14. Cary

14

Cary

I glared at Christie the moment I entered the bed-and-breakfast, and she had the good grace to look chagrined. For the most part, people didn’t mind Christie’s shenanigans, especially when they knew us personally. Most people outside the magical community didn’t even know what was happening. She didn’t know all that’d happened to Evan since the whole thing started, but she couldn’t have picked a worse time to use her power on him.

Regardless, we had bigger fish to fry than Christie throwing her charms around. Al was in her crafting room, a huge sunny addition to their bed-and-breakfast, where she spent most of her time perfecting her spells.

Compared to Al’s crafting room, my solarium was tiny. Not that I needed a big space for what I did. In fact, I thought it’d make me uncomfortable.

“So, what’s going on? I can feel something dark hanging around you.”

“I was attacked by—”

Al turned around, interrupting me. “Even after we spellcast it, it was still strong enough to attack you?”

I nodded. “I went into the basement to speak with it, but Evan secretly followed me and that’s when all hell broke loose. I think because he’s descended from the nanny who inherited the place, well should’ve inherited the place, Evan both infuriates the entity and gives it strength.”

“Do you think he’s somehow related? Descended?” Al asked. I shrugged, and my shoulder twinged slightly where the scratches were.

“Not according to the press. I’ve followed the whole thing, and according to them, the estate should’ve legally passed to the nanny. She’s Evan’s ancestor.”

“Poltergeists tend to be more powerful when their descendants are around. I’m going out on a limb here and stating the nanny must’ve been doing the nasty with her boss.”

I stared at her a moment in contemplation as my stomach dropped. “Or something more sinister, more like.”

Al’s face darkened, but she nodded. “That would explain the anger and the attacks. You said you were attacked. Let me see.”

“I already took care of the scratch—”

“I didn’t ask, Cary,” she said, interrupting me. “As your coven leader, I need to know how bad this is. Show me.”

I nodded and pulled my shirt off. She lifted the muslin poultice and sighed. “It left actual cuts inside you. That means—”

“It means he could get inside, and he did. He possessed me while I slept and scared the shit out of Evan. Fortunately, I’d cast a protection spell around myself before I went to sleep, but he was still able to use my body without… without my consent.”

“I was afraid something like this would happen. There’s never anything good that comes from having an angry spirit running around unchecked,” Al said, shaking her head and rubbing her temples. “We need to exorcise the thing, but this is more than our coven can handle. I’m going to call in a favor from the Chemeketa witches.”

It’d only been a couple of years since we’d all been asked to go down to Chemeketa to help with a nasty curse that was plaguing some brothers from the area. Hell, it was so powerful, it almost caused a volcanic eruption.

Chemeketa was an old, established witch community with powerful practitioners in all four elements. I’d grown up visiting the town, especially on holidays when they hosted big events, although my family weren’t directly involved with the witches living there.

I looked over toward Al who was deep in thought and wondered what to do about Evan while we called Chemeketa for help.

“Do you think Evan will be okay, or should we encourage him to stay away? I did tell him I’d fetch his luggage from the manor as soon as possible.”

“A quick grab and go with the luggage should be fine as long as we perform a cleansing spell on it before you take it to Evan. He should stay away for now, though. If he gives power to the entity, there’s no telling what could happen.”

“I can run over to the manor before it gets too late, then I’ll be back.”

Al gave an affirmative nod, but her mind was clearly on bigger things than clothing at the moment. “I’ve been wondering, you said Evan doesn’t have much money. Didn’t he inherit the place?”

I nodded. “Yeah, but the state signed it over to him. They didn’t actually fund anything. My impression is he’s in a bit of a land rich, cash poor situation.”

“Oh, well, that makes sense. The old place was about to fall apart last time I stayed in the hotel, and that was twenty years ago. Christie, honey, can you come in here?” Al called over my shoulder.

Christie came in, and Al sighed before going to her. “Listen, Evan, the man who was just here. He’s important to the exorcism of Cordelia Manor. We need him, and he needs to be kept safe.”

Christie’s face fell. “So, I need to apologize and clean all this up?”

Al smiled at her wife. The two were opposites in many ways, but their love couldn’t be denied. “Yes, but not tonight, dearest. He needs time to calm down, and I’m afraid seeing you now will not help him do that.”

Christie sighed, then kissed Al. “Okay, my dearest, I’ll go charm him tomorrow.”

Al and I said no simultaneously, causing Christie to laugh out loud. “Oh, you two, I can charm without using my powers. You’re both such sticks in the mud,” she said, twisting on her heels and heading out of the room.

When she was gone, I looked at our coven leader and smirked. “She’s a lovely handful, that one!”

Al groaned. “You’ve no idea,” she replied, but I did. Everyone in our coven did. Hell, everyone on the southern Oregon coast who’d met her did.

In many ways, I envied what Al and Christie had. Not only having someone to share your life with, but someone who fully accepted and embraced all aspects of you, witch and all. I’d never had such a partner and, quite frankly, didn’t think I ever would. Despite our powers and abilities to cast spells, finding one’s true love match was a magic even the most powerful witch couldn’t wield. Such was in the hands of the Fates.