My hand reached. That white coat, that velvety nose—it was all so inviting. Those forlorn eyes were fixed to mine and I was only an arm’s length away. I wanted to touch that smooth, white coat.
I looked into those eyes again to see if it was okay. They were dark, like black buttons…until they swirled with color, like a drop of red ink in a black puddle. The red bloomed until the glossy eyes were full of red. A small horizontal pupil expanded, opened, and somehow, glowed, like the beacon on a buoy or street light. Suddenly, the red was all I could see.
A ripple slithered up my back with a sense of wrongness. Something deep in the back of my mind told me to stop.
My fingers were inches from touching that white pelt. But I halted.
“A horse’s eyes are not red,” I slurred aloud. “Not red.” I blinked. If I turned my head, the pony didn’t really look much like a pony in my peripheral vision. It was white, yes, but something my mind wouldn’t focus on gave me a shiver again. It was squat and hunched over, with what might have been talons, and a rapacious hunger in its red, red eyes.
When I looked at the pony again, something was definitely wrong. The angles, the shapes. It was making me dizzy and nauseated. What I was looking at seemed to be warring with my perception. Wasn’t I seeing a pony…or was it something else, something alien?
The pony opened its mouth, and instead of big, square teeth, they were sharp and predatory. Not a whinny, but a wheezing sound in some strange high register. Its breath was foul, like carrion, and the lip pulled back in a snarl.
It was like being shaken awake from a nightmare. My heart jerked, the adrenalin flowed, and I took two steps back.
It screamed. I was fully myself again. Even as I fell backwards into the murky water, I raised the crossbow at hip height and fired.
I was no more than two feet away. The quarrel seemed to fling from the crossbow in slow motion. It speared forward, wobbling as it spun. It easily pierced the snow-white hide of the beast’s chest and stuck fast, the feathers protruding.
The kelpie screamed bloody murder. It thrashed in the water, kicking up great waves that soaked me. I scrambled back as it continued to whip about, but even as it did so, beams of bright light burst from its mouth, nostrils, eyes, and from the place where the bolt had entered. And like a piece of newspaper on the fire, holes began to form and burned away the beast.
The Booke snapped into being in front of me with a loud crack and fell open to a blank page. A quill appeared beside it.
I grabbed the quill, jabbed it into the palm that had barely healed from the last time, and gathered the blood like ink in the quill’s nib.
Quickly, I scratched into the Booke:
I followed the Kelpie into its pool, and though its call was strong, I shot it with a bolt…
The more details I added about its snow-white hide, its forlorn expression, the more it screamed and disintegrated that much faster.
I dipped and wrote, dipped and wrote. The Booke obligingly stayed open and hovered before me. Until the kelpie exploded into shards of light and disappeared.
The Booke slammed shut and fell to solid ground. The pool had vanished, leaving only mud behind. And, of course, my jeans were soaked in chilling water.
I fell back against the leaf duff and breathed. The forest was quiet. The screaming had stopped. There was only my hard breathing and the occasional one-note call of a bird.
I did it. It was gone. The kelpie was gone. And then I began to cry. I didn’t even know why. My throat was hot and thick and I just couldn’t help it. I let it go with ugly, gut-deep sobs. I threw my muddy arm over my eyes and lay on that forest floor and let myself have the good cry I’d been needing for a while.
After a few minutes, I inhaled some air, calmed myself, and slowly sat up.
Shivering from the cold, from…everything…I picked up the Booke and the crossbow and trudged toward home.
No fanfare as I made my way back through the woods. But I did feel lighter. Accomplished. I could take that long bath now without worrying about a creature coming through the pipes. But even that bit of euphoria didn’t last long. The werewolf was still out there. I could almost feel it stalking me. No, I hadn’t yet seen it, but I saw what it did to Jeff, an irreversible curse that would plague him all his days. I’d never seen Jeff so quiet, so pensive. His whole demeanor had changed. His eyes were haunted and I feared for his future. What would his life be like? Could he ever return to California? It made me sick to think that he couldn’t really go home, that we—my coven and I—were the only ones who could fully understand his predicament. He’d have to stay, and with that realization, I felt a strange sense of dread. “So much for my escape.”
Dragging the crossbow behind me, I shoved open my shop door with my shoulder and let it slam. I turned the deadbolt, left the Booke on a table—where I felt it would stay, at least for a while—and dropped the crossbow into the nearest chair. I trudged up the stairs to the bathroom and filled my giant claw-foot tub with hot water and bath salts.
Once I’d had my long soak and was wrapped in a fluffy terry robe, I called Doc.
“My God, Kylie! You should never have gone alone.”
“It’s my job,” I said blankly. I really had nothing to add. I was still feeling…aimless.
He had no answer to that. But he asked if he could bring the Wiccans over later and I agreed. Jeff needed his potion, after all, and there was a werewolf that needed killing. I knew Jolene would be coming over soon after school and I ensconced myself upstairs to listen for the sound of her.
The front door rattled and finally opened. The bell above the door, oblivious to whatever happened around it, rang merrily.
“Hello?” called Jolene cautiously.
I hadn’t realized I’d been sitting in the dark. My damp robe had long ago started to feel uncomfortable and clammy. I pulled myself from my chair and went to my bedroom door without opening it. “I’m up here, Jolene. The coven is coming. Open the doors, don’t open them. I’ll…be down in a while.”
I heard the quiet sounds of Jolene switching on lights, checking the register, doing the mundane things I should have been doing. But I couldn’t summon the interest.
Instead, I stood over my dresser wondering if I should dress. It didn’t take me long to decide that I should. Jeans, a sweater, socks. I dressed, pushed my damp hair back from my face, and trudged downstairs.
Jolene was helping some customers, but she spared a worried glance my way. She had made tea for the samovars, something I hadn’t done in days, it seemed. I got a paper cup and opened the spigot. Cranberry Pomegranate. I inhaled the fragrant aromas and drank, warming my throat and spirit with the herbal and fruit flavors.
I sank into one of the wingbacks, listened to the effusive customer go on about how wonderful the shop was, and watched her leave with her bag of purchases.
Jolene came around the side and stared at me. “Doc told me,” she said quietly. “Are you all right?”
“I don’t know.”
“Should I just…leave you alone?”
“Yeah. That would be good.”
She watched me as she walked away. I held the hot paper cup in both my hands, warming my fingers, and then moved to put it down on the side table. The Booke was there. I almost set the cup down on the cover but decided against it. The Booke might decide to launch itself and I didn’t need hot tea all over me.
Customers came and went. Their chatter was white noise in the background of my thoughts. I kept seeing the kelpie. But mostly, I kept seeing Erasmus the last time I saw him, when he made his terrible confession. He hadn’t shown. I’d half-expected him to. I was glad he hadn’t.
My phone rang, and for a strange moment, I thought it might be Erasmus. But looking at the number, I realized it was Doc.
“It’s not Doc,” said the unexpectedly gruff voice of Jeff. “I, uh, just wanted to…talk, I guess. How are you coping?”
“I’m fine.”
I said nothing and for a long time neither of us did, before he sighed. “Gigantor in a Mountie hat came by to talk to me.”
My turn to sigh. “You mean Sheriff Ed?”
“Yeah. He’s, uh, kind of imposing.”
“What did you tell him? Jeff, I swear, if you told him about all this magic stuff—”
“I didn’t. Keep your shirt on. How could I tell him your ex is a werewolf? I told him you had nothing to do with the Doug thing. I didn’t know that asshat was his brother.”
“You told him about that?”
“Well, I didn’t beat myself up. He was real mad, and by the time he left, he was steaming. He peeled out of here in that Interceptor like it was a racecar. I think he plans on talking to him. With his fists.”
Shoot. I really didn’t want Ed anywhere near this garbage. “When was that?”
“A couple of hours ago.” He fell silent again. I tried to fill the gap.
“Is Doc there with you?”
“He and that Seraphina chick are working on the potion. I think Doc left to get something. He’s a nice guy, but it’s pretty boring here. There’s no TV and the Wi-Fi is nonexistent. I mean, it was nice of him to let me stay, but I’m going out of my mind.”
“Hang in there. You seem to be taking it all well…or are you just putting on a good face?”
He laughed. “That’s not what his furniture says. I kind of freaked that first night and tore the place up.”
“Oh, Jeff.”
“He was nice about that too. I’m going to pay him back. Kylie, I was thinking…I might not be able to go back to California…”
“I know. I was thinking that too.”
“Kind of awkward my being here. Cockblocking you and all.”
“There’s my grandpa’s place.” The moment I said it, it made sense. “It’s a mess now and needs major cleaning, but you’re welcome to stay there as long as you like, so you can get back on your feet.”
“My paws, you mean,” he said bitterly.
“Jeff—”
“It’s totally all right. I’m getting with the canine sensibility. I’ve gone off my vegetarian diet big time, though. Almost all meat now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s no biggie. Takes less time to fry up a steak than it does to put together a bean and rice casserole. You can get used to anything if you have to.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see it.
“So what about this kelpie thing,” he said, somewhat brighter. “I’m ready to help.”
“I already took care of it.”
There was a pause. “When you say ‘took care of it’…”
“I already killed it. Just this morning. It’s gone.”
“Killed it?”
I could sense his tension even over the phone. “I mean, I guess. I don’t know what really happens to them. They sort of burst into shards of light and become another page in the Booke.”
“Just another page.”
“That’s not going to be you, Jeff.”
“But it will be that other werewolf, right? Is it a dude? Do we even know who? Doc says none of you have ever seen it.”
“Jeff, I just don’t know. A werewolf is a different kind of thing.”
“You said it. Did you know that it doesn’t even take a full moon for me to change? I can change at any time. Sort of like the Hulk. If I get too emotional, I can ‘shift,’ as they call it. Seraphina’s been teaching me some stuff. So along with my yoga, I’m keeping it under control. But…sometimes, at night, after a bad dream, I kind of…shift a little. The teeth and the eyes. Once it took hours for my ears to go back to normal. I’ve never fully gone wolf. I want to, though. The feeling is really strong, especially when the moon is out. That’s what the wolf’s bane potion is for. Seraphina says she’ll get it done any day now. Kylie…you trust these people, right?”
I tucked a strand of hair over my ear and resettled the phone against it. “I do, Jeff. With my life. You can too.”
“I guess I’ll have to.” He took in a shaky breath. “You…care about them, don’t you?”
“And you. I really do. I want the best for you.”
“And that demon guy.”
I sucked in a breath. “He’s gone. I’m not calling him again.”
“Kylie…can I ask you something?”
I had a feeling I knew what it was. “No.”
“Kylie…Man, I don’t even know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything.”
“I mean, you and a demon. What’s the matter with the sheriff? Not that I’m endorsing that.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“I understand that. None of it is. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to try and understand.”
I rubbed my face. “I don’t really understand it either, Jeff. It just happened. He was different—exciting, enticing. I don’t know. Why does anyone like anybody? Chemistry.”
“Dude, he’s a demon.”
“Yeah, I got that, Jeff.”
“Not even our species.”
“Yup.”
He was breathing hard. “Of course, neither am I anymore.”
“Jeff.”
“It’s okay. Now I’m exotic. I guess.”
What could I say? I couldn’t think of any reply to that.
“I’m really sorry for what I did to you, Kylie. About everything, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Seriously. That was messed up. I know that now.”
This was a discussion I could put off indefinitely. I rubbed the ache in my forehead. “Look, Jeff, can I talk to Seraphina?”
“Sure. I’ll bring the phone to her.” I could hear him walk through the house, his footsteps, the different hollow sounds of the corridor, some fumbling, and then Seraphina’s chirpy “Thank you, Jeff” and Jeff’s retreating “No problem.”
“Kylie?”
“Hi, Seraphina. How’s the potion coming?”
“I’ve had a few false starts. Aconite is very tricky, with its poisonous aspects, but I think I have an excellent recipe now. It just has to boil down. Should be ready to administer by tomorrow.”
“Jeff was saying that he could change at any time, not just at a full moon. Is that right?”
“According to all our research, this is correct. To keep him from dangerous shifting, he’s going to have to take this potion.”
“For how long?”
“Oh my dear, didn’t they tell you? For the rest of his life.”
I supposed that settled it. Jeff couldn’t leave. How else was he to get his potion? He could end up killing someone if he didn’t take it. Or infecting someone else.
I swallowed the hot lump in my throat. “I want you to know, Seraphina, that I really appreciate your doing this.”
“Kylie, it’s—”
I waited for the end of that sentence. When nothing came, I asked, “Seraphina?”
A female voice that wasn’t Seraphina’s got on the line. “Witchy can’t come to the phone right now. She’s a little tied up.”
“Shabiri. If you’ve touched her…”
“You’ll what? Wave your little amulet at me? Stick me with your crossbow arrows again? And by the way, that fucking hurt. But as you can see, it can’t kill me. So try again with your empty threats.” She paused for dramatic emphasis. She was a real soap opera queen, all right. “This is what I want you to do. Bring the book to Doug’s barn. And leave your junior Wiccans at home, for goodness’ sake. I’d hate to have to eviscerate them before your eyes. Oh wait. Maybe I wouldn’t hate that.”
The phone clicked off.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I wasn’t stupid. I waited for the coven to assemble and told them everything.
“Well, obviously, we’re going with you,” said Nick.
“Obviously. But you can’t be so close that Shabiri will know you’re there.�
��
“I’m not sure how close that is,” said Doc.
Jolene perked up. “An invisibility charm. But those are really tricky. And dangerous.”
“Dangerous how?” I asked.
Jolene began typing on her tablet. “Because sometimes the caster is so successful they can’t make themselves un-invisible.”
“And,” said Nick, “you spread the stuff on your eyelids. If any of it gets in your eyes, not only are you invisible for a very long time, but you also can’t see too much—or at all, because everything becomes transparent. Sounds pretty harsh.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t—”
“It’s not a guarantee,” Nick added, “but it’s better than being caught by Shabiri. Compared to Erasmus, she is not on a leash. I mean, I hate to say it, Kylie, knowing what he is, but he could have killed any one of us at any time. But he didn’t. Shabiri doesn’t have that kind of incentive.”
“What do you mean by ‘incentive’?”
“You know.” He squirmed a bit, wouldn’t look at me. “He didn’t seem to want to get you mad.”
“What could I do to him? The crossbow has no effect.”
Doc put his hand on my arm. “I don’t think that’s what he means.”
“Oh, please! The only effect I have on Erasmus is as a dinner bell. And he doesn’t have to make nice to me for that outcome.”
Nick and Doc exchanged glances but didn’t say anything. It annoyed the hell out of me. “Subject closed. Next. Invisibility?”
Doc ticked his head. “It’s possible. At least, with our enhanced abilities it is. And I’m pretty sure a demon wouldn’t be able to see us.”
“‘Pretty sure’? Are those good enough odds?”
“I’m willing to take the chance.”
“I’m not so willing to let you.”
Nick broke in between us. “As Doc said before, that’s really up to us, not you. And we aren’t going to let you go alone, and that’s final.”
My heart warmed. I swallowed back the lump in my throat. “Thanks, guys,” I said quietly.
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