by Liz Long
Their grip faltered and they had to pull away as Courtney began to fade more.
“I love you, Courtney.”
“I love you too, Rubes. You and Coop take care of each other. And don’t be as hard on him as I was, okay? He got a little mixed up before but he’s a good person and he’s crazy about you.”
Ruby nodded and blinked back fresh tears. “We’re going to be okay.”
Courtney laughed. “You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself. Honey, you will be okay. We’ve been through shitty stuff before.”
“This is definitely the worst.”
“Yeah, you got me there. I know it’s not ideal, but it’s what we’re left with and we have to move on. Both of us.”
Courtney looked up towards the heavens, cocked her head as if she heard something Ruby didn’t. She looked back at Ruby and a bright smile lit up her face, made her look as angelic as Ruby remembered.
“Vodka cranberries. It’s time for me to go, gorgeous.” She blew a kiss at Ruby. “Live your life. Love your life. Not for me, but for you. You deserve to be happy.”
Ruby could only nod as she watched her best friend lift her face to the sky again. Though it was almost dark, Ruby could swear a patch of light shone on Courtney, warming her face as she faded away. They gave each other a final look, one last smile, and then Courtney disappeared, fading away along with the last beams of sunshine as twilight took over.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ruby opened her eyes to find her clock that read 7 a.m. She rolled over and Cooper squinted one eye at her.
“I refuse to get out of bed this early.” He smushed his face into the pillow and she laughed.
“You’ll change your mind after what I’m about to tell you.”
She told him everything about the dream and Courtney’s little hint. Cooper nearly fell out of bed, putting his gym shorts on backwards. They rushed into the living room where they’d left her Book of Shadows. Ruby flipped through until she found Courtney’s handwriting at the back. She chose the last page and found a spell she’d simply titled “R - To Acquire.”
Hidden in an unlikely space
This object stays in a secret place
Answers will come in darkest night
For one to find and see the light
Let it be hidden until discovery
Goddess watch over us, so mote it be.
Ruby gathered her tools together, combined ingredients as fast as she could per Courtney’s instructions. Cooper lit the candles on the coffee table. It called for the seeker’s blood and they both nicked their forefinger to contribute. Once Ruby finished the mixtures, she dropped a match in; purple smoke rose from the small cauldron and encircled them. Joining hands, they said the words and waited for the result. They looked at each other and waited for something to happen. A heartbeat later, a thunk sounded in the kitchen.
They got up to check and halted in their tracks. A box the size of a toaster oven sat on her kitchen table. Ruby looked around, baffled, until Cooper began to laugh. When she looked to him, she followed his pointed finger up to her ceiling. The scorch marks that Courtney had put there were now gone; in its place was a dark purple spot, a sign of magic. No amount of cleaning supplies in the world would rid her ceiling of that mark.
“Courtney hid the damn money right under my nose!” Ruby exclaimed.
“More like right over your head,” Cooper said. He went over to the box and found it locked. Courtney had put a numbered lock on it. Three tries later, he managed to unlock it, giving Ruby a small smile. “She used your birthday as the code.”
Ruby blinked in surprise. She hadn’t realized Cooper knew her birthday. “Really?”
“Yep. Not hers or mine. Yours. I’m almost offended - I think she meant for the money to be yours if something happened to her and I didn’t come back.”
He opened the box and they both took a moment to gape at the contents. Inside the box was cold, hard cash, a million dollars to be exact. Ruby had never seen so much money. She glanced at Cooper, who had set his jaw, perhaps remembering the cost of this prize. She laid a hand on his arm and he blinked, looked at her and shook the ghosts away.
“So what are we gonna do with it?” he asked her.
“We?” Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “It’s your money. Every bit of it.”
He rolled his eyes. “This money is every bit yours as it is mine. I want to share it with you.”
“Shouldn’t we give it to the cops or something?” She stared at the box of money.
Cooper laughed. “Rubes, I’m a pretty good guy, but I’m no angel, either.”
“If you put it that way…”
“Could I finally convince you to leave town for a while?” His wicked grin appeared and almost against her will, Ruby smiled back.
“Only if you go with me and plan on returning at some point. I do like my job,” she teased.
“I go where you go,” he said quietly, not taking his eyes off hers. Ruby’s heart seemed to expand with joy.
After a second, he shrugged. “Besides, I wouldn’t take the High Priestess away from her coven but for so long.”
A grin slowly grew on Ruby’s face as she considered it. “Okay, then I vote for somewhere warm.”
“Anywhere that keeps you in a bikini or less,” he said without hesitation. She punched his arm and he laughed.
Aziza hopped up on the table, sniffed at the box. She rubbed her face against the corner and Ruby scratched her head. “Even Aziza likes the idea of a million bucks.”
“She’s my sister’s cat, for sure,” Cooper replied. He leaned in and bumped his head against the feline. “You probably want a diamond collar now, don’t you?”
Aziza purred and nuzzled her face against Cooper’s in reply.
“I can’t believe she hid it here.” Ruby looked up again at the dark purple spot on her ceiling. “She made a big assumption that we could figure it out.”
“I can’t believe she didn’t spend it on shoes. Courtney thought ahead on a lot of things besides our will, apparently,” Cooper said, straightening up. “No one would ever guess it was in your kitchen ceiling and even if they did, it looks like her spell would only work for you.”
“I don’t think it means she didn’t expect you to come back, though,” she said quickly, craning her neck to look up at him.
He shrugged. “I don’t blame her. I pulled a dick move on her, asking her to clean up my mess and leaving town.”
Ruby didn’t want him to feel bad and teased him. “I hope you don’t plan on skipping out on me now that you’ve got your cash.”
She elbowed him in the ribs and he laughed. Putting his arms around her, he kissed her nose. “Like I said, I go where you go. How about Europe?”
Ruby pretended to think about it for a moment. “Paris might do wonders for my stress.”
“You think Miranda would give you the next month off?” Cooper asked.
“I think you could help convince her,” Ruby said with a grin. She ignored the question on his face. “In all seriousness, you don’t have to share any of that money with me.”
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you and not only because of the other night. I’m not trying to scare you off, but I’ve loved you for a long time, Ruby Jackson.”
She stood on her toes to kiss him. “I feel the same way.”
“Good. What’s mine is yours, including my black witch heart.”
********************
Later that afternoon, Cooper had a phone call. After he hung up, he turned to Ruby with a small smile.
“That was the coroner - we can get Courtney’s ashes today. Thought we’d go ahead and take them up to the spot in the woods this evening.”
After they picked up the cream-colored ceramic container that held Courtney’s ashes, they headed up in Ruby’s car to the forest. She hadn’t been here for a while except in her dreams and hoped she remembered the way.
She parked in the lot closest to t
he hiking trail and zipped up her green jacket. Crisp mountain air filled her lungs and she raised her face to the sunshine for a brief moment. As she locked her things in her trunk, her phone vibrated with a text from Lacy.
Glad to hear u r ok! Call if you need anything.
Thanks, Ruby typed back. We’ll talk soon?
Def. Coven needs new leader. I know a girl who’d be perfect ;)
Ruby chuckled at the text, shook her head at Lacy’s insinuation. Ruby wouldn’t have believed it a month ago, but she actually thought she could do it. She wanted to keep a coven together and safe, to teach others how to protect themselves against dark magic. Maybe she’d step up and try her hand as High Priestess. Cooper had mentioned it several times the last few days, but it was his offer to be in the coven as the High Priestess’ right hand that convinced her. With his help, she could get better and with a strong coven, he’d be safe from old habits or acquaintances.
Shutting the trunk, she and Cooper began the walk to the right spot. Cooper kept a firm grip on the jar at all times, dodged branches and roots like a regular child of the forest. Ruby felt as though she’d walked the path several times this week, even if she hadn’t physically been here. Neither of them said much as they hiked, but they shared a smile each time they caught each other’s eye.
When they reached the small clearing off the beaten path, they sat their bags down by the stone circle. Cooper set the jar in the center and arranged their tools. Ruby spread lavender around the site; while the killer used lavender as a weapon, she used it for protection, peace and love. Marjoram, for healing. She finished with thyme for purification, wanting to rid the area of any negative energy.
They proceeded to do a protection spell. Once they finished, Cooper gently shook the ashes out and Courtney’s remains mixed with the earth. Ruby felt relief that her best friend might finally be at peace.
“I love you sister,” Cooper said as they stood to face the center. “You will be missed everyday. I promise not to let our family down anymore.”
He looked to Ruby to indicate it was her turn. “Courtney, I…,” she choked up for a moment before continuing, “We are sisters not by blood but by love. May you find peace in your afterlife.”
Ritual completed, Cooper put his arms around Ruby as they took a long moment. They had a seat against the base of a large tree outside the circle. Cooper stretched out his legs while Ruby rooted through her bag.
She handed him a small plastic bottle of cranberry juice. When he looked at her quizzically, she smiled. “It’s got a little kick to it. Court’s favorite.”
His lips curved into a grin and they had a drink in Courtney’s honor. Cooper put his arm around her, as natural as anything in the world. Ruby leaned her head into the crook of his shoulder. They sat and reminisced long after the sun went down, no longer fearing the dark.
Acknowledgments
A huge thank you to my husband, friends, and family for always supporting everything I do. Thank you, thank you, thank you to: Morgan Wall, my editor; Erica Dickson, my cover designer; Ginny Lurcock, my sounding board; Laura Howard and Michelle Muto for answering every crazy email I sent at random hours of the night; Rhiannon Thomas, Angie Barrett, and Emily Blanton for reading and always boosting my self-esteem with your feedback. Finally, to the far-too-many-to-name bloggers, book reviewers, Twitter friends, and readers that remind me everyday of not only how amazing the indie book community is, but of how much I love to write - you are the reason I do what I do. I hope I can always continue to give you a temporary escape from reality. Thank you.
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Thank you for reading my work! I sure hope you liked it. If you’re interested in reading another unique title, you can try my first book, Gifted, a Donovan Circus Novel. A murder mystery set in a supernatural circus, Firestarter Lucy must learn who to trust while trying to belong with the extraordinarily talented troupe.
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