Clearwater Witches Boxset

by Madeline Freeman

  This is the Owen I’ve missed—the open, honest one. The one I could share my secrets with. I release my cup and set my hands palm-up on the table. Owen rests his atop mine and smiles again. If he’s serious about wanting to listen, wanting to support me, maybe I can share with him what’s happening. I explain where I was during second hour yesterday and what I was doing, all the way up to what happened just before Felix and I walked into the coffee house. Owen tries to keep his face neutral as I speak, but by the end, there’s a brightness in his eyes that wasn’t there before.

  “Maybe it’s for the best that Fox knows the truth,” he begins tentatively. “I mean—he’s been wondering about the connection he senses between us. Knowing has to clear that up for him.”

  I understand what he’s saying, but it’s not the way I see things. “He’s hurt because I kept it from him. He feels… betrayed. And in a way I can’t blame him.”

  “You did what you thought was right,” Owen insists. “Don’t you think dropping the truth on him as soon as everything happened would have hurt worse? Like, ‘Sorry, Fox. I know you think we’ve been dating for years, but as far as I’m concerned, we’re virtually strangers. Oh, and by the way I like someone else’? I think that would’ve been the bigger betrayal.” He rubs his thumbs along the sides of my hands. “You’ll see—it’s best for him to know. It’ll help him to accept…you know, when things start happening.”

  I press my lips together. Just minutes ago, Owen assured me he’d stop pressing for our relationship to go back to where it was in the other reality, but here he is, pushing the topic again. He thinks I don’t understand how difficult things are for him now—what, with a different set of memories than almost everyone else. It’s hard to cope, but it’s possible. In fact, dealing with different realities is easier than handling my dad’s return, Jodi’s departure, and the prospect of taking down Seth.

  Before I can respond, the door opens and Felix enters, his eyes wide. “You guys have to come with me—right now. Something happened at Jodi’s shop.” His gaze locks on mine. “It’s your dad.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Wind whips through my hair as I step onto the sidewalk. Felix takes off at a jog and Owen and I follow behind.

  “I was just walking, you know,” Felix calls over his shoulder as he crosses the street. “But I had this feeling that something was wrong, so I turned the corner and walked to this vacant house, and there, between the arbor vitae, was Dana.”

  The chill of the air is nothing compared to the ice that spikes through my veins. “Is she okay?”

  “Mostly. It was Sasha. She figured out Dana knew more than she should and she attacked her to get the information.” He reaches the shop but pauses, his hand on the door. “I brought her back here, but when I came in… Krissa, your dad is unconscious—a spell I think. And Anya… She’s gone.”

  I elbow Felix out of the way and pull open the door. Dad is sprawled on the floor in front of the cash register, his limbs splayed. The gentle rise and fall of his chest is all that assures me he’s alive.

  I didn’t even say goodbye to him when I left. Yes, the two of us haven’t been happy with each other, but it was stupid of me to leave like that. I would think after suffering through the loss of my mom in the other reality that I’d’ve learned not to take my parents for granted—no matter what.

  Dana sits beside my dad, bruises blooming on her left cheek and chin. The space below her nose is pink and she clutches a bloody tissue in her hand. She scoots aside as I approach my father.

  “The council—we didn’t realize Seth had people in the town. If I’d known, I could’ve protected myself,” she begins defensively. “This is why it’s dangerous for your dad and the circle to be keeping things—”

  I silence her with a glare before turning my full attention to Dad. Sasha probably used the same dust on him she used on me. I have no idea how to counteract its effects.

  Felix’s phone beeps and he crouches beside me. “That was Bria. She and Lexie are on their way. They’ll get Dana fixed up.”

  “We need Bridget,” I say quickly.

  Felix’s eyebrows draw together. “She’s not a healer.”

  “No, but she understands herbs better than any of us. She might be able to figure out something to use to wake up my dad.”

  Felix nods and types out another text.

  I stand, suddenly too full of nervous energy to keep still. I pace from where dad lay to the shop’s front door and back three times before Owen catches me by the arm. “Krissa,” he whispers, pulling me into a brief hug. “He’ll be fine. And you probably don’t want to hear this, but he’s not who’s most important at the moment.”

  I nod. He’s right, of course. “Why would Sasha take Anya?”

  “She hates her,” Felix offers, crossing to join us. “She feels like Anya betrayed the Devoted when she left.”

  “But she’s known Anya’s in town for days. Why now?” As if drawn by a magnet, my eyes travel to Dana, who still sits on the floor. “What did you tell her?”

  Dana’s face hardens in defiance. “She said she’d kill me.”

  I stalk toward her, suppressing the urge to add another bruise to the constellation blooming on her face. “I just want to know what she knows.”

  She doesn’t quite meet my eyes. “She knows your dad and Anya have a spell they plan to use to defeat Seth.”

  My fingers tremble. This is all my fault. If I’d been more careful with Dana, she wouldn’t have picked up on the plan and none of this would be happening. “Does she know what spell?”

  Dana shakes her head. “Just that you’re close to being able to do it.”

  I rub my hands over my face. “This is bad. If Sasha finds out what spell we’re doing, she’ll tell Seth and the whole plan’ll be ruined. We have to find her.”

  Owen and Felix exchange glances. “Find her?” Owen asks. “How?”

  “A locater spell.” I point at Felix. “Can you run down to the gas station and get a map?”

  He nods and takes off at a jog.

  “What can I do?” Owen asks.

  I go through the spell in my head. When I used it with the witches to locate the crystal, we used a shard of the bigger piece. When we did the dowsing spell for the Althea plant, we used a piece of the root. “We need an object related to the thing we want to find. We need something of Anya’s.”

  Owen’s eyebrows hitch upward. “Like what?”

  I scan the vicinity, calling to mind all the times I’ve seen Anya in the shop—where she’s been, what she’s touched. “Something connected directly to her. It would probably be better if we could find something with her DNA on it, but maybe something she just touched can work. Search the room for something with her energy.”

  He nods and the two of us start off in different directions. While he walks through the front of the store, I head to the back room. Maybe she left something here earlier when she was talking to Dad. I pace the room slowly, reaching out with my abilities for anything that feels like Anya. What if we can’t find anything here? I suppose we could run back to the house. She has to have a hairbrush laying around somewhere. But even as the thought crosses my mind I dismiss it. Time is of the essence. There’s no doubt in my mind Anya will do her best to keep our plan a secret, but my interactions with Sasha tell me she’s not above hurting someone if it means helping Seth’s cause. After her earlier comment about Anya being dead to her, there’s little doubt in my mind that Sasha won’t hesitate to do to Anya what she did to me.

  Something on the low table in front of the couch I usually sit on to do my homework makes my palm tingle. After going over the surface inch by inch, I locate the source of the residual energy—a ballpoint pen. Anya must have touched it at some point. The vibrations are weak, and as I pick it up, I hope it’s enough.

  As I enter the main part of the store, the front door opens and Bria, Lexie, and Bridget spill in, followed by Felix, who flips over the open sign.

  “Did y
ou find anything?” asks Owen.

  I hold up the pen.

  Lexie surveys the scene. “Okay, what the hell is going on here?”

  I raise my chin at Felix, who hands the folded map over before explaining the situation. Bria goes to work immediately on Dana’s injuries while Bridget inspects my dad. I spread the map out on the floor and ask Lexie to bring candles to surround it.

  “How much of your energy is Bria using?” I ask as Lexie sets out the candles.

  Her eyes scrunch for a moment. “She’s not.”

  “Dana’s not hurt too badly,” Bria calls. “If I need to draw anything from you, it won’t be much.”

  “Good,” I say, motioning for Lexie to sit on the floor. “I need your help finding Anya.”

  Bridget, who’s left Dad’s side to inspect the bundles of herbs in the decorative aluminum planters on a nearby table, turns. “Do you need me too?”

  I shake my head. “Take care of my dad. If we need more magic, I can draw from Fox.”

  Felix catches my eye, but I ignore him. If I plan to tap into Fox’s abilities, I really should contact him, but I know I’m the last person he wants to hear from today. With any luck, Lexie and I will be able to perform the spell without additional assistance.

  Lexie lights the candle and I hold the pen over the map. I nod and the two of us begin repeating, “Find Anya.” I focus my power through the talisman, willing Anya’s energy to lead us to her. But as we cycle through the words again and again, nothing happens. The map doesn’t catch fire, and there’s no other indication where she could be.

  Lexie stops repeating the spell first. “You don’t think this means she’s…”

  I shake my head. I refuse to even entertain the notion Anya is dead. “Her energy isn’t strong enough in this thing. Maybe she just picked it up for a second. Owen—did you find anything?”

  He shakes his head.

  “Maybe Sasha’s doing some kind of blocking spell,” Felix offers. “That’s what she did when she took you, right?”

  I curse. I should’ve thought about that.

  “If you can’t find Anya, maybe you could find Sasha,” Bria offers.

  “The spell will probably extend to her,” I say. “It’d be the smart thing to do since we know she’s the one who took Anya.”

  “She has a partner, right?” she presses. “Maybe this is the same as when she took you—maybe she did it without his help. It’s a long shot, but there’s a chance he’s not with her but he might know where she is.”

  “That’s actually not a bad idea,” Lexie says, sounding appropriately impressed.

  “Except we don’t have anything of Elliot’s here to use as a talisman.” I curse. Every minute that passes is one more minute Sasha has to attempt to break her sister. I rub at my right wrist. If only we’d been able to make protective charms for all of us…

  “The protection charm.” I stand and cross to the register counter, leaning over it and grabbing the red-handled scissors from the pen cup. I cut the bracelet from my wrist and return to my spot on the floor by the map. Lexie eyes me suspiciously. “This charm has some of Elliot’s hair in it.”

  “Hair’s good—like, really good,” she says, nodding. “I remember reading that in the Taylor grimoire. But it has its limitations.”

  I bite my lower lip. “Limitations?”

  “It’s a one-shot deal. If the locater spell doesn’t work the first time, there’s no do-over. The spell uses up the person’s essence.”

  I square my shoulders. “Let’s hope it works the first time then.”

  She nods and we start the incantation again. The map catches fire almost immediately, leaving behind just a scrap—enough to show us where Elliot is. I snatch it and stand up, heading for the door.

  “Whoa, wait—shouldn’t we call for reinforcements or something?” Felix asks, following.

  Bridget and Bria eye me, waiting for instructions.

  “You two, stay here with Dana and my dad. Lexie, Felix, Owen—come with me. And if anyone else can meet us, great, but we have to move. Who knows what Sasha’s already done.”

  “I’ll drive,” Owen says, leading the way out the door.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  As Owen drives toward Elliot’s location, Felix and Lexie text the psychics and witches to let them know what’s happening.

  “I’ve heard from Griffin and Fox,” Lexie reports. “Crystal hasn’t messaged back yet.”

  “Tucker’s on his way,” Felix adds. “No word from West.”

  My tension ratchets up as we near the location. When we arrive, my first thought is that something must have gone wrong. In the fading daylight, all I see is an empty field. Surely Elliot’s not here—or if he was, he must have just been passing through when we did the spell. If he’s moved on, there’s no way we’ll be able to find him.

  Lexie’s arm stretches forward from the back seat, her finger pointing toward the edge of the field next to the tree line. “There.”

  I scan the area for a second before realizing what she’s talking about: A tiny camper at the edge of the woods. “That’s gotta be it. Good eye.” I pull open the door before Owen cuts the ignition and start across the field.

  Felix is at my side in seconds. “Do you think this is the best idea—just tromping up there like this? He’ll be able to see us if he looks out the window.”

  “Not if we do this,” Lexie says as she and Owen catch up. She slashes her arm in a downward motion, causing the air around us to shimmer like heat rising off the pavement in the summer. “It’s a glamor,” she says, answering Felix and Owen’s unasked question. “I made it so if he looks out the window he won’t see us.”

  Felix’s eyebrows hitch upward. “Are you saying you just made us invisible?”

  Lexie tuts like it’s a ridiculous question, but as we continue walking, her face goes thoughtful. “I guess I did.”

  “So, what’s the plan?” Owen asks when we’re halfway through the field.

  I bite my lower lip. I don’t really have one. Beyond confronting him and demanding he tell us where Sasha’s taken Anya, I haven’t given much thought to how this will play out. Of the two, Elliot seems to be the more levelheaded. He didn’t agree with Sasha’s decision to abduct me, even came to apologize for her actions. If I tell him she’s done it again, isn’t it possible he’ll just tell us where she is?

  When I don’t answer, Owen sighs. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  Light is visible around the edges of the blinds in the camper, but there’s been no movement since we began our approach. Lexie’s glamor must be holding. The door is around back and we slow as we near it. When I reach for the handle, Owen catches my eye and holds up a finger. I wait as he does a three count before pulling open the door.

  Surprise flickers across Elliot’s features as he looks in our direction. He’s sitting at a tiny table on the camper’s right side. His eyebrows scrunch and his head tilts to the side.

  “You can drop the glamor any time now,” he says, squinting into the darkness.

  Lexie hastily waves her hand in an upward motion and the shimmering dissipates from the air.

  I step into the camper despite the protesting thoughts coming from Felix and Owen. I’ve already felt out the cabin and Elliot is definitely alone. “We need to know where Sasha is.”

  “Is that so?” His eyes dart past me, taking in my companions. “And why would I tell you where she is?”

  “Because she’s kidnapped someone again,” I say. “I thought your boss gave you strict orders to leave us alone?”

  Something like anger flashes over Elliot’s face, but he masters it quickly. “Why would she do that?”

  I’m not sure if the question is rhetorical. “Are you gonna tell us where she is or not?”

  He runs a hand through his hair. “I can only think of one place she might…” He pauses, standing. “Wait—who’d she take?”

  It’s my turn to be surprised. “What does it matter?”


  But a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “She didn’t take someone in your circle, did she?”

  “Who cares who she took?” Lexie calls impatiently. “Krissa said you told her you weren’t allowed to lay a hand on—”

  “Anyone in the circle,” Elliot finishes for her. “And I don’t think she did.”

  I hesitate. Could I sustain a lie? Elliot is a psychic and could easily attempt to verify the information. Or he could simply call Sasha to find out if I’m telling the truth. But maybe the truth is exactly what I need to give him. He was so shocked when he realized Anya was alive I don’t think he’d like the idea of Sasha torturing her. According to Anya, before she left the Devoted she was something of a sister figure to him. I can only hope it’s enough to make him give us the information. “She took Anya,” I say quietly. “And from what Sasha said about her today, I wouldn’t be surprised if she really, really hurts her.”

  A muscle in Elliot’s jaw jumps. “She certainly has the capacity for it.”

  I wait for him to go on, but he doesn’t. “I’m afraid she might kill her,” I press. “Earlier today she said as far as she’s concerned, Anya’s already dead.”

  He nods. “I know. That’s what she said when I told her she was here. She had no interest in going to see her, which tells me if she’s taken her, something must’ve changed.” His lips curl. “She knows something, doesn’t she? Something important. And Sasha’s trying to find out what it is.”