“Understand that what you’re building here might be bigger than you anticipated.” Paige wanted him to understand the full repercussions of what was going on. This wasn’t just about the town of Troutdale. This wasn’t just about trying to save paranormals from being abused or enslaved or incarcerated. “So, make sure the bones are good.”
They were getting dangerously close to declaring war on an entire nation.
Or declaring they would enter the war that had been started for them.
The realization of their reality settled on Danny shoulders visibly. The eagerness and excitement disappeared and were replaced with cold resolve. He nodded once and left.
Paige had her own mission. She needed to see if they had the power and ability to retrieve their people. And if that was the case, then perhaps, they could take the power away from the president.
If they could do that, they might be able to blow out the fuse on this war-bomb before it exploded.
And that was something she was willing to do.
24
Paige invested some time reading her new books on ancient magicks. There were sooooooo many words. Wrangling children while reading wasn’t helping. She also had to teach her twins that some of their favorite shapes—like the elephant—weren’t necessarily great in small spaces like cars and living rooms. They’d nearly lost the TV and an entire couch.
The lamp was dead as were two side tables, and Dexx’s favorite chair would never be the same again.
She had learned some “interesting” stuff about ley line magick and the creation of the three witch lines—more of them, actually. There were eight.
But more than that and all she could say was that the books were thick, and her twins were destructive. She still didn’t know why she was able to absorb the ley line energy or why it wiped out her ability to shift.
It was time to make something happen in her drive to find a peaceful solution, which meant it was time to head into town and talk to people.
Paige had a call to make that would be better served in person. If she was serious about getting wards around towns and communities, then she needed to speak to the Alaskan wood witches to see if they were interested in helping with the grounding trees which were pivotal to making the wards as strong as they could be.
Step one in her plan to take over the peace talks and keep the nation from imploding.
To do that, though, she needed a door, and to make that happen, she needed to make good on her promise to Eldora.
There was so much death, so many sacrifices, the “reality” was numbing. She knew she should be feeling something for Eldora’s passing, that those emotions should be shaping her intentions and actions, but it was just one more thing on her laundry list of things to do.
Take care of Whiskey. Check.
Take care of town. Check.
Figure out what was wrong with her kids and their growing spurts. Not checked.
Find Dexx. Not checked.
Figure out how to overthrow DoDO. Super not checked.
Figure out what to make for dinner without a fridge or a stove. Not even worth a checkbox.
Take care of Blackmans. Check, check.
But she needed to make an effort and find a way to care, to overcome the numbness. That could kill those around her in a way they couldn’t afford.
So, she and the kids walked past Pete’s Garage in animal form with Bobby riding her horseback and was a little surprised to see all the bays open and four mechanics working. She had no idea what they were doing, but they seemed pretty excited about it.
Phoebe was doing a volunteer stint at the high school, so that’s where Paige was headed. The twins and Bobby loved it at the high school. She didn’t know what it was, but they frolicked all the way up to the main office.
The receptionist just gave the twins a withering look. “No shifting outside of class.”
Paige smiled at her. “They’re two weeks old.” Older? It seemed like one long Monday at this point.
“Hmm.” The woman didn’t seem receptive to changing her mind.
But Paige could understand that.
“I need to speak with Phoebe. Is she currently in a class?”
A drum sounded and a multitude of voices filled the hall.
So, without electricity and no bells, they used drums. Innovative and creative.
The twins scurried to their mother in cat form and Bobby looked around, intrigued.
Of course he did.
The receptionist told her what room Phoebe was in and then reminded her that her kids needed to be in human form if they were school.
Well, that wasn’t likely to happen. Baby humans had to be carried. Baby kitties could walk.
So, Paige gave the twins an alpha warning to find a form, pick the form, and stick to it until they left the school.
They stared at each other, and then both picked baby elephants, which was great for Paige because they managed to clear a path through the meandering sea of teens.
The kids filling the hallway moved out of the way and exclaimed over the twins. A few knelt down to talk to them. They didn’t have much to say to Paige except hello, but they liked the twins.
Everyone did, which was good.
She found Phoebe’s classroom and waited outside. Most of the kids had cleared out, but there were two who had stayed behind discussing the class or homework.
Paige let the twins romp around, with Bobby keeping an eye on them to be sure they didn’t pull a Dexx and destroy portions of the school, which was kinda weird. The boy had been two just the day before.
Phoebe looked up at Paige after the two students left. “I didn’t expect you.”
Time to start caring. “How are you doing?”
Phoebe frowned. “I didn’t think you’d care.”
“I do.” Paige leaned against the chalkboard and folded her hands in front of her, careful not to fold her arms over her chest. That was the wrong impression. “I lost my grandmother a few weeks ago. I’m—” She couldn’t lie. “You know? I’m just numb.” She stared at the classroom, wondering what was wrong with her. Shouldn’t a person like her care? “Grandma dying’s hit me kinda hard. And—” She’d been allowed a moment to grieve. Maybe that’s why she felt so numb. She was pushing down her fear and her grief and her worry over Dexx and her… when would she get a chance to feel again? “Eldora didn’t realize it, but she’d started making that easier.” Paige swallowed tears she didn’t have time to shed. “I think.”
Phoebe nodded once, her dark eyes distant. “She wasn’t easy to let in.”
That made Paige feel marginally better. “Are you a granddaughter?”
Phoebe shook her head. “I’m the strongest.”
“Oh.” Each coven was different. “Well, I hope we can build a relationship and a partnership.”
“What did Eldora tell you?”
Paige met Phoebe’s gaze. “To take care of you like you were my own.”
“But we’re not.”
“Aren’t you, though?” It was the truth and a heavy one at that. The Blackmans were family and a big one and one that belonged to her. With benefits, sure. But the weight of responsibility was greater. At least in that moment.
“You just want our door magick. You’d say anything to keep it.”
They did need it. Paige raked her top lip with her teeth, trying to find the right words, not knowing what those might be. “I kept the Blackmans at a distance because Eldora threatened the life of my daughter and I hold grudges. She’s gone and the grudge needs to go with it. You’re valuable witches, but you’re also family. Derrick and William and…” She suddenly forgot the names of the other two. “They’re my brothers and at some point, I have to stop pretending they’re not.”
Phoebe sighed. “You didn’t come here because you wanted to make nice.”
“No. Doesn’t mean I don’t need to, though.”
“Okay.” Phoebe sat back in her chair and looked up at Paige, her expression wary, h
er arms open on the arms of the chair. “I’ll give you a chance, but I can hold a grudge too.”
“Noted. I need a favor.” Paige pushed off the wall and gestured toward the door.
“With what?”
Paige knew that taking the leaders to run errands with her was a bad idea. They were needed here. But, like with Michelle, she could ask to borrow someone else. “I need a door and would prefer someone who’s better at it than me.”
Phoebe nodded with a deep breath. “Danger?”
“None. At least, there shouldn’t be.”
Phoebe grunted and held out her hand. A small door opened, and a young woman stepped through. “Angela, can you provide your Aunt Paige with a door this morning?”
Another niece. Paige shouldn’t be surprised. “There and back.”
“Where to?”
Paige had to take this girl in. She was a “niece” she’d never met. The girl looked a lot like Derrick, though, in the nose and eyes. At least Paige knew Derrick a little. “Cheechako, Alaska.”
Angela opened her mouth in a silent “ah,” and then held out her hand. “I’m going to need a pass from science lab,” she said to Phoebe.
“I’ll talk to Ms. Burnstein. Don’t stay long. Science isn’t your best subject.”
The girl wrinkled her nose but nodded. She concentrated and drew the outline of an imaginary door. The portal opened and Angela motioned Paige through. “Thanks, Aunt Phoebe. Come on, let’s go.”
Amazingly, the twins and Bobby went through with no trouble and no wrangling.
The door closed behind Angela, and Paige was left with the stunning majesty of the Alaskan mountains and the tranquil silence of the cold, humid forest of pine and willow. They’d touched down in the parking lot that ran behind town. The park was in front of them and the back side of several of the shops were to their right. The air smelled amazing.
But the “town” was empty.
What was going on here? “So, you’re Derrick’s daughter?”
Angela nodded.
Good guess, but her attention was on the town. Was there danger? “Well, I’m sorry it took me so long to get to know you.”
The look on Angela’s face said she didn’t care about Paige’s “sorry.”
Teenaged angst mixed with real wrongdoing was a mess Paige didn’t feel like cleaning up just then. She had plenty enough on her plate. She had to assess if she’d just dumped the kids into a danger zone, but nothing set her alarms off. “This way.”
She led them up a small embankment. On the way up, she talked about small stuff. How the twins were growing up and some of their escapades. And how Bobby’d nearly dumped a vase on Elder Yad’s head the other day.
Angela didn’t comment much, but she did seem to warm up.
A little.
Paige reminded herself that she didn’t need every person—including teen people—to like her and led them to the town hall. She left them out front which was “more interesting than going inside.” She just wanted the two elephants on the carless street.
Once inside, she headed to the back where Bertie’s office was.
There was no one in here either.
Cheechako was a paranormal retreat. However, it was one DoDO knew about. What kind of danger were they in? Were their wards not working? She hadn’t thought to check their ward tree in the park.
Bertie was in her office, though, and looked up with a smile, rolling out from behind her desk, her wheelchair gliding easily down the slight ramp. “Didn’t expect to see you. Saw the big dustup at D.C. Thought you’d be busy.”
“Here to check in on you, take a breather, and ask a favor.”
“Sounds like a conversation best had over lunch.” Bertie led the way out the building.
“The town’s deserted.”
“Is it, though?” Bertie wagged her dark eyebrows as she cut in front of Paige to roll down the ramp to the street. “Oh. These yours?”
Paige made quick work of introductions as they walked downhill to the diner. “The town’s still operational?”
“We’re in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness,” Bertie said frankly. “You can bet your left tit we’re operational.”
That was good news.
Paige waited until they got their food and were tucking into their meal before broaching what she’d come for. “There are paranormals all over the States who need wards. And I’ve discovered a few things with them that could potentially help.”
“Really?”
Paige filled her in on what they’d learned.
Bertie stopped eating and motioned with her bread, intrigued. “Never thought of doing that. But what do you want us to do?”
Paige quirked her mouth to the side, swallowing her bite of cornbread. “I want you and your coven to put up ward trees so that communities can build their own individual wards.”
Bertie set her bread down. “And endanger my coven?”
Angela snorted. “We’ve already been kidnapped. So…”
Paige wished the girl had kept that to herself. “Can you sit this out and sleep tight at night?”
“Damn straight I can,” Bertie snorted, but she dropped her thoughtful gaze to the table, her expression dark.
Saying that and meaning it were two different things, especially to someone who prided herself on protecting people. Paige knew that all too well.
It was time for full disclosure. “Look, Bertie, this isn’t going to just blow over. The president’s targeting us. Witches and shifters first, but all paranormals. She’s holding our people in prisons. We know what’s next. We’ve seen this in our history—pretty recent history at that. We’re in trouble.”
Bertie frowned, her expression closed.
Okay. She needed real stories. Paige had those. So, she shared them. She told Bertie about what had happened at the elven city and in Kansas. She told Bertie what the president had said and just how serious this was.
“I’m trying to find a peaceful way out of this, but I’m tired of wading through bodies. They’re already waging war on us, and I can’t sit by. Can you?” Being safe and pretending the world was okay were two different things.
Bertie raised her chin and then nodded once. “Well, we’ve known this was coming for a while.” She blinked her dark gaze to the table and brought it back up to meet Paige’s. “What’s your plan?”
Paige used the rest of their lunch making arrangements to borrow Billie Black first and then maybe others as they got more locations. Bertie agreed, but she wasn’t overly thrilled about it.
Angela had the kids under control, but she was getting antsy. “I can’t miss math too. It’s a big test. Science lab is one thing. Math’s another. Mom will kill me if I mess that up.”
Billie walked through the door with a rucksack slung over her shoulder, her dark hair braided out of her sharp face. “Hey. Thought I smelled fire in town.”
“Funny.” The last time she and Leslie had been there, DoDO had attacked and their little town had felt the Whiskey impact Troutdale was facing. Paige turned back to Bertie. “We need to head out, but I’ll send someone with information when we have it. We’re setting up a communication and extraction network. Since you have so much Alaskan wilderness, can we count you as a sanctuary point?”
“Let me think about it,” Bertie said. “Keep us informed.”
Paige promised to do so and prepared to leave. Angela didn’t waste any time opening a door back to her high school. As soon as they were back, she disappeared to class.
It was time to hand Billie off to those who could formulate the plan.
Paige led Billie to the mayor’s building, filling her in on what had happened in the short few weeks since she’d last been there.
“Damn! You’ve been busy,” Billie said with surprise.
“You have no idea.” They’d no more set foot in the door when Paige was pulled away by Bal, who had been waiting for her in the lobby.
Balnore was a Lilim, or a demigod, something Paige
hadn’t known in all her years growing up with him as the Giles to her Buffy. But now that she did know, things made a lot more sense.
“Hey, Bal,” Paige said, already not wanting to hear why he was there. “You remember Billie, don’t you?”
“I do,” he said pleasantly, in a tone she knew all too well. “I am pleased to see you again.”
“Same.” Billie smiled pleasantly to him.
“Hold on just a sec, Bal. Got to take Billie to the mayor so they can hammer some logistics out.”
She handed Billie off to Suzanne, who complained that she was the mayor of one town, not a leader of a revolution and herded the kids out.
“What’s up?” Paige asked Bal, the rambunctious kids leading them down the street. They were starting to peter out and she wanted to get them home before they tanked. She didn’t enjoy the idea of having to wait out their nap in town. She wanted to get back to the books and see if she might glean any other information. She needed to figure out how to make her shifting work while taking mage energy, while everyone else developed plans.
Balnore sighed and then touched her shoulder.
The trip back to the house felt like her stomach had been pulled through her nose and then shoved back down to her toes. She hated traveling by whatever method he used.
Rai sob-roared and Ember howl-trumpeted in discomfort.
Bobby just burped.
“Thanks, Bal.” Paige tried to sound like she actually meant it.
He shrugged apologetically and then helped to get all three kids into bed.
When they were tucked in and mostly sleeping, Bal made them both tea. “The answer is that there is no answer.”
Had Paige stepped into a half-finished conversation she hadn’t started? “What are we talking about and what does that even mean?”
He glanced at the books with a raised eyebrow. “You’ll find theories there, but no answers.” He set a cup in front of her and sat down.
Someone she didn’t know came running in through the back door but wasn’t interested in them at all. He just zoomed through house and then the bathroom door slammed shut.
“You wake the babies, you’re taking them!”
Whiskey Storm (Whiskey Witches Midnight Rising Book 1) Page 23
