She rolls her eyes at me. “What happened to you?”
“His curse is pretty tough to analyze,” I say as I make my way over to the table, embarrassed at needing assistance.
“I thought curses didn't affect you.”
My laugh is rough and raw. “They always affect me. Don't tell me you didn't know that every curse hurts the first time I experience them.”
Her hands clench my pajamas as she stiffens next to me. “Every curse?” she asks in horror.
“Every. single. one. of. them.” I sigh as I ease down into a chair. “Thankfully most of your curses are easy to build an immunity to, so I only deal with it once and am immune for the rest of my life. Brandon's curse is different.” I rest my head in my hands and try to stop the world from spinning.
Bianca stands to the side and I sit up, gesturing for her to sit in one of the chairs. “Please join us, Bianca. I may need to pick your brain.”
Melanie takes a seat, quieter than I've ever seen her. I pile chicken up on my plate and start to dig in, wondering if she really didn't know her curses caused me pain. The first bite brings tears to my eyes. My stomach is so hungry it's eating itself, but I force myself to take slow, methodical, and fully chewed bites.
“Please fill me in on what's happened since I passed out.”
I manage to speak between bites, but only because I don’t want them sitting around staring at me while I inhale the food in front of me.
Bianca lets me know that the investigation found two members of the team had used magic during the meeting, but there was a third who kept himself well hidden. We couldn’t figure out who affected Brandon or interfered with my ability. I don't know enough about magic or magic-based artifacts to help there.
My sister quietly puts butter and jelly on biscuits and places them on my plate. I eye them with wariness and pick up a piece to check for curses. Nothing.
“What is this for?”
“You like jelly and butter on your biscuits,” she says as her cheeks flush in either embarrassment or irritation.
Until this moment, I would think it was annoyance, but she seems too nervous for that. My lips twitch as I thank her. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I usually choose jelly for breakfast. Oh well.
The sweet jelly will make an interesting combination with the chicken. I take a bite anyway, accepting her random act of kindness while it lasts. Of course, I take a small bite first, just in case she slips a random curse in for old time’s sake.
“Where is Brandon?” I expected to see him, but then again, I did send him to figure out what triggers his curse. Maybe he is still working on it.
Bianca glances at Melanie and then back at me. “He is currently helping Mrs. Devlin.”
I nod in understanding and keep eating. Since Al first popped into my office, I've been cursed four times, had my curse ability interfered with twice, and haven't been able to eat a decent meal to recover. Every time I eat a curse, my body's metabolism ramps up. Ignoring it these past few days has left me in this desperate situation.
“Your familiar told me you nearly died.” Melanie cuts into my thoughts, drawing me back to the present.
I wipe my hands and mouth and sit back in the chair. My stomach is finally sated. At least for a minute. “First of all, he’s not my familiar. He’s contracted to work with me. Secondly, he's exaggerating. I wasn't in any real danger.”
“Don’t try to use your logical argumentative ways on me. I've never seen you like that.” She gestures toward the bed. “Your mind was completely still. And this isn't the first time in the past few days that you've been mentally cut off from me.”
“Mentally cut off?” I ask.
“I can always find you no matter where you are. But recently…”
That explains how Al is always able to find me no matter where I am in the world.
Bianca leans close to me. “Silverfang, Mr. Devlin's familiar, will come and get you when he needs you. I'm needed to protect Mrs. Devlin.”
I nod and she excuses herself from the table. “Be careful,” I say and she gives me a quick smile. She disappears from our sight and I sigh at the convenience of magic.
“I don't like how you're risking your life for these people.”
I arch an eyebrow. “These people? Didn’t you set this up in the first place? What did you expect to happen when you abandoned the contract?”
“No,” she denies immediately, nearly knocking her chair over in her rush to stand. “Why would I send you into something this dangerous?”
I cross my arms and tilt my head at her. “Every time.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Isn't this exactly what you intended? Do you know how many times I've been literally cursed, attacked, screamed at, and insulted for things I've never done? Remember that boyfriend in Albuquerque?”
Her eyes widen and I sneer at her expression. “He cursed me to get amoebic dysentery. When that didn't work, he cursed my brake lines to fail. I'm not immortal and I don't have the ability to teleport everywhere like you do. My brakes went out, Melanie. I could have died or taken someone out with me if I hadn’t responded quick enough.”
“I didn't know. I mean, he was stalking me, but I didn't know it was that bad. Why didn't you say anything?”
“When are you ever around long enough for me to tell you anything? Mom knows, but she tells me that I need to be more understanding. You’re the hope of our family.” I throw my hands up in the air in exasperation. “Besides, why would I even trust that you care? You've cursed me hundreds of times.”
“Over a thousand, actually,” Mystica cuts in as he hops up in the chair Bianca vacated. “One thousand, five hundred and twenty-two times, to be exact. I did a curse analysis at Brandon's request.” He sniffs the chicken so I tear off a few pieces for him to snack on.
“There you go. You've cursed me 1,522 times, so why should I believe you ever gave a damn.” I continue shredding chicken for Mystica as I narrow my gaze at my twin.
Shame, anger, and frustration stand out in her body language. I snort. What does she have to be frustrated about? “Out of curiosity, how many other times have I been cursed?”
“Three hundred and three.” He pauses. “Actually, three hundred and four if you count the recent one.”
I sigh. What a weirdly resistant body. I sincerely hope it never gives out on me.
Melanie crosses her arms. “I didn't know that it hurt you. I'm sorry. I would have never done it if I knew it actually caused you pain.”
“But you did know that it is illegal to perform magic against non-magical beings.” Mystica pauses his snack to remind her. “Meghan was registered by your family as a null, a person who can't cast magic.”
“My sister isn't a null,” she says as her body radiates anger.
“True, but until recently no one knew that.” He looks at me to shred more chicken and I grin as I continue helping. This old guy is really pushy. “Witches have been imprisoned for less, Melanie. The Baba Yaga is already fed up with your lack of responsibility in this case.”
Her face pales considerably.
“Not to mention the fact that she's been cursing me since I was a toddler,” I say as I bite into one of the jellied biscuits.
“Truly vicious. There is a way to save yourself, however.”
“Mystica,” I say in warning. The cat flicks his tail and hushes. He’s obviously enjoying himself way too much.
“Okay. Then answer this question. Why would you curse your sister in the first place?”
“I thought it didn’t affect her, and I wanted to practice my magic.”
“She’s not immune. And even then, what gives you the right to experiment on her?” His voice rises and so does the hair on the back of my neck as power rolls through him.
She grabs my hand. “Meghan, I swear I never meant to hurt you.”
I sigh. My sister has always been thoughtless and selfish, but maliciousness wasn’t really in her nature. I lo
ve her, but she drives me crazy.
“I know that.” Al, on the other hand...My gaze locks on the fluffy furball and he glares at me. That little shit has had it out for me since the first day we met.
“How can I help make this right?”
I squeeze her hand. Solving this curse will mean I never have to endure another switch out again. Of course I won’t tell her that. “I need your help. This curse is too much for me alone. There are pieces of it I don't understand.”
When I'm sleeping after I’m cursed, my mind and body tries to pull it apart and analyze it, but I can’t break through on this one. Not yet, anyway.
“I can help with that.” She seems relieved by the request, but there's one thing that really bothers me.
“Why would you sign such a dangerous contract?”
She sighs and taps her fingers on the table in a light staccato. “It was an assignment at the Kitchen Witch Academy. I couldn't pass it up.”
“Brandon tells me you don’t pay attention in class. Why do that if you wanted to attend the Academy so much?”
“I realized when I got there that I couldn't keep up with the other students, so what was the point?”
Mystica finishes his chicken and then jumps in my lap. I run my hand down his head and neck to his back. He purrs lightly for a moment and then speaks. “I've seen his schedule. Most of his classes are advanced. Starting from the beginning would give you more opportunity.”
“Yeah, but there's no way I could get in on my own,” she replies.
“I don't agree. You have an incredible talent when it comes to cooking, and I don't know anyone who works harder than you when you focus in the kitchen.” It, curses, and countercurses were the only three things she really obsessed over.
“Give me a break,” she says.
Mystica nods. “I agree on the quality of your food. You also instill magic in your cooking. It's quite obvious that you took my words to heart about your sister's health since you infused recovery and stamina perks in the chicken.”
“I did?” “She did?” We ask at the same time.
“Yes. Consider joining the Academy through the front door. You'll find it more interesting.”
I wanted to say more, but Silverfang comes into the room. “The master requests the presence of you and your sister.”
I look down at the pajamas I'm wearing. They cover me completely, but I need something else to wear. “I need to change.”
“Hurry,” Silverfang responds. “The master will only see you for a short time and allow you to rest more.”
I hold Mystica and stand. “Let him know we’ll be on our way as soon as I change clothes.”
“I will tell you when she’s ready,” Mystica says.
Silverfang dips his head in acknowledgement and walks out of the room.
“It’s so interesting how you’re able to talk out loud. Are familiar’s voices altered?”
“You don’t need to know our secrets,” Mystica replies with a sniff.
I look at Melanie. The lost look on her face surprises me. I walk over and take her hand, holding it like we did when we were kids, before she became flighty with the expectation that I would fix everything.
“Give it some thought, but don't let it panic you into running again. This is the one time I need you to stay with me, no matter what. His life and mine rely on it.” I squeeze her fingers and let them go. “Thank you for the delicious food. I feel so much better.”
“Let me help you get changed.”
“I’m okay.” I stop her from reaching for my arm. “Your food rejuvenated me. I promise.” I leave her there and walk into the closet to find something to wear. Keeping one foot in front of the other without tripping was already note-worthy.
“Do you think she'll leave?” Mystica asks when we're out of earshot.
“If she does, do you think she'd be able to hide from you or Brandon's familiar for long? I mean, you have managed to find her twice when my family hasn't been able to for years.”
“Why would she curse you so often?”
“At first, she wanted to prove that I had magic inside me, so my family wouldn't shun me. After that, I became a perfect test subject. And Al, her familiar, is a pain in the ass who loves to prank me.”
Mystica sniffs in disdain. “I'll straighten him out.”
I laugh. “I'd appreciate it.” Mystica moves to a gray and green dress that seems striking in the light.
“This one will be perfect. It matches your eyes.” He sits down prim and proper and begins licking his paw.
I laugh quietly. Dresses weren’t something I picked out, and the last one was a hit, so I would have to trust his judgement. I stare down at his head and click my tongue. “Turn your back or hide somewhere.”
He raises his head and stares at me with obvious disdain. “I have no interest in seeing you change clothes.”
“Good.” I smirk and drop a robe over his head. “Stay there for now and I’ll give you the rest of my drumstick when we’re done here.”
“Did you forget how old I am? Bribery doesn’t work one me.” His muffled voice holds an edge of irritation.
“And yet you haven’t moved an inch since I said something.” Laughter threatens to escape, but I keep in. Barely. I change in a flash, thankful that the dress is easy to put on.
“Hurry up.”
“Done.” I pull the robe off him and smile. The slick material clings to his fur, leaving it standing on edge thanks to static electricity. The spiky fur on top of his head is especially adorable. “Your hair looks amazing,” I say and point at a floor length mirror.
He takes one look and starts attacking his fur with his tongue, vigorously trying to tame it.
I walk to the bathroom and run my hand under cool water and then turn it off. “Come here and I’ll fix it for you.” I gently swipe the excess water off my hand.
He races into the room and leaps up on the sink. “What are you going to do?”
“My hair is really curly so when I get static build up in my hair it turns into a nightmare. Hold still for a second.” I run my damp hand over his fur, settling it back to rights. “Water neutralizes the charge.”
“Yes, but now I have damp fur.” He looks disgruntled, but I scratch him under the chin anyway.
“Yeah, but you’re pretty handsome to me no matter what your fur looks like.”
He swats at my hand and I avoid it with ease. My smile dims slightly as I catch sight of my reflection. The changes in my face are subtle, but I can already see the destructive influence of a hyperactive metabolism and the draining power of neutralizing curses.
“Are you really okay?” He jumps up on my shoulder, remaining light as a feather.
I brace my hands on the sink and look into his eyes. “Does the Baba Yaga have a backup if I fail to help him?”
He twitches and settles again. This time his tail wraps around my arm. “You and your sister are the backup. If this curse can’t be settled, we can isolate him in a timelock prison, but most people can’t survive without damaging their mind.”
I sigh and force a small smile. “Then it doesn’t matter if I’m okay, does it?”
“Why do you want your sister’s help? She's not reliable.”
“Because I can’t do this alone.” I take him into my arms. My fingers dig into his soft fur as I scratch behind his ears.
“I have one, maybe two curse cancellations in me. We could wait it out, but my gut tells me the curses will only get more intense. They’re trying to kill him and are willing to sacrifice anyone around him to make it happen.”
“Will she be able to help you?”
I nod slowly as I make my way back to the room. “When it comes to countercurses, there is no greater expert.”
He watches me with those ancient eyes, observing everything about me. Does he notice how my body is trembling? How my throat and mouth are dry? How my stomach is twisting around the chicken I just ate, threatening to make me lose my cookies?
I scratch Mystica under the chin and smile at his low purr. “We’re a power team. There’s no way a little curse will beat us.”
15
Meghan
The moment I return to the room, I'm surprised to find my sister waiting patiently for me. But I'm even more surprised and annoyed at her guest.
“Wearing a dress, are we? Did hell freeze over?” Al is here. Great.
“Hello, Al,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Hello, undertwin,” he says with the same smug arrogance that makes me want to toss him out a window. Not that he couldn't pop right back in front of me with a cursed object thrown my way the moment I turn my back.
“Watch your tone,” Mystica says with a powerful authority that surprises me. He blinks his eyes at me and grips my hand in his paws, obviously wanting me to continue scratching him under the chin. I indulge him for his awesomeness.
“M-Mystica?” Al's voice trembles as he drops down into my sister's lap with a fluff of fur. “Why is he with you?”
“Is that any of your concern?” Mystica asks and runs the side of his face against my fingers before sitting up in my arms. “You were summoned to work for me.”
“What do you need his help for?” I stop scratching his fur.
“It's obvious that he's been a catalyst for most of her curses. He was also top of his class in curse resistance and countercurses.”
“Wait. You guys have a familiar school?”
“Yes. For some of us, anyway. It was established long after I was already in service. We need to follow Silverfang.”
At that moment the door to the bedroom suite opens and Silverfang appears in the entryway. “It's time,” he says and turns around, flicking his tail.
I catch a familiar furball trying to sneak away. “That invitation includes all of us, Al.”
“He can't escape,” Mystica says. The cat stares at him with that intimidating aura I'm starting to get used to.
The Kitchen Witch Switch Page 11