That’s when a deafening roar echoed throughout the landscape, causing Hannah to shrink. Stormy’s body jerked as a bullet ripped into her shoulder, the momentum causing her to fall backwards, eyes wide. She didn’t hit the ground, though. Instead, she faded. That was the best word Hannah could think of to describe what she was seeing. Maybe dissolved was a better word, although neither seemed completely accurate. All Hannah knew was that the spot where Stormy should’ve landed was empty ... and the witch’s furious cry, which had been building to a crescendo, dissipated on the wind until it was nothing but a memory.
“Hannah.” Cooper was breathless when he landed at her side, his hands busy as they roamed her body checking for wounds. He was positively frantic.
“What happened?” Tyler asked as he appeared next to his friend, his gaze bouncing between faces. When he finally recognized Angel, he broke out into a huge grin. “You found her, Hannah. That’s great.”
Bettina sidestepped the animal wrangler when he moved in for a hug, deftly avoiding him.
“Um ... sorry about that,” Tyler offered awkwardly. “I was just so excited to see you. Look, Lindsey. She’s okay. You freaked out for no reason.”
For her part, the teenager didn’t look happy at the turn of events. “That’s not Angel.”
Hannah shifted her eyes to the young woman, who had obviously been crying. The gaze Lindsey reserved for the witch who looked like Angel was chilling. “How do you know that?”
Lindsey shrugged. “Her eyes are dead.”
“What’s going on?” Boone asked, leery. He hadn’t lowered his weapon. “Where did Stormy go?”
“That wasn’t Stormy,” Hannah replied, cupping Cooper’s face long enough to give him a quick kiss as a form of reassurance. “I’m okay. I didn’t realize why you were yelling. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.” Cooper sounded tortured. “I didn’t do anything. Boone was the one who—”
“Shh.” Hannah pressed her finger to his lips. “It’s okay. Everything is okay.” She gave him a firm hug, meeting Lindsey’s angry glare over his shoulder.
“Everything is not okay,” the teenager countered. “That’s not Angel.”
“It’s not,” Hannah agreed, running her hand over the back of Cooper’s head one more time before separating from him.
“I don’t understand,” Boone said blankly. “If that’s not Angel, who is it?”
“It is Angel,” Hannah offered. “Well, it’s her body I mean. She’s just ... sleeping.”
“Like the furies?” Cooper was horrified at the thought, his stance aggressive when he turned on the witch masquerading as a teenager. “Get out of her. Don’t hurt her.”
“I cannot acquiesce,” Bettina said. “I have no interest in hurting the girl, though. Once this is finished ... I will give her back. We’re not there yet, though.”
“Yeah, I definitely don’t understand that.” Tyler turned to Hannah for answers. “Do you want to explain?”
Hannah hesitated. Every muscle in her body ached and all she really wanted was to climb into bed and shut out the rest of the world. She didn’t have time for that luxury, though.
“It’s a very long story, and I’m not certain I understand everything yet myself,” she admitted. “Suffice it to say that my battle with the furies unlocked something. I guess that’s the best way to phrase it. Their arrival on this plane, and the subsequent battle, allowed the magic that was keeping Bettina and Amelia sealed away to erode.
“Amelia escaped first, as a shadow,” she continued. “She didn’t have her former body, so she needed a new one. She can only use an ancestor with a shared bloodline, and while her mother died without providing one, apparently her father liked to impregnate indentured servants and send them on their way.
“I thought that Amelia was in Astra, but obviously I was wrong,” she admitted, sending the white-haired witch a rueful smile. “Angel — er, Bettina — found me and explained everything. She swears she’ll give Angel back once we lock them back in their cage.”
“It’s more like a formless bed,” Bettina offered.
Cooper shot her a quelling look and then focused on Hannah. “Do you believe all this? It’s so fantastical.”
“More fantastical than the Seven Deadly Sins coming to kill us?”
“Fair point.”
She exhaled heavily. “I believe her. I don’t know what to do about it, but I believe her. She says she tried to get into me first. Those were the dreams I had. I locked her out, though.”
Cooper impulsively moved closer to her, scorching Bettina with a hateful glare as he positioned himself between the old witch and the new one who had stolen his heart. “You’re not getting inside of her. I just ... no.”
Bettina chuckled. “I’ve already taken my form. Your girlfriend is safe.”
“She’d better be.” Cooper’s eyes flashed with warning and then he moved his hand to Hannah’s back. “I still don’t know what any of this means.”
“I don’t either.” Hannah flicked her eyes to Astra, who had been oddly silent. “Did you know that Stormy was a descendent, too? I’m assuming you know about your lineage.”
Astra attempted a smirk ... and failed. “I had an inkling,” she admitted. “That’s why, when I found her out here yesterday, I was so upset. We argued and she fled. I came back looking for her when she didn’t show up for work today.”
“She said she spent the night out here,” Hannah supplied. “I don’t know what to believe. I didn’t realize she wasn’t herself until Boone shot her.”
“The host’s dark soul served as camouflage,” Bettina explained. “She made an enticing body to hide in. I should’ve realized. Ah, well, next time.”
“How do you know there will be a next time?” Boone queried.
“Because I can’t rest unless she rests.”
The group lapsed into silence, Hannah’s gaze resting on Lindsey, who kept shooting untrusting glares toward Bettina. She was about to ask where they found the girl when Astra took over the conversation.
“Does this mean the nexus can be tapped?” she asked. “If nobody is protecting it, then perhaps it’s open and waiting for someone to harness it.”
Cooper groaned. “Why am I not surprised that your mind immediately went there?”
“Shut up, lover,” she drawled, focusing on Bettina. “I know a little about the magic that was sealed here. If you escaped and the seal was broken, that means the magic is there for the taking.”
Instead of affirming her theory, Bettina shook her head. Hannah got a perverse thrill at the way Astra’s forehead wrinkled.
“I don’t believe you understand nearly as much as you pretend,” Bettina countered. “The nexus isn’t some pool of magic. The nexus is Amelia and me. Our energy created the magic of the land. When we escaped, the land emptied. There is no more magic.”
Astra’s mouth dropped open. “No. That can’t be right.”
“Who would know better than she?” Cooper challenged.
Astra ignored him. “I’ve been working toward a goal for years. You just told me that it’s all gone. There has to be a way to get it back.”
“Oh, you’re such a naive girl.” Bettina’s gaze was pitying. “You’re incapable of seeing the truth because you’re blind to anything other than what you want. Your plan, your wish to tap into the energy of the land, was never feasible. You can’t handle our magic and if you try, you will become one of us.
“I find it interesting that Amelia went for the other witch,” she continued. “In theory, you’re more powerful. I can see the layers of your magic and you have legitimate strength, although it’s not as great as you pretend.
“Your soul isn’t completely black, though,” she continued. “It’s gray, which means you couldn’t give her the host she really wanted.”
“Or perhaps she knew Astra would never cede her body,” Hannah countered. “Maybe she tried and got turned away, like I fought you off.”
“It’
s possible,” Bettina agreed, ignoring the accusatory tone Hannah lobbed at her. “For whatever reason, she went for the black-hearted witch even though this one was probably a better fit. The lack of pigmentation is ... uncanny.”
“She wanted to take me over?” Astra was incredulous. “Why would I allow that?”
“Because that’s the only way to tap into the nexus’ power,” Bettina replied simply. “We are the nexus. If you want to be the nexus, you have to become us. When we go back to sleep, the nexus will close and there won’t be a thing you can do about it.”
Astra worked her jaw. “I don’t believe that.”
“It doesn’t matter what you believe.” Bettina was dismissive as she turned to Hannah. “You are no longer of consequence to me, witch. Amelia made her choice. It wasn’t you. She needs to be our focus. As for you, Hannah, we need to talk. Amelia will be back when she recovers. This isn’t over.”
“I didn’t think it was.” Hannah was rueful as she leaned into Cooper, taking a moment to absorb his warmth as he brushed a kiss against her forehead. “We’ll talk. I need a break for now, though. I need to ... make sure Lindsey is okay.”
“She’s fine,” Boone volunteered. “She was wandering in the field behind the post office. She hid when she heard me calling for her because she didn’t want to get in trouble. Now she’s grounded for the rest of her life because she took an Uber out here without permission.”
“Well, that sounds fun.” Hannah winked at the girl. “At least she’s okay.”
“What about Angel, though?” Lindsey persisted. “What’s going to happen when her parents wake up and find out their daughter is gone?”
“They won’t wake up,” Bettina replied. “I’ve put them in a perpetual sleep until this is over. I don’t want to deal with questions ... or people who can’t be reasoned with. I might not look like a woman, but I won’t be stopped. Amelia has to be taken in hand.”
“And what happens when your personalities shift?” Hannah asked. “That’s the deal, right? You guys switch back and forth.”
“That was the deal,” Bettina countered. “It’s no longer the case. When I made my choice and acted, we became frozen as who we were. There is no more switching.”
“So, had she made the choice when she was good, it would be the same way?” Cooper asked.
“Yes. Then she would be trying to kill me.”
“You don’t seem broken up about that.”
“It’s not something that can be changed. None of this is. It’s not a battle that can be lost either. She’ll be expecting us to move on her. We must not disappoint her.”
“We won’t,” Cooper agreed, tugging Hannah close to him. “First up is breakfast, though. Then we’ll start figuring this out. We have to come up with the right plan to deal with this. We won’t be caught unaware again.”
“Let’s hope not.” Bettina didn’t smile. “As for breakfast, I like a good mush.”
Hannah made a face. “Yeah. I think it’s time to introduce you to the wonder that is the McDonald’s breakfast sandwich. Just because you’re here to do a job and then leave again doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself with greasy goodness.”
“That is true.” Bettina attempted a smile ... and failed. “So ... food?”
Since there was nothing else to do but eat and talk things out, Hannah nodded. Her world had shifted again. This time she had to wonder if it would ever shift back.
It didn’t seem likely, and yet there was always hope.
“Food,” she agreed. “Then we have to look forward. There’s no salvation in the past. We can only focus on what’s to come.”
“So, that’s what we’ll do,” Cooper replied simply, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “We’ll figure this out. We always do.”
Hannah could only hope that was true.
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About the Author
Amanda M. Lee and Lily Harper Hart
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
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Dances With Witches (A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Book 5) Page 20
