“You’re leaving?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “I am.”
She shrugged off her sweater and showed me her arm. The tattoos were still there except the newest one, the sunflower, which had vanished completely, leaving a blank expanse of skin.
“You got her to break the curse! I watched the tattoo, like, melt off my arm last night. And then this morning, I got a job offer and an apartment I applied for two weeks ago finally accepted my application. My bad luck is over!” She beamed. “What did you do?”
“I convinced Jade to undo the curses,” I said. “She ended up being more reasonable than I expected.” Plus, I think the demon fire had scared her, to be honest. After all, if I could best Mace in a fight, I could probably take her.
It no longer felt like such a win, since my luck had managed to get worse after the curse was gone. Although, really, that hadn’t been luck or fate or whatever. I’d made a choice. Either I had to let Conor get hurt and hope he didn’t die, or expose my secret.
I was still pretty sure I’d made the right call, although as I added up the cost of a U-Haul and trying to relocate, I was starting to wonder. Maybe the arrow wasn’t poisoned and would only have hit his shoulder or butt. Maybe it would have been fine and I’d screwed myself for nothing.
Lack of sleep and the overwhelming prospect of turning my own life upside down just to avoid the Council’s dungeon or the gallows had me in a cynical mood.
“You’re amazing. I just wanted to thank you.” She eyed my boxes. “I don’t know what happened, but I don’t think you should let it scare you off.”
I slumped down into my desk chair. “You want to know what happened?” She hadn’t actually asked but I was ready to unload on someone. “I’ve been harboring a secret. I didn’t want to, but I had to, because it’s something the idiotic Magic Council sees as villainous. And last night, in order to save Conor’s life, I had to reveal that secret. Now he hates me and he’s probably getting ready to send a group of Watchers here to arrest me at any moment.”
Krissy considered, tilting her head back and forth as if weighing the situation. “I don’t know. I got the feeling that Conor really likes you. Maybe he’s just trying to process.”
“Conor doesn’t like anything but law and order,” I said. But then again, the fact that the Watchers hadn’t beaten down my door at four in the morning was proof that he wasn’t in a rush to sic them on me. I just didn’t know how long he’d hold out. What if he was just giving me a head start?
“I don’t really know anything about the Council but I know men. Conor digs you. And if you used this secret thing to help him, I highly doubt he’s going to turn you over to his boss for punishment.” Krissy shrugged. “Either way, I don’t think you should let them force you out of your home. As someone who’s basically lost everything, I can tell you that rebuilding sucks.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Krissy. I’m glad things are turning around for you.”
“Me, too,” she said, relief dripping from the words. “It’s all because of you. I really owe you one. And a check.” She wrote a check out to me and then tore it off her checkbook.
Then she left and I sat surrounded by mostly empty boxes. She was right, I shouldn’t let the Council and the threat of jail run me out of town. If it came down to a trial, I had little hope any of the Board of Five—the witches who had the final say in such matters—would listen to reason. They liked their magic the way it had always been. They’d banned demon summonings and demon magic for fear of what witches might do with it. They’d banned brimstone because it amplified power. It wasn’t about good or evil. It was about maintaining their status quo and keeping tight control over what witches could do.
At the same time, there was the sliver of a chance Conor might not turn me in.
Just a sliver.
I remembered the coldness in his eyes, the hard set of his jawline.
Maybe half a sliver.
I didn’t have anywhere to go. I’d built my business and my reputation in the Pacific Northwest. I didn’t have savings. Where else would I find a landlord who let me purloin his car and be late with the rent once in a while? Plus, I knew the supernaturals in the area. I had contacts and sources to help me solve cases.
Starting over somewhere else meant getting to know a whole new set of local vampires, shifters, and supernatural haunts. It meant building up a new network of sources and allies.
I wouldn’t just be leaving behind an apartment. It would be leaving behind my life.
I didn’t want to do that.
Half a sliver wasn’t good odds. But then I was never one to make safe bets.
I picked up the box on top of the desk and began dumping stuff back into desk drawers. I wasn’t going anywhere. If I had to fight the Council for my right to stay, so be it.
I wasn’t afraid. Bring it on.
*
Dani’s adventures and struggles will continue in Demon Magic, due out in Spring 2019. To make sure you never miss a new release from me, sign up for my newsletter.
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Also by Tori Centanni
Risky Magic: A Trash Witch Novel
Brimstone Magic
Demon Fire (Book 1)
Demon Shadow (Book 2)
The Henri Dunn Series
Being mortal is a pain in the neck
The Immortality Cure (Book 1)
Bloodless (Book 2)
Sanguinity (Book 3)
The Reluctant Werewolf Chronicles
Moon Cursed (Book 1)
Wicked Moon (Book 2)
Moon Bound (Book 3)
About the Author
Tori Centanni is a nerd girl and recovering goth who lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest. When she’s not writing or reading through her never-ending book pile, she spends her time watching competition reality shows and wrangling cats.
toricentanni.com
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