Something Wicked

by Sterling, Jillian

  Demeter's question surprised him. How could she know about feelings that he was still processing himself?

  "I think I have," he admitted.

  "Does she feel the same?" she asked.

  "A spell blew up in my face, so now she thinks she does," he said moodily. That was tough to admit, but there was no point in lying. Demeter would spot a lie in a heartbeat.

  "Are you sure the spell blew up? Or are you too frightened to admit something to yourself? And to my daughter?"

  Finn was silent, so Demeter continued. "Finn, to the outside world you appear to be a womanizer. But to spin our magic, that's what's needed. Multiple partners draw out our energy. Can you see yourself only with Izzy? Can your magic work together, and with her alone?"

  "I thought it could, but since I botched the spell, I am not so sure," he admitted. "I lost my focus, it was about her, and me. Not the spell."

  Demeter sighed. "Maybe that's your own magic growing, Finn. Did you consider that?"

  "What does that even mean?" Finn grumbled, which made Demeter laugh.

  "It means, maybe your magic has evolved to the point where you don't need to only focus on the spell, but you can enjoy the process, too," she explained. "Sex magic is powerful, but it's also fun. Why don't you check and make sure the spell failed before you make that assumption. Now, let's talk about getting that money to you..."

  Demeter and Finn worked out a location to meet another coven member in Worcester, Mass, half way between Willimantic and Salem. Not a long distance, but enough of a trip that he'd have to leave in a few hours time, well before Izzy woke up. Finn was settling her debt tomorrow.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Amanda was already dressed and on her second cup of coffee when I came stumbling downstairs at 8:30 AM.

  "What time did you roll in last night?" I asked before covering a yawn.

  Coffee was so necessary today. There was no way I could fall asleep after the amazing sex magic session with Finn last night. As soon as I nodded off, he invaded my dreams, increasing the heat level of them just enough to force me to need a little vibrator action at around 6 AM.

  I considered going into his room, but I heard him leave the house before I worked up the nerve to go in there and see if he wanted to give a non-magical hook up a go. It was probably a stupid idea anyway, and I was relieved that he left before I could embarrass myself anymore. I mean, I told him I loved him! How many times could I get away with blaming it on the spell?

  "I just came home to change clothes, actually," she said before leveling a look at me. "So I should ask what happened with you last night?"

  "What do you mean?" I scrutinized my coffee mug, pretending to wipe dirt of out it.

  "I mean, I was at the sorority house with Mel when Tara came home. And that girl was pissed."

  "Oh yeah?" I feigned disinterest and poured coffee into my spotless mug.

  "Come on, Iz, truth," she said, putting her mug down and giving me a pointed look. "Here's what I know. She had Finn in her clutches at Huskies, then Johnny on the Spot showed up and mucked something up by starting a fight with Finn, you bailed Johnny out and in the process stole Finn away from her. And now, she's out for blood."

  "Crap," I muttered. "That's about the gist of it."

  "No, I don't think so." She was relentless. "What happened when you got home?"

  "I went to bed," I said. Not a total lie. Finn metaphorically bedded me on his floor.

  "Stop it, Izzy," she raised her voice. "Did you and Finn hook up? Again?"

  I stared into my coffee.

  "Dammit, Iz, first you, then Tara, and now you again? I like him even less now. I didn't even think that was possible."

  "It's not like that!" I argued.

  "Then what's it like?"

  I bit my lip. "It's the magic."

  "Okay, so you guys are bonding over your herbs and shit. So what."

  "And we are practicing sex magic..."

  Amanda stared at me hard. "You really believe that?"

  I opened the verbal floodgates. "When we unleashed the first love spell, we didn't know it was on Finn, so we had to undo that spell and cast another one so that Tara would find a new obsession."

  "Sex. Magic. I can't believe you're still letting him sell you that crock." She was incredulous.

  "Amanda, you thought it was cool," I stammered. "I can get behind that sort of magic. That's exactly what you said!"

  "Sure it sounded like fun, why not! Have fling, hand over a crystal. What's the big deal? But this," she flailed her arms around. "All this? It's just too much. You can't believe his bullshit."

  "But it works," I insisted. "Or, it's going to work."

  "Iz, I love you. I love that you are so sweet and trusting. But apparently so does he, and this is how he decided to get in your pants."

  "Amanda, you don't understand..."

  "No, Iz, you don't understand," Amanda interrupted. "With your grandmother dying and the money problems that got dropped in your lap, you're more than a little vulnerable right now and he's playing you. You know how many girls he hooks up with. We've counted them!"

  "But..."

  "But nothing, Iz," she said, yanking open the knife drawer. She pulled out a steak knife and held it in front of her. "Shall we go scratch your notch into the counter top now or later?"

  "That's not fair," I whispered. My eyes stinging with tears.

  "You shouldn't have gotten between him and Tara, sweetie. She was all vengeance is mine last night. She was plotting —that's right, plotting—with that asshole Danny Stevenson."

  I felt the color bleed out of my face. "Danny was there too? They were plotting? Plotting what?"

  "Yeah, I thought they were going to hook up, but no dice. You didn't let him down too easy either, did you? They were plotting how they were going to turn this house into the ultimate off campus party house. From the way Danny was carrying on, you need to figure out how to pay his loan shark father back. And like yesterday."

  I dropped into a chair and let that sink in.

  Amanda softened her tone. "Sweetie, you have got to learn how to pick your enemies." She rinsed out her coffee cup and left it, along with the knife, in the sink before walking out of the kitchen.

  The news of Tara and Danny plotting to take my house made me lightheaded. I bent over and dropped my head between my legs, trying to keep from hyperventilating.

  Once I was sure I wasn't going to pass out, I dragged myself to the bathroom to clean up for the day. Amanda left for campus, and I forgot to ask her for a ride to my car, so I was stranded until the next bus barreled down Main Street. The scent of Finn washed off in the shower, replacing his masculine musk with my own lemongrass soap. I combed back my wet hair and tossed on a worn denim mini and a white V-neck tee, layering a light flannel over it. It was getting chillier at dusk, and I wasn't sure how long I'd be out. After I picked up my car, I had to quit the frat house job and look for a new one. Since I wasn't confining my search on campus, it could take all day. I mused on a shoe change, but the flip-flops were fancier than my Converse. And work boots seemed wrong.

  Snatching an apple from the kitchen, I took one last gulp of my coffee, dropping the mug on the coffee table in the living room before dashing out the door. The bus was coming any minute, and missing it meant waiting another hour for the next one. But as I leapt off the front porch, Finn's Jeep pulled into the driveway. We nearly collided into each other, the vehicle stopping short with my body about three inches from the bumper. My heart raced as adrenaline pumped through my body. Shaking, I gripped the hot hood of the car to keep from falling over.

  Finn scrambled out of the Jeep without shutting off the car. "Izzy, are you okay?"

  I nodded, and swallowed hard but couldn't find my voice quite yet. Finn reached into the Jeep and shut off the engine. Then he removed a wrapped package from the dashboard and closed the car door.

  "Come on, let's get you inside," he said, wrapping a strong arm around my waist and walki
ng me back towards the house.

  I shook my head and dug my heels in. "I have to get to campus. Get my car."

  "I'll drive you later," Finn said. "I need to talk to you right now."

  "About what?"

  "Trust me, it's important," he insisted.

  "Is it about us?" I asked.

  "Us?" He puzzled.

  "Because last night..."

  "One thing at a time, Iz, okay? This first."

  I let him lead me back into the house, my mind racing. What could he possible want to talk to me about?

  We got into the living room and he settled me on the couch before he started pacing around the room.

  "I have something to tell you," he started. "I don't want you to get angry."

  I felt myself go pale. "You're married, aren't you?

  "No, I am not married, Iz. I need to tell you about my coven."

  "Okay," I said cautiously, feeling the color creep back into my cheeks.

  "Remember I told you my High Priestess sent me here to watch out for you?" I nodded, so he continued. "Well, she's not just my High Priestess."

  "What is she then?" I asked, steeling myself the inevitable girlfriend or fiancé line.

  "She's your mother," he blurted out.

  "My mother?" I asked with a snort. "Finn, my mother is a member of some weirdo cult in California..." Realization dawned on me. "Oh my goddess, Finn. Are you in a cult?"

  "No," Finn said, pacing around the living room. "Your mother is the High Priestess of a coven in Massachusetts, just north of Boston."

  "Impossible," I insisted. "Why would she leave us —- leave me—for a coven? We're all witches in this house."

  Finn shook his head. "Your grandmother didn't allow sex magic. It had been in your family for centuries, but your grandmother didn't approve."

  "So you are in a sex magic coven with my mother?" I considered it for a moment, and then my heart dropped straight into my belly. "Oh Finn! Did you do sex magic with my mother?"

  "No, no, it's not like that," Finn said quickly. He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. "This is why she left, Iz. These sorts of questions. Misunderstandings."

  "I don't get it, Finn," I said, sinking into the couch cushions, wishing they would swallow me up. "My mom has been just hours away from me, and she never even bothered to come when Grams died. What am I supposed to say to that?"

  "She didn't know how you would react. She was scared."

  "She was a coward," I spat back, tears welling in my eyes. "Leaving me to deal with all this on my own." I waved my arms around, motioning the house.

  "Yes," he agreed quietly. "She was a coward. But she wants to make it right now. Or to try to."

  "Really, how's that?"

  "She sent me here."

  "And?"

  "She sent me here to keep an eye on you, to make sure you were okay after your grandmother died."

  "She sent you here to lure me into her sex magic coven."

  "That's not true, Izzy."

  "Then what about all those girls you brought home?"

  "You mean, before us?" He asked, and I nodded. "Izzy, I had to practice."

  "So they were witches?"

  "No," he admitted. "But I was able to release my magic with them."

  "So that's what I was to you, a way to release your magic?"

  "Izzy, that doesn't matter."

  "It does matter," I argued, my frustration building. "I need to know what I am to you."

  "I don't know how to answer this, Izzy," he said, dropping his head and refusing to look at me.

  I bolted up from the couch and raced across the room. I grabbed his head, forcing him to look me in the eyes. "Tell me what I am to you."

  "I can't," he said, defeated. "Coven rules state we can't pair off."

  "Why not?" I challenged. Coven be damned.

  "Because they believe it's not good for the magic."

  "Fuck the magic," I yelled, throwing up my hands. The movement sent a photograph on the fireplace mantle across the room, stopping me in my tracks. "Did I just do that?"

  "Yes," Finn sighed. "I've been trying to tell you. Your magic is building."

  "How? From us having sex?"

  Finn nodded. "It's part of your family, Iz, even if your grandmother didn't want to believe it."

  "What do you mean, Grams knew?"

  Finn sat wearily on the couch, rubbing his eyes. "Your grandmother saw your mom about six months before she died."

  "How? The detective never found her."

  "That's what your grandmother told you," Finn explained. "The detective found your mom. But when your mother refused to leave the sex magic practice behind, your grandmother told her to stay away from you."

  "I don't understand. Why would Grams do that?"

  "Because she didn't agree with the practice. It broke your family apart. Really for centuries. It's been the curse your family has to carry."

  Thinking of the old grimoire I found in the attic, I knew there was some truth to what Finn was saying. That old relative with the randy spell book must have been part of the sex magic side of the family. "So some members of my family practiced sex magic. I am sure there are loads of witch families that have practicing and non practicing witches."

  "Sex magic practitioners have their own covens, and their own rules."

  "Like not pairing off?" I asked, my voice shaking.

  "Among other things," Finn said, once again refusing to meet my eyes.

  "Black magic?" I whispered, remembering how Finn worked the black magic spell with ease.

  "It dips into black magic, yes, I am not going to lie to you."

  My throat felt tight. "Did I cross a line here, Finn?"

  "No, I promise you, this is not a bad practice. We did nothing wrong."

  I could barely breath. "But we took her free will."

  "She tried to take mine first."

  "That does not give us the right..." I started.

  "That gives me every right," he interrupted, his voice rising. This time it was Finn's turn to fling something across the room, and a dusty vase with some long dead flowers still in it shattered against the far wall. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

  "Didn't mean? You are a good enough witch to control your magic."

  "It's you, Izzy," he said, taking a tentative step towards me. "You make my magic stronger, too."

  "I do not," I said, taking another step back.

  "Just like I make your magic stronger," he insisted.

  "Prove it." I crossed my arms over my chest defiantly.

  "I don't know," he said, exasperation leaking through. "Send your coffee mug flying this time."

  I glared at him. "Yeah, right. On command? The picture frame was an accident."

  "Maybe it wasn't," he challenged.

  I snorted. "If this is about the sex...I mean, I don't know why it would be. You get plenty of it from loads of other women."

  "It's not about sex." He tossed his hands up in frustration and paced the room. "Okay it is about the sex, but it's about the sex with you. Now send that goddam coffee mug airborne."

  My face burned red with anger. Ready to prove him wrong, I raised my hand in the direction of the mug and gave a quick flick of my wrist. "See," I huffed, suddenly interrupted by the mug flying off the coffee table and directly at Finn's head. Good thing his reflexes were on point, he ducked just in time for the cup to smash against the wall behind him.

  I stood, slack-jawed at what I just did. "But, I never...I don't..."

  "I know, tarot and potions, and even those are questionable." He smiled at me and took a few tentative steps in my direction. "Well done, Iz."

  "I don't understand what this means," I said, my voice trembling.

  "It means that our magic is stronger together," he said, pulling me to him.

  I pushed at his chest, wrenching myself away from him. "What, you just expect me to be okay with all this? You lied to me. About everything. About my mother," I choked back a sob. "W
e are far from okay Finn. Far, far from okay."

  I turned on my heel and stormed out of the living room. I had to get out of the house. No idea where I was going to go, but I slipped into a pair of flip flops and grabbed my bag. Maybe check on Johnny, I mused to myself, yanking open the front door, pushing my way into late summer morning. I shivered, blaming the bite of chill in the air rather than my witchy situation.

  Just as I stepped off the front porch, Danny's Land Rover tore up my driveway, stopping just inches away from Finn's Jeep.

  The car was barely parked when he fell out of the driver’s side, waving a piece of paper.

  "Foreclosure process," he shrieked triumphantly. "Here's your notice of default!"

  I stopped short, hanging onto the porch post to keep from falling over. He shoved the paper at me, but I sidestepped him, refusing to take the paper that fell from his hands.

  "I'm not taking that," I said, watching the piece of paper float gently down to the pavement, coming to rest in front of my blue nail polish painted toenails (slightly chipped).

  "Yes you are," he said, picking up the paper and shoving it me again. This time, he pushed it into my chest, winding me with the force of his impact.

  Finn charged out of the door, jumping in between me and Danny. "Don't touch her," he said, shielding me from Danny with his body.

  "What are you going to do about it?" Danny sneered. "You can punch me again. I'll just add on the hospital bills to what she already owes."

  "She owes nothing," Finn said, pulling out the wad of cash from the envelope he was holding. "I think we should go to your offices and settle this. Now."

  "What's that?" I asked, gob smacked at the sight of all that money.

  "Fifty grand," Finn said, holding the money out to me. "The money your grandmother spent on the detective that tracked down your mom. Plus more than enough to cover whatever insane interest and late fees they tacked on."

  Since I was too shocked to take the money, Danny reached for the pile of bills.

  "Nope," Finn said, snatching them away before Danny could grab it. "This needs to be completely official and air tight. After this, you are out of Izzy's life. For good."

  Danny nodded, his anger at me subsiding at the sight of all that cash. "Follow me to the office then," he said. How quickly he got over his infatuation.