“That you hate lemons,” my mother said. “You’ve been pretending to like them for her sake all these years.”
Grandma blinked. “I suppose it’s true that I have no strong feelings about lemons, or any other citrus for that matter.”
“Sorry to out you,” I said.
“Life is simpler without unnecessary drama,” Grandma said.
“Can I get that in writing?” I asked.
My mother paled. For once, she seemed incapable of speech.
“I only came in to get a glass of water,” Grandma said. “This aging body is dehydrated.”
We watched in silence as the pod demon-disguised-as-Grandma poured water from the faucet into one of Olivia’s plastic purple cups and shuffled back to her room.
“She used Olivia’s cup,” Aunt Thora said. “She hates children’s cups. She says they’re worse than plastic cutlery that comes in colors.”
I inched closer to her. “That’s not Grandma,” I whispered.
Aunt Thora frowned. “What do you mean? Of course it is.”
My mother shook her head mutely.
“Pod demon,” I whispered.
Aunt Thora’s fingers curled around a lemon. “What do we do?”
“Kill it,” my mother hissed. “It worked with you.”
“It didn’t work with me,” I said. “I wasn’t a demon.”
“Says you.”
“It’s not that simple,” I said.
“Nothing ever is with you, Eden,” my mother said with a weary sigh.
“Maybe the answer is to do nothing,” I said.
My mother’s brow lifted. “And let this creature kill your grandmother?”
“Well, Demon Grandma is actually kind of nice,” I said. And she certainly wouldn’t be using dark magic.
“Are you seriously suggesting letting that thing take over your grandmother’s body for your own selfish reasons?” my mother asked, her anger palpable.
“When you put it that way…” I said.
She slapped her hand on the countertop. “Your grandmother wouldn’t hesitate to save you if the situation were reversed. So who’s the evil one now, Miss Do-Gooder?”
“If I ever needed saving, it would be because of her,” I countered.
Aunt Thora turned to me with a mournful expression. “Eden, you know I love you, but your mother is right. I understand how you feel—your situation is challenging and I’m sympathetic to it—but if there’s any way to rescue Esther, then we have to try.”
Shame washed over me. “Of course I’ll try,” I mumbled. “I was only kidding.” Sort of.
“We should put Grandma on ice until we can find a way to free her,” my mother said.
“Metaphorical ice, right?” I asked.
“Magic ice,” my mother corrected me. She shooed me away. “Don’t worry. Your aunt and I will take care of her. You worry about rounding up these pod demons and throttling the life out of them…” She trailed off. “Or whatever pathetically humane way you choose to defeat this latest invasion.”
“I’ll let you know what happens.” I started for the door and then twisted back toward them. “Be careful with Grandma. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
My mother smoothed her cheeks. “If there’s one thing I’m an expert in, it’s preservation. Now go do your job before we suffer any more casualties. I don’t want these pesky demons to ruin my favorite holiday tomorrow.”
“Grandma is in mortal danger and you’re worried about the Day of Darkness?”
“Please, your grandmother has spent half her life in mortal danger,” my mother said. “Now get out of here so I can get her sorted before my date gets here.”
I clenched my hands into fists. “You’re still planning to go out with Roger?”
“Well, I have to. He’s away next week,” she said, as though that justified her decision.
I left the insanity behind before my head exploded and went to collect Husbourne.
Chapter Fourteen
The sun was on the verge of dipping below the horizon by the time we met Adele at the designated spot. We hurriedly crossed the field toward the pod’s location.
“I brought ingredients for a few spells, in case the first one doesn’t work,” Adele said.
“I should have changed out of these lighter clothes,” Husbourne said. Dirt sprayed up from the ground and smudged the bottom half of his pale yellow trousers.
“Hopefully, this won’t take long,” I said. “We’re about to lose the natural light.” I took another step forward and was knocked back by an invisible barrier. “Ouch!”
“What is it?” Adele asked.
“Must be a ward,” I said. “I can’t walk any further.”
“They’re pod demons,” Husbourne said. “How could they conjure a protective ward?”
A silhouette emerged, nearly indistinguishable from the darkening backdrop. “I created the ward to protect us.”
“By ‘us,’ you mean you and your demon friends,” I said. The voice was familiar but too faint to place.
“This town belongs to us now,” the silhouette said. “It’s best to give in and not fight the inevitable.” The shadowy figure came closer and I gasped when she passed through a beam of moonlight.
“Corinne?” Adele peered into the gloaming at her granddaughter.
The young LeRoux witch focused on Adele. “Mamie, what are you doing here?”
Adele looked at me with an anguished expression. “What do we tell her?”
I wanted to say “the truth,” but why bother? Corinne already knew the truth. Well, the demon inhabiting Corinne’s body did. The real Corinne was shut down, unable to hear or communicate and if we didn’t figure this out soon, she would wither and die.
“Nothing she doesn’t already know,” I finally said.
“I’m sorry about your tire, Mamie,” Corinne said. “I hope you were able to fix it.”
“You did that?” Adele asked, aghast.
“I only meant to slow you down so I had time to create the ward,” Corinne said. “It seems to have worked.”
“Good job on the magic lessons, Mamie,” I said sarcastically.
Corinne cocked her head, studying me. “My emotions toward you are complicated. I’m glad I’m able to ease this burden now.”
“Ease it how?” I asked.
“We have to help her,” Adele said. “Our failure is my granddaughter’s death sentence.”
“I realize that,” I said, but I was at a loss for a useful suggestion. “Try to appeal to her.” Although I knew it wouldn’t help us or Corinne, it might help Adele—to feel that she did everything she could.
“Corinne, please remove the ward from the land,” Adele said.
Corinne shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mamie. No can do. I have to protect the pods.”
“There’s only one,” I said. “I don’t think you need to ward an entire farm to protect it. Just post a guard.” That I can defeat.
Corinne said an incantation and opened her palm. A spark of light danced above her hand before exploding into brilliance. The white light illuminated the land behind her long enough to rattle me to my core.
“You said there was only one pod,” Husbourne said in a hoarse whisper.
“There was.”
But not anymore.
Behind Corinne were at least a dozen plants in varying stages of growth. More plants meant more spores and more demons. At this rate, the rest of the town would succumb within the next twenty-four hours.
“Join us, Mamie,” Corinne said. “It’s more pleasant than you can imagine. I’ve never felt so at peace.”
“At peace?” Adele asked. “You’re not yourself. You’ve been shoved aside in your own body. Your death is imminent. How can you feel at peace?”
“It isn’t painful,” Corinne said. “In fact, there’s no pain at all.” She fixed her gaze on me. “I’d been feeling so disappointed lately because of the chief, but that’s all melted away now. Life is
simple again, as it should be. I’m grateful.”
I placed my palms flat against the invisible barrier. “Disappointed why?”
Corinne gave me a pointed look. “You know why.”
“You’re the one dating him,” I said.
“Yes, but we both know he’d rather be dating you,” she replied. “Now it doesn’t matter. I can accept the relationship for what it is. That’s bliss.”
“Giving yourself a lobotomy isn’t going to make you happy,” I said. “And even if Chief Fox gets booted out of his body, it won’t really be him anymore. You’ll only be shells.” Literal shells of their former selves.
“That isn’t love, darling,” Adele said. “Why would you want to settle for something so incomplete? I haven’t raised you to embrace mediocrity. You deserve better than that.”
Corinne approached the barrier. “Love complicates life. When you really think about it, is love even necessary for life? Not really.”
Adele reached for my hand and gripped it. I suspected she was trying to stem the rising tide of emotions.
“Love may not be necessary for life, but it sure makes life worth living,” Husbourne said.
Corinne scoffed. “You have love in your life, Husbourne? I never would’ve guessed. You’re always alone.”
The white wizard didn’t flinch. “I don’t flaunt my personal relationships, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”
Demon Corinne had a point. I’d grown up on the same street as Husbourne, yet I’d never seen him involved with anyone. It wasn’t my business, though. If he wanted to maintain discretion for whatever reason, that was his prerogative.
Adele squeezed my hand before releasing it. “Corinne, listen to me. You’re right. A world without love would be simpler. It would certainly mean a lot less pain, but the pain we feel and the sacrifices we make in the name of love…Those are the moments that give our lives meaning and purpose. What’s the point of existing purely for the sake of it?”
Corinne’s eyes shone in the darkness. “You’ll understand soon enough. You all will.”
“Well, that’s not at all ominous,” Husbourne drawled.
I patted Adele’s shoulder. “It was a lovely appeal, but she can’t hear you,” I said softly. “The demon’s in complete control now.”
Adele’s jaw set. “Then we need to take back the wheel.”
“You would have to tear us out, root and stem,” Demon Corinne said matter-of-factly.
“Remove the ward and it would be my pleasure,” I ground out.
Corinne smiled. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.
“Can you break the ward?” I asked. Adele was older and more powerful than Corinne. Given their shared blood and the nature of their magic, Adele should be able to undo Corinne’s spell.
“I can try,” Adele said.
Corinne wagged a finger. “I wouldn’t strain yourself, Mamie. I’ve engineered it so that I’m the only one who can undo this ward.”
“How?” Adele asked. “You haven’t developed that kind of magic.”
“I had help,” Corinne said. “It’s amazing what you can learn from one another when you’re all connected.”
“Grandma,” I said quietly.
Adele was visibly shaken. “If she learned a spell from your grandmother, then we’re all in trouble.”
“Why didn’t Esther perform the spell herself?” Husbourne asked. “Why would they have someone less powerful like Corinne do it?”
“My grandmother is incapacitated right now,” I said. “Besides, I doubt the demons understand the nuances of our abilities. To them, we’re just hosts. And let’s face it, they’ve made it clear that complexity doesn’t interest them. They’re basically walking, talking amoebas.”
“Esther is probably still putting up a fight in there,” Husbourne said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if the demon failed to wrestle complete control of that wicked witch’s mind and body.”
I’d had a similar thought but kept it to myself. Optimism wasn’t my strong suit.
“In case you decide to be stubborn, Mamie, you should know there’s a sting in the tail,” Corinne said. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Adele stepped backward. “That’s unfortunate.”
My head swiveled toward her. “What is? What does that mean?”
“It means that if you try to break the ward, you’ll end up buying the farm in the process,” Husbourne interjected.
I knew his statement had nothing to do with the actual farm in front of us.
“Any effort to break the ward will cause intense pain for the participants,” Adele clarified.
“Did my grandmother teach you that spell?” I asked. It didn’t sound like LeRoux magic.
“No, my mother showed me video tutorials on advanced magic a few years ago,” Corinne said. “She wanted to keep your coven away from the annual Rose Festival and devised a plan to lock you on your own property…”
Beside me, Adele closed her eyes in an effort to maintain her composure. “I’d forgotten about that debacle. Thankfully, I put a stop to it before Rosalie could make a fool of herself. I didn’t blame Corinne for her mother’s harebrained schemes. My granddaughter was young and impressionable.”
“And apparently a sponge,” I said. “It seems like she absorbed what she learned.” I gestured to the barrier.
“Corinne’s always been an intelligent young witch,” Adele said. “That’s why I’ve always felt it was important to keep her in check.”
The three of us observed Corinne, who’d turned and walked to the rows of pods. She appeared to be talking to them.
“What about you?” Adele asked, directing the question to me. “Your powers are…different. Can you handle this?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I said. “But not right now.”
“Thank you,” Adele said, her gaze back on her granddaughter.
“Don’t thank her yet,” Husbourne said. “She hasn’t done anything.”
Adele watched Corinne’s silhouette move amongst the plants. “That’s exactly why I’m thanking her.”
Husbourne seemed to understand. If I acted now, Corinne could get caught in the crossfire. Whatever I decided to do, I’d need the area clear of innocent victims or I’d risk casualties.
“Then what do we do now?” Husbourne asked.
I continued to watch as Corinne stroked one of the leaves. “Nothing,” I said. “The mayor issued the warning and we’ll try to protect as many from the spores as we can until we find a way to break through the ward and eradicate the inhabitants without hurting the hosts.”
“And them hurting us,” Husbourne said.
He was right. Thanks to our interactions with Corinne, the three of us were now targets.
“Take precautions,” I said. “The demons will be watching us.”
“They’ll be more than watching us,” Husbourne said. “They’ll be aiming to take us over. That’s the surest way to stop us from threatening their existence.”
I’d been so optimistic when I’d heard from Neville this morning. Things had tumbled dramatically downhill since then. I really hoped this was rock bottom.
We left the farm and I asked Husbourne to drop me off downtown and drive my car home.
“Going to the office?” Husbourne asked.
“Going to work,” I said. Right now, that didn’t require the FBM office.
He pulled alongside Pecorino Place and let me out. “Good luck, Eden.”
Although it was late, the weather was pleasant, prompting many residents to stroll the delightful waterfront streets. I didn’t want to call the chief directly and ask where he was because that would raise suspicions. Instead, I shot Neville a text, cringing with every tap of the screen. The wizard kept tabs on the chief as part of FBM procedure. I convinced myself that it was necessary. If the chief of police was now inhabited by a pod demon, Agent Eden Fury needed to know. It was official business, I told myself.
Cheese Wheel thirty minu
tes ago, came the reply.
So he was off-duty. I couldn’t decide if that was better or worse. Would Corinne be with him or was she still at the farm, coaxing more pods to life? I disliked both scenarios.
I sent a second text—this time to Clara. Hopefully, my best friend was still intact. It would be hard to tell from a text exchange, so I invited her to meet me at the bar and kept my tone light and breezy. If Clara was now one of them, I didn’t want to give myself away.
With hurried steps, I made my way toward The Cheese Wheel. Everywhere I turned, it seemed as though demon eyes were watching me. As fearful as I was that Chief Fox had been taken over, I had to know for sure. Given the rapid rate of takeovers, it was anybody’s guess whether he’d be of sound mind and body. If Demon Corinne hoped to keep him as her companion, it was only a matter of time before she made sure to send a few spores his way. He wouldn’t have a clue.
“Eden Fury,” a voice said. “We’re watching you.”
I jerked toward the sound of the voice to see an unfamiliar bald man. Mid-fifties. His stare was as vacant as his body. Whoever this man had been, he was gone—unless I could defeat the pod demons in time.
I kept walking, keeping my head down and avoiding eye contact.
“Eden Fury,” another voice said.
And then another.
And another.
“Message received!” I yelled and ran the rest of the way to The Cheese Wheel. I spotted Clara in the parking lot as she emerged from her car. I rushed toward her, plastering a smile across my face.
“What’s wrong with you?” Clara asked. “You look weirder with that cheesy smile than you did with a swollen head.”
I instantly relaxed. “Thank the gods,” I said, and threw my arms around her.
“What’s going on?” Clara asked. She pulled back to inspect me. “Did your family do something to you?”
“Yes, but that’s not the issue,” I said. You know things are dire when you wish you could lay blame at the feet of your evil family.
Clara kept an arm around me as we headed for the entrance to the bar. “Tell me.”
As quickly as I could, I filled her in on the latest developments. “And Chief Fox is inside, so I need to see whether the head of law enforcement has changed teams.”
Bedtime Fury Page 13