Despite her pain, Luster registered what I was trying to do at the last second, turning her full attention to keeping the necklace pieces from joining.
She no longer had enough power.
I’m afraid.
Thalia didn’t answer and I was beyond caring. I pressed the two pieces of the pendant together and poured as much energy as I could into sealing it. Luster screamed, her head snapping to the sky as energy poured out of her eyes. She looked like an otherworldly hell beast being drained by the sun up above.
I pushed as hard as I could, until I had nothing left. I dropped to my knees and watched as Luster fell backward and turned to ash. She was gone in an instant, leaving me with nothing but my thoughts.
They were dark.
29
Twenty-Nine
It was on shaky legs that I met Galen. When I called to tell him what happened, he initially thought I was messing with him. He cut me off when I started laying things out, though, and promised he was on his way.
He was fast.
“Hey.” I forced a smile for his benefit, hoping I looked stronger than I felt. “Long time no see.”
He immediately drew me to him and buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply.
“I’m okay,” I reassured him, patting his arm. “Really, I’m okay. Just a little tired.”
He rubbed his cheek against mine and then pulled back. “You’ll do anything to get me to shift tonight.”
That was enough to elicit a genuine smile. “I want you back to one-hundred percent.”
“I want the same for you.” He pushed my hair out of my face and studied me. “You’re tired, but you’ll be okay.”
“I can go to bed early while you’re out running around after dark, howling at the moon.”
“That sounds like a plan.” He rubbed his hands up and down my arms and then turned to the body on the ground. Luster had turned to dust. Thalia had turned into an old woman, although she was very clearly dead. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the phenomenon. “I don’t understand any of this.”
I related the story to him again, this time without interruptions, and when I finished he was grim. “Well, that’s one messed-up family.”
“You think?”
He let loose a hollow laugh. “As long as you’re okay; that’s what I’m worried about most. They admitted everything?”
I nodded. “But they didn’t shoot at you. That was some guy they influenced. I didn’t catch a name. I had other things on my mind.”
“That’s okay. If they influenced him, he’s likely no longer a threat.”
“Yeah, well ... .” I dragged a hand through my hair. “What do we do now?”
“We call for the medical examiner.”
“But ... how will we explain it? You don’t have to take me in, do you?”
His eyes lit with amusement. “No, Hadley, you don’t have to worry about that. Believe it or not, this isn’t the first weird death we’ve had on the island. It happens all the time. I believe you’ve witnessed a few others.”
“Yeah, but I’m not usually the one who causes the deaths.”
He worked his jaw. “Is this a psychological thing? Do you need counseling or something?”
“I’m thinking a strong drink and a nap will do me.”
“Then that’s what you’ll get.” He gave me a quick kiss and then reached for his phone before breaking into a smile. “I really am considering adding you to my investigative team. You have a real knack for this.”
“Running headlong into danger without realizing it?”
“That, too.”
I CRASHED HARD, SKIPPING LUNCH AND the drink, and instead crawling into bed. Galen made sure to tuck me in before leaving to deal with the events of the afternoon. It was dark when I finally woke.
Galen would be out running, something he desperately needed, so I didn’t kick up a fuss about being alone. I headed downstairs, looked over the scant offerings in the kitchen, and took a bag of salt-and-vinegar potato chips to the back patio. From there, I could hear the revelry down the beach. Apparently they were still whooping it up at the festival. It didn’t sound as if anyone was dying, so I decided to take it as a win. They would be leaving the next day. We just had to get through the night.
“Hey.” Galen appeared in the bushes to my right, causing me to jolt. He was dressed in simple running shorts, no shirt. His chest gleamed with sweat. The sight was enough to make my mouth dry.
“What are you doing here?” I looked around, expecting to see more shifters with him. He liked to run with a group of other wolves, something I didn’t begrudge him but often wondered about. Were there women in this group? Did they all get naked together? Was there actual butt-sniffing? Yeah, my mind goes to weird places sometimes.
“What do you think I’m doing here?” He cut through the foliage to join me, his hand immediately going to my forehead. “You were warm earlier. I was a little worried. You seem to have cooled down now.”
“You’re shirtless. That makes me hot.”
His smile was wolfish. “None of that talk until I’m sure you’re feeling better.” He nudged me to lean forward so he could climb on the lounger behind me. “You need better food than this. You haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
“We don’t have anything. I’m not very good on the domestic front. You’ll have to get used to that when we move in together.”
“You’re a whiz in the kitchen when it comes to breakfast.” He snagged a chip and popped it into his mouth. “I’ll call and have some food delivered. What do you want?”
“I’m fine.”
“Well, I’m ravenous. I’m ordering something for myself. Do you want me to eat a lobster feast in front of you?”
That was a low blow. “Well, if you’re going to order something ... .”
He chuckled and drew his phone from his pocket. He seemed in good spirits, and his color, which had never been truly bad, was back to what it should’ve been. “I’ll text Lilac and have her send something down. Do you want dessert, too?” He didn’t wait for my answer. “I’m guessing we both want dessert. I’ll get cheesecake. That’s one of your favorites.”
I leaned back against his chest and sighed when his arms came around me. “Did she say how long?”
“Forty minutes.”
“I guess we can survive until then.”
“I think we can find something to distract ourselves.” He kissed the nape of my neck, sending chills down my spine. “How are you feeling? Really.”
“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me. How are you feeling?”
“I’m absolutely perfect.” He moved my hair from my neck and rested his chin on my shoulder. “I’m more worried about you. And I’m not the only one. Wesley was making noise about coming by, but I told him to wait until tomorrow.”
“That’s probably best. I don’t want to put on real pants.”
He glanced down at my sleep shorts and chuckled. “I happen to like your outfit.”
“You like me in whatever outfit I happen to be in. I bet you’d like me in lederhosen.”
“Put them on — and nothing else — and we’ll see if you’re right.”
That sounded unlikely. “How about we just stick to as we are for right now?”
“Yeah.” He was warm. I started absorbing the heat he gave off. It was nice. “Do you want to know what happened while you were sleeping?”
“I do.”
“I figured. The medical examiner says that Annie — and we do have a positive identification — died of old age. There was nothing big wrong with her, but a lot of little things.”
“I think it was the shock of being put back together.”
“Probably. She was gone the instant it happened. I don’t want you worrying about her suffering.”
“Given what she did, I’m not sure she didn’t deserve to suffer a little. Of course, Alastair deserved it, too. It sounds like Cornwall deserved whatever she did to him. The only one who didn
’t deserve it was Salma.”
“She was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he agreed. “We can’t go back and change that, so we have to move forward.”
“I guess. What about the sirens? Did you tell them how Annie managed to cross their boundaries?”
“Yes, and they claim it’s not possible.”
“Are they just saying that because they don’t want anyone else to try it?”
“That’s a very good question. I’m not sure. It’s worth some consideration, but later.” He snuggled close. “Bradley has managed to track down most of the money. It will be returned to the festival-goers as soon as possible. They know it’s going to take weeks, but they’re in pretty good spirits.”
“I hear them.” My eyes drifted to the full moon. “Did you get enough running in?”
“It’s almost midnight. I got more than enough.”
I hadn’t realized how late it was. “I’m glad. You didn’t have to cut things short on my account. I would’ve been fine.”
“I wanted to be with you.” His answer was simple, but it warmed me to my core. “Once I was certain the healing took, I immediately separated to come back. There will be a full moon next month if I want to stay out later. You’re all I want right now.”
“That’s kind of nice. It’s also nice that Lilac is sending food so late.”
“She’s up ... and she’s fine with it.”
We lapsed into silence for a time.
“What’s going on down at the festival?” I asked.
“Naked dancing under the full moon.”
I laughed ... until I realized he wasn’t joking. “You’re serious?”
He nodded, grinning at my reaction. “I figured we could eat our late dinner and then take a walk down there to check it out.”
“I’m not getting naked in public.”
“Good. I don’t want to have to kill anyone for staring at you.”
“I don’t want you to get naked in front of all those women either,” I supplied. “I’m not sure I’m up to yanking a lot of hair.”
“I thought we could just watch from the bluff. It might be fun. There might even be magic on display.”
“Yeah. I’m up for it.”
“I thought you might be.” He kissed my neck again. “And then I thought we might start planning my move tomorrow. There are some things we have to set in motion.”
“Including me meeting your mother.”
He sighed, the sound long and drawn out. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Nope. You can’t have half the dresser until after I’ve laid eyes on her.”
“She’ll be difficult. I’m warning you now.”
“I’ll survive.” I shifted so I could stare into his eyes. “Today proved I can survive almost anything, even if I’m alone and outnumbered.”
“I would prefer that not happen again.”
“I still want to meet your mother.”
“Fine ... next week.”
“I’ve heard that before. You said I was going to meet her a few weeks ago and then something came up. I want a concrete plan.”
“Then we’ll come up with that tomorrow, too.”
“So ... lobster, naked dancing and plans to move in together. All in twenty-four hours. It’s been a pretty good day after all.”
“They’re all going to be good days going forward. I promise you that.”
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About the Author
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Books by Amanda M. Lee
An Avery Shaw Mystery
Who, What, Where, When, Die
If it Bleeds, it Leads
Buried Leads
Shot Off The Presses
The Preditorial Page
Misquoted & Demoted
Headlines & Deadlines
Misprints & Mistakes
Bylines & Skylines
Off the Record
Unwritten & Underwater
Extra! Extra! Dead All About It
On Deadline & Under Fire
Above the Fold & Below the Belt
Oracles & Obituaries
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Witch Me Luck
Life’s a Witch
Charms & Witchdemeanors
The Trouble With Witches
Murder Most Witchy
A Witch Before Dying
A Breath of Witchy Air
Witch, Interrupted
Flip the Witch Switch
Witchin’ Around the Clock
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
Careful What You Witch For
Wicked Brew
On a Witch and a Prayer
You Only Witch Once
The Christmas Witch
Bewitched
A Solstice Celebration
Witchdependence Day
Happy Witchgiving
Merry Witchmas
Four-Leaf Clover
Thistle While You Work
Landon Calling
I Dream of Twila
How Aunt Tillie Stole Christmas
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy
Witchy Tales
A Witch In Time
Make A Witch
A Witchmas Carol
All My Witches
Close Encounters of the Witchy Kind
An Aisling Grimlock Mystery
Grim Tidings
Grim Offerings
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion
Grim Expectations
Grim Holiday
Grim Rising
Grim Tempest
Grim Vows
Grimlock Family Shorts
Grim Like Me
Grim & The City
Now & Grim
Grim & Bear It
Grim & The Dead
Death Gate Grim Reapers
Only the Lonely
Only the Quiet
Only the Lost
A Mystic Caravan Mystery
Freaky Days
Freaky Lies
Freaky Hearts
Freaky Games
Freaky Places
Freaky Rites
Freaky Witches
Freaky Reapers
A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery
The Bigfoot Blunder
The Chupacabra Catastrophe
The Werewolf Whoops
The Megalodon Mix-Up
The Undead Uproar
The Incubus Impasse
A Moonstone Bay Cozy Mystery
Witchin’ USA
Witch Out of Water
Freaky Deaky Tiki
To Spell With It
A
Spell’s Angels Cozy Mystery
Bad to the Crone
No Crones About It
Covenant College
Awakening
Whispering
Conjuring
Waxing & Waning
Graduating
Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant
Dark Covenant
Eternal Covenant
Dying Covenant Trilogy
Haunted Covenant
Desperate Covenant
Everlasting Covenant
2019 Shorts
Wolf on the Job
Luke on the Loose
Cupid in Crisis
Millie on a Mission
Jerry Takes Charge
Elemental Witches of Eternal Springs
Bat Out Of Spell
Spell on Earth
Hotter Than Spell
Spell or High Water
Hex Type Thing Page 28