“No.”
I stare, sure I’ve heard her incorrectly. “But you just said…”
Her gaze dips for a moment before fixing on my face again. “I’m not breaking up with Owen. It’s you I need to end things with, Fox.”
I squeeze my eyes closed and open them again, sure I’ve slipped into some sort of weird nightmare. But Krissa is still looking at me with the same sad gaze. “What are you talking about? Are you mad that I’m making you choose? I’m sorry if you think I’m pushing you, but—”
She’s not paying attention to me anymore. Her attention wanders across the street and her posture goes rigid like she’s ready to fight. I follow her gaze, wondering if she’s caught sight of Owen, but I don’t notice anything out of the ordinary—just a woman in her seventies sitting on a bench.
Krissa tears her gaze away from whatever is holding her attention and reaches forward to squeeze my arm. “I never meant to hurt you. Please believe that. But whatever we had, it’s over.”
I’m too dumbfounded to respond. All I can do is watch as she crosses the street, leaving me utterly bewildered in her absence.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Brody
I’m at my regular table at the diner, just finishing my meal, when I feel it—the irresistible tug of a summoning spell. I smile as I throw a few bills on the table and head for my car.
Krissa is calling me.
I get behind the wheel and start my engine. I’m not entirely sure where to go, but I don’t need to be: the spell will guide me.
As I drive through the streets of Clearwater, I wonder what changed. Earlier this afternoon, I caught a glimpse of her having a rather intense conversation with Fox Holloway on the street. Did something about their exchange make her see reason? Has she finally realized she’s not doing herself any favors by holding out hope for a so-called normal life?
I continue driving past some familiar landmarks—a dilapidated farmhouse that was never demolished after a fire; an old red barn with a caved-in roof. Before I even arrive, I know she’s summoned me to the same place we met when I first arrived in town.
When she comes into view, I try to read her posture. She stands with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed. I can’t tell whether she’s upset or whether this is the Influence I’m dealing with. Either way, it’s not as if I can take my time approaching her. As soon as I’m near enough, I pull the car onto the shoulder and get out. I’m not able to stop moving until I’m safely in the center of the chalk circle.
She glowers, but I keep my face impassive. “You wanted to see me?”
She continues staring for a long moment before speaking. “You need to leave town.”
My stomach sinks. “I’ll be happy to leave if you’ll come with me,” I say, flashing a grin I hope doesn’t look too forced.
She begins pacing, shaking her head as she walks. “No, you don’t understand. You have to leave or I can’t be held accountable for what I might do to you.”
I’m not the kind of person who scares easily, but at this moment, I can’t deny the prickle of fear dancing along my spine.
“We did a spell last night,” she says, her voice low. I’m not sure whether she means for me to hear her or not. “I thought it would work. I thought they’d be able to get the Influence out of me, but they couldn’t. And now it’s even stronger than before. I’m can’t push it down like before. It’s taking almost all my concentration to keep it from taking over—and that’s when I’m in a good mood. When I’m angry, it’s even harder to keep it locked away.” She stops pacing and stares at me. “Your presence—your lurking—makes me angry. I saw you on Main earlier today. I bet you thought that stupid glamor would work, but I knew it was you and not an old lady.”
I swallow. Not many people are able to see through glamors. Even I can’t do it, and there aren’t many magical feats I’m incapable of. The Influence must be growing stronger, as she claims.
The fact doesn’t comfort me. What happens if it takes over against her will? According to my research, Influence typically complements an individual’s personality; I don’t know what it would be like to deal with the Influence itself.
I don’t want to give her any reason to be more agitated than she already is, but I need to make the most of this opportunity. “You keep trying to fight what’s inside you, but I can show you a better way to handle it. I bet you spend most of your day trying your best not to do something to hurt one of your friends or family members. If you try to keep it bottled up for too long, it’s bound to come out at the worst moments. But if you come with me, I can give you the outlet you need.”
There’s a flicker in her eyes—something like desire—but she blinks and it’s gone. “I don’t want the life you’re offering. Why would I want to be an assassin? I don’t want to be pointed like a gun at anyone who crosses the Amaranthine. I don’t want to live that way. I want a normal life.”
I snort. “Why? What’s so desirable about that?” I hold up my hands to gesture at our surroundings. “Can you honestly tell me you want to live out your days in this pitiful excuse for a town? Will you really be happy taking over the shop when Jodi tires of running it, pretending to care about the ailments of hypochondriacal customers?” I study her face, but her expression gives nothing away. “Sounds dreadfully boring, if you ask me. I can offer you so much more. The Amaranthine are more powerful than you can imagine. Our business takes us all over the world, to the most exquisite places you could ever dream of.”
She squeezes her eyes closed for a beat before responding. “I don’t want to be shackled to a group who only wants to use the worst part of me. With the Influence in me—even without it—I know I’m capable of killing. But that’s not who I want to be.”
I raise my eyebrows. “You’d rather be shackled to one of your boyfriends instead? What kind of life can either of those boys give you?”
She brings her hands together and wrings them. “I don’t have… Fox isn’t my boyfriend.”
I smile. “It doesn’t appear that way to me.”
She squeezes her hand so hard I’m afraid she may crush her own bones, but at the last second, she drops her arms to her sides. “I don’t care what you think you can offer me. I want—I deserve—a happy ending. I’ll never stop fighting for it.”
She takes a step forward and I will myself not to step back. But instead of reaching for me, she rubs the outer ring of the chalk circle with the tip of her shoe until a section disappears. She’s broken the enchantment, and I’m free. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave. Don’t say I haven’t warned you.”
I don’t stick around to continue our conversation. At this point, I’m positive nothing I say will get through to her. I have to try a different plan of attack.
She wants a happy ending, does she? Maybe what she really needs is to see there’s no such thing. If I take the possibility of that ending away from her, she’ll have no choice but to join me.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Fox
Dana hums happily in the passenger seat of my truck, causing the knot in my stomach to tighten with each turn. When I asked if she wanted to come to my house after school, she brightened like it was Christmas morning. Since our disagreement about Krissa last week, we haven’t spent much time together. It doesn’t take a psychic to know she thinks this is a good sign for our relationship.
She couldn’t be more wrong.
I pull into the driveway and sigh with relief when I don’t see my dad’s truck. He’s still in town for the next few days, but he mentioned this morning that he had some things to take care of this afternoon. I’m glad he didn’t change his mind or get done with them early. Being alone will make things at least a little easier.
We jump out of the car and Dana rushes around to my side to take my hand. I let her, even though I know it’s sending the wrong signal. I don’t want to shake her off and be in a fight before this conversation even begins.
She sur
veys the living room and dining room as we enter the house, then smiles. “Is your dad in town?”
I’m surprised she knows me well enough to make the guess. Then again, we’ve been together just over six months. Maybe it shouldn’t come as such a shock. Despite her faults, she’s been a decent girlfriend. At least, she doesn’t deserve what’s about to happen. “Yeah, he got in the other day.”
I lead her to the couch and catch the shadow of a pout as it crosses her face. “Is he going to be gone long?”
I know why she’s asking. When I invited her over, I’m sure she imagined a different chain of events unfolding. To say we took a lot of time using the empty house to our benefit after Griffin moved out would be an understatement. In the last month, though, nearly all of our time together has been spent in public. When I extended the invitation today, I’m positive she was under the impression we’d be taking advantage of some alone time in a different room of the house. “I’m not sure,” I say honestly. “He’s got some errands to run, but I don’t know how long they’ll take.”
Her expertly arched eyebrows draw together. “So, what’s going on?”
I rub the palms of my hands against my denim-clad thighs. “We have to talk.”
Before I can continue, she nods. “I know we do. Let me start.”
I’m surprised by this enough that I don’t object. Am I misreading the entire situation? Dana is a psychic, after all. Even if she can’t read my thoughts because of the charm I wear, maybe she’s sensed things aren’t going to work out between us. I ought to give her the space to say what’s on her mind. “Okay.”
She takes in a breath and squares her shoulders. “I know things have been tense between us, and I get that a lot of it’s been my fault. I know I give the illusion of being self-assured, but in a lot of ways I’m not.” She offers a small smile before continuing. “And when my boyfriend spends so much of his energy worrying about his ex-girlfriend… I’m sorry, but that makes me jealous.” She reaches over and covers my hand with hers. Squeezing it, she continues. “The thing is, I know I don’t have any reason to be. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for acting like I don’t trust you, because I do. And from now on, I promise not to let it get the best of me anymore.”
I stare at her, completely blown away and unable to form a coherent thought. I am a piece of shit. In fact, I am possibly the worst piece of shit of all time. Here she is, feeling guilty for being jealous when she’s had every right to be. What have I been thinking? How could I have been so selfish to believe my actions only affected me and Krissa? No matter what Krissa said, no matter how persuasive her arguments, I shouldn’t have let things go on like this for so long. I should have been a better person and done this a while ago. “I’m so sorry you’ve been feeling like that. You don’t deserve it. You deserve to be with someone who makes you feel like you’re the center of the world. And I haven’t been that person. I can’t be that person.”
Confusion etches a line between her eyebrows. “Yes, you can,” she says slowly. “I believe in you.”
I slip my hand out from underneath hers and shake my head. There’s not going to be an easy way to say this, so I decide to be direct, like I should have been from the start. “Dana, we need to break up.”
She stares blankly, her mouth open just a fraction as she processes the words. She must realize she heard me right because her gaze turns icy and she stands, balling her fists. “You’re breaking up with me? Out of nowhere? You can’t do that.”
I stand, too, but not to be confrontational. I simply want to be on her level. I keep my voice low and even. “I can. I just did.”
I try to brush a hand down her arm, but she shakes me off and takes a step back. “No. I don’t accept it.”
It’s my turn to be confused. “You can’t not accept it. It’s the way it is. I… I don’t want to be with you anymore.”
Her face starts to go red and I know she’s about to cry before the tears start flowing. “This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening,” she murmurs.
I am a shit sandwich. I want to pull her into my arms and comfort her, but I’m positive she won’t let me. Why would she? I’m the person inflicting the pain. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve done this a while ago. It hasn’t been fair to you to be with me when I’m not the right guy for you. I just didn’t want to hurt you.” I feel a pang as I realize Krissa said the exact same thing to me yesterday on Main Street. Krissa didn’t want to hurt me, or Owen, or anyone else. I don’t want to hurt Dana. Unfortunately, there’s no way not to.
Dana stares me right in the eye. “If you don’t want to hurt me, why are you breaking up with me?”
Before I can answer, she dissolves into tears. She bends at the waist, leaning so far forward I’m afraid she might fall, but when I reach for her, she pulls away.
“Don’t touch me. Don’t you ever touch me!”
I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to say to make any of this better. As I spin through different options in my mind, I realize there’s probably nothing I can say. “Do you want me to drive you home?”
She stands up and I don’t have time to react before her fist comes down on my chest. She lands a few blows before backing away on her high heels and bumping into the coffee table as she stalks toward the door.
“You’re an asshole, Fox Holloway! I never want to see you again!” She swings the door open so hard it slams against the adjacent wall. She doesn’t bother closing it before stomping off the porch.
I follow. While I’m beyond positive she won’t let me take her home, she’s in no condition to make it there on her own. Maybe I could offer to call a cab? I’ve never done that—I don’t even know if there is a cab company in Clearwater—but I at least want to offer.
She’s nearly to my car by the time I make it onto the porch, and before I can call out, she brings her hands up in front of her like she plans to shove my truck. But she doesn’t move near enough to touch it—instead, she stands about a foot away from it, her arms stretched out like a B-movie zombie. When I’m about to ask what she’s doing, I’m cut off by an awful ripping, smashing sound as a wave of energy strikes the front corner of my truck and dents it, smashing the headlight.
I’m too shocked to react, and before I even manage to close my open mouth, Dana takes off at a run down the sidewalk, her high heels clip-clopping.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Krissa
Griffin presses a steaming mug of tea into my hands. By its aroma, I identify it as the anti-anxiety blend we sell at the shop. I offer him a small smile as he settles down next to me on his dilapidated couch.
Almost everyone I invited here today has arrived, and all eyes are on me. Tucker sits on Griffin’s other side and has angled himself to see past him. Lexie and Bria sit on the dinged-up coffee table across from me, and Felix has dragged over a chair from the second-hand dining room set Griffin acquired since the last time I was here.
They’re all waiting for me to say something, to explain why I’ve asked them all to come, but I’m not ready yet. I’m too nervous, and the Influence is taking full advantage of my heightened emotions.
Its hold on me hasn’t ebbed since they stopped my heart the other night. The crackle of its energy is ever-present, a hum inside my body I can’t turn off. I’m still wearing the ring we enchanted weeks ago, but I have a feeling it’s not affecting the Influence anymore.
I take a sip of the tea, hissing when it burns my lips and my throat. It hurts, but at least it’s a pain I can control.
Felix leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “Okay, enough with the suspense. Why are we here?”
“And what’s with the secrecy?” Bria adds. “You said you wanted to meet about a spell, and you made me promise not to tell anyone about it. Since we’re not meeting at your house, I’m assuming Jodi doesn’t know what you’re up to.”
“And where’s Owen?” Lexie asks. “Is he running late, or…”
I shake my head. “I didn’t want hi
m here. He wouldn’t let me go through with this.”
There’s a communal shifting in the room. “What are you asking us to do?” Tucker asks. “I mean, I think we’ve already proven we’re willing to do whatever it takes to help you—but what can be worse than stopping your heart? Owen was fine with that, wasn’t he?”
I take another sip of the tea before setting the mug on the floor. “The spell I want to try is complex, and there are some pretty serious consequences if it doesn’t go right.”
Griffin’s eyebrows hike. “More serious than brain damage and death? I’ll admit I’m intrigued.” He attempts one of his casual, roguish smiles, but it looks more like a grimace.
He’s nervous. A quick survey of their faces tells me they all are. I can’t blame them. If I’d had my way, I wouldn’t have consulted them at all, but this isn’t a one-person spell.
Bria twists a ring on her finger. “If this spell is so hard, why didn’t you ask more people to come? More witches? I mean, yeah, Griffin and Lexie can borrow energy from me and Felix and Tucker, but wouldn’t it be easier to have more witches here? Or at least a stronger witch?”
Lexie nods. “Yeah, like Crystal.”
The Influence flares, its flames licking at my insides. I’ve tried to fight it for weeks, but all my energy is now being directed at keeping the Influence in check, and I can’t deny my anger toward Crystal anymore. Since the Influence spell, I’ve tried convincing myself she never meant for any of this to happen, that she was simply trying to keep her family safe from Brody and his threats. She was trying to learn the information he wanted so he would leave her alone. But I can’t ignore the fact that she wanted her magic back so desperately she was willing to cast the spell despite my reservations.
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