As I rushed around to the passenger side of his truck, I couldn’t help the sigh of relief at having someone like Daniel to go with me. He wasn’t a witch, so he couldn’t technically help with this, but it still felt good to have a partner in crime, so to speak. I wanted to get to Beth as quickly as possible, having to trust someone else to drive when I was already freaking out was hard, but if there was anyone who understood the severity of the situation, it was Daniel.
Now, I just hoped he could drive as fast as he moved.
18
Emma
As we changed lanes, a car came out of nowhere and swerved in front of Daniel. He slammed on the brakes and cursed under his breath as the sports car sped down the highway. Glaring at the taillights of the fast little car, I wanted to give the bad driver an immediate Karmic punishment. But even though I didn’t feel myself do it, apparently my new special ability did it for me. Seconds later, a police officer on a motorcycle pulled out from behind a small copse of trees and sped off after the bright red car.
“No way,” Daniel whispered. He glanced at me and I saw suspicion on his face.
But I knew. Beaming, I wished it wasn’t so dark so the driver could see the shit-eating grin on my face as we passed by him, pulled over and about to get a big, fat ticket from the police officer. “Nice,” I muttered as we went on our way.
Sometimes being Karma was freaking awesome.
“You okay?” he asked, after a quiet minute.
I nodded. “This supernatural world is still just so new to me.”
His one hand on the steering wheel seems to tighten. “Yeah, well, not many people learn about it in this stage of our lives. Although, I kind of think the world would be better off if all supernaturals didn’t come into their powers until their forties.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked, glad to have a distraction from my worries.
He shrugged. “Because we’re all idiots when we’re young. Giving teenagers the ability to shift, or use spells, or bite people, tends to bring a lot of trouble. I mean, I don’t even want to think about my days as a young bear.”
“I bet you were fine,” I said, with a laugh.
He shook his head. “I once actually tried to get honey out of a beehive. I mean, I’d seen bears in movies do that all the time. It was not a smart decision, and my old man definitely gave me a talking to about reality versus how the media shows bears.”
“How old were you when this happened?” I asked picturing a bear cub waddling around trying to get at honey.
“Old enough to know better,” he replied with a chuckle.
I smiled, imagining Daniel as an awkward teenage bear covered in bee stings. “Well, I’d like to think my life would’ve been better. Instead of marrying a man who used me and threw me away…” I stopped talking, suddenly feeling ashamed of how I’d let my ex treat me for all those years. “But then again, I wouldn’t have my son. And Travis was worth every hard moment of my marriage and my life. I guess there’s some truth to the fact that we all end up where we’re supposed to be.”
“Agreed,” Daniel said, a smile teasing his full lips. “And what’s your son like?”
“Travis,” I gushed his name. “That kid is incredible. I take credit for the sweet, intelligent, handsome man he’s grown up to be. He’s in college, pursuing his engineering degree. He treats women with respect. And he remembers to call his old mom just often enough that I still feel loved, even though he’s in a stage of his life where he doesn’t need me as much.”
Daniel sighed. “I always wanted kids, but we just never could have them. I’d accepted that maybe that wasn’t in the cards for me. Though, sometimes, I wish I’d had a son or daughter I could teach things to. You know, how to chop wood. How to make my mother’s favorite stew. Stuff like that.”
“Well, if you ever want to teach someone all that stuff, Travis will probably visit me sometimes, and that kid would drink up learning that kind of stuff. His dad never really paid him a lot of attention, so I’ve noticed he tends to gravitate to older men who have stories to tell.” I smiled, even though Travis’s lack of a real father-figure had always been a sore spot for me. “We had this older neighbor who liked to hunt and fish. Travis would trail after him any time he was working in his garage, and then he started taking him with him for short fishing days. Travis always came home grinning, like he’d never felt more special in his life.”
Suddenly, it occurred to me that I’d just offered Daniel a semi-father role in my son’s life. I felt my heart race and glanced over at him, fully expecting for him to have a I need to get the hell out of here look on his face.
Instead, he turned, and those stunning eyes of his seemed to twinkle. “I’d love that.” Then, he cleared his throat. “So, does this mean you’ve officially decided to stay in Mystic Hollow?”
I laughed. “Well, nothing is official yet. I still need to wrap up my old life and deal with my ex.”
Things were quiet for a long time, and we pulled into Carol’s neighborhood. “About your ex,” he began, then cleared his throat again, “what did he do after you left?”
I tried to hide my panic. Daniel didn’t know about the whole toad thing. He was just making conversation. “Not really sure. But he’s not really my problem anymore, thankfully. He and Candy are welcome to each other.”
He said nothing more but seemed to accept my answer. Which made me relax a little, until I remembered why the hell we were driving in the middle of the night. It wasn’t that I had forgotten. It was more than my nerves were so fried that I didn’t even know how to manage the feeling of panic and worry inside of me.
Daniel pulled me up to the front door of Carol’s house, where Beth was staying, as well as Deva. Carol’s house had always looked so cheery, but right now, it was as if it radiated a sense of wrongness. The lights outside were all turned on bright, and a couple of police cars sat silent on the street. It almost felt like returning to an old neighborhood after the apocalypse. Everything was sort of the same, but different at the same time.
We climbed out of the truck and both rushed up the steps. With each second that passed, my heart hammered louder. Beth had escaped the thing, although with a warning. She was okay. I had to remember that. But even though everything I was thinking was logical, I felt sick as I pushed open the door and rushed inside.
“We’re here!” Not wanting to scare them anymore than they already were.
Beth sat on the couch with Deva and Carol flanking her. All of them had tea in their hands, but set down the mugs when they saw us, glancing toward the police officers like they didn’t know what to do. And all three of them looked pale and scared. Not that I blamed them.
Daniel crossed the room to the officers. Good, he could question them and find out what happened. I could find out what happened from the ladies’ perspectives, and then we could piece together what happened and who did this.
Making a beeline for the couch, I said. “Are you guys okay?”
Deva nodded. “We’re okay. Just a bit shaken up.”
Carol scooted over on the couch so I could get close to Beth. “What happened?”
I sat down next to her and wrapped my hands around one of her hands. She was shaking, wearing a nightgown with little animals stitched onto the front, and a knitted robe over the top of it. Her long blonde hair, the hair that was always brushed perfectly straight, was a tangled mess around her face. And she didn’t wear a drop of her beloved makeup, which told me she was really scared. Even when we were kids and had an emergency, Beth would be busy doing her makeup in the car.
“It’s okay, Beth,” Carol whispered, “just explain it one step at a time.”
Beth shuddered and her skin felt damp and sweaty. “It was awful. It was Roger’s old business partner, Cliff. Only, he was like this half wolf and half human thing.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “And the look in his eyes… I was sure he was going to kill me. Like, I really thought I was going to die.”
Damn it. The
missing jerk was the one who was coming after Beth? No. Not a chance. His ass was going to pay.
“We’re going to figure this out,” I said, squeezing her hand. “We won’t let anything happen to you. Promise. Okay?”
Beth doesn’t even seem to hear me. “I just can’t get how unnatural he was out of my head. I just keep coming back to it. Whatever’s powered this guy up, it’s some dark magic.”
Dark magic? Darn it. I didn’t know anything about dark magic, but I guessed it was time to start figuring it out. If I didn’t understand the difference between dark and light magic, how in the world was I going to help my friend?
“Did he tell you what he wanted?” Carol asked, giving me a look that said that this was the most Beth had spoken since the incident.
After a long minute, Beth nodded. “He seemed to think I was the one who did a spell on him. One he believed Roger had made me do. But I think he believed me when I told him I hadn’t. That’s when he threatened me and told me I have to figure out who cursed him and undo it.”
“Who in the world could’ve helped Roger with a spell like that?” Deva asked as I rubbed Beth’s hand with my thumbs.
“I don’t know,” Beth said, looking lost and alone.
“But we’re going to figure it out,” Deva said, and she looked furious, even in her flannel pjs.
“That’s right,” Carol nodded, wearing a shirt that said, “Knit Happens,” with knitting needles under it. “And we’re going to make them pay. Just focus on that.”
Beth shuddered. “I’m sorry, I just can’t stop thinking about how he looked. How he felt. He was so wrong. Like even the air around him knew that something like that wasn’t supposed to exist.”
Deva and I exchanged a look, then I pressed for the information we needed. “Do you have any idea who might have done that kind of spell for Roger?”
She sniffled, and a tear rolled down her cheek. “I don’t know any other witch he might’ve been close to. I can’t imagine who he would’ve gotten to do magic like that. I don’t think I’ve ever met a witch that dark.”
Damn it. That left us with nothing to go off. Except, heck, I really didn’t want to do this.
Deva met my gaze, and I knew she was thinking the same thing I was. “We’re going to have to talk to Tiffany.”
I nodded. “I agree. And fast.”
Carol made a little sound. “That cheating little traitor better have the information we need.”
I lifted a brow.
She glared back at me. “What? I’m not always Miss Sunshine. Especially when I get woken up.”
“She is so grumpy when you wake her up,” Deva mumbled.
Carol shot her a dirty look. “I’m not that bad.”
Deva crossed her arms over her chest. “Tell that to your cats, who happen to run and hide until you have your coffee.”
To my relief, their banter made Beth smile. “Thanks, guys. I appreciate having bloodthirsty friends in a time like this.”
“Always,” I told her.
Now, to finally get some answers.
19
Emma
We all stayed the night with Carol. It was like some weird somber slumber party, where we were all grumpy and nervous out of our minds. We were even too tired for snacks and wine. And that was saying something because our little group loved our wine and snacks. Though, I wanted to meet the person that didn’t love snacks and wine. Wait. Scratch that. I definitely didn’t want to meet them because we were not on the same wavelength.
Daniel left late but not until I promised to call him before we tried anything. He’d helped wrap up some of the injuries on the officers and had stayed until after the police had gone home and two other police officers had taken up guard in their cars outside Carol’s house. Then, lingered as if he wasn’t sure he should go at all.
I’d smiled at him and said, “it’s okay. We got this.”
He’d still looked uncertain, so I’d put a hand on his arm and explained, “You’re going to need to rest up. I have a feeling we’ll need you tomorrow.”
As soon as I stopped talking, I’d gotten the unmistakable impression he wanted to kiss me again, but then he’d simply patted my arm and headed out. Casting me a lingering glance before disappearing outside.
For some reason, I was glad he was such a gentleman, even if a part of me just wanted to jump on that hunk of a man after being sexually unfulfilled for so long with my ex. Yeah, I’d cave under those stunning eyes of Daniel’s, but I wasn’t ready for it yet, so I was thankful he always managed to hold back.
I bunked in with Beth, with Carol on her other side, in Carol’s bed. It was a tight squeeze, but she needed the extra support, at least for the few hours of sleep we were able to get. Deva snored, so she got her room to herself.
The next morning, we got ready as best we could, then headed for Beth’s sister’s house across town. After a few snappy remarks to each other, we’d all agreed to stop for some coffee. Deva had made a comment about how angry witches and a long day were not a good combination. I agreed.
We’d pulled up outside of the same mall coffee shop where I liked to people watch and hurried out of the car toward the little shop, nearly crashing into two well-dressed sirens. For a minute, I thought one of them would shout at me. But the instant her eyes landed on me; she bowed her head. Then, elbowed the siren next to her, who also bowed her head.
“Great Karma, we have continued to fulfill our promise to the Great Mother. We have all been donating money to worthy charities. The queen has created a day each week where we fish the seas for garbage, and we are working on creating a preserve from some of our lands.”
It was funny. When these ladies had tried to kill my brother, they’d treated us like garbage. But since restoring their waters, I was like a goddess to them. “I’m glad you’ve kept your word.”
The second lady looked up, her gaze meeting mine. “And already two of our women are pregnant.”
I smiled, genuinely happy for them. “That’s wonderful.”
They both bowed again, then scurried out of the way.
“Oh, Great Karma, will you honor us by buying coffee together,” Carol said, bursting into laughter.
I cast her a dark look. “Coffee first. Mocking me second.”
“Very well,” she said, stretching out the words so that she sounded like a ghost.
Deva shook her head swung the door open so we could all rush for the counter. We each gave our orders, and then, a few minutes later, we were back in our car. All of us just sat for a minute, inhaling the scents of our powerful brews. The only thing that would make this better would be some muffins or donuts or something that Deva had cooked up, only I knew she hadn’t had time, so I’d have to be happy with my black gold.
“Now, this is magic,” I sighed with contentment as the warm liquid trailed down my insides and pooled in my stomach.
Carol laughed. “The best kind! The kind that renews our spirits!”
I was starting to feel a little more chipper as I sipped my French Vanilla latte when Beth finally spoke. “It’s going to be weird to see Tiffany.”
I stiffened and looked at the others. Beth always told me about how hard it was living in town with her ex, and seeing her little sister with him, on the phone. But what she told me, and what these ladies probably experienced with her daily was different. I honestly had no idea what to say.
“Why is that?” Deva asked gently.
Beth shrugged, staring at her coffee like it had the answers. “I’ve honestly tried not to wish harm on my sister and Roger over the years, but I’ve definitely had some nasty thoughts about them.”
“Anyone would,” I reassured her.
“But now, he’s dead, and I can’t be mad at him anymore. I know my sister is probably grieving right now, and I should find empathy inside of me to be kind to her… but I just… I don’t know. I still feel so angry with them both.”
“Unpopular opinion here,” Deva began, “but we don�
�t have to suddenly pretend like someone was a good person, just because they died. You go on hating Roger as much as you want! And it’s okay to hate your sister, too. She didn’t care when she hurt you.”
Carol winced and turned to face Beth. “All that is true. But also, keep in mind that hating someone else is like poisoning yourself to poison your neighbor. While neither of them deserves your forgiveness, you deserve to not have that hate in your life anymore.”
I nodded, seeing wisdom in what both of them said. “Just remember, however you feel today, that’s okay. We won’t think any less of you. You’re allowed to feel whatever you feel.”
“Thanks, guys,” she said, looking relieved.
Deva fired up the car, and we headed through town toward an area known as the rich part of town. No, these neighborhoods didn’t line the beach, but they were massive, more along the lines of small mansions than anything else. As kids, we’d drive through these neighborhoods picking out the houses we wanted to live in one day. When Beth and Roger had bought a house here, it was like all Beth’s dreams were coming true. She’d spent weeks and months fixing it up exactly the way she thought they’d both enjoy. As an adult, I wouldn’t trade my beach house for any of the houses on this side of town.
Carol had told me that Beth hadn’t taken a single thing from the house when she’d left. Just her clothes, photo albums, that kind of stuff. She’d left every piece of furniture, every painting, everything that she’d selected with such love and care. That was, I guess, the only good thing about my ex. His new girlfriend hadn’t wanted to live in my “dumpy” house, so he’d left me there.
Even though he later planned to take it from me, probably to sell and buy something “better.”
Damn. Exes could be brutal.
Karma's Shift (Magical Midlife in Mystic Hollow Book 2) Page 11