by Amy Boyles
“So it’s not the best of the best who did it,” Axel said.
Garrick folded his arms. “That’s something to consider. I appreciate you bringing this by.” He dropped his legs and sat up. “So now I’ve got one Rufus Mayes jailed, a murder investigation on my hands and a contaminated crime scene. Thanks for making my job harder than it needs to be.”
Axel smiled. “That’s what friends are for.”
Garrick nodded, touching the brim of his hat. “If y’all will excuse me, it looks like I’ve got a mountain of work to do.”
Axel slapped his thighs and rose. “Let me know if I can be of any help.”
Garrick frowned. “Like it or not, you already have been.”
We left the office. I walked in front of Axel, feeling his protective palm on my back as well as the searing gaze of Rufus as we exited the station.
“Where to now?” I said, shifting Hugo so that I cradled him in my arms.
“My place. I’ve got to work on breaking the spell on you.”
I watched as Magnolia Cove whizzed past. Residents zipped through the air on cast-iron skillets and worked spells on the street. It was a life I never imagined having—not because I wasn’t worthy, but simply because I hadn’t known it existed.
It was marvelous.
Yet at the same time it was a nightmare. Being subject to a sorcerer’s spell without any control or say in the matter was terrifying. I felt weak, unable to do anything.
And that was the real problem here—I could barely work my magic and here I was, vulnerable to someone like Rufus, who I imagined would suck every drop of power from my cells if he could.
But how would he use it?
I suppose that didn’t matter. What mattered was stopping him dead in his tracks.
We reached Axel’s and I pulled out my phone. “I want to call Betty. Make sure everything’s going okay at the store.”
He tossed his keys on a side table. “No problem. When you’re done, I’ll be in the cellar.”
“Cellar?”
He cocked his head. “Even though you made it sound scary, trust me, it’s not. It’s just a basement with a dirt floor… Maybe it’s got some magical instruments, but for the most part it’s a completely normal room.”
I tipped my head in a way that said I didn’t believe him. He chuckled. “If you’re worried, I’ll hold your hand the whole time you’re down there.”
“I’m not a scaredy cat.”
He shrugged. “That’s where I’ll be, and I’ll need you to join me.”
“I’ll be along.”
He opened a hallway door and slipped down the stairs. The steps creaked as he descended. I might rethink his offer to hold my hand. If the cellar looked as creepy as it sounded, I would be terrified, y’all.
Betty answered the phone on the first ring. “Familiar Place, where we make all your animal dreams come true. How can I help you?”
“Okay, first of all, we don’t make animal dreams come true. That sounds weird.”
She scoffed. “Well, what in tarnation would you like me to say? We’ll mate you to an animal?”
“No,” I said quickly, “that sounds bad. Very bad. In ways I don’t want to think about. Just say Familiar Place and leave it at that. Anyway,” I exhaled, “how’s it going?”
“Great. I’ve already sold a pair of goldfish to a frat boy who promised not to eat them at his fraternity social party.”
“Sounds like you’ve got things under control.” I think. “You’ve got my cell number if you need me, right?”
The sound muffled and then Betty came back on. “I’ve got it. I’ll call if I need anything. But Pepper, don’t worry about the store. I’ve got this under control. We will be here. You do what you need to do and trust Axel. He cares about you. A lot.”
“Thanks… And do the rest of us a favor and don’t steal evidence from any more crime scenes.”
“Those cops didn’t even know it was evidence. They thought it was a suicide. If it hadn’t been for me, they would’ve thought they were dealing with an open-and-shut case. Open and shut. Like I’ve said, I run this town.”
“As you say.”
We hung up, and I dropped the phone in my purse. “Come on, Hugo.”
The dragon padded behind me as I moved to the cellar door. I glanced down and saw light illuminating from the bottom of the room. I exhaled a shot of air and took the steps slowly. Every creek seemed to send a slice of angst straight to my heart.
Axel’s voice drifted up. “They’re not going to break.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
I reached the bottom and found a dark, cavernous sort of room. The brown dirt floor was packed hard. Clean steel and glass shelving lined the walls, and a white stone worktable ran the length of one wall. The room might’ve been dug from a hole in the ground, but unless you knew that, it could’ve existed anywhere, including a world-class laboratory.
I exhaled a low whistle. “This is where you do spells?”
Axel turned around. He was shirtless and wore a black leather pouch around his neck. Strands of black hair had escaped the ponytail holder and framed his face.
I swallowed under his burning stare.
“Welcome to my workroom. This is where I practice magic, learn new spells, that sort of thing.”
I cocked an eye at him. “So are you a sorcerer or a wizard?”
“Technically a wizard, though I dabble in some things that stretch those boundaries. Sorcerers tend to call on spirits and use them to do their bidding. I don’t do that, though I have on occasion needed to ask the other side for help, but not often.”
I sat on a black stone bench. “Okay. You’re shirtless.”
His lips coiled. “Does it bother you?”
Yes. “No. Not at all.”
“Good. Because I need to be this way to feel the magic. To harness the power necessary to break what’s been cast on you.”
“Oh. Okay,” I said, glancing away, a bit embarrassed at how freaking awesome Axel looked and how drool was practically dripping from the corner of my mouth.
Axel rested the book he’d swiped from Argus on a stone lectern and opened it. The binding cracked as he pressed the cover to one side.
“What I’m looking for should be near the front if it’s here at all,” he murmured. “Or at least that’s what I think.”
He studied the contents for a few minutes while Hugo padded around, sniffing every nook and cranny of the room.
“There it is,” Axel said.
“You found it?” I said, straightening my back in anticipation. “Already?”
He tapped his forefinger against the page. “Looks like it.”
“But if Argus had the answer at the very beginning of his book, why did he tell us to give him a day and a half?”
Axel shook his head. “It’s not a counterspell that I found. It’s an entirely different spell that I think can be worked the way I need it to be.”
“What kind of spell?”
“How to remove a spirit that’s been sent to attack a person.”
I cracked my knuckles. “And this is related?”
“It’s close enough. A few tweaks and I think we’ll have our solution.”
“You’re not going to blow us up, are you?”
“Would it be a problem if I did?”
I laughed. “Yes.”
“Then I’ll do my best not to.” He pulled his hair from the ponytail and retied it. “Okay. For this I need you to take off your clothes.”
I fell from the bench and landed on my knees. “Ouch! What?”
Red dotted his cheeks. “You have to be naked. Don’t worry; I’ll keep my back turned while you’re undressing.”
“This just doesn’t sound right.”
“Would it make you feel better if I’m nude as well?”
“Yes. No.” I grimaced. “I don’t know. Maybe?”
“Sorcerer’s spells are always performed on those in the nude.
That’s how it goes.”
“Can we turn the lights off?”
“I can work with one candle. But Pepper, I’ll have to see a little.”
I shoved a hand on one hip. “Why? You need to sprinkle me with pixie dust?”
“How’d you guess?”
“Seriously?”
“Not pixie dust but close. Yes, I have to put magical items on you, and yes, you have to be naked. And before you ask, I can’t close my eyes because I have to see.”
“You think of everything, don’t you?”
He smirked. “Do you want to do this?”
I sighed. “Yes.”
“Then I’ll turn my back while you take off your clothes. I promise not to look.”
He turned around and I started shucking items. “This is really embarrassing.”
With his back to me, Axel unbuckled and dropped his pants. My eyes widened. “I don’t like being naked in front of you any more than you do.”
I rolled my eyes. “Right. You’re a guy. And I mean, look at you. You’re like a Greek god or something. I’m just normal.”
Axel turned his head slightly over his shoulder. “Pepper, there’s nothing normal about you. Especially what you do to me.”
I swallowed a knot in my throat. “You’re not talking about physically, are you?”
He shook his head. “Would you get your mind out of the gutter? No. I’m talking about emotions. Feelings. Guys have them, too. Okay. You done?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, figuring I’d rather he not see me topless. “I am.”
For what it’s worth, when Axel turned around, he kept his eyes on the book. He blew out several candles until there was only enough glowing so that he could see. He gathered a few items, crossed to me and started chanting.
One of the flames immediately rose. Magic buzzed in the air. The room hummed as if a living force was breathing into it. I closed my eyes, figuring if Axel did look at my naked body, at least I didn’t have to know about it.
Sounded like a solid plan.
As the power in the room grew, I could feel the tether tying me to Rufus. It tugged in my head and down my chest. Whatever Axel was doing, it seemed like he’d found the right spell.
The tie between me and Rufus tightened. It felt like someone was squeezing my heart. I had the sense that if Axel pulled hard enough, the connection would snap and I would be free.
That hope made me want to watch Axel. I opened my eyes and gasped.
His arms were covered in fur. So were his legs. The werewolf that resided in him was erupting. His face started to change, elongating.
Fear gurgled in me.
Axel stopped. He exhaled, panting. The fur started subsiding, easing back into his flesh. He threw me a quick look, nodded and started again.
He only got a few words in when the change began anew. He stopped once more, his jaw clenching. Axel tightened one hand into a fist and brought it down on the lectern.
He snapped his fingers, and my clothes flew onto my body, covering me. However he remained naked.
The lights flared on and Axel scowled.
“What is it?” I said.
He shook his head. “I can’t work the spell. It’s no use.”
“Why not?”
His head dropped to his chest. When he gazed back up at me, the scowl on his face nearly sent me running for the door.
“Because Rufus placed a spell over what he cast on you. If I try to break it, I’ll change into a werewolf.”
I reached for him. “Oh no.”
“What’s worse—I don’t know how long I’ll stay in that form.” His ocean-blue eyes turned turbulent, like a stormy sea. “I’m sorry, Pepper, but I can’t help you.”
THIRTEEN
“Like ever? You won’t be able to help me forever, or just this once?”
I was grasping at straws made of silly string, hoping that I’d heard Axel wrong. Maybe all he needed was a break, some time to think and he’d come up with a solution for how to break the spell.
He grabbed his jeans and shrugged them on. “I wish I could help. You don’t know how badly I want to do that, but Rufus has outsmarted us. If I free you, I change and I don’t how long I’ll be stuck in my werewolf form. Until the next full moon? Twenty-four hours? How much damage will be done by the time I shift back?”
I gnawed the inside of my mouth for a moment. “Maybe not much. Maybe you’ll run to the woods, find a nice place to hole up and return refreshed like you had a vacation.”
He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. “I wish it was that simple.”
I sighed. “Sorry. I know this is heavy. I’m just trying to lighten things up. I don’t like being tied to Rufus any more than you dislike that you can’t help me.”
“That was a complicated sentence.”
I clicked my tongue. “I’m a complicated girl.” I sank onto the ebony bench. “Do you think there are any other spells in the book that could help? Something to guide us in the general direction?”
As Axel flipped through the pages, something fell from the book and clanged to the floor. Hugo bounded over and sniffed.
I rose. “What’s that?”
“A key with a tag.”
“A tag?”
Axel nodded. He scooped it up and read the slip of paper. “Labradorite.”
“That’s what it says?”
He glanced back at the book. “That’s it. There’s nothing else here.” He rocked back on his heels. “Of course.”
“What is it?”
He palmed the key. “This key obviously opens some sort of box with the labradorite in it. That stone may be the key to freeing you.”
I quirked a brow. “How?”
“If I have the stone and conduct my power through it when I cast the spell, it’s likely that I won’t change into the wolf. I’ll stay exactly like I am.”
I clapped my hands. “Great. So. Where does that key lead?”
Axel squeezed it in his palm. “That’s a question we need answered, and there’s one person in town who knows just about everything.”
I smiled. “Luckily we’re intimately acquainted with her—Betty Craple.”
We reached Familiar Place a few minutes later. Betty was alone when we entered, and she eyed me up and down as if trying to decipher if I’d been kissing Axel, which I hadn’t given the incredibly stressful situation. Seeming satisfied with her assessment, she pulled her corncob pipe from the pocket of her floral muumuu and gnashed it between her teeth.
“The spell’s not broken,” she stated.
“No,” Axel said, “but we found a key. I’m wondering if you know where it leads.”
“What? Do I look like the Smithsonian or something? I might know a lot, but I’m not sure I can pinpoint where a key goes.”
I folded my arms. “Don’t you run this town?”
She scowled. “Very funny, using my own words against me.”
“I’m a funny gal.” I sighed and slumped onto the stool behind the counter. “Rufus placed some sort of counterspell on whatever he cursed me with. If Axel frees me, he turns into a werewolf.”
Betty snickered. “Gotta hand it to old Rufus; he’s no idiot.” She lit the pipe and watched as a smoke ring drifted into the air.
“I’m pretty sure Uncle Donovan wanted this store to be smoke-free.”
Betty blew another ring. “What makes you say that?”
“The sign by the door.”
Betty’s eyes swiveled to the NO SMOKING sign. “That’s for customers.”
“Right.”
She turned to Axel. “Do you think you’re the only person the spell affects? If we found another sorcerer to break it, would you still turn into a werewolf?”
Axel grazed his knuckles along his jawbone. “Hard to say. Is it keyed to any individual who tries to free her? That’s my guess. Whoever attempts to free Pepper will be faced with revealing or succumbing to their own weakness. The question is, is someone else’s weakness eas
ier to cope with than mine? Not as destructive? That’s the question we should be asking.”
“Hm,” Betty said. “Barnaby might be able to do it. Possibly Samuel, Argus’s grandson.”
Betty and Axel exchanged a long look. Betty snuffed her pipe out by holding her palm over the bowl. “Or maybe none of them will even have a shot at breaking it.”
“Barnaby’s a better choice than Samuel, but we need to find the labradorite. I get the feeling if we have that stone, I’ll be able to break the spell without changing. The labradorite can overcome the part that Rufus wove in.”
“So where is it?” Betty said.
Axel lifted the key. “If we can find the lock this fits, we’ll have it.”
Betty studied the small silver key. It had silver scrollwork and was lightweight, probably hollow inside.
Betty turned it over. “I’ve never seen a key like this.” She handed it back to Axel. “I can’t help you. The best I can do is ask around.”
Concern flashed in Axel’s eyes. “The problem there is Samuel.”
Betty tapped tobacco ash into the trash can. “He finds out we have a key to the labradorite and he’ll claim it for himself.”
I frowned. “But don’t you think he’d let you use it on me? Just once.”
Betty wagged a finger at me. “That boy’s so selfish he won’t do it. Either he receives all the glory or no one does. He gets one whiff of that key and he’ll have Garrick Young standing at your doorstep to take it. Once it’s out of your sight, you’ll never see it again. Worse, Samuel couldn’t work that complicated of a spell if it bit him in the butt.”
“Sounds painful,” I said.
Betty nodded. “Magic like that always is.”
I pressed my fingers to my temples. “So where does that leave us? Garrick’s now investigating a murder. We’ve got to solve this and work around him. Not to mention that my headache has returned.”
Axel shifted on one hip. “Betty—you, Barnaby and Sylvia need to figure out a way to rework the spell so that once Rufus is out, he won’t be able to return. Garrick’s on the murder investigation, but there may be clues as to where this key leads back in Argus’s shack. As much as I want to stay out of this, I really don’t like it when my friends are murdered. It kinda ticks me off.”