My mind flashes to Meghan's bright smile and her infectious curiosity. The thought of those bright green eyes looking at me this way claws at my heart.
“I think you should retire for the evening, Theo. It’s a good time to take a vacation.” Grandmother steps between us and I clench my fists at my side.
“Maybe he should just retire.”
“We’ll talk about this later, Brandon.”
I turn away from them and look at Meghan. Dr. Kale nods to me, a spell of protection already covering Meghan.
I glance around and realize they're waiting for me to act. Even grandmother seems at a loss at the moment. I draw in a breath.
“When the Baba Yaga gets here, tell her what has happened. Isolate the dining room until I can go through it. Will we have any trouble containing it?”
“None, sir,” Bianca replies.
I nod at her. “Get it contained and I want a time lock on it.”
“On it.” She 'ports away in a puff of smoke and I'm left with this bundle of trouble on my hands.
Thanks to Baba Yaga’s suggestion, I need to keep Meghan near me. I look back at Grandma. Thankfully, she’s already dismissed almost everyone else. My body starts to tremble as I feel the aftereffects of the curse. “Get me Dr. Moore.”
“I can take care of her.” Dr. Kale’s voice cuts through my thoughts and I see her standing with her fists on her hips. The Kitchen Witch Academy’s resident infirmary doctor was definitely qualified for most instances, but she can’t help Meghan and me at the same time.
“Dr. Kale, I trust you with her, but I need Dr. Moore's assistance for my own condition.” His family has served ours for generations, so I have a chance to pick his brain about her strange reaction to my curse while he sets me to rights.
“Of course,” she nods and flitters around Meghan, making muttering observations as she moves.
“Get Dr. Moore.”
Another servant makes an affirmation and disappears. My mind spins. I can see Meghan's wild hair falling loose as she's floated by Dr. Kale’s magic toward the guest bedroom.
“Grandma, is the room already prepared?”
“We had it ready when the other girl was originally contracted.” My grandmother had met Meghan's twin sister once before. She dislikes her almost as much as I do. How can someone look so much like another and be completely opposite in every other way?
“Silverfang,” I call and my familiar appears on a cabinet next to me. He jumps from surface to surface as we stride down the hallway, silver coat glowing under the lights. “Why doesn't she have a familiar?”
A familiar should have kept her from sticking her hand in an active curse.
“I will find out.” Silverfang winks out of existence and I follow them to her temporary room.
“Get anti-curse stones and health stones in here. We need our best healers to ensure she's fine.”
I barely register their responses as Dr. Kale helps settle her in the bed. She pulls off her shoes and spreads Meghan’s golden hair out on the pillow.
Those soft lips open slightly as she sighs and adjusts her head against the soft pillow. Relief wars with fear inside me. I've kept this curse from everyone, yet one mistake puts an outsider in danger.
My gaze locks onto her wrist where the discoloration has almost disappeared. Next time you won't hurt me. Her half smile unsettles me almost as much as the statement. Where did that confidence come from?
“Brandon.” Grandma reaches for my arm, but I step out of the range of her touch.
She sighs. “You have your curse under control, so don’t pull away. Come sit down while we wait for your doctor.”
She touches my arm as she walks past me. I shove my hands in my pockets, forcing my feet to carry me away from the woman on the bed.
Her stillness unsettles me. From the moment we met, she's been a bundle of energy and determination. The way she stood up against the professor, demanding his replacement brings a smile to my face.
“Do you have class tomorrow?” Grandmother's question drags my mind back to the present.
“Yes.”
Tomorrow is packed with classes that research the curse. My patience is running thin, but I promised I would continue. It's the only thing that keeps my grandmother calm since the Academy was the source of solving their original bloodline curse with my great-grandfather.
“Brandon, about Theodore...” she trails off, but I ignore her plea. “You know he doesn't mean it when he says those things. We lost my father when he was young and he was there when the curse erupted.”
There was no point in explaining why he pisses me off. I take out my phone to call my assistant.
“Yes, boss?”
“Tomorrow, there may be rumors that my curse is out of control, and that I've permanently injured or killed a person. You know what needs to be done.”
“Will there be any cleanup involved?”
“No, she's not dead. It's also unknown whether or not she's permanently injured. The person is Meghan Stiles. She has a twin sister. Find her and make sure everyone related to our upcoming business meeting sees her from a distance.” I eye Meghan's clothing choice. “Put her in a gray suit and heels. We need her to look the part.”
“On it. Compensation?”
I remember Melanie's spoiled brat behavior. “Anything within reason.”
“Anything else? Would you like to delay the board meeting tomorrow?”
“No. We need complete control, and I want everything to be normal. This deal will protect our own interests.” I end the call and sit down on the small couch. This room has a sitting area and almost everything else she'll need.
“Will the clothes you've selected for Meghan fit her style?”
“Not quite, but they will be spelled against curse effects.” Grandmother smiles at me. “You don't need to worry. She will be okay.”
Her smile touches the cold part of my chest, cracking the shield around it for the first time since I saw the crystal form on Meghan's wrist.
“She said she won’t wear a uniform.”
“I don’t blame her. Those chef spellshirts are so stuffy.”
I chuckle. They are. That’s why I have special permission to wear my own.
“How is she?” I ask Dr. Kale.
“She's stable. Her metabolism is ramping up, so she will need food when she wakes up. We could give her supplements in an IV bag. I'd like to experiment on—”
“No,” I interrupt. “She received protection from our interference and experimentation from the Baba Yaga.”
Dr. Kale opens her mouth and I cut the air with my hand, stopping her from speaking.
“Nothing happens to her without her consent. If her life isn't in danger, we wait until she wakes up. I want nothing to interfere with her recovery. How long will that take?”
“I'm not sure. This isn't like anything I've ever seen before. Her wrist should be permanently cursed and crystallized, but it's not. Her body should still show signs of the curse, but it's completely free of it. Not even a fever remains.”
I put my elbows on my knees and interlock my fingers. “Are there any signs of damage anywhere else in her body?”
She opens her hands, palms up and shrugs. “I don't know. There's not enough information about her, and if you won't let me test her limits, I can't find out more.” She crosses her hands in front of her.
“Leave us for a moment,” Grandmother says. The room empties, leaving us and Meghan alone. Once the door shuts behind them, she turns to look at me. “Tell me what's going on.”
“I nearly killed her.”
“Is that what you think?” She smirks at me. “What you think you experienced in there and what actually happened are obviously two different things.”
“What do you mean?”
“She knew what she was doing. The moment she touched the curse, she absorbed it. I have taken care of you for your entire life. This isn’t a normal level of worry for you.”
I stare
down at my fingers. “The curse jumped out of my hands onto her the moment I touched her wrist. That has never happened. I had pulled it back in by then.”
“Maybe that's part of her anti-curse magic.” She takes my hand in hers. “The Baba Yaga believes in her. We have to trust that we can figure this out.”
Something tells me she'll want me to trigger the curse again and that fills me with dread. “We don't need her.”
“Yes we do.” She squeezes my hand, the iron grip I remember is so much softer and smaller now. I put my other hand over hers and sigh.
“Grandma, she's reckless.”
“So are you.”
“She doesn't belong here among us. I don't sense any magic within her at all.” The safest place for her is away from me.
“And yet she can survive your curse. It’s strange, though. She can see so many things in our home that non-magic users shouldn’t be able to. I don’t believe she’s the null her family labels her as.”
She smiles at me and I know I'm losing the battle.
“Dr. Moore will be here soon. Once he arrives, he'll tell you the same. We don't have much time left.” The pain in her expression stabs my heart. “Use that logic you're so proud of. She isn't like the other one.”
No, she isn't. And I want to keep her alive long enough to see that smile again. “I have an evaluation in a class tomorrow and will have to travel to the company for work afterward.”
“Of course.” She lets my hands go and settles back against the chair. “Do you really think someone will move against us?”
“It won't be the first time. The other families are getting restless, but I’m not sure who is doing it.”
She sighs as she stares over at the bed. I look up and see Meghan sleeping peacefully. “What do you want to do when she wakes up?”
“That depends on what we find out. She'll be hungry, so have breakfast waiting for her. Whatever she wants. Give her access to the house and the archives if she's cleared to continue working by the Baba Yaga. Make sure she wants for nothing. And if she has any residual affects from the curse...” I trail off and shrug my shoulder. The words won't come out.
“We’ll take care of her for the rest of her life.”
I stand abruptly. “I'm going to the dining room. Tell Dr. Moore to meet me there.”
My gaze lingers on Meghan's sleeping face. Her lips twitch in her sleep but she barely moves. As I walk out the door, Silverfang appears next to me.
“What did you find?”
“She's not a witch. Or at least her family has her written off as a magic null.”
Like grandmother said, a magic-less person in a witch family. How difficult was her life? “What is she, then?”
“My great-great-grand cousin is her case manager. That brat told me she's naturally immune to curses. Something about being born as a twin and full moons or something.” Silverfang was never focused on all the facts, just the ones that pique his interest.
“Mystica is her case manager?”
Silverfang has only one great-great-grand cousin still living, and that guy has been handling curse cases for at least a hundred years. If he's involved, my worry should lessen. So why am I still fighting the urge to go back and sit with her until she wakes up?
“He told me the Baba Yaga is busy and won't show up until the morning. I'm to tell you that she'll likely wake up by then, as well.” Silverfang jumps onto my shoulder and settles there, curling his tail around my arm. “Where are we going?”
“To the curse room.”
Silverfang rowls low in his throat but stays on my shoulder. He's the only familiar that's unafraid of my curse, but that doesn't mean he has to like being around it after it lets loose.
The dining room's barrier glows golden. I press my hand against it and push through. The curse has already dispersed and everything it touched turned to fine purple powder. I reach over to the plate and touch it.
“Nothing remains this time, either?” Silverfang jumps down onto the table and sniffs delicately.
“According to grandmother, my great-grandfather's curse left actual crystals behind. I wonder why mine is so different?”
I smear the powder over my thumb and forefinger. It disappears instantly. The moment the time lock is removed, all the evidence will be gone. When my time comes, will I disappear the same way?
“You're thinking useless thoughts again.” Silverfang bats something toward me. “I found a piece.”
A small crystal lands on the tablecloth in front of me. My eyes widen and my heart pounds in my chest. “Where did you find it?”
“On the floor.”
“On the floor? She did it.”
“Did what?” Dr. Moore's arrival triggers a smile on my face.
“I have a crystal.” I hold it up. The light in the room refracts within it.
“How?” Dr. Moore rushes to my side and pats his jacket. He pulls out a void bag and opens it. The runic markings on it tells me it's an extremely powerful one. “Let me take it.” His joyous grin matches mine.
“The anti-curse expert. I touched her during the curse and it triggered on her skin.”
His smile drops immediately. “Where is she? Were you able to stop the spread?”
“It's okay. She shook it off, actually.” I stare at the table where the plate of food had already disintegrated. “It was damn impressive. Crystals formed on her wrist and then fell off like nothing. I thought she was—”
I clear my throat when I realized how raw that pain was in my heart. “Anyway, she said she wouldn't be affected by my curse next time and then passed out. Kale thinks she's processing the curse at the moment. She passed out right after shucking the crystal off her wrist.”
“Are there more pieces?”
“Five. She had other ones in the escape room we landed in,” Silverfang says as he sits primly on the table. There are five small pieces in front of him. I scratch him behind the ears in thanks and he purrs.
“Five pieces. This may be the breakthrough we need. Where is she?”
“Upstairs.”
“Take me to her.” He puts the other pieces in the bag and then cleanses all of us. “Oh, before I forget.”
He reaches into another pocket and pulls out a set of dark gloves. “The gloves you asked for last week. They will keep your hands cool or warm as needed and provide extra protection from your curse for a while.”
I take them with mixed emotions. Once I put these on, it's as good as saying it's over for me. But then again, it's better than hurting someone else. “Thanks.”
“Don't thank me. I think it's not necessary, especially with this.” Dr. Moore holds up the bag and jumps in joy, a funny move in a man as old as my grandmother.
“She's in the fourth room down this hall. I hope it gives you the breakthrough we need.”
“It will. And make sure you keep that girl with you. She's your lucky star.”
I follow along slowly, considering his words. Bianca appears at my side. “The curse has burned to ash. Cleanse the room and be thorough.”
Bianca nods and walks away. I put my hands in my pockets and head down the hallway. I'm tempted to return to her side, but I know if I do, I'll start snapping at everyone again. “Silverfang.”
“Will you go to her?”
“Tell grandmother that I'm going to my study. I want to know the moment the Baba Yaga arrives.”
“Will do. I'll also let her know that I deserve fresh tuna for finding the crystal.” He launches into the air and hits the floor running.
I laugh at his antics and turn away from Meghan's room toward my wing of the house, where a pile of work awaits me. I am not avoiding her. Or the fear I expect in her gaze when she wakes up.
“The cleansing is done,” Bianca says from my side.
“If she wants to leave tomorrow, let her.”
“But—”
“Don't make me repeat myself. Make sure she's able to go wherever she wants. We won't force her to go through this ag
ain.”
“Yes sir.”
7
Meghan
Waking up to an unfamiliar ceiling is far more disorienting than I thought it would be. Muscles groan as I force myself up off the fluffy pillows.
The lights come on and I squint against the glare.
“How are you feeling?”
A woman's voice pierces the fog in my mind and my gaze locks onto a familiar face. This time, she's wearing an off-the-shoulder purple dress with gold lamé piping. Her bright makeup and wild hair is only emphasized by the gold lightning bolt painted on her left eye and down her cheek. In the bright lights of the room, I can see a shimmery glitter effect over her cheekbones and lips.
“Is this the part where you fire me?” I run a hand over my face and groan at the mess of leaving my makeup on. I probably have raccoon eyes right now. And my curly hair probably resembles a lion mane.
“No. You can’t get out of this that easy.”
“What brings you here?”
She taps a long shiny fingernail against her lip. “Think of me as a CEO in witchdom. Sometimes things happen that require my involvement. You taking that curse and passing out afterward without any other injuries is why I’m here.”
“What happened?”
“I don't have a lot of time, so I was hoping you could tell me.” She rises from the chair and approaches the bed. “Stay still and let me check you for damage from the curse.”
I rub the back of my neck as I consider whether or not to trust her intentions.
“You don't have to trust me, but according to your file, you shouldn't have been affected at all.”
The Baba Yaga snaps her fingers and a puff of purple smoke appears at the foot of the bed. From it emerges a small gray cat with round gold-rimmed glasses perched on the tip of its nose. Its bright blue eyes take in my condition and then it slaps its paw against the blanket. A file folder appears in an instant.
“Hello,” I say with wariness. He's a familiar and my past experiences with them haven't been the best. Well, actually, it's pretty much just been Al, but he's enough for a lifetime. “What do you have there?” I gesture toward the file.
The Kitchen Witch Switch Page 5