“If you want me, Diane, I’m right here,” Mom called out.
Evie jolted at the voice, and when she turned I didn’t miss the way the color briefly drained from her features. She didn’t allow the fear to take over for very long. She was back to bluster and false bravado within seconds.
“I was wondering how long you were going to hide inside,” she said, that malevolent grin back. “I would’ve been disappointed if you allowed your daughter to fight your battle alone.”
“She was never going to be alone.” Mom moved to the front of the witch horde and joined hands with Marnie and Twila. They were earth witches, but that didn’t mean they were unschooled in battle. “Let’s do this.”
“Oh, let’s do this.” Evie lifted her hands to the sky. I knew she was going to call the birds to strike. That seemed to be her only move.
I risked a glance at Dani and recognized that she was no longer having fun. Perhaps she thought this would be a verbal standoff and nothing more. Perhaps she really had no idea how all this worked because Evie had warped her mind in ways she didn’t even realize.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter. I would protect Dani to the best of my ability because I believed she could still be saved. Evie was a lost cause. She took the blood of her enemies and tried to protect herself with it. That was as dark as it got.
I mimicked her stance and raised my hands, earning a snicker as the birds started to descend.
“You can’t wrest control of them from me,” she gloated. “I’m stronger than you.”
I held her gaze. “You might control the birds, but I control something else.”
I briefly closed my eyes and called to every ghost in the area. I had no idea how many there were, but Viola was the first to pop into existence and let me know my spell was working.
“What’s going on?” she asked, glancing around. “I ... .” When she saw the birds, her eyes went wide. “Oh, well, this is new.”
“Take them out,” I ordered as a host of other ghosts descended upon the parking lot, the shimmering light of their anchored souls twinkling across the landscape. “Turn them away. Kill them if you have to ... but try to keep the eagle alive. He’s endangered, after all.”
Viola nodded in a perfunctory manner. “I’m on it. You can count on me.” Then, just as I expected, she acted as a general for the amassing ghosts and shouted commands. “Charge!”
That was a little over-the-top, but it ultimately wasn’t important. Evie couldn’t hear her anyway.
She realized something was happening. She couldn’t see the ghosts, though, so all she knew was that every frontal assault was being turned back by an unseen force. For the first time since she’d crawled out of the shadows, I sensed real fear from her.
“That was pretty good,” Aunt Tillie noted, appearing at my side. Landon and Chief Terry were with her, and Landon’s face was flushed with exertion. “Your boyfriend had a meltdown, by the way. Terry threatened to lock him in the trunk when he wanted to come out and join you.”
“It was probably smart to keep him in the truck. I’m okay,” I called out to him.
“You’re definitely wearing the bacon outfit tonight,” he barked. “What do we do now?”
“Get Dani,” I replied without hesitation. “We can’t kill her. She’s still a kid, and she was only peripherally involved in the deaths. There’s still a chance we can ... .” I trailed off, uncertain.
“What? Train her?” Aunt Tillie looked dubious. “Pulling her back won’t be easy.”
“But we have to try, right?”
Aunt Tillie held my gaze for a beat, her expression unreadable. Finally, she nodded. “We have to try.”
“Fine. We’ll take Dani,” Landon volunteered. “What are you going to do to Diane?”
“What we have to do,” I answered grimly. “She can’t walk away from this.”
“That’s going to be hard to explain on a report,” Chief Terry argued.
“Maybe not.” I lifted my eyes to the ghosts again and focused on Viola. “Drive them toward their master,” I suggested.
It took Viola a moment to realize what I meant before she brightened considerably. “Come on, guys,” she encouraged. “Let’s take this witch down.”
Evie squawked as she turned to run, but there was nowhere for her to go. “Dani!” She screamed the girl’s name. “You have to help protect me. It’s the only way we’ll survive this.”
“No, Dani.” I shook my head at the teenager’s fearful expression as I called to her through the din of screeching birds and attacking ghosts. “This isn’t your war. You have to let it go.”
She looked uncertain. “But ... .”
“You’re done,” Landon snapped, sliding up behind her and grabbing her arms, holding them tight as Chief Terry slapped cuffs on her. “You’re so done, little girl.”
“Dani!” Evie dropped to her knees and covered her head, screeching as the birds grew closer. With the ghosts directing them, there was no way for Evie to escape. She was fueling the fire in the birds – a tether she couldn’t snap so late in the game – and they had to attack. Thanks to the ghosts cutting off the openings to other witches, there was only one available target.
I turned away when the birds reached her. I didn’t need to see the final battle. It was over before it began, really, although Evie’s screams would live with me for a very long time. That’s how it should be, though, because light magic came with one other thing that dark magic didn’t – a conscience.
Twenty-Nine
Chief Terry called in Evie’s death as a wild animal attack. The medical examiner was dubious, but there were no other marks on her body. He took her in and promised a full autopsy.
Lorna arrived to see about Dani. She didn’t look happy – more resigned than anything else – but she didn’t disavow her daughter. The disappointment on her face was obvious, but she was sober and aware … something that she couldn’t claim the last few days. Perhaps she realized she wasn’t helping matters. That situation – however resolved – would take time to work out.
Dani struggled as she was led away in handcuffs. Once her aunt was gone, all that bluster she’d exhibited dried up. She looked like a frightened teenager.
“I don’t know that this is a good idea,” Landon intoned as he watched the girl being loaded into a cruiser. She looked forlorn, tears streaking down her cheeks. “She’s dangerous, Bay.”
I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead and pressed hard. “So am I.”
“You saved lives today. She wanted to take them.”
“Maybe.” It was possible he was right. “There’s still a chance she can turn things around. She didn’t murder her father and Masterson. She knew … and maybe she helped a bit… but she wasn’t the driving force behind those murders. That was Evie … er, Diane … or whatever her name was.”
“She wasn’t lying about having it legally changed. I checked. If we’d dug harder … .”
“It doesn’t matter now.” I reached over and laced my fingers with his. “It’s over. I don’t think there ever was a way to save Diane. But Dani still has a chance.”
“We’re keeping her in jail overnight … maybe several nights. After that, what do we do with her?”
“I don’t know.” That was the truth. I hadn’t gotten that far in my planning. “Let’s get through the wedding, give Clove the celebration she’s always wanted, and figure out what to do with Dani tomorrow.”
“That seems like the lazy way to do it.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. “Well … it has been a busy few days.”
“It has,” he agreed, leaning close so he could press a kiss to my forehead. “You know, before this I just assumed that any children we have would naturally be good because you’re good. This makes me wonder. I mean … was Dani born bad?”
“I don’t think so. She had a temper as a child. She managed to set the drapes on fire when she was five. I told you how fire witches are rare. We’ll have to rein
her in quickly if there’s any chance of saving her. Still … still … I don’t know that I believe she was born bad. I prefer believing circumstances made her conflicted.”
“You’re going to try to save her.” It was a statement rather than a question.
“I’ll do what I can,” I clarified. “That might well be nothing. I really can’t say with any degree of certainty what I’m going to do. I couldn’t kill her, though. I just … couldn’t.”
He blew out a sigh and dragged a hand through his hair. “Fair enough,” he said. “I couldn’t have killed her either. And setting her loose to run amok doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
“Definitely not.”
“So, we’ll do things your way,” he supplied. “I’ll help you any way I can.”
I already knew that, which was only one of the reasons I felt hopeful that we would be able to change Dani’s life. Additional aid would come in the form of my mother and aunts … and maybe even Aunt Tillie.
“I should probably head upstairs.” I turned to stare at the second-floor window. I could see Thistle standing on the other side, gesturing wildly as Twila approached her with what appeared to be a box of hair dye. “I think the adventures of the day are just beginning.”
Landon followed my gaze, smiling. “That looks … fun.”
“Then you’re clearly not picturing it right.”
“Oh, I have a fairly good idea how all of that is going to go.” His grin widened and then he swooped in to give me a kiss. “It’s going to be okay, Bay. Your instincts are rarely wrong. If you believe helping Dani is the way to go, then I’m with you.”
“Thanks.” I slid my arms around his neck and held tight. I needed the moment of healing, an instant of quiet before the family storm. Perhaps we both did. I didn’t pull away until I heard someone clearing a throat behind us. When I turned, I wasn’t surprised to find Hazel. “Do you need something?”
“I was going to ask you that,” she replied, shooting Landon a smile. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just wanted to catch you before you headed upstairs. I’m sure we’ll see each other at the wedding and ritual later. We’re doing a big blessing for Clove and the baby, so it should be a fun night.”
“I’m sure Clove will be thankful for that,” I said perfunctorily.
“You’re not comfortable around me,” Hazel deduced. “I wish it were different, but … you’re leery.”
“I don’t know you,” I corrected. “I’m leery around anyone who claims to know what’s best for me.”
“I don’t believe I’ve ever done anything of the sort.”
“No?” I arched a challenging eyebrow. I had one very specific memory of Hazel from before the coven split. “That wasn’t you insisting to my mother that she should bind my powers because I was a threat to everyone around me?”
Hazel hesitated before answering. “I didn’t know you overheard us that day.”
Landon stirred. “I’m sorry, you did what?”
Hazel hung her head. “I wasn’t trying to hurt Bay,” she insisted. “That was never my intention. She’s a very powerful witch, and I had the impression she wasn’t getting the proper guidance under this roof. I see now that I was mistaken.
“You have to understand, back then I thought I knew what was best for everybody,” she continued. “I wasn’t trying to curtail magic, only regulate it. I see now that I should’ve kept my big nose out of your life. Your mother and aunts raised you exactly as they should have.
“You’re still powerful, Bay, but because they let you grow at your own pace you didn’t turn into a dark witch like Dani. You never believed you were better than anyone because you were stronger. You were never molded into a fierce warrior. All that strength you put on display today comes from inside.”
“Not exactly,” I countered, my eyes briefly drifting to Aunt Tillie, who was busy making faces at Dani through the cruiser window. “A lot of my strength comes from them. I have weaknesses. I never forgot what you said to my mother that day, though … and I never forgot the way Aunt Tillie reacted.
“She took responsibility for breaking us away from the coven, but in truth she did it for me,” I continued. “She wanted to make sure you had no control over me. That’s why things fell apart.”
“And they came together because your mother realized you were safe from us and the coven could be reunited,” Hazel offered. “I want to help you with Dani. In fact, I think I might move up here – if only temporarily – to offer her a home.”
I was taken aback. “She has a home.”
“With a mother who is terrified of her.”
I hadn’t really considered that. “So … what? You would rent a place and live here with Dani?”
“I know you plan to try to rehabilitate her. You’re going to need help.”
That was true. I couldn’t do it on my own. “I don’t think that’s a terrible idea,” I hedged. “I need time to think about it.”
Hazel cracked a smile. “You also want to talk about it with your family. Tillie might not be happy with the prospect of me staying.”
That was the understatement of the year. “She might surprise you.” Probably not, but you never know.
“I think she might be softening toward me,” Hazel offered brightly. “She promised me some special gummy bears with my ice cream once the cake is cut. She seemed to think it was a good thing.”
I had news for her. Those gummy bears were tainted. Still … that was Aunt Tillie’s business. “Tonight is for Clove,” I insisted. “She’s been dreaming about this day since we were kids. I want her to have everything she’s ever wanted … and that means getting upstairs so they can poke and prod me for the next five hours. We can talk about the rest of it tomorrow.”
Hazel let loose a low chuckle. “You’re a good cousin, Bay, and we can indeed discuss the girl’s fate in the morning. Clove isn’t the only dreamer, though. You used to be one, too.” Her gaze was heavy when it landed on Landon. “I think your dreams have come true as well.”
At least that was something we could agree on. “They have. Now, if you’ll excuse me, my witchy Bridezilla awaits.”
LANDON
The revelry went late into the night. He danced, ate his weight in bacon, played with Peg and sat under the stars with his blond witch. It was the perfect evening, though she was starting to tire. He could read it in the slope of her shoulders.
The other witches got drunk, throwing bird seed with a little too much zest for his liking given everything that happened earlier in the day. They pelted Clove and Sam with it as they climbed in the back of the limo and left for their honeymoon. Clove stuck her head out the window to exuberantly say goodbye to Thistle and Bay, tears streaming down her cheeks. When he looked to Bay, she was crying, too. This time, however, he wasn’t sure she could blame it on Clove’s hormones.
When he recognized that she wouldn’t be able to keep her eyes open much longer, Landon suggested she say goodbye to the remaining witches and meet him at the guesthouse. She agreed and trudged away in the darkness.
He’d looked everywhere for Winnie for the past hour and come up empty. He wasn’t surprised to find her washing dishes in the kitchen.
“Can’t that wait until tomorrow?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest and resting his hip against the cupboards.
Winnie’s eyebrows hopped in surprise. “What are you doing here? I thought you would’ve passed out by now.”
“Not quite. I had a few drinks, but I didn’t want to be drunk in case Dani somehow managed to conjure a flock of birds from her jail cell.”
“Ah.” Winnie nodded, her expression caught between amusement and sadness. “Do you need something? I’m just putting a load of dishes in before heading back out. It’s going to take about ten loads before we’re finished, so I thought I’d get a jump on things before the naked dancing starts.” Her smile was smug as she focused on Landon.
“I do need something.” Landon’s voice was soft, his nerves get
ting the better of him. Finally, he blurted it out. “I’m going to ask Bay to marry me.”
If Winnie was surprised, she didn’t show it. “Okay.”
“I want your permission to do it … soon.”
Now she was surprised. “Shouldn’t you be asking her father?”
“She loves her father. But you’re the one who matters. I want to make sure it’s okay with you.”
Winnie carefully dried her hands as she regarded him. “Before I answer, may I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Why did you wait so long?”
“Because … .” He cocked his head to the side, considering. “Because at first I was afraid she would say no. I know now that was irrational, but I felt real fear. Then Clove got engaged and I didn’t want her to think it was a reaction to that. I want Bay to be the center of attention like Clove has been since she announced her engagement.”
“I figured as much.” Winnie’s face split into a wide grin. “Of course you have my permission.”
Even though he expected the answer, Landon exhaled heavily. “Thank you.”
“It’s not my place to grant permission, though. She’s her own woman and you’re all she wants. You don’t have to be nervous about asking her. She’ll say ‘yes.’”
“I certainly hope so. I won’t be able to stop myself from being nervous. It goes with the territory.”
“Well … I think it’s sweet you asked.” She patted his shoulder. “When will you do it?”
“Soon. I want to plan something special. I need you to keep it a secret until then. I know that’s not always easy for you given the way this family gossips, but I don’t want her surprise ruined.”
“I won’t tell anyone. You have my word.”
“Thank you.” Landon leaned forward and gave her a hug. “I love her. You know that, right?” The question came out on a whisper.
Winnie briefly pressed her eyes shut. “I know.” Her voice choked up. “I’ve never doubted that. If you need help setting up something special, I’m at your disposal.”
Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery Box Set Page 86
