"He left," Alex said. "He wanted to go with them. I have no idea what they'll do to him."
"So," Leese said. Her hand was cold and clammy in Kevin's. "It's—" She was almost afraid to say it. "Over?"
"For you guys, yeah," Alex said. "I'm going to stay. Ghosts are still here. They've been trapped a long time. I'm going to help them."
"Uh, are you sure?" Leese waved around them. "Maybe we should leave before this place burns down?"
Kevin retrieved a potion.
"That's no problem."
He threw it straight up, toward the ceiling. It shattered, and a moment later, the rain started. The fire died slowly, leaving pillars of smoke. Leese squeezed the water from her shirt.
Alex stepped forward quickly, startling Kevin. He extended his hand.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I was wrong. Pretty much about everything."
Kevin didn't hesitate to accept it.
"Hey," Leese said, touching Kevin's shoulder. She stepped back and hooked her thumbs under the straps of her belt. "Can I keep this?"
Kevin smiled.
"I'll make you a new one."
EPILOGUE
"Kevin?"
He opened the shower curtain and peered out to the rest of the hotel room. Through the steam, he saw movement in the bed. The early morning sun broke through the slightly open curtain. The empty pizza box still sat on the dresser, next to the TV.
"Yeah. I'm in the shower."
Leese stretched her arms over her head. She was a gorgeous silhouette, her features still mysterious. The only clothes she wore was one of Kevin's tee shirts. He didn't even notice when she put it on during the night.
Rubbing her eyes, she crossed the room, heading his way. He found himself staring, forgetting he was in the shower. She nearly tripped, a combination of waking up and her natural clumsiness.
Off came the shirt. Her destination was clear. She tossed back the shower curtain and took a step inside.
"You should have woken me up."
One more stumble, as her other foot smacked the tub. She fell into his arms, barely avoiding a nasty fall. Leese didn't let go.
"Did you do that on purpose?" he asked.
Her cheeks turned red.
"No. But don't act like you didn't miss this. What time is it?"
"Early. Not even seven."
"Okay. We got time."
She kissed him, forcing him against the tile. It was cold, but that didn't bother him. He didn't resist, wasn't even sure if he was capable.
After the group dinner the night before, Kevin and Leese went their separate way. They toured Sanders, talked, laughed, kissed. They both apologized, although Kevin still wasn't exactly sure what Leese was sorry about. She did nothing wrong.
Their night ended back at the hotel, where the last thing they did was sleep.
Now, they were in the shower. At least the day was starting off right.
It was Leese's turn against the cold tile. She let out a mix of a laugh and squeal. Kevin held his hand above them, near the faucet. The water turned blue as it cascaded over them. A simple trick that always made Leese smile.
"You know how to get me going."
Another long kiss. The night they'd spent together didn't quell their passion. Rather, just the opposite. The kiss made the turn to something more.
A voice spoke from the nightstand next to the bed.
"Kevin? Are you there?"
It was Marie. He groaned and closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against Leese's shoulder. She ran a hand through his wet hair and smacked his butt.
"Come on," Marie said. "Answer the…stone."
"You'd better go," Leese said.
He dried off quickly and reached for his clothes on the dresser. Oscar had already made himself at home, sleeping soundly on his jeans. They'd found Oscar and Sebastian sleeping soundly under a neighbor's truck, not a care in the world. Martha had cried when she clutched her familiar to her chest.
Kevin let out a sigh and rubbed a hand along Oscar's back. His cat perked up, purred, then snuggled back into a deep sleep. Still naked, he picked up his ring.
"Hey, Marie."
"Are you coming?"
"We were trying," Leese called. "But then you stopped us—"
"You're there already?" Kevin asked, moving away from the bathroom.
"Yeah. She didn't want to wait. I think you'd better get over here. She needs you. Caroline is here, too, but you know. The more, the merrier."
"Okay. We'll be there soon."
He peered into the bathroom to pass the message, but Leese heard. She poked her head around the curtain.
"Just give me a few minutes."
"I'll get Alex and Cindy."
"Alright. I'll meet you at the car."
After moving an irritated black cat and retrieving his clothes, Kevin walked three rooms down and knocked on the door. After no one answered, he guessed they were eating breakfast downstairs.
He spotted them sitting at a table in the side room. Alex ate a cup of cereal while Cindy sipped coffee. They were lost in their own conversation, smiling and laughing. Kevin watched Cindy carefully as he approached. He'd been keeping an eye on her the past few days. She remembered nothing about two men sneaking into their home, using magic on her, then taking her to a haunted boarding school. Leese went through something similar, and admitted to him that she still woke up in the middle of the night, panicked and afraid. Cindy seemed to be in a much better place.
Guilt needled him. Of course, Cindy was fine. She had Alex. Kevin had abandoned Leese not long after her ordeal.
He'd never make that mistake again.
Cindy noticed him and waved him over. He poured himself a cup of water and pulled up a chair.
"I just got a call from Marie. They're already over there. Leese is coming down now."
"Okay. We're ready to go."
Silence. The three of them all realized the same thing at once. The past few days had been busy, and they never had a moment alone together outside the group.
"Kevin," Cindy said. "We're sorry. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. You told me how you felt. You were honest. I appreciate that."
"And we were wrong. We're all going to have problems. We should be sticking together, and we pushed you away. That won't happen again."
Kevin nodded with a smile.
He jumped when Leese scared him. She sneaked behind him and threw her arms around his neck, screaming boo.
"Everyone ready to go?"
Alex winced when Kevin stood. Kevin immediately knew why.
"Hey," he said. "Don't start shit."
"Man, come on." Alex pointed. "It's a fanny pack."
After some laughs at his expense, and a kiss, they piled into the rental car. Kevin and Leese sat in the back. He watched the streets of Sanders as he rested a hand on her leg.
He didn't know what Aggie had done, but it was far beyond anything Kevin knew about. Not only did she put the town of Sanders to sleep, but they didn't question anything. Everything was back to normal. No one wondered why the entire town came to a standstill for one night. Did the coven give them fake memories? What did they do?
Only Martha and Caroline possibly had answers, and Kevin wasn't going to ask them.
Alex parked across the street from the ruined remains of Martha's home. No one said a word as they approached. Martha put on a good front during dinner the night before, but everyone knew.
She was hurting.
There was a commotion as they neared the front door. Sounds of frustrated screaming, some cursing. Alex put his arm out to keep everyone back. Finally, there was the wail of a screeching cat, and Kevin knew what was happening.
Sebastian sprinted outside. He ran between Cindy and Leese, nearly knocking them over, and darted into the neighbor's yard. Marie stood in the doorway, a dangerous scowl on her face.
"You'd better run, you little piece of shit!"
"Hey!" Martha called from inside. "Leave my cat alone!"
"It pissed on my purse!"
"So? He probably improved it."
Everyone laughed. The levity didn't last long. Marie noticed the group and jogged to approach them, her eyes serious.
"Hi, guys." She greeted Kevin with a hug. "Sorry for calling so early."
"It's okay," Kevin said, gesturing to the house. "How's it going?"
"I think okay. We're just following her lead. The moving truck is on the way. But, to be honest, most everything in there is no good."
"How is she?"
Marie took a breath.
"Thank God Caroline is here. Or Martha might have killed me by now."
"Is she talking to you?"
"A little. We're getting there. But I can still smell the hate coming from her. Half the time she blames me for killing her coven. The other half she knows there was no other way."
Kevin peered around her to the house. He could see the burnt furniture, the ruined pictures. The house still carried the smell of fire.
"Okay. Let's see if we can help."
Martha was picking through an old cabinet full of knick-knacks and charms. She tried to smile upon seeing the rest of the group.
"Hi, everyone," she said. "I'd offer you all some lemonade. But the house is a mess right now."
The mood was a mixed affair as they worked. There were moments of laughter, a few trips down memory lane. Martha told the story of how she used a mirror she'd recovered from the rubble to once escape from a husband and wife team of witch-hunters. Other sentimental stories didn't involve magic at all, such as finding a porcelain doll that Aggie had given her long ago.
A few tears were shed as well. While not the same, Kevin had also lost everything before. Not to a fire, but Kristin and his lives were up-heaved when their adoptive parents died, and they had to start over. He felt he could relate as he watched Martha, sitting alone in the corner with her face buried in her arms.
In the early afternoon, they took a break for subs and sodas. Caroline helped Martha eat while the Teagues discussed the family business on the front lawn. Kevin somehow found himself alone with Marie, standing on the back deck. Her clothes were dirty, covered in soot. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Her hair turned into a pixie-cut, a trick apparently werewolves could do, to keep cool.
"So," Kevin said, popping a mushroom into his mouth. "What's next for you?"
"Well, you're going back home?"
"Yeah. I think I've done enough damage here."
"Then my babysitting job's done. I think I might go visit Jack." She smiled deviously. "Collect some of my fee."
"Tell him I said hi."
"I will."
He gave her a long look.
"Thank you," he said. "You saved my life."
"You did the same. That's what friends do. I'm glad I met you, Kevin Mishnar. You're nothing like what Jack said. You have a very interesting pack. If you ever need me, you just let me know."
"The same goes for you. Uh, hey. What exactly did Jack say?"
"You don't want to know."
"No, I probably don't."
She froze for a moment, listening, then laughed at something only she could hear.
"What?"
"Your girlfriend and her family, out front. Alex and Cindy are giving her a hard time."
"About what?"
"I'll let you guys work that out." She slapped him on the shoulder. "Let's get back to work."
He followed Marie back into the kitchen. The Teagues walked into the living room, and he could see Marie was right. Leese's entire face was flush, like she had a sunburn. Alex and Cindy were laughing, and Leese definitely was not.
She smiled when she saw him, and blew him a kiss. He took a step to approach her, just to steal a quick hug and a hello, when he heard his name.
"Kevin. Could I talk to you a minute?"
It was Martha, sitting in a chair that somehow survived. Caroline was walking away, giving him a friendly smile.
He tentatively approached her. It wasn't his goal to avoid her the last few days, but that was how it worked out. They'd said very little to each other. He pulled up another half-ruined chair and sat next to her.
Despite her request to talk, Martha said nothing. The silence stretched between them. Emotion leaked out that he was still processing. He dabbed at the moisture in his eyes, before they could turn into full-blown tears.
"It's not your fault," she finally said. "And it's not mine."
Those were his words to her. There were moments he believed that. He didn't burn her house to the ground, didn't maim her.
"If I didn't come here," he said. "None of this would have happened."
"Then it would have happened somewhere else. Maybe more people would have been hurt. This was all a lifetime in the making. Ever since I saw the way your parents looked at each other. We dealt with it as best we could." She paused. "Even Marie. We've got to let this go. Both of us. We're all alive. I get a chance to start over. And you have Alicia. Don't screw things up with her."
"I'll try not to."
"You were an idiot to leave her in the first place."
"Ah. Now, you tell me."
"Not many humans can handle all this, Kevin. She almost seems to thrive in it. She's special."
"Yeah. I love—"
It almost came out, and the shock was enough to freeze Kevin's tongue. He sat there, lost in his own thoughts, as the silence again consumed them. This time, there was no discomfort, and Martha merely flashed him a knowing smile and a wink.
"Come with me," she said. "I want to show you something."
He followed Martha to the basement. It was a slow, careful trip. Several steps were missing. With no hands, Martha had to brace her arms on the walls.
"You don't have to live with Caroline," Kevin said. "You could stay with me. There's plenty of room."
"If you saw the cabin she has by the lake, you wouldn't say that. It's okay. Really. I'll get some nerdy, cute doctor to 3D-print me a new set of hands."
"And the magic?"
She sighed as she took the last step.
"There is no magic anymore. Not for me. Caroline will help me, so I don't lose my mind. Maybe I'll write spells myself one day. But creating it, feeling it with my fingers. That's gone."
"Is there really nothing I can do?"
Martha still wore her smile, and for a moment, looked like the witch he knew. But then the smile turned sad, just a touch.
"You can't fix everything, Kevin." She gestured ahead. "Come see this."
They stood in what was left of Martha's workshop. Most of the shelves were destroyed, but there were a few things untouched. A few jars of frog legs, some tails from a rattlesnake.
In the middle of the mess was the cauldron.
"Wow," Kevin said, running his hand along the side. "I'm glad to see Aggie's magic couldn't take this from you."
"It's yours now."
He looked up.
"What?"
"I can't use it anymore. You'll get more use out of it than me. Put it in that war room of yours."
He wanted to protest, insist she take it. But he couldn't get the words out.
The cauldron was beautiful, and he'd been wanting one.
"Thank you."
"Everything here is yours now. Take whatever you want. You might need it."
That sounded like a warning. He frowned, feeling on edge.
"Why?"
Martha sighed.
"I don't know what happens next. Witches don't believe in revenge. But we don't like it when we kill each other. Many covens didn't like Aggie, but she had her allies, too. A lot of influence. Maybe they come for you. Maybe they go after Marie. Or maybe, they realize this pack of yours, or coven, whatever you want to call it, should just be left alone. I don't know."
He nodded.
"I'll be ready."
"I know you will be."
There was a shadow along the stairs, followed by footsteps. Leese poked her head down.
"Hey. The m
oving van is here."
"Thank you, dear. I'd better go and start giving orders."
"Do you need some help?"
"No, thank you. I can manage."
Leese helped her up the stairs anyway, then joined Kevin in the basement. He could barely contain his excitement.
"Look at this," he said, grabbing her hand. "Touch it."
"I thought you'd never ask."
She laughed at him, shaking her head. Their joined hands trailed across the cauldron's surface. Kevin could already see it in his mind. He'd move Betty the couch, free up more room in the middle. One half of the room would be for magic, including his new cauldron. Maybe a conference table could fit on the other side. He could buy a photo printer, maybe replace the ink-jet.
"Hey," Leese said, waving her hands, laughing. "Are you hearing me?"
"Ah, sorry."
"Look, we have to talk."
Her tone brought him back to the basement, leaving the war room behind. He gave her his undivided attention.
She paced.
"I was talking with Alex and Cindy. We talked about what we were going to do before, and what that meant. And then we broke up, and it was terrible. I missed you so much."
"I missed you, too."
"Don't interrupt me."
"Sorry."
"Anyway, they told me that if I do this, I have to really know what it means, how I feel. It wasn't a big deal before, but now I can kind of see where they're coming from. It is a big deal. And now, they've got me all freaked out, and—"
"Leese!"
He tried not to laugh, but it came out anyway. Taking a step forward, he put his hands on her hips. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, laying her head again his chest. Out came a gentle, contented sigh. She was adorable when flustered.
"What are you trying to say?" he asked.
She leaned back and met his eyes.
"You really need to meet my mother."
"THE WAR ROOM"
"BELT NOTES"
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I like to write. That much is obvious.
My work comes down to two things. The Damned and Cursed series, and everything else. Readers seem to like both, so I don't think you'll have an issue picking a novel. :)
Damned and Cursed (Book 9): Witch Trial Page 32