“True, but I watched her more closely after that. I wasn’t positive until she was thirteen and one of the boys was teasing her. She grew so enraged she tripped him with her magic. He went down, broke all his front teeth out and screwed up his face so badly I was certain he would be deformed for life.”
“Mike O’Brien,” Dani interjected with a grin. “He was always a jerk. After that, he never bothered me again. I don’t know how, but he was certain that I did it. He was afraid of me after that.”
“I remember the O’Briens,” I noted. “They left town about two and a half years ago.”
“Because Mike was afraid of me.” Dani did a little dance she was so happy. “His grades fell and he was going to flunk out, so his parents moved him away.”
“And that’s when you had your first taste of power,” I deduced. “That’s when you realized that you could make people do things that benefitted you.”
“Pretty much.”
I slid my eyes to Evie. “And that’s when you decided to mold your niece.”
“Pretty much,” Evie agreed, smiling at Dani. “I started small. I approached her as a practitioner of Wicca from another town. I didn’t push her too hard at first because I didn’t want to frighten her. I played the long game.”
“Eventually she found out you were her aunt.”
“She did. About a year after I introduced myself to her. We bonded after that.”
“And you never told your mother, Dani?” The question came out more accusatory than I intended, but my frustration was growing with each word. “Didn’t you think you should tell your mother what was going on?”
“Why would I?” Dani snorted in derision. “My mother wasn’t a witch. She didn’t understand the power I had at my disposal. She was just a weak woman in a bad marriage. I didn’t want to be like her, so why would I tell her?”
I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead and tempered the anger that was thudding in my chest in time with my increasing heart rate. “I’m guessing you found out about your father’s affair first and confided in your aunt.”
“Actually, I had no idea. Aunt Evie told me.”
Of course. That made more sense. “Your aunt told you about your father because she wanted to stoke your rage.”
“I don’t know about that, but she thought I would want to know. I was angry at first and started following him because I didn’t believe her. I was a naive idiot back then, but I saw them together a few times and knew she was telling me the truth. I hated her for it … at first.”
“Which you expected,” I said to Evie. “You knew she would be angry and need time to adjust. That was all part of your plan.”
“It was,” Evie agreed. “She came around much more quickly than I expected. I let her vent to me for months before suggesting we teach him a lesson. At first, we teased him ... gave him indigestion after a big meal, a minor problem here and there in the bedroom.
“Then, one night Dani heard her parents arguing and realized they were going to divorce and she flipped out,” she continued. “She wanted to protect her mother. I was aware of Lorna’s relationship with Masterson at that point, but I didn’t think it was wise to gum up the works of what I had planned.”
“Of course not,” I said. “You wanted to make Lorna suffer because that’s your way. You couldn’t take her out too quickly. You wanted to take everything she loved instead.”
“She ended up with everything,” Evie argued. “She ended up with what should’ve been mine, including Mother’s house and land. I was completely cut out of the will.”
Ah, well, that was another piece of the puzzle. I’d wondered what final straw got her to cross the line to darkness. Apparently it was greed. I shouldn’t have been surprised. “You thought you would get money once she was dead. I bet you were bitterly disappointed when that didn’t happen.”
“Shocked is more like it. I kept waiting for a call from the attorney, but it never came.”
“Yes, well ... how terrible for you. All that murder and you didn’t even benefit.”
Her eyes flashed with annoyance. “I deserved something from that woman after what she did to me.”
“You mean when she tried to turn you away from dark magic?”
Evie let loose a laugh so hollow it sent chills down my spine. “There is no such thing as dark and light magic. There is only magic. That’s something your family has never learned.”
“Actually, I think that’s something you’ve never learned,” I countered. “There is a vast difference between the two ... but I think you’ll find that out soon. It will be a lesson you should’ve learned a long time ago.”
“Oh, really?” Evie didn’t look worried in the least. Of course, she didn’t know what I knew. “Are you going to take out both of us? I’ve drawn protective circles all over my body, tattooed them in myself with the blood of the fallen. You can’t touch me.”
My stomach rolled with unease. She really was dedicated … and deranged. “You won’t be allowed to leave this land.”
“You didn’t answer my question. Are you going to take both of us on yourself? You’ll fail.”
“Then I guess it’s good I won’t be doing anything myself. When you use light magic, you’re never alone.”
“Oh, that was so ... ridiculous.” She rolled her eyes. “I don’t even care about you, if you want to know the truth. I want to see your mother. She’s the one I owe. I was close to making inroads with Marnie after I failed with her, but she ruined it. She always ruined everything.
“Of course, losing you will be a payback of a different sort,” she continued. “I guess that will be worth it.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but I didn’t have to. My mother was taking control of this conversation. All the witches inside the inn had poured out through the front door when they saw me conversing with Evie. They’d been listening the whole time.
“If you want me, Diane, I’m right here,” Mom called out.
Evie jolted at the voice, and when she turned I didn’t miss the way the color briefly drained from her features. She didn’t allow the fear to take over for very long. She was back to bluster and false bravado within seconds.
“I was wondering how long you were going to hide inside,” she said, that malevolent grin back. “I would’ve been disappointed if you allowed your daughter to fight your battle alone.”
“She was never going to be alone.” Mom moved to the front of the witch horde and joined hands with Marnie and Twila. They were earth witches, but that didn’t mean they were unschooled in battle. “Let’s do this.”
“Oh, let’s do this.” Evie lifted her hands to the sky. I knew she was going to call the birds to strike. That seemed to be her only move.
I risked a glance at Dani and recognized that she was no longer having fun. Perhaps she thought this would be a verbal standoff and nothing more. Perhaps she really had no idea how all this worked because Evie had warped her mind in ways she didn’t even realize.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter. I would protect Dani to the best of my ability because I believed she could still be saved. Evie was a lost cause. She took the blood of her enemies and tried to protect herself with it. That was as dark as it got.
I mimicked her stance and raised my hands, earning a snicker as the birds started to descend.
“You can’t wrest control of them from me,” she gloated. “I’m stronger than you.”
I held her gaze. “You might control the birds, but I control something else.”
I briefly closed my eyes and called to every ghost in the area. I had no idea how many there were, but Viola was the first to pop into existence and let me know my spell was working.
“What’s going on?” she asked, glancing around. “I ... .” When she saw the birds, her eyes went wide. “Oh, well, this is new.”
“Take them out,” I ordered as a host of other ghosts descended upon the parking lot, the shimmering light of their anchored souls twinkling across the landscape
. “Turn them away. Kill them if you have to ... but try to keep the eagle alive. He’s endangered, after all.”
Viola nodded in a perfunctory manner. “I’m on it. You can count on me.” Then, just as I expected, she acted as a general for the amassing ghosts and shouted commands. “Charge!”
That was a little over-the-top, but it ultimately wasn’t important. Evie couldn’t hear her anyway.
She realized something was happening. She couldn’t see the ghosts, though, so all she knew was that every frontal assault was being turned back by an unseen force. For the first time since she’d crawled out of the shadows, I sensed real fear from her.
“That was pretty good,” Aunt Tillie noted, appearing at my side. Landon and Chief Terry were with her, and Landon’s face was flushed with exertion. “Your boyfriend had a meltdown, by the way. Terry threatened to lock him in the trunk when he wanted to come out and join you.”
“It was probably smart to keep him in the truck. I’m okay,” I called out to him.
“You’re definitely wearing the bacon outfit tonight,” he barked. “What do we do now?”
“Get Dani,” I replied without hesitation. “We can’t kill her. She’s still a kid, and she was only peripherally involved in the deaths. There’s still a chance we can ... .” I trailed off, uncertain.
“What? Train her?” Aunt Tillie looked dubious. “Pulling her back won’t be easy.”
“But we have to try, right?”
Aunt Tillie held my gaze for a beat, her expression unreadable. Finally, she nodded. “We have to try.”
“Fine. We’ll take Dani,” Landon volunteered. “What are you going to do to Diane?”
“What we have to do,” I answered grimly. “She can’t walk away from this.”
“That’s going to be hard to explain on a report,” Chief Terry argued.
“Maybe not.” I lifted my eyes to the ghosts again and focused on Viola. “Drive them toward their master,” I suggested.
It took Viola a moment to realize what I meant before she brightened considerably. “Come on, guys,” she encouraged. “Let’s take this witch down.”
Evie squawked as she turned to run, but there was nowhere for her to go. “Dani!” She screamed the girl’s name. “You have to help protect me. It’s the only way we’ll survive this.”
“No, Dani.” I shook my head at the teenager’s fearful expression as I called to her through the din of screeching birds and attacking ghosts. “This isn’t your war. You have to let it go.”
She looked uncertain. “But ... .”
“You’re done,” Landon snapped, sliding up behind her and grabbing her arms, holding them tight as Chief Terry slapped cuffs on her. “You’re so done, little girl.”
“Dani!” Evie dropped to her knees and covered her head, screeching as the birds grew closer. With the ghosts directing them, there was no way for Evie to escape. She was fueling the fire in the birds – a tether she couldn’t snap so late in the game – and they had to attack. Thanks to the ghosts cutting off the openings to other witches, there was only one available target.
I turned away when the birds reached her. I didn’t need to see the final battle. It was over before it began, really, although Evie’s screams would live with me for a very long time. That’s how it should be, though, because light magic came with one other thing that dark magic didn’t – a conscience.
Twenty-Nine
Chief Terry called in Evie’s death as a wild animal attack. The medical examiner was dubious, but there were no other marks on her body. He took her in and promised a full autopsy.
Lorna arrived to see about Dani. She didn’t look happy – more resigned than anything else – but she didn’t disavow her daughter. The disappointment on her face was obvious, but she was sober and aware … something that she couldn’t claim the last few days. Perhaps she realized she wasn’t helping matters. That situation – however resolved – would take time to work out.
Dani struggled as she was led away in handcuffs. Once her aunt was gone, all that bluster she’d exhibited dried up. She looked like a frightened teenager.
“I don’t know that this is a good idea,” Landon intoned as he watched the girl being loaded into a cruiser. She looked forlorn, tears streaking down her cheeks. “She’s dangerous, Bay.”
I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead and pressed hard. “So am I.”
“You saved lives today. She wanted to take them.”
“Maybe.” It was possible he was right. “There’s still a chance she can turn things around. She didn’t murder her father and Masterson. She knew … and maybe she helped a bit… but she wasn’t the driving force behind those murders. That was Evie … er, Diane … or whatever her name was.”
“She wasn’t lying about having it legally changed. I checked. If we’d dug harder … .”
“It doesn’t matter now.” I reached over and laced my fingers with his. “It’s over. I don’t think there ever was a way to save Diane. But Dani still has a chance.”
“We’re keeping her in jail overnight … maybe several nights. After that, what do we do with her?”
“I don’t know.” That was the truth. I hadn’t gotten that far in my planning. “Let’s get through the wedding, give Clove the celebration she’s always wanted, and figure out what to do with Dani tomorrow.”
“That seems like the lazy way to do it.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. “Well … it has been a busy few days.”
“It has,” he agreed, leaning close so he could press a kiss to my forehead. “You know, before this I just assumed that any children we have would naturally be good because you’re good. This makes me wonder. I mean … was Dani born bad?”
“I don’t think so. She had a temper as a child. She managed to set the drapes on fire when she was five. I told you how fire witches are rare. We’ll have to rein her in quickly if there’s any chance of saving her. Still … still … I don’t know that I believe she was born bad. I prefer believing circumstances made her conflicted.”
“You’re going to try to save her.” It was a statement rather than a question.
“I’ll do what I can,” I clarified. “That might well be nothing. I really can’t say with any degree of certainty what I’m going to do. I couldn’t kill her, though. I just … couldn’t.”
He blew out a sigh and dragged a hand through his hair. “Fair enough,” he said. “I couldn’t have killed her either. And setting her loose to run amok doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
“Definitely not.”
“So, we’ll do things your way,” he supplied. “I’ll help you any way I can.”
I already knew that, which was only one of the reasons I felt hopeful that we would be able to change Dani’s life. Additional aid would come in the form of my mother and aunts … and maybe even Aunt Tillie.
“I should probably head upstairs.” I turned to stare at the second-floor window. I could see Thistle standing on the other side, gesturing wildly as Twila approached her with what appeared to be a box of hair dye. “I think the adventures of the day are just beginning.”
Landon followed my gaze, smiling. “That looks … fun.”
“Then you’re clearly not picturing it right.”
“Oh, I have a fairly good idea how all of that is going to go.” His grin widened and then he swooped in to give me a kiss. “It’s going to be okay, Bay. Your instincts are rarely wrong. If you believe helping Dani is the way to go, then I’m with you.”
“Thanks.” I slid my arms around his neck and held tight. I needed the moment of healing, an instant of quiet before the family storm. Perhaps we both did. I didn’t pull away until I heard someone clearing a throat behind us. When I turned, I wasn’t surprised to find Hazel. “Do you need something?”
“I was going to ask you that,” she replied, shooting Landon a smile. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just wanted to catch you before you headed upstairs. I’m sure we’ll see each other a
t the wedding and ritual later. We’re doing a big blessing for Clove and the baby, so it should be a fun night.”
“I’m sure Clove will be thankful for that,” I said perfunctorily.
“You’re not comfortable around me,” Hazel deduced. “I wish it were different, but … you’re leery.”
“I don’t know you,” I corrected. “I’m leery around anyone who claims to know what’s best for me.”
“I don’t believe I’ve ever done anything of the sort.”
“No?” I arched a challenging eyebrow. I had one very specific memory of Hazel from before the coven split. “That wasn’t you insisting to my mother that she should bind my powers because I was a threat to everyone around me?”
Hazel hesitated before answering. “I didn’t know you overheard us that day.”
Landon stirred. “I’m sorry, you did what?”
Hazel hung her head. “I wasn’t trying to hurt Bay,” she insisted. “That was never my intention. She’s a very powerful witch, and I had the impression she wasn’t getting the proper guidance under this roof. I see now that I was mistaken.
“You have to understand, back then I thought I knew what was best for everybody,” she continued. “I wasn’t trying to curtail magic, only regulate it. I see now that I should’ve kept my big nose out of your life. Your mother and aunts raised you exactly as they should have.
“You’re still powerful, Bay, but because they let you grow at your own pace you didn’t turn into a dark witch like Dani. You never believed you were better than anyone because you were stronger. You were never molded into a fierce warrior. All that strength you put on display today comes from inside.”
“Not exactly,” I countered, my eyes briefly drifting to Aunt Tillie, who was busy making faces at Dani through the cruiser window. “A lot of my strength comes from them. I have weaknesses. I never forgot what you said to my mother that day, though … and I never forgot the way Aunt Tillie reacted.
“She took responsibility for breaking us away from the coven, but in truth she did it for me,” I continued. “She wanted to make sure you had no control over me. That’s why things fell apart.”
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