Chapter 12

"Gran?"Lily called out as she walked into the large Victorian two days after her impromptu overnight stay on Westerly Island. "Are you here?"

Bethany Befana appeared in the foyer, a bundle of herbs in her hands. "Lily? Did I know you were coming over today?"

"No." Lily chuckled as she walked over and gave her a hug. "I just dropped in. Wanted to do some research in your library and pick your brain a little."

"Okay, give me about fifteen minutes. I'm working on my energy clearing bundles. They are almost ready for the spell to be cast."

"Take your time," Lily said as she climbed the stairs to the second floor. Lily had gone straight home the day before and spent most of her time going through online archives from the Salem Witches Library, trying to find a way to reverse the curse for Braxton. But she hadn't found anything useful. She had a sneaking suspicion that the curse she was looking for was restricted. As it should be. It was highly illegal to use a curse that dangerous.

Light streamed through the open window of the library, illuminating the rich dark wood. And when the breeze blew in, the sheer curtain billowed, making it look like something out of a fantasy novel. With bookcases filled from floor to ceiling on each wall, the room was a researcher's dream.

Lily walked over to the section that was labeled research only and found books on illegal black magic, curses, and hexes. She'd never spent any time going through these tomes. There'd never been any reason to. Without a search engine or card catalog, the task seemed daunting. But she was determined, so the only thing to do was to start opening books. She went through five fairly quickly, dismissing them due to the grim topic of sacrifice. Braxton's mother didn't sound like the type to do anything that would cost her anything as precious as her power.

Lily switched bookcases and thought she might have hit paydirt. All the curses in that section revolved around revenge of the heart. She pulled out five of the books and sat at the big desk that was situated right in the middle of the room. After flipping through two of them, her stomach roiled. The things people were willing to do to each other sickened her. There was everything from wiping someone's memory to cursing them to being loveless for the rest of their lives.

When she spotted the curse to magically bind someone to another person against their will, she stopped and read the pages more carefully. It didn't look like the exact curse that had been cast on Braxton, but it certainly was similar. If the person tried to form a connection to someone else, bad things started to happen. Only this one was specifically designed to make a person sick if they strayed. Vomiting, headaches, and hives appeared to be the most common issues.

Lily put that book aside with a marker at that page and picked up another book. By the time her grandmother walked into the room, she was ready to burn all the books.

"We shouldn't have these just lying around," Lily said, slamming the book shut.

"They aren't just ‘lying around,' Lily. You know that," Bethany said patiently. "If anyone who isn't a Befana were to walk in here, they'd be trapped near that door and stuck until one of us came and released them. No one is getting access to the books here without permission."

"I suppose, but they just seem so… accessible. Like we're asking for trouble just having these books out in the open." Lily couldn't shake the horrible feelings she'd gotten while going through the curses. She just could not understand why humans had to hurt each other. It made her stomach churn.

Bethany rubbed her granddaughter's shoulders. "Tell me what you're looking for. Maybe I can help."

Lily picked up the book she'd set aside and opened it to her marked page. "I'm looking for a curse very similar to this one, but the particulars are a little different." She went on to tell her grandmother about Braxton's curse and the women who'd been compelled by her articles to act out her advice on him.

"Oh dear," Bethany said. "No wonder he had such dark energy. I bet it's already tainted again," she mused. Then she looked at Lily. "Or maybe not if he's been spending time with you."

"What does that mean?" Lily asked, frowning.

"Just that you have very pure energy, and it would affect his in a positive way." She gripped one of the crystals she was wearing around her neck as she studied the curse in the book. "You're right. This doesn't sound like the exact curse that's been cast on Braxton. But I do think I know which one it might be." She tapped her lips with one finger as she studied the bookcase. After a moment, she closed her eyes and chanted a finding spell in Latin. When she pointed her finger at the bookcase, one on the far end on the bottom shelf illuminated as if glowing from within the pages. "There it is. Grab that one for us, honey."

Lily did as she was told and handed the book to her grandmother.

Bethany opened the book immediately to the correct page and started to read. "Destruction of the Heart Curse is meant to bind one person to another for life, and if they harbor feelings for someone else, unfortunate events will keep occurring until that person is no longer a threat." There was a long list of possible incidents, but then at the bottom of the page it said the consequences would manifest as something specific to the person who had come between the two people who were bound together.

"That sounds exactly like it. No two people experienced the same issues." Lily told her grandmother about Braxton's exes and their bad luck and then said, "So far, the only thing that's happened to me is that people are acting out the satirical advice in my columns and taking it out on Braxton. While none of that is devastating, it is humiliating for the women and Brax. The only side effect for me personally is a desire to censor myself so that no one does anything particularly awful."

Bethany nodded. "I suspect it hasn't escalated because you're a Befana witch. Your powers are strong enough to keep that curse at bay. So it's found a way to affect those around you, but not you personally."

Lily let out a huff of frustration. "So if I keep seeing Braxton, anything that I've written could potentially be acted out by random people of Befana Bay?"

"Looks like it," she said, sounding sympathetic. "I know that's frustrating, but at least no one will have ceramic pigs falling from the sky."

"There is that, I suppose," Lily said, sitting back in the chair and silently hating Braxton's mother. "How do we neutralize it?"

"Looks like the best way is to find the person Braxton was bound to, and then a spell can be cast to break the curse."

"What if she can't be found? Is there another way?"

Bethany frowned at the book as her brows knitted. "There is a way, but it's very unpredictable. If it goes wrong, the spell rebounds onto whoever has feelings for Braxton." She looked down at her granddaughter. "That's you. It's too risky, Lily. You could end up cursed just like Braxton."

"But Befana Bay has a powerful coven. They could help, right? Surely a curse like this isn't too much for them."

"It's a lot to ask, Lily. If the curse rebounds, it won't be just you who is affected. You'll bear the consequences, but then all my friends and I will have to live with the fact that we caused that harm. You know what that does to a witch over time."

Causing harm eroded powers as well as compassion, and all of the Befana Bay witches were particularly wary of abusing their powers. It had happened before. They refused to let it happen again. "I know, but can we at least ask them?"

"We will at the next coven meeting." Bethany slammed the book closed and put it back on its shelf. "Now, let's go get some tea and cleanse our energy. We don't want any negativity sticking to us after going through all those curses."

"Sounds perfect to me."

* * *

Once Lily was back home,she went onto her back porch with her notebook, took a seat in the wooden swing, and called Braxton.

"Hey, you," Braxton said after the first ring. "What's up?"

"I need to know Lucy's last name," she said, getting right to the point.

When he answered, his tone was hesitant. "Do I want to know why you're asking?"

Lily chuckled. "Probably not. Should I tell you anyway?"

"You're trying to find her, aren't you?" He sounded frustrated, and she wondered if she was stepping over the line.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "If you really don't want me to do this, just tell me and I'll back off, but?—"

"It's not that," he said, letting out a deep breath. "My mother showed up last night."

"The one who sold your ex a curse?" She winced and wished she could shove the words back down her throat.

"That's the one. Katerina Kirkwood is now staying in my garage apartment. She says she's here to make amends, to break the curse, but I don't know if I believe her."

Lily whistled softly. "That's big news. What made her show up now?"

"I have no idea. She says she's out of the grifting and cursing business and needs a place to get back on her feet. If it wasn't for the curse, I'd slam the door in her face, but I just… couldn't. If there's even a possibility she's telling the truth, I have to see this through."

"I don't blame you," Lily said, but she had a bad feeling about it. Scammers rarely changed. "But how about you give me Lucy's last name, and I'll work on finding her, too. That way maybe we'll find her before your mom crosses your boundaries."

He let out a soft chuckle. "That sounds like a plan. It's Lansing. Lucy Lansing."

Lily scribbled it down in her notebook. "I'll do everything I can. In the meantime, what can I do to help?"

"Tell me I'm not crazy for letting her stay?"

"You're not crazy," Lily said with conviction. "Anyone would do the same in your shoes."

"I don't know about that, but thank you for saying so."

They chatted for a few more minutes before Lily said, "Okay, I'm going to start working on this. Call me if you need anything."

"I will. Goodnight, Lily."

"Goodnight."

Lily ended the call and sat back, wishing that she'd asked Braxton to come over. She'd like nothing more than to feel his arms around her again. She closed her eyes, imagining how things would be different if he wasn't cursed and then put her fantasies aside and got to work.

She pulled up her contacts on her phone and tapped the screen.

As the phone rang, she got up and paced the back deck.

"Lily, long time no chat," Ressa said when she answered.

"It's been a while since we've had to do any background checks," Lily said. "How are you?"

"Not bad. I was thinking of heading out to Befana Bay for the Midsummer Festival. I heard it's pretty good."

"It's fantastic. Though, I might be biased since I'm in charge of planning it this year," Lily said with a small chuckle. "You should come, though. I'd love to see you."

"I will. Now, why did you really call? 'Cause I know you didn't ring my phone just to ask how I'm doing. And if I'm not mistaken, there isn't any filming going on in your lovely little village at the moment either. Everyone's on a break, right?"

"You're right on both counts. I need a favor. It's a personal one."

"I can certainly try. Hit me," Ressa said.

"I need you to find someone for me. A grifter, one who isn't afraid of using illegal curses. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure. If they're traceable, I'll find them. Text me the name and any other information you have on them. I'll start a trace tonight."

"You're the best," Lily said, feeling relieved to finally be doing something. "I owe you one."

"Only a beer when I see you at the festival." Ressa clicked off, and Lily got busy texting her the details.

Fifteen minutes later, Lily climbed into her tub with a glass of wine in hand, wishing a certain tall dark and handsome outdoor shop owner was there to share her bath with her.

When her phone rang, she grabbed it and was only slightly disappointed to see it was her sister Indigo. "Hey, what's up?"

"Dinner. That's what's up. The four of us are meeting up in an hour to eat at The Salt Circle. Then we're going for drinks. We're not taking no for an answer."

"When did you decide this?" Lily asked, staring down at the bubbles in the water.

"Five minutes ago. Gran says you need girl time. So be there, or we're coming to drag you out of the house."

Lily laughed, suddenly feeling lighter. Her grandmother always knew what she needed. "No need to drag me out. I'll be there with bells on."

"Good. And wear something dangerous. It's ladies' night at the bar." The call ended, and Lily hauled herself out of the bath and got busy looking her best.