Chapter 21

Andywasn"tverypleased with the lot of us. I knew she would rather complete her trip to market without an entourage, but none of us were willing to let her go off alone. I had done enough spying for the Lovell family in the past to know just how the Supernatural Alliance operated. The organization really did seem to have the greater good in mind. But like any institution, they had their flaws and bias. Andy"s family were all traitors, serial killers, or sociopaths. The Alliance wouldn"t much care that Oleander was different. They would simply be relieved to have an excuse to get rid of her, thus wiping out a problematic bloodline and taking that particular concern off their to-do list.

I was surprised they hadn"t returned after that first visit with some sort of warrant or other. It made me nervous and made me wonder what they were planning. I drifted along behind the others, taking in this village that I hadn"t seen in years. Pentagram square was a well-known marketplace for the magical community. My memory of how this place looked hundreds of years ago was now overlaid with the modern fa?ade of the place. It was a strange mishmash of old-world architecture, and new world aesthetics. The main street was lined with the most popular shops—gemstones and crystals, herbs and sundries, magical items. There were also the more mundane things such as clothing stores, and places where you could buy the few electronics that worked in this realm, as well as trinkets, and knickknacks that would be useful during a trip to the human world. All manner of people crowded the sidewalks, mostly witches and other magical beings, but there were a few human servants or spouses.

For anyone else, a trip to Pentagram Square would probably be fun. It was a place to come and mingle, a place to embrace your supernatural heritage, and to obtain and enjoy the magic that surrounded and suffused everything in this realm. I suppose most people weren"t here looking for ingredients to undo a curse while on the lookout for discriminatory authority figures.

"Do you all have to walk so damned close?" Andy said, shooting a dark a look at the beings gathered around her.

Zhong and Niamh flanked her on either side, barely giving the witch room to breathe. Aahil walked in front, as if he was too busy and important for the rest of us, but he never got more than a few steps ahead of Andy. Whether that was out of fear for himself or our witch, I wasn"t sure. I had a feeling he hated crowds as much as the rest of us, for his own dark reasons. The water weaver trailed behind the jinn, taking everything in with their usual sense of calm curiosity.

I wondered how long it had been since the weaver saw the outside world like this. As far as I know, the Lovells had rarely used his powers, and only in groups. They had been fearful of losing control of the powerful elemental who could influence their emotions.

Niamh snorted. "Do you think I didn"t see the way that association person looked at you when they came to the door?" She bared her small, pointed canines. "If any more of those assholes show up today, they"re going to end up with an arrow through the eyeball."

Zhong nodded along with this bloodthirsty assessment. "I don"t trust them, Andy. They only help when it"s convenient for them."

Andy sighed and rolled her pretty gray eyes. "I don"t trust them either. But they"re not going to do anything in a crowded market in front of witnesses. Bad publicity, you know?"

I understood her thinking, but I didn"t necessarily agree. The Association wouldn"t want any bad publicity, that was true. But that only meant they"d find some way to make Andy seem to be the villain in the eyes of the townspeople. And…from what I was sensing in the auras around me with my weakened angelic perception, it wouldn"t take much to convince anyone that the last remaining Lovell witch needed exterminating.

Andy waved the others away as she approached the crystal shop. "Seriously, back the fuck off so I can shop. You can all stay out here." She pointed firmly to a bench on the sidewalk outside the shop. "I"ll be right back."

I floated through a passing man with faun heritage, hovering among the milling masses, unseen except by Andy. Her mediumship abilities were powerful and rare. I suddenly had the urge to thank her for seeing me. For making me feel real. No one else had noticed me today.

If I was solid, I would rub my head. I felt a bit drifty and confused. Probably from all the auras and magic around me. It was getting harder to consistently hold myself here on this plane with my thinking intact—most ghosts didn"t last as long as I had, but then again, I had a bit more purpose than some. It was easier to hold myself to this plane in secluded environments, like the heart of the Lovell mansion. Harder when there were so many people milling about. I drifted closer to Andy, trying to keep near the bestiary, since my anchor helped ground me.

Of course, this also meant that I had to accompany her inside the shop.

The glass-paned wooden door thumped shut with a gentle tinkle from the bells and charms that hung over the entryway. I felt the warding against evil spirits as it slid over what was left of my aura. I didn"t mean anyone in here any harm, so the wards didn"t react. But it was still an unpleasant sensation.

I shook it off, pulling up the treasured memory of bonding with Andy, of how she had given me the ability to feel physical sensationsagain, even if it was just a temporary thing. The fact that the witch would share her magic with me, that she would willingly let me possess her, was astounding. What was more—she didn"t even seem to realize how profound the gesture was or how much that experience meant to me.

Once she had freed the last enslaved creature from the bestiary, the book would be destroyed, and I would become untethered from this plane. The memories and experiences I shared with Andy would be among my last. I felt blessed, even as I lived out the rest of my cursed existence.

I floated around the shop as Andy bartered for the spell-grade onyx and black tourmaline she needed. My witch was sometimes flippant or cranky when forced to interact with other people, but her bargaining skills were strong. I suppose growing up as the last living member of a family with a reputation like hers had ensured she could stand up for herself.

The transaction finished, Andy turned to leave, but a man off to her left stepped out from a display of quartz and blocked her path. He was well-groomed, dressed in black from head-to-toe, and had that certain arrogance about him that said he came from one of the old witching families. "Oleander Lovell," he purred, bowing slightly. He straightened and gifted Andy with a soft smile that probably looked polite, if you couldn"t see his aura. "What a pleasure to finally meet you!"

I floated closer to Andy, debating whether I should go get the others. The man"s magic was dark and tainted. Warped.

"Nope," Andy said with a forced smile. "You must have the wrong girl. My name"s Jessica."

He tipped his head back and laughed. "Jessica. Oh, you"re hilarious, Miss Lovell. What a delight."

She rolled her eyes. "Great, you"re one of those."

He paused to stare at her in surprise. "One of those?"

She shrugged and stepped around him. "Look, dude. I"ve heard it all before. I"m not interested in your stupid flattery. And I"m not planning world domination. I don"t care about increasing my power. I couldn"t give a fuck less about revenge. Just buying some stones."

He followed after her, his cheeks flushed with color. "A Lovell buying grounding stones, stones for connecting with the powers of the dark, and you expect me to believe you"ve nothing up your sleeve?" He stepped closer and linked an arm through Andy"s in an overly familiar way. "Come now, darling. My family and yours have long been allies. We"ve only been waiting for you to make your move, ever since you came of age. Tell me what it is you"re working on, and I"ll do everything in my power to help."

She scoffed and yanked her arm away. "No, thanks."

He didn"t back down, arrogance, entitlement, and greed radiating off him in waves. I prepared to pop out and get Zhong. Or Niamh. Even Aahil wouldn"t put up with anyone touching his precious pet. I wondered if Andy even realized how much they all adored her.

Before I could dematerialize, Andy had the problem under control. Her eyes flashed and she turned to the guy, smiling sweetly. Then she gripped his shoulders. He leaned in, looking gleeful, as if he was expecting her to whisper some kind of profound wisdom or illicit invitation in his ear. But all he got was Andy"s knee to his balls.

I winced in sympathy. It had been a very long time since I had a body of my own, but I still remembered exactly how that felt.

The guy swore and fell to his knees. "No means no, asshole," Andy informed him evenly.

The shopkeeper hustled out from behind her counter to come to the fallen witch"s aid, her eyes narrowed at Andy in accusation. "I think it"s time for you to leave, Lovell," she hissed.

I bristled. It wasn"t Andy"s fault the guy wouldn"t leave her alone. He was offering to help with dark magic, to ally himself to the evil Lovell family. And yet, it was Andy who was being looked upon with suspicion.

"Don"t worry about it," Andy said on a long sigh, just for my ghostly ears. "I pick my battles. She already sold me the stones before she was mad enough to fuck with them. Let"s go."

She strode outside, tucking the wrapped gemstones into her messenger bag with the bestiary. I drifted along after her, phasing through the door. The others were waiting for our witch with varying levels of patience.

"What took so long," Aahil snapped. "Are you really so slow-witted you can"t tell one gemstone from another? What a useless witch."

Zhong narrowed his eyes at the jinn as if he"d like nothing more than to pound him into the pavers. Niamh ignored them and stood from her place on the bench, stepping in front of Andy and capturing the shorter woman"s chin in her capable huntress hands. "Are you okay? Your face is bright red."

Andy batted Niamh"s hand away and started walking down the sidewalk. "I"m fine. Don"t be dumb."

Hasumi popped into existence from somewhere. The curious water weaver had probably been off exploring while Andy wasn"t looking. "You are angry. Livid," they commented.

Andy glanced at the elemental and sidestepped them. "Thanks for the newsflash. I had no idea."

I drifted closer to them as they all walked along. "She was approached by a black magic practitioner who wanted to assist her with her nefarious plans," I said. Andy would never admit to them that she was upset. But my witch had struggled with these sorts of things all alone for too long. I knew she"d benefit from their support.

Even if the support was…unsettling.

Niamh paused as if she was going to turn around and go back to find the man who had upset Andy. A burst of flame flared to life in Aahil"s palm. And Zhong turned his big, adoring puppy dog eyes on the witch. "Does that happen often?" the gargoyle said softly.

Andy eyed them all like an impatient parent presented with a bunch of misbehaving offspring. "Stop overreacting. We"ve got a couple more places to stop before we can get out of here. I need to restock some of the less common herbs while I"m here."

We all followed her. But no one was happy about the idea of people pestering our witch. She had enough on her plate without the additional stressful reminder of her family past. It was depressing, though, to watch her move about in the magical community. I could suddenly understand why she had insisted on living among oblivious, non-magical humans for most of her life.

People watched her. Particularly the older generation of witches, who had probably known her parents. Andy"s current companions didn"t help matters. There were lots of magical creatures walking the streets here. But none so rare or powerful as the people surrounding Oleander Lovell while she did her shopping. Witches and humans stared, curiosity overcoming their fear of the infamous witch. And some had a covetous look on their faces. As if they were jealous of Andy"s property and would like to know how to snatch up the power that surrounded her.

Sometimes people whispered things under their breath as we passed—warding themselves against evil or simply spitting insults. A few witches breathed offers of loyalty or assistance in exchange for Andy"s magical secrets.

I was startled when a woman slammed into Andy"s shoulder in passing, nearly knocking our witch down in the street. Andy just swayed with the hit and rubbed her undoubtedly bruised arm. "Maybe I don"t need the extra herbs after all," she muttered. "For fuck"s sake."

Aahil glanced back over his shoulder, one corner of his lip lifted in the parody of a smile. The woman who had just passed us so rudely screamed in rage as her hair caught fire. The jinn turned to face forward, humming a happy tune under his breath.

I shook my head. The flames weren"t the strong demon fire he was capable of—thank all that was holy. The woman was able to snuff them out with a wave of her own magic. "You shouldn"t do that," I said, drifting over to hover by the petite jinn"s shoulder like an invisible conscience.

He snorted. "Don"t preach to me, angel. I couldn"t give a fuck less about your holy morals."

I huffed a ghostly sigh. Unfortunately, it wasn"t my much-tarnished sense of right or wrong that had motivated me to speak up. "Idiot," I muttered. "Everyone will blame Andy for that."

The witch overheard and let out a wry snort. "He"s right, Aahil. She"s just going to tell everyone that she accidentally bumped into me, and I hexed her. Not helping."

He just shrugged one shoulder in a graceful, rippling motion. "And? Maybe these low-lives will keep their disgusting corpses away from your personal space if they"re taught the appropriate level of respect."

She just sighed, but Zhong tried to reason with the unreasonable jinn. "Fear isn"t the same as respect," he ground out in his gravelly voice.

Aahil scoffed. "Shows what you know, boulder for brains."

Niamh bristled. "Leave him alone, jinn. He"s right. You"ll only make things harder for Andy. And I don"t want to waste an arrow on you."

Aahil grinned and lifted his middle finger at the fae.

The weaver stepped between them, forcing the jinn to hastily move to avoid physical contact. It was sad, really, how much the man feared touch. "The jinn"s feelings for you make him uncomfortable," the wonderful being said easily, stripping Aahil bare as if discussing the weather. "His fear makes him lash out. It doesn"t bear attempting to reason with him."

Then the water weaver danced away to study a sparkling window display of blown glass.

Andy glanced at the jinn and smirked. "Wanna talk about your feelings for me now?"

He set the hem of her shirt on fire. "The only feeling you evoke in me, witch, is disgust at your utter stupidity." Then he stormed off ahead of us.

Andy laughed as she extinguished her shirt fire, and we all enjoyed the way Aahil"s shoulders hunched defensively for a second before he got ahold of himself.

"Look at her laughing it up," a man"s disdainful voice sniped, cutting through Andy"s joy like a sharp blade. "I bet her whore of a mother sounded exactly the same as she was murdering entire families for their power."

I looked around to find the source of the voice. A troll cross of some kind, tall and lanky, with slightly greenish skin. His glare followed our group up the street. "How can you be seen with the likes of that filth?" he called loudly, addressing the non-witches in our little group. "Traitors!"

The people with him jeered and a small crowd was gathering like magic. "Or were you cowardly enough to get yourself enslaved by the bitch? Weaklings! I"d kill myself before I let a filthy Lovell use me that way."