Chapter 42

Forty-Two

When the doorbell rings, I'm the one who goes to answer it. The guys that aren't asleep aren't in a mood to move, and I'm not about to make them.

But Sheriff Jones isn't the one I expect to see.

He smiles at me, sheepishly. "You weren't at home, so I figured you'd be here."

I feel Joshua step up behind me, his hand goes to my waist.

"Is there a problem, Sheriff?" Joshua asks from behind me.

"Shit, Josh, you look like hell." He clears his throat. "Sorry, I just wanted to drop by and check that the… erm, threat, has passed. There's an awful lot of new faces in the area."

"Everything is back to normal." I assure him. "And those new faces will be gone by the end of the day."

"Right. Good." He nods, the movement using his whole body. "Is there something I can do… to stop that ‘feeling' we talked about… to keep it from happening again."

"Yes. I'll swing by your office next week and we'll talk."

He looks like he's not happy with that timeline. "Okay. The sooner the better, right?"

"That feeling?" Joshua asks when he gets four steps down the walk.

"Aphrodite had him wrapped up in an enchantment. He fought it pretty well, considering. But he wants to know how to make sure it never happens again."

"I would too."

A familiar black car pulls up to the curb behind the Sheriff's and brilliant neon red hair peeks out from beneath the hood of Elaria's sweater.

When the two pass at the bottom of the steps, I bite back a smile when the sheriff leans back, his smile stiff.

The fact that the sweetest woman in the world scares so many men will never not be funny to me.

"Don't be gone too long." Joshua kisses my shoulder and heads back into the living room.

I'm not exactly sure how he knows I'm leaving again, but I don't question it.

"Everything okay?" Elaria asks hopping to a stop on the stoop.

"Yeah… I just need a few supplies. Will you watch them while I go to Wexxon's?"

She glances into the dim house. "I could do the shopping."

"True, but I think Anthony deserves to hear what's going on from me." I glance over my shoulder. "Besides, they're mostly just sleeping… and if you can bear it, I thought you might be able to help me feed them."

That brings a smile to her brightly painted lips. "Of course."

"You aren't going to have a ton to work with in there."

She pulls her hood back and shimmies out of her coat before pulling the mass of bright locks up into a messy, but contained, bun. "And I am the one they say works miracles. Your guys aren't going to know what hit them."

"Nothing too crazy."

"Of course not. Just enough to make sure they have no objections the next time I decide to come down for a visit." She hands me her keys. "It's been a while since you've driven the beast. She misses you."

"Don't let the guys know until I come back. They might think she's unsafe."

Snorting an inelegant laugh, Elaria heads for the kitchen, and I hurry down the steps and hop into the seat of her 1968 Chevy Nova.

She loves the car so much, it looks brand new.

And it drives like a literal dream.

If I wasn't going to replace my mangled piece of metal with something that can fit at least six…

I bite my lip to keep from smiling too hard at that thought.

The beast fits in the parking space like a dream, despite feeling like a literal boat. If I didn't know how impossible it was, I'd say that the car itself was magic.

There are dozens of witches walking the streets, and a pair stand at the railing of the boardwalk.

If they were trying to look inconspicuous, they've failed.

The storefront is bright, but it's pretty clear Anthony is hiding. All the way in the back, with the counter between him and the world, he looks up at me with wide eyes, but he relaxes a moment later.

"Scarlette. Thank the Goddess. What the hell is going on? Is everyone okay?"

He looks past me, concern pitching his brows again. "I've never seen a coven of this size descend on a town before."

"They're here to clean up a mess." I glance out the window, to the two women standing on the boardwalk, watching the door. "And no, everyone is not okay. Aphrodite's dead."

"What?" His voice pitches sharper. "What happened?"

"She was dabbling in blood magic, bastardizing warnaway dolls, and spelling other witches to steal their power."

He looks a little green.

"After she left you for dead and totaled my car, she nearly killed the Miller sisters and my wolf pack. She would have if I hadn't gotten there in time."

"Oh my god." He doesn't look at me, but I see the moment he questions what he might have done.

"The coven didn't heed my warnings, so they're cleaning up as a sort of penance."

"Am I… under investigation?"

"No. They aren't watching you, they're observing your clientele more than anything."

He nods, but the movement seems to dislodge another thought. "Your… pack?"

"Yes." I don't bother to qualify them for him.

"So you're officially off the market, then?"

"People aren't up for barter or trade."

He chuckles, uncomfortable. "Right… Did I ever have a chance?"

"You're a nice guy, Anthony. Try being a good one."

He nods, but it's a stilted, jerky movement. "Okay…" He looks down at my empty hands on the counter and seems to shake loose of the confusion that's held him. "Did you just come to tell me? Or did you need supplies?"

"Both. Can you get the ladder?"

He looks up at the top shelves with a little concern. "Sure."

While he works on that, I pluck one of the slim baskets from beside the door and scoop up four green candles, a few dried bundles of rosemary and a small box of dried chamomile. The other items I pluck from baskets and racks are all things I have at home, but driving there and back would take far too long. And I don't want to leave them alone—even with Elaria—for that long.

"What do you need me to get down?"

"The tektite please, and that chunk of Carnelian that's been languishing for three years."

"Really?" He looks up at the two stones with a scowl. "That's a hefty price tag, Scar."

"I know." And getting the guys back to normal is worth any amount of money.

He places the ladder and then slips back behind the counter, coming back with two pairs of white gloves.

He hands me one and I put them on as he climbs the ladder.

The strangely round piece of tektite comes down first.

It's about the size of a softball, and it doesn't even have a card in front of it with a price. Those who can't afford it assumed it wasn't for sale. Those of us who can… know that the number would scare the others away from looking at anything else in the stone section.

I take it to the counter, placing it on the velvet mat he's laid out to keep the stones from scratching the glass. He's beside me a moment later with the enormous chunk of carnelian. It's so big, I honestly thought it was fake the first time I saw it.

"You sure you want these?"

"Ring me up and tell me the damage."

I hand my card over to him though, and we both know he doesn't actually need to say the amount out loud.

Once he's got the stones wrapped up, and the rest of the purchase bagged, he scowls at them. "How far away are you parked?"

"The usual distance."

"Pull up to the loading dock. This is too heavy to carry that far."

Ten minutes later, they're in Elaria's trunk and Anthony is eying the car with a look of pure jealousy.

"Don't drool on it, it's a friend's."

He smiles, which is an improvement.

"See you later Scar. Don't do anything to get yourself in more trouble."

"Of course not." I slip into the car and look at him in the rear-view mirror. "I'm the one cleaning up the messes."

Elaria has made a literal ton of food. And as soon as I get my boxes inside, she takes me by the hand and drags me into the kitchen too.

"Sit." She says, placing a souffle style quiche in front of me. "You can't take care of them if you don't take care of yourself as well."

There's another knock at the door and Elaria points at me. "Don't you dare."

When she disappears around the corner, Chase drops his head to my shoulder. "Your friend is bossy."

The others grumble agreements, and Johnny lets out a long sigh. "But damn if she doesn't make an amazing meal."

"Well," My mother says as she follows Elaria into the room. "You four look better than you did, but you are definitely going to need some rehab."

"I've already done a supply run," I say, ignoring the uncomfortable shifting around the table.

"Good. We are done here. The coven has finished all the clean up possible. You shouldn't have any residual effects from that spell." She looks toward Mrs. Miller's house. "I think we've worried the locals enough with our sudden invasion."

She looks down at me. "Walk me out?"

I take one more bite of the quiche and go with her to the door. But when we stop on the threshold, I don't receive the scolding I expect.

"I love you, Scarlette. Be safe."

"Always."

"We need you to take the three next door under your wing for a while. They'll need help, and I'm afraid that—after the ordeal with Aphrodite—they might go astray."

"They were spelled, surely the coven doesn't hold that against them."

"We don't, but they are not weak, and we both know that untrained strength can be its own problem. They trust you. You were able to free them."

"They might not trust anyone but themselves right now."

"But they do. They saw what you did… We arrived late and they know we let this go on for too long. They don't and won't trust anyone in Salem."

I nod in agreement and consider asking Elaria to help whenever she comes down. I saw the way they looked at her. The two of us are close enough to their age and we've had decades of training. We might be able to make it work.

"You do realize that if they won't join the coven, or if the coven won't accept them… They may be the final slice of the cord binding me to you all."

"And we have accepted that."

I've never heard anything so startling in my life.

"First, they accept my werewolves, then they are willing to risk the creation of another coven, so close…"

"Despite how it may feel, they trust you too. And with Martha gone, no one will try to throw stumbling blocks in your path." She glances at the wall that separates us from the kitchen. "Get them back to fighting fit, Bagel. You're going to need them."

"Why do I feel like you sometimes know my plans before I do?"

"The cards rarely lie."