The Kitchen Witch Switch

by Dawn Montgomery

  My sister gets up without a sound, scoops up Al, and shushes him when he tries to complain. As she strides ahead of me, I look down at Mystica, who was once again batting at my hand to scratch under his chin.

  “I thought you made it clear this was just a professional relationship.” I can't help but smirk.

  He freezes for a moment and then eyes me with that vivid stare of his. “I like you. You're interesting to work with.”

  “Don't get used to it. Most of my life is super boring and so am I.”

  Mystica snorts and settles down in my arms again. “You're the least boring human I've ever met. Besides, I worked my tail off analyzing your curse history, tracking down your sister, twice I might add, and helping you recover from no less than three major curse incidents in less than a week. I deserve some chin scrubbies.”

  “Chin scrubbies?” I ask with a smile. “You're pretty fun to work with, too.”

  It is nice having all the information I need when I need it. And, he fulfills a cat cuddling temptation I didn't know I had.

  “I never knew a guy like you could have a cute side.” He digs a claw into my hand in warning but it doesn't hurt at all.

  “Thanks,” I whisper to him as I snuggle him a little closer than he was probably comfortable with.

  “For what?”

  “For distracting me.” As we walk down the hallway, my heart pounds in my chest and I regret eating so much food.

  “You don't have to take the curse inside yourself to save his life,” he says while staring at the hand he's wrapped his paws around.

  “I'm game for any other options. You could have mentioned that earlier, by the way.”

  His gaze locks onto mine. “You can pass the curse to someone else, using your body as a medium.”

  The smile on my face dies and I come to a stop. “That's not an option.”

  “Even if it's the person who cursed him in the first place?” he asks quietly.

  I know, deep in my gut I know, this is a test of some type. But I can't argue with the fury of emotions roaring inside me right now. “I'm half tempted to stuff you in a box and mail you back to whatever dusty office you belong to.”

  His claws lightly dig into my finger, a whisper of a touch, still no pain. “You're angry with me, but you need to know that it's an option.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “Because that's essentially what happens if we use a countercurse,” Brandon's voice interrupts our conversation and I jerk my gaze up to see him standing entirely too close for me to not have heard him.

  “No, it's not,” I reply, pulling my hand away from Mystica. “Trust me, the focus of the curse isn't the crystallization of organic matter. It's a triggered event that draws out your latent curse. A rebound will only send that trigger spell back to them.”

  I glance between them both, seeing no change to their expression. “Are you telling me you'd rather not risk the chance?”

  “Don't be angry with him. I asked him to point out the danger. I just want to make sure you walk into this knowing exactly what's at stake.” Mystica jumps down from my arms and stands quietly beside me.

  “I'm right about the curse.”

  “Mystica tells me that you and your sister have worked over two hundred countercurse cases.”

  “That was before I became an adult and left the family business.” I see Silverfang waiting for us at the end of the hallway so I start walking forward again. Mystica pads diligently beside me, keeping pace with ease.

  “How did you do that if you were considered a null by your family?”

  “Mel and I would switch identities. I would absorb the curse and then we would swap while she built the countercurse or antidote for it. We had it down to a science.” I smile at the feeling of excitement I had, the realization that I could help my powerful witch sister. And then the bitter disappointment that no one could ever know about it.

  “Anyway, after I left home, she took off, jumping from one odd job or school after another. I became her clean-up crew shortly after. The older she gets, the more dangerous it becomes.” I arch an eyebrow at Brandon, trying to hide the pain of past memories and nerves about the next step we have to take.

  “Did anyone ever figure it out?” Brandon opens a door and I step inside, recognizing a side area from the original dining room we'd 'ported to. Wow, was that only a couple of days ago? So much has happened since then that it’s dizzying.

  “Were you caught?” Brandon asks again.

  I shake off my wandering thoughts. “Not once. I think Grandpa knew, but he never said anything.”

  My sister and Al are already in place. Bianca and Mrs. Devlin aren't around, but I see a table with a few pieces of jewelry on them. Mel is running her fingers over a ruby amulet. Runes are carved in the silver casing. Al is on the table with her, head low and tail high up in the air.

  “What are they doing?” I ask quietly.

  “Trying to figure out which one of my family heirlooms holds the curse trigger.” His hand presses lightly on my lower back, guiding me into the room and to a seat. “Take a rest while you can.”

  “I don't need rest,” I respond, but his narrowed gaze locks me in place.

  “You are supposed to be resting. Don't get me in trouble with my grandmother.”

  I sink down onto the soft cushion without arguing.

  His stoic expression melts into a smile that unsettles my heart. “Thank you.”

  He stands at my side, crossing his arms over his broad chest and watching my sister and Al work.

  “Are you sure there's a trigger?” Al asks Melanie.

  I snort. “You must be losing your touch if you can't find it.”

  Al's fur bristles as he cuts a glare at me. “Why don't you try it, then?” he asks politely, determined to be sort of nice to me in front of my sister.

  “I already did my part.”

  Mystica jumps on the table and swishes his tail. “We're looking for an external trigger that was gifted to him approximately six years ago. These are the artifacts you have worn every time your curse manifested?” he asks Brandon.

  “Yes. We narrowed it down to these three items.”

  I see a pendant, a bracelet, and a tie clip, of all things.

  “It's not this one.” Melanie pushes the tie clip away. “The curse would require skin contact.”

  “Don't tell me you actually believe her,” Al complains.

  “How long was the delay between feeling the trigger and his curse manifesting?” Melanie ignores Al and moves to work mode. This is the Melanie I remember. The cool-headed, problem solver.

  I tap a knuckle against my chin and think through the past flare ups. Was there a delay? That first time I was too overwhelmed to notice anything. The one at the meeting, however, is a different story.

  “See, she doesn't know.” Al's complaints fall to the background. I like my sister so much more when her familiar isn't making my life a living hell.

  “I have a new silence curse I'm itching to try, Al. Want to volunteer?” Mystica asks, sending the other familiar slinking off the table to the floor.

  I think back to the meeting. “The delay between me sensing the curse and the curse manifesting had enough of a gap for me to take off his glove and grab his hand.”

  “Grab his hand?” Melanie asks in a tone that makes my cheeks burn.

  “It's the only way I can stop it. Skin to skin contact.”

  “How long did that take?”

  From the corner of my eye, I see Brandon glancing down at me with a smile. He reaches out his hand. “Let's find out.”

  I roll my eyes at him.

  “I'm serious,” he says.

  “Can't we just look at footage from your meeting?”

  “This is for science.”

  “You're a magic-user.”

  “Even witches have to follow the laws of the universe.”

  I snort in disbelief and reach for his hand. I rip off his glove and interlock our fin
gers, staring up at him the entire time. “There, how long did that take?”

  My sister's laugh drags my attention to her. “I was so shocked you did that I didn't pay attention. Can you do it again?”

  My temper flares and I grip his glove in a fist, shaking it at her. “Absolutely not.”

  When I try to pull free, he holds a little tighter. “It took less than three seconds. Please stop teasing your sister.”

  Her gaze locks onto our joined hands and another smirk touches her lips. “Okay, I was just joking. Stay like that, though. I'm about to trigger your curse.” She holds up the pendant, letting the chain slip through her fingers.

  “You know which one it is?” I ask, excited to prove my theory to Brandon.

  “Not only do I know which one it is, I also know exactly how the curse trigger works. Al, quit slacking.”

  Her familiar jumps up on the table once more and wraps his tail around her arm. Is that something all familiars do or is it something cats do in general? “The delay was short enough to be a key component near the heart. This fits the bill.”

  “Shouldn't we wait to do this?” I ask Brandon.

  “There's no reason to do it right now. Let's let your sister rest more.”

  “No time. This thing is unstable without you. It's better to purposefully trigger it than to let it do it on its own. Three, two, one.”

  The moment she says one, the power of the curse hits me, digging deep into my stomach and clenching it in icy pain. Brandon stiffens next to me and our grips on one another tightens. I draw in a slow breath, trying to ease my way through it.

  It's far easier than before, but it's comparable to the difference between walking barefoot on broken glass or on ice. They're both a really stupid idea. Just like chasing this curse so close after the last one.

  “And now it's gone.”

  Suddenly the curse disappears, leaving me isolated and trembling with tiny aftershocks of icy exhaustion.

  “How did you stop it?” Brandon asks with a ragged voice. “No. The first question is how did you trigger it without food?”

  “You don't actually need food for the curse to activate.”

  She runs her finger over the amulet's jewel and observes it with a focused intensity I haven't seen on her face in a really long time.

  “Up until now, they probably added something to your food or drink to cause it to activate. Since your family curse revolves around food, they would use those items to make this thing do it's magic.”

  “What is the food-based trigger?”

  Melanie looks up from the pendant and shrugs. “No idea. I can't tell you anything about how it usually activates.”

  “Then how did you do it?”

  “I just did.” She shrugs again, then locks gazes with mine. I see her wave the pendant lightly in the air. “This is really intricate work. I'd like to study it if I can.” She glances at Brandon and then her gaze slides away again.

  “Can you create a counter to the curse?” I ask before she tries to talk him into giving it to her. The last thing Brandon needs is to give his Achilles heel to my sister. One flighty moment and someone else could swoop in and grab the keystone to his curse.

  Melanie looks at Al. “Can you do it?”

  I raise my eyebrows, amused at Al’s sudden shocked expression.

  “I could,” he says slowly. “But why should I?”

  “Because I'm asking you to,” she says and runs her hand down his head and back to his aggressively flicking tail.

  A sudden feeling of pressure descends in my mind. Because you're already under investigation and any help you can give in this matter will work in your favor.

  Was that Mystica's mindvoice? I put a hand over my mouth and stare at the cat while he glances back at me then away as though embarrassed.

  Al must have received the message too, because he was already working on the spell. “Countercurse or rebound,” he asks.

  “Rebound,” I say immediately, remembering the earlier conversation with Mystica and Brandon. Rebounding was better than creating a new curse. A rebound is a defense, a countercurse is an attack.

  “Are you okay?” Brandon asks as he gently releases my death grip on his hand.

  “Yeah. It was a lot easier this time.” Of course my back was soaked in sweat and so was my forehead, but at least I’m not about to pass out or so wracked with pain that I can't concentrate.

  “Can they really do it?”

  I nod slowly. “There's not a single curse out there that I haven't seen Al be able to counter or rebound. He's a pain in the ass, but he's a genius when it comes to screwing with people. The question is what will you do with the people outed by the rebound spell?”

  “You believe there's more than one accomplice?”

  “I believe it's impossible to escape your powerful family's security unless it's an inside job exploiting multiple vulnerable access areas. In your heart you probably already know who is likely involved.”

  “I'd rather be wrong.”

  “You need to be ruthless. Family is important, but not more important than your life and the lives of those around you.”

  “Why do you think it's family?” His voice is quiet.

  I take his hand in mine and continue watching Mel and Al work. “There are three primary reasons someone loyal to you will betray you. The first is greed, the second is pride, and the third is fear. Excitement is another one to consider, but the first three are easier to prove. Once you find the motivation, everything else will fall into place.”

  “Is this wisdom from personal experience?”

  I flash a smile and wink at him. “I thrive in corporate America. You don't get there without understanding the destructive influence of those emotions.” Thrive, huh? My voice catches on the word. Was I really thriving?

  “Do you miss your normal life?” He rubs the back of my hand with his thumb.

  Do I miss it? For once, I'm really not sure. Why stay in a company with a boss I hate, enduring her behavior instead of looking for better opportunities for myself?

  “We've got it,” Melanie laughs as she grips the pendant. “This is it. We did it.”

  “Did Al add anything extra to the spell?”

  “Why would I do that?” His haughty expression makes me want to rub a balloon all over his fur so he can try to outrun static electricity.

  He tried. I stopped him. Mystica's voice comes into my head, a little smoother than before.

  “Thanks, Mystica.” I'm not sure how to mindspeak him back, so I can only send a verbal thanks. “What's next?” I ask.

  “Next up, we catch ourselves a would-be murderer or two.” Brandon's voice has an edge of steel in it.

  I squeeze his hand. “Count me in.”

  16

  Meghan

  Brandon and his grandmother both agree with my suggestion that someone close to them is triggering the curse. Knowing food didn't trigger the spell changes everything. I can see it in the way he moves, the way he's bristling with the confidence I've only noticed in the meeting the other day.

  Of course, thinking there's nothing you can do because it's a family curse is significantly different from realizing that someone is using your body against you to kill you off.

  “What are you thinking about?” Mystica asks from the spot in my arms he's curled up in.

  “I hope it's not a family member that did this to him.”

  Mystica rolls over on his back and stretches out. You already have an idea, don't you?

  I give him another scratch under his chin. “I don't want to say anything, just in case I'm wrong.”

  Mrs. Devlin comes in while we're talking and I see the grim expression on her face. She grabs his hands in hers. “Is it true? It's not food-related?”

  “Yes, Grandma. We've been set up.”

  Rage tightens her features, thinning her lips to a slim line. I step forward. “But we can stop it from ever happening again.” I put my hand on her arm. “We will find the ones
who did this.”

  “And when we do, I'll rip them apart,” she says. Electric heat roars around her and I jerk back in surprise.

  “Grandmother, the Baba Yaga is already involved. Let her and the Council handle it.” He pulls her into his arms and the power disperses immediately. He glances down at me and mouths 'thank you'.

  I nod and move away from him to my sister and Al. “So, what's the plan?”

  “I have a tracer on the spell that will last up to six months, so we'll be able to find the people involved no matter where they are in the world.” She runs a cloth over the pendant, making it clean and shiny for it's new purpose.

  “That's overkill, don't you think?”

  Melanie's hands stop, but she's still not looking at me. Does she really feel bad about all those curses her and Al hit me with? “They've spent at least six years planning his death, Meg. People like this will have plans within plans for escape. Or, if they don't, their cockiness will be their downfall.”

  “Are you sure you can mark everyone involved?”

  “That's Al's genius. Tell her.” She nudges Al with her elbow and I swear he smirks at me.

  “Every curse has a contract marker within it. A curse expert will dissolve that marker after the curse is created, but most people will leave it in. They either don't know about it, don't know how to deal with it, or are too confident they'll never be caught. Anyone who triggered the curse through magical means will have that marker on them.”

  “Wow. I'm actually impressed.”

  “Your sarcasm has been noted, human.” His disgust is obvious as he tries to jump down.

  Melanie scoops him up before he can leave. “Al, don't you have something else you want to say?”

  “No,” he replies as he struggles in her arms. I notice that he doesn't use claws or teeth, but his squirming would be hilarious in any other cat. Too bad his attitude makes him a despicable familiar.

  “Al,” she says in a firm voice.

  He stops struggling and sighs. “Fine. I'm sorry for making Melanie's curses worse on you. She never cast any of the public curses. I did.”

  My jaw drops open and I stare between them both. Melanie glances at me and then away. “What?” I reach over to snatch him up and he disappears immediately. “Where are you, you little brat?” I yell, suddenly realizing everyone in the room is staring at me.