What's a Witch to Do?: A Midnight Magic Mystery (15 page)

“Then you come with us.”

“I can’t! I can’t leave everyone here with a demon on the loose. Just take them and go!”

“I am not leaving you alone here!” he says with enough force to punch through a wall.

“This isn’t your fight.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“The game has changed. It’s too damn dangerous around me now. Just take them and go. Please!”

“
No
. I made a promise and I take promises very seriously.”

I throw my arms up. “I absolve you! Take them and go!”

“No!” Sophie shouts from the door. I spin around as she leads her sister toward us. “If you send us away, we’ll just come right back! We will!” she says, voice shaking. “I can protect you! I can! I know what to do! Please!” She looks at Adam, eyes wild. “Don’t take us away. Please, don’t take us away.”

“Sophie—” I say, my voice breaking along with my heart.

“We are not going anywhere,” Adam says to Sophie. “I promise.”

“You can’t—” I say.

He grabs my arm and yanks me away from the girls, all but dragging me to the other side of the yard. “Now, you listen to me,” he says in a low voice. “You are letting your fear cloud your judgment, and you are scaring the hell out of those girls there. More than even the demon is. Is that what you want?”

“No, but—”

“We are not leaving, do you hear me? Do not mention it again.” He takes a deep breath to regain his composure. “Look, I know you’re used to doing everything on your own, but you
cannot
do this alone. You can’t. So I am here to protect you and those girls so you don’t have to. But to do that, we all need to be
here
. United. A cohesive unit working together. A pack, okay? And since you aren’t thinking clearly right now, I’ll do it for you. If you die, who will take care of them? They need to be near you, a
strong
you. If they go away and you die, they will never, ever recover. They have lost too damn much already.”

“It could kill them to get to me,” I whisper.

“Mona, if that thing wants them and is as powerful as you say it is, it won’t matter where they are. It will find them and use them anyway. At least here they have you and me and an entire army of witches in this town to go through first. And I will
die
before I let anything happen to any of you. Do you believe me?”

I absolutely do. I shake my head.

“Good. Then trust me on this. We’re sticking together. We will be cautious, but we will not let fear dictate our lives. We stick to the plan. We fortify this place and ourselves as best we can, we find who summoned this thing, and we stop her. You … and me. I am not going anywhere. I
swear
it to you.”

I have the strongest urge to hug him again, among other things I won’t admit to. He’s so sincere I can’t help but feel … relief. At least that’s what I think it is. It’s a new sensation. Takes me awhile to get used to it. “Okay,” I whisper. “Okay.”

“Then let’s get started.” He turns away from me and walks over to the waiting girls, picking up Cora as if it was the most natural thing and holding his hand out for Sophie. She looks at it, but after a second of indecision, puts her hand in his. He leads them inside, off to find a way to save my life.

This time I let the tears flow. Because I can.

• Run emergency meeting
  

The only space big enough to fit the entire coven, all one hundred fifty of us, is the Goodnight Playhouse next to the museum. I find it rather fitting to be standing on the stage where
The Crucible
will be performed tonight, what with it being about witches in peril. I just hope things end better for me than it did for them.

As the edgy women and men filter in, Billie, Auntie Sara, and Debbie stand at their respective doors handing out packets I’ve put together on Demonology 101. Research, sigils, spells, anything I could find in the three whole books Granny and Auntie Sara had on the subject. Everyone is abuzz and chatting with each other about their experiences, so it sounds like a football game in here. The phone tree is a wonderful invention and an effective one, given the size of the crowd. Even Shirley showed up, though she hangs in the back looking put out as always. Her husband, the sheriff, stands onstage with me sporting the same expression as his wife. As he’s married to a witch he knows all about us, and since the demon passed right by his house and scared the hell out of said wife, he’s agreed to help. It must be catching.

My backup is dropping off the girls at school, among other things. We decided since I’m the target, we’d send them to school where at least four teachers are witches. We loaded them up with charms, amulets, and even black salt just to be safe. As an added precaution the teachers are going around the campus carving or spray painting sigils outside just like we did at the house. Casa McGregor now a magical fortress with the strongest barrier spell I could find. Nothing can come in or out without my or Adam’s say-so.

As the last witches arrive, I scan the crowd for my prime suspects. Erica isn’t here yet but Cheyenne sits in the back, a huge pair of sunglasses covering her face though we’re inside. Summoning a demon does take a lot out of a witch. That or she’s hung over. Probably both. Collins is one of the last stragglers, still dressed in her scrubs. She kisses Debbie’s cheek and finds a seat. Let’s get this show started.

“May I have everyone’s attention?” I shout. Those standing and chatting take their seats. After a few more seconds the auditorium grows quiet. “I want to thank y’all for being here on short notice, including Sheriff Andrews. I know this isn’t your jurisdiction as such, but I’m sure we all feel better knowing you’re involved.” The sheriff nods. “As y’all are aware of by now, a demon was sensed by multiple people in this room, myself included.” The murmuring begins anew, but I hold up my hand to quiet them down. “Okay, everyone settle down. There is no need to panic. There have been no sightings since six this morning, so for all we know it was just passing through town.” Yeah, right.

“How did it get here?” my cousin Dickie shouts.

“It was summoned, by whom I don’t know.”

“Was it someone in this room?” a woman asks.

“I have no idea, but if it was I implore that person to come to me so I can help you send this thing back before it hurts someone. Whoever you are, you are dealing with the darkest magic there is. What you brought here is more powerful than you can imagine. Whatever the reason you summoned it, it is not worth yours or anyone else’s life.” The audience shifts uncomfortably, and everyone scans the auditorium for signs of guilt. My eyes stay affixed to Cheyenne, who still hasn’t taken off her sunglasses. “If anyone has any information on people in this coven even dabbling in black magic, it is your duty to tell me. I promise this will all be kept confidential.”

“Well, what do we do?” Brandie asks. “Is it going to try and kill us?”

Only me. “As I said, what it’s doing here—if it’s still even here—I don’t know. But considering what this thing is, we need to take precautions. I already have people at the school warding it, so don’t be afraid to send your children there. I have also provided you with an overview on demons and spells to protect against it. They’re a little more advanced, so those of you who struggle please don’t hesitate to ask for help. Anyone who has time today and is willing to help, please raise your hand.” About a third of the group does, mostly the older women. “After this meeting I will be opening the shop so you can get the supplies you need, and Billie, Alice, and I will be there all day to offer assistance as well.

“As I said, these are only precautions. There is no need to panic. I do ask that those of you who sensed this thing send me an e-mail with your address and the time you felt it so we can track it. Also, if you sense it today, call me immediately.”

“Promise to answer this time?” someone shouts.

“Yes. Sheriff, anything else to add?”

Sheriff Andrews steps beside me. “I know this is out of my purview, but if you feel you are in danger, call 911. The dispatcher will notify me, and I will notify Mona.”

“Thank you,” I say as he backs away. “Okay, that’s all for now. Get back to your normal lives and live them. Just be vigilant. Trust your instincts. Thank you.” The moment I step backstage with Andrews the cacophony of voices starts again. “When we can get the trajectory of the demon I’ll call you, and you can search the area where it originated from. Maybe the witch left a clue there.”

“Shirley mentioned that sometimes a human sacrifice is needed,” Andrews says.

“That’s rare. Most of the time it’s just an animal. It really depends on how powerful and schooled the witch summoning it is.” I pause. “Any luck on the license plate?”

“It belongs to Brooks McBride. He didn’t even know his car was missing until I told him. Stolen right outside his farm. I’m heading over there now.”

“His farm borders Hackett Farm, right? I’d check there for the altar. There’ll be strange drawings, blood, salt, and it will probably smell like sulfur.”

“Okay. If I find it, I’ll call.” He walks away, off to find the demon. The man has my vote come election time.

“Mona?” Debbie asks behind me. She, Billie, Collins, and Auntie Sara all walk toward me. “What now?”

They stare at me expectantly, apprehension all over their faces. I’m their leader, the person with all the plans and answers. But I don’t. Beyond getting everyone protected, I haven’t a clue what to do next. I don’t know how to find this demon, let alone the person responsible for bringing it here. I’m out of ideas. But as I look at them, fear in all their eyes, I straighten my back and hold up my head. They need me, and a general never lets down her troops.

“What now?
Now
we fight back. No one brings a demon into my town and gets away with it. Y’all with me?”

“Hell yes,” Billie says with a smile.

“Good. Then let’s find the bastard.”

• Find the demon
  

There isn’t time to think or be tired. There’s a crowd outside the shop when Billie, Alice, and I arrive, all clamoring to demon-proof their lives. Within an hour, I’m out of every type of amulet, altar, oil, and rune that can be converted into a protection charm. The herbs go even faster. I have to start sending people to the grocery store to get their sage and cloves, though I doubt Kroger’s has burdock. I’ve already ordered more but it won’t arrive until tomorrow, which means I have a lot of pissed off, scared witches yelling at me. I let them.

Things slow after hour two, and by hour three the place is damn near empty. I send Alice to help the ten witches who called the shop for assistance and leave Billie up front to handle the stragglers and telephone calls so I can get a few minutes of peace in the back. Adam glances up from the computer and map as I enter. Since he couldn’t work on the shelves with a stream of witches filtering in, he took it upon himself to track the demon and coordinate with the sheriff. The map of the town next to him has a few dozen dots with times written on them, starting right on the northern outskirts of town and ending on the south side where farms begin again.

“Sheriff called again,” Adam says. “The blood at Hackett Farm wasn’t human.”

“Thank the goddess for small favors,” I say as I fall into the chair next to him.

“And George Black e-mailed you. All the women except for Cheyenne don’t have criminal records. What’s more interesting, she was given a speeding ticket last month two miles from Lord Thomas’s club, Croatoan. He’s still waiting for the financial statements.”

“Did he write anything about the demon?”

“Just what we already knew. He did say the second it harms someone, he’ll send the team to help us catch it. Until then, neither it nor the person who summoned it can be arrested.”

“Well, it’s nice to know that when this thing explodes my brain with its mind, the F.R.E.A.K.S. will stop by to mop it up.” I rest my aching head on the table and close my eyes. “I want to sleep for a year.”

“You just need to eat something.”

“I don’t want to get up. People will just keep asking me questions or hollering at me. I hate being the leader. Cheyenne must be batshit if she wants this job. Hell, at this point, all she’d have to do is ask.”

“You don’t mean that. You’re too damn good at it.”

“One of the witches under my supervision raised a demon right under my nose. Priestess of the Year for me.”

“This isn’t on you, and considering the circumstances, I think you’re doing a hell of a job. They all know what to do, how to protect themselves, and they know no matter what, you’ll get them through this.”

“You sound so sure.”

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

I sit up, once again looking at him in awe. Who is this guy? “Shut up.”

He grins again, and I get a little flutter in my tummy. His whole damn face lights up when he smiles. Not many people’s do that. They should. The fluttering grows worse when he pats my hand. “Come on,” he says, pulling me up. “I think we both need a shitload of caffeine and sugar. I’m buying.”

“No. The yelling will start again,” I whine.

“I won’t let anyone yell at you,” Adam says.

I pout. “Promise?”

“I’m your bodyguard, and that includes stopping irate witches from getting in your face.” He holds out his hand. “Come on.” I take it.

Billie is cleaning up the herbs when we walk out. Her eyes immediately dart to our clasped hands, and she raises an eyebrow. I hadn’t even realized we were still hand in hand. I pull mine away, using it to smooth my hair. “We’ll, uh, be back.” Eyes to the ground and hands in my pockets, I lead the way to the diner. That was a close one. I’ve given the gossip mongers too much to work with this week already.

When we’re about two stores down, my cell rings again. Can’t I get even ten freaking minutes of peace? Nope. Never. I answer. “Hello?”