Chapter 24

Chapter

Twenty-Four

" B etty ."

"Right here." I turned fully around to face Ronan, holding onto the rake for balance. "Before you start in, your father was perfectly safe. Everyone here was." Except for me, but that wasn't the issue. "I always account for contingencies like?—"

" Thank the gods ." He cradled the side of my face, fingers threading into my hair. His chest heaved. His body was rigid. Fur covered his arms, neck, and jaw. "You're all right? Really all right?"

Well. Hadn't expected that response.

I nodded.

"When the demon pushed your head through that opening … I thought…" He exhaled, closed his eyes. "Never mind."

"Hey, I'm fine." I felt out of my depth. I'd expected rage and gotten whatever this was instead. Tenderness?

His hand fell away from my face. "I'm glad."

Because I didn't know what to say, I went over the salt with the rake again. A few feet away, Joon blew out the candle, dumped out the water, and stacked the bowls containing the elements in his arms.

"Who's that?" Ronan asked.

"Baek Ye-Joon. He's the mage I met through my flyer on Beau's bulletin board."

"Is he here to take over the park?"

"It's why he showed up. I don't know that he'll stay, which sucks, because he's a perfect fit. He belongs here."

"When are you going to realize that you belong here?"

I stared down at the soil and willed it to respond, even a little. Joon's soil glimmered on my arms, but the soil at my feet did nothing. "I don't believe I do."

"Ah, Betty." He sighed.

" Ronan ." Alpha Floyd growled. " Get your ass over here ."

"Yes, Alpha." He started toward his father, the fur on his body retracting.

"Ronan?" I whispered.

"Yeah?" He immediately came back to me. The alpha's angry growl followed him.

"If there is a reason, and it doesn't have to be tonight, but if there is a reason, will you tell me why you really stay in the pack?"

His eyes shone like sunlight on a spinning gold coin. One side of his mouth quirked, but he said nothing. There was a nakedness in him that went beyond being unclothed, an emotional exposure I felt down to my bones.

He had a reason. And it was very, very important to him.

Another growl brought us back to the present. Ronan turned away from me and crunched over the gravel to the black SUV. Alpha Floyd shrieked obscenities at him, and he stood there, naked and alone, and took it. Every abusive word his Alpha sneered and spat and screeched. He held himself like an Ancient Greek statue—chin up, shoulders squared—and just … took the abuse.

Fury filled me like hellfire pain. I fanned the dying embers of my own magic and pulled some from Joon's soil.

" Your permission to remain here is rescinded, Fernando Pallás and Mason Hartman ," I whispered. "Get off my property."

Alpha Floyd choked on his next words. Someone yipped, and the engine roared to life. The passenger door slammed shut and the SUV tore out of the lot like the devil was on its tail, leaving Ronan standing there scratching his head.

The coven and wolves were finally gone.

Good riddance.

Ronan looked at me over his shoulder, the muscles of his naked, powerfully built body flexing in the moonlight. He didn't smile, but he didn't seem angry, either. He strode to his truck, wrenched open the door, and took a pair of gray sweats from the back seat. He stepped into them, maintaining eye contact as he dressed.

There was vulnerability in the way he looked at me. A pained something that made me want to shove his repulsive father's head through a hell portal and boot the rest of his body in after it.

I wanted to call Ronan over, ask if he was all right like he'd done for me, and I opened my mouth to do so, but he broke eye contact before I could. He threw himself behind the wheel of his truck, cranked the engine, and drove away.

Ida strolled up. "Nice one, Betty. Good timing on revoking their right to be here. A second more of that whining from Alpha Floyd, and I might've yanked the soul out of his body and stomped it into the gravel."

"Maybe I should've waited a second longer then." I stumbled and nearly dropped the rake. That last burst of magic had stolen away what little energy I had left.

"Give that here. You're about to keel over." She took the rake out of my hands and scraped over the parts of the circles I'd missed.

"Thanks," I said, watching her work. "So, that was very deus ex machina of Sexton, showing up in the nick of time like that."

"Yep."

Scrape , scrape , scrape .

"When did you call him?"

Ida gripped the rake handle tighter. "I didn't. He called me . Asked if he should put in an appearance. Apparently, you told him what you were up to, and he was concerned."

"Concerned? He's never concerned himself with my demon-summoning shenanigans in the past," I said. "Why now?"

She rested the rake against her shoulder and looked at me. "You haven't summoned anything since before Lila died. The only time you've come close was the other night in Sexton's cemetery."

"I banished Gnath," I said. "Three times, counting tonight."

"Besides the fact that a hitchhiker demon doesn't exactly rank at the top of the demonic power class, banishments aren't summonings. Fewer moving parts in a banishment. Something you already know." She started raking again.

"Sexton was watching me that night in his cemetery, wasn't he?" I'd expected it. I'd mentioned as much to Ida. Still, the fact that I hadn't picked up on his presence was unsettling.

"More than that night. He's taken an interest in you. Probably not a good sign, even if it worked out tonight. Demons don't do things for altruistic reasons, which means he's got plans for you."

"He wants me to do another job, is all. I have no intention of doing it, if that makes you feel better."

"This isn't about a job."

A chilly breeze blew loose strands of my hair into my face. I tucked them behind my ears. "You sound worried."

"Worried doesn't begin to cover it. But I'm also the one who gave that creep temporary permission to enter the property." She kicked gravel over a stubborn spot. "Make of that what you will."

I didn't mention that with Persephone's Ear, he didn't require permission. "I love you, too."

She held the rake steady and met my gaze with a soft smile. Ida loved me even more than she feared Sexton, and that was no small thing.

"Don't leave the park, Betty." The words burst from her, each syllable a cry of sorrow. "You keep trying to lone wolf it through life, and it's not working. What if I hadn't been around tonight? What if Sexton hadn't called? What if Joon hadn't been chanting double-time to keep your outer circle up?" Her voice wobbled, and I knew she was fighting back tears. " What if you'd died ?"

Now I was fighting them. I wrapped my arms around myself. "I'm not trying to lone wolf it, I swear."

"Sure seems that way. You're my best friend. I know better than anyone how much you crave connection. Yet, when it presents itself, you run. Why do you always run ?"

It hurt that she thought that, and it wasn't her fault that she did. She didn't know everything.

"Stay here, Betty. You can?—"

"I don't want to leave. I have to," I blurted.

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I looked around to see if anyone else had heard. The only ones around were Joon, Ida, and me, and Joon was by the dumpster cleaning out the elemental bowls.

"Because of the money?" Ida asked. "I can help with that. I've offered to help. I've raised my own rent every month since you moved back, and you keep returning the money. This is a prime example of?—"

"It's not the money—well, not just the money. It's my magic."

Her gaze sharpened. "What's going on with your magic?"

"It's dying."

Ida let the rake fall. "What? Why?"

"I don't know. Or I guess I do, I just don't know what to do about it. The soil here rejects me. I'm an elemental witch. An earth witch. I need to connect with the soil." I was talking too fast, but I couldn't seem to slow down. "I've stayed on dead soil before, and it didn't drain my magic, so I don't understand why it's happening now, yet it's the only thing I can think of." I babbled. "It's the only thing that makes sense. I'm not as powerful I was three years ago, before?—"

"Lila died," Ida said. "Is it … because of her death?"

I'd also made that connection, but I didn't believe it had to do with Mom's death. At least, not directly. "I don't think so. It started when I moved back here."

"But you aren't here all the time. You were gone over the holidays. You missed the gift exchange and my eggnog, remember? I had to freeze your tamales." Now she was babbling.

Honestly, was it any wonder we were best friends?

"All I know is my magic is less powerful. Take tonight. There's no way any demon should've been able to cross one of my salt circles. Not even one like Belial." I sniffed. "Three years ago, he wouldn't have."

Ida's mouth moved, but she didn't say anything. She bent to pick up the rake then changed her mind and grasped my upper arms instead. "Why in the world didn't you tell me? You must've been terrified."

The tears I'd kept at bay all night spilled down my cheeks. "I was—I am."

"And you were all alone with this. You should've told me." She wrapped her arms all the way around me and squeezed. "Don't go it alone again. Not when I'm right here ready to go with you." She waggled her eyebrows. "You know how I love an adventure."

A laugh burst out of me, and I slung my arms around her. We hugged for a long time. It felt good.

"Thank you, Ida."

"You'd do the same for me."

Joon strolled up, the bowls still in his arms. "Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt, but where would you like me to put your things?"

Ida and I broke apart, and I wiped my cheeks with the backs of my hands.

"I'll take them." I held out my hands for the bowls, and he handed them to me. "Thanks for your help tonight, Joon."

"That was intense." He looked out over the parking lot. "Is it always like this around here?"

"Not at all. I'll have you know I hardly ever accidentally summon hell demons in the parking lot at midnight."

"Yeah," Ida said. "We only do that on special occasions."

"Nice to know." He smiled, dark eyes glinting in the moonlight.

"I owe you. You held that second circle," I said.

He glanced over at the raked salt. "No, I didn't."

Ida and I exchanged puzzled glances. "But you were chanting," I said. "The circle didn't break. I figured?—"

"Yeah, I mean, I backed you up with the second circle, but, Betty, you didn't need it. That circle was rock solid. The coven witches were worried the demon would break through, but after watching the wolf shifter go at it, I wasn't. You're too good a witch for that to happen."

"She's the best damn witch you'll ever meet," Ida said.

"I don't know about that. I let myself get pulled into the center circle," I said, my pride—and my psyche—still smarting from the smackdown.

"Yeah, about that. You weren't trying to bring that demon into this realm, but he came through anyway. Why?"

"I don't know. He came from Hades. The portal I opened was from Limbo."

"Those are vastly different realms," Ida said. "Hell's not exactly an easy nut to crack, either. Even for necromancers."

Joon looked at her with new appreciation. He hadn't realized he was in the presence of a necromancer. The way he responded, with respect instead of fear or disdain, made me like him even more.

"What if it was the book curse?" Ida asked.

"It would make sense," Joon said.

"But I didn't make the exchange until after the second demon showed up."

"Seriously, Betty?" Ida scowled. "You don't think Alpha Floyd might've found a way to make sure your name was on that receipt instead of his?"

"He paid the bookseller for another book, not the grimoire. That's how they got around the curse," I said.

"The bookseller told you that? Or the alpha?"

"The alpha. The bookseller was kind of cagey about— that son of a bastard . He set me up."

"Of course he did. He hates you." Ida slammed the rake into the dirt. "Why do you think he was yelling at your boyfriend so much when he tried to save you?"

Not my boyfriend, but I didn't bother refuting it. I knew who she meant.

Joon nodded, building up speed as he spoke. "The alpha was furious when the wolf shifted. He kept yelling that the wolf was here to protect his alpha leader , not some trailer-trash, troublemaking witch —his words, not mine."

"Yeah, I thought Ronan was going to rip his dad a new one when he said that. His eyes went gold and glowy and his claws popped out." Ida tapped her pursed lips with one finger. "It was probably a good thing he stopped short of attacking his old man, though. The last thing we needed then was a wolf-dominance battle."

I was stunned. A loss of control like that would do Ronan no favors with his alpha or the rest of the pack. Why would he do something so dangerous because of me?

My head was starting to ache. I tottered, nearly dropping the bowls.

Joon swooped up next to me and took them out of my arms. "You need rest."

Ida came up on the other side of me, rake in hand. "The salt's all mixed in with the soil now. We can deal with the gravel tomorrow. Let's get you home."

They helped me to my Airstream, Joon carrying my bowls, Ida steadying me when I felt shaky. We kept our voices down so as not to awaken any sleeping tenants, although how they'd all managed to sleep through Belial's appearance and the yelling that had taken place afterward, I had no idea.

"If you don't mind me asking, what did it feel like going through that portal?" Joon asked. "I've never experienced something like that before, but I've summoned beings through them, and they always seem angered beyond what you'd expect for being inconvenienced."

I tried to describe the pain and terror, but I couldn't seem to muster the right words. Finally, I said, "It was awful. But it would've been a lot worse if you hadn't rubbed that soil on me. Thank you for that."

"I'm glad it helped," he said.

"It came alive on my skin and protected me. Saved my life." I ran my fingers over my chest as I recollected how the soil had glittered like thousands of tiny diamonds over my heart. "How did you get it to respond like that? What spell did you use?"

"I didn't use any spell." The mage smiled with his mouth, frowned with his brows. "It was the soil I picked up earlier from where the cactus used to grow. You saw me do it."

My breath caught in my chest. That had been Mom's soil?

Dumbfounded, I said, "I assumed you took it to work with it in private, not use it on me. You said it was deeply injured."

"It is," he said. "And, after tonight, I'm pretty sure you might be the only person able to heal it."

"I don't think so."

"With respect, I believe you're wrong." He set my bowls on an empty plant stand by my door. "Betty, I didn't do anything to that soil except rub it on you. I thought it might help ground your magic. You were the one who brought it to life."

I didn't know what else to say.

The soil had finally responded to me. Finally .

"That was one heck of a summoning. Haven't seen one like that in forty years." Ida rested the rake against the side of my trailer and stretched her arms over her head. "I'm too amped up to sleep. Anyone up for a nightcap?"

"I'm in.," Joon said.

"Next time." Though a stiff shot might have thawed the shock that had frozen me in place after Joon's revelation, I didn't want a drink. I wanted to think.

They left with a promise to check on me in the morning.

Fennel skulked out from behind a mesquite tree. He was alone, so Cecil must've returned to the garden room after they'd finished patrolling the Siete Saguaros.

"Did the wards hold?" I asked. "Is everyone safe?"

" Meow ."

"That's a relief. Thanks for your help."

I swung my trailer door until it hit the side of the trailer and snicked into the latch that held it open. Then I sat in the doorway with my feet on the step and my head on the cold doorframe. I'd left the radio on KLXX, and the dreamy guitar intro of "Strange Magic" by E.L.O. flowed into me.

Fennel jumped into my lap and purred in my face.

"Did you see what happened when Joon put that soil on my arm? That was from Red's grave. Mom's soil responded to me , Fennel. Can you believe it?"

" Meow ."

I sat up, and Fennel moved to my side. "I know. I can't explain it, either."

Vita.

Life.

Could it really be that simple?

I scooped up a handful of dry soil and pushed magic into it the way my mom had showed me. The way Abuela Lulu had showed her, because Bisabuela Lily had taught her, because Tatarabuela Beatriz had done the same.

" Vita ," I breathed the Latin word into my hand with the voices of all the witches before me.

Magic glittered over the soil, starting at my feet and spreading to the edges of the property. It looked like a sequin bedspread being unfurled beneath a disco ball.

It lasted for a mere second, and was only a flicker, but it was enough.

More than enough.

It was everything.