“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” I said over my shoulder.
“OK,” came his reply.
I went into the kitchen and checked the highest shelf in the pantry. I searched through the different jars, reading the handwritten labels, until I found the one I was looking for—a witch fire burn remedy. My mom had always made sure to have it on hand. It was kind of a necessity when you had two daughters who created witch fire whenever they got emotional.
I could vividly remember my mom healing burns and wiping the memories of my friends. She was good at covering things up.
I hated her for that.
Now, here I was doing the same thing.
Joining Wes back in the living room, I scooped some of the white goop up and smoothed it over the insides of his forearms. Immediately, the redness began to fade.
Wes looked so peaceful on the couch. All the tension was gone from his forehead and eyes.
He smelled good, too, like Old Spice. Being so close to him was making my mind fuzzy.
Wes shifted on the couch, his breathing deep and even. His lips were parted slightly, and it would have been so easy to inch a tiny bit closer and…
Stop fantasizing about making out with your half-conscious new hire. It’s all kinds of wrong, I reminded myself.
I swallowed, getting a grip on myself. “So mote it be,” I whispered, completing the memory dust spell.
Wes’ eyes drifted open, and I pulled my hands away. I sat back, waiting to see what would happen next.
Wes was silent for a beat as he blinked.
“Do you feel OK?” I asked.
His eyes slowly slid up and down my body. “How long have we been talking?”
“Not long,” I said. “I should go to bed. I’m sorry Willa and I woke you up.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Wes sat up, groggily scratching at his chest. “I hope you two work things out.”
I stood up, smoothing down my dress. “OK, so… good night, Wes.”
“Hey Samantha, wait a second.” He slowly got to his feet, towering over me even though I had my four-inch heels on. “This might be weird to say, but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”
“Wrong idea about what?”
Wes’ cheeks looked a bit flushed. “You know—this.” He motioned to my body. “You coming home late, dressed like that. Me staying up and talking to you. I’m not looking to date you—or do anything more than be your friend. I flirt because it’s fun. It makes you laugh. I just want you to know it’s not going to happen. I don’t see you that way.”
“Oh.” I had to take a moment to process what he was saying. “No, of course not. We were just talking. I’m not interested either.”
Wes’ eyes flicked to the couch. “I don’t know what exactly happened between us just now. I feel kind of out of it. I don’t want to lead you on. You’re not my type.”
That’s not what you said a minute ago, I thought.
“I feel the same way,” I assured him.
But Wes’ wasn’t ready to let it go. “I don’t think we should have any more of these late night conversations. Boundaries are important to me.”
“I completely agree. This was a bad idea.” I took a deep breath, hoping that would be enough to shut down this conversation and make Wes go to bed.
I couldn’t let myself get sidetracked. I had to find Connor. He was probably done getting Willa situated in the guest cabin by now. “I’m sorry if I did anything to make you uncomfortable.”
“You had a few drinks. It happens,” Wes said. “Anyway, I’m glad we talked about this. It needed to be said. See you tomorrow morning.”
With that, Wes headed down the hall towards the guest room.
“That was weird,” I muttered under my breath. “You’re the one talking about my rack.”
I waited for the sound of Wes’ bedroom door closing. Then I poked my head out the front door to check on Connor. I looked down the steps to the guest cabin but didn’t see either Connor or my sister.
The rumble of a car engine grabbed my attention and I stepped out onto the porch just in time to see Willa’s Miata peeling out of our gravel driveway. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed movement on the other end of the driveway.
Connor was doubled over, his hands braced on his knees. In the moonlight, I could just make out singe marks on his sleeves.
Willa, what did you do? I thought desperately.
I grabbed the burn remedy jar and raced outside.
21
I drove Connor’s truck while he rode in the passenger seat and applied the witch fire remedy on his arms and face.
“Are you sure she’s going to the lake by George Huber’s property?” I asked.
“She said she was going to walk into the lake and that she’d burn anyone who tried to stop her.” Connor rolled his sleeves up higher, dabbing on another layer of ointment. “I asked her why, and she just said she needed to do it. I tried to stop her, and true to her word, she blasted me with witch fire.”
“You’re lucky she didn’t kill you,” I said.
“I’ve dealt with witches before. This ain’t my first rodeo.” Connor screwed the lid back on the jar. “Why was she able to wake up from your sleep spell?”
I pursed my lips, embarrassed to tell him the truth. “I haven’t performed magic in a long time. I guess my spell wasn’t powerful enough to keep her down until morning.”
That thought brought along another more terrible notion. What if Wes’ memory spell wasn’t strong enough to suppress his memories of tonight permanently?
Before I could go into a full-on worry-mode, Connor spoke. “Don’t feel too bad. The handcuffs didn’t slow her down much either.”
I passed another mile marker on the road and pushed down harder on the gas pedal.
Connor noticed the increase in speed, and he put his hand over mine on the stick shift. With a jerk of his arm, he helped me change gears.
“Sorry,” I murmured. “I’m not great with driving a stick shift.”
“I can see that.”
“So how did Willa get out of the handcuffs?” I asked. “Did she figure out how to use magic with them on?”
Connor removed his hand and stared anxiously out the window. “No, she did it the old fashioned way. She picked the lock.”
I frowned. “With what?”
Connor rubbed his hand over the top of his head. “She must have had a set of lock picking tools somewhere on her.”
I had to check Connor’s face to make sure he wasn’t messing with me. “Seriously? Where was she hiding those? She was in a party dress.”
“I don’t know.” Connor held up his hands, at a loss. “I don't want to think about it.”
I shot him a sidelong glance. “You’re a cop. Aren’t you trained to feel for weapons on someone?”
Part of me was impressed by Willa’s ninja skills. Now I knew what she’d been doing with her life these last few years. She was totally in her element in these kinds of situations.
That was what made her even more dangerous when controlled by my knot spell.
“I didn’t think I had to. That dress was not hiding much.” Connor clenched his jaw. “I can’t believe you let her wear that out.”
I snorted, unable to stop myself. “It was a party dress.”
Connor folded his arms. “It was very short.”
“You really need to get out more.”
Connor shifted on his seat. “I like it here just fine.”
I dropped the subject. “So what’s the plan?”
Connor’s hand went to his holster, as if checking to make sure he still had his gun on him. “We’ll catch up to her before she gets to the lake. Her car will get stuck.”
I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel. “Then we get her and put the handcuffs back on. Let me do that. Her witch fire is the same as mine. It won’t burn me.”
Connor nodded. “Then you can try your sleep spell on her again.”
&n
bsp; “We can’t keep her asleep forever.”
“No,” Connor said. “But we need to keep her docile long enough to find a way to get that spell off of her. Do you know anything about this spell?”
I tried to keep my face neutral. We were getting into dangerous territory here talking about my knot spell. I didn’t want to accidentally spill Willa’s secret.
Even if Connor deserved to know, Willa should be the one to tell him.
I cleared my throat. “I know that the spell is cast by tying a knot on some kind of string that belongs to the victim. After that, the spell is irreversible. It doesn’t matter if the spellcaster is still in possession of the knot, they’ll always have control over the victim.”
“What do you mean ‘always?’” Connor demanded.
“You can’t undo this spell,” I said.
“How do you know?”
“Because I wrote it. With spells like these, the only real way to sever the connection is to kill the spellcaster.”
“Good enough. We’ll do what needs to be done.” Connor nodded. “First, we get Willa.”
“Why does someone want Willa to drown herself? What does this monster want from my family?” I wondered aloud.
“It’s not the first time someone’s gone after your family.” Connor leaned forward as we approached the turn off. “It’s going to be OK, Sam. I’ll make sure of it.”
“And what if it’s not?” I asked in a small voice. My thoughts drifted back to my mother. Willa was heading for the same fate as my mom. Was Connor thinking the same thing?
“It will be,” Connor said, his eyes glued to the road.
I slowed down to make the turn onto the dirt path that led to the lake and to George Huber’s property.
I peered out the windshield, looking for Willa’s sports car. It was too dark to see much of anything right now.
Connor pressed his knuckles into the dashboard. “Is there any chance you or me could be under this knot spell? Willa didn’t seem to be aware at all.”
I shook my head. “You and I don’t have to worry about the murderer casting the knot spell on us.”
“Why not?” Connor asked.
“Because the spell is mine. I wrote it.”
“What about me?” Connor asked.
I bit the inside of my cheek, choosing my words very carefully. “You’re good, too. Take my word for it.”
And he would be good.
He was already under Willa’s knot spell. No one else would be able to cast that spell on him. He was safe as long as Willa didn’t take advantage of her connection to Connor.
“Do you think the murderer will be at the lake?” I yanked the shift into a different gear.
“Maybe. If it’s a siren we’re dealing with, we need to make sure we don’t touch any water.” Connor caught my hand again, guiding the stick until it clicked into place.
“If Willa’s already in the water, one of us will have to go in after her.”
Connor touched my shoulder. “Samantha, do not go into the water. If you do and there’s a siren around, you’re as good as dead.”
I gritted my teeth. “If anything happens to Willa…”
“I know,” Connor said. “We’re going to stop whoever is behind this.”
“Who do you think it is?”
“My money’s on Logan Graves,” Connor said. “That man’s shown up in a lot of investigations over the years. If he’s a siren, that would explain a lot.”
We came up behind Willa’s car. It was stuck in the mud just as Connor predicted. From there, Connor and I followed Willa’s footprints to the lake. Connor was a few strides ahead, making better time with hiking boots, waving his flashlight back and forth along the treeline. I still had on my party dress, which wasn’t conducive to running. Luckily, I’d had the mental wherewithal to grab my coat and my Uggs before I left the cabin.
We rounded the corner and came upon the lake.
It was a perfectly calm night, and I could see stars reflected in the mirror-like surface of the water.
There were several ripples in the middle of the lake where someone was treading water. Connor aimed the flashlight at the area, and I saw Willa’s blonde hair bobbing just above the surface.
Then I noticed someone else in the water—a slender woman with dark hair. She wasn’t paddling like Willa. Instead, she stood on the water with her hands on her hips.
On the water.
I blinked, trying to detect some kind of optical illusion.
But no.
This person was standing on water as if it was as solid as an ice skating rink, all while Willa floundered right below her.
Was this our siren? Was I looking at the person who murdered my mother?
It definitely wasn’t George Huber or Logan Graves. This creature’s body was slight with subtle curves around her chest and hips. It was a woman.
Not Rosie. Whoever this was had to be almost a foot shorter.
Not Molly, my high school friend who had stopped into the bakery. The hair color wasn’t right.
I gasped as recognition gripped me.
It was Misty Sullivan, the bartender at the pizza place, the one who had found Rosie in the bathroom sink.
But how could Misty be the murderer?
22
I saw Willa’s head go underwater and my mind went blank. “Willa!” I ran right up to the water, forgetting everything Connor and I had talked about in the truck. Just before I stepped in, Connor snatched my arm, hauling me back.
“Don’t get in the water,” he barked.
“But Willa.” It was the only thing I seemed capable of getting out of my mouth.
“We’ll get her, but not at the cost of losing you.” Connor jerked me back another step and stood in front of me. “Misty, let her go.” He drew his gun and aimed it at the woman standing in the center of the dark lake. “I don’t want to shoot you.”
Misty smiled, folding her arms across her chest. She still had on her uniform from the party—black skinny jeans and the polo shirt with the Denali Goddess logo. “Why don’t you come in and get her yourself?”
“I’m not going to do that. I know what you are,” he said, his voice calm and his hands steady. “You’re a siren. You drowned Rebecca and you’re using the Craven’s knot spell to control Willa.”
“So you figured it out,” Misty said. With a flick of Misty’s head, Willa came up for air. My sister looked completely helpless out there as she flailed her arms, gasping.
Connor fired a shot at Misty, taking me by surprise. The bang was deafening.
Misty was faster. In one lightning-fast movement, the siren slid forward on the water’s surface, avoiding the bullet. She moved so quickly, it was almost as if she’d teleported.
Then the waif-like bartender sat down cross-legged on the water’s surface and dipped her arm in the water. She hoisted Willa out of the water, grabbing her under the arms. “Really, Connor. You were going to shoot me just like that? You are in deep with this family. You have no idea what they’ve done to you. You’re the very definition of Stockholm Syndrome and it makes me sick.” The siren held Willa in front of her chest like a shield. “You’ll shoot me, but you won’t shoot her, will you? You’re under her spell.”
Willa squirmed in the siren’s arms. “Sam, Connor, get out of here. Just let me drown.”
Misty laughed. “Do you see how strong this knot spell is? She’s begging you to let her die. But not yet. She deserves to suffer for what she’s done. Her sister, too. No one should be able to cast a spell this powerful. It’s unnatural.”
Connor stood his ground. “What’s all this about? Willa’s been gone for twelve years. Is this because of something Rebecca did to you?”
I didn’t know if he was trying to buy time or genuinely wanted to know. It was a relief to see Willa out of the water, though, even if she was wet and shivering in Misty’s steely grip.
“I can’t believe you don’t know.” Misty’s expression softened slightly. “Yo
u’re so tangled up in that knot spell you don’t even remember.”
“Whatever this is about, I’ll make sure you get what you want. We can make a deal, and no one has to get hurt. Just let Willa go,” Connor said.
I hoped Connor was lying because there was no way I was letting this monster get away with a deal—not after what she had done to my family.
Misty shook her head. “No. Don’t you get it? She has to die. It’s the only way.”
“Misty, what do you want? There must be some reason you’re doing this,” Connor said.
Misty’s lower lip trembled as a long silence filled the air. Finally she said, “You. I want you, Connor.”
“I don’t understand.” The sheriff kept his gun trained on Misty. “I’m here. You can have me. Just let Willa go.”
“Can you stop talking about Willa for one second?” She groaned. “Connor, I want us to be together, just like we were before.”
Connor still didn’t move, but his eyes widened at her declaration. “That’s what this is about?”
“Of course it is,” she said. “We were in love. We had just turned eighteen and we were going to get married. We talked about it all the time. Nothing was going to stop us from being together.”
“You dated her?” The words slipped out before I could stop myself.
“We were crazy about each other,” Misty said. “For two wonderful years, weren’t we, Connor?”
A muscle pulsed along Connor’s jawline but his profile was otherwise eerily still. “Misty, that was a long time ago. We broke up in high school.”
“Because of her.” Misty yanked Willa up higher out of the water. “She stole you away from me.”
Connor’s forehand creased. “You murdered someone because of a high school fling? Relationships end. This is insane. If you want revenge, take it out on me. Not Rebecca Craven. Not Rosie Mitchell. Not Willa. She’s got nothing to do with us breaking up.”
Misty clenched her teeth. “Willa has everything to do with us breaking up. Tell him what you did.” Misty grabbed Willa’s chin. “Tell him how you took everything from him.”
Willa swallowed, her hands and shoulders shaking from the cold. “I didn’t think it would work,” she said.
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