Jones follows me inside, plants me on the sofa and brings me a cup of cocoa. He’s sweet like that, but right now I know he’s trying to distract me. “They’re going to pin this on her, Jones. I know they are, even though Angelo knows she wouldn’t kill anyone.”
“They’ll give her a trial.”
“A real trial, or one that just conveniently points the evidence in her direction?”
“Calm down. Angelo likes your mom, remember? He doesn’t want to see her in trouble any more than the rest of us.”
He pulls me into his lap on Bilda’s sofa and strokes my head. Normally I would reject - or attempt to reject - this intimacy from him, but I just don’t have it in me to fight him. I’m too worried about my mother, too worried about murderers, and it feels good to be held. Jones has a fabulous chest, perfect for snuggling. “I’m such a girl.”
“You’re a worried woman who needs to rest. The party was probably a bad idea. I’m sorry.”
Actually, when I think about my gruesome little discovery in Bilda’s attic room, I have to wonder if she actually could kill someone. I was looking for a random box in the midst of her things a while back and found what can only be my estranged father’s finger. I shudder at the memory of it.
Jones pulls me closer. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“I can’t help if you won’t share, Trinket.”
“This wasn’t important.” I’ve already kicked around the idea of showing him the finger and discarded it because, well, I don’t know why. Instinct?
He sighs like he’s frustrated with me. He probably is - he’s been dealing with my random emotional meltdowns since Bilda disappeared. I’ve tried going to work - I’m the healer here in Jagged Grove - and tried moving to my own house, but I just can’t get my mind off the other side of the island, where Bilda was last seen. “I want to go back there. To the colony.”
He pulls away enough to look down at me. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“I know. I’m not either. But I still want to go.”
“Don’t you have a workshop with Rain in the morning?”
I sigh. He’s right. I’ve spent the last few days practicing my kind of magic - healing magic - with Rain so that she can be the town’s healer when I’m gone. It’s supposed to keep me busy and keep my mind off Bilda, but it doesn’t work very well. Part of the problem is that Rain is better than I thought, so it’s more practice than training. Even I’m surprised at how quickly she’s learned, just by watching me and helping out at the office when I work. In a pinch, she could probably take over now if something happened to me.
“She’s fine. You think I could cancel, just this once?”
“No. Have you seen the change in her?”
It’s true. Rain has come a long way from the sullen, heartbroken teenager I first met, in just a couple of months. She’s more outgoing, more confident, and we all get to see her brilliant smile more often now that she pulls that long black hair up out of her face. All in all, she’s come a long way from the brink of clinical depression.
“Fine. But as soon as I’m finished with that in the morning, I’m going to the colony.”
He hugs me. “Just let me come with you.”
I nod against his chest, but I’m not making any promises, so I change the subject. “What were you doing with Bumper earlier?” I ask.
He shifts under me. “Nothing. Just checking on him.”
“I think he likes you better than me.”
He barks a laugh. “Jealous, Trinket? He’s been with you for years, even though you pay no attention to him.”
“That’s not fair - it’s been a rough couple of months. I paid plenty of attention to him back home, but since we got here, I’ve been a kind of busy.”
“Kind of?” He laughs at that. “How many dead bodies have you discovered?”
“Two - Maggie and Lilly. I didn’t discover Aries. I was just there when she was discovered.”
“That’s splitting hairs.”
I shoot him a look. “Don’t you have to go hunting or something?” Jones is a werewolf, but not a normal werewolf - he dabbles in witchcraft, too. He was introduced to it by his sister Feena, and he’s really good. Better than me.
“Nope - I told you I’d be here for you, and I keep my promises, especially to beautiful healers who tend to get themselves into trouble.”
My heart warms a little, even though Jones is off limits - my own rule. “I don’t get myself into trouble. It just keeps finding me.”
“Well then, you must have quite the target painted on your back. Take off your shirt and let me see.”
“Haha, very funny.”
He looks disappointed. “Still off limits?”
I nod. “Please? I can’t.”
I’m saying please because we both know he could turn on the charm and have me in bed at the snap of his fingers. I declared him off limits when we came here, simply because I had a fiancé back home, waiting for me. Then, when that fiancé was out of the picture, I was busy fighting off a havrue - a bitter witch - only she was a ghost...and my sister...and trying to kill me.
The truth is, Jones scares me. He’s known around town as a player, even though I’ve seen no evidence of that. My friend and neighbor Imala says he changed when I came, but that’s still not the best endorsement. Also, I’m deeply attracted to him, but I don’t want to try building a relationship when I’m going to be leaving in a few months.
Most of all, though, I can feel myself slipping. I run to him when I’m going crazy, and he puts me back together. I run to him when I need help, and he’s always there, no matter what. He really is my best friend here in Jagged Grove, and the closer we get, the more my heart pushes me into dangerous territory.
I’m trying my hardest to fight it, but I’m terrified that it isn’t working.
Chapter Two
“Try again,” I tell Rain. She looks frustrated, but I know she can do this. We’re in Bilda’s back yard, near the pond, and it’s a gorgeous summer afternoon.
“It isn’t helping.” She strokes the leaves of the small potted azalea bush and looks like she’s about to cry.
We decided to practice on plants because, to be honest, Jagged Grove doesn’t need a healer all that often and there aren’t really enough patients for her to learn properly. “It’s OK. Just focus and breathe. If you get too worked up, you’ll block the energy. Instead, pull the energy from the ground and imagine it coursing through you to the plant.”
She does, and I see a little bit of bright green bleed into the stem. “Good girl. Keep going.”
I’m not sure if this is the way to teach healing magic, because I never learned. I was born with it and took it for granted until I was sixteen and accidentally killed my high school boyfriend, at which point I stopped using it altogether. Only since coming here have I started practicing again, and Rain cajoled forever before I got brave enough to try teaching her. So far, it seems to be working.
I hear her deep even breathing and watch the green spread from the stem to the bottom few leaves. Energy crackles through her, and I feel it dance across my skin, too, just because I’m standing so close. She’s more powerful than she knows.
Of course, that’s what they keep telling me, too.
The plant shifts over its roots, standing taller as the stems gain strength. “I’m doing it,” she breathes, not losing her rhythm.
“Of course you are.” So far, we’ve practiced on smaller plants, like succulents and miniature roses. This is her first big bush, and I can see the excitement shining in her eyes. “Just remember that it needs more energy, and let it flow. Don’t restrict it just because you’re afraid. Let it work.”
Another few moments, and the plant is healthy and strong. I even see a few out-of-season pink blooms pop up between the leaves. “OK, now you’re just showing off.”
Rain, faced flushed, smiles up at me and then laughs. “That was a lot harder, but I did it.” She pauses. “Why was
it harder?”
I consider the question. “Your mindset, I think. The bush is larger than any of the plants you’ve tried before, so your mind told you it would be difficult.” I shrug. “You believed it, and probably subconsciously stemmed the flow. That would be my guess, anyway.”
She looked dubious. “If a bush is this hard, how will I ever heal a whole human being? That made my hands shake.” She held them out for me to see.
I patted her shoulder. “You have to not think you’re healing a whole human. You have to concentrate on healing the part.”
She cocked her head, trying to understand.
“For instance, remember when Mr. Kay cut his finger and came into the office a couple of weeks ago?”
She nods.
“I didn’t think about healing Mr. Kay. I only thought about healing-.”
“His tiny finger. Got it!” Her smile is wide. She does get it, and I’m proud of her. Then her smile falters. “But what about Calico? She wasn’t burned badly, but she had a lot of burns all over her body. How did you do that?”
I think for a moment. I’m getting used to my magic again, so I don’t always consider how it happens. Mostly, my power just knows what to do. “Well, I’m pretty sure that one was easy, because I didn’t think about all the different places on her body. I only thought about one thing - her skin. I just focused on that, instead of where the burned skin actually was...” I peer at her. “Does that make sense?”
She nods and her eyes light up again. “Oh, yeah. Perfect sense.”
We pick up the pot - it takes both of us plus a decent amount of wrestling - and move it back to Bilda’s rear patio. Once it’s settled, she stands up and brushes off her hands. “Can we go to the office now? Just in case someone needs us?”
I shake my head, smiling at her enthusiasm. “I can’t. I have, uh, things to do.”
If I tell her what I’m doing, she’ll be upset, and I don’t want to cast a shadow over her victory.
It doesn’t work. Her face falls. “You’re moving, aren’t you?”
I look away, toward Jones’s house. I could use a distraction to keep from discussing this again, and she’s developing a huge crush on Jones. He’s the perfect distraction for any red-blooded woman, except Imala. And me.
Definitely me.
There is no movement at his house, though, so I turn back to her. “I’m going to take a few things over, but I’m not exactly moving in yet,” I hedge.
I’m such a chicken.
“You can’t just leave us here. We’re teenagers. It’s irresponsible.”
“You two are the most mature teenagers I’ve ever met in my life.” Not that I’ve met that many teenagers. “You’ll be fine.”
She’s shaking her head, and she looks on the verge of tears. “We make bad decisions all the time, and you should never leave teenagers alone in a house. Don’t you watch movies?”
I rub my face and then, on impulse, pull her to me for a hug. She hesitates for a moment, then hugs me back. Her words are muffled against my shoulder, but the sniffles are clear. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“You aren’t alone...”
“Glade doesn’t count. He’s more like my arm than my brother.”
Glade is Rain’s twin and only recently have I seen them apart, and still not very often. He became her self-appointed protector when their parents died, and I don’t see him letting go of her anytime soon.
“Well, I think you’ll be fine with or without an adult around.”
She pulls back and I see that something in her eyes has shifted. Uh-oh, she’s taking my words as a challenge. I search my mind for something to head her off at the pass. “I’m sure you know that Bilda would be disappointed if she came home to trouble.”
That gets her, and I relax a little. “Now, I need to get busy. You want to help? I’ll give you lunch first...?”
She shrugs. “I guess. I still don’t like this, though.”
“You can come over anytime, you know. It isn’t that far away from here.”
“It’s not the same, and it’s still haunted.”
I can’t argue that, but still... “Rachel and I have come to an agreement. She won’t bother you.”
“So you say.”
“I promise. Have I ever broken a promise to you?”
“You’ve never made a promise to me, so that doesn’t count.”
She has a point. I turn and head for the kitchen. “Sandwiches OK?”
She nods and follows, but I can see she isn’t happy.
Inside, I head for the fridge. My hand is on the door when I hear her clear her throat. When I turn, the table is laden with food. My mouth waters at the smell of pizza. “Rain...”
“What? What good is magic if you never use it?” Her delicate features are set.
I laugh. “Fine.”
It’s difficult for me to use my magic here, especially for mundane things like lunch. Back on earth, witches have to hide their powers, and it takes time to start using them regularly again. Rain’s been here her whole life, so she hasn’t had this problem.
“Just eat, and then I’ll help you.”
It’s difficult for me to leave the house, more difficult than I let Rain see. Bilda is out there on the island somewhere, dealing with who knows what kind of conditions. I worry if she has something to eat, and I worry that she’s hurt herself. The island is mostly wooded, aside from the town of Jagged Grove on one end and the colony on the other, so either she’s holed up somewhere in the colony with somebody I don’t know, or she’s in the woods.
I can’t see Bilda surviving in the wild for very long, especially if she tries to use magic to survive - her track record isn’t great.
Then I remember that they would have caught her by now if she used magic - it would carry her energy signature, and Angelo would be able to track it. So she’s helpless and lost, and I’m scared for her.
Moving out right now feels like I’m betraying her, somehow. She didn’t want me to leave, but I need my own space - I’ve lived alone for a while now, so the house feels crowded and slightly suffocating, especially with the twins living here. It feels like the right thing to do, and I’m not really betraying her - she isn’t even here.
As I watch Rain eat, I know she’s right - I can’t leave, not yet. It feels disloyal, like I’m abandoning my mother when she needs me.
Two slices of pizza in, she looks up. “Have you checked her attic room?”
“For what?” I wipe my mouth with a napkin.
“I don’t know. Anything. She might have left a note.”
I haven’t, actually. In fact, I’ve avoided the whole place ever since I found my father’s finger.
In a box.
On Bilda’s shelf. Talk about nasty divorces...
I shudder. “I doubt she left a note.”
“But you don’t know for sure.”
“I don’t know for sure.”
She pushes up from the table and grabs a napkin. “Let’s go.”
The stairs leading to the attic are skinny and dark, and more than once I’ve worried about Mom falling on them. Now, I hang onto the rickety railing for dear life until I reach the top and open the door.
Rain sucks in a breath as I stand still and let my eyes adjust to the dark.
It’s empty.
The entire room, which was filled with altars, candles, and ritual supplies, is completely bare. Even the shelf where I found Dravo’s finger is gone. Not just the stuff on it - the entire shelf. All I can see are a few sprigs of dried sage hanging in the corners of the room. “What happened?” I breathe.
“She’s been here.” Rain’s voice is almost reverent. “Can you feel it? She was here not long ago.”
“How, though? We’ve been here.” I turn to her. “Did you hear anything?”
She shakes her head. “I would have told you.”
For once, I wish Angelo and I weren’t enemies. I could use his ability to track magic right now, but then he’ll
know where Mom is, and she’ll be arrested and charged with murder.
“Don’t say a word about this,” I tell Rain, dragging her from the room and closing the door firmly behind us.
I pick up a couple of boxes and hand them to Rain, then grab a couple myself. Imala promised that she would get Frank to bring his truck over around one, and it’s ten till now. “Just put them on the front porch, please,” I instruct her, and we head downstairs.
She grunts, but goes. “What are you packing? Your brick collection?”
“You are so original...”
“Shut up, you traitor.”
I stick my tongue out at the back of her head.
“I felt that.”
After a few more trips from my room to the porch, Frank pulls in with a beat up Ford. It seems so...normal...that I just stare at it for a moment. Not many people have cars on the island, mostly because we don’t really need them here. “What?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Nothing, but how did you get that thing here?”
He looks perplexed. “I drove it?”
“No, I mean how did you get it here from wherever your home was on earth?”
“I...drove...it?” Frank is a nice man, a regular guy next door. He’s a shifter, too - I can always feel the dark, hot energy that belies his nice-guy demeanor.
“I mean...why did Angelo let you bring it? Isn’t that against the rules, or at least frowned upon?”
He shrugs. “I asked, he said yes.”
“Huh.”
I drop the subject and go back inside, looking worriedly at Bumper’s cage as I go. I wasn’t going to move him yet anyway, but now that he’s gone so often I’m not sure I’ll be able to get him to come at all. He spends most of his time with Jones, but I’ve spotted him downtown and out on Mt. Savage a time or two. I wish I knew what he was doing.
We’ve never been very close, partly because of the way we met. I was in the woods with my boyfriend when he died, and since it was my fault, I just curled up against a tree and cried. That’s where Bumper found me. He followed me home and has been with me ever since. I don’t even know him all that well, but I miss him.
Evicted Witch (Jagged Grove Book 3) Page 2