by Raven Snow
Punch and booze that had fallen on the floor or was spinning in the vortex started to float into the eye, far above our heads. Everyone looked up to watch it, the myriad of colors blending to make an unsavory brown.
“What are you doing?” Suzy’s eyes were wide as she tried to control the liquid, trying to send it back outside the eye. “What is this power?”
“Power is what you’re born with,” I told her. “This is magic, and magic comes from control.”
The liquid in the air was now all concentrated directly above Suzy and was condensing. She swiped at it wildly, but it kept becoming more solid until it was like a brown, icky gelatin. Except this gelatin was charged with magic, sparking in odd places like an outlet with a fork shoved in it.
“This is your last chance, Suzy,” I said, just before uttering the last line.
She waved her arms frantically, and all the items in the room turned, coming straight for us. I shoved Wyatt and Vic to the ground with the magic I had already called, sending them flying across the floor and far from me.
In the next second, I dropped the gelatin substance on Suzy. She tried to dodge it, but it expanded, covering her completely, like some kind of disgusting suit. The tables, chairs, and other objects started to fall from the sky as soon as she was covered.
Unfortunately, one table still had a little momentum—a big metal one. It crashed into me from behind, throwing me into the stage, my head connecting solidly with the wood. I laid there dazed for a moment, and then strong arms were lifting me to my feet.
“Don’t ever push me out of the way again,” Wyatt growled into my ear.
People started wandering out from behind the bleachers. They gave the gelatin-covered Suzy strange looks, but from their loopy expressions, I didn’t think anyone was going to remember much of this. Too much booze and too many head injuries. Who would believe them anyway?
When they discovered the doors would now open, the whole lot of them cleared out, leaving only the five of us remaining. Well, it was more like three, because Hannah and Connor were still making out behind the bleachers. I wondered if they even knew we’d won.
“What did you do to her?” Vic asked with mild interest. “That looks nasty.”
“The liquid is thickened with power-blocking magic,” I said, showing her the page in the book. “Everything, like air, can get in and out except for spells. It’ll wear off in a few minutes, leaving her drained for days.”
“What now?”
I wrapped my arms around Wyatt’s waist, grinning up at him. “Now, we call the police.”
He squeezed me back. “It’s about time.”
It took a little while for Detective Grayson to show up, so by the time he did, Vic and I were engaged in a deep conversation about lingerie. Wyatt was staying carefully out of it, because he’s a smarter man than most give him credit for.
Grayson took one look at Suzy, and sighed. “I’m not putting that in my report.”
“That’s all you,” I told him, “but we’re hitting the road. There’s a little boy at home that misses us terribly.”
Vic’s face fell. “You’re leaving?”
I patted her shoulder. “I’m afraid so. But you can keep up the good work here without me.”
To my great pleasure, Detective Grayson looked like he’d swallowed something sour and repugnant at the idea of someone else carrying on my work when I left the city. I grinned and did a little finger wave at him, which made his fingers twitch toward his gun.
Undoubtedly, Wyatt saw that and figured it was time to get me home. He shook hands with his counterpart, and I hugged a crying Vic goodbye. When she tried to hang on, Wyatt had to gently pry me away, and not even my eyes were dry and that point.
Connor was next to give me a hug. “I can’t thank you enough for coming.”
“Yes, you can,” I said. “Get back together with Hannah; you two are just crazy enough to belong together. And bring Jack in as your business partner. He needs it.”
Our stuff was already in the car, so we just climbed in and headed home. I slipped off my shoes and burrowed under Wyatt’s suit jacket, watching him in the low lights coming from the radio controls.
“You know,” I said, thinking. “You worked pretty well with Grayson. Maybe you should’ve asked him to come with us and be your partner. That would get your boss off your back.”
“I don’t think it’d be a good idea to have another cop in Waresville who hates you.”
His logic was pretty sound, so I fell silent for a moment, thinking about all the events that transpired tonight. “Some reunion, huh?”
“Just about what I expected when I came with you, actually,” he said dryly.
“No regrets, then?”
He smiled, reaching for my hands and pressing his lips gently to my knuckles. “Best decision I ever made.”
Chapter Thirteen
We stopped at the hospital on the way into town, making sure none of our cuts needed stitches and seeing to my shoulder. Wyatt had wanted to go to a hospital in Miami so I could be seen right away, but I’d held him off. The area was numb when I wasn’t moving, and I hadn’t wanted to spend a second longer in that city.
The book went back in the glove compartment, but I kept thinking about it as they cleaned my cuts and popped my shoulder painfully back into place. Its help had been invaluable—if frustrating—in this case. But was it reliable enough to use again? After all, I hadn’t quite found the correct way to talk it into doing what I needed.
Instead of dropping off our things, we went straight over to Wyatt’s parent’s house to pick up Cooper. It was a cozy place, just a little larger than the Victorian we lived in. All the furniture was well-worn and stylish, making it very homey. I personally hated the place, though, because of the monster that resided there.
Wyatt’s father got up from the couch when we came in, a rare occurrence. He looked remarkably like Wyatt, just a little older and more distinguished. He was also handsome, which spelled good things for my future.
Waving his hands like he was stopping traffic, he whispered, “Son, get out of here. Your mother’s on a rampage−”
“You!” Nancy screeched, reminding me of Suzy.
She was wearing an apron with flowers on it, but she looked ready to kick butt and take names. She stormed in from the kitchen, and I flinched away, backing behind Wyatt. This proved to be unnecessary, because in a novel turn of events, she was mad at Wyatt, not me.
“Perhaps it doesn’t mean anything to you, but I raised four wonderful boys. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of one for a scant week!”
Oh, this was good. I looked between Wyatt and his mother, noting the look of confusion and fury, respectively. I so loved when I wasn’t the object of her anger. It was better than Christmas, casual Fridays, and leftover pizza all wrapped together.
“Mom, what are you talking about?”
“That,” she spared me a considering glance, “woman. She comes over here, telling me you want Cooper to go stay with her for the rest of the time. You didn’t even have the decency to call me and tell me yourself. Maybe I only raised three wonderful boys, after all.”
“What woman?” I asked.
Wyatt and I exchanged a panicked glance. I was halfway to the door, ready to tear about the whole town looking for our kid when Nancy spoke again, dashing my earlier fears and replacing them with new ones.
“She even threatened to turn me into a toad. A toad!”
“Oh,” I said, pausing with my hand on the doorknob. “That woman.”
“Thanks for watching Cooper, Mom.”
Wyatt gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, and she put her hands on her hips, looking ready to launch into another lecture. To spare Wyatt and myself that, I dragged him out the door to the car.
“Why would your grandmother take Cooper?”
“Hopefully not to make little boy soup.”
We drove through town at the speed of light toward my grandma’s house at the t
op of the hill. The speed of light thing was probably why we saw red, blue, and white headlights flashing in our rearview mirror a few seconds later.
Swearing, Wyatt pulled to the side of the road, and I looked at him like he’d lost a few screws. “You’re a cop! You don’t have to pull over.”
“That is not how law enforcement works,” he ground out. “Rules were made for a reason.”
A couple of seconds later, that awful Officer Kosher appeared in our window, giving me a scathing glance. “You two are back, are you?”
“Good work. How haven’t you been made Detective yet?”
His expression soured, and I patted myself on the back.
“Listen, Peter,” Wyatt said. “We were on our way to pick Cooper up at Harper’s grandmother’s.”
His eyes widened. “You left your son alone with that crazy?”
“Not exactly.”
Without a word, he got back in his car, turned on the sirens, and gave us a police escort to the house. Unfortunately, once we pulled up at the large, plantation-style house, he hopped out and joined us outside our car.
“I don’t remember inviting you,” I hissed at him behind Wyatt’s back.
In an equally quiet voice, he said, “My, aren’t you prickly today? That time of the month, sweetheart?”
“I’d punch you, but I’m afraid I’d lose a finger in all that beer gut.”
“Children,” Wyatt drawled from in front of us as he jogged up the stairs. “Behave.”
He politely knocked on the door, but after a second, I pushed him aside and opened it myself. Seemingly right where I left her about a week ago, my grandma was sitting with my orange cat, Whale, in her lap. He took one look at me, meowed angrily, and ran off into the house.
Folding her hands over her red apron, she said, “He’s angry you’ve been away so long.”
“The hotel didn’t take cats,” I called after the cat.
Wyatt and Kosher stepped into the house, politely greeting my grandmother. Wyatt went off in search of Cooper, and Kosher stayed in the foyer, looking at me with narrowed eyes. “Talking to cats is a whole different kind of crazy.”
“Drop dead.”
Just then, Cooper came bounding down the stairs to the attic, wearing a black robe I’d never seen and brandishing one of Grandma’s dusty books. He dropped the book on the coffee table when he saw me, beaming and sprinting over.
I couldn’t pick him up like Wyatt could, but I squeezed the life out of him, peppering his face with kisses. After a moment of basking in the attention, he noticed we weren’t alone and pushed me away, blushing. I pinched his cheek for good measure.
He frowned at me. “You said you were coming home soon a long time ago.”
“That’s because your father and I found another little boy to love in Miami. We’re giving him all your stuff.”
Wyatt, hearing our voices, came back from the back of the house. He ruffled Cooper’s hair and gave him a big bear hug. Laughing and enjoying himself, Cooper stopped dead when he saw Kosher.
Stepping closer to me, he stuck his tongue out. “We don’t like you.”
Grandma was suddenly up and peering out the door. “There’s someone on my lawn.”
I looked out, and my eyes almost popped out of my head. Standing in the driveway was a woman built like a linebacker. She grinned and waved. A little girl, younger than Cooper, was sitting in the car, rolling her eyes.
I ran out to Vic, the whole entourage following me. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
The car was packed up with boxes and suitcases, and it made me feel like I was having a heart attack. Trying to breathe steadily, I stared Vic down as she beamed at me.
“Well, about a minute after you left, I realized there’s nothing for me in Miami.”
“There’s nothing for you here; trust me.”
“Sure, there is!” She twirled around, still in the same dress from the reunion, motioning to all the grass and wildlife. “Just look how quaint this place is.”
Behind me, Gran started mumbling, and I heard her head up the stairs and slam the house door. At least she hadn’t turned any of us into toads. She was very touchy about people on her lawn.
“What’re you going to do in Waresville?” I demanded.
“Spend time with my best friend, of course.”
Oh, god. For a moment, my vision went blurry and my body swayed. Then, I had it back under control. “I have a job,” I said. “We can’t just hang out all the time.”
But she was already rummaging in her purse for something. A few seconds later, she pulled out a piece of paper proudly. “I had my baby print this out for me.”
Her daughter didn’t seem to like being referred to as her mother’s “baby.”
“It’s a form to go to the police academy,” she squealed. “I’m gonna be a cop.”
Dumbfounded, we all watched as Vic drove off to drop her stuff off at the hotel they were staying at. She stopped the car every two feet to look back and wave at me, and I lifted my hand each time, almost numb to what was happening.
We got into our own car after a bit, and I sent Officer Kosher a single finger salute in parting. Unfortunately, Cooper copied me, earning me a hefty glare from Wyatt and a half hour lecture for the both of us.
When we sat down at the table, Cooper safely upstairs, I let my head fall on Wyatt’s shoulder and just laughed for a moment. A moment turned into a long while, my breaths coming in pants and my sides hurting from giggling too hard.
“What’s so funny?” Wyatt asked after a moment.
Taking a deep breath, I told him, enjoying the way the color leeched from his eyes, his eyes going wide with panic and disbelief.
“Looks like you’re going to get a partner, after all.”
*The End*
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Books by Raven Snow
This list below may be out of date. For latest releases, please visit me on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Raven-Snow/e/B01APHBICQ/
Harper "Foxxy" Beck Series
1) Roller Rink Witchcraft Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
2) Shake Your Green Thing Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
3) A Murder Most Rosy Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
4) Felonies and Felines Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
5) Murder on the Dance Floor Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
6) Counterfeits and Cauldrons Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
Lainswich Witches Series
1) Greensmith Girls Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
2) Hexes and Exes Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
3) Murders and Mothers Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
4) The Missing Librarian Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
