Hannah’s forehead wrinkled. “I’m not sure what that means,” she said finally. “What’s a magical nexus?”
“A meeting of multiple types of magic. Abigail has books in her library. You should do some research.” Astra dusted off the seat of her skirt as she stood. “Basically it means you’re about to have a magical war of sorts waged on your land.” She looked almost giddy at the prospect. “Given the power emanating from Casper Creek, I can’t say I’m surprised.”
Hannah was at a loss for words. “But ... what should I do to stop it?”
Astra shrugged. “Nothing. You’re not powerful enough. Basically, multiple magical beings are about to converge on your property and wreak havoc ... but there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it.
“Well, maybe you can die,” she offered after a beat, her lips spreading into a wide grin. “Personally, I would be thrilled if that were the case. You’re nothing but a headache ... and I’ve always wanted to see a magical nexus in action. I think there’s a way to tap that power.”
She looked lost in thought and then shook her head. “Anyway, I’m looking forward to watching you die. If Cooper survives, I’ll make sure to help him pick up the pieces.” The smile she sent Hannah was twisted. “Have a nice what’s left of your life.”
Hannah glowered at her. “I should’ve known better than talking to you.”
“You really should have,” Astra agreed, not missing a beat. “I’m not your friend.”
“I would never make that mistake.”
“I’m also going to offer you a piece of advice,” Astra added. “Stay out of this. When the fight comes — and it will come — you should turn your back on it. This is bigger than you.”
“I don’t see where turning my back is going to be an option,” Hannah countered. “They’re coming straight for me ... although what makes you think there’s more than one?”
“Because there are seven magical threads running under Casper Creek right now,” Astra replied, matter-of-fact. “They’re overlapping and working against one another. I have no idea what it means, but it’s going to be fun to watch.”
Hannah rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead. “Well, thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome.” Astra turned to leave and then stilled. “They’ll come at you from every angle. I don’t see where you have the power to stop them. You should send Cooper away for his own safety. He’ll die to protect you, and it will be a wasted effort.”
Hannah swallowed hard. “Thanks for that. Maybe you should spend more time worrying about that witch trying to take over your coven than me, though. It seems to me you have your own problems.”
“Stormy,” Astra said darkly. “I’m well aware that she’s a problem.”
“So ... perhaps you should deal with her.”
“Oh, I plan on dealing with her.” Astra was grim. “That doesn’t change the fact that you’re about to be magically overwhelmed. You can’t save yourself. The others, though ... . If you care about Cooper as much as you say you do, you should want to protect him.”
Hannah wanted to dismiss the suggestion outright — that would irritate Astra and she was always up for that — but she couldn’t. The notion of Cooper being in danger because of her twisted her stomach. “I’ll take it under advisement.”
“You do that.”
COOPER TOOK A SWING AROUND TOWN while waiting for Hannah to return. He was tired of listening to Boone and Tyler tease him about being a mother hen, but his agitation was on full display. He planned to give Hannah exactly ten more minutes before he went after her. He simply couldn’t sit back wondering if she was okay.
Unfortunately for him, he ran smackdab into another worker when making his rounds. “Becky,” he said lamely when he saw the younger woman. She’d been something of an absent presence over the past few weeks and he was actually surprised to see her.
“Cooper,” she offered stiffly, refusing to meet his gaze.
Cooper worked his jaw as he regarded her. Weeks before, in a fit of anger, she’d said things that she couldn’t take back. In a nutshell, she wanted Cooper to fall for her instead of Hannah. When informed that it wouldn’t happen, she’d melted down ... and then been taken over by a monster. Hannah had eventually saved her, which probably felt more like an insult than anything else, but Becky had been sticking close to the seamstress shop ever since returning to work.
Honestly, Cooper couldn’t blame her. That didn’t mean they could continue pretending that they weren’t living in the same world. They would have to come to a truce if they expected to continue working together.
“How are you feeling?”
The question was simple enough but it caused Becky to frown. “I’m fine. I wish people would stop asking that.”
“Given what happened, it’s a natural curiosity. You shouldn’t take it personally. People care. That’s why they ask.”
“Yes, well ... thanks for caring. I mean ... I guess.” She pasted a fake smile on her face. “Do you need anything else?”
He wanted to admonish her for the attitude, but he couldn’t. She was embarrassed about owning up to her feelings and not having them reciprocated. Her feelings of inadequacy were compounded by what happened with the possessing creature. When you added to it the fact that Hannah had been the one to save her, well, Becky’s life wasn’t exactly rosy these days. He couldn’t fix what was broken inside her, though, and he didn’t have the energy to try.
“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” he said finally. “Your color is back, which is good, and you look as if you’re back to one hundred percent.”
“I don’t know if I would go that far, but I’m well on my way.”
“That’s ... good.”
“Right.” Becky shifted from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable. “Is that all? If so, I need to get back to Danielle. She’s expecting me.”
“Oh, sure.” Cooper moved out of her way. “I’m about to head out and collect Hannah anyway. I’m betting she’s down by the creek, even though she said she just wanted to go for a short walk. I should’ve known she would head down there. That’s where she always ends up.”
“I really don’t care,” Becky noted. “Your relationship is between the two of you. I don’t want to hear, talk about, or see it.”
She was still bitter, Cooper realized. She was doing her best to put on a happy face, though. He had to allow her to grieve whatever it is she’d thought she’d lost in her own time. “Fair enough. I’ll head out. I really am glad you’re feeling better, though.”
“So you’ve said. Thank you for the sentiment.” With those words, Becky turned on her heel and headed toward the buildings on the other side of the road. She didn’t as much as glance over her shoulder.
Even though Cooper found the interaction cold, it was a relief compared to how she’d been acting weeks before.
Small steps, he told himself. Something was better than nothing. Now he had to find Hannah. He was done waiting. His anxiety wouldn’t allow him to sit back and do nothing for another second.
8
Eight
True to her word, Hannah crested the hill returning to Casper Creek five minutes before the end of her hour. Boone and Tyler stopped Cooper before he could go after her, so he was pacing a well-worn groove in the paddock, the goats chasing him like it was a game, when she popped into view.
“See,” Boone offered in something less than a soothing voice. “I told you she was fine.”
Cooper shot him a dirty look. “I don’t need to hear ‘I told you so’ right now.”
“Whenever you’re ready to hear it, tell me,” Boone shot back, blasé. “I’ll be ready to deliver it again.”
“You think you’re so funny,” Cooper grumbled under his breath, although he pasted a welcoming smile on his face as Jinx roared into the paddock and immediately started after the goats. He seemed to be rejuvenated. Instinctively, Cooper reached out to stroke the dog’s fur. He wasn’t surprised in the le
ast to find it wet. “You went to the creek.”
Hannah expected some pushback on her decision and was prepared for it. “I did. The water is nice. I soaked my feet.” She plopped down on the picnic table bench. “We should go down there and have a picnic one day or something. It’s really nice.”
Cooper’s expression was hard to read. “A picnic sounds nice,” he said finally.
“Good boy,” Boone muttered under his breath, nodding encouragingly.
Cooper scalded him with a look and then sucked in a breath before sitting on the opposite side of the table from Hannah. Truth be told, he was angry. No matter how many times he told himself that she was an adult, he didn’t like the idea of her wandering around on her own when there was an unknown threat darkening their doorstep.
“I ran into Astra,” Hannah offered, seeing no reason to drag out the truth. He was already angry, she rationalized. She might as well lay it all out there and let him freak about multiple things at once.
“Oh, I knew it!” Cooper threw his hands in the air and looked to the sky, as if expecting some higher power to reach down and pat him on the shoulder, perhaps offer him a treat for being right.
Tyler’s lips quirked as he settled next to Hannah. He’d considered trying to rein in Jinx, but the dog was too boisterous and, honestly, the goats seemed to love it when the dog chased them. “She still spends a lot of time at the creek from what I can tell. She usually goes there alone.”
“That doesn’t make it okay,” Cooper argued. “Astra is dangerous.”
“She wasn’t in the mood to fight today,” Hannah supplied. “Well, I mean more than usual. She was snarky but seemed distracted. I think that new witch she’s having all the trouble with — that Stormy woman — is giving her fits. She practically said as much and it’s not like her to admit when she’s having problems.”
Boone narrowed his eyes. “I’ve heard a few stories about Stormy. She’s already a problem. She keeps showing up at the area bars, encouraging the men and then sitting back and laughing when she manages to start a fight. She gets off on it or something.”
“I’ve known women like that,” Hannah offered, keeping one eye on a fuming Cooper as she made every effort to engage in the conversation. “There was this woman in my old office who would get drunk at every office party and rub herself over all the single men.
“Actually, now that I think back, it didn’t matter if the men were single,” she continued. “She went after Michael, too. He, of course, reciprocated. He blamed her when he cheated on me, and I believed him because I was an idiot who was desperate for love, but you can’t make someone do something they’re not predisposed to do.”
“Are you actually standing up for this woman?” Boone asked, legitimately curious. That didn’t seem like something she would do.
“Absolutely not.” Hannah vehemently shook her head. “She’s clearly trouble. I think Astra knows that, too, which is probably the most important thing. There will be a fight between the two of them before it’s all said and done. The woman at my office was a total trollop, don’t get me wrong, but Michael was as much to blame as she was.
“Actually, he was more to blame because we were supposed to be engaged and planning a life together,” she said, pursing her lips at the memory. “I hated her at the time but that’s only because I was afraid to hate him. If I held him responsible for what he’d done, then I would’ve had to admit there was something wrong with me ... and I wasn’t ready to do that.”
Cooper stirred. “There’s nothing wrong with you. Don’t say stuff like that.”
Boone smirked. “Hannah is perfect,” he agreed. “We all know that.”
“I’m pretty far from perfect,” Hannah countered. “I was an absolute idiot where Michael was concerned. It took me forever to get it together. That’s not important today, though. I don’t like thinking about him.”
“We can agree on that,” Cooper muttered.
“I was just saying that I know the type of woman that Boone is referring to,” Hannah reassured him with a warm smile. “I’m not dwelling on anything. I’m much happier now.”
Boone bumped his shoulder against Cooper. “I think she’s saying she’s happier with you.”
Hannah laughed at the man’s not-so-subtle attempt at lightening Cooper’s mood. “I’m definitely happy. I only brought up the Stormy situation because I think it’s something to watch. Honestly, that was only a passing comment during my conversation with Astra. The other thing she said was much more interesting.”
“And what was that?” Cooper asked, annoyance bubbling up because his interest was officially piqued.
“She said we’re in the middle of a magical nexus. Now, I don’t know what that means, but I don’t think it sounds good. She said she was happy about it because I would die and if I truly cared about you I would send you away to save you. Do you think that’s true?” The words poured out of Hannah’s mouth as nerves overtook her.
Cooper’s expression turned incredulous. “How many times have I told you not to listen to her?” He hopped up from his seat and moved to the other side of the table so he could sit next to Hannah. “You’re not sending me away, so push that thought out of your head right this second.”
“Uh-huh.” Hannah bobbed her head and smiled, but she was antsy. “Part of me wondered if she was right. I don’t want anything to happen to you. The other part, though, figured she was playing me and I should tell you. I knew I would want to know if our positions were reversed. I mean ... if you’re worried, you should definitely run away, though. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Hey.” Cooper’s fingers were gentle as they brushed Hannah’s hair away from her face. “I’m not going anywhere no matter what.”
“But ... there’s danger.”
“Danger is my middle name.” He grinned, all traces of annoyance gone. “I’m sorry she said that to you. It doesn’t matter, though. We’re in this together.”
“Even though we have no idea what this is?”
“Yup.” He bobbed his head. “We’re a unit.”
“That goes for all of us,” Tyler insisted. “I don’t trust anything Astra says anyway, although I am curious what a magical nexus is.”
“She said there were multiple lines of magic crisscrossing us right now,” Hannah explained. “She also said that Abigail probably had books on it upstairs.” Her eyes drifted to the saloon. “Maybe I should start reading up.”
“I think research is a good thing,” Cooper encouraged. “No matter what is going through your head right now, though, there is no getting rid of me. Don’t even think about trying. That’s going to make me really angry.”
“Like the Hulk?” Hannah was going for levity and the question had the desired effect because Cooper grinned.
“Exactly like the Hulk. I rip through my clothes and everything.” He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. “Why don’t you go up and start the research? I’ll be up in a few minutes to help. I want to check on Jacob — he’s still wandering around — and then I’ll be there.”
“Okay.” Hannah looked uncertain. “You’re not mad, right?”
“No. I was a little worried, but you’re an adult and allowed to do what you want ... even if it drives me more than a little bit crazy.”
The words made Hannah crack a legitimate smile. “I like you crazy. It’s okay. I get crazy, too.”
“I’ve noticed.” He gave her another kiss and watched as she walked to the saloon, waiting until he was certain she was out of earshot to viciously swear under his breath and make his true feelings known. “I’m going to kill Astra, that treacherous viper.”
Boone cocked an eyebrow. “Tell us how you really feel.”
“That is how I really feel.” Cooper was furious. “How could she say something like that to Hannah? She knows that it will cause Hannah to second-guess herself and try to push me away as a means of protection.”
“I think you nailed your answer,” Boone replied. “Ast
ra saw an advantage and pressed it. That’s what she does.”
“It’s frustrating.”
“And Hannah told you,” Tyler noted. “She didn’t want to push you away. She might’ve done it if she really thought you were in danger, but she knows Astra lies. That’s why she blurted it all out the way she did. She wanted you to talk her out of it.”
“Which I don’t think I did,” Cooper groused, rolling his neck. “Son of a ... ! I knew letting her go off on her own was a mistake.”
“Hey, you need to get it together.” Boone’s tone was grave. “Hannah is a grown woman. She has thoughts ... and feelings ... and opinions. She’s also a powerful witch. You can’t watch her twenty-four hours a day. Thinking you can is ridiculous.”
“Maybe you’re still being affected by the dancing man,” Tyler noted. “You are acting all ... alpha.” He made a playful growling sound, but Cooper didn’t return his smile.
“He’s not acting alpha because of a monster,” Boone countered. “He’s acting alpha because he’s legitimately terrified. Have a little sympathy. It can’t be easy for him. Hannah is just coming into her powers and she has a natural curiosity. In his head, it’s Cooper’s job to protect her. She isn’t always open to that, though.”
“Oh, thank you for psychoanalyzing me,” Cooper drawled, rolling his eyes. He fell silent for a beat and then let loose a heavy sigh. “I know I’m acting like an idiot. If you think I don’t see that, you’re wrong. I just ... have this feeling.” He tapped the spot above his heart.
“She’s afraid of losing Casper Creek,” he continued. “She told me as much. She’s worried that it will mean losing everything we’ve built. I know that probably sounds ridiculous to you because we’ve only been together for a few weeks but ... it’s a real fear for her, and now that she’s given voice to it, I’m worried, too.”
“Because you love her,” Boone supplied. It wasn’t a question but a statement.
Cooper nodded. “Yeah.” He rubbed his forehead, exhaustion momentarily taking over. “I love her and I want her safe. I don’t think that makes me an ogre.”
The Monstrous Seven (A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Book 4) Page 8