Princess Buttercup growled at Sean for good measure and he took a step backward. “You should leash a dog that big,” he said. “That’s another ticket I can issue.”
I patted the hellhound’s head. “Great Danes are called gentle giants for a reason. She wouldn’t hurt a fly…unless someone was getting on my bad side.”
He placed the ticket on my windshield. “You can thank my generous nature that I’m only giving you this one.”
I ripped the ticket from the windshield and opened the door for Princess Buttercup. The hellhound made a point of brushing her slobber on Sean’s trousers as she passed him. I’d taught her well.
I slammed the door and sped off, deliberately spinning the wheels to spray dirt onto Sean’s uniform. The immature part of me was pleased with the sendoff. I drove across town and parked across the street from Davenport Park. Princess Buttercup barked excitedly and wagged her tail when she spotted the park.
“I’m afraid we don’t have time to play right now,” I said. “Finding Ava is our priority.” The hellhound trotted beside me as I made my way toward the hillside. “Stand guard and don’t let anyone near here.”
The hellhound barked once and I ducked inside the mound. Sure enough, Ava kneeled in front of the portal with her hands splayed on the wall. Her head turned at the sound of my entrance.
“What are you trying to do?” I demanded.
“Open a doorway,” she said. “What does it look like?”
“Ava, you can’t open a doorway to a dormant portal,” I said. Certainly not with her level of power.
Ava turned back to the portal and closed her eyes, appearing to concentrate. “You don’t know. Maybe I can. Apparently I can do a lot of things I didn’t realize.”
I moved to stand beside her. “Why would you want to open the portal?”
“Maybe my parents are there. Maybe that’s why they didn’t keep me.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “They left me here because they wanted me to grow up in a safe place.”
I placed a hand flat on her back. “If that’s true, then why defy them? You have a good life here with your adoptive parents.”
“I don’t belong here,” Ava said, her voice trembling. “I can’t be trusted. Trouble finds me wherever we go.”
“That’s because you’re a witch with human parents and no training,” I said. “Under the circumstances, I think you’ve done remarkably well.”
Ava wiped away the tears from her cheeks. “You do?”
“I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you, growing up with the knowledge that you can make things happen but not having anyone to ask for help or guidance.” I crouched next to her. “You must feel very much alone.” I fished a tissue from my purse and handed it to her.
She blew her nose. “I don’t want to be a witch. I’d rather be human like my parents.” She paused. “My adoptive parents.”
“Ava, I realize how scary and confusing this must be for you…”
“I hurt those people,” Ava said, and swallowed a cry. “I shouldn’t have magic. I don’t deserve it.”
“Being a supernatural has nothing to do with whether you’ve earned it. It’s the same as being born with brown hair or green eyes. It’s just a part of who you are.”
“I don’t want it to be me,” she said. “I don’t want to be different.”
“What you did to Chief Fox and Mrs. Langley was an accident. You didn’t know what you were doing. Do you think we all haven’t experienced unintended consequences at one time or another? Human or not, we’ve all been there.”
She sniffed. “You’ve…hurt people?”
I slid to my bottom and drew my knees to my chest. “I have. I almost killed my partner, Fergus.”
“I thought it was Neville.”
“Neville is my FBM assistant,” I said. “Fergus was my mentor with the FBI. A human.” I produced another tissue from my purse and gave it to her.
“I didn’t realize you worked for the FBI.”
“I don’t anymore. They transferred me after the Fergus incident. I was too big of a risk.”
Ava blew her nose again. “Why did you even want to work for the FBI when you have supernatural powers?”
I offered a rueful smile. “Because, like you, I decided I didn’t want them.”
“Why? If your family is supernatural too, why would you want to be normal?”
I didn’t want to burden her with my own issues. “It’s complicated.”
Ava managed a smile. “Well, you still have a cool job. Federal Bureau of Magic sounds pretty awesome.”
“It has its moments. You have to remember, though. The humans in town think I still work for the FBI. The cyber crime division.”
“That’s not as cool.” She stuffed the tissues into her pocket. “Is there a way to get rid of my magic? Make me not a witch anymore?”
“I don’t think you should make a decision like that in haste,” I said.
“But it is possible?”
“One of my powers involves the ability to siphon magic from witches like you,” I said. “If I can do that, I suspect there’s a way to drain you of magic permanently.”
Ava touched my arm. “How do we do it? Is it like an alien that sucks out my essence?”
I cringed. “No.” I shook off her hand. “And I’m not siphoning anything from you right now. Not when you need to reverse the spell on Chief Fox and Mrs. Langley. You’re the only one who can turn them back into people.”
Ava’s expression turned solemn. “I’m really the only one?”
“It’s the way you performed the spell. It can’t be broken by anyone else.”
She appeared to digest this information. “That’s pretty cool. I’m the only one in the whole world who can do this one thing.”
“See? Being different can have an upside.”
Ava stood and dusted off her knees. “Am I going to be in trouble for changing them?”
“No,” I said, rising to a standing position. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
“What about the chief?” she asked. “Are you sure he won’t arrest me?”
“He won’t,” I said. “He’ll leave you to me, I know he will.”
“Because he’s human and you’re not?”
“Something like that.” I didn’t care to explain the complexities of our relationship to a teenager. Half the time, I couldn’t explain them to myself.
Ava sucked in a deep breath. “What if I can’t reverse the spell?”
I held out my hand. “I believe in you, Ava, and there will be witches there to help you. Experienced ones.”
Ava placed her hand in mine and we left the portal together. Princess Buttercup waited for us outside and Ava started at the sight of her.
“What is she?”
“A hellhound,” I said. “To everyone else, she looks like a Great Dane.”
Ava extended a cautious hand. “Wow. A real hellhound. Can I pet her?”
“Yes, she’s very friendly, unless you’re Deputy Guthrie. She has standards.”
Ava smiled as she stroked the hellhound’s back. “She’s beautiful.” An idea seemed to occur to her. “If I gave up my magic, would I not be able to see her anymore?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “Maybe you’d still be a human with the Sight.”
Ava nodded, mulling it over. “Do we need to break the spell at my house? Because my parents don’t know anything and I don’t think they could handle the truth.”
“We’re going to meet the LeRoux witches at the vortex.”
“What’s the vortex?” Ava asked.
“It’s not far from here,” I said. “It’s a place where we can harness powerful magic. Since this is an important spell and you’re young, we need the boost.”
“Which way is it?”
“See if you can tell me,” I said. “Close your eyes and reach for the magic.”
Ava hesitated. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Yes, you can.
The more you tap into your abilities, the less frightening they’ll be to you.” I felt like a hypocrite saying this, given that I avoided using my powers as much as possible.
Ava closed her eyes and pressed her lips together in concentration. “I feel a strong vibration.”
“Coming from where?” I urged.
She turned in the direction of the vortex and pointed. “There.”
“Well done. That’s the right way.”
Ava squealed. “Seriously? I got it right?”
“You sure did. There’s a lot you can do, Ava, if you give yourself a chance.”
She frowned. “If you’re with the FBM, do you think you might be able to track down my biological parents?”
“I can’t promise you anything, Ava, but I’ll do my best.”
Ava turned to face me, blinking away the teardrops that clung to her long lashes. “And what if you find them?”
I smiled at her. “I guess that next part is up to you.”
Chapter Seventeen
The wind howled as we climbed the hill to reach the vortex. The witches were there, along with the fox and the snake, which was still in her cage. They’d already drawn the magic circle.
“Welcome, Ava.” Adele strode across the grass and clasped Ava’s hands in hers. She kissed the teenager on each cheek. “My name is Adele LeRoux. This is my daughter, Rosalie, and my granddaughter, Corinne.”
“I’m Ava Milliken.” She gulped. “I’m a witch.”
The LeRoux witches broke into laughter.
“Yes, I believe we’ve established that,” Adele said, not unkindly.
“This is the vortex, huh?” Ava asked. “I feel a pull.” She glanced at the ground. “It’s coming from the ground.”
“That’s right,” I said. “It’s where ley lines converge.”
Ava’s eyes widened at the sight of the fox and the snake. She immediately hurried over to the fox and dropped to her knees. “I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to do this to you.”
The fox lowered his head. “I know, Ava. It’s going to be okay.”
Ava shrieked and fell backward.
“I probably should have mentioned that he can talk now,” I said sheepishly.
Ava’s gaze shifted to the snake coiled in the cage. “Both of them?”
“No, my family did a spell on the chief that gave him the power of speech,” I said.
Ava turned to the snake. “I’m really sorry, Mrs. Langley. About everything. I never meant to hurt anyone.”
“We should get moving,” Rosalie said.
“Why? Is there a moon issue?” I asked, looking up at the sky.
“No, I’m supposed to meet a date for drinks,” she said.
Corinne appeared slightly embarrassed by her mother’s admission. I shot her a sympathetic look that said been there, girl.
“Ava, why don’t you take your place in the circle and we’ll guide you through the next steps,” Adele said.
Ava hesitated before stepping into the circle. She approached the altar, seemingly entranced. “This one’s nicer than mine.”
“It should be,” Rosalie said. “It was made by one of our ancestors back in New Orleans two hundred years ago.”
I noticed two bowls of sand and a black taper candle, as well as the pocket watch and locket.
Ava placed her hands on the sides of the altar. “What do I do?”
“First you need to dig an outline of a man in one bowl of sand and an outline of a woman in the other,” Adele said. “Then you light the candle and let the wax melt into the design of each bowl.”
Ava glanced over her shoulder. “What about the animals?”
“They’ll go in the circle with you,” Corinne said.
The fox gingerly entered the circle and sat, while Corinne pushed the cage across the chalk line.
“Once the outlines are filled with wax, I’ll do a cooling spell so that the wax hardens into shapes,” Adele said. “Then you can repeat after me.”
Ava chewed her lip as she stared at the altar. “Okay, I’m ready.”
The rest of us took a step backward so we were clear of the circle and let Ava begin the spell. Once the wax shapes had cooled, Ava scooped them out of the bowls and held one in each hand. A stark wind blew across the vortex, whipping my hair into my mouth. It tasted like coconut.
“Repeat after me,” Adele said. She held her arms in a V-shape. “Winds of change, breathe new life into old shapes.”
Ava held up the wax figures and chanted.
“I am grounded, centered, and ready to give back what was taken,” Adele continued. “So let it be.”
Ava repeated the chant. Light sparked from the wax figures and the animals began to twitch. They turned in a circle, so quickly that their forms became unidentifiable. By the time Ava lowered her arms, two people had joined her in the circle. Chief Fox was on his hands and knees, wearing the same clothes as when he’d transformed. Mrs. Langley’s wrinkled face was pressed against the bars of the cage.
“Can someone help me, please?” the older woman asked.
Corinne rushed over to open the cage and helped Mrs. Langley escape her tiny prison. The older woman immediately vomited upon exiting the cage and narrowly missed Corinne’s feet.
I ran to the circle, intending to embrace the chief. It was only when I crossed the white chalk line that I realized I had to be discreet. I shook his hand. “Good to have you back, Chief Fox.”
He smirked. “Good to be back, Agent Fury.”
Ava appeared on the verge of tears. “Are you both okay?”
Corinne checked the soles of her shoes to make sure she hadn’t stepped in vomit. “I’m good.”
“My back hurts,” Mrs. Langley said. “And my joints are aching like crazy. I need my pills.”
The chief stretched his arms over his head. “I’m much better now. Good job, Ava.”
“How can you say that?” Ava asked. “I’m the reason you were stuck as a fox in the first place.”
The chief moved to stand in front of her. “You didn’t have to turn us back. You could’ve been so scared of getting in trouble that you refused to try, but you hung in there and made it happen. You should be proud of yourself.”
Ava’s lips parted. She seemed uncertain how to respond.
“Does everyone know I turned into a snake?” Mrs. Langley asked. “My children must be worried sick.”
“They don’t know, Mrs. Langley,” I said.
“I suppose it would be too much for them to take in,” the older woman said. “To be perfectly frank, I’ll probably collapse later from a stroke. I’ve been trying to stay calm this whole time, but it hasn’t been easy. I won’t even watch television programs with supernatural influences. I didn’t even like Caspar and he was meant to be a friendly ghost.”
“You’ve done very well, Mrs. Langley,” Adele said. “And we promise you won’t have a stroke later. There are precautions we intend to take.” She gave me a pointed look and I understood.
“I don’t think my neighbor will agree that I’ve done very well,” Mrs. Langley said with an abrupt laugh. “Eloise tried to hit me with a baseball bat.” The older woman touched her lips. “I think I might’ve bit her.”
Ava stifled a cry and the chief and I exchanged uneasy looks. Someone had to tell her the truth. I stepped forward, but the chief cut me off.
“Mrs. Langley, I’m afraid you did bite your neighbor,” he said.
The older woman laughed. “She deserved it. She’s been a thorn in the side of our neighborhood since the day she moved in, but everyone’s too afraid to say anything to her. At least she won’t know it was me. I don’t need her dancing on my front lawn in her hot dog suit.”
I shifted my weight from foot to foot, waiting for the chief to drop the bombshell.
“Mrs. Langley,” he said, “Eloise won’t be dancing in her hot dog suit anymore.”
“That’s a relief. Did someone finally take the horrible thing away from her?”
&nb
sp; “Not exactly.”
“Eloise is dead,” Rosalie blurted. It seemed that her date was more pressing than the need to be tactful. “You killed her.”
Mrs. Langley’ seemed to take a moment to process the news. Her shaking hand covered her mouth. “I killed her?”
“You were a poisonous snake,” Rosalie said.
“Venomous,” I corrected her.
“I remember that we got in a fight,” Mrs. Langley said. “She tried to hit me with a baseball bat and I only wanted her to help me.”
“In fairness, Mrs. Langley, she didn’t know it was you,” I said gently. “She thought she was being attacked by a snake.” Because she was.
The older woman touched her teeth. “I didn’t realize I was venomous. I was only trying to protect myself. It was all so confusing. Like a distorted nightmare.”
I gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. “It must’ve been awful for you. I’m so sorry.”
Her hazel eyes met mine. “What does this mean? Am I under arrest?” She glanced at the chief. “Will I spend the rest of my life in prison? Granted, it won’t be long given my current state, but still. I would’ve liked to spend more time with my grandchildren.”
“I don’t think this falls under my jurisdiction,” the chief said. He cut a glance at me. “What do you say, Agent Fury?”
“What happened to Eloise Worthington stays right here on this hill,” I said. “I won’t be filing a report with my agency.”
“She was killed by a snake in a freak accident,” Adele said. “That’s the official story.”
“I have something that belongs to you,” Ava said. She brought the locket to Mrs. Langley and hooked it around her neck.
The older woman gasped. “I thought I’d lost it. My husband gave it to me for our anniversary before he died. It’s very precious to me.”
Ava handed the chief his pocket watch.
“Thank you,” he said. “This means a lot to me.”
Ava glanced between them. “I swear I’ll never steal anything ever again. No more kleptomania for me.”
“You probably won’t,” Corinne said. “If the stress and anxiety of hiding your true nature triggered your kleptomania, maybe it’ll be reduced now that you’ve accepted your magic. It was probably the fact that you were fighting it that created emotional development issues.”
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