by Paula Lester
I felt Crosby’s energy shift. He was getting ready.
Not that he could do anything against what came next.
Pence moved suddenly. He shoved Kressida aside, and she went tumbling to the ground, dragging Celeste, who was still holding her hands, along with her. Pence widened his stance and lifted his hands.
Behind me, someone shouted, and people scurried in all directions.
Bright blue light leaped into the air, hovering above Pence’s hands. No, it wasn’t bright blue—it was neon green. No, pale yellow. The color changed rapidly, like an insane rainbow that had defied the laws of the universe.
Whatever color it was, it looked dangerous. Especially as Pence drew back a hand and focused angry eyes on me.
“No! Willow!” Aunt Dru sprang in front of me, raising her own hands. Too late. Pence’s colored electricity slammed into her, and she crashed backward into me. We both landed on the floor next to Kressida and Celeste.
Celeste gasped and crawled toward us. On top of me, Aunt Dru was dead weight. She wasn’t moving.
Panic surged through my body as, on the edge of my consciousness, I saw Pence approaching us.
I twisted my hips to shift Aunt Dru off me as gently as possible. I glimpsed her face, slack and pale, but I could see her chest rise and fall. She was alive. I tried to get my knees under me, so I could protect her from another blast of Pence’s magic with my own body.
As I squirmed, trying to get into position, I steeled myself for the hit of power.
But it never came. I glanced over my shoulder to see what was taking Pence so long.
Kressida stood between us, arms held up in a y-shape, facing Pence. “Stop!” she cried. “Don’t do this.”
His shoulders slumped a bit, but the Guard kept the electricity above his hands. His face twisted. “My love. Let me finish this. Then we’ll run. Escape somewhere and be together. That’s all I wanted.”
“And you killed the mother Crone for it?” Kressida’s voice was strong but high. “Why?”
“So you would ascend, and I could be your Guard,” he said.
I worked to get myself the rest of the way out from under Aunt Dru, making sure her airway wasn’t kinked, and then glanced up at Crosby. His hand was on his gun.
The room had cleared out significantly, but Lila and Albert were still there, along with Victoria and Dierdre and the Vampire Guard.
Alyson and Julia crept forward, taking positions on either side of Aunt Dru, and I straightened to face the action.
“Oh, Pence.” Kressida’s voice was almost a whisper. “This isn’t the way. Don’t you know that I’d never be with someone who could kill another for their own gain?” She sounded heartbroken.
“But . . . my love. Please. It was the only way.”
The Crux shook her head. “That’s what people have been saying for centuries. It’s the whole reason the Trio still exists, even though it’s probably way past its usefulness in today’s society.”
Crosby stepped forward slowly, but Pence noticed. He cast one last desperate look at Kressida and then turned and ran for the door.
“Crosby, no!” I cried as he gave chase to the Guard.
Pence half-turned and flung electric blue light toward Crosby. I heard myself scream, and I dove forward, trying to get my body between the magic and my friend.
But the blue light stopped before it hit me. It hovered as though in mid-air, and Pence did too, one foot up.
I spun around to find Baxter, Griffin, Celeste, and Kressida, shoulder to shoulder, holding up their hands, pointed toward Pence. “We can’t hold him for long,” Celeste ground out between clenched teeth. “We’re strong, but he’s fighting us.”
“What can I do to help?” I asked. Of course, I knew the answer was nothing. I had no magic.
Lila, Albert, and Victoria moved to flank the Trio and Guards, and they held up their hands too, apparently adding reinforcement to the magical shield they were using to keep Pence from moving.
Pence turned red. All his muscles tensed, as though he were fighting to break free. I noticed he looked distorted, as though I were looking at him through glass. But even as I watched, the image cleared for a second before becoming wavy again.
He was going to break free.
“I don’t know what to do,” I breathed.
“I do.” The Vampire Guard marched toward me, hand out. I leaned away, but I wasn’t fast enough. He grabbed my arm and then touched his amulet.
It felt the way it does when warm water flows over you when you’re freezing, only the water felt like it was flowing through my veins, touching every cell in my body. It was as though I’d been sleeping and suddenly woke up to a world that was brighter, more colorful . . . more alive.
I sucked in air as the Vampire released his grip on me, turned on his heel, and strode toward Pence. When he reached the protective bubble, he barked, “Release the magic.”
The four witches glanced at each other, uncertain. After a beat, Kressida nodded, and all four lowered their hands.
The bubble shimmered and then disappeared. Pence’s foot landed on the ground, and he stumbled. He tried to turn and face the Vampire Guard, but it was too late. Gordon grabbed Pence’s forearm and then touched his amulet.
Pence stiffened, his eyes wide. I knew what he was feeling and almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
When Gordon took his hand away, Pence collapsed to the floor.
Gordon looked at Crosby. “He’s fully human now. You can take him.”
Crosby handcuffed Pence and then, with the help of Griffin and Baxter, hauled him to his feet. He glanced at me. “You okay if I take this guy in?”
I nodded.
Kressida swept past me. She faced Pence, whose face was stained with tears. She wiped one away gently.
“My love,” Pence said.
The Crux shook her head. “No. Love doesn’t cause harm to others. I don’t know what you felt for me, but it wasn’t love. And I no longer love you.” She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away, into Celeste’s arms.
Pence sobbed as Crosby led him away. And Kressida cried too.
Chapter 22
WE ALL STOOD STARING at each other for a second. Then I bolted across the room to kneel next to Aunt Dru, who was stirring. “Aunt Dru! Are you okay?” I touched her cheek, which had a nasty, raised red welt the length of it.
Her eyes fluttered open and, after a moment, focused on my face before widening and trying to see past me. She struggled to sit up, and Julia and Alyson supported her.
“Where is he?” she sputtered.
I laid a hand on her arm. “Pence is gone. Divested of magic and arrested by Crosby.”
She slumped against Alyson. “Oh, thank goodness. And your powers, honey?”
I grinned. “Back where they belong.” Then I thought of something and rose, turning to address the others. “Shouldn’t we be having an ascension or something?”
“Yes,” Lila said. For the first time since I’d met her, she sounded unsure.
After a moment, I tried again. “Is anything happening?”
“No,” Lila snapped, sounding more like herself.
“Something did happen,” Kressida interjected. She sounded exhausted.
Necks swiveled as everyone turned to face her. “What?” Lila demanded.
Kressida, leaning heavily on Celeste, crossed the floor and sank into a chair. The two women exchanged a long look.
Celeste straightened and faced the rest of us. “Our extra Trio powers are gone. We can no longer feel the pull of all the other witches.”
Lila gasped. “The Trio is dissolved? What will we do?”
Silence fell over the room for a long moment. Then Celeste broke into a wide smile. “I’m not sure what everyone else is going to do, but I’m going to spend some time getting to know my sister. Then, I’m going home.”
“But the work of the Trio!” Albert cried. “Who will do it? How will we ensure new witches are safe and delivered t
he rest of their power?” He wrung his hands and appeared to be one breath away from waving them in the air while running around the room frantically.
Kressida spoke clearly and slowly. “This is a change that needed to happen. Our kind hasn’t adapted to the times the way they should. A committee can do everything the Trio did, keeping track of things in a computer system.”
“But what about the distribution of withheld power?” Albert had calmed a touch, but he still wrung his hands like he was trying to squeeze water out of a washcloth.
“I don’t think that’s in effect anymore,” Kressida said, with a glance at Celeste.
The younger witch responded by looking at me. “Do you have more magic than you did before, Willow?”
“Me? Oh, um . . .” I reached out mentally to touch the magic core, gratified when it was there. It felt like part of my physical body had been missing and returned whole. But it wasn’t the same as it had been before. It felt different—it jumped to do my bidding faster. “I think so,” I said. “Yes.”
Celeste nodded. “I think the filter has been removed with the dissolution of the Trio. Witches will have their full power now, and the committee will be in charge of regulating that as needed.” She clapped her hands gleefully. “And we can run the committee however the witch community wants it to be—by election or something, maybe.”
Lila narrowed her eyes. “There’s much to be discussed. We must hold a convention.” She waved a hand toward the other visiting witches in the room. “Let’s get started.” But before she made it to the door, she stopped and turned back, pinning me with a pointed look. “You were on the list to ascend to Messenger,” she said bluntly. “I believe you would have ascended next.” She pressed her lips together. “I’m still not sure what to believe about your mother and what she did when she was Messenger. I’ve believed for so long that she was not on the side of right.” Lila tipped her head, studying me. “Now, I’m not so sure. But I do believe you would have been a good Messenger.” Without another word, she turned on her heel and marched out, followed by all the others.
Alyson and Julia helped Aunt Dru up from the floor, and she sat in a chair next to Kressida. “Well, I think that was a compliment from Lila. Wonders never cease.” She chuckled, then added softly, “This will be a wonderful change.”
“You need to go to the hospital. That wound looks bad.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be okay. I don’t feel like trying to explain this magical injury to the human doctors.” Aunt Dru got to her feet, looking like she had her normal energy levels back already. “I need a cupcake. Anyone care to join me?”
THE VAMPIRE GUARD PROMPTLY disappeared when we left the hall, and the entire town seemed devoid of strangers when we walked through. I was glad. It was time to get back to normal in Superior Bay.
At a fork in the sidewalk, Kressida stopped. “I’m going to take my leave of you. I’d like to head back to the hotel and prepare to leave.” She hugged me tightly. “Thank you for helping us figure out who killed my friend, Marian. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the guilt.”
“You didn’t kill her,” I insisted. “Pence did.”
She nodded sadly. “I wish I’d seen the signs he was unhinged. Maybe I could have saved her.” She squeezed my hand. “Now, I’m relieved to go home. It’ll take some time for me to figure out who I am if I’m not the Crux.” She grinned. “But I’m looking forward to discovering myself again.”
I watched her walk away for a moment before turning toward Stroves’ Bakery with the others.
When we got there, Aunt Dru let us clean and bandage her head in exchange for a plate full of delectable cupcakes with soft, fluffy icing. We all dug in, and the only sound for a few minutes after that was appreciative groaning.
All felt right with the world for a moment.
But that moment passed quickly as I watched Jeremy walk past outside the bakery window.
“Wow. That was quite the cringe,” Alyson said. “What’s that about?”
I thought about Jeremy and how I needed to talk to him again. What was I going to say? That I had feelings for Crosby I wanted to explore?
As though I’d conjured him with my thoughts, Crosby came through the door and made a beeline for the depleted plate of cupcakes. Julia grabbed the plate, hurried to the kitchen, and returned with a full one.
“Pence is booked and resting in a jail cell,” Crosby said around a bite of cupcake. “He’s confessed to killing Marian and trying to set Lila and Albert against you, Willow.”
“I don’t think they needed that much nudging.” I laughed.
“Maybe not, but he nudged them. He’ll be in prison for a while for what he did.”
Relief swept over me at his words, but something outside had caught my attention. “I’ll be right back.”
I went onto the sidewalk, and the big, rust-colored cat with the fluffy tail who’d been trying to tell me something after I’d lost my power tipped his head and squinted at me.
“Go ahead,” I said. “Say it.”
“You can understand?”
I blew out a short breath. I’d felt magic in my core again but verifying that I could understand animals opened the last floodgate in my mind. I was back to normal.
“Yes. What were you trying to tell me before?”
“That the man—the one who cries more than most human men—he is the one who killed the lady.”
“Cries. Do you mean Pence?” I held my hand up. “About this tall, always wears a gray suit?”
“The man among the strange visitors who has lived the longest.”
Pence is the oldest. “How do you know he’s the killer?”
“I heard him mumbling about it. He was outside the big building where people stay for a short time. By the water.”
“The Flying Fish Hotel?
The cat continued as though I hadn’t spoken. “He had a smoking stick and rubbed his head a lot. His eyes leaked as usual. He mumbled about choking her and how he shouldn’t have.”
Sadness washed over me. Poor Marian. At least now I knew what the animals had been trying to tell me. I knelt. “Are you Bernie? The stray cat?” Juliet had said Bernie was a big part of the animals’ grapevine network.
The cat purred in response.
“Well, thank you, Bernie. You know, we could use another good mouser out at our farm. Care for the job?” I knew we didn’t need a mouser. The cats and Juliet seemed to keep them away. Still, if Bernie needed a home, I’d give him one. And the way Aunt Dru fed our animals, he wouldn’t miss the mice.
But he shook his head. “I like wandering.” And then he turned and did just that, meandering away down the sidewalk and into an alley between buildings.
I went back inside and saw that Crosby was by the coffee cart. I skirted around the others and stopped beside him. “So, my life isn’t in danger anymore. I guess you can take the job in Detroit now.” I held my breath, bracing for him to agree with me.
But he shook his head. “I’m staying put.” He turned to face me, napkin in hand. “You’re a trouble magnet. I bet your life will be in danger again soon enough. You need a bodyguard.”
Relief warred with indignation in my mind. In the end, I couldn’t resist the indignation. “I don’t want you to stay out of a sense of duty about taking care of me.” I crossed my arms. “I can take care of myself, and I have other people to help me too.”
His eyes moved to take in the others across the room. “Yep. You do. But I’m still staying.” He looked back at me. For an instant, I thought he’d profess his commitment to protecting me again. But, in the next moment, he stepped forward and drew me close with an arm around my waist.
The smell of peppermint swept past me and then, before my mind had caught up to what was happening, his lips were on mine.
It was a quick kiss. He stepped back again almost before I realized what was happening.
I blinked a few times and opened my mouth. But I didn’t know what to say, so I closed
it again.
“I’m not going anywhere because I love you. Even though you’re a witch.”
A smattering of applause erupted, and I glanced at my friends and family. Their faces all mirrored my joy. I had friends, a business, and a town I loved. I had a wonderful family, including a brand-new sister.
And a man I hadn’t realized I had feelings for until days earlier loved me back.
Things couldn’t get better. Well, maybe they could. I stepped forward, wrapped my arms around Crosby’s neck, and planted my own kiss on him.
There. Now, everything was perfect.
About Paula Lester
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