial.”
“Kinsley,” Thorn said. “You hid evidence?”
“I didn’t hide it,” I protested. “I put it in my bag, and I forgot about it.”
“You forgot about finding a bloody dagger in the woods near where someone was murdered? When did you find it?”
“I mean, you guys didn’t find it either,” I said. “I found it when I was sleepwalking. I woke up out there.”
“What?” Thorn asked. “You walked out there in your sleep?”
“I did,” I said. “I found the dagger and a rose on the spot where Richard was killed. I assumed Esadora put the rose on the spot.”
“Why would you assume that?”
“Well, when I came out of the woods, I found her sleeping in her car. She fell asleep crying out there, but it’s a good thing she was out there because she gave me a ride home.”
“And you didn’t tell me any of this?” Thorn’s face started to turn red. I could see a little vein popping up in his neck.
“I didn’t think about it. I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t think about it? Kinsley, this is insane. You hid all of this from me…” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Did you sleepwalk the night he was killed?”
“I did, but not out there,” I said. “I would have told you that.”
“Would you have?” he demanded.
“Thorn, please…” I was at a loss. He was so angry, and he had every reason to be, but I couldn’t deal with him losing faith in me. Not again.
“I’m sorry,” he said and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. “I’m sorry, babe. I know you had nothing to do with this. You’ve just put us both in a terrible position, and I don’t understand it.”
“It was the book,” Meri piped in my defense. “That’s why I wanted her to tell you. She needs help.”
“Mom and I tried to bind the book, but it obviously didn’t work. I didn’t realize that it was still having such a huge effect on me.”
“Maybe your father could read it,” Thorn said.
“What?” I asked, but even as I wondered, something clicked in my brain. A fog cleared and it became apparent. “Wait, you’re absolutely right. My father could probably read the book, and even if he can’t, he’s the one witch I know who could use a spell to learn the language.”
“Hey, the human is onto something.” Meri seemed in better spirits. “I’m a little shocked.”
“The book doesn’t work on him,” I said.
“I’m going to put this dagger in my trunk so I can register it into evidence, and then I’m going to call your father,” Thorn said.
“Just don’t let Lincoln know about the dagger, okay?” I asked.
“I can’t do that, Kinsley. He’s my second-in-command. Why, though? Why don’t you want me to tell Lincoln? Is it because he suspects me? I can handle t
hat, babe,” Thorn said.
“He doesn’t just suspect you,” I said. “He knows about my sleepwalking, and I think he’s trying to build a case against one or both of us. I have this feeling he’s after your job, and he’ll take us down to get it.”
“Anybody with eyes and ears knows he wants my job, but you don’t need to worry about that. When Jeremy comes back, he’ll go back to being my second-in-command. Lincoln was told from the beginning that his promotion was temporary.”
“That’s why I think he’s trying to do this now,” I said. “He’s making a move.”
“Where is all of this coming from?”
“I called in a bunch of shoplifting that took place in my store today after some of those weirdos went through. He’s who showed up to take the statement. Lincoln took me back in my office and made it pretty clear he’s trying to pin this on you or me.” Then I told him the rest. Thorn’s breathing became short and staccato as I told him about my hair and Lincoln’s threat.
“He was supposed to go home for the day,” Thorn said. “Dispatch told me a deputy handled your call. I had no idea it was him. He shouldn’t have been there, Kinsley. I’m so sorry. I should have handled the report myself. I should have been there for you, or jeez, at least asked you about it. I’m so sorry.”
“We both have a lot on our minds,” I said. “I should have called you when he left the shop, but it’s all sort of a blur. I think I just wanted to get back here and have time with the book. It’s crazy.”
“Okay, I’m going out to bag the dagger, and then I’m calling your father. When he’s on his way, I’m going to go handle Lincoln.”
“You can’t stay with me?” I suddenly felt more frightened than I expected.
“I’ll be back. Lincoln needs to be put in his place right now. I cannot risk him thinking he can get away with this garbage. I also need to get the report from him so I can do something about these creeps invading my town.”
“Okay,” I said. “Just call my dad now. He’ll come right over; I know it.”
“Sure thing,” Thorn said and then kissed me before going outside to put the dagger in his cruiser.
I watched him through the window. He had the dagger in one hand and the phone up to his ear with the other. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I knew he was speaking to my dad as he walked out to the car.
“You’re mad at me?” Meri asked from behind me. “Not that I care…”
“I’m not mad at you,” I said. “You did what you thought was best for me. I appreciate you protecting me and peanut that way.”
“Don’t make it weird, lady,” Meri said and sauntered toward the dining room. “A little bacon would be a better way to show appreciation.”
While I was fixing some bacon for Meri, Thorn confirmed that my dad was on his way and would arrive in a few minutes. He kissed me and left to deal with Lincoln.
“I promise I’ll be right back, honey. I’ll probably get here while your dad is still here. If he’s up for it, maybe he and I can have a beer.”
“I’ll make sure and tell him that’s the plan,” I said.
Thorn was right. Like three minutes after he left, my dad’s car pulled up outside. I half expected my mom to be with him, but he was alone.
“Is Mom okay?” I asked as I opened the front door for him.
He chuckled. “She knew you would worry, but she and Amelda are over in the next county helping with a healing thing. She said she’d leave and come with me, but I told her to stay. It was an Amish boy who was run over by a tractor. They actually came to your mother and Amelda for help. It’s highly unusual for them to reach out beyond their people for help, but the boy’s situation was grave.”
“What? Do they know we’re witches?” I asked.
“They don’t know that specifically, but they’ve been around long enough to know that our family’s prayers are answered. They see us as blessed, but it was a big deal for them to reach out for help. You know they shun traditional medicine. They were going to disobey and take him to the hospital, and someone in their village suggested that they come to your mom first.”
“Wow, that’s cool. Mom and Amelda agreed to help them?”
“Without a second of hesitation,” Dad said.
“Is the boy going to be okay?” I asked, hopefully.
“He will. He’s in no pain, so don’t worry. Your mom and great grandmother have to heal him slowly; otherwise, their magic will be too obvious.”
“I’m just glad they were able to help,” I said.
“And now I’m here to help you. Why don’t you let me have a look at that book?” Dad said.
“That’s the darndest thing. I don’t know where it is.” I didn’t realize the book was making me lie.
“It’s in your purse,” Meri piped up.
“Why would it be in there? I thought I took it out…” I said, starting to feel a familiar sort of comforting fog descend on my brain.
“You put it in your purse so you could pretend like you don’t know where it is,” Meri said flatly. “I watched you do it.”
I felt my cheeks turn bright red. “I’m sorry, Dad. I don’t mean to lie to you,” I said sheepishly.
“From what I understand, this book has that effect. Your mother didn’t even tell me about it.”
“But, we bound it,” I said. “She didn’t tell you even after that?”
“Nope,” he said with a shrug. “Why don’t you grab it from your purse for me, sweetie?”
I was about to argue with him. In my head, I started to think we could have some tea and maybe talk about something else for a while, but I realized that it was just the book trying to distract me. I couldn’t let that happen. Not that Meri or my dad would have allowed it. He seemed less affected by the book, and I wondered if that was because he would be able to read it.
After handing Dad the book, I sat down on the sofa. He sat in one of the chairs and began to look through the pages.
“Can you understand it?” I asked.
“Parts of it,” he said and turned the page. “The symbols I can decipher for the most part. The language I don’t understand, but I can tell you that whatever is in this book, it isn’t good.”
“I didn’t think so considering what it’s done to me,” I said. “Would you like some tea?”
“Can you make some tea with star anise and lavender?” he asked without looking up from the book.
“To open your third eye,” I said as I headed to the kitchen.
“Yes, sweetie. Thank you.”
I went into the kitchen and made the tea quickly. By the time I came back, Dad had made a salt circle on the coffee table around the book. It was open, and he’d sprinkled lavender, rosemary, and juniper around it. He’d lit three black candles.
“We already bound it,” I said. “It didn’t work.”
“I know, but I’m not trying to bind it. I’m actually opening it. I know a spell to help me learn the language,” Dad said. “But, you need to be sure that’s what you want. We can skip the whole understanding part and go right to destroying it. I can call Amelda and your mother back. We’ll get the whole Coven involved.”
“That’s what you want to do. I can tell by the tone of your voice,” I said. “I don’t want you to put yourself at risk. If you think that’s best.”
He thought about it for a moment. “I’m not worried about putting myself at risk, so you don’t need to worry about that either. I guess I’m just weighing the value of this knowledge to the risk it so obviously carries. The book will have to be destroyed either way. Especially once I can access its knowledge.”
I knew that my father had trouble in the past with getting too close to the darkness. It’s one of the reasons I’d been gifted at my birth with the power to walk in, and control, the shadows. My Coven knew it was better to help me harness chaos than to try and unsuccessfully shield me from it.
“We need to know what it’s about. If nothing else, maybe that will help me figure
out where it came from, and then I can protect the town and our Coven. It isn’t just about the book because it came from somewhere,” I said. “I think I know who too, but let’s be sure.”
Minutes later, my dad’s ritual was complete, and he could read the book. “I’m not sure if we should talk about what’s in here, sweetheart. Some of this is vile.”
“If it’s Satanic, then it’s just about summoning demons and stuff, right?” I asked. “I can handle that.”
“It’s a ritual to bring evil into this world, yes,” he said and his face turned an ashen shade.
“So, it’s just an old book about summoning demons,” I said with a shrug. “Must be a pretty powerful one. Or maybe my sleepwalking is the result of my pregnancy and I mistakenly thought it was the book.”
“It’s both,” Dad said.
“What?”
“The book isn’t about summoning demons,” Meri interrupted. “That’s not what he means by bringing evil into the world.”
My subconscious mind made my hand protectively cover my belly before my brain could catch up to their insinuation. “You mean…”
“I’m taking this book right now,” Dad said and shot up out of his chair.
“Where are you taking it?”
He narrowed his eyes slightly and focused on me. “Why do you want to know, honey?”
“Not because I want the book,” I said indignantly. “Not if it’s coming for my child. I just need to know what you’re doing with it so I don’t wonder. That would fill me with so much anxiety.”
He thought about it for a moment and then blew out an exasperated breath between pursed lips. “I’m taking it to the Skeenbauer Crypt. As horrible and powerful as this book is, I don’t think it put itself on your front porch. It’s a ritual. It’s all a ritual, sweetie. They are waiting for the book to finish working its magic on you, but that’s not going to happen. I’m taking it now. None of those little punks are going to be able to get into the family crypt and get it back. Not without what lurks in there destroying them.”
A shiver passed down my spine. When I was little, I had no idea what was in the family crypt. As I’d gotten older, they’d finally filled me in. It was the worst of the worst in our family Coven. The evil witches who had betrayed us. That was how the Skeenbauers dealt with them. They were tossed in the mausoleum where they never really died, but they could never escape either. Word had it that my Mom had accidentally stumbled in there one time. There were also whispers of others, not Skeenbauer witches, who’d been thrown in there as punishment for grave transgressions.
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