CRYSTAL WEB

A Moonshadow Bay Novel, Book 7

YASMINE GALENORN

A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication

Published by Yasmine Galenorn

PO Box 2037, Kirkland WA 98083-2037

CRYSTAL WEB

A Moonshadow Bay Novel

Copyright © 2022 by Yasmine Galenorn

First Electronic Printing: 2022 Nightqueen Enterprises LLC

First Print Edition: 2022 Nightqueen Enterprises

Cover Art & Design: Ravven

Art Copyright: Yasmine Galenorn

Editor: Elizabeth Flynn

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any format, be it print or electronic or audio, without permission. Please prevent piracy by purchasing only authorized versions of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, or places is entirely coincidental and not to be construed as representative or an endorsement of any living/ existing group, person, place, or business.

A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication

Published in the United States of America

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Welcome to Crystal Web

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Playlist

Biography

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Welcome back to January Jaxson’s world—the world of Moonshadow Bay.

Thanks to my usual crew: Samwise, my husband, Andria and Jennifer—without their help, I’d be swamped. To the women who have helped me find my way in indie, you’re all great, and thank you to everyone. To my wonderful cover artist, Ravven, for the beautiful work she’s done. Thanks to my beloved niece Jade Fyrenis and my best friend Carol Shannon, two of the most remarkable and magickal women I know.

Also, my love to my furbles, who keep me happy. My heart is over the rainbow with my Rainbow Girls, and here in the present with our current babies. My most reverent devotion to Mielikki, Tapio, Ukko, Rauni, and Brighid, my spiritual guardians and guides. My love and reverence to Herne, and Cernunnos, and to the Fae, who still rule the wild places of this world. And a nod to the Wild Hunt, which runs deep in my magick, as well as in my fiction.

You can find me through my website at Galenorn.com and be sure to sign up for my newsletter to keep updated on all my latest releases and to access the VIP section of my website, which has all sorts of perks on it! You can find my advice on writing, discussions about the books, and general ramblings on my YouTube Channel and my blog. If you liked this book, I’d be grateful if you’d leave a review—it helps more than you can think.

Brightest Blessings,

~The Painted Panther~

~Yasmine Galenorn~

WELCOME TO CRYSTAL WEB

Strange events—stranger than usual—begin to happen around town, odd accidents and frightening encounters. The chief of police asks Conjure Ink to investigate. As we delve deeper into what’s going on, we find evidence that Moonshadow Bay is being visited by the infamous Mothman. And worse than that, he seems to have targeted my best friend, Ari. Can we stop him before something terrible happens, and before Ari ends up dead?

Reading Order for the Moonshadow Bay Series:

- Book 1: Starlight Web

- Book 2: Midnight Web

- Book 3: Conjure Web

- Book 4: Harvest Web

- Book 5: Shadow Web

- Book 6: Weaver’s Web

- Book 7: Crystal Web

- Book 8: Witch’s Web (forthcoming)

CHAPTER ONE

I stared at the platter of hamburger patties and hotdogs. It was overflowing, but I wasn’t convinced we had enough. “Somebody needs to make a store run for more meat,” I said, covering it with plastic wrap to keep away the insects. “And while you’re there, pick up more whipped cream for the strawberry shortcake!”

“I’ll go,” Meagan said. She held out her hand. “Collection time.”

Killian handed her a ten-dollar bill, Rowan brought out a ten, Teran anted up a five, and Nerium, another member of the Crystal Cauldron, handed over fifteen.

“Get two more bottles of mead while you’re at it,” she said, winking.

Meagan folded the money and stuck it in the pocket of her jeans. “Will do! I’ll be back in a bit. Meanwhile, save a couple of those dogs for me!”

As she headed for the front door, Killian picked up the platter of meat. The rest of us gathered up the rest of the food and party supplies and followed him onto my back porch. It was big enough to hold everybody from the Crystal Cauldron coven along with a number of our other friends. Two grills were set up on the lawn, one of them already covered with ribs. Killian carried the platter of meat down to the table beside the grills. Andrew, my aunt Teran’s beau, took over cooking the hamburgers and hot dogs while Killian went back to minding the ribs.

The rest of us arranged the food and supplies on the folding tables that we had set up on the enclosed porch. My aunt took the package of cookies from me and then shooed me away.

“Go rest, January. You’ve already done enough. Let us take care of this.” She leaned in to kiss my forehead.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m sure. Go stroll around the yard or talk to Ari. You both complain about never getting enough time to hang out anymore.” Teran turned back to the table and motioned for Ari to join me.

As Ari and I descended the steps to the backyard, I inhaled a deep breath of warm air. We were having our annual May heat wave that usually lasted about a week. Then it was back to rain and cool weather until summer truly hit. The real heat came in late July and August. Western Washington had its own brand of weather, and for the most part, we were a lovely, temperate spot among the encroaching climate change that was working its way through the world. Oh, we were being hit too, but not nearly as bad as some areas.

“I’m glad to see the sun for a change,” Ari said. She’d been my best friend since childhood. We grew up together. Then, when I got married, we almost lost touch thanks to my asshole ex, but now I was divorced, back in Moonshadow Bay, and we were best buds again. “It feels like it’s been a long, harsh winter.”

“That’s because it has,” I said. “I’m so tired of dealing with ghosts. At least I have Bigfoot to look forward to.”

Tad Gelphart, the twenty-something owner of Conjure Ink, the paranormal investigations organization and website that I worked for, had approved our plans to go camping on the slopes of Mount Baker in July. We were on a mission to find Bigfoot. I was looking forward to it, in a perverse sort of way. Even sasquatch would be a welcome relief from the hauntings that I had dealt with over the past few months. Angry ghosts could be such a bitch.

Ari and I wandered over to the edge of the Mystic Wood. A magical forest that surrounded most of Moonshadow Bay, which was ten miles south of Bellingham, WA, the woodland was filled with various denizens who were far from human. The forest was a glittering and deadly copse, and few people entered it willingly. But Ari and I had played in it since childhood, and the Mystic Wood was rooted as deep in my heart as much as every other part of Moonshadow Bay. This town was part of my blood. Literally, since my great-grandmother and great-grandfather had founded it in 1905.

We sat on the bench I’d placed at the border of the forest. From here, we could see the activity on the porch, but we were far enough away to speak privately.

I closed my eyes, feeling the sun beat down on me. After a moment, I shook my head and looked up into the sky, shading my eyes with my hand. “I think the ritual went well.”

The Crystal Cauldron coven, run by my grandmother—Rowan Firesong—had celebrated Beltane a day late. Yesterday, the first of May, rain had pelted the ground so hard that it stung when it hit flesh. Nobody wanted to hold a ritual in the mud. Instead, we’d decided to gather today. The coven held its private celebration and ritual, then we invited our loved ones and friends to the cookout.

“How does Meagan like her new job?” I asked.

Ari’s wife had taken a new job as the dean of women’s sports at Bellingham Technical Community College. She had grown tired of dealing with high school students, so now she was in a whole new level of hell as far as I was concerned.

“She likes it,” Ari said, hesitating.

“Except…?” I knew that pause—something was going on.

Ari sighed. “The job’s fine, actually. We’ve just…been bickering lately. We’re trying to make a decision and we haven’t managed to come to a mutual conclusion.”

I knew how much the two loved each other, but they were definitely cut from two different molds. Ari was impetuous and wanted to dive into things. Meagan was more cautious, and she thought things out—sometimes overly much.

“What’s the problem?” I asked.

Ari let out a sigh. “Meagan wants to have a baby. As in…soon. I’m not ready.”

I blinked. I would have thought the situation would have been the other way around, but apparently not. “Have you discussed who would carry the baby? Who’s going to be the sperm donor? Can you even afford to have one now?”

“All good questions and no clear answer. Meagan’s biological clock is running wild. We both have time, given I’m Witchblood and she’s a shifter, but I guess turning forty-three freaked her out.”

Meagan had been in our class at school, though she’d been a year older than most of us. She’d also been one of the mean girls—the stereotypical cheerleader, in love with Jim Franks, the football captain. They married, but it didn’t work out. A few years ago, Meagan announced she was gay, ended the marriage, and had been unceremoniously ousted from her pack.

Bear shifters tended to be on the conservative side of things, and her mother couldn’t accept that she’d left a wealthy husband for a not-so-wealthy woman. I had my suspicions it was the social decline that bothered Mrs. Lopez more than the gay aspect. Either way, Meagan’s mother had tried to ruin Ari’s business, but hadn’t succeeded.

“Why? I mean, shifters are fertile well into their early hundreds. Witchblood are also fertile for a long time. Look at how old Rowan was when she had my father. She was seventy-one! You two have plenty of time.” I didn’t understand the desire to have children, but I encouraged it when my friends went baby-crazy, because supporting friends was what you did.

“I know,” Ari said. “Usually, I’m the one who leaps before I look, but this time it’s Meagan. She keeps insisting that we’re capable of taking on a baby now, with everything else. But we just got married. My business is booming. I don’t have time to watch a child. And she just started the new job. Good gods, January, there’s no way we could handle a kid.”

“Well, at least you won’t get pregnant accidentally, given…” I stopped, wondering if I had taken the conversation a step too far, but Ari snorted.

“Thank heavens for small favors.” She let out a long sigh. “I have to shake her out of this baby-mania phase. I do want children, but not right now, and not while we’re in the middle of so many changes.” She glanced back at Killian and Andrew. “They seem to be having fun. Your aunt’s kept this one around for a while.”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding.

Aunt Teran was a serial dater. She never let relationships get too settled. She dated widely—men of any age over forty was fair game if he met her standards. She was sixty-eight. Teran never allowed herself to grow too fond of any guy in particular. But Andrew had been around longer than usual and I wondered if there was something about the geeky professor that had allowed himself to worm his way into her heart. But before I could say anything, the men yelled for us to come eat, so we gathered up our things and headed for the porch.

I paused, sensing someone watching me. Turning, I caught sight of Rebecca, the imp who lived in the Mystic Wood behind my house. Imps were minor demons, and when I was a child, Rebecca had almost killed me. Now, she couldn’t do much to me and we had become unintended allies. She had the appearance of a golden-haired five-year-old girl, but there was a lot of power lurking behind those twinkling eyes.

I walked over toward her. She had come out close to the lawn, and she looked like she was waiting for me. “Hey Rebecca, what’s up? I gather you smelled the ribs? I think we have extra if you want some.”

Rebecca loved Killian’s barbecued ribs, and I kept thinking if we fed her now and then, it would keep her from looking for other victims.

“I like ribs,” she said, which was her way of asking for some. She glanced over at the party and for a moment, I thought I detected a wistful look in her eyes, but that passed as she turned back to me. “Be careful, January. Something’s in town and it’s dangerous.”

“Like the archer we had to deal with?” I asked. My grandmother Rowan had taken care of the last nasty visitor we’d had.

“Worse. Much worse,” Rebecca said, shaking her curls. “Nobody knows what it is—though some of the Woodlings whisper that they’ve seen it before in years gone by. I feel it in my bones—this is an ancient and deadly entity, and it brings with it ill tidings.”

Her words shot a chill through my bones. Rebecca wasn’t given to hyperbole, and she wouldn’t be out to frighten me for no reason.

“I don’t suppose the Woodlings would talk to me about it?”

I had met them before, but they were a capricious group. Woodland spirits, their bodies were shaped like trees. They lived both in the Mystic Wood, yet also in another dimension. There were portals they had erected through the forest, but they were ever changing and difficult to find.

“I can ask, but I don’t know that I’ll get an answer.” Rebecca paused, then said, “The Mystic Wood doesn’t want this creature here. I can feel the resistance. Whatever it is, it doesn’t belong here, like you and I belong to the forest.”

That was the first time Rebecca had included me in belonging to the Mystic Wood. I felt oddly honored, as though she had finally accepted my presence.

I gave her a soft nod. “I’ll keep my eyes open and tell my team about it. We’ll be on the lookout.” Pausing, I waited a beat and then asked, “Is it dangerous?”

“It’s more deadly than most of the ghosties that you hunt,” Rebecca said. She leaned forward. “Don’t go out alone in the dark, January. It feeds in the dark, and it mesmerizes. I can feel the pull from miles away. It ripples through the wind.”

I had to force myself to breathe. The air around me suddenly felt claustrophobic and I shuddered, biting my lip as I tried to return my focus to the present. A moment later and the wave had passed by, but somehow, I felt seen—exposed.

“I’ll bring you some ribs,” I said. It was my way of thanking her.

“A dogger too?” Rebecca never said “hotdogs” or “wieners.” Instead, she called them “doggers.”

“Several, if you like.”

“And a piece of your soft bread?”

“Several pieces.” I turned back toward my house.

The bright sun of the day seemed incongruent with my mood and I couldn’t help but think about what she had told me. Something was out there waiting, but I could feel it now, hiding and lurking until it was ready to…to…

Losing my train of thought, I returned to the grill to fix her a plate. As I carried it back to the edge of the forest, I could feel the storm riding in from a hundred miles away. And whatever was leading it into Moonshadow Bay was armed and ready for battle.

CHAPTER TWO

By evening, I had shaken most of the creeps, but I never discounted anything Rebecca told me. I told the others, of course, most of what the imp had told me, and Rowan promised to do some scrying when she got home.

Killian stayed, helping me clean up. Everyone else had gone home except Aunt Teran. She sent Andrew home without her and told him she’d walk. Her house wasn’t far from mine, but as the dusk grew closer, I felt reluctant to let her out on her own, especially after what Rebecca had said about the dark. Teran had finally recovered from being shot by an arrow, but that didn’t mean she was fully healed and I didn’t want anything else to happen to her.

“Let Killian drive you home. After what Rebecca said, I don’t want you out after dark.” I turned to her, expecting her to protest. Instead, she accepted the offer.

“All right. I think I’ll accept. It’s been a long day.”

“Good. I wanted to talk to you about what Rebecca said.” I motioned for her to sit down.

“And you trust the imp?” Teran gave me a speculative look. My aunt didn’t look or act her age, with long hair that she regularly dyed all sorts of unicorn colors, and she was an avowed bachelorette. She didn’t like the term “spinster.”

“I’m growing to trust her. She’s been straightforward with me since we’ve made our peace. I give her food and she gives me information and we both benefit.” I stretched out on the sofa. “I told the others there’s something going on, but I didn’t tell them everything. Not yet. So, here’s what she told me.” I repeated the warning Rebecca had given me.

Teran’s smile dissipated. “I remember my mother talking about something coming into town when she was a girl. Apparently, it held the town hostage. Even the Crystal Cauldron couldn’t handle it.” She frowned, worrying her lip.

“I’ll go through Colleen’s diary and see if I can find anything. I still haven’t read through all of it yet.” I paused when my phone rang. A glance at the caller ID startled me. It was Naomi—my grandmother. “Well, Grandma’s calling. Your mother.”

Teran stiffened.

I picked up. “Hey, Nonny, how are you?”

Naomi, my maternal grandmother, lived in Ireland. She had emigrated there when I was around eight. She usually wrote to me instead of calling. Naomi was pushing a hundred, though that wasn’t all that old for witchblood.

“Getting there. I’m still up and around, my dear.” She paused. She didn’t have an accent, though her “American” had softened as she picked up overtones of a brogue.

“Teran’s here, if you’d like to say hello to her.”

“Of course I’d like to talk to my daughter. But first, I need to talk to you. My mother came to me in a dream last night and told me that the time has come to speak out.” Nonny sounded so serious that I sat up, crossed my legs on the sofa, and straightened as though I were a schoolgirl getting ready for lessons.

“What’s going on?” My stomach churned. “Can I put you on speaker?”

At that moment, Killian entered the room. I motioned for him to come over and he sat down on the sofa next to me.

“Before you start, I want to introduce you to my boyfriend.” To him, I said, “Nonny’s on the phone. I’ve told you about her.” Then I spoke into the phone again. “Nonny, this is Killian, my boyfriend.”

“Hello, Ms…” Killian gave me a frantic look, but Nonny spoke up.

“Karns. My last name is Karns. How do you do, Killian? What do you do? Are you witchblood?”

Technically, it was rude to ask someone what they were, but my grandmother was closing in on a hundred and age had its privileges.

“No, Ms. Karns. I’m a wolf shifter, and I’m a veterinarian. I’m pleased to meet you.” He paused, then added, “I moved into the house next to January and from that first night, she enchanted me.” Again, he paused, then stumbled to add, “Not literally—I mean—”

“You may call me Nonny.” Nonny laughed. “I’ll let you off the hook, young man.”

Even though Killian was older than my grandmother, he didn’t contradict her. The fact was, emotionally, he was a lot younger than she was. Shifters aged even slower than those of us with witchblood.

“Thank you, Nonny,” he said, laughing. “I’m honored to meet you. I hope you know that I love your granddaughter and I promise never to hurt her.”

“Why haven’t you proposed?” Nonny’s voice echoed through the phone.

I turned bright red.

“I have, ma’am, but she’s not ready. I’ll wait until she gives me the word.” Killian stuck out his tongue at me and I stifled a laugh.

“Well, then, you’re a patient man and that’s to your credit. Now, give me back to my granddaughter. I have some things to tell her,” Nonny said.

After saying good-bye, Killian headed back into the kitchen and I heard the sounds of food prep. “I’m back, Nonny.”

“Well then, he sounds like a lovely man. Why aren’t you marrying him?”

“Because I’m not ready,” I said. “I’m still gun-shy after Ellison. But I love Killian and we’re serious. So, what was it you wanted to tell me?”

My grandmother paused, then said, “With your mother’s death, it’s important that you know what I’m about to tell you. Did Althea ever mention a curse to you? One placed on the women of our family?”

This didn’t sound good. I paused, trying to remember. “Actually, she didn’t. But Esmara seemed to think a chaos magician placed a curse on Great-Grandma. Something about a shorter lifespan.”

“No, there Esmara has her facts wrong. I wonder why Colleen told her that.” Teran let out a long sigh. “I thought maybe it would have passed—”

“You’re right. Esmara has her facts wrong but yes, there is a curse and it’s still active.” Nonny interrupted her. “No, I was hoping it had faded, but I checked and the curse is still there.” She sounded tired.

“What kind of curse? Who cast it?” If there was a family curse, I wondered why the hell my mother hadn’t ever mentioned it. Or Teran, for that matter. I glanced over at my aunt. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She hung her head. “Because I was hoping it was gone. I didn’t want to create a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

“Teran Karns, I’m disappointed in you,” Nonny blurted out. The tone of her voice made both of us jump and I was suddenly grateful she hadn’t been my mother. “I’m also disappointed in Althea. Gods only know, Althea didn’t do her job. Sometimes I think she was ashamed of her heritage. First, she didn’t take January to the Aseer—”

“I went, though, Nonny. I had her assess my magic!” It hurt to hear her ragging on my mother but in my heart, I knew she was right. My mother had neglected most of my training, including having me assessed and teaching me about my heritage. She had said she wanted me to decide on my own how far I wanted to take my magic, but she certainly hadn’t shown me that she was enthusiastic about me doing so.

“And what did the Aseer say?” Nonny perked up. “I’m proud of you for taking that step.”

“I’m rooted into earth magic and death magic. Teran is helping me with the former, and Rowan with the latter. By the way, another little piece of news. Did you know that Rowan Firesong is my other grandmother? She was—”

“Trevor’s mother. That I know. I’m surprised you found out. Did Rowan tell you?”

“I did.” Teran spoke up. “I felt she had the right to know. But Rowan’s working with her now, as am I.”

Nonny paused, then said, “I’m glad you did. I urged Althea to tell Trevor, but she refused. I’m not sure what was wrong with that girl, but she fought me all the way. Maybe she blamed me for not—”

“Don’t go there, Mother,” Teran said, a warning note in her voice. “You don’t want to go there.”

I caught her gaze but she looked away. “What? I feel like I got left out in the rain. I love my family—all of you. I want to know what’s going on.”

Teran closed her eyes, then said, “All right. Tell her. Tell her everything.”

“Your mother blamed me for keeping her from the man she thought she loved. She wasn’t interested in Trevor at first. She wanted to be with someone else and I kept her from doing so. So did your grandmother Rowan. Together, we put a halt to her plans to run off with Val Slater.”

I gasped and looked at Teran, who was staring at the floor. “Val Slater? My mother and—”

“Yes, they got together secretly and by the time we realized what was happening, they were ready to run off together.” Nonny sounded like she was about to cry. “I hated breaking her heart, but Val had charmed her into believing she was in love. Rowan threatened to stake him, and he backed off.”

I could barely believe what I was hearing. “My mother and Val Slater?” First, the idea of my mother running off with a vampire was ridiculous. Second, was that why she was so hesitant on letting me fully learn my heritage? Was she afraid I’d find out she was fucking around with that slimeball?” The full extent of the situation washed over me. “Ew… Val’s hit on me time and again! How gross!”

I knew that I sounded like a teenager but the fact that Val had been fucking my mother and then tried to get into my pants made me queasy. But now that I knew, I was glad. “Thank you—I’ll never even…” I lowered my voice. Killian was in the kitchen but I didn’t want him to overhear me. “I’ll never even think about Val in that way again.”

“Yes, well, your mother finally accepted that Val had been leading her on.” Nonny sounded like she was scowling. I could only imagine how she had reacted to my mother. “After a few months, we engineered a meeting between Althea and Trevor. Like Rowan and I thought, they hit it off.”

I caught my breath again. “Did my mother love my father?” I didn’t think I could handle it if I thought their love had been a lie.

Teran didn’t even pause. “Yes, dear. She did. She confided in me. While she was broken-hearted at first, before long she fell in love with your father. Several times over the years, she told me how grateful she was that Mother stopped her from running off with Val.”

I held her gaze for a moment until I knew in my heart she was telling me the truth. “Thank you, Teran. I needed to know that.” I paused, then said, “What about the curse?”

“It ties in with Val,” Nonny said. “In fact, there’s an ulterior motive to why he was so focused on your mother. And why he’s focused on you.”

Again, my stomach clenched. “Why? Did someone curse him to a limp dick unless he slept his way through the women in our family?”

“Actually, Val was trying to protect your mother, albeit in a misguided way. And you, too.” Nonny let out another sigh. “Back in Ireland, Val’s grandfather had a curse cast on the women of the O’Leary family. Well, the ó Broin family—your great-great-grandmother’s surname. Ellen ó Broin was a powerful witch in her county. There weren’t many stronger than she was. Her father, Ian ó Broin, loved his family. The witchblood was strong in them, and they used it without fear.”

A chill ran up my back. I’d never heard about Ellen before. “I feel like I’m missing out on so much of my history.”

“There’s a lot for you to learn over the next few years,” Teran said. “I can teach you some of what your mother should have.”

“Back to the curse,” Nonny’s voice echoed out of the phone. “Evan Slater, Val’s grandfather, was convinced that the ó Broins were using their magic to blight his crops. So, he hired a witch with a reputation for turning on her own kind. He asked her to hex Ellen and all of her female descendants. The curse basically condemns every female born to Ellen’s lineage to die young. Most never reached even half their potential age.”

“So Val knew about the curse.” I wondered why he hadn’t mentioned it to me, but then it occurred to me that maybe he had been planning to. Or thought I already knew.

“Humans think we live a great long life, but all my sisters died well before they even reached ninety,” Naomi said. “I’m the only one who has managed to reach one hundred. Knock wood, I won’t stop here. Given witchblood can live to over two to three hundred, I have no clue if I’ll ever reach my potential.”

My head reeled with all that I had learned. “You think that Val was trying to protect my mother, in a clumsy way?”

“I think he thought his presence could somehow keep the curse from rebounding on her. Unfortunately, it didn’t.” Teran teared up. “And child, you and I—and your grandmother—face this curse. As do some of your cousins.”

That was another thing. My mother had been content keeping us in a bubble where family consisted of my father, grandma Nonny, and Aunt Teran. I had a sudden desire to reach out and start contacting some of the other members of my family I’d never met.

“Is there a way to break it?” I asked. “I suppose that if there was, it would already be gone.”

“Not necessarily. We think there’s a way to break it, but we don’t know how. For one thing, the witch who cast it still lives. She could lift it. And there are other ways to break a hex. Rowan’s been working on a counterspell for years but hasn’t found the key yet.” Teran stretched, grimacing. Her shoulder was almost healed up, but still stiff. “I think this is about enough for one evening, don’t you, Mother? I’m pretty sure January’s overloaded and full of questions.”

“If I don’t have any now, I’m sure I will by tomorrow,” I said.

Nonny chuckled. “January, love, I know tonight’s been hard, but you need to know. You must be careful, because there’s a shadow hanging over you. Talk to Rowan. Maybe you can work with her to break the curse. And I’ll keep hunting for the witch who cast it. That’s why I moved to Ireland, you know. Rumor has it she lives here. I won’t rest till I find her, my child. And trust me, if I find her, she will remove the curse.”

As we said good-bye, I was struck with a sudden fear that I might not ever see my granny again. I also found myself dwelling on Teran and praying for her safety, too. So many women had descended from Ellen ó Broin, including Colleen and all her daughters. So many victims and potential victims of the hex.

I set my phone on the table and turned to Teran. “Now, more than ever, I want Killian to drive you home.”

“You aren’t going to become overprotective, are you? You know I won’t put up with that.” Teran scolded me, but she was smiling. “We’ll talk about this later. Maybe we can think of something to do.”

As Killian obligingly escorted her to his car to drive her home, I watched out the window. The world suddenly seemed so much bigger and larger, and out there, not only was a creature that Rebecca feared, but a curse hanging over my head.

CHAPTER THREE

Next morning, I was up and ready for work before Killian even woke up. I wanted to look up my great-great-grandmother and see if I could find out anything about her. Plus, I wanted some time to think before I told Killian about the curse.

As he woke, I was putting on my makeup and getting ready to write him a note.

“Hey, why don’t you come back to bed and join me for some exercise?” He sat up, propping himself against the headboard as he yawned.

Normally, I would have welcomed the diversion. Making love with Killian was everything I had hoped it would be, and more. He was as good in bed as my ex had been bad. We had an active sex life, and yet we both made allowances when the other was too tired.

“I’d love to, but I have some things I need to check out. I was going to head into work early today, but you can sleep late if you want.” I was on the fence about when to tell him about the curse. Part of me was afraid it would spook him away, although logically I knew that he loved me and he would want to help me find an answer to this.

“You look worried,” he said. He patted the bed beside him. “Come sit and get a cuddle for a moment.”

I moved over to the bed and scooted in next to him, leaning back yet keeping my shoes off the comforter. I had bought it when we were in Nimah Rock for Valentine’s Day, for what turned out to be a very un-relaxing vacation.

“Kind of,” I said. “Did you hear much of what we were talking about last night, when you were in the kitchen cleaning up?”

Killian shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I don’t make it a tendency to eavesdrop, even on my girlfriend.” He grinned, planting a kiss on the tip of my nose.

“How did I get so lucky with you? All right, I have something to tell you and I don’t know how you’re going to take it. I didn’t even know about it until last night.”

Sobering, Killian straightened up against the headboard and turned to me. I could tell he had an erection, judging by the tent in the blankets, but he was ignoring it in favor of the conversation. “Tell me. Are you all right?”

“Yes, for the most part. You remember talking to Nonny?”

He nodded. “She’s a firecracker. How old is she?”

“Not quite a hundred, but for witchblood that isn’t that old. Anyway, she told me some things about my family that I didn’t know.”

“You sound serious,” Killian said. He took my hand and focused on my eyes. “What did she tell you?”

“Apparently, there’s a curse on the women of my family. It was placed back in Ireland, by a witch hired by Val Slater’s grandfather. Apparently Evan Slater thought that Ellen ó Broin, my great-great-grandmother, had blighted his fields. He believed she had cast a hex on him, so he hired a powerful witch to counter-cast a hex on Ellen.”

Killian was staring at me, a blank look on his face. “All right. Was Evan a vampire, too?”

I shook my head. “I don’t think he was. Anyway, the hex cursed all of Ellen’s female descendants to die young. Since then, none of my female ancestors have lived to their full potential. That means there’s a good chance I’ll die young. My mother certainly didn’t live anywhere near as long as she could have. Nonny’s one of my oldest female relatives, and she’s not anywhere near her full lifespan.”

Clutching my hand, Killian leaned close. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he said. “Would Val know how to break the curse?”

I shrugged. “I really don’t know,” I said. “But I’m going to talk to Rowan. Apparently she’s been looking for a counterspell to the hex for years. Maybe I can help her find one.”

“What’s the name of the witch who cursed Ellen’s descendants?”

I thought for a moment, then shook my head. “I don’t know. Maybe Val would know. I don’t know how long he’s been a vampire, but if his grandfather was the one who paid for the curse, there’s a chance he might have been there at that time.”

I knew how serious Killian was taking the curse when he didn’t argue with me about contacting Val. He pulled me in for a long kiss. After a moment, he let me go.

“Be careful,” he asked. “I don’t want anything happening to you. Did Nonny indicate whether the curse works through natural causes, or accidents?”

I slowly stood, holding his hand and kissing it before letting go. “She didn’t say. Honestly, I’m stunned. It never occurred to me to ask why the women in my family die early. But now that I think about it, when I look at the family tree in my mother’s Book of Shadows, I do seem to remember a lot of surprisingly short lifespans. Short even by human standards,” I added, feeling cold. “I better get to work.”

Killian waved me out while petting Xi and Klaus, who were bounding around on the bed. But I could tell he was worried about me, and the fact was—so was I.

* * *

The morning was pleasant as I headed out for work. We were due for yet another hot day, with temperatures predicted to get into the high eighties for the next week. Then, we’d slowly drop back down to normal. I was hoping for a breeze, but the air felt close, so I turned on the air conditioning in my car as I eased out of the driveway and headed to the office.

When I got to the office, quad-shot latte in hand, Hank was swearing up a blue streak. Caitlin looked harried, and Tad was at his desk, with his forehead propped in his hands. Wren was out, which meant her husband Walter had probably had some sort of issue during the night.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, looking around at everybody. “You look like you just found out there’s no Santa Claus.”

“Oh, if there is a Santa Claus I expect a buttload of presents to make up for what we found this morning,” Tad said.

“What happened?” I paused, glancing at the wall next to my desk. “Do I hear running water?” It sounded like a miniature waterfall behind the wall. That didn’t bode well at all.

“Yes, you do. I’m not sure what happened but water began to seep into both our storeroom and the shop next door last night. It’s still running. We’ve lost a couple cameras that were sitting on the floor in the storage room. We’ve got an emergency call into a plumber, but he can’t make it here until later this morning. He told us to turn off the water to the building but we can’t find the shutoff valve, DelVecchio next door can’t find it either, and the building owner seems to be out of town. We’ve left three messages on his phone already. Luckily, Caitlin and Hank came in early to take stock of the equipment and they found it, thank gods, before the situation got worse.”

Hank let out a sigh, not even a trace of a smile on his face. He shook his head. “We managed to get everything off the floor but some of the equipment’s ruined. It’s taking everything I’ve got to not track down the building owner and break his nose.”

While I understood their anger, I also knew that accidents happen sometimes. “If it’s between the walls, then it’s not something we could readily predict.”

“I know, I know. And that makes it worse. It’s hard when there’s nobody to blame. I’m afraid the cameras that got wet are toast. We’re out about ten grand.” Hank glared at the wall.

“What’s in the shop next door? I know a new tenant moved in a couple weeks ago, but I haven’t had the time to take a look.”

“Hairdressing salon. They’ve already lost a bunch of their equipment,” Tad said. “I’ve been talking about finding another office space for a while, and this was the last straw. I found a house not long ago that I think would make a good office space. It’s for sale, and not far from here—about three blocks. I might drive down there today and take a look.”

Amid the growing mess, I settled in at my desk. I thought about what Rebecca had told me and decided I had better inform Tad and the others, since it wasn’t aimed at me specifically. Chances are we’d be dealing with whatever it was, sooner or later.

“Can I call a meeting? I have something to discuss.”

“Of course,” Tad said.

We all gathered around the table where we held our daily meetings. Hank was obviously focused on the mess in the storage room, but since there wasn’t anything we could do until the plumber got here, and the intact equipment was all moved to the top shelves, he reluctantly joined us.

“You all know that I had a cookout this weekend with my coven. And you know about Rebecca, the imp who lives in the forest behind my house?”

They nodded. They had all had some dealings with her at one time or another since I returned to Moonshadow Bay and started work with Conjure Ink.

“She warned me about something coming to town.”

Tad groaned. “Not again. Another Cupid-imp?”

“No, in fact she says this creature is much worse. Even the Mystic Wood doesn’t want it crossing the borders. She doesn’t know exactly what it is, but she warned me to be careful about walking alone at night.” I paused, then added, “I have another situation as well. I was hoping maybe you could help me with research, though it’s not an immediate priority. I found out that there’s a curse on my family line, and I could use help deciphering how to defeat it. I’ll be talking to Rowan—she knows about it—but anything I can find out would help.”

Hank cleared his throat. “Well, when you say you have something to tell us, you don’t kid around. What should we address first?”

“I’d say the creature Rebecca warned me about. That seems to be the most immediate issue. I suppose we should ask Millie if there been any reports of anything weird or wrong lately.”

Caitlin snickered. “You do realize we live in Moonshadow Bay?”

That made me laugh. “I didn’t realize that sounded so stupid until it came out of my mouth,” I said. “But Millie’s on the list for sure.”

Millie Tuptin was the chief of police for Moonshadow Bay. She was a German shepherd shifter, and she was on the straight and narrow. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t work off of the books when she needed to, but she was one of the good cops and she kept her department up to standards.

“That’s a good idea. Usually the cops are the first ones to notice when things start to go south.” Caitlin jotted down a note to call Millie. “Did Rebecca give you any idea of what this thing is?”

“She said that it’s been here in the town before. Now, I thought about my great-grandmother, so I’m going to search through her Book of Shadows. I’ll look for any mention of a strange energy that came into town about that time. That’s really broad, I know, but it’s a place to start. Rebecca said this thing is dangerous and that it can mesmerize. She said the Mystic Wood doesn’t want it to enter the borders of the forest. And if the forest is trying to repel it, we probably don’t want it around either.”

Hank frowned. “If it’s been here before, we should have some record. But with a warning this vague, I’m not sure what to look for.”

“Well, we’ll call Millie. At least she’s forewarned and can keep her eyes open. And if Rebecca warned you against walking alone after dark, then we can figure this thing is probably nocturnal.” Tad worried his lip. “All right, now tell us about this curse.”

After a long draw on my coffee, I told them what Nonny had told me. After I finished they were all silent. “So, any thoughts?”

Tad flicked his stylus on the table. “Interesting that Val Slater should be involved, even in an indirect way. Have you thought about asking him who the witch is? If she’s alive, as you seem to think, maybe you can get in touch with her. Hell, maybe Val can ask her to remove the curse since it was his grandfather who paid for it. Whatever the case, we need to take care of this. We can’t have you keeling over on us or getting in an accident—” He stopped, looking stricken. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “Your mother…”

If I was honest, he had struck a nerve, but I knew that he hadn’t meant it that way. “That’s okay,” I said. “I appreciate any help that you can give me.”

“What about Killian?” Caitlin asked. “I know how he feels about Val.”

“I talked to him. He’s on board.”

Killian and Val had a horrible relationship. Val liked to push buttons whenever he could and that set off Killian, whose wolf shifter nature was possessive. Killian wasn’t an asshole, but he couldn’t help his nature and he was pack-oriented. And I was part of his pack.

“Why don’t you call Val right now?” Tad said. “Meanwhile, I’ll give Millie a call and warn her about the potential for… Well… You know.”

Feeling rather conspicuous, I walked back to my desk and pulled out my phone. All of a sudden Hank cursed and jumped up. I looked up and saw that the water was starting to trickle out from beneath the storage door into our main office.

It was only an inch or so, but it was still a mess. Frowning, I got up and walked out into the front reception area. Val’s secretary answered on the first ring.

“How can I help you, January?” Daniel Ashante sounded officially buttoned up and ready to go. He was a shifter, and he handled most of Val’s business during the day.

“Hi, Daniel. I have something I need to discuss with Val, and it’s rather pressing. Can you have him give me a call when he gets up for the night? It has to do with a shared history.”

Daniel paused and I knew he was writing down the note. He never relegated anything to memory without a backup. “Of course. I’ll tell him you called when he first gets up. I’m certain he’ll get back to you this evening.”

I thanked him and hung up. As I leaned against Wren’s desk, I thought about Val. It seemed odd to me that our family history should cross paths. And even though I was grossed out that he had done the down-and-dirty with my mother and then tried it with me, I had the feeling that somehow, he was trying to make up for what his grandfather had done. I wondered when Val had been turned into a vampire and how. It wasn’t polite to ask, but at this point, I figured we were past the delicate dance of propriety. Thanks to his grandpa’s paranoia, the women of my family had been losing years off their lives for centuries.

“January?” Tad popped his head around the door. “Here’s the number of the plumber, can you please call him and ask when he’s going to get— Oh, never mind. Looks like they’re here.”

Outside, two vans pulled up from the Moonshadow Bay Plumbing & Heating Company. A burly man nimbly stepped out from the driver’s side and, flanked by four helpers, he sent two over toward our office while he and the other two headed toward the neighbor’s store.

Tad opened the door. “Finally—good to see you, but we’ve got a flood going on. I asked the neighbor to turn off the water but he was having a hard time finding the shutoff valve. And I can’t find it on my side.”

As he led the men into the main office, I settled myself at Wren’s chair and stared at her computer. We all knew each other’s passwords in case of emergency, so I fired up her desktop and brought up the sign-in screen. Once I was in, I went to the Marrow-Bones search engine. It had recently been named the most sophisticated and robust Otherkin search engine in the market today, and apparently, if it was on the net, Marrow-Bones could find it.

Well, I paused my thoughts, unless it was out on the dark web. Who the hell knew what was out there? And I sure didn’t want to find out.

I began searching, first typing in Val’s name, along with Evan’s name. Immediately, enough links to occupy a full day of searching came up. Apparently, his family had clout and it was old enough and strong enough to warrant thousands of links.

I scanned through the first page. Most of these links were about Val—mentioning his influence and what he was known for. After about ten minutes I grew tired of reading about Val’s accolades, although he had plenty of detractors as well. I typed my great-great-grandmother’s name into the search engine.

A few mentions came up, mostly on genealogy sites, but then I spied one that made me stop and click. It was for prominent Irish witchblood families. I skimmed through the site. Now that I knew who to look for, I found myself fascinated by the concept of looking up my genealogy. Sure enough, I found a link that led to a section on the ó Broin family. As I began to read, I began to understand why Evan Slater had cast a curse on my family.

CHAPTER FOUR

Turned out, my ancestors weren’t exactly the best of neighbors. Ellen ó Broin’s father, Ian, was rumored to have obtained his land and money on the heels of others’ misfortunes. Someone had done their research and from what I read, it wasn’t pretty. I worried my lip as I scanned the information on the site.

“Ian ó Broin ran a magickal protection racket, promising safety to Otherkin who paid for his services. This in itself wouldn’t be illegal except for the fact that those who refused his offer often found their homes and businesses under attack. At one point, Ian held all of the original County Meath’s Otherkin population in fear, like his father before him and his grandfather, and so on, back to approximately 800 BCE when the ó Broin family was cementing its reputation.

“Ian provided protection, for a steep cost. As time went on, he began taking the land of those who owed him but couldn’t pay. He let them live, often as workers in the various establishments in which he held a silent interest.”

I jotted down notes as I read, deciding that if Ellen was anything like her father, she must have been a piece of work. And I was right. As I continued to read, I began to feel queasy, given these people were my ancestors.

“Ellen was born with the strongest power of the family, and she wielded it like a hammer. She would stand on a low cliff and dance under the storms, brewing the clouds into a froth and fury. Then, she would send them at those who offered resistance. Daughter and father worked in concert to tie the hands of those who worked against them. Her mother disappeared when Ellen was young, and no one knew where Juliet went. Some theorized Ellen killed her own mother, while others suggested she had fled to avoid being party to Ian’s schemes.

“Eventually, Ian began to confiscate the land of those who couldn’t pay him and by the time he met Evan Slater, he had established a massive estate.

“Evan was well-liked, and made a name for himself by helping those in need. When Evan’s crops began to dry up, he suspected Ian and his daughter were behind the blight, and he fought back. He hired a witch, according to old manuscripts, one far more powerful than Ellen, who cast a hex on the ó Broin family. All females descending from Ellen’s line would die far younger than they should. Eventually, the Slaters moved away, leaving their world behind as they emigrated to America.

“Ellen married a witch by the name of Jonathon O’Leary, and they had three children—one daughter, Colleen, and two sons. After her mother’s untimely death, Colleen O’Leary married Brian Fletcher and they left Ireland and moved to America. Like the Slaters, they settled in western Washington, founding the town of Moonshadow Bay, where Colleen met Val Slater, the grandson of Evan Slater. It was said that the women of the ó Broin line die young, and that the hex existed, unbroken.”

I sat back after bookmarking the site. Well, my ancestors had been far from squeaky clean, and Val’s ancestors had been the nice ones. What a way to switch things up. I was contemplating the screen when the door opened and Tad peeked out.

“We’re out of here. There’s a huge break in the pipes and they’re going to have to tear down the walls and replace pipes, drywall, all sorts of crap. We have to find another place.” Tad didn’t look happy at all.

I logged off the computer. “Should we take all the computers too? That’s a lot of equipment to move.”

“Oh, we have to take everything. Hank and Caitlin are boxing up equipment now. You need to clear out your desk, and Wren’s workstation. We don’t want to leave anything that we don’t want to lose. We’ll pack the van and Hank’s truck. Then…here’s the rub, I don’t want to rent a storage unit. We couldn’t work if we had to do that.” He paused, then said, “I’m going out and find us a temporary place. It will probably be an apartment—but we can make it work. Then we’ll rent a moving company to bring over the furniture.”

I thought about offering up my place, but I didn’t want that much expensive equipment under my roof and under my guardianship. Plus, the cats would go nuts and knock over stuff. “An apartment sounds like the best idea,” I said.

“I think so too. In fact, there’s a new complex that went in on the upper level of town. I think that I can swing a deal there, at least for the short term. Money’s not the issue, but I don’t want to get locked into a long-term lease. I’ll be back in an hour or so. Oh, the water’s off in the whole office, as well as the one next door. If you need to go to the bathroom, run across to the espresso place.” He shook his head and fished his keys out of his pocket. “Seriously, we do not need this.”

“Timing is everything,” I muttered as Tad let out a forced laugh, then headed for the parking lot. As soon as he was gone, Hank and Caitlin came out to the reception area, pushing handcarts filled with computers, cameras, and other gadgets.

“Let me hold the door.” I held the door open as they trundled the equipment out to the van. Caitlin stayed there, watching over things while Hank returned for more.

“Will all of that fit in the van?”

He shook his head. “Nope. That’s why we’re also using my truck. Thank gods I have a camper on top of it now. I hope Tad finds a place in the next hour or two.”

“At least it’s not raining,” I said.

“True that.” Hank paused. “What do you think the creature is that Rebecca warned you about?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know, but she was disturbed enough that it makes me wary.” I frowned. Hank had quite a background in cryptobiology. “You thinking of anything?”

Hank dusted off his hands. “I’m not sure. There are so many possibilities. I’ll keep thinking.”

He disappeared back into the office and returned with another cart full of computers and equipment and supplies as I put everything around Wren’s desk in boxes.

“This is the last of it,” he said. “Except for Wren’s computer. You’ll have to move so we can take it apart,” he said, shooing me out of my chair. After dismantling her computer, he put it on the cart with the other things and once again I held the door open so that Hank could trundle it out to the van.

I slung my purse over my shoulder and, carrying my tote bag full of supplies from my desk, joined them in the parking lot, putting odds and ends that wouldn’t fit into the van or Hank’s truck into my SUV and Caitlin’s car. After hitting the espresso shop, we sat around in the sunlight, enjoying our coffee, as Tad drove up again. He parked, and hopped out of his car. Walking over to us, he held up a key.

“Success,” he said. “I found an apartment about four blocks away. They’re not thrilled about the idea of us doing business there, but I promised them we weren’t retail. And it’s only for a month. Meanwhile, I’ll look for a more permanent office space that will suit us better. That house I saw might fill the bill. I can tell you that this building is on its way to being condemned. They need to replace the roof soon and I really don’t want to be here for that.”

“Is there only one key?” Hank asked. “To the apartment.”

Tad shook his head. “No, I have one for each of you. We need to keep it down, though,” he said. “I promised the apartment manager that we wouldn’t bother anybody. Luckily, we’re on the bottom floor in a corner unit, so we won’t be tramping around on anybody’s ceiling.” He glanced at the office. “Did you get everything out?”

Caitlin nodded. “I think we did. I’ll run in for a last-minute walk-through. Do you want me to lock the storage room?”

Tad shook his head. “We need to leave that door open. And we need to leave the security system unarmed. That’s why I wanted everything out. Make sure all your personal belongings are out of there.”

We waited while Caitlin did a quick run-through of the office. She came back holding up a box of doughnuts.

“I didn’t want to leave these. No use wasting good food.”

“Who’s driving what?” Hank asked.

“I’ll drive the van,” Tad said. “You drive your truck. Caitlin, January, drive your cars. Then after we’re done unloading, one of you can drive me back here to pick up my car.”

For the next couple of hours, we spent unloading equipment into the three-bedroom apartment, and while Hank drove Tad back to pick up our lunch and Tad’s car, Caitlin and I began sorting out the gadgets. Several of them had been damaged by water and would need to be dried out before we could ascertain if they could be repaired. The apartment was unfurnished, so none of us had desks or chairs or anything. We had left the furniture so the movers could bring it over.

I texted Tad that we were going to need seating arrangements and tables to write on in the meantime. By the time he and Hank returned, they had stopped at a thrift store and Hank’s truck was filled with several folding tables and chairs, and a filing cabinet. Tad had also bought a daybed and bedding.

“I figure I might as well stay here. I’m not as sure about the security in this apartment as I’d like to be. It won’t hurt me to sleep on the daybed.” Tad shrugged.

“Why don’t you run home and get some clothes, whatever you need like toilet paper and soaps and shampoos, and food. We can set up while you’re off doing that,” I said. If he was going to spend the night here, he’d need more than a quilt.

Tad glanced at the clock. By now it was two p.m. “All right, I have time. Thanks,” he said.

After he left, the three of us did our best to organize. We designated one bedroom as the supply room and made sure there was a firm lock on the window, as well as a dowel to hold the window shut so that no one could try to pry it open.

Hank moved the daybed into one of the other bedrooms, and then we sorted out the folding tables. Caitlin pulled out her toolbox and sat down at one of the tables with the equipment that had gotten wet.

“Well, wish me luck. Let’s hope that all we have to do is dry the stuff out to return everything to good working order. I’m kind of doubting it, though.”

I was setting up the coffee maker and break room supplies in the kitchen when my phone rang. It was Millie Tuptin.

“Hello? We were going to call you.”

But when Millie answered, her voice was shaking. “January, we’ve had an incident and I’m not sure what to make of it.”

“What happened?”

“I’d like to come over and talk to you in person. Are you still at the office?”

I let out a long sigh. “No, we’re not.” I told her what it happened and gave her our temporary address. “Just be quiet when you come to the door. We’re in an apartment complex for the present, and we won’t be able to move until we find a decent situation that matches our needs.”

“Gotcha. I’ll be there in ten.”

* * *

Tad returned a few minutes later. “The house will work! I stopped there on the way back for another walk-through. The current lease isn’t up until the end of the month, but I think I can pay him to move early.”

“Where is it?” Caitlin asked.

“The house is on Dewberry Street. It has plenty of room for us to have a storage room, a space that we can convert into a dark room to process actual film if we need to, a supply closet, and it’s open concept so we’ll have plenty of office space, like we do at the old office. I’ll have an alarm system installed so that we have extra security.”

I frowned as a thought came to mind. If we didn’t have the front section blocking off the main office, what would Wren do? “What about Wren? She’s mainly our secretary/receptionist. What’s she going to be doing?”

“She’ll still be keeping the books, accounting, and answering phones. I’ll expand the foyer so she’ll have an office to greet the public.” Tad shrugged. “The more I think about it, we’ll probably be able to set up business and move there in about two months. That’s given the renovations I want to make.”

Caitlin straightened. “So, you’re really buying the place?”

Tad grinned. “Yes, I am. We won’t have to worry about rent, just the mortgage. And the yard is fairly spacious so we can even have after-work cookouts.” He turned to me. “However, I want you to go through and cleanse the place because I think it may be harboring a spirit or two. I sensed something in there, and while it didn’t feel malevolent, we want to make sure we aren’t allowing a ghost to hang around who will just interfere with our work.”

At that moment, someone knocked on the door and I answered. It was Millie. I ushered her in and she glanced around.

“Well, at least you found a place,” she said.

“This will work for now,” Tad said. “In a couple months we’ll be moving into a house.”

I turned to Tad, another thought crossing my mind. “What about an inspection? You don’t want to buy a place without having it inspected.”

“I have someone ready to go the minute they accept my offer.” He shrugged. “What can I say? When I move, I move fast. Now, Millie, have a seat.”

The chairs were mismatched but comfortable. Millie sat down and removed her hat, setting it on the seat next to her. She leaned forward, her hands resting on her knees.

“I had three people come into the department today. I want to preface this with the fact that I know all three of them and they’re standup members of our community, not given to seeing things. But they all reported seeing something out on the roads last night. One was driving home near midnight, and the couple was coming home from a party at two a.m.”

A shiver went up my back.

“Let me get my tablet so that I can take notes,” I said. None of our computers was fully set up yet. I brought up the digital recorder app, which also transcribed from voice to text. After testing the volume, I nodded. “Go ahead. Chief Millie Tuptin recording, May 10.”

She glared at the tablet—Millie wasn’t that fond of being recorded—but cleared her throat. “I asked them if I could give you their names and they agreed. If you want to interview them, let me know and I’ll give you their contact information. Anyway, according to Eddie Vervain’s report, he was driving home after work at around midnight. He was near the 1100 block of Raspberry Ravine Road, which is primarily forested on both sides. On one side is the Mystic Wood, on the other side is Haven’s Copse.”

I frowned, trying to remember if I had ever been down that road. I did know that it was on the far side of town, and that the neighborhoods there weren’t densely populated.

“The weather was clear. The moon’s at half, on its way to full, but the area was still dark. As he was driving, Eddie suddenly saw a dark form appear in his headlights. He said it looked like a giant angel, only it was ‘blacker than black.’ A flash blinded him, then he saw two brilliant red eyes staring directly at his car. The figure didn’t move. Afraid of hitting it, Eddie shifted, skidding into a turnout. When he looked back, the figure was no longer there and the road was clear.”

Once again, I shivered. Eddie Vervain had seen something, I could feel the energy through Millie’s report.

“Could it have been a hallucination? Was he drinking?” Hank asked.

“Eddie doesn’t drink—” Millie started to say.

“He’s telling the truth,” I said, interrupting her. “I can feel it. Whatever he said he saw, he saw it. I’m getting the same reaction that I felt when Rebecca warned me about the creature.” I told Millie about what had happened with Rebecca.

“And you think this is connected to what she told you?” Millie asked.

“Yeah, I feel the same energy I felt from her. I’m not sure what to think about the creature. I certainly don’t believe in angels, but there are a lot of astral creatures out there. And we can’t count out the possibility of an eagle shifter or other type of winged shifter. We occasionally see them around here, though they mostly stay up in the mountains.”

Bird shifters weren’t all that common, and they tended to stay out in the wilds. They didn’t blend very well with society. But once in a while, a bird shifter would come into town for supplies.

“Well, that’s a thought,” Hank said.

“Go on. What happened with Eddie?” Tad said.

“That’s it. Eddie decided he didn’t want to get out of his car, and I don’t blame him. He drove home and called me this morning.”

She pulled up the second report. “As far as the second incident goes, Josh and Sienna Bartlett were headed home from a party that was fifteen minutes away from their house. At some point on the ride home, they heard a high-pitched noise overhead, like a whine. Sienna said that a light shot down from overhead onto the road in front of them. This was about two a.m. Her husband skidded and pulled off the road. The next thing she knew, it was two hours later and they were sitting in the driveway in the car. Neither have any memory of driving home after seeing the light. And from where they were, it should have taken them ten minutes.”

Okay, that was creepy. It brought to mind all sorts of frightful thoughts, like alien abduction. “Were they okay? Did they find anything unusual on their car, or their bodies?”

“Do you mean were they probed?” Millie asked, giving me a questioning look.

“I’m not sure what I mean. But their car—were there any marks on it or anything?”

She shrugged. “They didn’t say. I can call Sienna back and ask. However, I find it strange that the road they were driving home on is close to Raspberry Ravine Road. They were on Delta Street, three streets over. One incident would be odd enough, but to have two in one night, so close to each other, is worrisome. I was wondering if you could go over to the ravine and look around. I sent a couple of my men but they had no clue what to look for, and I don’t have the resources to send out a full-scale search party when we’re not sure what we’re dealing with.”

“I suppose we could do that.” Tad glanced over at me. “While Caitlin and Hank set up the computers, should you and I run over and take a look?”

I was already reaching for my purse. “Sure, let’s go.” I paused, then turned to Millie. “That is, if there isn’t anything more you need to tell us?”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not sure what to think. It’s disturbing, but I don’t have the wherewithal to follow up on it. The budget is strapped, I don’t even have enough officers to cover all areas of the town that we used to. People voted down the last tax increase, and we’re spread thin as it is.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, at least they funded the 911 system. I remember a few years back when voters in Seattle voted against it. They turned it around in a special election once they realized that no firemen were going to come out and put out the fires in their houses. People don’t think about social services and what they won’t cover if you don’t fund them.” I slung my purse over my shoulder, and Tad and I walked Millie out to her car. As we turned to go, I asked, “What do you really think it is?”

She shrugged. “To be honest, I have no idea. I do know that their stories scared the hell out of me. As you said, there’s something…real about them and it strikes me deep in my gut. I’m hoping you find some sort of evidence about what we’re dealing with. Call me if you find anything.” She got in her patrol car, and as Tad and I watched, she pulled away.

I turned to Tad. “Let’s go check this out.”

“I hope there’s nothing there waiting for us,” he said. “I’d much rather deal with circumstantial evidence than face some creature that we may not be able to handle.” He opened the door for me, and I slid inside of his car. As he started the ignition and we pulled away from the curb, I wondered what we were getting ourselves into.

CHAPTER FIVE

Raspberry Ravine was near the outskirts of Moonshadow Bay, to the north. We passed the entrance ramp to the freeway, and continued along the access road that led to the outskirts of the town. The ravine—and the road it was named for—was three streets beyond the ramp. It was nearing four-thirty, but the light was holding, and since there were no clouds in the sky, as the forest closed in around us on both sides it didn’t seem quite so dark.

“Where do you think Eddie turned off the road?” Tad said.

I looked around, then pointed up ahead. “There are several turnouts, but that one’s the first. I can call Millie and ask, if you want.”

Tad shook his head. “We should see skid marks since he skidded off the road.”

As we eased to the shoulder, then into the turnoff, I craned my neck, looking for any sign of tire marks on the pavement. Nothing. When I stepped out of the car, all I could feel was the tingle of the Mystic Wood on the other side.

“I don’t think this is the place,” I said.

“I think you’re right. It doesn’t look like this turnout has seen much traffic since the last rain. There isn’t any disturbance in the dust or gravel, as far as I can tell.”

Tad and I got back in the car and drove to the next turnout, which was about two or three blocks up ahead. I glanced at my GPS and realized we were headed to the 1100th block of the street.

“I think we’re right around the area.” Once again, I plastered myself to the window, watching the asphalt to the side. And then, up ahead, near the next turnout, I saw tire marks leading into it.

“There,” I said, pointing to the turnoff. “There are skid marks on the side of the road.”

Tad eased his car off to the side and we parked on the shoulder of the road, at the beginning of the turnoff. As we stepped out of the car, I could have sworn I heard something, but it could have been anything. An animal in the woods, birds stirring in a bush, any number of things, but I kept my eyes open anyway.

“Do you sense anything?” Tad asked. He had come to rely on my instincts, and when he asked the question, he was serious.

I held up one hand, turning around. There was energy everywhere, given how close we were to the Mystic Wood, but hovering over the top, I felt something alien. Something that didn’t belong here. In fact, the longer I stood there, the edgier I felt. “I don’t like it here.” I glanced over at Tad. “There’s something here—some residue. Or maybe it’s out here in the forest, hiding. But I feel something that I haven’t felt before, and I don’t like whatever it is.”

“What does it feel like?” he asked.

I tried to compare it to something I had experienced before, but nothing came to mind. It didn’t feel magickal, not in the way that my encounters with Druantia and the Crow Man had. But neither did it feel mundane—as in human or shifter energy. Instead, there was an alienness to it, an out-of-this-world feeling that didn’t exist on the edge of our understanding.

Grateful we still had the light with us, I began to walk around, holding out my hands. I could sense energy through my fingertips, and sometimes, I would feel it that way first.

The turnout was about two car lengths wide, and about four car lengths long. There was a path leading down through the ravine from the center of the turnout, and a sign that read “Whistle Creek.” The ravines around western Washington had a life and ecosystem of their own.

Most often densely populated with ferns and vining plants, stinging nettle and berry bushes of all kinds—from salmonberries to blackberries to thimbleberries—the lush undergrowth crowded thickly around the trunks of the towering firs. Interspersed with the firs were vine maple, cottonwood, cedar, and huckleberry. Everywhere in the ravines, life abounded—plants thriving and green, with squirrels and garden snakes, foxes and occasionally coyotes, birds, and insects.

As I crouched, cautiously ducking under a tangle of blackberry brambles creating an arch, I came to the edge. I could hear the water from below, and it called me so I cautiously picked my way down the slope. I was careful, watching my footing because you never knew when you were going to take a step and sink ankle-deep in the forest detritus, or when the edge of a ravine would give way because the soil was saturated with rain. Balancing myself by pressing against the trunk of a fir tree next to me, I peeked over.

At the bottom of the ravine was the creek—a lot of the ravines had streams trickling through them, but Whistle Creek was more of an actual creek, complete with bubbling waves that foamed over the rocks. I glanced upstream, then downstream. At first look, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but then I caught sight of something glittering on the edge of the stream. I couldn’t see what it was from here, but a powerful energy was emanating from it.

I gauged my ability to scramble down the ravine in what I was wearing. I could probably make it, but as I stood there, the energy drifting up from the stream turned into a snake—it coiled, rearing to strike as it drew closer.

“Fuck!” I stumbled back, scrambling to turn. I fell, pushing myself back to my feet as I made tracks back toward the berry arch. I ducked as best as I could without slowing down, but one of the canes got caught in my sweater and I couldn’t pull loose. I slid my arms out of the cardigan, leaving it behind. Thank gods the thorns hadn’t pierced my sweater and dug into my back.

Tad, who was waiting in the turnout, came rushing forward to meet me.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

“I… It… There was something back there, down by the stream. I was thinking about going down to see what it was, but as I was debating, an energy came rushing toward me. I’m not sure what it was, but it scared the hell out of me.” I was still panting. I wasn’t much of an athlete, although I had taken up going to the gym several times a week. But I mainly worked out with weights. I wasn’t a cardio fan.

“Where’s your sweater?” Tad glanced toward the copse.

“Caught on a thorn bush. And that’s where it’s going to stay. I’m not about to go back for it.” I shook my head. I wasn’t particularly fond of that sweater, and I wasn’t going to grieve its loss. I wanted nothing to do with the energy that had come up from Whistle Creek.

“Are you sure? I could go get it—”

“No. I don’t want you going in there. Mainly because I don’t want to have to come after you. Let’s get the fuck out of here and try the area where the couple found themselves.” I practically pushed Tad toward the car. He gave me a strange look.

“January, are you sure you’re okay? I’ve never seen you quite so frantic.”

“Whatever was behind that energy, it’s something I don’t want to meet face-to-face. All I know is that we have to get out of here.” I must have convinced him because he quit arguing and we hurried back to the car. I wasted no time in belting myself in and locking my door. It was still light out, but somehow that made the fear worse. It was bad enough to be afraid of something in the dark, but to feel fear in the light meant that whatever it was, it wielded a tremendous amount of power.

As Tad drove us to our next destination, I tried to explain to him what I felt, but I couldn’t find the right words. “I don’t know. It was this ball of fear, and it knocked out my ability to think clearly. There was something glittering at the bottom of the creek. But the moment I noticed it, a force came rushing toward me. I don’t know whether it was alive, I don’t know how big it was, but I know it was dangerous.”

Tad was silent for a moment, then he asked, “I’m going to ask you a question and I’m serious about it. I’m not being hyperbolic about it, and I’m not making fun of you.”

I had managed to catch my breath by that point. I led it out slowly, then turned to look at him. “All right. What is it?”

“Do you ever feel like you’ve gotten in over your head? That you’ve gotten involved in something that you really shouldn’t be involved in?”

I frowned, thinking. After a moment, I said, “I think I have, several times in my life. It’s really difficult to say because I think fear can make us feel that way, but sometimes the fear is lying to us. Fear’s such a controlling emotion. I’m almost embarrassed about my actions back there but the truth of the matter is, I was terrified. I can’t tell you why. I can’t tell you what I was frightened of. All I can tell you is that whatever it was, I felt like it could overpower us.”

“By overpower…”

“By overpower, I mean kill us. Destroy us for good. And it felt malign, although when I think about it again, I’m not sure if malign is the word. Alien. That’s it. It felt so alien and unemotional that it scared me.”

“The ant nest,” Tad said.

“What?” He had left me in the dark with that one.

“When I was little, I was playing out in the yard. I wasn’t really paying attention to much but my leg began to itch. When I looked down—I was wearing shorts—my leg was covered with black ants. I had stepped on an ant nest. I started screaming for my mother. She came out and swatted them off of me, but I was petrified. Those ants had no compassion. They would have swarmed all over me if I had continued to stand there. It wouldn’t have mattered to them that I was five years old, it wouldn’t have mattered that I was a good boy. They wouldn’t have cared anything about who I was. I’m not sure whether they were the biting kind. They weren’t fire ants, that was one thing I knew. But would they have bitten me? Would they have tried to devour me? I don’t know the answers, except that to this day, I hate ants.”

As we made a left turn onto a side street, I thought about what Tad had told me. Even though it had been an entirely different situation, I understood the feeling. “I get it. I can’t say that energy was malign, but it didn’t care. There was no compassion there, no mercy, nothing except a driving force behind it.”

Tad pointed to a turnout ahead. We were on Delta Street, right around the area that the couple, the Bartletts, had indicated. He eased into the turnout, and I decided right upfront that we weren’t going prowling in the woods this time. It was nearly five. Though the sun was still bright, when you entered the forest and thickets, sunset always seemed to come earlier.

I cautiously stepped out of the car and went over to sit on one of the wooden logs that framed the turnout. The trees that the logs had come from were moderate size—about two feet in diameter. Tad joined me and we sat there for a moment, slowly sinking into the feel of the area.

I closed my eyes and cautiously reached out to see if I could feel anything nearby. Unlike back in Raspberry Ravine, there wasn’t an active energy here except for the forest itself. But I could feel residue around the edges, clinging like pitch on the side of the tree. There had been something here, and recently, but whatever it was, it was gone.

A moment later I opened my eyes and let out a breath. “Well, there was something here but whatever it is, it’s left the area. That doesn’t mean it won’t return, but I can’t sense anything active here like I did back in the ravine.”

“What does the leftover energy feel like?” Tad asked.

I slowly lowered myself into trance, doing my best to keep up my boundaries. Another moment and I sank into the energy of the turnout, of the thicket itself.

Another moment, and a wave of confusion swept over me. I fought, trying to make my way back to my thoughts, but it was like trying to swim through Jell-O. I said something, but I couldn’t hear myself speak. Either that or I thought I had said it. Even more confused, I started to shake my head, trying to pull myself out of it. A moment later and a slap on my face startled me out of the sticky web. I opened my eyes to see Tad standing in front of me.

“January, can you hear me? January—”

I suddenly found my tongue again, and realized I could speak after all. “Yeah, I hear you. I’m coming out of it.” I shook my head to clear away the cobwebs, and a moment later I was able to think clearly again. “All right, I’m not sure what that was, I felt extremely confused. I can’t tell you why, or even what I was thinking, but all I know is that everything felt like a jumble. For a moment I thought I’d said something to you, but then I couldn’t remember whether I had actually said it.”

Tad looked worried. “I think we should get out of here now. And for the record, you didn’t say anything. You weren’t even responding to me when I said your name. I was worried that I was going to have to call for help.”

As we got back in the car and headed back to the office, I thought over Tad’s question about whether I had ever been in a situation that had felt too big for me to take care of. I was beginning to believe this might be one of those times.

CHAPTER SIX

Tad and I got back to the office as Hank and Caitlin were starting to lock up. They’d managed to hook up all our computers, although the Internet wasn’t in yet.

“We should have Internet service by tomorrow morning. I asked them to rush it,” Hank said. “We’ll actually have better and quicker service here than we did at the old office.”

Tad nodded. “Good. I’ll check on the house I put an offer in on tomorrow. I’ve asked for a quick turnaround in terms of inspections and escrow. I want us to get settled as soon as possible. While this is a nice apartment, we can’t stay here too long. This area isn’t zoned for businesses, for one thing.”

I gathered my things and started for the door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I paused, then turned back to them. “Based on the energy that we felt out there, don’t go out at night alone. I don’t care how strongly warded you think you are. Whatever that couple and the man encountered, it’s dangerous and beyond my ability to decipher right now. All I know is that something’s out there, and it is can pack a powerful punch.”

And on that note, I headed out for my car.

I stopped at the grocery store on the way home. The cupboards were bare after our cookout, and I really didn’t fancy eating hotdogs for leftovers. They were tasty, but I didn’t want them two days in a row.

As I pushed my cart through the aisles, tossing in whatever looked good, I heard someone call my name. I turned around to see Alicia King. She lived a few blocks away, on a different street, and was an elderly witchblood woman. The fact that she looked old meant that she must have seen at least several hundred years. We always seemed to run into each other at the supermarket.

“Hi, Alicia!” I liked her. She was lonely—her children didn’t come to visit very often—so I tried to invite her over at least once every few weeks for coffee. “How are you?”

She let out a cackle and smiled. “I’m actually pretty damned good,” she said. “Would you believe that I won…” She lowered her voice here, glancing around to see if anybody else was listening. “I won the lottery! I won over two million dollars.”

I let out a gasp. “Congratulations,” I said, also keeping my voice low. I wasn’t about to leak her secret. I knew very well—as did she—that if her neighbors found out, they’d be on her doorstep asking for handouts. Even in Moonshadow Bay, people were people. “What are you going to do with the money?”

She shrugged. “Well, I have a few years left in this old body of mine. I want to open up a women’s shelter. You know, for women who are trying to escape their unfortunate circumstances. Whether it be pregnant unmarried teens, abused women, or women who are down on their luck just trying to get a second chance in life. Two million is plenty to start that out with, especially since I get a quarter million of it upfront. I’m going to start looking around town for the proper house and for co-sponsors to help. I need a house that can offer beds for five to ten women at a time. When I find one that works, I’d appreciate it if you would come over and make sure that it’s clear of spirits. Of course I’ll pay you for your time.”

Her willingness to help others touched me. I knew Alicia was a good person, but this told me how much she cared. “You don’t have to pay me for that. Consider it my contribution to the effort. Just let me know when you need me and I’ll be there with bells on, wand in hand.”

Alicia placed her hand on my arm, a warm smile spreading across her face. “Thank you, January. My children don’t pay much attention to me anymore. Everybody’s always so busy, and I understand. They have their own lives. But I miss talking to people, and so many women my age seem bent on talking about grandchildren, or things that I’m not really interested in. I appreciate that you have sort of…adopted me.”

I gave her a hug, right there in the produce department. “Alicia, I like you. You’re a bright spot in my life. You don’t have to thank me for spending time with you. I enjoy it.” I glanced at my cart. It was barely a third full. “But for the moment, I really need to get on with shopping. It’s been a long day, and I’m hungry. What about coming for coffee on Saturday? Say two p.m.?”

“I’d love to, my dear, but I actually have plans Saturday. I’m meeting my real estate agents and we’re going to go visit several open houses. But a week from Saturday would work.”

I pulled out my phone and looked at my calendar. The fourteenth was clear. “That works for me. I’ll see you then. Meanwhile, if I can give you a friendly piece of advice—one I’m sure you’ve already considered—don’t tell too many people about the money. You don’t want trouble.”

“I’m already two steps ahead of you there,” she said, touching her nose.

As she headed off toward the cash registers, I called out, “Also, don’t go out after dark, especially if you’re alone. There’s… Just trust me, okay?”

She nodded, waving, and I went back to my shopping.

* * *

On the way home I received a text from Killian. He was caught up with an emergency operation and would probably be busy the rest of the evening. I texted back that I’d see him the next day, and told him I loved him.

By the time I carried the food inside and put it away, I realized I was exhausted from the day. I had bought some frozen macaroni and cheese and I popped it into the microwave. While it was nuking, I sliced up a tomato, and sprinkled it with salt and lemon pepper. I carried the salad into the living room and set it down on a TV tray near the sofa, along with a bottle of lemonade, then returned for the mac & cheese.

As I settled in to eat, Xi and Klaus came bouncing up on the sofa to say hello. I gave them each a hug and a scrub down before I shooed them to the other side of the sofa while I ate. Klaus was in a phase where all he wanted to do was try to steal my food, and I didn’t allow them to eat people food except for very special occasions. I thought about reading, but I was too tired for that, so I turned on the TV and flipped to a recorded episode of City of Dreams, a new show about a character who solved criminal cases with the help of her dreams.

I was finishing off the last bites of my tomato salad and mac & cheese when my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Val Slater.

“Hey Val,” I said, stretching out on the sofa. I paused the DVR, and yawned.

“Oh dear, am I that boring already?”

I couldn’t help it. He sounded so full of angst that I laughed. “Oh, sure. You can kill a greeting like no other man.”

“And with that lovely intro, how might I help you?”

I yawned again. “It’s not you, it’s me. I had a long day. I have a question for you and I hope that you will do me the honor of answering honestly. It would mean a great deal to me to have this information.”

There was silence on the other end for a moment, then Val asked, “What do you need to know?”

I worried my lip, then said, “I need the name of the witch your grandfather hired to put the hex on my family. My grandmother just told me about what happened with Great-Great-Grandma Ellen. So, isn’t it time that you gave us the key to breaking this curse? A lot of women in my family have gone to their deaths early thanks to your grandfather’s anger.”

Val let out a long sigh. “I wondered when you would find out about this. I suppose Naomi told you because she’s starting to get up there?”

“Naomi—my grandmother—could easily be middle-aged if we can find the key to breaking the hex. She doesn’t have to die early, and neither do Teran and I. But we need to find the witch who cast the spell so we can bargain with her to break the hex. I assume she was extremely powerful, and that none of us can find the answer ourselves. I know Rowan’s working on it, but if she hasn’t found the answer yet, it’s unlikely that I will. Or Teran.”

At first I thought Val wasn’t going to answer, but after a moment he began to speak.

“I want you to know—and I hope you believe me—if I could put a stop to this right now, this very moment, I would. I wanted to see it stopped from the very beginning. I never wanted my grandfather to stoop to what he did. I was about thirty when he engaged the witch who created the hex. It wasn’t long after that that I was turned and took my place among the night creatures. I’ve always felt it was my duty to watch over your family, to do what I could to help, given my grandfather was the one who caused it, and I’ve tried.”

“Then why won’t you give me the name of the witch?”

Again, I thought he wasn’t going to answer. Finally, he said, “If I give you the name of the witch and you go after her, there’s a good chance you’ll die. She’s ruthless and I’ve never seen her back down. She was hired by my grandfather to cast a potent spell on your family because she had no scruples on who she hurt. Believe me, he paid through the nose for it, too. And trust me, your great-great-grandmother Ellen was no peach. She caused a lot of harm in the village that we lived in. But it didn’t seem right to me to curse your entire family.”

“It wasn’t my entire family, it was the women of my family.”

“I understand that,” Val said. I could practically hear him tapping a pen on the table. “I can give you her name, if you insist. But I recommend that you do everything in your power to find a way to break the hex rather than going to her. As I said, she’s ruthless and she only looks out for herself. To be honest, I approached her about fifty years ago and asked her to remove the spell. I offered to pay her, because I can afford it. She damned near staked me.”

I blinked. While witchblood and vampires didn’t always get along too well, the fact was that we had to coexist in this world and we did our best to live side by side.

“She nearly staked you?”

“She called me a wimp. She said my grandfather had had more guts in his little finger than I have in my entire body. I thought about turning her at that point, or rather draining her so she stayed dead. I’d never turn a witch that powerful—she’d be unstoppable. But the thought of tasting her blood made my stomach clench. And if I killed her, there’s a good chance the spell would never be broken.”

I was beginning to get a feel for whoever this woman was. If she made Val shrink back, there was no chance I could take her on. But I needed to know her name anyway. At least I could find out who we were up against.

“Her name. I want the name. I promise I’ll be careful.”

“I hope you are careful. Because January, she can make life hell for those she dislikes. Her name is Gretchen Wyer. Please don’t go looking for her. I like you too much to see you throw your life away.” He paused. “Let me know what happens.”

“Do you think Rowan could take her on?” My grandmother was powerful, but was she as powerful as Gretchen?

Val thought about it for a moment. “Maybe. Rowan’s…special. I doubt if you even realize how powerful your grandmother is—and she’s still growing. When she reaches her full strength, I’d say she’ll be among the elite group of witches who have strength like the Aseer has, or Gretchen. Or…there are a few others, and most of them all have ulterior motives.”

We chatted a while longer, about nothing in particular, and then I hung up. I stared at the name that I’d jotted down. Gretchen Wyer. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but at least I had a place to start.

CHAPTER SEVEN

I woke up to the ringing of my phone. Yawning, I glanced at the caller ID. It was Meagan. It was barely six in the morning, so what the hell was going on? I hit the talk button.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Ari didn’t come home last night,” she said, sounding frantic. “She was out with Demi last night. They went to a movie I didn’t want to see. I went to bed early. I woke up this morning and her side of the bed hadn’t been slept in, so I went downstairs and there’s no sign of her or her car. I can’t find her. I’m worried.”

I frowned. “That’s not like Ari. Are you sure she didn’t text or leave a message? Maybe they got drunk and she didn’t feel it was safe to drive.”

There was a pause while Meagan checked her phone. “No texts, no voice mail, nothing in recent calls. I’m going to call Demi.”

Demoraz—Demi for short—was another local hairdresser. “Okay, then call me back. If Demi doesn’t know where she is, I’ll call Millie and go out looking with her.”

I set down the phone, staring at it. Please, oh please, let Ari be drunk off her ass at Demi’s house. Demoraz was a trans woman, who had come to Moonshadow Bay when her powers developed. They had blossomed when she transitioned. Human, she had spent her teens and late twenties in gender hell before having top and bottom surgery, but now she was happy, healthy, and comfortable in her own skin. And we suspected she had witchblood in her background, due to the sudden appearance of power.

While I was waiting for Meagan to call me back, I jumped out of bed and decided I could forgo a shower. I’d taken a bubble bath the night before. I slid into a pair of comfortable flex jeans, then added a long-sleeved lightweight tunic that came down to my hips. I cinched a wide belt around my waist and was about to zip up my ankle boots when the phone rang again.

“Hey, did you find her?” I was hoping beyond hope that Demoraz had news of her, but I could feel through the phone, even though Meagan said nothing, that she hadn’t.

After a pause, Meagan squeaked out, “No. I’m scared, January.”

“I am too. Call her folks. See if they’ve heard from her. I’m dressed and I’ll call Millie before I head out. What movie did she and Demoraz see, and where did they see it?”

Moonshadow Bay might be a small town, but it had three cinemas, one of them an old-fashioned drive-in.

“The MetroPlex, over on the north side of town, in the Culver mini-mall. Demoraz said the movie ended at eleven-thirty. They talked for a few minutes on the way to the parking lot. She saw Ari get into her car and drive away, right before Demoraz did the same.” Meagan’s voice was trembling. “It was about eleven-forty when she last saw Ari. It should have taken her twenty minutes, max, to get home.”

I thought over the routes she could take. There were several, but if Ari was tired and she wanted to take the quickest route…

“Delta Street,” I said, my stomach clenching. “The MetroPlex is near Delta Street and that’s a straight shot toward your house. I’ll bet she took that route.”

“What’s going on? I recognize that tone in your voice.” Meagan let out a slow breath. “What’s going on with Delta Street?”

“I don’t know,” I said. I wasn’t lying—I really didn’t know what was going on, but didn’t want to scare her by telling her about what had happened to Eddie Vervain, and the Bartletts. “I’m going to call Millie, and then head out. I’ll let you know if I find or see anything.”

I said good-bye and hung up, shaking. As I hurried out of the door and locked it behind me, I glanced over at Killian’s house. His car was gone, which meant he had gone into work early. I didn’t relish driving along Delta Street by myself, but at least it was morning. Early morning, but morning nonetheless. I put in a call to Millie as I headed to the car.

“Hello?” Even though her voice was sleepy, I knew how fast the woman could wake up.

“Millie, it’s January. I’m headed over to Delta Street. I got a call from Meagan and she’s worried sick about Ari. Ari went to the movies with a friend last night and didn’t come home. I think she may have ended up driving on Delta last night.”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes. I should have been up half an hour ago, but I slept through my alarm. Be careful, and don’t touch anything if you find any evidence.” She ended the call with her usual abruptness, but I didn’t even notice.

I settled into the driver’s seat, fastened my seat belt, and eased out of the driveway. Even though I lived on a relatively low-traffic street, you never knew when some kid would take it into their head to go running along the road. As I headed toward Delta Street, it occurred to me that Hank might be the person to help me out. I always felt safe around him, anyway.

“Jerica, call Hank and put on speaker.”

“Hey, January, what’s up?” I could hear traffic in the background. Hank must be on his way to work. He always went in early and often stayed late. His obsession with sasquatch fueled his drive to work.

“Can you meet me at the MetroPlex? Ari’s disappeared, and I think she may have taken Delta Street on her way home. I want to trace her route. I’ve already called Millie.”

“Will do. Have you called Tad yet?”

“It’s six o’clock. I figured that I should be done by eight. If it looks like we’re going to be out there longer, we can call him later on.”

Hank agreed, and I ended the call. It would take us far less than twenty minutes to make the trip from the movie theater to Delta Street, so by the time Millie arrived, we should already be there. I focused on driving, trying not to worry. Maybe Ari…

Damn it. I couldn’t think of anything that could have caused her to go someplace other than home. If she was at the hospital, they would have called Meagan. It occurred to me that she might have run off the road into one of the numerous ravines that riddled Moonshadow Bay, as well as the entire coast of western Washington. That was worrisome in itself. Hopefully, if she was at the bottom of a ravine, it wouldn’t be a deep one and we’d be able to find her without any problem.

But then again, she would have called someone. Unless she’s unconscious, or dead, that nasty little voice of fear whispered.

“Esmara,” I said. “Can you hear me?” One good thing about the Ladies of my mother’s family line was that they weren’t limited to staying in the house. They followed us around, warning us and giving us useful information. And it seemed that whenever I needed to get a message to her, it usually went through regardless of where I was.

A moment later, I heard her voice in my head.

I’m here. What do you need?

“I’m worried about Ari.” I told her what it happened. “Do you know anything, by any chance? Is there any way you can find out if she’s alive?”

There was a pause, and for a moment I thought the connection had failed. But then, after almost a full two minutes, Esmara spoke again.

I’m trying to sense her on the astral, and I can’t pinpoint her signature. Whenever I think of her, everything gets muddled. I’ve tried three times now, and still nothing.

I thought about all the possibilities. “Esmara, do you believe in aliens? You know, from another planet?”

Again, a distinct pause. When Esmara spoke, there was a hesitation in her voice.

To be honest, I’m not sure. We don’t get a textbook on how to be a guide—at least not in this particular job. I’m not sitting here with Robert’s Rules of Order for the universe. I know about some things that exist that people don’t usually think are real. Ghosts, obviously. Sasquatch as well. You can tell your friend Hank, the one who is so obsessed with them, that they are out there and he better be careful if he ever meets one. But aliens? From another planet? I’m not sure what to tell you. There are so many creatures from out on the astral realm that it’s like an international airport terminal. I’ve already got more than I can handle just dealing with spirits and astral entities.

I grimaced. “That actually sounds frightening. I’m really glad that I’m not where you are right now. Do you ever encounter any nasty creatures out there?”

Esmara laughed. Of course I do. And I’ve had to fight off several of them, which has proved a challenge. But what are you going to do? You deal with the problems that you’re dealt. Life over here on the side of the Veil is a lot like life back there, although in some ways more dangerous and more entertaining.

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I eased into the theater parking lot. “I’m going to look for Ari’s car. I know that Meagan’s friend said they saw her drive off, but I want to make sure she didn’t come back. Who knows, maybe she got lost and drove back the way she came to start again.”

I slid out of my car. The sun was starting to peek through the clouds and I knew the heat wouldn’t be far behind. I was grateful that it was due to end within the next few days. I wanted rain.

At six a.m., the parking lot was almost completely empty. It was easy for me to scout all the cars that were here, and I didn’t see Ari’s car anywhere. At that moment, Hank drove up, put his truck into park, and jumped out. “Hey, January! Find anything yet?”

I told him what Meagan had told me. “That’s not like Ari. She hates to be left hanging and she doesn’t do that to other people. If she could have called Meagan, she would have. Now that may mean that her cell phone ran out of juice, but she wasn’t that far away from home. She could have walked home without a problem.”

He glanced around the parking lot. “Any signs of her vehicle?”

I shook my head. “No, that’s what I was looking for. All right, let’s head over to Delta Street. It’s the straightest shot toward her home. She would have taken that direction.”

Hank gave me a firm nod. “All right. You take the lead because you know what we’re looking for. By the way, what kind of car does she drive?”

I gave him the specs on Ari’s car, then jumped back in mine and fastened my seatbelt. As I took off out of the parking lot with Hank following, my nerves registered a strong alarm. I tried to sort through whether it was fear or whether it was an actual warning, and immediately felt goose bumps race along my arms. It was a warning, all right.

* * *

I reached Delta Street five minutes later, with Hank right behind me. As I turned onto the forest-lined street, I slowed down so I could look in both directions.

“Jerica, call Hank. Put on speaker.” As soon as he answered, I said, “Let’s take it nice and slow. Remember to keep a lookout for her car, or for any signs that a car may have gone off the road. You know, skid marks, tire tracks, a blown piece of tire—anything out of the ordinary. There are a couple turnouts before the one that I was at yesterday, and I think we should pull into them and take a look. I’m going to call Millie and tell her we’re on our way.” I ended the call and put in a call to Millie. She answered on the second ring.

“Millie? This is January. Hank and I are on Delta, looking at the turnouts. We should be at the one where the Bartletts saw the light or whatever it was within ten minutes. I want to look down in the ravines on these two turnouts, to make sure she didn’t go off the road.”

“I’m almost there. I’ll see you in a few minutes. I called Meagan and got some more information from her. She texted me a current picture of Ari and she also gave me the license plate number of the car.”

For a moment I almost asked her why she wanted a picture of Ari, and then I stopped. If we couldn’t find Ari, she’d probably have to put out an alert. Sobered, realizing how real this was, I eased into the first turnout.

As I jumped out of my car, Hank joined me. Silently, we headed over to the ravine. There seemed to be no sign of tire tracks in the turnout, but then again it hadn’t rained so there wouldn’t be any muddy tracks to follow. I glanced around the bushes, looking for any sign of a candy bar wrapper or something that she might have dropped. But the place looked clean as a whistle, as far as outdoor areas went.

We neared the ravine and Hank held out his hand to stop me. “Let me go look.”

I wanted to say no, but I realized what he was doing. If there was any gruesome scene at the bottom of the ravine, he didn’t want me to see it. Torn, feeling like I should go with him and yet afraid, I finally forced myself to stand still.

He headed through the undergrowth, toward the edge of the ravine. Another moment and he vanished from sight. I crossed my arms, shifting from foot to foot as I waited. It was chilly, thanks to the early morning, but the sun was peeking through the clouds and would soon burn them away. The smell of dew on the bushes was crisp and clear, and birds echoed their songs through the air. I wasn’t sure what they were saying. Wren could have told us if she was here, but I didn’t know my robins from my woodpeckers except by sight.

I waited, holding my breath, praying that if he found her, she was alive. But a few moments later Hank appeared again, shaking his head.

“There was nothing in the ravine. And I can’t see any sign that anyone’s been here for a while. Let’s head to the next one.”

Both relieved and disappointed, I slid in my car, and eased out back onto the road. Hank followed and we headed to the next turnout.

* * *

At the second one, things went much the same as they had the first. We did find a few cigarette butts, and a couple empty beer bottles. But those wouldn’t be Ari’s. She didn’t smoke and she sure didn’t drink alone when she was driving.

Once again, Hank checked the ravine while I waited, but there was nothing there.

We headed toward the third turnout—the one where the couple had seen the light. As I pulled in, I saw that Millie’s police car was there. Another cruiser was there as well, and an EMT unit.

“Oh no.” As soon as I parked, I jumped out of the car and ran over to where Millie was standing. She was leaning against her police cruiser.

And then I froze. Just beyond Millie’s car was Ari’s car. I stared at it, my hand pressed against my stomach. Hank rushed up and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. At that moment an ambulance came rushing into the turnout. I glanced up at Hank, terrified to ask the question.

Millie spared me the trouble. “She’s alive. But she’s in shock, and we need to get her to the hospital. It looks like she was out here all night, exposed to the elements. Luckily we’re in a heat wave, so it wasn’t incredibly cold. But she’s suffering from hypothermia.”

“Where was she?” I started to rush forward, but Millie reached out and caught me. The ambulance pulled over near Ari’s car and two medics got out and headed around the other side of it, heading for the ravine.

“She’s down in the ravine. We found her minutes after we got here. About ten minutes ago. Luckily, there’s an EMT station nearby. I called them immediately.”

“Damn it, if we hadn’t stopped at the other two turnouts we would have been here fifteen minutes ago. Is she… Is her life in danger?”

Millie shook her head. “I don’t think so. As I said, she seems to be suffering from hypothermia and she’s in shock, but her pulse is normal and her heart rate, while a little elevated, isn’t going to kill her. I called the medics the moment we saw her.” She paused, then said, “If we hadn’t found her now, it might have been a different story. She was curled under a tree, unconscious. Can you give me the name of the friend she was with last night? And I’m going to go talk to Meagan.”

I saw the techs and ambulance drivers bring Ari on a stretcher up from the ravine. That hadn’t taken long. I ignored Millie, racing around her to run over to Ari’s side.

“How is she? Where are you taking her?”

“To the hospital. Please move out of the way, ma’am. We need to get her to the emergency room.” The tech motioned for me to move aside. At that moment, Hank pulled me back.

“We’ll meet them there. Come on.” He turned me around and marched me back to where Millie was standing. “I’m taking January to the hospital. I’m driving her car, so she doesn’t have to come back here to pick it up.”

“I’ll be there in a bit. I’ve got my men combing the area here to look for any evidence of what happened. Make sure your truck is locked up.” She nodded us on before turning back to one of the officers, who had run over to talk to her.

Hank walked me to my car and made me get in the passenger seat. Silently, I handed him the keys as he motioned for me to fasten my seatbelt. As he started the ignition, I stared at the turnout and the surrounding foliage. What was out there? What on earth had made Ari curl up under a tree in the ravine and stay there all night? We had to get to the bottom of this before somebody died.

CHAPTER EIGHT

On the way to the hospital, I called Killian. I told him what had happened.

“Do you want me to shut down the office and meet you there?” He knew how important Ari was to me. But I also knew that he had several surgeries scheduled for the day.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Your patients need you more. I’m fine. Hank is with me and I’ll call the rest of the crew in. I keep thinking that I should call Ari’s parents except that’s Meagan’s job now. I don’t want to make her feel like I’m pushing her out of the way. I was going to call her but I decided to let Millie handle it. Sometimes I’m never sure when to step in and when to hold my tongue.” I felt like crap. I was worried about my best friend’s life, and here I was playing a delicate game of diplomacy on who notifies whom.

“All right. I’ll come when I can. I’ll call you and find out where you are before I leave the office. Be careful, love. Something odd is going on and I don’t want you caught up in it. Please promise me you won’t drive alone at night.”

“I’ll do my best, but that’s the best I can promise. We’ll probably go out to examine the area for psychic residue after Millie’s crew has scoured it for evidence. I want to grab a megahit of caffeine so I can handle whatever happens at the hospital. Talk to you later.” I made kissing noises and then ended the call.

Hank had been silent up until then. “I take it you want to drive by an espresso stand?”

“Yeah, thank you. I think I need it. I burned through everything I drank this morning while we were looking for Ari.” As he veered to the left, heading for the nearest coffee shop, I called Tad. It was almost seven but I knew that we wouldn’t make it to the office by eight.

Tad answered promptly. He was always at his desk early, and he was the most annoyingly cheerful morning person I had ever met.

“Are you okay?” he asked before he even said hello.

“I’m all right, but Hank and I are on the way to the hospital.” I told him what had happened. Tad immediately replied that he and Caitlin would meet us there within half an hour.

As I tucked my phone back in my pocket, I turned to Hank, who was ordering quadruple mochas for us. He had also ordered pastries, bless him. Our cups firmly nestled in the cup holder, I took the sack from him and we pulled back onto the street, heading for the hospital.

My phone rang on the way. It was Meagan. She was crying as I picked up.

“I’m on my way to the hospital now,” she said. “Thank you so much for looking for her. Millie told me that Ari could have died if she’d been left there much longer. She’s really going to be okay?”

Meagan was sobbing so heavily that I worried about her driving. I turned to Hank. “Can we pick up Meagan? I don’t trust her driving in the state she’s in.” To Meagan, I asked, “Are you on the road yet?”

“Yes,” came the teary reply.

“Hang up and watch the road. I don’t want you getting in an accident because you’re upset. We’ll meet you there.” I hung up before she could say anything else. “Never mind, she’s already on the way. I really hate it when people drive when they’re upset.”

“Sometimes people don’t have much choice in the matter.” Hank nodded to the street sign ahead. “We’re almost there. I’ll drop you off at the emergency room entrance, then I’ll find a place to park.”

As he pulled up to the curb, I had my coffee and the bag of pastries in hand. I stepped out of the car and slammed the door, then Hank drove off toward the parking. I hustled through the sliding doors and hurried up to the admittance desk.

“I’m here for Ari. Ari Wheeler.” Ari and Meagan had chosen to keep their own last names. They had discussed hyphenating, but decided it was a hassle they didn’t want to bother with.

“Are you family?” The nurse gave me a suspicious look.

I shook my head. “I might as well be, I’m her best friend. But no, I’m not blood family.”

“What your name?”

“January Jaxson. Ari’s wife is on the way.”

She wrote my name down and then motioned me to the seating area that I knew oh too well. My stomach lurching, I headed over to sit down. I knew the drill. I blinked furiously, trying to keep tears at bay. I was still stuck in the cycle where I could close my eyes and replay the last night of my parents’ lives.

It had been almost two years, yet it felt as fresh as ever. The smells of antiseptic and industrial-strength sanitizer was burned forever in my brain, as were the pale walls and harsh lighting and the temperature that was a few degrees too cool. Everything was there, bound up in the trauma of losing my parents. I wondered if I would ever again be able to walk into a hospital without flashing back to that fateful night.

Hank joined me, sitting beside me and giving my arm a pat. He wasn’t a gentle man, but when the chips were down, he was a good friend.

“I know this isn’t easy for you,” he said.

I worried my lip, nodding. “As long as I don’t have to talk about it, I can get through it without tears.” I paused. “I don’t think Meagan’s here yet.”

“Tad and Caitlin will be here as soon as they can. How about one of those doughnuts? And you should eat something. You’re looking far too pale.”

I opened the bag and pulled out one of the doughnuts, handing it to him. I pulled out another —chocolate coated—and bit into it, leaning my head back against the wall.

“I’ve been here too many times. This time scares the hell out of me. Last time, it was for my aunt and that was scary, too. I tell you, Hank, I hate this place. I hate the smell, I hate the noise, I hate everything about it.”

“I know.” He stretched his legs out, and leaned back. “I understand.”

We had made our way through two of the doughnuts and were embarking on the next pair when Meagan came running through the emergency room doors. She raced up to the desk, frantic. I handed Hank my coffee and doughnut to hold, and hurried over to give her a hug.

“I’m Ari Wheeler’s wife, my name is Meagan Lopez. How is she?” Meagan’s hair was all in a flurry, and she didn’t have any makeup on. She looked like she’d been through hell. And I suddenly understood—she loved my best friend even more than I did. It was a stab in the heart, yet it made me want to take Meagan in my arms and give her a long hug, and comfort her.

“The doctor will be with you in a few moments. Please take a seat in the waiting room. I’ll let Dr. Fairsight know you’re here.” The nurse glanced at me and gave me a subtle nod toward the waiting room.

But as we turned, sirens blared outside. I glanced out the window. Medics were rushing to the entrance next to ours. It was the entrance where ER cases were taken. They were unloading three gurneys. From where I stood, I could see splotches of blood on the sheets. I hurriedly took Meagan by the shoulders and propelled her back to the banquette where we were sitting. She strained her neck, watching the patients coming in.

“I keep thinking that if you hadn’t found her… I almost wish Millie hadn’t told me that she could have died.”

“She’ll be okay. I know it. The doctor should be out any minute.” As I held Meagan’s hands, I could feel her trembling. I turned to Hank. “Can you get her some coffee and a sandwich or something? I could use a sandwich, too.”

He stood. “What kind?”

I knew that Meagan didn’t like tuna. “Ham and Swiss if you can find it, turkey and cheddar, anything but tuna or egg salad.”

He headed off toward the cafeteria after handing me back my coffee. I glanced in the sack and saw several more doughnuts along with the brownie.

I pulled out the brownie and handed it to Meagan. “You need something to keep you going. Eat this.” She started to shake her head but I pressed the brownie into her hand and she finally took a bite of it.

“The sugar will keep you on your feet until Hank gets back with sandwiches,” I said. “Meanwhile, do you want some of my coffee?”

She nodded, and I handed her my cup. After taking a few sips, she gave it back and finished the brownie. “Why isn’t the doctor here yet?”

“It could be that she has to work on those emergency cases that came in. It’s okay.”

She turned to me, a frantic look in her eyes. “It’s not okay. Don’t you see? The woman I love is lying back there, in shock from sleeping all night underneath the tree out in a ravine. What the hell happened to her? Why did she do that? I don’t understand what’s going on.”

I was about to tell her that I didn’t understand either, when the doors opened and Millie entered the waiting room. She hurried over to me, leaning down to whisper in my ear.

“I have to go check out several accident victims who were brought here. It was a three-way car crash and it’s bad. Call me later today and we’ll talk over what we found out there.”

As she headed off toward the admittance desk, a doctor came through the double doors on the other side. She headed over toward us after stopping to talk to the nurse for a moment. Meagan’s shoulders stiffened. She started to stand, and I took her elbow and helped her up.

“Dr. Fairsight, it’s good to see you again, although I don’t like the circumstances.” I nodded to Meagan. “This is Ari’s wife, Meagan. I think you may have met before. How is she doing?”

Dr. Fairsight glanced at me, then nodded at Meagan. She held up her clipboard. “Physically, she’ll be all right. She had mild hypothermia and she has some scratches and bruises. She also has an odd marking on her back that I don’t recognize, like a bruise. But I’m worried about her memory. She has no memory of what happened after she left the theater last night. She doesn’t remember stopping in the turnout, she doesn’t remember curling up under the tree. And she seems extremely disoriented. I want to keep her in the hospital for a few hours while I run some more tests on her.”

“She doesn’t have Alzheimer’s, does she?” Meagan asked, sounding frantic.

“I very much doubt it,” Dr. Fairsight said. “It could be a product of the shock. I want to make sure she didn’t have a stroke—I doubt that as well, but you never know. I want to cover all our bases. Amnesia is a tricky condition, and trauma can set it off, but sometimes it just happens and nobody knows why. Idiopathic amnesia, you can call it. She could remember more once she’s feeling oriented and back to normal. Does she have any allergies? She couldn’t even remember that when she woke up.”

“No,” Meagan started to say, but I interrupted her.

“Actually, she does. But it’s not a common allergy and she probably wouldn’t remember to tell anybody. When we were teens, she ate some lychee fruit and blew up like a balloon. She’s also allergic to comfrey and she can’t eat bananas, although she’s not allergic to latex. That’s all I know about her allergies.”

“She’s allergic to bananas? I thought she just didn’t like them.” Meagan reddened. “I can’t believe I didn’t even know my own wife’s allergies.”

“I told you, Ari probably forgot about them.” I turned to the doctor. “You said you’re keeping her a few more hours?”

“Yes, but she should be able to go home before noon. We’ll run the tests and make sure she’s fit to go home.”

“Millie wants to talk to you—she’s here, but she’s checking on a group of accident victims who just came in. Bad car crash, I gather.”

Dr. Fairsight nodded and started to turn, stopping to say, “I need to go check on them, so I’ll probably see her there. I’m sorry that’s all I can tell you right now. But Ari should be fine with some rest. And hopefully her memory will return.”

As the doctor walked away, Tad and Caitlin burst through the doors. Hank returned, sandwiches and coffee in hand. We headed outside to the picnic table that was sitting near the entrance. As we settled down on the benches, Meagan and I told the others what the doctor had said.

“So, I guess we have to wait.” I glanced over at Meagan. “Do you need some help? I can wait with you and help you get Ari home.”

Meagan shook her head. “Thanks, but I think I want to do this myself. I’ll call you as soon as I talk to the doctor again, and I’ll put you down on the ‘Can give info to’ list, or whatever they call it. I’m sure Ari will call you too.” She sounded oddly distanced, but then again, considering the circumstances, I thought we all sounded a bit weird.

“All right. Can you drive home without a problem?”

Meagan stood, letting out a sigh that sounded like it was echoing from the core of her heart. “I made it here. I guess I can make it home. Thanks again—without you and Hank, she might be dead.” She turned and, carrying the remains of her sandwich and coffee, headed toward the parking lot.

I felt oddly cast aside. It almost seemed like Meagan was mad at me, but I couldn’t figure out why. Feeling scattered, I turned to the others. “I’m sure Millie will call us when she gets a chance. That accident looked bad. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

In a convoy, we drove down Delta Street, stopping at the turnout so that Hank could get his truck. Part of me wanted to sit there, to feel out the energy of what was going on. But I was already tired and anxious, and I knew that my internal psychometer, as I called it, was probably out of whack, if only due to stress.

On the way to work, I put in a call to Killian and left a message for him to call me. Something about Meagan’s demeanor had left me feeling stressed, and a part of me felt jealous. Meagan had access to a part of Ari now that I would never have. It wasn’t that I was in love with Ari, not romantically. I wasn’t bi. But Ari and I had been so close for so many years that it felt odd to have someone else inching their way into that space.

At first I had been worried that Meagan would take my place as Ari’s best friend. Then I had pushed the thought away. Ari and I would always be best friends. But now, it felt like that foundation was wobbly again, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it—or if I should even think of doing anything about it.

When people got married, they formed a bond with their partner that nothing else should be able to break. It was a bond that went beyond friends and family. I hadn’t had that with Ellison, but I could tell that Ari and Meagan had it, and I was happy for them. Except that I suddenly felt like I was on the outside of Ari’s life, looking in. And it made me feel isolated and alone.

CHAPTER NINE

We were a subdued group that morning. We arrived at the office by around nine-thirty and though I wanted to go back to the turnout and hunt through it, I knew that wasn’t the best use of our time. At least not at this point.

I sat at my desk/folding table, staring at the surface, trying to think of what to do. Just as I was about to ask Tad if I could go home, he whistled and jumped out of his chair. His face pale and drawn, he said, “Millie just called—the ferry to Nimah Rock went down.”

That broke through my gloom. “Do they need help? What can we do?”

“How many people were on it?” Caitlin asked. “Do they know?”

“Rough estimate is thirteen cars and fifteen foot passengers. Four have been rescued so far, but the water’s cold, even with the heat wave, and the search and rescue divers are trying to work as fast as they can.” Tad shrugged on his jacket. “We should get down to the docks.”

“Why did Millie call us?” Hank asked.

Tad turned, looking green around the gills. “Somebody called her early this morning, saying they had a premonition the ferry was going to sink. She wrote it down but didn’t put much stock in it—the person wouldn’t give their name. She thought it might be a crank call.”

My stomach lurched. “Does she think whoever called her might have caused this? Maybe it was a challenge? You know, like some serial killers taunt the police?”

Shrugging, Tad said, “I don’t know. Let’s go. We’ll stop on the way and buy coffee and cookies for the rescue divers. They’re going to be cold and tired. Even with the heat wave, the water in the Salish Sea is still mighty cold.”

As we headed out, I felt a chill race up my spine. It was almost as though I could hear Rebecca saying, “This is all connected.”

* * *

The activity down by the docks was on hyperdrive. We had stopped and bought boxes of cookies and enough coffee for thirty people. The Women’s Guild had swarmed the shore with blankets and cushions and pillows, and we gave the coffee and cookies to them, because they’d best know how to distribute it.

Marnie Brolen was there with a contingent I recognized from the Witches Guild. They were quickly prepping healing spells that would help hold the worst injuries in check until medical techs could get to them. Meanwhile, the head of the fire department was supervising the rescue workers, all clad in wet suits, as they searched the waters for the passengers. Only four had been found so far.

We found Millie, who was overseeing the entire operation. She was standing there, megaphone in hand, her hair falling out of its chignon. The look in her eyes was bleak, and she was leaning against the front fender of the car.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said. “I don’t know what to think about this.” She stared helplessly at the water where the divers were in full rescue mode. “I pray they find everyone alive.”

“Do we know for sure how many people were on the ferry?” I asked.

She shook her head. “We should soon. The toll booth will have the records of how many per car, and how many on foot. I’m—” Her phone rang, interrupting. She glanced at the screen. “Hold on, this might be the answer.” She turned away, bringing the phone to her ear.

I glanced back at the water. There were shouts of excitement as three of the divers dragged two more people ashore. They were coughing and sputtering, but obviously alive. At the same time, over to the left, another pair of divers helped an elderly couple out of the bay. That made eight. I caught my breath, suddenly aware of how tense I was.

Millie lowered her phone. “There were a total of thirty-four people on the ferry, it looks like, including the captain and the deckhands.” She sheltered her eyes and stared at the water. “How many so far?”

“It looks like eight—” I started to say, but Hank waved to the right. Another pair of divers were helping two women ashore, one of them sobbing. Another pair of EMTs ran over to help them, wrapping a blanket around the agitated woman as he put his arm around her, walking her over to the ambulance.

“I wonder why—” I stopped as another diver came ashore in the same area, carrying what looked like a bundle in his arms. I realized it was a baby, and stiffened. We all fell silent, watching and waiting as the techs immediately went to work on the child, laying it on a stretcher as they sought for signs of life. Then, as the tension continued, a thin wail filled the air and the baby waved its arms.

“Oh thank gods,” Millie said, so pale she looked like she might faint. She hung her head, visibly trying to suppress tears.

“We’re all thinking that,” Caitlin said, her voice soft.

There was another flurry of activity as yet more ferry passengers were helped to the shore. The divers were working at a frantic pace and I wished I knew how to scuba dive. I’d help in a second if I did.

Tad cleared his throat after a moment. “Do you have any idea who called you to report their premonition? Did caller ID record a name?”

Millie shook her head. “No. Which is strange because almost nobody who’s ever called me has a blocked number. I thought it was a prank at first, especially because of the block, but now…I wonder.”

She hesitated for a moment, then said, “And we had another incident. This morning, right before the ferry sank, I was about to follow up on a call from Elisha North. She reported that that she found herself in the middle of Diamondback Road last night, around three a.m. Her car wasn’t there, and she was in her PJs. She was three miles away from her home and the last thing she remembered was crawling in bed and turning off the light. Dispatch sent a car to pick her up—oddly, she had her cell phone, but she said she leaves it on the nightstand so she probably picked it up before wandering off.”

Tad blurted out a question that was running through my mind as well. “Have you checked to find out what medications these people might be on? Some of the antidepressants can cause sleepwalking and other side effects.”

“We have, actually, all of them. So far, nobody is on any antidepressants or sleep meds or anything that could cause hallucinations. I think a couple of them might smoke pot, but that doesn’t cause hallucinations in most people. The night crew got the call and dropped her off after getting her statement. I hadn’t heard about it until this morning, when you called me about Ari.”

I thought about it for a moment. Ari had been out in the woods all night. And this woman had wandered out of her house sometime during the night into the forest.

“Some of these things seem to be happening simultaneously. If there’s any single creature running around causing this havoc, then can it bilocate?” Glancing out at the ferry, I decided to ask the question we were all wondering. “You said you had an anonymous call about the ferry. How long before the ferry sank did it actually come through?”

“About half an hour.”

“Could it be sabotage? Could some wacko have damaged the ferry so it went down?” I hated to voice the thought but we had to check it out.

“That’s something that only a damage report can tell us. And that will happen as soon as they haul the ferry to shore,” Millie said.

Tad started to say something but stopped, turning as a loud ruckus at the edge of the water interrupted. Quite a handful of people were sitting there, blankets around their shoulders. But the men were carrying someone out of the water who didn’t look like they had made it. And behind them, another pair of divers were carrying another person ashore who seemed unresponsive. We watched as the EMTs checked them out, and then quietly carried the bodies over to put into body bags as they zipped them shut. Two fatalities so far, it looked like.

Soberly, I turned back to Millie. “If someone called you with a premonition about the ferry sinking, then maybe this event was more than happenstance.” Even as I said it, something sparked at the back of my brain and I felt slightly nauseated. “I wonder if whatever is causing all these incidents triggered the ferry sinking somehow?”

“What could do that?” Caitlin asked.

“I have no idea.” I slowly shook my head. “Until we know what we’re up against, we can’t assume anything. This thing may be benign, or malign, or maybe it doesn’t care. Maybe it’s got reasons beyond any that we could fathom. We need to find out more about what’s going on with the sightings. I have a feeling in my gut that all sorts of crap is going to continue to occur until we do.”

Millie nodded, looking strained. “It’s impossible to tell right now. Meanwhile, I wondered if you would go talk to Marnie from the Witches Guild, and ask her if they can sense anything?”

I nodded, unfolding my arms and turning to wander down the shore.

The ferry over to Nimah Rock was located near the end of the marina, on a pier of its own. But to the left and to the right were sandy beaches, created for the town. Most beaches along the edge of western Washington, even up near the Salish Sea and along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, were rock-strewn, covered with pebbles and driftwood swept in by the waters. But the founders of Moonshadow Bay had decided to create a couple beaches. They were small, of course, but suitable for children to play on and families to picnic at.

Today, it also provided a place for the EMTs to set up their triage. Marnie Brolen was with a group of women from the Witches Guild, and they had just broken circle. I wandered over to the older woman, plastering on my most pleasant of social faces. Marnie and I didn’t get along that well, but we were starting to find our way with each other. As leader of the Witches Guild, she kept the organization running tight as a ship.

“January, how are you?” Marnie was also extremely formal, and I always felt like I was talking with an older schoolmarm.

“Okay, better than the people who were on the ferry this morning, that’s for sure. Millie asked me to come talk to you and ask if any of you had picked up on anything?” I really didn’t expect Marnie to answer, since she was tight-lipped and prone to holding people at bay if she felt they were overstepping their boundaries with her. But she surprised me today.

“To tell you the truth, there’s something odd going on. I don’t think this ferry accident was an accident. I feel the tingle of magic around—you should be able to feel it too, if you tuned in. But it’s not the typical magic we’re used to dealing with. There’s something in the air, and every single person they brought out of the water has felt…marked. I can see it in their energy signatures. We were just creating a boundary line to run along the edge of the water. Whatever this energy is, we don’t want it coming out of the water, if that’s where it’s based.”

I gave her a long look. “What if it’s not in the water? What if it’s in the air?” Even though I didn’t particularly trust her, I told her what it happened to Ari. “She’s in the hospital right now. She has no memory of last night. And she’s not the only one, Marnie. There have been others this past week. Some entity has come into Moonshadow Bay, and I have no clue what it is. Conjure Ink is looking into it, but we aren’t finding many answers. And I can tell you that I’m already spooked out of my mind about this. And I don’t frighten all that easily.”

I waited for her to tell me that I was crazy or that I was overstepping myself, but Marnie did neither. Instead, she linked her arm with mine and we began to stroll down the beach, toward the edge of the water.

“Close your eyes. I know you work with earth energy, but you also work with the dead. And we have at least two dead today. Can you sense anything?”

The older woman had a good hold on me, and I realized how strong she was. I also realized that I had penetrated her space bubble. And the energy on the inside was nothing like the energy on the outside. There was a warmth and concern that I had not expected to feel. The Marnie I thought I knew felt nothing like the Marnie I was up close and personal with at this point.

“I’ll do my best,” I said, closing my eyes.

Everywhere around me, there was a frenetic web of energy, crackling and sparkling in the air, clashing with the Salish Sea. It was as though lightning surrounded the ferry that was sinking, sparking against the water’s misty peace. The lightning crackled and snapped, and I could almost see the jagged purple forks webbing the outside of the vessel.

From where we were standing, we could see the very top of the ferry. It seemed to have submerged when one end sank into the bay. The other end jutted out of the water. I could sense creatures in the water as well, fish and seals and dolphins, but there was something else there, studying the ferry. It wasn’t what I was searching for—I knew that right away. It didn’t feel malign or caustic, just curious. But whatever it was, it had woken up and it had reached out to touch the ferry’s energy.

I let go of Marnie’s arm and stepped forward, holding out my hands. Walking along the beach, strolling on the shoreline, were five spirits. There were three men and two women, although one of the men looked like he might be younger, perhaps a teenager. They were new to the spirit realm, so new that they were bright and shiny and sparkling and confused. I thought about going over to them, to ask them what happened, but they were in that no-man’s land.

Between life and death, the Veil shimmered. But as you crossed the Veil, there was often a period where the spirit became confused, uncertain as to what had happened. That happened more with accidents than with natural deaths, or the long slow death of illness.

Traumatic accidents and unexpected deaths created ghosts who wandered in search of an answer, unaware that they were dead. Spirit shamans often claimed there were six types of dead, but I couldn’t remember all of them right off the top of my head.

These five weren’t sure as to what happened. They didn’t know they were dead. That was easy enough for me to tell. I searched the shore for anyone else, but the other spirit I saw seemed very settled in his ways, and he wandered past, ignoring me and the others.

I turned around, opening my eyes. “I think there are five victims total. Three men, two women. One of the men may be a teenager. They don’t know they’re dead yet, and it’s not my place to tell them. They have to get their footing first. I can’t ask them what happened because they don’t know what happened.”

Even as we spoke, the rescuers were bringing people out of the water, and as I shaded my eyes and stared over the bay, I could see more bobbing in the ocean waves. At least some of them had found their way to the life vests, thankfully.

I turned back to Marnie and regarded her quietly. After a moment I said, “I may need to ask you some questions later, if you’ll be available. I’ll consult my grandmother as well, but the more information we find, the better. And we have to find it quickly. I sense something out here, stretched all along the beach. It doesn’t feel exactly hungry, but alien. I can’t get a bead on any emotion.”

Marnie thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “I shut down as quickly as I could when we got here, but I know what you’re talking about. Call me if you need. Meanwhile, we’ll do our best to keep people alive.”

As I headed back to Millie, my phone rang. It was Meagan. I answered, holding my breath. “What’s up? How’s Ari?”

“I was able to bring her home. She’s resting, but… Can you come over? I found something outside on one of the trees in our yard. January, it’s… I don’t know how to describe it. You’ll want to take pictures of it. I don’t claim to be psychic, but I know it has something to do with Ari’s state. And it scares the crap out of me.”

Sighing and feeling like we were suddenly being jostled from every side, I told her we’d be there as soon as we could. I glanced back at the water. They had found two more bodies, one of them a teenaged boy. Wincing, I turned back to talk to Tad and the others. Somehow, the heat wave felt like it had invited the worst to town—attracted its own type of monster. I just wished we knew what we were facing.

CHAPTER TEN

By the time we left the beach it was nearing eleven-thirty and I was already exhausted. But we piled in our cars and headed for Ari and Meagan’s place. I was ready to pack it in for the day. I knew that life went in cycles. It was normal to feel like you were on a roller coaster sometimes, but right now I really didn’t relish the sudden dips.

As I drove along, I realized that my job stressed me out more than I had thought it did. I loved it, I loved Conjure Ink, and I liked my coworkers. But the work itself could be overwhelming, and when it filtered into the rest of the town, like this case was doing, it left me wanting to run off and join the circus. Except I hated clowns. They were creepy and reminded me of serial killers.

I led the way to Ari’s house. Her hair salon was in the back of her house—in what had been a family room. There was a separate entrance for it, so that clients wouldn’t have to walk through the rest of the house. Meagan had moved in with her shortly before they got married. I knew they were looking for a new place to live, so that they would feel like it was their home together. But it would have to be able to be fit both the salon and house, and so far, they hadn’t found one that met their needs.

Ari had confided to me not long ago that she wished Meagan could embrace the house as it was. I tried to stay out of that argument. There were some subjects that it was best to leave alone when it involved a disagreement between your best friend and her spouse.

Ari’s house was on a small lot. I eased into the driveway and parked next to her car and Meagan’s. There was room for one more, but everyone else would have to park on the street.

As I got out of the car, I lifted my head to smell the breeze that was wafting past. There was a slight cooldown in the air, almost imperceptible. But it whispered of rain to come, and a full cloud cover, and shifting winds. I stood there for a moment, willing the return of cooler weather. I didn’t mind sun, and even a heat wave could be fun at times, but right now it felt harsh, given what had happened the past few days.

As I started to walk up the sidewalk toward the house, Meagan opened the door and clattered down the stairs. She hurried over to me. She had obviously had a shower. With her long blond hair loose around her shoulders, and her tan palazzo pants and white-knit tank top, she looked far more pulled together than she had earlier. She had flip-flops on, and as she approached me, she gathered her hair back and twisted it into a bun. Altogether, she looked like the golden girl off of some resort movie.

“Thank you so much for coming,” she said, reaching out to take my hands. She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek, which startled me, although I don’t know why it did. “I came out to water the lawn and found something that I thought you should look at.” She shaded her eyes, looking past me. “I see the others parking on the street. We’ll wait for them.”

“How’s Ari doing?” I asked.

Meagan gazed into my eyes. “She doesn’t remember what happened, but the doctor said that could take days, and maybe not happen at all. Although now she remembers two brilliant red lights.” She hesitated for a moment, then added “I’m scared, January. I’m scared of what happened to her and I’m scared that there may be some long-term effects from this. Please find out what happened. You’re the one I really trust about situations like this. I know you’ll do your best because I know how much you love Ari.”

I suddenly felt ungenerous. Yes, I was jealous of their relationship, but Meagan truly loved my best friend. They made a good pair, and I realize that my own insecurities were what might be pushing us apart. It wasn’t Meagan’s fault.

“I’ll do everything I can. I’m glad you trust me.” I glanced over my shoulder to see Tad, Caitlin, and Hank headed up the sidewalk. Wren was supposed to come into the temporary office after noon today.

Before they caught up to us, I turned back to Meagan. “I’m going to confess something to you, and I hope you understand. I’ve been jealous of you. Ari and I have been friends since we were kids, and back then you were the mean girl in school. And now, you and she have a bond that I will never have with her. And I feel…”

“Pushed aside? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. Ari loves you, she trusts you, and so do I. I hope that you and I can have a good friendship at some point. I mean, I consider you a friend now but, sometime I’d like to go shopping or lunch together so we can have a chance to talk and get to know each other better. Ari’s not much into shopping, so I’m kind of hoping you are.” She gave me a ghost of a smile, but behind it, her words were genuine.

As Tad and the others drew near, I said, “Of course. And thank you. I think I needed that reassurance. For what it’s worth, you’re good for her.”

Tad cleared his throat. “Hey, Meagan. What did you want to show us? How’s Ari?”

She led the way across the yard, motioning for us to follow her. “As I told January, she can’t remember what happened. Except she told me she remembers two red lights.”

Meagan led us over to a tree. It was a fir, tall enough so that most of the branches were overhead. She pointed up about five feet on the trunk.

There, burned into the wood as though with a wood burner, was a rough shape that reminded me of a butterfly. It was at least ten inches by eight inches. There was something about it that felt malign. It made me think of smoke and mirrors, of sounds in the night and creatures that lurked in the shadows.

“It’s a mark,” I said. “I don’t know what it’s from, or who made it, but that’s a mark. It’s marking territory.” I turned to Hank. “Can you read its energy signature? I can see it, but I have no clue what it is or where it’s from.”

Hank closed his eyes and held out his hands, reaching up to touch the mark on the tree. “It’s not from our dimension. This is from someplace else—it feels alien and hive-like. But I can’t tell you what created it.”

I nodded, mulling over what he had said. “You’re right. Alien is the word for it.” I glanced over at Tad. “Have there been any UFO sightings lately? Near here, that is?”

“You don’t think we’re dealing with little green men?” Meagan asked.

“Green, gray, whatever the color… I don’t know. But it does feel alien. It’s not human, and I don’t even think it’s a demon. That doesn’t mean it’s friendly, though. It scares the shit out of me.”

Hank slowly pulled his hand away from the tree, examining his fingers. “I’m siding with January on this one. Whatever made this, it’s not our friend. And I don’t think it has our best interests at heart. I don’t get anything evil, per se. Whatever it is, it’s malign in a way that I can’t explain.”

Meagan stared up at the mark on the tree. “Do you think I should scrape it off? Can purification water neutralize it?”

I close my eyes again, searching within myself. After a moment, I shook my head. “Purification water isn’t going to work on it, whatever it is. Neither will any cleansing spells. I suppose we can do some sort of protection spell around the boundary of the property—that might do some good.”

Caitlin leaned close to the tree, stretching out and trying to get her nose close to the mark. After a moment, she said, “This smells like… Musty. Like cobwebs. There’s a faint hint of smoke behind it.”

I’ve seen that before.

The voice startled me and I turned around to see Esmara standing there. She was staring at the shape on the tree.

“Where? When?”

“Who are you talking to?” Caitlin asked.

I glanced over my shoulder at her. “Esmara’s here. She says she’s seen this before. The mark. I’m talking to her right now.”

I saw it in the Mystic Wood when I was young. My sister Prue and I went out to gather berries and mushrooms one summer afternoon. We were supposed to stay on the edge of Haven’s Copse, but we saw bigger berries deeper in the thicket. We often sneaked into the Mystic Wood, even though our mother would have spanked our asses raw for that. It was dangerous then. It’s still dangerous. But she thought we’d be safe if we stayed on the side of Haven’s Copse.

We rode on one of the ponies—Thornton, I think. We decided to go into the wood because we saw a thick patch of berry branches deeper in, away from the road. Back then the roads were pretty much dirt, but it was still a road. Anyway, we ventured into the woodland, and while Prue was picking berries, I was examining the mushrooms nearby. I’m really good—was really good—at identifying safe mushrooms.

Prue made some sort of noise and I glanced up to find her standing by one of the trees, staring up at it. I hurried over and saw a mark exactly like that. There had been some weird things going on in the forest, which made it doubly dangerous for us to be there. That was right before there was an earthquake that killed several people.

Esmara paused, staring at the tree. After a moment, she looked back at me. There was something else… Something I’m not particularly remembering. Let me think for a moment.

I told the others what she had said, and then glanced back at my great-aunt. “Did you remember what you were trying to?”

She slowly nodded, looking like a pale image from an old Cinemascope picture. Yes, I think I do. One of the witches in town started having premonitions. It was around that same time. She had a premonition about the earthquake. She predicted that there was going to be a strong earthquake, and that it would flood the lower level of town. Four days later we had a strong quake. It was probably about five or six on the Richter scale, but nothing was built to withstand earthquakes back then. The quake caused a minor tsunami—not huge but enough to rush in and flood the lower half of town. Fourteen people died. And I always felt that it was somehow connected to that mark we saw.

I thought about the premonition Millie had told us about—the woman who had predicted the ferry sinking. “Thank you, I’ll tell the others. If you remember anything else about that time, let me know.” Another thought occurred to me. “Do you think there might be anything about that event in your mother’s Book of Shadows?”

Could be. It’s worth a look. I’ll try to remember what time frame I’m talking about. I know we were both under ten. Everything kind of runs together once you’re dead. Meanwhile, I’m going to have a walk in the woods. I think it’s about time that I checked it out for anything that shouldn’t be there.

Esmara vanished and I turned back to the others. I told them what she’d said.

“I need to go home and really start reading my great-grandmother’s journal. I’ll look for any reference I can find to things like this. If Esmara was right, that means this has happened before. A long time ago. Which either means that whatever is causing this is extremely long-lived, or there are more than one and they come in cycles.”

“We’re all beat. Why don’t we take the rest of the afternoon off. I’ll call Wren and let her know,” Tad said. Hank took some scrapings from inside the mark, carefully tapping them into a plastic bag. After he finished, the others started walking back toward the cars. I turned back to Meagan.

“Is Ari awake enough to talk?”

Meagan shook her head. “I’m actually hoping that she’s fallen asleep again. I gave her one of the pills the doctor gave her. But call later this afternoon? As soon as she wakes up she’s going to want to talk to you.”

Nodding, I headed back to my car, my head spinning. I had a lot of research to do, and hopefully I could get it done before anybody else was hurt.

* * *

On the way home, I stopped by Killian’s clinic. As I walked through the door, I saw one person sitting there with a bird in a cage. The vet tech saw me and jumped up.

“I’ll let Dr. Killian know you’re here.” She headed toward the back. I sat down on one of the banquettes and a moment later, Killian joined me.

“Love, I didn’t expect you to be here.” He leaned down and kissed me. “I have one more patient left before I can go to lunch. What are you doing here?”

“I’m not certain,” I said. “Maybe I wanted to reassure myself that something was normal. It’s been a weird and long morning.”

“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “On my lunch hour, I’ll come home. I should be there in about half an hour. Are you going to be at your house or mine?”

“My house. I’ve got the afternoon off and I’m glad I do. See you in a bit.” I gave him a quick kiss and headed for the door, not wanting to interrupt his schedule. I would have enough time to go home and heat up something for lunch before he got there.

* * *

As I unlocked my door, I heard the thunder of kitten paws bouncing along the steps. Both Xi and Klaus loved to greet me the moment I came through the door. I was grateful they never tried to stage an escape. To my relief they had shown no tendencies toward wanting to be outdoor kitties, which was good because I wouldn’t allow it. Although I was thinking of turning part of the enclosed porch into a catio. That would be heaven for them.

I had stopped by the mailbox on the way in and got my mail. Now as I glanced through it I saw there was a letter from Ireland. My grandmother! I dropped my purse on the table, and settled down to open it. But it wasn’t an actual letter. Instead, it was a brief note.

I’m writing you this to forewarn you that I’ve sent you a package. In fact, it’s so large that it had to go on a cargo ship. It should be there in about eight weeks—possibly twelve. I hope you love it once you get it. I’m not going to tell you what it is, but here’s the tracking number and the delivery service. You can keep track of where it is online.

She had written out the URL, and had clearly printed the tracking number so I wouldn’t make any mistakes. Puzzled, but also excited, I put the letter down next my purse. I sat there in silence for a moment, wondering what to do next.

Finally, I pushed myself out of my chair and walked over to the office, where I kept my great-grandmother’s journal. I had neglected reading sections of it for the past month or so, I’d been so busy. But as I took it off the shelf, I felt a tingle of magic run through my fingers. I settled down in the rocking chair, Xi jumping up on my lap, and started to leaf through the pages, looking for the answer to a puzzle that was at least a hundred years old.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Twenty minutes and no luck later, I tucked my grandmother’s letter into the Book of Shadows as a bookmark, then went into the kitchen. I was hungry. All the events of the morning had eaten away at my energy. As I poked through the refrigerator, thinking I should toss out some of the leftovers, I saw a block of cheese and immediately thought that a grilled cheese sandwich would taste really good, along with a bowl of hot tomato soup. As I was fixing my lunch, trying not to think about what was out there waiting for us, my phone rang. It was Killian.

“How’s everything going?” He asked. “I’m on my way.”

“I’m making lunch. Do you have time for a real meal?”

“Actually, I rechecked my schedule and since I don’t have any important examinations this afternoon, or any surgeries, I’m closing down the office early.”

I didn’t want to put him out that way. “But the patients coming in—won’t their owners be worried about them?”

“I have two annual examinations. Neither is an emergency and so I rescheduled. I’ll see you in half an hour. Is there anything you want me to pick up on the way?”

“I wouldn’t mind some really gooey, fudgy cookies. I’m making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. That okay?”

“That’s great.”

“I’ll see you in about half an hour, then?”

“Thirty minutes tops. I’ll get the cookies on the way home. Love, try to relax. I know that you’ve been nerve-racked worried about Ari, but try to calm down and relax for a while. I’ll be there soon.”

I sliced the cheese and prepared the sandwiches for the skillet, then stirred the soup into a pan, adding half-and-half to make cream of tomato soup. Covering everything with lids to keep the cats out, I went back into the living room and picked up my great-grandmother’s journal. I’d start cooking when Killian got here, because it wouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

My great-grandmother’s Book of Shadows spanned a number of years. In fact, I was convinced there must be a second volume around, because it ended well before her death. And Great-Grandma had a penchant for writing everything down on paper. Her journal was fascinating to read, and it was thick. It spanned at least five hundred pages, as far as I could tell. It started before she left Ireland, and that part I hadn’t read yet. I had made up my mind to go back and start at the beginning soon.

I wanted to know everything I could about her life, especially now that I knew there was a curse on my family. I was planning to search for Gretchen Wyer at some point. The thought of dying young and never reaching my full potential because some bitch decided the money was worth the karma hit me hard. Young was a relative word when it came to the witchblood, but young was young, whether it was fifty or one hundred and fifty.

Once I settled down on the sofa, I flipped open the cover. Covered with black leather, Colleen’s Book of Shadows was in good condition, considering how old it was. I thought about the time period that Esmara had talked about. Given she and Prue had been young, I would be looking at the 1910s. Esmara had been born in 1907, and Prue had been born in 1910 according to the family tree in the front of the journal. Both had died at sixty, very early deaths for witchblood.

I flipped through the pages, looking for entries set in around 1915. And then, I found the section. As I skimmed the pages, looking for anything that might indicate something similar to what was happening now, I fell into a gentle flow, immersing myself in the words. And then, a sentence stuck out to me.

“Prue and Esmara went out hunting mushrooms and berries today. I swear, those two will be the death of me. I almost lost them, and it would not have been a good end.”

I stopped, staring at the sentence. Then, before I could dive back in, the front door opened and Killian entered. He waved to me as he walked into the dining room to take off his jacket and set down his messenger bag. I stuck Nonny’s letter as a bookmark again in the Book of Shadows and set it on the coffee table, jumping up to give Killian a long kiss. He wrapped his arms around me, one hand sliding down to cup my ass. With the other, he cradled my head, holding me firmly against him.

“Well, that’s a lovely greeting,” he said, as he slowly broke away. “I wouldn’t mind being greeted like that every day when I come home.”

I laughed, reaching up to brush his hair back out of his face. “Well, perhaps someday we’ll pursue schedules that allow us to be home at the same time every day.” I motioned for him to follow me into the kitchen and started the sandwiches and soup. As I stood there with spatula in hand, ready to turn the sandwiches, I glanced back at Killian, who had pulled a chair close to the stove. He was sitting there, one leg folded over the other knee, looking worried.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“Inflation has hit. You might want to offer me a nickel. I was wondering, what the hell went on today? I glanced through the news online and it looked like all hell broke loose, but they don’t have much up there yet.”

“First, Ari was out all night. She was out in the woods, and we found her huddled underneath the tree this morning.” I told him everything, flipping the sandwiches halfway through. By the time I was done they were ready, and so was the soup. Killian carried the tureen to the table, while I brought the platter of sandwiches. He filled glasses with ice as I pulled two sodas out of the fridge. I didn’t feel like anything harder because I didn’t want my mind clouded.

We settled in at the table and I ladled out the soup as he placed a sandwich on my plate and one on his. We poured our sodas—I loved cream soda and he liked root beer—and then we both let out a sigh.

“What do you think the mark was on that tree?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I have no idea. I’m honestly beginning to think we’re dealing with aliens.”

“You mean from outer space?”

I glanced across the table, shrugging. “I suppose. I don’t know where they’re from. But the energy on this is like nothing I have ever felt. It’s so different and it gives me the creeps. It’s not like a demon, it’s not like a ghost… I have no clue what we’re dealing with.”

Killian silently stirred his soup. After a few minutes, he said, “Have you ever seen a movie called The Mothman Prophecies? It was creepy as fuck and supposedly based on a true story. I think there were a lot of changes, but I know there’s a nonfiction book out there by the same name.”

I bit my lip. It didn’t sound familiar, and yet something struck a chord inside. I closed my eyes, casting around for what I was trying to remember. Then, as I took another bite of my grilled cheese, it hit me. “The outline of the figure on the tree—that was burned into the tree? It looked a lot like a moth with its wings spread out.”

“I think you should take a look into the legends. I know that they’re found worldwide, not just in the United States.” Killian looked serious. “They aren’t very pleasant, though.” He paused as his phone rang. “It’s Tally.”

Tally was his sister. She was pregnant with twins and getting married soon. At first she had planned on getting married in April, but then she and her fiancé decided to wait until June when the weather would hopefully cooperate more.

He answered while I finished off my bowl of soup. I ladled out another serving, and decided on another half sandwich.

“What you mean?… Well, that’s not good—no, I don’t think you should. Not with as far along as you are, and not with the fact that you’re carrying twins.” He paused, then let out a long sigh. “I can lend you the money. I don’t want you and Les putting yourselves in debt. I’ve got enough saved up and it won’t hurt me.” Another moment and he laughed. “Trust me, I’ll charge you interest, all right, but it may not be the kind that you could expect. I know how good of a baker you are.” Again, a pause. Then he said, “I’m your brother, it’s my job to look after you.”

As he tucked away his phone, I looked at him expectantly.

“Tally and Les’s down payment for the house fell through. Les’s family was going to lend it to them but something happened, so I told them I’d loan them the money. I know my parents would, except they can’t afford to, and I can.” He looked as though he expected me to argue with him.

In truth, part of me felt he was making a mistake because even though I trusted Tally and her fiancé, lending money to relatives was always problematic. But it wasn’t my money, we weren’t married, and I didn’t feel like I had any say in the matter. And I was okay with that.

“Why did it fall through?”

“Les’s father proved to have a secret gambling problem and when his mother went to withdraw the money, there wasn’t anything there. I’m loaning her ten thousand. My brother’s loaning them five thousand, and the shaman of the group lent them another five, which means they’ll have a good down payment and the monthly payments won’t be as large. They’ll be all right, it’s just going to be a bit more complicated.”

I was actually looking forward to Tally moving nearby. She and I got along. I stood, ready to clear the table. Killian pulled out a bag of chocolate-covered marshmallow cream cookies that he had brought home.

“I told you I’d bring you cookies.” He grinned.

I smiled back. “Thank you. I need these.” I set the dishes in the sink, and carried the cookies into the living room and we snuggled on the couch. I leaned my head back against the left arm, popping a cookie into my mouth.

“So, where did you hear about the Mothman? From the movie?”

“You might think it was the movie, but it wasn’t. I actually read the book a long time ago. I’m not sure what I think about it, even now. There were parts of it that I couldn’t turn away from. You know how when you feel something in your core? How it resonates as true? There were parts of his book that did that for me.”

“What does the Mothman want? What is the Mothman?”

“Nobody really knows. Some people speculate he’s from a different dimension—they are from a different dimension. There have been worldwide sightings of creatures that look like a man with wings, moth wings. There were a lot of sightings down in West Virginia, in the Point Pleasant area in the mid-1960s. A bridge went down there, and the sightings fell off. However, there have been sightings of winged humanoids around the world. So it’s more than American folklore. Along the way, some of the reports got connected with UFO sightings or the Men in Black. And I’m not talking about the MIB movies, either.”

He sounded so serious that it made me straighten up. I stared him for a moment, and for the first time since I’d known him, Killian was trying to look away. Something was going on.

“Tell me how you know all this?” This couldn’t be just trivia he had picked up somewhere.

Killian cleared his throat, staring down at his hands before he looked up again. “Because a long time ago, when I was out in the woods on a camping trip, I saw the Mothman.”

I blinked. That was news to me. “Tell me about it.”

He shrugged. “A group of guys and I went out in the mountains on a camping trip. It was a regular routine—we’d spend the weekends camping and fishing during the summer. We were all wolf shifters, so we also took the opportunity to transform and go for a really good run. I was out running in the woods one night in my Wolf shape.

“I was about two miles from the campground. I started to head back, with the moon rising high over my shoulder. It was full, or almost full. I came to a clearing and was ready to charge through it when I saw a man up ahead. Or at least I thought it was a man. He was about seven feet tall, and he was in the shadow of a bunch of trees. I paused, hiding behind the nearest tree so he wouldn’t see me. If he was human, I would have scared the hell out of him because I looked like a regular wolf.”

“You never look like a regular wolf when you change shape,” I said. “You’re glorious, but you’re huge and a brilliant white. I can see why you might be wary of frightening someone. So you were hiding and—?”

“I hid and watched. Now, the fact that he was seven feet tall told me maybe he wasn’t human or maybe he was a basketball player, but as he moved forward into the moonlight, I saw that he had huge wings. They looked like butterfly wings, but he was dark and murky, like a shadow man. I stared at him for a moment, and then I saw glowing red eyes staring right back at me. I was hiding behind a tree but I knew he could see me. It scared the fuck out of me. I thought I was going to die, to be honest.”

Killian was leaning forward, and by the timbre of his voice I knew he was reliving the incident. He sounded frightened, and my boyfriend didn’t frighten easily.

“What happened?”

He shook his head, looking confused. “I can’t tell you. To this day, I don’t know what happened. One moment I was staring at this giant winged man, and the next moment I was back at the campground in my human shape, walking toward the fire. The guys handed me a beer, and asked me how my run went. I was so confused that I could barely speak. I didn’t say much the rest of the night—I was trying to figure out what the hell had happened between the time I saw the man and the time I reached the campground. I didn’t want to scare my friends, and since there were a number of us together, I figured we were safe enough. But I never suggested going back to that campground. And I’ve never seen anything quite like that since then.”

I caught my breath. It fit so well with so many things that had been happening. The memory loss made me wonder, though. Did the creature have a mind-wiping capability? If he looked like a shadow man, was it a variant of a shadow person? I knew what they were, all too well, and they were terrifying. But I’d never heard of a shadow man with wings.

“Do you remember what he looked like in any other way? Was he wearing clothes? Could you see his features?”

“I have no clue. He was so dark that it was like a black hole sucking in light. And he looked fuzzy around the edges. I’m not talking fuzzy cute, but there weren’t clear defining lines to his silhouette. To be honest, I tried to put it out of my mind. Every now and then I find myself dwelling on that moment, but for the most part I’ve tried to forget it. Because as I said, it terrified me. And I don’t like that feeling.”

I stood, setting down the bag of cookies, and paced back and forth. “Would you be willing to come in and file a report with Conjure Ink? It would give us some sort of background information that we might be able to use.”

“Sure,” he said. “I don’t mind.”

“Did you see the man flying at all?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “But I did figure out what the red lights were. They were his eyes, glimmering through the night. Blood red, and they were just pinpricks of light. I didn’t see eye sockets, or anything like that.”

I held up my great-grandmother’s Book of Shadows. “I need to do some more research today. According to Esmara, something similar happened back in her time. Esmara and my great-aunt Prue went out gathering mushrooms and berries, and something happened.”

“If this thing is like the Mothman, what do you think may have drawn it here? And didn’t you tell me that there was somebody who sensed something about the ferry?”

I sat down beside Killian, leaning into him. He wrapped me in his embrace, drawing me onto his lap.

“Someone called Millie and told her that they had a premonition about the ferry. That’s all I know about that. But yes, the ferry went down and I know there were casualties. There was a weird energy surrounding the area when I was there this morning. I should give her a call and see what’s been going on.” I pulled out my phone, but Killian placed his hand over mine, taking the phone away and setting it on the coffee table.

“Before you do, what do you say we take a much-needed break together,” he said, his voice sounding animated. He gave me a slow wink, and his hands began to slide up my shirt.

Usually I would respond immediately, but right now all I could think about was this case and Ari. “Can I take a rain check? I want to check in with Millie. You said you were out in the woods when you saw him? What if she ran into something similar out in the woodland? And why was she drawn off the road into the turnout? There wasn’t anything wrong with her car as far as I know.”

Killian handed me back my phone, winking. “All right, I’ll accept a rain check, but you have to promise me that you’ll wear that nifty little pink and black nightie you’ve got next time.”

Laughing, I agreed. “I promise. And I also promise that when you cash in your rain check I won’t be thinking about any Mothman.” I called Millie, waiting until, three rings in, she answered.

“January, hi. Please don’t tell me something else happened.”

“Not that I know of. I just wanted to know what happened with the ferry. What’s the final verdict?”

“Five dead, like you said. Two adult men, a teenage boy, and two women. Everybody else was injured to one degree or another—that would be twenty-nine others. The Department of Transportation has lifted the ferry out of the water and is going over it now to see what they can find. One of the dead was the ferry pilot, the captain. There’s nothing he can tell us about what happened. His first mate is in the hospital and I’m going to question him in about an hour. Reports on the ferry vary, but at least three people claim they saw something strange flying overhead before the ferry took off from the terminal.”

“Oh boy,” I said with a deep breath.

“I’ve been running all over town since I left the beach. It seems like there’s been a plethora of accidents going on—at least ten fender benders this morning, to start with. There’s no ice, there’s no water for hydroplaning, but we’ve had collision after collision. I also got another phone call from whoever it was that told me that they sensed something wrong with the ferry.”

“Oh really?” I’d put Millie on speaker by now, and Killian was staring at the phone, scrunching up his eyebrows.

“Yeah, I think it’s a woman, although I still couldn’t tell. But it sounded like a woman to me. Anyway, they warned me that there’s going to be some major mishap out on Lilac Road. I sent a couple men over there to patrol the area. I may be misallocating our staff for this, but I don’t want to take any more chances.”

“Let me know what happens.” I hung up and turned to Killian. “I think it’s time I had another talk with Rebecca,” I said. “Do you want to come?”

He nodded. “I’m not letting you out of my sight if I can help it. Something’s amiss—something’s more than amiss. And whatever it is, I don’t think it’s above killing someone.”

On that note, we headed toward the kitchen door.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Killian and I stopped in the kitchen, where he brought out some leftover ribs and nuked them till they were warm, but not dry. He added some more sauce—Rebecca loved his sauce—and we headed down the back porch steps, across the lawn. I once again breathed a prayer of gratitude that I had met him. We meshed together and our goals and plans ran along parallel paths. I didn’t want children, and neither did he. I wasn’t clingy, and neither was he. We were comfortable together in a way that felt natural and not forced. I linked my arm with his and he glanced down at me, smiling.

“Are you nervous that you might end up facing the Mothman again?” I didn’t like dragging him into the cases that Conjure Ink landed me in, but that was what seemed to keep happening. And Killian never complained, he just worried about me and tried to make sure I was safe. I knew that he couldn’t protect me from everything, but I appreciated his efforts, and it made me feel safe in a way I never had. He loved me in a way no one ever had.

“Not if it’s to help you,” he said, hesitating. “I will never stop you from doing what you want to—or need to—but I hope that you think about your own safety. You can’t save the entire world, you know.”

Killian had mentioned several times that he thought I pushed too hard and took on too many dangerous cases, but he also understood the nature of my job and the tightrope I had to walk at times.

“I—oh look, there’s Rebecca.” I was grateful she was standing there, by the edge of the Mystic Wood, watching as we approached. I didn’t want to get in a debate again over how far I should follow the cases. Yes, they put me in danger, especially with some of the darker spirits, but if they were harming other people and I could help, I felt I should.

“Rebecca, you knew we were coming?” I nodded to her.

“I saw you from across the lawn, and I smelled the ribs,” the imp said, eying the plate with hunger. “What trade do you want?”

One of these days, I was going to come out here and give her a big batch without a reason, but for now, we needed her aid.

“Killian’s going to describe something to you—a creature—and I’d like to know if it sounds like the one you said was trying to get into the wood.” I motioned for Killian to take over and settled myself on a nearby nurse log. The moss on the trunk was thick, and the mushrooms were growing thickly. Ants had found the log but they hadn’t swarmed it at this point, so I gingerly settled on a bare patch and waited.

Rebecca listened as Killian told her what he had seen at the campground. After he finished, she turned to me, her expression unreadable.

“It sounds very much like the same creature,” she said. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t belong in the Mystic Wood, although we’re having trouble keeping it out. I’d talk to your grandmother before it’s too late.”

Nodding, I took the ribs from Killian and handed them to her. This was as much as we were going to get from her, it felt. And I would take every scrap of help I was offered.

* * *

Back at the house, Killian offered to go get takeout while I read some more of my great-grandmother’s journal. He grabbed up his keys and phone and headed out the door.

I opened the journal to the bookmark and began reading, starting where I had left off.

July 14, 1915: Prue and Esmara went out hunting mushrooms and berries today. I swear, those two will be the death of me. I almost lost them, and it would not be a good end. I sent them over to Clive’s Thicket, and I warned them not to cross the road to the Mystic Wood.

I expected Esmara to behave and to keep Prue in line. After all, Esmara is eight years old, fully old enough to pay attention to what we tell her to do. I told them we would come pick them up in a couple of hours. What I didn’t count on is the allure of wild rabbits. When we arrived to pick them up, they were nowhere to be seen. The raspberry bushes are close to the front of the thicket, and there are plenty of mushrooms around the area. Esmara knows which ones to pick. And they both know not to eat any mushrooms until they get home. With the amount of raspberries available, I didn’t figure either girl would chance eating a mushroom. Unfortunately, I didn’t count on the fact that the rabbits are thick, and both girls love wild animals.

We got there, and found them nowhere to be seen. Brian was worried that some stranger may have carried them off, but that doesn’t happen often here, and everybody knows to look out for everybody else’s children. We began calling for them, and looking around, trying to find the footprints. But we’ve had a heat wave, which is unusual for the area, and there were no prints to be found in the dirt.

I figured they couldn’t have gone far, given how hot it is, but as I stood there at the edge of the thicket, something made me turn around and stare at the Mystic Wood. I could feel something beckoning to me and I knew immediately that my girls were in trouble. Brian and I hurried over to the other side of the road. As we entered the edge of the wood, a sudden hush descended around us, and I felt like we were being watched.

That’s not uncommon with the Mystic Wood, for there are creatures and beings within the boundaries of the woodlands that most humans have never heard of. And then, I saw it—a basket of berries on the ground. I ran over to it, desperately hoping to find my girls nearby. Instead, all we found were the other baskets that they had been carrying. Berries and mushrooms aren’t that heavy, and we had sent them with several baskets each so they could just set them by the side of the road after they picked them, so we could pick them up in the wagon when we arrived. None of the buckets or baskets had been out on the road, so whatever happened must have happened shortly after they arrived. It’s a mile walk from our house, so it shouldn’t have taken them long.

Brian suddenly held up his hand and motioned to an opening in the undergrowth. It wasn’t exactly a trail but it looked like several people had been through there recently. Brian plunged in and I followed him, aware that I could feel something beckoning me. As we broke through into a clearing, I saw Esmara and Prue asleep on the grass.

We rushed over and woke them up, but neither girl could explain to us why they were there. Both of them remembered walking toward Haven’s Copse, talking about how many berries they were going to pick, and the next moment—we were waking them up.

I noticed a strange burnt-out section on a stump nearby. It looks like the body of a man with wings. It looked as though someone had taken a branding iron to the stump. The image was at least a foot wide, and fifteen inches tall.

I showed Brian, and he agreed that the strange energy had to come from the image. We searched around a while longer, but couldn’t find anything. However, the magic that I felt was dangerous and unpredictable. I knew that we dare not still be there come nightfall, so we gathered the girls and baskets and hurried back to the wagon. When we got home, I went over to talk to Maisie Weatherford. She hangs out in Haven’s Copse a lot, gathering herbs for her business.

I asked her if she’d been over there recently and she said yes, but that the energy was somehow odd, and she felt unsafe there. When I pressed her, she said that it felt like there was something newly arrived in the Mystic Wood that didn’t belong there. She talks to the Woodlings quite a bit, and she said they didn’t want this entity there either. We decided to talk to the coven about this.

Maisie also warned me to check the girls to see if they had been marked in any way. She felt there might be an attachment latching onto them. Brian and I checked them out, head to toe. Prue was untouched, but Esmara had a mark on her arm that looked very much like the shape of the man with wings that we’d seen on the tree stump. After treating it against possible infection, I cast a spell on her, breaking any cords that might be attached to the scar.

When the spell finished, Esmara let out such a scream that it alerted the neighbors. And then she fell unconscious again. She woke an hour later after the doctor had come. He said she was healthy and couldn’t find any reason for her fainting. He suggested it might be exhaustion from whatever had happened during the day. Esmara woke and the mark was gone, so we figured we were well out of it. But I will never send them out there alone again. I was foolish, and in my foolhardiness, I almost lost my girls.

I paused for a moment, thinking about everything that had happened, then continued searching. A few pages later, there was another entry—dated three days later than the one I’d just read—that caught my attention.

July 17, 1915: I’ve kept all my girls near home since the incident over near Haven’s Copse. I’m grateful I did because there have been several reports of strange creatures being seen in the sky. They look like a cross between a man and a moth. Taller than normal humans, they don’t seem to show any distinct features. Just a dark outline that is undefined and fuzzy around the edges. No one knows what they want, or where they’re from, or whether they’re malign. The energy that I pick up on is definitely of concern, and makes my skin crawl.

July 23, 1915: All day yesterday I had the feeling something horrible was going to happen. I told the coven. Rowan confirmed that she’s also been feeling the same way.

At four in the morning today, before most people were up and about, a loud rumbling sound woke us as an earthquake rattled the area. Several houses down near the shore were destroyed, as was the pier leading to the ferry to Nimah Rock. A number of people were killed, including every member of the Markson family. They were swept away into the bay as their houses shattered into so much sawdust.

Two days later, we got news of a cave-in up on Mount Baker. I’m not sure what they were mining, but a crew of fifteen miners were trapped down in the tunnels. Only three escaped with their lives. At least four people in Moonshadow Bay reported dreaming of the great quake and they reported hearing screams for help in their sleep.

July 25, 1915: The energy that we were feeling has vanished. I ventured out to Haven’s Copse and the Mystic Wood, and the image on the tree stump was gone. The bark was clear, as though it had never been touched. I feel like I can breathe easier. Whatever we were facing, I think it’s gone. But I also feel that one day it will return. I intend to be ready if it does. I don’t know how I can prepare for such a happening, but I don’t want to forget this. I’m recording it here in my journal, in case it returns after my death. Time to make breakfast.

I set the journal aside. Colleen had faced this creature and then—it vanished. I wondered if she had ever faced it again, but my gut told me no. It was time to hit the web and do some research.

As I typed in a search query for Mothman, I was surprised to see how many results came up. There were thousands of links, quite a few of them leading to reviews of the movie. Deciding I needed to see the movie, I did a quick search on Movie Watch, one of the streaming services I had recently signed up for. The movie was available there so I put it in my queue.

I returned to the search engine, skimming through the entries to see if I could find actual sightings. I was barely half past the second page when I came to several sites devoted to Mothman sightings.

I opened up the first site. It seemed to be similar to Conjure Ink—it was a paranormal investigations agency called Spooky Sightings. I glanced down at the footer and sure enough, they were a member of Urban Legends, Inc.

Tad had created an umbrella group that brought together a number of sites/companies, including Conjure Ink. They all worked together, with a private search engine that accessed all of their different databases.

Each site had its own private information, but we could all access each other’s info. I entered my name and employee number on the back end of the website, and it allowed me into the full database. I typed in “Mothman” into the internal search engine, and sure enough, five different cases popped up. I glanced at their dates. Three of them, on the East Coast, were dated from five years ago. Two of them, however, were current sightings, and both were in eastern Washington.

The first happened about a month ago, the second two weeks ago. The first was along the Kettle River Road up toward the Canadian border, and the other in the town of Republic. Both sightings were off the beaten path, isolated and nowhere near a populated area. And both seemed to mirror the cases we encountered.

In the first, Ben Loper, a camper, was returning to his campsite near the Kettle River, when he lost track of time after seeing some creature come out of the air toward his car near sunset. The next thing Ben knew, it was midnight and he was in Tonasket, sixty-three miles away. He didn’t recall having driven through the mountainous roads at all, and he had left everything at his campsite along the Kettle River. He went to the ER because he was disoriented, and the doctor had no clue how the man had managed to drive in his confused state. He was human, and the doctor had kept him in the hospital for the night, given how disoriented he was.

The other case had involved a shifter named George Mychal in the town of Republic. George woke up to a noise and when he investigated, he saw a large winged man, who looked more like shadow than anything else, on his back patio. George was immediately struck with a headache so severe that it made his ears bleed. He fainted by the door, and by the time he managed to get back on his feet, the figure was gone. At the emergency room, the doctor found that George’s eardrums had ruptured, though he couldn’t figure out why. George’s corneas were also burned. They would heal but they had definitely been burned by some sort of infrared light.

I sat back, staring at the notes. Given the proximity of the cases, and the dates, I wondered whether there had been any unreported cases in the past two weeks.

I did more research on the site, discovering that forty years ago there had been another rash of Mothman sightings, back in the 1980s. And another set of sightings back in the 1950s. In both cases, a major disaster had happened in the area of the sightings, after which the sightings had abruptly stopped.

I looked up as Killian entered the room, carrying several bags that smelled delicious.

“Oh, yum, what did you get?” I realized I was hungry. As I stood to stretch, he set the bags on the table.

“I couldn’t decide, so I got egg rolls, fried rice, potstickers, tacos, and teriyaki chicken. I also got some jojos. We have plenty of protein, carbs, and probably MSG.” He laughed, heading into the kitchen to get plates.

I opened the bags, setting the food out on the table. There was enough for six people there, which meant we’d probably go through half of it. I had a good appetite and so did Killian.

“Did you find anything in your research?” he asked, returning with plates and silverware.

I licked barbecue sauce off my fingers. “Actually, I did. There were two sightings a few weeks ago over in eastern Washington. It reminds me a lot of what happened here.”

“What about Esmara? Did you find the passages you were looking for?” Killian began to arrange food on his plate, then paused as Xi jumped up on the table, swiped a pot sticker, and bounced away. “You minx, come back here!” He chased after her and managed to catch her before she devoured it. “She shouldn’t have this. I think there’s onion in it. I’ll get her a couple treats.”

“Why don’t you give them their dinner now?” I popped a piece of the teriyaki chicken into my mouth, savoring the sweet and salty tastes in the back of my throat. I added some fried rice, a couple egg rolls and two potstickers, and decided to leave the tacos for later.

Killian opened two cans of beef and gravy cat food, setting the dishes down for them. He refilled the water fountain for them, and both Xi and Klaus bounced over to him, chirping and purring as they approached their dinner.

“Do you want to sit on the back porch while we eat?” I asked. It was a nice night, and I wanted to take advantage of it.

“Sure, lead on.”

We carried our plates and the rest of the food out to the table on the back porch. I was so grateful that my parents had enclosed the porch so that mosquitoes couldn’t get in. We settled into our chairs, enjoying the temperate evening. The temperatures were supposed to start falling again in a few days, but right now it was a lazy seventy-five degrees and the chirping of birds echoed through the air.

“You want some wine?” Killian asked.

I shook my head. “No, but I wouldn’t mind some sparkling water.”

He ducked back into the kitchen, returning with sparkling water and glasses filled with ice. To me an iced drink meant a glass filled to the brim with ice, then you added liquid. As we sat back, breathing in the warm evening air, I decided to change the subject. I was tired of talking about the Mothman.

“So, another summer.” I couldn’t believe that, come December, we would celebrate our second anniversary of being together. It barely seemed possible. I had been happier in the past couple years than I had been most of my life, except for the loss of my parents. But their tragedy had given me a blessing in disguise—it had brought me home to Moonshadow Bay.

And once back in Moonshadow Bay, I’d found the job with Conjure Ink, I had gotten out from under Ellison’s thumb, and I had met Killian. And Killian had helped me learn to respect and value myself, rather than putting everyone else first.

“Have you given any more thought to…” He paused, glancing at me. I knew exactly what he was referring to.

I glanced down at the black opal ring on my finger. He knew I had wanted a black opal and had given me one on Valentine’s Day. It hadn’t been an engagement ring—while we were as good as engaged, I had wanted to wait.

Killian had been patient, and I knew he would be patient as long as I needed. Perhaps that was what made me realize, as I sat there, that I was no longer resisting the idea of getting married again. I knew I didn’t have to. I knew that Killian would wait as long as I needed. And maybe those two things finally removed the last obstacle. There, amidst the gravity of what was facing Moonshadow Bay, amidst the heat wave and the worry over Ari, something broke loose.

I looked at him, then slowly removed the black opal from my right hand. I held it up, sliding it on to my left hand—onto my ring finger. “Let’s get married during the Winter Solstice. Near Yuletide, with all the lights and sparkle and garlands. I want a winter wedding.”

Killian stared at me, his eyes wide. “Don’t toy with me, please. Do you mean it?”

I set down my egg roll, wiping my hands on a napkin. Breathless, surprised that my own eyes were welling up with tears, I nodded. “I mean it. I love you, Killian, and I want to marry you.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The next morning I woke up early, but Killian was already awake. He was laying there on his side, his head propped on his hand, staring at me. I had never seen quite as big of a smile on his face as he had now. He reached out, trailing his finger down my cheek.

“You are so beautiful. You’re vibrant, and alive, and enthusiastic, and you have the most wonderful curves. I could barely sleep last night, and I pray that you haven’t changed your mind this morning.” The look on his face told me he was waiting for me to reassure him.

I leaned in close, pressing my breasts against his chest. I wrapped my left arm around his waist, resting my left leg over his thigh. I could feel him respond, growing hard against me.

“I haven’t changed my mind. I meant what I said. I’m ready to be engaged—ready to get married. But I do ask that we wait until the Winter Solstice because I truly want to be a winter bride.” Smiling coyly, I reached down to cup his balls. His cock was long and hard, throbbing. “Do we have time?”

Killian nodded, letting out a low growl of desire. “As far as I’m convinced we always have time.” After putting on a condom, he rolled me over on top of him, and I straddled his groin. As I braced myself against his hands, I realized I was already aroused.

He smelled like cinnamon and warm linen and I held onto his hands, looking down at him. He was my partner, my mate, and the only man I wanted in my bed. Oh, I might change my mind if Keanu Reeves or Kevin Bacon or Jason Momoa was lying there, or even Vin Diesel, but in the world I lived in, I was more than satisfied with Killian. He was an incredible lover, and an incredible love.

He let go of my left hand and reached down, fingering me as I leaned back against his bent knees. I eased up to allow him access, making sure not to sit too hard on his cock and balls. As I balanced myself, my hand against his, I reached around with my other hand to balance on the comforter beside us.

“I want you,” I whispered. “I want you now.”

“Not yet,” he said, teasing. He slid three fingers inside of me, thrusting hard and I moaned, arching even more. “You’re so wet,” he said, his eyes starting to glow.

The wolf within him was responding to my desire. I’d seen it before. Wolf shifters mated for life, usually. Sometimes it didn’t work out—like with his sister and her ex—but for the most part, once a wolf shifter claimed you, you were his for life.

My breath quickening, I reached up to rub my nipple, pinching it hard as Killian continued to finger me. The next moment, he reached in to the nightstand on his side and pulled out one of my dildos. It was pale pink, girthy and ribbed. He thrust it inside me, laughing as I squirmed as he shoved it fully inside me. As he brought it out, then thrust it in again, hard and sliding against my wetness, I moaned. Balanced against his knees, I rubbed my breasts, groaning again as he reached up with his other hand to pinch my clit hard.

“Don’t stop, please don’t stop,” I whispered hoarsely, at the same time wanting him to toss the dildo aside and pull me down hard on his own shaft.

“I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon,” he said. And then he sat up, setting the dildo back on the nightstand. He pulled me forward, seeking my breasts with his tongue, fastening his lips on my nipple and sucking so hard that I felt it to the depths of my core.

I groaned and looked up at the ceiling, my hair cascading against my back.

“On your knees,” he said, his voice firm.

I turned over, resting on my hands and knees as he rose up behind me, his cock thick and hard. He thrust himself inside me, gliding smoothly into my vaj. I groaned again, reaching down to finger myself as he began to pound into me, driving himself as deep as he could.

We fell into a rhythm, driven by passion, my desire flaming so high that I never wanted him to stop. His girth spread me wide, and everything around me narrowed to the bed, to us, to the feeling of him inside me.

In, out… In, out… My entire world was taken up with the feeling of him inside me.

My clit was so hard and hot that it almost hurt, but I kept rubbing it, circling around the nub, my breath coming in pants now as he began to groan and grind, his own arousal flogging me on.

And then, when I could stand it no more, again I spiraled, feeling myself fall over the edge into orgasm, climaxing so hard that everything was a flare of pleasure and pain. I let out a high-pitched cry, unable to keep silent as he groaned again. This time, he held me tightly, his cock fully engorged and thrust so deep within me that I couldn’t move. I squirmed against him, swiveled against his loins, and he began to thrust again—small, forceful thrusts until he let out a low, long growl, coming hard.

I coughed, on the verge of tears from the intensity. My entire body rippled, from my core outward. As Killian slumped across my back, I caught my breath as he gently withdrew, holding onto the condom, and we both toppled over on our backs, onto the sweaty sheets.

After a moment, he turned his head to look at me. “Now that’s what I call a good way to wake up.”

Laughing, feeling light-hearted and recharged, I agreed.

* * *

Killian wanted to buy me an actual engagement ring.

“The black opal was a Valentine’s Day gift, and I’m glad you love it but it’s not going to be your wedding ring. I plan on buying you a proper ring set, whatever one you want, but I want you to have an actual wedding and engagement ring. And I expect to wear a ring too. Neither one of us is getting out of this.” He paused, then added, “Not unless you want out. I’ll never hold you against your will and I’ll try never to hurt you. If you’re unhappy, I want you to tell me. I’ll do my best to fix it and if I can’t fix it, then it’s up to you.”

I stroked his face, then poured the scrambled eggs into the hot pan. Killian was busy making the bacon and toast. “That goes double, you know. I promise never to hurt you, not willingly. And if someday you want out, please tell me. I don’t ever want to go through what I went through with Ellison again. I trust you not to be an asshole.”

“It’s a deal. Tell you what, why don’t we stay married happily until the end?” He laughed again. I could tell that he was happy.

And so was I. Now that I realized I wanted to get married, I was over-the-moon happy. I wanted to call Ari immediately and tell her, but I wasn’t sure how out of it she still was. I need to talk to Meagan first. “When are you going to tell your family?”

“Why don’t we hold a dinner, invite my brother and sister and my parents? You can invite Teran and your grandmother. Rowan, I mean. Somehow I doubt that your grandmother Naomi can make it over from Ireland. Although I’d welcome her if she could.”

I laughed again. “I wouldn’t put it past her. But we’ll at least call her and tell her. After the talk the other night she’s going to be thrilled that you’re making a proper wife out of me. She’s old-fashioned enough to think that marriage should be every girl’s dream. Although she didn’t push it when I was young. I don’t remember a lot about her, except that I liked her. Well, I loved her because she was my grandma, but I also did really like Grandma Naomi. She didn’t talk down to children, and she was smart.” I glanced at my phone. “I have to get a move on as soon as we finish breakfast. As it is, I’m going to be late. Can you make me a latte?”

“What flavors?” Killian asked.

“Chocolate raspberry, please. I guess it’s a chocolate raspberry mocha instead.”

He made my mocha, and then we ate and we both skedaddled off to work. I felt more light-hearted than I had been in days. In fact, I even felt hopeful about solving the Mothman problem—if that was what it was. I guess that’s what love did—it created hope and joy.

* * *

When I reached our temporary office, I was amazed by how much Tad had done. We could find everything, and our desks were there, moved over at some point during the prior evening. They were organized as well. The round table we used to gather at for meetings was sitting in the dining room. A cupcake tower sat on it, and they looked so good that even though I had filled up on breakfast, my stomach rumbled.

As we gathered for the meeting, Tad said, “Happy birthday, Caitlin!”

I gasped, turning to her. “How did I not know it was your birthday? I would have brought you a present!”

“I don’t talk about it much to people,” she said. “Up until now, my birthday has pretty much been a way for my family to remind me that I’m not getting any younger and I should set a date to get married. But now I’m out of that, and out of my clan,” her smile turned into a frown, “I suppose I can start celebrating again. Nobody’s going to push me into getting married now.”

“Well, I’ll take you out to lunch next week and we’ll celebrate.” I decided not to mention my engagement yet. Not until we told our families. “I have a bunch of information that you guys need to know. I think I know what we’re up against, thanks to Killian.”

They all stopped to stare at me.

“What?” Hank asked.

“I think we’re facing a Mothman.” I began to lay out everything that had happened, even though they knew about some of it. I then told them about Killian’s experience, and that he would be willing to come in and give us a full report for our database. And then I told them what I’d found in my Internet search the night before.

“You know, it does sound like that,” Hank said. “Hold on a second, and I’ll see what I can find. I’ve got access to some pretty obscure databases.” He sat down at his computer, tapping away on the keys.

Meanwhile, I turned Caitlin. “What do you think? And you, Tad?”

“I think it’s the best lead we’ve got so far.” Tad stared at all the notes that I’d laid out on the table. I had printed out as many of them as I could.

“It says here that Millie got a call about a premonition for something on Lilac Road?” Caitlin asked.

“Yes, but she didn’t say much about it. I’ll call her and ask if there was anything more to the call that she didn’t tell me.”

“There’s going to be a memorial service tomorrow for the five victims of the ferry. There are four more in critical condition from hypothermia. The rest were treated and released from the hospital for various contusions, cuts, and other injuries. I think we should attend,” Tad said. “This was a townwide disaster, and it’s only good taste to show our respects.”

“I agree,” I said. “What time is it being held?”

“Three p.m. The service is on the town green.” He shook his head, a grim look on his face. “You said in your great-grandmother’s time there was a major earthquake?”

I nodded. “Yes, there were people living on the beach. I think the houses were farther down the shore than they are now. The quake caused a tsunami in the bay and it swept ashore, destroying houses and killing several people. A couple days later, out in a mine—I forget the name of it—a cave-in killed twelve miners. Three escaped. And that was the end of that cycle.”

“What the hell do you think the Mothman is?” Caitlin asked, selecting a cupcake and peeling away the wrapper. As she bit into the cake, a fragrant whiff of chocolate filled the air.

“I don’t know. I keep thinking it’s alien. It feels alien, from what I’ve been able to tell of the energy. But alien doesn’t necessarily mean UFOs and little green men. Or the grays. Or the space brothers, whatever you want to envision them as. Alien means… Not human. And not spirit. The Mothman isn’t a ghost.” I thought for a moment and then snapped my fingers. “Would someone from Whisper Hollow know about the Mothman? They seem to get a lot more oddball things out in that direction than we do.”

Tad shook his head. “I keep up on the goings-on over there. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of them encountering a Mothman. However, I do know that there’s an expert on UFOs in Terameth Lake. Let me go through my contacts list and find out who it is.” He moved back to his desk and began hunting through his electronic Rolodex.

I caved and picked up a cupcake. It had a maraschino cherry on top, which was staining the white icing. And it looked and smelled delicious. I bit into the cherry, tossing the stem, and then took the wrapper off the cupcake and bit into the gingerbread spice and cream cheese topping. My mouth full, I closed my eyes, having a second orgasm all on my own. It tasted so good.

“I knew it!” Tad said, returning to the table. “There is a witch in Terameth Lake named Bonnie Craghorn. She also specializes in studying UFOs, and she writes for one of Urban Legends’ websites. Let me give her a call and see if she’s ever heard of the Mothman.”

As he stepped away, dialing her number, I turned to Caitlin. I wanted to tell her about the engagement, because I was as excited as Killian. But I didn’t want to spoil our surprise before we told everybody else.

“You look like the cat who swallowed the canary. What’s up?” she asked.

I let out a sigh. “I want to tell you, but I don’t think I should yet.”

“Does it have anything to do with the fact that your black opal ring is now on your left hand instead of the right?” She grinned, her eyes twinkling. “Like all cats, I’m observant.”

I giggled, trying to keep my voice down. “Yes, it does. But you can’t tell anybody, please. We decided last night. Or rather, I decided. Killian’s been waiting until I’m ready. I want the wedding to be on the Winter Solstice.”

“I’m happy for you,” Caitlin said. “I’m not against marriage, I’m against marrying someone you don’t want to. Congratulations, and I promise I won’t say a word.”

At that moment, Tad returned to the table. “Bonnie can see us, but she can’t come down here. She broke her leg. It’s far enough that I don’t want to have to drive up there, so we’re going to schedule a Zoom call for tonight. Is that okay with everyone?”

We all agreed it was fine as Hank returned to the table with his research.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“So, what do you have for us?” Tad asked Hank.

Hank shrugged. “I think January’s right. I think we’re dealing with the Mothman. I skimmed through several reports from worldwide sources and apparently, the Mothman precedes dangerous events—sometimes catastrophic. These events always end with a loss of life, usually at least a dozen or more casualties. They’re usually disasters that aren’t predictable, or if predicted, don’t have a way of being stopped.”

“That doesn’t bode well,” Caitlin said.

“No, it doesn’t. Now, in his book The Mothman Prophecies, John Keel talked about some being that communicated with various people. He called this being ‘Indrid Cold,’ and he was also connected with several UFO sightings and alleged abductions. There’s no real consensus, but Keel thought perhaps that this Cold was an individual who was part of a group of beings who lived beyond our own sphere. Entities who could see beyond the immediate present and who were far more intelligent than we are. I wonder if the person calling Millie is related to that line of thought. Because apparently, these creatures can use telephones and other communication devices.”

“I wonder if Millie recorded the calls,” I said. “If she did, then we could run them through an analyzer. A voice analyzer.”

“Weren’t you going to call her?” Tad asked. “When you do, ask her if she recorded the conversations.”

I nodded, moving away from the table so they could continue to talk without me interrupting them. I phoned Millie, and she answered on the third ring. “Hey Millie, it’s January. We have some questions for you. We’re finding more information on what this might be and we wondered if you had recorded the conversations with whoever’s calling you with premonitions. Also, here’s another question. Have there been any UFO sightings reported in the past month or so? Or any other people who are missing time?”

“Hmm. As far as UFO sightings, I’ll have to look. We routinely get one or two a month. In terms of people who are missing time? I don’t think so, but again, I’ll check through the files. I didn’t record the person who called me with the premonition about the ferry, but I did record the second time they called. Do you want that file?”

“Yes, we want to run it through a voice analyzer.”

“What do you think we might be dealing with?”

“Have you ever heard of the Mothman legend?”

There was silence on the other end for a moment, then Millie said, “As in The Mothman Prophecies? I saw the movie and it scared the fuck out of me. I’m not sure why—there aren’t any jump scares in it or gore, but I was so scared I had to turn on every light in the house afterward. My husband thought I was nuts, but then, he didn’t watch it with me.”

“I really have to see this movie,” I said. “But yes, like The Mothman Prophecies. My great-grandmother wrote in her diary about something similar to what’s been happening here. And there were sightings in eastern Washington a couple weeks ago. We want to know about the UFO sightings because there seems to be a potential link between UFOs and Mothman sightings. We don’t know why, and I don’t expect that we’ll find out, but yeah.”

Millie was silent for a moment, then she coughed. “That doesn’t set my mind at ease. Especially if the actual legends are anything like the movie.”

“Well, the movie takes liberties with what apparently happened, of course. But a lot of the sightings seem to be similar in nature, and disasters are thought to follow in the wake of the Mothman sightings. That’s why I was interested in whether you knew anything more about the Lilac Road premonition. Did they say anything about what they thought might happen? Like with the ferry?”

“Let me think. I have it recorded, but I was so focused on what was going on with the ferry that I didn’t pay much attention. Should I come over with the recording now?”

“I think that would be a good idea,” I said. “We’ll see you in about twenty minutes?”

“Make it fifteen. I’ll be there as soon as I finish typing up this one report and it won’t take me long.” Millie hung up.

I returned to the table and told the others what she had said. “She’s worried. She’s seen the movie and said it scared her shitless. I really need to watch it.”

“I guarantee, it may not be gory but it’s such a mood piece that you won’t want to watch it before you go to bed.” Hank glanced up at me. He shook his head. “I’m positive you’re on the right track with this. Can you thank Killian? He’s the one who thought of it, right?”

I nodded. “I’ve never heard of the Mothman. But then again, there are a buttload of creatures in this world that we’ve never heard of, and a lot of them fit into the cryptobiology realm. Or the Otherkin realm.”

The difference between a Crypto and one of the Otherkin was primarily whether most people knew about them. The world knew about vampires and witches, about shifters and other such creatures. We were all pretty familiar fare, even if some humans had never met us.

But the Cryptos were those creatures who were unique, who didn’t interact with society and tended to remain under the cloak of legend and lore. Oh, a great deal of them actually existed, but they hunted in the shadows and rode the winds at night. They didn’t fit into human or Otherkin society at all. Urban legends were filled with a variety of Cryptos, and that was why we at Conjure Ink had pretty cushy jobs.

We decided to take a break until Millie got there, and I wandered out on the patio. As I leaned against the wall, I could hear children playing three yards over, and I saw a thin stream of white clouds drift past overhead, unable to threaten rain or anything else of that sort at this point.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Tad said. He glanced over at me, from where he had set himself down on a folding chair.

“I’m not sure. This case bothers me more than most of the others that we’ve had. Maybe it’s because it feels outside our scope. It’s not that we can’t handle it, but we usually take on cases that seem…” I trailed off, not sure what I was trying to say.

Tad leaned back, closing his eyes as the sun glinted down on him. “It feels bigger, doesn’t it? With more repercussions?”

I nodded. “Perhaps that’s what I’m trying to say. If you’re fighting a ghost in a restaurant…well, it’s going to affect the restaurant and whoever owns it. But it’s generally not going to affect the entire town. This Mothman thing… Whatever it is, it seems to be able to make an impact on a wide swath of people. Large disasters and such.”

“I understand,” Tad said. “And I think I hear fear in your voice that we won’t be able to stop it.”

“Exactly. If this thing is cyclic, if there is more than one, and they come around every few decades, then what do we do? I haven’t come across any reports of anybody ever killing one. Or driving them away. They disappear after something bad happens and come back later.” I realized I was really upset about this, afraid that we would have to stand by and watch disaster befall Moonshadow Bay and be able to do nothing at all.

“We may not be able to do anything,” Tad said. “Or if we can figure out what it’s talking about with Lilac Road—the premonition—maybe we can put a stop to it and save people, even if we can’t get rid of the Mothman on our own. You said Rebecca is afraid of it?”

I nodded. “She said that the Mystic Wood doesn’t want the creature inside of it. The entire woodland is up in arms. I like to think that the forest might be able to help us in driving it out.”

“Maybe Bonnie will have an idea. She’s actually quite an expert on UFOs and various and sundry topics.”

I nodded. “I hope she can.”

At that point, I heard Caitlin welcoming Millie in, and the sound of the door shutting behind her.

“Let’s get inside. The sooner we talk to Millie, the better.”

I swung inside the sliding glass door and Tad followed me, both far more somber than we had been at the beginning of the day.

* * *

Millie waved at me as I entered the room. She was sitting at the table, coffee cup in hand. She had brought a tray of lattes from General Pete’s, a coffee shop near the apartments. I hadn’t had their coffee much, but it tasted pretty good when I did.

“I thought you could probably use some sustenance at this point in the day. Especially after what’s been going down.” She looked around the apartment and then sat down at the table. “It’s looking pretty good in here, given the short time you’ve been here. This isn’t going to be your final digs, is it?”

Tad shook his head. “No, I found a house for us. In fact it’s being inspected today. Luckily I can fast-track it, and the owners are eager to get rid of it. They want to move to Oregon. Of course, I’m going to have to have some renovations done first. We need to have a security system installed, among a number of other things. But it shouldn’t take more than a month or two for what I want done. And it’s zoned for commercial use, so that’s a plus.”

I sat down next to Millie. “You said you had the second conversation recorded?”

“Way to get down to business,” she said, laughing. “Oh, I needed that laugh. But yes, here it is.”

She pulled out her phone, bringing up the digital recorder. “Let me see, right—here.” She chose a file and pressed play.

The voice coming out of the phone was odd, that was for sure. It was hard to tell whether it was male or female, but I would guess female if pressed. It sounded almost mechanical, like it was run through a voice synthesizer.

“Free fall disaster. Lilac Road. Fifty dead, and dozens injured.”

I waited, but that was all the voice said. I looked over at Millie. “You kidding me. That’s all?”

“Now you see why I didn’t take the first one seriously. It was just as odd. I thought it was somebody screwing around. But after the ferry went down, well… When they called back, I couldn’t help it. I had to record it.”

“Is it possible that whoever sent you this message caused the ferry to go down?” Caitlin asked. “Do you mind if I run this through one of our voice analyzers?”

“Go ahead, and regarding the ferry—no. That I can tell you for certain. They found the cause of the ferry disaster. A hole was ripped into the underbelly of the boat. Apparently, there was a rock outcropping on the Nimah Rock side that shifted position during a recent quake. There was a 2.2 quake a few days ago—small, but big enough to shift the rocks, though nobody knew that happened until yesterday. And apparently, the pilot shifted the ferry’s path just enough so that the ferry scraped over them. Lightly enough so the pilots didn’t notice it, but hard enough to cause damage. It must have happened on the trip over from Nimah Rock yesterday morning. The damage broke wide open once the ferry started its run back to Nimah Rock again. The assistant pilot said neither he nor the captain noticed anything different to indicate they’d run across it.” Millie shook her head. “It was an accident. No person made those holes in that boat.”

Caitlin took the phone over to her desk. I didn’t even know we had any voice analyzers, but apparently it was part of our EVP paraphernalia. While she fiddled with it, we continued the discussion.

“And nobody would know unless they swam under the boat. That sucks. But then—it proves that we don’t have an angel of mercy on our hands.” Hank scowled. “Which means the person making the report couldn’t have known about it. Which means they either picked up on it for real, or made a really lucky guess.”

Angels of mercy were sickos who caused damage so they could go in and play hero and get the recognition they craved.

“I’m so glad we’re not dealing with a psycho, though it might be easier to stop one.” I had never encountered an angel of mercy before and really didn’t want to. Ever. “All right, say we have a potential disaster ahead of us out on Lilac Road. Is there anything there that we should be aware of? Any factories? Any heating company? Anything that can blow up or implode or whatever?” I wanted to be prepared. As prepared as we could be.

“Let me think,” Millie said.

“There’s a landfill,” Hank said. “I forget what block it’s in but it’s near the outskirts of town. Something could happen there. Some nitwit forgetting and throwing a gun away or someone planting some dynamite or any number of things like that.”

I thought about it for a moment. “That doesn’t fit,” I said. “I could be wrong, but most everything that happened seems to have been a true disaster. A storm or an earthquake or a fire breaking out—which is not necessarily natural, of course. But it’s not the same thing as someone setting off a bomb. Is there anything else out there?”

After a moment, Tad looked up from his tablet. “I found something,” he said. “We get a lot of our drinking water from that area. There are a number of artesian wells and they all feed into the city water supply. I’d estimate that 75 percent of Moonshadow Bay’s water supply comes out of that area. The wells are fed by underground rivers from up on Mount Baker. What if something happened to contaminate our water supply?”

“Is there anything we can do to check it out?” Hank asked.

“Well, I can call the city utilities and have them run some tests on the water.” Tad scribbled down a note.

Caitlin returned to the table. “Anything else?”

Something kept nudging me farther out. I just didn’t really believe the water was in any danger.

“I know there has to be something more. I’m sorry if I seem like I’m shooting down your ideas, but I know there’s something beyond the water or the landfill. This feels bigger.” It was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint what I wanted to say.

Hank brought up a map of Moonshadow Bay, complete with a number of buildings and shops. I followed the trail of Lilac Road. The road wound east, at one point rising above the freeway into an overpass. I stopped, my fingers on the overpass itself.

“This is it. Something about the overpass.” I stared at the map. “The overpass will come down. It’s an old one, I know that much. And there’s been talk of replacing it lately, although the Department of Transportation said they don’t have the money. I’m positive.” I looked up, never more sure of anything in my life. “What are we going to do? Is it going to be an earthquake to bring it down? Or is it going to fail?”

“Are you positive about this?” Millie said. “If we take action, you have to be positive. I cannot approach the powers that be unless we’re absolutely certain.” She met my gaze, and I knew she was searching for some sign that I was completely sure.

I paused, searching my instincts. Something inside told me I was absolutely correct, and yet doubt filtered in. It was that doubt we all have. That maybe, as positive as we were, we might be the teeniest bit off and everything we believed would be wrong.

“I can’t give you 100 percent. But I feel I’m right. I know I’m not driving over that overpass any time in the near future. Can’t we get someone to look at it? Can’t you request an engineer to check it out?” I felt frantic now. If we didn’t act and people died, I would feel like my indecision led to their deaths.

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll ask one of our city engineers to go look. If he sees anything that looks off, we’ll contact the DOT.” She shook her head, letting out a deep sigh. “I wish this would all go away. I don’t want to deal with this sort of thing. I signed up for a job that I knew would be fraught with danger and problems, but I didn’t sign up for this.”

“I understand,” Tad said. “When I started Conjure Ink, I never expected it to blossom out into what it’s become. And what it’s become has led down some paths that I didn’t even know were there. Dangerous paths.”

Millie nodded. “What did you find out about the voice?” she asked as she accepted her phone back from Caitlin.

“It’s not digitized. But…it’s not in the normal register for voices. It’s been slowed down so we can understand it. If it were played at what I believe its normal speed is, we would barely hear anything but a high-pitched whine. I kept a copy. I hope you don’t mind—I want to do some additional study into it.”

“Not at all, that’s fine.” Millie stood. “I’ll get a move on and go talk to the engineers. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at three, at the services.” Looking harried and tired, she followed Tad as he escorted her to the door.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Hank was studying several reports. He glanced up as I peeked over his shoulder.

“I’ve been looking for patterns in the Mothman sightings, but I’m not finding anything. It seems to be random, even though in my mind it shouldn’t be. But given we don’t know what these creatures are, or where they’re from, I have no clue as to exactly how they operate.”

He sat back, frowning at the maps and reports on the table. “In a way, I keep thinking it’ll tie up somehow to Bigfoot. But they aren’t the same thing and I need to remember that. The legends of Mothman have been around for decades—even a few centuries. But the legends of Bigfoot have been around longer as far as I can tell. The native tribes around this area talked about the sasquatch since the beginning of their recorded history. While there are reports worldwide of winged men, or winged creatures like the Mothman, they don’t seem to go back as far as sasquatch does.”

“If they’re aliens, maybe they started visiting us when we showed signs of so-called intelligent life. I mean, when we started getting into the technological era.”

“No, I’m finding reports that predate industrial Europe. But they’re difficult to track down. To tell you the truth, I don’t think I’d voluntarily take on this case. It gives me the creeps,” he said, glancing up at me.

“I know what you mean,” I said. “This whole case makes me queasy. Which reminds me, I need to call Ari and see how she’s doing. I don’t like it when these things target my friends.”

Hank leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “What strikes me, in most of the reports that I’ve read, is there seems to be some element of missing time. There’s a lot of that with UFO abductions as well. But these creatures don’t look like anything reported by those who claim to been abducted.”

“I’d rather not take on aliens, thank you. The Men in Black frighten the hell out of me—and I’m not talking Will Smith. When I was younger, I thought shadow men might be the same thing. But they’re different. Shadow men come from the astral realm, but the MIB seem to be human.”

“A long time ago,” Hank said, “I thought about joining a group like MUFON, but the ones close enough to where I lived seem to be frequented by conspiracy theorists. And that’s something I’m not.”

I sat down beside him, reaching for another cupcake. “Have you ever seen one? A UFO?”

Hank was quiet for a moment, then he carefully nodded. “Actually, I have. Twice. Once, when I was very young, I saw one while my parents and I were out on a picnic, waiting for fireworks to start. At first I thought it was rogue firework, set off too early. But it wasn’t.”

“What did it look like?” I asked.

“It was cigar shaped and it lit up the night. I pointed the UFO out to my parents, but they couldn’t figure out what it was either. The second time was about a decade ago. I was out mountain climbing, which I did with my folks occasionally. They were down below on a ledge, and it was nearly noon. I had managed to climb up a particularly difficult spot in the cliff, and I was resting, with my back against the rock wall. I was on a ledge about six inches wide, and about three feet long.”

“That sounds dangerous,” I said.

“I live for danger,” Hank shot back without blinking an eye.

I snorted.

“Anyway, I glanced to my left because I caught sight of something out of the corner of my eye. I was worried that it might be some bird coming over to flap its wings in my face. But it was a silver craft, and I’d say it was about the size of a small airplane. It was circular, with running red lights around it. From where I was sitting I should have been able to hear it, but it was silent. It darted up, then straight down, then circled once and sped off faster than I thought possible.”

“Did your parents see it?” I asked.

Hank shook his head. “When I got to the top and helped them up, I asked them. But they said they hadn’t seen anything. From where I was sitting, it had been behind a stand of trees that I don’t think they could see through from where they’d been. I wish I had had my cell phone with me, because I could have taken some pictures. But like an idiot, it was in my backpack and I couldn’t reach around for it without knocking myself off the ledge.”

I thought back in my life, wondering if I’d ever seen anything like that. Finally, I said, “I guess I’ve seen mostly ghosts and other creatures like that. I suppose that’s enough. I don’t really want to see anything else, to tell you the truth.”

“I don’t blame you. It’s scary enough dealing with things on the astral and spiritual realm. Having to deal with them from another dimension—or another world—is daunting in its own way.” He stood, stretching and yawning. “I’m going to go have another look at the reports about Bigfoot. That’s my ongoing project.”

I nodded, finally finishing the cupcake. “I’m going to go call Ari and see how she’s doing.” I yawned as well. “I wish we’d get a regular case come in. Right now I wouldn’t mind taking on a ghost.”

As I went back to my desk, I glanced over at Caitlin, who was graphing out some sort of chart. Tad was nose deep in a pile of notes. My phone jangled and I glanced down to find a text from Killian.

just wanted to check up on you. love you and hope everything’s going okay. i’m so excited. have you told anybody yet? go ahead if you want—i’m good with whatever you decide.

On that note, I decided to put in a call to Ari. I could tell her my news while I was checking up on her.

* * *

Meagan answered on the first ring.

“Hey, it’s January. Is Ari awake? I’d love to talk to her.”

“Yeah, she is. Let me put her on the phone. She’s still a little out of it, but she seems to be rebounding fairly well. The night out in the open seems to have taken a toll on her, though.” There was a pause and I heard the sound of feet on the stairs, then Meagan came on the phone again. “Here she is. Please don’t wear her out.”

Another moment and Ari came on the line. She sounded tired—more tired than I had ever heard her, but at least I recognized her voice and she didn’t sound too out of it.

“January! Thank you, thank you so much for finding me. I have no idea what happened. I don’t know how I got out there under that tree. I forever owe you my life.”

“Slow down there, take a deep breath. You don’t owe me anything. You would have done the same thing for me. I’m so glad that you’re awake. I have a few questions for when you feel up to answering them, but first I wanted to give you my news. You’re the first person I’m telling—besides Caitlin, who guessed it.”

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Ari asked.

I nearly choked. “No, definitely not. Definitely not going to be. No, last night I accepted Killian’s proposal. We’re engaged!”

Ari let out a screech, then laughed. “That’s good medicine for me. Do you mind if I tell Meagan? She’s sitting right beside me.”

“Tell away, that’s fine. We haven’t told our families yet so don’t say anything to anyone else. We’re going to have a dinner soon and have you guys, and my aunt and Rowan, and Killian’s family over. You’ll have to act surprised.”

“You don’t have to invite us. I know it’s going to be awkward enough with so much family around.”

“You are family, don’t you know that by now? You’re my family. I want you there, and Meagan with you. So, anyway yes, we’re engaged. We’re going to get married on this Winter Solstice. And of course, I want you as my matron of honor. Please say yes.”

“Of course. You know I’m there.” She paused, then I heard her telling Meagan, who let out an exclamation of surprise and I heard a loud “Congratulations!” echo through the line.

“That’s my news. But as far as what happened to you… Do you remember anything that you can tell me?”

Ari hesitated, then slowly said, “I remember two red lights up in the air. I was driving home, and the next thing I knew…” She drifted off and I could tell she was thinking. A moment later and she said, “I do remember something. A whirring noise. Not like a machine but like… Wings. A loud fluttering. But I remember the two red lights that were floating in the air above me. I was standing in that turnout.”

“Good, we’re getting somewhere. Do you remember pulling into the turnout? Do you know why you pulled in there?” If I could draw her out, if I could coax her along, maybe we’d get somewhere on this.

“Let me think. Let me drift for a minute. Here, you talk to Meagan for a moment while I sort of trance out on it.”

The next moment Meagan came on the phone. “Congratulations are in order, I understand! That’s so wonderful, you and Killian make a great couple.”

I made an instant decision. “Ari’s going to be my matron of honor, but would you be one of my bridesmaids?”

Meagan took a sharp breath, and then said, “Thank you. I didn’t expect that.”

“I would love it if you were in the wedding party,” I said.

It suddenly occurred to me that Ari and I were both going to be married, each with our own family. Mine would be Killian and a bunch of furbles, and Ari’s would probably include children, but we’d both have families nonetheless. And I wanted Meagan and me to get along. I wanted us to be friends.

“Thank you,” Meagan said. “I’m honored to be asked, and I’d be happy to be one of your bridesmaids. Oh, Ari seems to have remembered something. Here she is.”

Once again the phone changed hands.

“I remembered something!” Ari sounded excited. “I was driving down Delta Street, and all of a sudden I thought I heard a scream from the turnout. It sounded like a child, and while part of me thought that there was no way I could hear a child from inside the car, I instinctively pulled into the turnout. I jumped out, trying to figure out where the scream was coming from, but it vanished. And then… There was this mist, and I wanted to get back in the car but I couldn’t. I couldn’t move. And then the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital. Does that help any?”

“It sure does,” I said.

“Do you know what we’re dealing with? What lured me in there?”

It was my turn to let out a sigh. I wasn’t sure whether or not to tell her, but I thought she should know. And Meagan, too, in case something happened to Ari again.

“Put the phone on speaker, please. I want to tell both you and Meagan what we think we’re dealing with.” I waited until she had put me on speaker, then I said, “We aren’t positive on this, so I don’t want you to tell anyone else. But it looks like we might be dealing with the Mothman. Have you heard of him before?”

“We’ve seen the movie,” Meagan said, sounding horrified. “Are you telling me that thing is real?”

“The movie is apparently loosely based on an actual incident. But yes, Mothman seems to be a very real urban legend, with a number of sightings around the world. And we think we’re dealing with at least one of them now. I’ll tell you more later, but I want to make certain that neither one of you responds to any weird phone calls—”

“Other than you?” Ari said, a wry tone in her voice.

“Go on with you,” I said. Then I sobered up again. “It sounds funny, but it’s no joke. There are some dire ramifications connected to this. I want you both to promise me that you’ll be careful. That marking on the tree? We’re not sure, but I’m thinking maybe that it’s marked your house as a target. Please don’t do anything rash or dangerous.”

Ari and Meagan both let out muffled sighs.

After a moment, Ari said, “I promise we’ll be careful. And you be careful, too. It can’t be safe to investigate this. Let me know what happens. Meanwhile, I’m going to start looking at wedding venues and sending you ideas. Wedding dresses, too. Oh, and flowers and caterers and—”

“Hold your horses. I don’t mind if you do that, but first you get back to normal. Rest.” Even as I said it, a shiver ran down my back and I couldn’t help but wonder if Ari was really okay. “Put Meagan on the phone again.” When Meagan came back on the phone, I lowered my voice and said, “Keep an eye on her. If that thing lured her in once, who knows if it could do it again.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Meagan said. “I won’t let her out of my sight. Let us know what you find out. And like Ari said, please be careful. We don’t want anything to happen to you.”

As I ended the call, I wondered how much danger were we really in. And had Ari been marked? Was she a target now? Wishing I had the answers to something—anything—I let out a sigh and decided I needed more coffee.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I glanced at the clock. The Zoom call was scheduled with Bonnie for eight p.m. It was two o’clock now. “Tad, can we take some time off this afternoon, given we have to come back for the meeting tonight?” I had a couple errands that I needed to do, and I had planned on doing them after work, but that wouldn’t leave me enough time for dinner and to take everything home.

Tad waved toward the door. “Sure. Go ahead and do whatever you need to, and be back here at seven forty-five. I’ll see you all then.”

“I think I’m going to stick around and do some more research,” Hank said. “I’m unraveling a few sightings of the Mothman, but they’re in some old books and not that easy to understand.”

I slung my purse over my shoulder and headed to my car. I really needed some new underwear, and I had to return a lamp that I had picked up a few days ago that didn’t work. I headed downtown, finding a spot in the main parking lot near the town square. The town square was near the marina, and so I wandered over, leaning on the railing overlooking the bay as I let the breeze ruffle my hair. It felt good to be out of the office and away from thoughts of Mothman and everything else that was worrisome.

“Looking for visions?” The voice startled me.

I turned to find the Gull Catcher standing behind me. A veteran with PTSD, he was also a seagull shifter, and he talked to the birds and—I was pretty sure—the gods. To someone who didn’t know his story, he might seem strung out and frightening. But I had come to be fascinated with him, and I felt sorry for him. Like Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol, he wore a chain around his neck, but in his case it was a chain of spirits who followed him everywhere. They were the spirits of the men, women, and children he had killed during his wartime service.

They weighed on his shoulders, and he was haunted as much by the guilt as he was by them. Part of me wanted to steal them away from him, to free him, but every time I thought about it, I knew in my heart that it was his karma to live through. He had to learn how to free himself, how to make reparations in whatever way he could, and how to live with the guilt and the memories.

“Hi,” I said. I wasn’t sure of his proper name, since everybody had called him the Gull Catcher as long as I could remember. He was old, and he had been around Moonshadow Bay since I was a child. “It’s a beautiful day, don’t you think?” I wasn’t sure exactly what to say to him. I didn’t even know if he registered much of what was going on around him, or whether he lived in some misty version of reality that he spun out of his own mind.

He walked up beside me and leaned on the railing, staring out of the water. “I talk with the birds and you talk with the dead. I know you can see them around me.”

That startled me. I didn’t know that he realized that the dead followed him. “Yes, I can. I didn’t know that you could. How long have they followed you?”

“From the time I first started in battle. I don’t know how long. The Crow Man and his Phantom Mistress haunt my paths.” He paused, then turned to me and stared into my eyes. The Gull Catcher seldom looked anyone in the eye. “You yourself are marked by the shadows, you know?”

I nodded. “I know I was marked by a shadow man when I was young, but Druantia protects me.” I had been attacked when I was young, but Aunt Teran had called on the goddess Druantia to protect me, and now I belonged to her.

“Ah, but there are many different eyes in the dark. And not all winged creatures are birds, and not all of them are friendly. Once you see him, you will never forget him and those who see him always come round to him again.”

Before I could ask what he was talking about, he turned and hurried off down the pier. I thought about following him, but my instincts told me that wasn’t wise. The Gull Catcher was harmless enough on a good day, but I’d never seen him on a bad day, and I had the feeling he could be dangerous, if not deadly.

A light bulb went off over my head and I had the sudden thought that he could control his ghosts, even if he didn’t know what he was doing. They were inexorably bound together, yet he was also their puppeteer.

I decided to get on with my errands, and turned back for one last look at the water. But instead of calming me, there was a glint on the surface that made me nervous, and it felt like a storm was brewing even though there were no clouds on the horizon.

* * *

I returned the lamp and they gave me one that actually worked, and then I stopped in at a new store in town. It was a plus-size boutique called Candy’s.

Sure enough, they had a nice selection of bras and panties, and they also had some lingerie, and also some pretty dresses. I didn’t wear dresses that often, but mostly because I found myself crawling around dusty, cobwebbed places in search of ghosts. But I loved the way they fit and the way they felt.

Flipping through the racks, I began pulling out a dress here and there. They were the style that I loved—retro rockabilly with wide swing skirts and fitted bodices. I found one that was the color of twilight, a silvery lavender. It had a sweetheart neckline, cap sleeves, and a deep purple patent leather belt.

I glanced through the bras, finally finding my size, and there were three of them that looked like they might be contenders. They were pretty demi-cups, which I preferred. The clerk led me to a fitting room and I tried on everything, pleased by how well they all fit. I paid for my purchases, and then decided to stop in at Lucky’s Diner for a quick early dinner. The diner was shamrock themed, and it was one of the more popular restaurants in town.

A new waitress had started recently and she came over to my booth. “What can I get for you? Or do you need more time?”

I smiled. We’d met twice before now, over me ordering pie and coffee. Her name was Emma and she was a single mother. And best, she was both pleasant and efficient.

“I want chicken fried steak with all the trimmings. Extra gravy. And I’d like a strawberry shake to go with that.” Usually I ordered coffee, but I felt like something sweet, and after all the nerve-racking events lately, a shake sounded like it would go down mighty fine.

“One or two pieces on the chicken fried steak?” Emma asked.

I glanced back at the menu and saw that the steak did, indeed, come with the choice of one or two pieces. “One. And please substitute brown gravy instead of the country gravy. I think I’ll leave room for dessert.”

Technically, the shake could have been my dessert, but I didn’t care. I glanced at my phone and saw that it was four-thirty. Deciding to drop off my clothes at home after I ate, I pushed aside everything in my mind and sat there, staring out the window as I people-watched.

Moonshadow Bay was a lovely place, with a lot of fascinating inhabitants. I enjoyed living here and was grateful I’d decided to return after leaving Ellison. Sometimes, I wondered why I’d ever left. Oh, I’d definitely wanted to go to college, but now, I couldn’t remember why Seattle appealed to me. It was a beautiful city, as far as big cities went, but it wasn’t me. It didn’t fit me, a lot like my former life with my ex hadn’t fit me.

My phone jangled and I glanced at the text.

do you want to get together tonight? we could go out for dinner, or for a stroll along the bay.

I smiled. Killian loved going out with me. Ellison had always been embarrassed by my size, by the fact that I wasn’t a size-zero trophy wife. But that was in the past, and it no longer stung because I no longer gave a flying fuck about him. It was more annoying than anything else, like the memory of a mosquito bite as it started to fade.

i can’t. we have a zoom call at work tonight at eight. i’m at lucky’s diner right now, eating an early dinner. do you want to meet me before i have to go back to the office?

i have an idea, Killian texted back. wait there and i’ll be down in half an hour.

I stared at his text, feeling like he was up to something, but I didn’t want to spoil the surprise, if he had one for me. i should just be finished with dinner by then. i’ll meet you here in the diner.

At that moment, Emma brought my dinner. The shake was so thick I had to use a spoon on it, and the gravy on the chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes was savory, tickling my taste buds. I always preferred brown gravy over country gravy. Country gravy felt too thick to me sometimes, like a cream sauce rather than an actual gravy. I ate slowly, savoring the food and sucking on the straw to get the last drops of my shake. I was eating the last bite when Killian came in the door.

He hustled over to me, leaned over and planted a kiss on my lips. I glanced at my phone. It was five-ten. “Do you want some coffee while we’re here? I was going to get dessert.”

“Dessert sounds good.” He motioned Emma and she hustled over. “I’d like a cup of coffee with cream, and give me two slices of cherry pie à la mode.”

“That sounds good, but I think I want a brownie with caramel sauce for my dessert. Put it all on the same tab.” I waited until she left. “We’re going to have a video call tonight with a witch out of Terameth Lake who apparently has a good handle on UFOs. I’m hoping she also knows something about the Mothman legends. Did you want to come with me? You could give Hank a rundown of your encounter.”

Killian thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. “Why not? I might as well. But there’s something I want to do before we go back to your office. Don’t ask me what—I’ll tell you once we’re done with our dessert.”

“How did work go today?”

“It was rough, I won’t deny it. I had to put down Jon Bon, Mrs. Parkey’s poodle. She took him to the dog park and let him off leash, and unfortunately he antagonized a rottweiler. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but a miniature poodle is no match for a rotty in a dogfight. Poor thing suffered some pretty serious injuries and it was too much for him. I have a feeling we may be seeing Mrs. Parkey on Judge Judy before long.”

“Oh my gods, that’s horrible.” Mrs. Parkey’s poodle was known all over town. So was Mrs. Parkey, who treated Jon Bon like a human. She even bought him little tuxedos to wear, and they would go out to “take in the air” every afternoon. “What was she doing at the dog park? She never goes there—she’s always saying that it’s for common dogs, not her Jon Bon.”

“I suppose she wanted to let him get a feel for the ‘underprivileged masses.’ ” Killian sighed. “We shouldn’t make fun of her. Regardless of how snobbish she is, little Jon Bon is in doggy heaven now.”

“You’re right,” I said, sobering. “The poor thing didn’t deserve an end like that. Did the rottweiler just go after him?”

“Unfortunately, Jon Bon was a purebred and he wasn’t neutered. I have a feeling that complicated matters. Unneutered animals shouldn’t be let out to roam at all. Too many possibilities for random litters and also, their hormones can trigger other animals, neutered or not. Apparently the rotty was young, about a year or so old. Even though he was neutered, it takes a while for those hormones to dissipate from the system and not all of them ever do.”

I reached across the table and took Killian’s hand. I knew it hurt him every time he had to put down a pet, regardless of the cause or the age of the animal. He had become a vet because he loved cats and dogs. And he did his best by every single one of his patients.

“I’m sorry, love. I know it’s hard for you.”

He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed the top of it lightly. “You help make it easier. I can trust you with my feelings. I never worry that you’re going to mess with me.” He paused for a moment, then let go of my hand as Emma brought back our desserts and his coffee. After she left again, he said, “So have you found out anything more about the curse on your family?”

“Only that the witch who cast the spell was named Gretchen Wyer. I’m planning on tracking her down, though I have to talk to Rowan about it. I haven’t had any time the past few days, given the mess that’s been going on. Oh, and I told Ari about our engagement. She’s going to be my matron of honor, and Meagan is going to be one of my bridesmaids.” I paused, then added, “I thought about asking Tally to be one of my bridesmaids, too. Do you think she would say yes?”

“I know she would, unless something’s up with the twins. She’ll have had them by then, of course. By the way, I’m trying to think of a good baby present to give her. In fact, I wanted to ask if you would consider holding a baby shower for her? She really doesn’t have a lot of friends up there in Carbonado, because she’s had to work so hard that she hasn’t had much time to get out in the evening. And now, moving here to Moonshadow Bay, she’ll have the twins occupying her time.”

I frowned, thinking I’d have to ask someone to help me. Maybe Aunt Teran. “Of course I will. I’ve never thrown a baby shower before, but there’s always a first time. But you’ll have to get me a list of people to invite that she’ll want there. I don’t know who she knows.”

“There’s plenty of time. In shifter tradition, we don’t hold the baby showers till after the children are born. It’s a superstition, I suppose, but it’s considered bad luck to hold the shower before the child is actually viable on its own, and has entered the world.”

That made sense to me. “Given the potential for accidents and the high rate of infant mortality statistics in this country, I think it would be easier on the parents. Of course, then they might not have everything they need to bring the baby home.” I shook my head. When it came to babies and children, I was relatively clueless. A thought occurred to me and I laughed as I finished off my brownie. “I’m actually going to be an auntie. Your nieces are going to be my nieces, too! I think I’ll enjoy that.”

Killian picked up the check and—even though I protested—paid for the entire meal. Then, he escorted me out of the diner.

“Where did you want to go? You said you had something you wanted to show me.” I glanced around. There were a number of people out, strolling around the marina. The weather was perfect, and if I hadn’t been so worried about the Mothman, I would have thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

“Just come with me.” He took my hand and we strolled down the street, waiting for the light to change to cross over to the other side of the town square. We were halfway down the block when I suddenly realized where we were going. On the other side of the street from Lucky’s, there was a jewelry shop called Magical Gems, and it specialized in both regular and magical jewelry. The witches who owned it were good at enchanting simple spells into rings and pendants. I kept my mouth shut, but I was pretty sure that’s where we were headed.

Sure enough, at the door, Killian opened it and ushered me in. “I told you I wanted to buy you an engagement ring and a wedding band.”

Part of me wanted to say, Are you sure? because it felt like such an extravagance. And yet, I heard the tone in his voice, so I kept my mouth shut. He wanted this, and I realized, so did I.

“I want you to have what you want,” he said. “I want you to find the perfect ring set.”

“Okay, but I buy yours.” I paused, an awkward question coming to mind. I wasn’t known for extravagance, but I didn’t know what his price range was. “I need to ask you something, and it’s a bit embarrassing. I don’t want to make a mistake, or put you in an awkward position.”

He broke out in a wide grin. “I’m good for up to about twelve grand. And yes, you may buy mine, but I want today to be all about you.”

I blinked. “I’m pretty sure I can find something I love for less than that. But it’s nice to know in advance.”

We turned to the woman behind the counter, and Killian said, “We’re here to find a wedding band set. Engagement ring and wedding band.”

The clerk smiled widely, motioning to the bench in front of the counter. “Please, have a seat. Congratulations. When is the wedding to be?”

“Winter Solstice,” I said.

“And what are your favorite gems? Do you want a diamond? Do you want some other gem? A solitaire? A ring with baguettes?”

I blinked, staring at the settings that were lined out before me. There was another counter filled with premade rings, and I suddenly realized how difficult this is going to be. “I don’t know,” I said. “Why don’t I start by looking at some rings that are already put together and I can get an idea from there.”

She moved me over to the case with all the wedding ring sets in it. There were other stones in there too—cocktail rings and other beautiful designs with different stones. I liked diamonds, but I also loved colored stones, as long as they were translucent and not opaque. I wasn’t much for turquoise or malachite, at least not in jewelry.

I glanced around the case, looking for something that might catch my eye. And then I saw it. A wedding ring set that I couldn’t take my eyes off of.

The engagement and wedding rings were white gold, and the engagement ring had a one-carat blue diamond in the center. With a vintage look, the bands made me think of Celtic knot work and yet they weren’t. Strewn around the top half of both the wedding band and on the sides of the center stone in the engagement ring were alternating tiny clear and blue diamonds. The filigree on the bands made the diamond stand out more. The ring set was sparkling and icy cold. The blue of the diamond was the deep blue of glaciers formed from ancient ice. The blue diamonds were the color of dusk and twilight.

I could barely speak as I pointed to it. “That one. I want to try that one on.”

The clerk chattered something about the stones and clarity as she retrieved them from the case, but I barely heard her as she held out the rings. “Let’s see what size your ring finger is.” She took out a ring sizer and measured my finger. “What do you know, these are the perfect size. That’s fortuitous.” As she moved to slide them on my finger, Killian held out his hand.

“Let me do that,” he said.

The clerk gave him a knowing smile and handed him the rings. Killian slid them onto my ring finger, and they fit perfectly.

“Do you like them?” he asked.

I stared at my finger, barely able to take a breath. There was something about them that was so right that it made me think they were already enchanted. “Are these magical?”

The clerk shook her head. “No, they’re clear. Whatever you’re feeling is from the gemstones themselves.”

I found myself tearing up, and not even knowing why. I glanced up at Killian. “They’re perfect. This is the perfect set. This is me, and this is us. I don’t have to look at anything else. I can’t imagine another wedding ring could be as perfect.” Almost afraid to ask, I finally took a deep breath and said, “how much are these?”

The clerk checked the box, then said, “The set is priced at six thousand. We are having a 20 percent off sale today, so that makes it four thousand eight hundred before tax.”

I broke out in a wide grin. “Perfect. Is that okay?” I looked up at Killian.

He leaned in and kissed me on the lips. “To see a smile as wide as the one on your face? I’d pay double or triple that.” He looked at the clerk. “We’ll take them. Do they need any sizing?”

The clerk shook her head. “I think they fit perfectly. Would you like me to wrap them up? Or do you want to wear the engagement ring?”

“I’d like to wear it,” I said.

Killian paid for it at the cash register, and he also purchased a two-year warranty against damage or loss. The clerk carefully wrapped up the wedding ring and handed me the bag. As I stared at the engagement ring on my finger, it all hit me. This was real. I was getting married again to a man I loved, to a man who loved me and respected me. And for the first time since I had left Ellison, I had no doubts. No doubts about marrying again, no doubts about Killian’s love for me, no doubts about my love for him. And it felt absolutely wonderful.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

We were back at our cars, about to get in and drive to my office, when Killian’s phone rang. I waited while he answered.

“Really? Oh no. I can meet you there, yes. I’ll be at my office in fifteen minutes. If you get there early, wait.” He ended the call and turned to me. “Another emergency. My vet tech found a dog on the road. Luckily, it sounds like we can save this one, but I have to get over to my office and perform surgery. It looks like a broken leg and a bruised rib. Do you mind?”

“Of course not,” I said. “Go do what you need to. I’ll go home after we have the meeting, and if you get off early enough, text me and come over. If not, then I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you, and thank you. I love the ring.”

I kissed him, his lips warm against mine. I always felt safe in his arms. He kissed me again and then took off for his car. I watched him pull out of the parking lot, then followed, turning toward the office.

* * *

The first thing I did when I got to the office was show off my new ring. I realized that I’d have to let the cat out of the bag now, because it was on my ring finger and Hank and Tad would easily guess it was an engagement ring.

“That’s so perfect,” Caitlin said. She nodded. “It’s you. It fits you.”

“We’ll have to have a party to celebrate,” Tad said. “But unfortunately, we don’t have time tonight. Everybody fire up your computer, then pull up your Zoom. I’ll send you the link as soon as you’re online. Remember, her name is Bonnie, and she’s extremely powerful, so I suggest you don’t antagonize her in any way.”

As we readied our computers, I took a moment to touch up my makeup and brush my hair. I always wanted to look professional when it came to work calls. Five minutes later, we were all connecting to Tad’s account. A moment after that, Bonnie came online.

She looked a little older than me, though with witchblood it was always hard to tell. Most of us never looked our age. She had zebra stripes in her hair and a weathered look, like she spent a lot of time outside. Her eyes were dark blue, which contrasted nicely with her black and white hair.

“Bonnie, I’d like you to meet my crew. This is Caitlin, Hank, and January.”

We all had our names in our video squares, and we all gave her a quick wave and hello.

“Thank you for meeting with us. We are anxious to find out everything we can about the Mothman.”

“You’ve been having sightings?” Bonnie asked. Her voice was a low contralto, husky and sultry at the same time.

“Yes, we’re almost positive that it’s the Mothman behind what’s been going on.” Tad paused, then said, “January will tell you what’s been happening.”

I knew that Tad liked me to speak for the group because I had a lot of practice in public speaking. Caitlin didn’t like speaking up, and Hank was usually so abrupt that he put people off even though he didn’t mean to. I started at the beginning, running through everything that had happened over the past few days. I also told her about the sightings that I had found over in eastern Washington, and the fact that the Mothman had been seen in Moonshadow Bay before.

“Have you had any recent UFO sightings?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Our chief of police was going to find out, but she hasn’t gotten back to us on it. There’s been a lot going on here. One thing we’re concerned about is the possibility of the overpass going down.”

“You’ll won’t have an easy time trying to get the Department of Transportation to look into it. Even though they know that magic exists, they don’t put much store into precognition—especially if it’s from some anonymous caller. And I can guarantee you, they don’t move very fast at the state level. If you have to, hire your own engineer. Then you’d have something to back up your case.”

“So what do you know about the Mothman?” I asked. “Have you ever encountered it?”

“Yes, three times in my life. I’ve been marked. Once you’re marked by the Mothmen, you tend to attract them into your life throughout your lifespan. Which is why I try to avoid going out alone at night. Unfortunately, that can’t always be helped.”

“What do you suggest?” Hank asked. “What do you think this Mothman is?”

She paused, then said, “My speculations on the Mothman are somewhat different from a number of the other theories, though there are overlaps. I believe that the Mothman is from another dimension, not from some alien spaceship. In fact, I don’t even believe that UFOs are actual spaceships. I believe them to be creatures, coming in from other dimensions.”

That put a new spin on UFOs that I hadn’t thought of.

“That’s why they’re often so silent,” Bonnie continued. “And I believe that’s why we don’t pick up on them with radar as much as we would if they were metal.”

“So you believe they’re actual entities?” Tad asked.

“I do. I think that a number of the abduction reports are true. While I don’t think that anybody’s been taken up in a spaceship, I do believe that people have been captured for study. I can’t back any of this up with hard proof, but I’ve studied UFOs all my life. As far as the Mothman goes, I believe that, once again, we’re dealing with an entity from a different dimension. Just like the sasquatch. A number of these Cryptos pop in and out of our reality, through slips in time and space that might be portals. Have you ever experienced a portal into a different dimension?” She looked directly at me, or at least it felt like she did. She was staring at her camera so there was no way to tell.

“Yes, I have.” I told her about the Woodlings, and our venture into their realm in the Mystic Wood.

“Then you understand what I mean about portals. They aren’t always in the same position.”

“Can humans go through them?” Tad asked.

“Oh, definitely. I once knew a woman—I swear she had to be part Fae, though she claimed to be human. But she would walk through the woods and suddenly vanish. She’d reappear far down the path, ahead of the rest of us. When we asked her where she went, she said that she’d been walking along the path as normal.”

“I’ve known people like that,” Hank said, nodding.

“We were in a park one day, talking. She walked away. I looked up and she had vanished, I mean, full on disappeared. And then I glanced over across the park and saw her next to another tree. There was no way she could have gotten all the way over there in the time between me talking to her and her vanishing. These portals exist here and there, and I don’t think we always realize when we walk through one.”

“Why do you think the Mothman shows up? And do you think the tragedies and disasters that happen around his appearances are actually related to him?” I asked.

Bonnie thought for a moment, then said, “I don’t think we have any handle on what their race wants. I do think somehow that they key in on disasters about to happen and show up around that time period. Maybe they’re attracted to the frequency of these disasters when they happen. Or maybe they’re attracted to chaos.”

“What about Indrid Cold? Do you know who I’m talking about?” I asked.

She nodded. “I think that these creatures like to play with our minds. I don’t know why. They may just be from the realm of chaos—you’re aware of the Covenant of Chaos?”

I groaned. “Please don’t tell me that they’re creating Mothmen?”

“No,” Bonnie said, shaking her head. “I don’t think they’re creating it, but I think they can attract it. I’d definitely say you are dealing with a Mothman situation right now. And the only way it will play out is for whatever disaster that has attracted it to happen.”

“Is there any way we can prevent the disaster? If we do, will it disappear?” Caitlin asked.

Bonnie thought for a moment. Then, with a long sigh, she said, “I don’t know. Keep in touch and let me know what happens. Maybe there’s something I can do from here.”

And with that we ended the call. I looked at the others, feeling as helpless as I had earlier.

“I hope this plays out and ends soon. We need to call Millie and tell her what we found out.”

“We’ll do that tomorrow morning,” Tad said. “Meanwhile, let’s all go home. Feel free to come in late tomorrow—just be here by ten. And remember we’ve got the memorial service to go to tomorrow afternoon.”

Once again feeling a heavy weight on my shoulders, I stood and gathered my things. We all said good night, leaving Tad at the apartment, and headed to our cars. As I fastened my seatbelt, I glanced at the sky. Dusk had fallen, and suddenly I felt very exposed, in a very big world.

* * *

On the way home, I got a call from Ari. “Jerica, answer phone.”

The speaker came on and Ari’s voice tumbled out. She sounded spaced out and afraid. “I need you. I need your help. Help me!”

My stomach clenched and I gripped the steering wheel. “Where are you?”

“I’m in the forest, near Raspberry Ravine. You have to come see this. January, come help me.”

Before I could answer, the line went dead. I screeched to a halt, then did a quick U-turn and headed toward the ravine. I thought about calling Killian but he was in surgery.

“Jerica, call Hank.” The phone rang three times before going to voicemail. “Call Tad.” This time, I got an answer.

“What’s up?” Tad asked.

“I’m headed toward Raspberry Ravine. I got a call from Ari, asking for help.”

“January, let Millie take care of it.” Tad sounded alarmed.

“I can’t leave her out there. I tried to call Hank but he wasn’t home. Can you call Millie and ask her to meet me there?” I frantically tapped the gas. Considering what had happened to Ari last time, I didn’t dare take a chance on losing her.

“All right, but please call me when you get there. And don’t go into the ravine by yourself. I’m coming out too.” He hung up on me.

By then I had reached the ravine, and I pulled into the turnout. Confused, I looked around. Ari’s car was nowhere to be seen. I wondered if she had run off the road accidentally, so I jumped out of my car and started toward the edge.

All of a sudden, the hairs on the back of my neck and my arms stood up and I had the feeling that something was behind me. Cursing—I had left my phone in the car—I turned, running to my right. I could circle around and get in my car, if I was fast enough.

At that moment, there seemed to be nothing behind me, but as I glanced up to one of the trees nearby, I saw a large black creature with red eyes, its wings folded down. I gauged the distance between me and the car, and between me and the creature. I was closer to the car than it was to me, so I raced over and I jumped for the passenger side.

The creature flew out of the tree and landed in front of my car. I hit the lock button, securing every door, and did my best to scramble over the gearshift into the driver’s seat.

The creature began walking toward me, its eyes brilliant red and hypnotic. I was fighting against the desire to open the door and welcome it in. The compulsion grew and I began to cry, my hands shaking so bad that I could barely get the key into the ignition. It took every ounce of will I had to turn the key. “Druantia, protect me. Esmara, protect me. Somebody help me.”

Put your foot on the gas and put the car in reverse. Esmara’s voice was loud and clear.

I did as she said—at the moment more intimidated by her than I was by the compulsion to get out of the car. Press the gas and get out of this turnout.

I slammed on the gas pedal. The car lurched into reverse and jerked as I screeched out of the turnout. I was on the road now, but my mind was getting foggy, and I stared at the wheel, not knowing what to do. I could hear Esmara talking to me in the background, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. Everything looked upside down and inside out, and I felt like I was falling into a long, deep tunnel.

The next moment, the car died and I was stuck on the road, fighting against the compulsion to get out again. I struggled, trying to hold on, and I became aware of a soft voice whispering, almost tickling my ears.

Get out of the car. Get out of the car. Get out of the car.

Before I could obey, my car lurched forward as a crash echoed through the air. The airbag deployed and I slammed into it, surprised by how hard it felt. The voice in my head vanished, and I could hear Esmara screaming my name.

I tried to figure out what was happening, but before I could make heads or tails of the situation, I realized that my back and my neck felt as though they were on fire—the muscles burned from the impact. Overwhelmed and unable to figure out what was going on, I gave in to the soft black cloud of oblivion. The last thing I remembered was hearing someone at the side of my door, yelling my name before I passed out.

* * *

“January? January, can you hear me?”

The voice was in a fog, but it commanded my attention. I tried to open my eyes. There were clinical smells all around me, the smell of cleansers and antiseptic and something else that I couldn’t quite identify. I was lying down, that much I could tell, with my head raised. I had a splitting headache, although it was beginning to fade, and finally I managed to get my eyes open.

I was in a bed, in the hospital. Dr. Fairsight was standing at the bottom of the bed, talking to Killian and Tad. Hank was sitting over against the wall, watching me. As I fastened my gaze on him, he straightened.

“Doctor, she’s awake.” He stood, pointing toward me.

The doctor, Killian, and Tad all turned to look at me, and Dr. Fairsight hustled around to my side. “Do you know who I am?” she asked.

I nodded, grimacing as the gesture sent a shooting pain through my head. “Dr. Fairsight. Yes, I know who you are. What happened? Why am I here?”

“I’m so sorry,” Tad burst out, hurrying around to my other side. “I didn’t see you there. I was coming down the street so fast that when I made the turn, I didn’t see your car. It was dark and there were no lights—” The words gushed out of his mouth like verbal diarrhea.

I could tell he felt horrible for something.

I groaned, wanting to sit up straight, but the moment I tried, it sent a shock wave through me and knocked me back on the bed. “It’s all right,” I said. “But what happened?”

“I hit you. You were in the middle of the street and I couldn’t see you because your lights were off, and I rammed right into the rear end of your car.” He sounded ashamed. “I am so sorry. I promise I’ll pay for everything.”

I was having trouble grasping what exactly had happened to me. “How come I was out on the road?” I could barely remember what my name was, let alone what I’d been doing.

“What do you remember?” asked Dr. Fairsight.

“I remember talking to Bonnie and then leaving work. I remember standing by my car. I started to drive home and…” I grimaced, trying to remember beyond that. Everything seemed fuzzy, like it had been covered in mist, like a dream that had faded too fast when I woke up.

“What were you doing in the turnout on Raspberry Ravine Road?” Hank asked.

A chill ran down my spine. “I was on Raspberry Ravine?”

“You called me,” said Tad. “You said you had called Hank and he wasn’t at home, and you said that Ari had called you from the ravine, asking for help. You were frantic, you sounded absolutely petrified.”

A cold sweat broke out on my skin. “I don’t remember any of that. Why can’t I remember?” I glanced over at the doctor.

“It’s probably short-term amnesia. Ari had it too, remember?”

“Right,” I said, desperately reaching for memories. “And things started coming back to her a little later. When I called her, she had remembered a few things. Is she okay? If she called me…”

“She didn’t call you,” Killian said. “I checked your phone, and there was a call to you, but I have no clue who it was from. The caller had blocked their ID. I called Ari to ask her, after Tad told us what happened, and she’s been home all afternoon and evening. She hasn’t called anybody. So it wasn’t her.”

“I’m sure it was her number—at least, I think I saw her name come up…” I paused, wondering if I could be sure of anything.

“Remember, the Mothman can play with your mind,” Killian said.

“Millie’s out at the turnout, with backup so that nobody gets sidelined. But she said there’s nothing there. She couldn’t find anything. Something was trying to lure you out there.” Tad was white as a sheet. “I’m thinking we have to give up this case. I don’t want anything to happen to any of you.”

I tried to shake my head, but that was a mistake. “No, we can’t. This will just continue to happen until…whatever disaster it’s foretelling. But is there any way to block off that area—including that stretch of Delta Street as well?” Anybody who traveled near Raspberry Ravine was in danger.

“I don’t think there is. There are people who live along there who have to get to their homes.” Hank shook his head, looking grim.

“I called Rowan,” Killian said. “She’s on her way. I told her to call your aunt and tell her to stay at home until we give her a call.” Killian brushed my hair back from my face and planted a kiss on my forehead. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”

“There’s no way you could be. You had work you needed to do. A dog’s life depended on you.” I leaned against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around me. “You can’t protect me all the time. Nobody can do that, except maybe the goddess I’m pledged to, and I haven’t figured out how to invoke that sort of protection yet. I don’t think it exists.” I turned to the doctor. “So, how am I?”

Dr. Fairsight consulted her chart. “Well, oddly enough you were somewhat dehydrated. Physically, you’re mostly okay, although I suspect whiplash might be an issue and you probably have a mild concussion. You have short-term amnesia, and luckily you weren’t out there all night by yourself. You don’t have anything like the hypothermia that Ari did. We did find this, however.” She held out a photograph. It looked like my lower back. I could see the rise of my hip, and the top band of my panties. There was a mark on my lower back, the shape of a man with moth wings.

“Oh crap. I’ve been marked. Ari was marked as well. I don’t want to go through life feeling like this thing’s going to come back after me. Maybe Rowan knows how to remove them. My great-grandmother removed one from Esmara.” I let out a long sigh. “So, can I go home?”

“We want to observe you for a little longer. And I’m not comfortable with you going home if nobody else is going to be there.” The doctor took out her stethoscope again and checked my heart. “Your heart rate and pulse and blood pressure are fine, but when they brought you in, they were elevated. You also have some bruises and lacerations thanks to the airbag. You’re lucky, though. If Tad had been going any faster, you could have broken your neck because of the way you were sitting.”

Once again, Tad groaned. “I am so sorry. I’ve already called my insurance agent and given them your information and told them it’s my fault.”

“But if I was sitting on the road in the dark without my lights on, it wasn’t totally your fault,” I started to say.

“I rear-ended you. It’s always the fault of the person who does the ramming.” Tad stopped suddenly, blushing. “You know I didn’t mean it that way!”

I hadn’t even considered the double entendre but now I laughed, and it felt good for a change. “I know you wouldn’t mean it that way. Did Millie give you a ticket?”

“Yeah, she had to. It’s kind of the law. Especially to prove to my insurance company that it was my fault. I can handle the hike in insurance better than you can, I suspect.”

I was truly grateful to Tad. My car was brand-new—well, close to new, and I really dreaded seeing the bill for repairs. “How much do you think it’s going to cost to fix my car?”

Killian stroked my hair. “Sweetie, I think you’re going to have to buy another new car. Yours is crumpled, like an accordion. I don’t suggest you buy that kind of car again.”

At that moment, the door opened and Rowan peeked in. I took a deep breath. Marnie Brolen was behind her, and I really didn’t feel like facing either one of them at this point. But it had to be done, and so I steeled myself for a plethora of questions.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Rowan hustled over to the bed, pushing everyone out of the way so she could give me a hug. Marnie stood back, watching. My grandmother stroked my cheek, her eyes filled with concern.

Rowan was a force unto herself. She’d been around since before the founding of Moonshadow Bay. When she was pregnant with my father, she had made a deal for a local family to take him in. I wasn’t sure exactly what had gone down, except that she felt she put him in danger by her very existence. So when he was young, nobody knew he was adopted by the Jaxsons. I only found out she was my grandmother when I returned to Moonshadow Bay to live.

We got along well, though she intimidated me, and I was grateful for her presence. I was learning how to work with death magic thanks to her, even as my aunt Teran was teaching me about how to work with earth magic. Together they had taken me in hand, and were training me the way I should have been trained from the time I was young.

“My darling girl, how are you?”

I blinked. Rowan must be worried, since she seldom used endearments like that.

“I’ll be okay. I’ve lost some short-term memory and I’m going to ache for a while. I’m glad you’re here because we need to talk to you about what’s going on. I was going to call you tonight when I got home.” I looked over at Marnie. “You too, since we talked on the beach yesterday.”

“Killian told me that you’re dealing with the Mothman?” Rowan asked.

I nodded. “We’re almost positive that’s what this is. I’m foggy right now, so maybe Tad can catch you and Marnie up on what’s been going on, or Hank. But it seems that I’ve become a target and it tried to lure me into the woods tonight. It also attacked Ari.”

Rowan glanced over at the doctor. She crooked her finger and the doctor followed her out of the door. I glanced at Marnie.

“You should warn people. Especially anyone who’s an empath or who has clairaudience. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make the meeting on Saturday,” I said. The Witches Guild was now meeting on Saturday evenings. My grandmother’s coven—the Crystal Cauldron—met on the full and new moons. If the meetings coincided, the coven won.

“I will. But first I want to talk to Rowan. Millie told me about why the ferry went down. And she told me about the premonitory calls.” Marnie looked legitimately concerned. Sometimes I thought she really didn’t want to bother herself with most of the community, but she was beginning to open up to me, and I felt less like the newbie on the block.

At that moment, Rowan reentered the room, the doctor behind her. Rowan walked over to the bed, and took my hand. “I’ve managed to spring you from this joint, so you can go home. But Tarvish and I are staying the night, along with Killian. We’ll make sure that nothing else happens to you tonight. I’m going to set up a circle of protection around your bed. And when I set up a circle of protection, nothing dares cross it.”

She paused, then held up my left hand, looking at the ring. “Do you have news for me?”

I nodded, so tired I could barely smile. “We’re engaged. We were going to hold a dinner for family to tell everyone, but now you know.”

Rowan beamed. “I’m so happy to hear it—Killian, you take care of my granddaughter.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said, saluting.

I wasn’t sure whether I really wanted to go home. The hospital felt safe, because I’d be monitored and watched and wouldn’t be able to get out again. On the other hand, Rowan’s magic was so strong that I doubted much could break through it. And with Killian there, and Tarvish—my grandmother’s boyfriend, a Funtime demon—there wasn’t much chance that I would be wandering the streets again tonight. And it would feel good to sleep in my own house.

I glanced over at the doctor. “My head hurts. Are you sure everything’s okay?”

“We did a CT scan while you were unconscious. There’s no brain bleed.”

“Good,” I said, grateful for some positive news. “I’m sure I’ll feel better by morning.”

“You won’t be feeling up to yourself for awhile. You need to rest for a few days. No work, no driving, no alcohol, no drugs of any kind except what I give you. You’re suffering from aftereffects of a concussion. And I’m not letting you make it worse.”

Dr. Fairsight looked at my grandmother. “Also, no magic. She’s not to go around casting any spells for a few days.” She turned to Killian. “No sex for a couple days. No excitement. Just a calm quiet evening followed by a long night’s sleep. I’m going to give you a sedative for her, and she’s to take it without argument.” Then she stared at me. “Do you hear me?”

I nodded, feeling awkward. “I hear you loud and clear. Where’s Millie?” I had thought she would be here, given what had happened.

“I was going to call her and find out,” Killian said. He put in a call, moving away from us so that he could talk in peace.

“Where are my clothes?” I stared at the gown I was in, grimacing at the pastel bunnies that covered it. “I feel like I’m wearing a gown made of marshmallows.”

“Your clothes weren’t exactly accident-proof. They’re dirty from the accident, and there was some blood on them from a couple lacerations that you had. You had a bloody nose and that didn’t help matters either. I’ve got them bagged over in the corner. You can wear the gown home, and don’t worry about returning it.”

“Oh trust me,” I said. “I’ll clean it and return it as soon as possible. I don’t need any reminders of ending up in the hospital. And it doesn’t fit my style.” As I leaned forward, I realized the backend was open. “I am not wearing something that shows my butt. I know I have my underwear on, but this is embarrassing.”

“I’ll bring the car up,” Killian said. “Why don’t you wrap another robe around her from the back? I can bring them back tomorrow.”

“No—” I started to say. But Dr. Fairsight motioned to one of the nurses, who hurried out of the room.

“That’s a good idea. And January, no grumbling. You may not be the height of fashion right now, but you’re alive. That’s a good thing. And that wasn’t guaranteed, given what might have happened out there.”

They bundled me up in a wheelchair, and after signing off on me, the doctor told me to call her tomorrow. A nurse steered me out to the car where Killian was waiting, and Tad helped transfer me into it. He leaned down, looking in the window. He still looked guilty.

“Do you want us to come?” he asked. “We’ll be happy to.”

Killian shook his head. “I can take care of her, and with Rowan and Tarvish’s help we shouldn’t have any problems. But I’ll call you later and let you know how she’s doing.”

“Don’t worry about coming into work tomorrow,” Tad said.

I cut him off, tired of being treated like I was special. At least special in this manner.

“If I can, I’ll be there. I’d like to attend the service tomorrow afternoon. But I’m not going anywhere alone for a while. If I make it to work, I’ll have someone drop me off.” I rolled up the window, watching as Rowan and Tarvish drove by. They were waving. Suddenly, a thought hit me and I groaned. “I bought the cutest new dress and bras and they were in my car.”

“No, they aren’t,” Killian said. “Tad managed to get them out for you, along with your phone and purse before the tow truck arrived. They’re in the backseat.”

And on that happier note, he pulled away from the curb and we headed back to my home, staying far away from Raspberry Ravine.

* * *

Rowan and Tarvish arrived at my house before we did, and since my grandmother had a key, they went in to get things ready. By the time Killian and I entered the house, the recliner had been covered with a lightweight blanket, and the TV tray had my favorite soda, a bottle of water, and a bag of cookies waiting for me.

I had worn the hospital robes home, and Killian immediately put the clothing I had been wearing in a bag to take to the dry cleaners. Getting blood out of clothes wasn’t for the weak of heart, and it wasn’t always successful at home.

“I want out of these robes. I want to put on one of my nighties,” I said. I stared at the steps up to my bedroom, and everything went blurry. “On the other hand, I don’t know if I can manage this.”

“I’ll run up and get what you want,” Rowan said. “Just tell me what you need and I’ll bring it down.”

I thought for a moment, then asked for my jersey pajama shorts and a camisole. “They’re on the bed, actually. And if you could bring my slippers, too? And my vanilla therapy bath gel. I need a shower.”

“You’re not standing up in that shower until you feel better. I suggest you take a sponge bath tonight. And I’ll come in to make sure that you don’t keel over.” Rowan gave me a look that brooked no disagreement. She dashed upstairs.

I glanced over at Tarvish. He looked like he was straight out of the movie Hellboy, except his horns were fully formed. He was a likable chap, though. He loved cats—especially kittens—enjoyed doing crossword puzzles, and all in all, he was fun to be around.

In fact, he was what was known as a Funtime demon. He was one of a kind, a thought form created out of some dungeon master’s gameplay, only the DM had been a witch and he had decided to create a programmable spell to bring Tarvish to life.

We had learned that if we tried to banish him back to his own world, he’d cease to exist. Tarvish couldn’t really die since technically, he wasn’t real. Though now that he was living in our world, I wasn’t so clear on how the rules applied. What I was clear on was that my grandmother had fallen for him. How deeply, I had no idea. But she was sweet on him, and he doted on her, and they made the oddest pair imaginable.

As soon as I sat down in the recliner, Tarvish brought over another throw and tried to tuck it around me.

“I appreciate it, but it’s too warm for that.” I didn’t want to be covered up. By now, I was getting tired of the heat and I wanted rain and clouds and cool weather. I really wasn’t a sun bunny. I loved my rain and gloom.

“Do you want anything else to eat?” he asked anxiously.

I glanced at the cookies. They looked good but a little dry. And while I was glad to see the lemon spritzer there, along with cold water, what I really wanted was some ice cream. “Can you get me some ice cream? There’s some in the freezer in the kitchen. I’d like rocky road, if you don’t mind.”

Tarvish trundled off to the kitchen, humming as he sauntered along. The moment he was out of the room, I turned to Killian.

“He’s really nice,” I said.

“Tarvish is okay,” Killian said. “We hang out sometimes because he’s developed a love for baseball. I can tell you right now that he’s head over heels for your grandmother.”

“I know,” I said. “I hope she doesn’t hurt him. Rowan’s not one for pillow talk, and I don’t think she’s really good with relationships.”

We quieted down as Tarvish reentered the room, carrying a bowl with at least four scoops of ice cream. I was about to say something, but decided what the hell, I could use the comfort. I knew from experience that I could eat four scoops of ice cream without a problem. I wasn’t out of control with my eating, but I had a hearty appetite.

Rowan returned from my bedroom, carrying my pajama shorts and camisole. She had also brought a light sundress, a clean bra, and panties for the morning.

“I thought you might want something that wasn’t too constricting for tomorrow. I’ll hang it in the bathroom. Come on, let’s—” She stopped, staring at the bowl of ice cream. “After you finish, let’s get you that sponge bath and you can change.”

Marnie, who had come along for the ride, was walking around the living room, as though she were inspecting it. After a moment she turned to me. “You have a lovely house. This belonged to your parents, correct?”

I nodded. “Yeah, it belonged to them. I inherited it when they died.” I leaned my head back, enjoying every spoonful of the ice cream. But I also wanted to get out of the hospital robes. I handed my bowl to Killian. “Here, hold this while I go change. If I take too long, go ahead and eat it. I’m pretty sure we have more.”

Rowan led me to the bathroom, and true to her word, she refused to let me get in the shower. Instead, she made me sit on the vanity bench while she brought me a clean washcloth and towel.

“You’re serious? You mean for me to take a sponge bath?”

“Of course I’m serious. The doctor said you probably have a mild concussion to go along with everything else, and that can cause blackouts. Now, strip.”

I did, feeling slightly awkward. My grandmother was at least six sizes smaller than I was, if not more, and I wasn’t sure what she thought of my weight, although she’d never said anything about it or given me any indication that she thought it was a problem. I rinsed the washcloth under the cool water, pumping vanilla-scented bath wash onto it. As I began to scrub my body, the scent worked its magic, calming me down. I handed the cloth to Rowan and she began to scrub my back and neck.

“Ouch. Take it easy!” I looked up, giving her a grin over my shoulder.

“I suppose we can get the rest tomorrow. This’ll at least leave you feeling somewhat refreshed.”

“Have you ever seen one?” I asked after a moment.

Rowan knew exactly what I was talking about.

“I’ve seen a lot of things out in the woods. Some of them, I’m not sure about. They were too alien to figure out. And I’ve met a number of creatures on the astral plane. As to whether I’ve met the Mothman? I don’t know, to be honest.”

She paused, then hopped up on the vanity in front of me. “I’m going to tell you one thing, my granddaughter. Whatever the Mothman is, he’s latched onto you. To you, to Ari, and probably several other people in town. I didn’t want to mention it, but there’s a mark on one of the trees in your yard, like there was Ari’s. I know you might not be able to kill it. Hell, I wouldn’t know where to start. But you have to break the mark. There are ways it can be done, and you have to break it before too much more time passes.”

I nodded. “That’s what I thought. Can you break it?”

“I think so. We’ll get it done one way or another.”

I paused, then said, “I have a couple other questions. They have nothing to do with the Mothman.”

Rowan waited.

“I talked to Val Slater. Grandma Nonny called me the other night, and she told me about the curse. Where can I find Gretchen Wyer?”

Rowan let out a long sigh. “I’ve been waiting for this to come. It wasn’t my place to tell you, although I would have if Naomi had kept quiet much longer. I’ve been looking for Gretchen for the past three decades. I haven’t found her yet.”

“Val thinks she may be in Ireland.”

“Wherever she is, she’s definitely not on your side. I’m not sure why, but it wasn’t just for money that she took on the case from Evan Slater. Gretchen Wyer had her own agenda against Ellen. I don’t know what it was, or how it all came about. I’ve also been working on a way to break the spell myself. It’s a complex curse, but I think I’m getting closer. We’ll talk about it later. Whatever you do, don’t go after Gretchen yourself. She’d finish you off like a dog with a Milk Bone.”

After Rowan helped me into my camisole top and pajama shorts, she led me back into the living room where she settled me in the recliner. I finished my ice cream and ate a few cookies, and after hydrating myself with the water and lemonade, I settled in to asleep, with the people I loved most surrounding me. Right before I closed my eyes, I caught sight of Esmara. She was standing near the fireplace, watching over me. I tried to wave, but slumber called and I closed my eyes, feeling protected from all sides.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

By the time I woke up, it was nine in the morning, and I felt much better. I was surprised by how clearheaded I felt, given my state the night before. I did feel banged up from the bruises, but Rowan had cast a healing spell on me during the night, and it had taken hold with gusto.

Gingerly, I stood, and stretched until things began to ache. At that moment, Tarvish entered from the kitchen. I could smell coffee and bacon and something else that I couldn’t quite identify.

“What smells so good? I smell the bacon and coffee.”

“Cinnamon rolls. Your grandmother and I made them for breakfast. Killian had to go to work, but he said to give him a call if you need him for anything.” Tarvish jerked his head toward the table. “Go sit down and we’ll bring you some breakfast.”

“I need to make a visit to the powder room first,” I said.

Xi and Klaus had slept on me all night, judging by the cat hair all over me.

I headed into the bathroom, took care of business, then washed my hands and splashed some cold water on my face. I looked worse for the wear, and I had bruises in places I never thought I’d have bruises. In fact I looked like I had a black eye, and I knew I’d be taking some flak about that. I was good with makeup but I doubted that even I could cover up that dark of a shiner. I hadn’t even noticed it the night before.

I shuffled back out to the dining room table, where Rowan had set out plates and Tarvish was bringing in the food. There were scrambled eggs and bacon, cinnamon rolls, and fresh sliced watermelon. There was also a mug, filled to the brim with what smelled like caramel latte. “Wow,” I said.

Tarvish beamed. “Everything look good?”

I nodded, sitting down and gulping some of the latte, managing to give myself a blister on my lip. Luckily, it was small, but it hurt like hell. “I didn’t expect it to be that hot! But it’s good.”

My grandmother rolled her eyes, then came around the table and lifted my chin up so that I was staring at her. She reached out and touched the blister on my lip. “Fire sizzle, fire die, take your pain and away you fly.”

Immediately, the pain stopped and the blister faded away.

“You’re really good at that,” I said. “I hope I become half as proficient with earth magic as you are with fire.”

“Teran’s working with you on that,” Rowan said. “And you’re coming along on the death magic. That takes a lot longer and it’s a lot more fraught with potential disasters.” She pointed to the mug and looked at Tarvish. “Two ice cubes, please. That should take it down to a drinkable level.”

Tarvish wandered off into the kitchen and returned with a glass that had two ice cubes in it. He handed it to me and I slipped them into my latte, watching as they began to melt.

“I meant to call Ari last night. I guess I was so tired that I crashed.”

“Visits from the Mothman can do that.” My grandmother didn’t look very pleased. “I wish he’d get the hell out of here. But there’s no dislodging him until whatever disaster happens that he’s waiting for.”

“We’ve been speculating,” I said. “Do you think he might be tied to alien lore? You know, UFOs and the gray men? Bonnie, a witch from Terameth Lake, thinks so.”

Rowan settled into her own chair, a cup of black coffee near her. She was pretty Spartan when it came to things like froufrou drinks, but it fit her nature. “I am almost positive that there is some sort of connection. But we don’t know what UFOs are.”

I told her Bonnie’s theory that they might be aliens themselves, actual beings instead of machines. Rowan nodded, thinking it over for a moment.

“That would make sense. And it fits what I know of crop circles.”

“Crop circles? You actually know what causes them?”

Rowan nodded. “We don’t say much about it outside of the Witches Guild because it could throw a panic into the general public. What I’m about to tell you is to remain quiet.” She glanced over at Tarvish. “That goes for you, too. I know you like to gossip.”

Tarvish blushed—as much as a demon could blush—and nodded. “I hear you loud and clear.”

“Crop circles are made by elementals. Earth elementals rise up in the fields and create messages to the humans. They can travel invisibly, and they can work fast, so they can tromp down an entire corn patch in less than a night. They’re trying to communicate, in their own clumsy way. A lot of witches know about this, but it’s not our place to intervene. And if humans knew that the elementals were actually roaming around the fields, they’d panic. It’s one thing for them to know about vampires and witches and shifters, but when it comes to things like demons and ghosts and elementals, it gets a little dicey. They can’t control them as easily. And the elementals don’t fit into human society like Otherkin do.”

“Do you know what they’re trying to say?” I asked.

Rowan shrugged. “I can’t tell you. I honestly don’t. Now if the fire elementals took it into their minds to do something similar, then I could probably tell you. I will tell you that occasionally some wildfires are started by fire elementals. They are chaotic, as you well know. You remember Rameer, the djinn?”

I nodded. “Rameer’s nice, though. I like him.”

“Yes, but not all djinn are like that. And not all fire elementals keep to themselves. Unfortunately, some of the fire elementals are so hungry they’ll target anything. They feed when they burn through forests and neighborhoods. As I said, they’re chaotic and some of them are malign. Earth elementals tend to be more neutral.”

“What about water and air?”

“Water elementals are chaotic as well, and unpredictable. Air elementals tend to ignore people, although they sometimes play mischievous pranks. They whip umbrellas away, and they blow through so that dresses go flying upward. Air elementals are also the most friendly, except for the ones who cause tornadoes and massive windstorms. And then there are the outliers. Ice elementals, and a few other types.” Rowan motioned to my food. “Eat up. I want you strong and healthy.”

I really didn’t feel that bad, but I obliged her and ate my breakfast like a trooper. “I want to go to the memorial service this afternoon. I’ll need a ride, though.”

“I think a good share of the town is going,” Rowan said. “I have some errands to do first, but Teran is coming over in about half an hour to stay with you. She can take you. Her truck is working.”

“I’m grateful she’s mostly recovered from what our nasty Cupid did to her. Her shoulder seems to be back to normal.”

“Just finish your breakfast, and then I’ll walk you upstairs so you can take a full shower. I’m sitting in there with you, though,” Rowan added. “I don’t trust that you’re fully 100 percent.”

I didn’t protest. I was actually grateful for her company and concern.

* * *

It took me twice as long to shower as usual, but with Rowan’s help I cleaned up pretty good. I opted to skip the sundress, instead dressed in a flowing black skirt and a V-neck black tank top, which was more appropriate for a memorial service. I could throw a silver cardigan over it and look perfectly respectable. I put on flats, to give myself more balance. I was still feeling a little off when I walked around too much, but overall, I was surprised I felt as good as I did.

“Did Killian say whether he was going to make it to the service?” I asked.

“I don’t think he mentioned it either way. Why don’t you text him and find out?” Rowan stood at the bay window, staring out over the yard. “What do you think about the curse on your family? How do you feel about it?”

Rowan never asked anything without good reason, so I knew it wasn’t a rhetorical question. I sat in the rocking chair, trying to rest. Tarvish was in the kitchen doing something. By the smell of it, it involved cookies or chocolate or some sort of sugary product. He loved to bake.

“There’s so much that I wish I would have known. It feels like my parents kept secrets from me all my life. You know, for years I pretended it was okay that I had never gotten to go see the Aseer. But I’ll tell you this now, I always resented it. I resented Mother saying No, you can make that choice when you’re old enough. Everybody else got to specialize in their forms of magic—hell, they got to study it in school—but I never did. My mother sent me to a public school, not a magical academy. And while I am grateful that I met Ari there, I knew that she studied with witch tutors three times a week.”

“Don’t be too angry at your mother,” Rowan said. “She was afraid of her heritage. I think she believed that if she didn’t focus on her magic too much, and if she didn’t let you focus on your magic, maybe the curse wouldn’t hit either one of you. Unfortunately, curses don’t work that way.”

“I’m tired of not knowing things about the family.” I glanced over at Rowan. “Why didn’t you ever tell my father that you were his mother? Why did you foster him out to the Jaxsons, and why did he always think they were his real parents?”

She paused, then turned back to me. Instead of looking angry or irritated like I expected, she had a resigned look on her face. “I told you about the man I was involved with, correct? Your grandfather?”

“Right, I remember. You said he was the head of the Court Magika at the time and his name was Farlow Bell.”

“Yes. And he was married. It would have been bad all the way around if anyone had found out. But there’s more that I didn’t tell you.”

I stared at her. “Tell me now. Tell me everything.”

“Farlow Bell had enemies, and they found out about us. Instead of telling everyone, they began to blackmail him. I begged him not to cave into their demands. Blackmailers only win when you pay them. We could have put a stop to them, but Farlow wasn’t as ruthless as I can be. And if anyone had found out, he would have been discredited. It would have destroyed everything he tried to build for the Court Magika. And he did a lot of good work for the Court.”

“Who were his enemies? Are they still around?” I vaguely remembered my grandmother saying she had had enemies at one point, and that was why she hadn’t wanted anyone to know my father was her son.

“The Covenant of Chaos had formed an alliance with a group of rogue vampires called the Blood Collective. Now the Vampire Nation does not support the Blood Collective. And I know for a fact that Val Slater does his best to root out any members he comes across and get rid of them. The vampires are actually honorable that way. But the Blood Collective is adept at keeping on the down low. When Farlow managed to drive the Covenant of Chaos out of town—at least we thought he had—in reality they went underground. They targeted him, and they targeted me because they found out we were having an affair. They blackmailed Farlow, and in the end that’s what killed him. Or rather, what caused him to kill himself.”

I caught my breath, more at the sadness in her voice than at the fact that my grandfather had killed himself. “What happened? If you want to talk about it.”

“They threatened to expose his affair to the Court Magika. Of course that wouldn’t have been enough to get him kicked out, but it would have gone against him. And his wife could have used it as a weapon, even though she was sleeping around with every tom, dick, and pool boy.”

It sounded like one big hot mess to me.

“Farlow was a man of honor. The Covenant of Chaos wanted him to look the other way while they worked below the surface in Moonshadow Bay. He wrote up a report on what had happened, although he didn’t name me, though everyone would have known. He didn’t know I was pregnant.

“He mailed it to Queen Heliesa, the Queen of Witches. And he mailed a copy to me. And then he drove around the edge of Dewberry Hill and broke through the retaining wall, falling all the way into the bay. He drowned.”

There was a bleakness to her voice, so harsh and yet so ragged that I realized she still loved him. After all these years—after eighty-some years—she still loved Farlow Bell.

“What happened next?” It occurred to me that maybe talking about this would actually help my grandmother. All these years and she had had no one to confide in.

“I made sure that no one knew I was pregnant except for the Jaxsons, whom I trusted. I went on a long vacation, and when I returned, the Jaxsons suddenly had a son. I had made arrangements with them beforehand and they went on vacation as well.”

“So you met them while you were away?”

“Yes, and they returned with a marvelous surprise. After all those years, Loren and Sandra Jaxson managed to have a child.”

“You were afraid the Blood Collective would target him to get back at you?”

She nodded. “Or the Covenant of Chaos. Now I suppose there’s no reason to hide anything. It’s been a long time. The Covenant of Chaos is still active, and probably the Blood Collective too. We do need to corral the Covenant of Chaos, though—they’re still too powerful.”

“Why did you tell my mom? Why did she know that he was adopted and he didn’t?”

Rowan worried her lip. “I had one very good reason,” she said, staring at me.

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Your father had my blood in his veins. And Farlow Bell’s blood. While he didn’t know, and I didn’t trust him to do anything about it, I thought your mother would take matters in hand. You have so much potential, given your lineage. So when your mother became pregnant, I knew that I had to tell her. With Colleen’s blood in you, and my blood, well…January, you’re a powerhouse locked away from the world. And you had to know. If you don’t train your powers, they can go rogue in a way I dread to think. So I told her.” She turned back to stare out the window.

I was beginning to get the picture. “But instead of helping me understand how to use my power, it frightened her. So she kept it all away from me.”

“Correct. About a year before your parents died, I met your mother for tea, and I told her that if she didn’t tell you, I would. Because you’re coming up on your first mid-century. And at around fifty, give or take a few years, you’re going to experience a great increase of power. You’ll have to know how to channel it.”

I began to sweat. The thought made my stomach lurch. “Do you think she would have told me, if she had lived? And would you have ever told my father?”

“Yes to the first question, because Althea seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. As to the second question, I think so. I can never know, but I think I would have.” Rowan turned to me, tears streaking her cheeks. It was the first time I’d seen my grandmother cry and it startled me. Rowan wasn’t a touchy-feely type of woman.

“It’s amazing how things can get so tangled up,” she said. “Try to live in the open, January. Don’t hide things. Don’t hide things from Killian, be honest with him and with all your friends, and most of all, with yourself.”

“When you helped my great-grandmother hide that man in the woods…” I wasn’t sure how to complete the sentence. Or if I even had a question.

“I will never regret what I did. And if you’re asking, I did love your great-grandmother. She and I were two of a kind in many ways. At first she thought I was interested in Brian, but she read me wrong. I don’t know if she ever knew how I truly felt. There were things back then that you didn’t talk about. But I always believed we did the right thing. We saved lives. And we saved a lot of young girls so much pain and anguish. So, if you’re asking if I’d do it again, the answer is yes. Without hesitation.”

She took a deep breath, then turned back to the window. “Here comes your aunt. There’s a great deal about all of this that she doesn’t know. If you want to tell her, you’re free to do so. I cannot tell you to live an open and honest life and then enjoin you to keep my secrets. I rather think that she’d be relieved to know the truth. There’s a lot she does know, but quite a bit she doesn’t. And now, I’m going to go see what Tarvish is up to.”

She kissed me on the cheek, then headed for the kitchen as my aunt Teran knocked, then came in. I wasn’t sure what to think about everything I had learned, but it answered so many questions, and yet it created even more.

CHAPTER TWENTY

I decided to wait until later to talk to Teran. I wanted to sort out the whole Mothman mess before I dove into my family’s issues. But I was grateful I knew, and I felt I had a much better grasp on Rowan’s nature. I began to understand why she had become so tough and harsh over the years.

Teran gave me a long look. It was as if she could pick up on my energy, and most likely she was. “Are you all right?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, I had some serious conversations this morning. Do I look all right?”

She gave me the once-over. She herself was dressed in a pair of black trousers, and a pale blue shirt. “You look fine. I dread going, but this affected the whole town and I should be there.”

I checked through my purse and made sure I had a packet of tissues. I also decided that I’d better add an energy bar or two. Though I imagined they’d have seats there, I wanted to make sure I had enough fortitude.

“Can you grab a few granola bars? I want to put them in my purse.”

Teran hustled into the kitchen and returned with a box of what was basically fortified fig bars, in a raspberry flavor. “These look good,” she said, handing three packets to me. She opened the fourth and bit into the bar. “They are good. I’ll have to remember these.”

I tucked the bars into my purse, then set it aside and finished my bottle of water. Given what I had just been through, it was important to make sure I was hydrated. I glanced at my phone. It was one-fifteen.

“The service starts at three.” I was about to suggest that we head over there at two-thirty so we could find good seats when my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID. It was Ari.

“Hey, how are you?” I asked.

“Doing better than I was. Listen, I heard through the grapevine what happened to you last night. What the hell are we going to do about this thing? Eventually it’s going to kill somebody.”

“It already has. That’s why we’re going to the service today. I’m pretty sure that the ferry accident is connected to the Mothman. Maybe the Mothman didn’t cause it, but it sure feels like he precipitated it. Or his presence precipitated it.”

“Seriously, what can you do about this? Not you, personally. What can Moonshadow Bay do about it? Has Conjure Ink come up with anything workable?”

“Unfortunately, no. In fact, from what we can tell, there’s nothing we can do to stop this. All we can do is mitigate the damage as much as possible. But I can hardly wait till this is over and he leaves.” I told her about our fears about Lilac Road and the overpass. “Millie’s doing her best to get somebody out there to take a look at the overpass and make sure that it’s not in any danger. But then again, if it isn’t, then we have no clue what’s coming up.”

“How are you feeling? Tell me what happened,” she said.

I told her all about what happened to me—as far as I could remember. “It seems that anything that gets too close to this creature is targeted. And I don’t even know if it’s personal. It seems like some sort of odd natural phenomenon, only on a supernatural level.”

“We’ll be at the memorial service this afternoon. The college canceled all of today’s classes. It’s a way to mark respect. Meagan and I will see you there.”

“Come looking for me when you’re there,” I said. “I’ll be with Aunt Teran and Tad and the rest of them. I don’t know if Wren will be there. Walter’s having a bad episode again. Even though he has a home health-care worker, MS is nothing to joke around with. I’m kind of glad she hasn’t been around the past few days. The last thing she needs is for her family to get tangled up in this mess.”

“You can say that again. All right, we’re going to get moving. We’ll see you down there. The town green, correct?”

“That’s right. See you in a bit.” I turned to Teran. “That was Ari. She and Meagan will meet us there. Should we take anything? It’s going to be a huge event.”

“No, Marnie Brolen and the Witches Guild are going to donate the refreshments. The town’s taking care of everything else.” She sat down beside me. “Your grandmother and Tarvish took off already. Do you want to tell me what you talked to her about?”

I shook my head. “Later. Not right now. We’ve got enough on our plates right now to deal with. Why don’t you help me to the car and we can stop for coffee before we get there?”

As we headed out the door, I had an odd feeling. Every hair on my body was standing attention, and I felt a heaviness in the air, an anxiety of anticipation.

“Can you feel that?” I asked. Whatever it was made me incredibly nervous.

“Yeah,” Teran said. “Whatever it is, it’s coming our way. I want to suggest we get ready for it, but I have no clue what it is. This is bad,” she said. “Very bad.”

All the way to the car I kept looking around, trying to see if someone was watching us. But that wasn’t what it actually felt like. I didn’t feel like we were the targets. But something was bearing down on the town, like an arrow aimed directly at the core of Moonshadow Bay. And whether we had the shields to deflect it, I didn’t know.

* * *

We ended up stopping for coffee, then converging with the rest of the town on the green. The town green was not far off from the town square. It was a wide meadow, circular in nature, with a walking labyrinth in one section, and a spectator stadium in another.

There weren’t bleachers of the usual sort, but rather rows of folded chairs on a tiered platform. All in all, the seating area could hold about six hundred people. There was another area for those who chose to either stand or sit on the grass.

Teran and I arrived early enough that we were able to find seats. I wanted the bottom row because I didn’t want to have to try climbing the stairs to the upper levels. I was a lot less dizzy than the day before, but I still didn’t fully trust myself. Ari and Meagan were already there and they waved us over. Ari had saved seats for us. As I sat down beside her, she reached out and gave me a hug. Meagan reached behind Ari’s shoulders to pat me on the arm.

“Ari says you were caught by whatever that thing is, too,” she said.

I nodded. “Yeah. But at least I didn’t end up out in the forest all night. And it was pretty much luck. Although my car is totaled now,” I added, feeling depressed. I had loved my new car, and now I had to go buy another one.

“Oh, look!” Teran said. “There are your coworkers.”

Sure enough, headed our way were Tad, Caitlin, and Hank. They slipped into seats right behind us so we could talk easier.

“Millie found an inspector who’s going to check the overpass on Lilac Road,” Caitlin said.

I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Did they find anything?”

“He can’t get out there till tomorrow. She’s going to pay for it herself if she has to.” Tad shook his head. “If the city can’t cough up the money for his services, I think I can drum it up.”

“I’m pretty sure that will help her.” Hank leaned back, looking out over the green. “This isn’t exactly my idea of the best way to spend an afternoon.”

In the center of the green, next to a podium with a microphone, there were five enlarged photographs, each one of the victims. They had wreaths of flowers around them, and were big enough that we could see them from where we were sitting. There were seats near the pictures for the immediate family members and it suddenly hit me that, as depressed as we were about the deaths, at least we weren’t up there mourning our own loved ones.

The entire green was filled by the time three o’clock rolled around. A sizable percentage of the town had shown up, and I saw Killian hurrying across the grass, over to where we were sitting. Meagan moved down one seat and Ari scooted over, moving so Killian could sit down. As he settled in, giving me a quick kiss, Millie showed up, heading toward the center of the green where the mayor was getting ready to make a speech.

I groaned quietly. I didn’t like the mayor. Asher Brant was an ineffectual prick who had an ego three sizes too big for how effective he actually was.

As the service started I tuned him out, focusing inward. A moment later, I started to feel uncomfortable. I had the oddest compulsion to pull out my phone. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but I flipped through my apps until I saw the Moonshadow Bay Monitor—the local newsletter and news site. I brought it up, and randomly scrolled through the news. And then I saw it. I knew what was giving me the creeps.

I glanced out to the field, where Millie was standing near the mayor, ready to make a speech of her own as soon as he finished. I glanced back at my phone, and tried to figure out how to warn her without interrupting what was going on. I turned to Killian, and grabbed his arm. He looked down at me, and I handed him my phone, frantically tapping on the screen. He took it and began to read.

Changes To Events Today:

There’s been a change of plans for the Love & Peace House 5K fun run, to benefit one of the local women shelters. The 5K fundraiser has been changed to a different route. Beginning at four p.m., the fun run will re-route, beginning on Maple Street, then cross over the Lilac Road overpass. From there, it will follow Chestnut Avenue and end in the parking lot at Jerry’s Diner. Over two hundred entrants are expected today, and with this weather, even more may show up.

Killian stiffened. He stared at the phone for a moment then looked back at me, his eyes wide. I knew right then I was right. I glanced at the time. It was three-thirty already and the memorial service was in full swing. I realized that there was no way to get to Millie without making a spectacle of myself.

I stood, grabbing Killian’s hand, and began to stride out on the field. The mayor stopped mid speech. He stared at me as I hurried over to Millie. I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her behind the table with all the pictures on it.

“We have to get over to Lilac Road. I know what’s going to happen. The overpass is going to go down while the fun run is going on.”

“But the run isn’t going that direction—” she paused, then stared at me with a horrified expression in her eyes. “What happened?”

I shoved my phone in her face, pointing to the article. “They changed the route. They’re going over the overpass in half an hour. We have to put a stop to it. I know, Millie. I know that it’s going to be a disaster. If that overpass goes down while all those people are on it, right during rush hour on the freeway, what the hell do you think is going to happen?”

“Oh fuck.” She glanced over at the mayor, then turned to me. “Come with me. We’ve got to get there as soon as possible. And I’m going to need all the help I can get. There are a number of officers who will be guarding the way, but they don’t know what’s going on.”

I turned back to Killian. “Tell the mayor what’s going on. I’ve got to go with Millie right now.”

“I’ll catch up to you,” he said, “and I’ll let Rowan know, and Marnie Brolen.”

As Millie and I raced off the field, I felt dizzy but forced myself to keep going. Millie needed all the help she could get, and I wasn’t going to fail her.

Killian, good to his word, turned back and interrupted the mayor’s speech. I could hear him apologize to the crowd, but that was all I had time to hear before Millie and I reached her police cruiser. I jumped into the passenger seat and fastened my seatbelt as Millie turned the ignition and we screeched out of the parking lot.

“I need you to grab the radio and hit the red button. Hold it up so I can speak.”

We were doing fifty in a twenty mile an hour zone and the sirens were screeching on top of the car. I felt like I might throw up, with the speed giving me motion sickness. But I held it together and grabbed the radio, pressing the button.

“All units report to the Lilac Road overpass. If you’re on the north side of the freeway, approach from the north. If you’re on the south side of the freeway, approach from the south. Set up roadblocks and do not allow anyone onto the overpass. I repeat: Allow no one on the overpass. Also block traffic on the freeway below the overpass. If the state police gives you any trouble, refer them to me. Code 10-18. Urgent. All units respond. Captain Tuptin, over and out.”

I continue to hold the radio, though I let go of the button. Units began to respond right and left. I glanced at the clock. It was almost four o’clock.

“Do you think we’ll be in time?”

Millie swerved, narrowly missing a car as we came around the corner. The sirens were howling, and we were beginning to hear other sirens from nearby parts of the city.

“I hope so. I hope the runners weren’t allowed to start early, and I hope that there weren’t any joining in from right near the overpass. That happens in fun runs at times. Especially when it’s a fundraiser and not a competition.” She glanced at me, her face pale, then back at the road. “I hope to hell we are right about this.”

We reached the turnoff to the overpass. Millie skidded into the middle of the street, blocking it. We jumped out of the cruiser and headed over to the bridge itself. I stared at the mammoth structure. The bridge was huge, spanning all six lanes of the freeway. It was wide enough to have sidewalks on either side—they were narrow, but sidewalks nonetheless. And it was wide enough for two cars, one lane each way. We saw the signs blocking it off to traffic, stating that the run was coming through.

As I stared at the overpass, once again the hair stood up on my arms. My breath tightened in my chest. Something was happening. When I closed my eyes, I could hear a low grinding. I wasn’t even sure if it was audible, or if the sound was coming in on a psychic wave. I found myself dropping to my hands and knees, placing myself squarely on the side of the road, trying to get as far onto the shoulder as I could.

Just then, we heard a commotion behind us and turned to see a gaggle of runners coming our way. Two patrol cars pulled up on our side and one arrived on the opposite side of the bridge. They got out and headed for the bridge, but Millie stopped them.

“Cordon off the bridge. No one is to be allowed on it. That’s an order.”

The front runners slowed, looking confused as one of the race organizers hustled up to Millie, a frown on her face. They proceeded to argue, but I pulled my attention away because I began to feel something.

There were at least thirty runners backed up, all talking at once, and combined with the argument between Millie and the race organizer, the air was filled with static.

But I could hear a low drone. Like a freight train, beginning to rumble. The next moment, the ground began to shake. I scrambled back, quickly crawling away from the shoulder’s edge in case of a landslide.

As the quake began to build, everyone began to run and scream. Millie and her officers were trying to calm people down and get them to safety, herding the runners toward an open spot in the road. I staggered to my feet as the rumble erupted into a full-fledged earthquake. I could barely stand, but I managed to brace myself against a fire hydrant.

It was then that I noticed the cracks spider-webbing across the road near me.

I began to run toward Millie and the others as the low groans behind me began to rise. Metal scraped against metal, the jagged shrieks hurting my ears. I staggered away from the bridge as one of the officers grabbed my arm and dragged me behind him as he raced to get away from the overpass. I did my best to run.

It wasn’t the noise and it wasn’t the earthquake, but the psychic turbulence surrounding the bridge hit me like a sledge hammer. Everything was swirling, and I could barely see for the blur.

A moment later and we stopped. Both the officer and I turned around. As we watched, the bridge began to crumble in on itself, metal twisting and writhing, breaking away from the sides. It occurred to me that there was traffic below and I started for the edge again but the officer pulled me back. I turned to him, agitated.

“There are people down there! They’ll be killed if they’re caught beneath the rubble!”

“It’s too late,” he said, holding onto me. “We can’t do anything for them. All we can do is try to save the people here.”

Wincing, I knew he was right, but I had visions of cars caught beneath the rubble and I steeled myself for the spirits that might come rushing forth from the accident.

The quake heightened, and I dropped to my hands and knees again, as did most everyone else. We held on for what seemed like minutes but was probably less than sixty seconds. Then, as if it had never happened, the rumbling stopped. The quake was over. And the bridge was gone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

After the quake stopped, we started to stand. We were all shaky and watching for aftershocks. The Pacific Northwest was riddled with fault lines, and we were expecting a big quake to happen at some point.

We were overdue for an earthquake, eight point or greater on the Richter scale. This one hadn’t been the big one, but it’d been enough.

I turned back to the overpass. All that was left were twisted bits of metal on each side. My heart racing, I started for the edge to peek over. Millie raced over to me and caught hold of my arm.

“Stop. We don’t know when the aftershocks are going to hit. Half of the shoulder fell away.”

I had been so busy staring at the twisted remains of the overpass that I had missed seeing that the shoulder where I had been crouching was now gone. It was like a giant took a big bite out of the road.

Three of the officers cautiously moved forward, watching their steps as they edged their way to the side of the cliff. One of them glanced over quickly, then withdrew and turned around.

“At least several cars down there appear to be trapped beneath the remains,” he said, his face pale.

Within seconds, Millie pulled out her cell phone, and ordered emergency vehicles out to the freeway. When she finished, she turned to the runners behind us. “Is anyone hurt?”

Trembling, a couple of the people raised their hands, and she sent two of her men to check them out. She turned back to me.

“You were right. You were right about the overpass, and you were right about the 5K run. If we hadn’t gotten here in time and stopped them, there would have been at least fifty people on that bridge when it went down. You saved them,” she said.

I could barely comprehend what had happened. “Maybe, but there are people trapped below. We aren’t getting out of this without some fatalities.”

Millie wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “I know, but it could have been so much worse. And it would have been, if you hadn’t alerted me. What made you think to look on the website?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. I just… I just knew that I had to look there. I didn’t even know why.” With a long sigh, I turned back and looked toward the side of the road. I could hear sirens and screams from below, down on the freeway, and all I could think about was that while we had saved dozens of lives today, some people still weren’t going to make it out of this.

* * *

Millie had one of the officers drop me off at home. She had to stay on scene and take care of the collateral damage. Worried, I checked out the house, but everything seemed okay. While I had lost a couple of vases and a picture or two had fallen off the wall, everything else was okay. The cats were fine. I found them sleeping in the bedroom. I had texted Killian on the way home, and as I was standing there, staring at the glass on the floor, he burst into the house, Rowan and Teran behind him. Tarvish brought up the rear. I turned around, then told them what had happened on Lilac Road.

“That could have been so much worse,” Rowan said. “I wonder…”

“You wonder what?”

“I wonder if this will be the end of the Mothman sightings for now. They always seem to be punctuated by a major disaster and then they disappear.”

“I hope so. I really hope so.” I felt tired and weak. Glancing at me, Rowan led me to the rocking chair and bade me to put up my feet.

Tarvish brought me a glass of lemonade. “The kitchen looks fine. Everything’s still in its place.” He also brought a whisk broom and dust pan with him, and began sweeping up the debris. I wanted to stop him, to tell him I could do it. But the truth was, I was too exhausted.

I folded my legs under me in the chair, and Killian pulled over the ottoman to sit next to me. I looked at him, shaking my head.

“I want a quiet summer,” was all I said.

“I know, love. But do you really? I know it sounds blissful now, but…you love your work too much to take a vacation longer than a few days. We’re going to have to discuss what kind of a honeymoon we’re going to have.”

Teran whirled around. “Did you say ‘honeymoon’?”

I realized I hadn’t told her yet. Together, Killian and I told my aunt. And Teran and Rowan both welcomed him into the family. I realized they were as happy for me as I was.

* * *

Moonshadow Bay suffered several afterquakes, and some other severe damage. The pier leading to the ferry went down. Several brick awnings on some of the older buildings crumbled, and a couple of roads caved in, revealing sinkholes that had been growing beneath them.

Overall, even though we had prevented the 5K run from going over the overpass, twenty-five people lost their lives in the rubble below. When I forced myself to think about how many it could have been, the number seemed small. But the truth was, every one of those people represented a family somewhere, a loss that someone would never get over.

As for the Mothman, he vanished as quickly as he had come. The sightings stopped. Of course, we couldn’t verify that it had actually been the Mothman, but I knew in my heart it was.

I knew I had encountered the creature out by Raspberry Ravine, and so had Ari, and so had a number of other people in the community. At Conjure Ink, we wrote up our findings and put them up on the site. We had to label it unconfirmed, because we had no proof, but at least the record was there. To my relief, over the next week or two it felt like a shadow had lifted.

In fact, I went out it into the Mystic Wood two nights after the earthquake. Rebecca was there, playing with what looked like an old ragged doll.

“Is it gone?” I asked.

She glanced up at me, giving me a sly look. “You know the answer to that. But yes, it’s gone. It’s fled the wood and everything feels back to normal.”

“I’m glad,” I said, sitting down on a nurse log nearby the imp.

“You saved a lot of people,” she said, turning to me. “I imagine that feels pretty good.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it does. Though I wish I could have saved the people who were caught below the overpass. I guess we can only do what we can do.”

“We have to be true to our natures,” she said. “We do what we’re capable of, and then the universe takes care of the rest. Thank you for the ribs. I appreciate them.”

And then, Rebecca did something she had never before done. She held out her hand to me, and I slowly took it. We didn’t shake, merely held hands for a moment, and then she let go and turned away. “I’ll see you later.”

I began to walk away from the woods, back into my backyard. “We’ll talk soon,” I said, under my breath. And I realized that I was actually looking forward to it.

* * *

Ari, and I were sitting on the back porch. Killian was preparing to grill the hotdogs and ribs, and Meagan was inside, making potato salad. The ferry disaster and the earthquake had been almost two weeks ago. Everything felt like it had been one long dream. Parts of it, a nightmare.

I had regained most of my memory, except for the time when I had actually been in the Mothman’s presence. I could remember red eyes, and feeling like I was looking at the strangest thing in the world. But that was it. No vision came to mind to verify it, no certainty in my heart except a little voice that whispered this really happened.

Ari told me it had been the same for her. We had spent an entire afternoon talking about our experiences, and I had the feeling we’d come back around to them again and again, trying to make sense of it all. But for now, we wanted to focus on the present. We were celebrating Killian’s and my engagement, and the next night we would have dinner with his family to tell them.

“Do you think it will ever come back?” Ari said, closing out the conversation.

I walked over to the edge of the porch, staring at the sky as I leaned against the newel post. “I don’t know. I hope not. But I know that I want to protect the town from this thing, and make sure that we never have another run-in with it.” I glanced at her. “Let’s change the subject.”

“Okay, let’s talk about your wedding.” She grinned like a crazed chihuahua.

“All right,” I said, ducking my head.

“You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

“No, I haven’t. I’m ready. I’ve got a long way to go in learning my magic, but it’s been almost two years since Ellison left me. Granted, we weren’t officially divorced until a few months later, but I feel ready to move on. I feel ready to take on a new challenge. And Killian—”

I glanced at the yard, where he was manning the grill. “Killian is truly here for me. And I love him. With all my heart, I can’t imagine not having him in my life. The thought of that scares me shitless. I never wanted to need another man, or person, but the truth is, if you don’t need people in your life, then what’s it worth? If there isn’t somebody who makes you cry when you think about losing them, then does anything really matter? I mean, work matters. I love my work, but when I get down to the core, my magic and my emotions and my heart are the center of my existence. I never want to be so jaded that I can’t see the beauty in loving someone. And it doesn’t have to be romantic love. For some people, it’s family, or friends or pets, but it’s love all the same.” I looked at Ari. “Do you know what I mean?”

“I understand. When I met Meagan, I wasn’t ready to let someone in. But somehow she pried the door off its hinges and tossed it away. I can’t imagine not having her in my life.”

Ari paused, then reached out and took my hand. “January, you and I will always be besties. We’ll always be best friends forever. My love for Meagan, and your love for Killian will never change that. We can love them with all our hearts, and still be as close as we’ve always been. You aren’t threatened by Meagan, and you aren’t betraying Killian. The truth is, we can love so many people, each in a different way, and there’s always room for more. And that includes your furbles.”

I knew she was right. At that point, I knew that no matter what happened, whether Ari and Meagan had a baby, whether Killian and I got married, Ari and I would always be a force to be reckoned with. We would always be soulmates, and that was the way things were supposed to be.

I squeezed her hand, then glanced over my shoulder. Killian was carrying the meat up to the porch, as Meagan appeared with the potato salad and a bowl of potato chips. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

The heat wave had broken, and it was a temperate sixty-eight degrees.

As we all settled down at the table to eat, for a moment I thought I heard a high-pitched whine, and it scared the hell out of me. But then I realized a mosquito had gotten into the screened porch, and I smacked it with the fly swatter.

As I did so, I saw a moth fluttering on the outside of the screen, trying to get in toward the light. I stared at it for a moment, then shook my head and looked away. The town was back to normal, but I knew it would never be quite the same again. And that was okay, too.

* * *

The Shadow Town World (Paranormal Women’s Fiction):

Moonshadow Bay Series: January Jaxson returns to the quirky town of Moonshadow Bay after her husband dumps her and steals their business, and within days she’s working for Conjure Ink, a paranormal investigations agency, and exploring the potential of her hot new neighbor. Seven books are currently available. Keep a watch out for Witch’s Web! Begin with Starlight Web.

Whisper Hollow Series: The town where spirits walk among the living, and the lake never gives up her dead. Begin with Autumn Thorns, and join the darkly seductive world of Kerris Fellwater, spirit shaman for the small lakeside community of Whisper Hollow. (Whisper Hollow, unfortunately, cannot be in KU at this time)

Magic Happens Series: Coming Autumn 2022: Shadow Magic and Charmed to Death. Follow the adventures of Marquette Sanders, who goes undercover thanks to the Witches’ Protection Agency. Hiding out in the town of Terameth Lake, WA, Marquette attempts to adapt to small-town life in order to escape the Covenant of Chaos.

The Wild Hunt World (Urban Fantasy):

Night Queen Series: Meet Lyrical, one of the Leannan Sidhe. A displaced princess, Lyrical is working for the newly revamped Wild Hunt Agency in Tattered Thorns. Keep your eyes peeled for the next Night Queen book, which will be Shattered Spells.

Hedge Dragon Series: Storm, one of the Hedge Dragons, leaves her home in the Forgotten Kingdom to search for her sister, who’s been abducted and sold into slavery. First book: The Poisoned Forest.

Wild Hunt Series: And if you want to read the Wild Hunt Series, where the world of the Wild Hunt began, start with The Silver Stag. Ember Kearney, caught between the worlds of the Light and Dark Fae, is swept into the glittering world of the Wild Hunt Agency when the god Herne recruits her.

Outliers:

If you prefer a lighter-hearted paranormal romance with some steamy vampire-witch action, meet the wild and magical residents of Bedlam in my Bewitching Bedlam Series. First book: Bewitching Bedlam. Warning: This is NOT a cozy series!!! This series is complete.

I invite you to visit my Fury Unbound Series—a dystopian urban fantasy romance. Bound to Hecate, Fury is a minor goddess, taking care of the Abominations who come off the World Tree. Begin with Fury Rising. This series is complete.

For a dark, gritty, steamy series, try my world of the Indigo Court, where the long winter has come, and the Vampiric Fae are on the rise. Begin with Night Myst. This series is complete.

If you like paranormal mysteries, try my Chintz ‘n China Paranormal Mystery Series. Begin with Ghost of a Chance. I consider these Cozies with Teeth. This series is complete.

For all of my work, both published and upcoming releases, see the Bibliography at the end of this book, or check out my website at Galenorn.com and be sure and sign up for my newsletter to receive news about all my new releases. Also, you’re welcome to join my YouTube Channel community.

QUALITY CONTROL: This work has been professionally edited and proofread. If you encounter any typos or formatting issues ONLY, please contact me through my website so they may be corrected. Otherwise, know that this book is in my style and voice and editorial suggestions will not be entertained. Thank you.

PLAYLIST

I often listen to music when I write, and Crystal Web is no exception. Here’s the playlist for the book:

- Adele: Rumour Has It

- After the Fire: Der Kommissar

- Air: Moon Fever

- Airstream: Electra

- Alanis Morissette: You Oughta Know; Uninvited

- Android Lust: Here & Now; Saint Over

- Animotion: Obsession

- Arch Leaves: Nowhere To Go

- The Asteroids Galaxy Tour: The Sun Ain’t Shining No More; Sunshine Coolin’; Major; Heart Attack

- AWOLNATION: Sail

- Band of Skulls: I Know What I Am

- Beck: Qué Onda Guero; Farewell Ride; Emergency Exit; Think I’m in Love; Cellphone’s Dead; Broken Train; Where It’s At

- Billy Idol: White Wedding

- Black Pumas: Sweet Conversations

- Bobbie Gentry: Ode To Billie Joe

- Broken Bells: The Ghost Inside

- Camouflage Nights: (It Could Be) Love

- Crazy Town: Butterfly

- The Cult: Fire Woman; Rain; Wild Flower; Go West

- David Bowie: Golden Years; Rebel Rebel; Fame; Without You; China Girl

- DJ Shah: Mellomaniac

- Eastern Sun: Beautiful Being

- Eels: Souljacker Part 1

- Eurythmics: Sweet Dreams

- Fats Domino: I Want to Walk You Home

- FC Kahuna: Hayling

- Fleetwood Mac: The Chain; Gold Dust Woman

- Foster the People: Pumped Up Kicks

- Gary Numan: War Songs; I, Assassin; My Shadow In Vain

- Gordon Lightfoot: Sundown

- Gorillaz: Dare; Demon Days; Hongkongaton; Rockit

- The Gospel Whiskey Runners: Muddy Waters

- Gotye: Somebody That I Used to Know

- Harvey Danger: Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo

- Heart: Magic Man; White Lightning & Wine

- The Hollies: Long Cool Woman

- Imagine Dragons: Natural

- Jay Price: The Devil’s Bride; Dark-Hearted Man; Coming For You Baby

- Jeannie C. Riley: Harper Valley PTA

- John Fogerty: The Old Man Down The Road

- Johnny Otis: Willy & The Hand Jive

- Justin Timberlake: SexyBack

- Kevin Morby: Beautiful Strangers

- Kirsty MacColl: In These Shoes?

- Ladytron: Paco!; I’m Not Scared

- Led Zeppelin: When the Levee Breaks; Kashmir

- Low: Witches; Plastic Cup; Half-Light; Witches

- Marconi Union: First Light; Alone Together; Flying; Always Numb; Time Lapse; On Reflection; Broken Colours; Weightless

- Matt Corby: Breathe

- Men Without Hats: The Safety Dance

- Nancy Sinatra: These Boots Are Made For Walking

- Nik Ammar & Marla Altschuler: Hollywood

- Nirvana: Lithium; Heart Shaped Box; Come As You Are

- Ohio Players: Fire

- Oingo Boingo: Dead Man’s Party; Elevator Man

- Outasight: Fire It Up; The Boogie; The Bounce

- Puddle of Mudd: Psycho

- Red Venom: Let’s Get it On

- The Rolling Stones: Gimme Shelter; 19th Nervous Breakdown; Mother’s Little Helper; Lady Jane; 2000 Light Years from Home; Jumpin’ Jack Flash; Sympathy for the Devil; Miss You; Shattered

- Rue du Soleil: We Can Fly; Le Francaise; Wake Up Brother; Blues Du Soleil

- Robin Schulz: Sugar

- Sam the Sham & The Pharaohs: Li’l Red Riding Hood

- Sarah Hester Ross: Savage Daughter

- Screaming Trees: Where the Twain Shall Meet; All I Know

- Shriekback: Underwater Boys; And The Rain; The King In The Tree; The Shining Path; Intoxication; Over the Wire; New Man; Go Bang; Big Fun; Dust and a Shadow; Agony Box; Now These Days Are Gone

- Simple Minds: Don’t You (Forget About Me)

- St. Vincent: Pay Your Way In Pain; Down And Out Downtown; Los Ageless

- Talking Heads: Life During Wartime; Take Me To The River; Burning Down the House; Swamp; Psycho Killer

- Tamaryn: While You’re Sleeping, I’m Dreaming; Violet’s In A Pool

- The Temptations: Papa Was a Rolling Stone

- Thomas Dolby: She Blinded Me With Science

- Thompson Twins: The Gap

- Tom Petty: Mary Jane’s Last Dance

- Trills: Speak Loud

- The Verve: Bitter Sweet Symphony

- Zero 7: In the Waiting Line

BIOGRAPHY

New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and is the author of over eighty books, including the Wild Hunt Series, the Fury Unbound Series, the Bewitching Bedlam Series, the Indigo Court Series, and the Otherworld Series, among others. She’s also written nonfiction metaphysical books. She is the 2011 Career Achievement Award Winner in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine. Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch and High Priestess. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland, WA, with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her website at Galenorn.com. You can find all her links at her LinkTree.

Indie Releases Currently Available:

Moonshadow Bay Series:

Starlight Web

Midnight Web

Conjure Web

Harvest Web

Shadow Web

Weaver’s Web

Crystal Web

Witch’s Web

Magic Happens Series:

Shadow Magic

Charmed to Death

Night Queen Series:

Tattered Thorns

Shattered Spells

Hedge Dragon Series:

The Poisoned Forest

The Tangled Sky

The Wild Hunt Series:

The Silver Stag

Oak & Thorns

Iron Bones

A Shadow of Crows

The Hallowed Hunt

The Silver Mist

Witching Hour

Witching Bones

A Sacred Magic

The Eternal Return

Sun Broken

Witching Moon

Autumn’s Bane

Witching Time

Hunter’s Moon

Witching Fire

Veil of Stars

Antlered Crown

Lily Bound Series

Soul jacker

Chintz ‘n China Series:

Ghost of a Chance

Legend of the Jade Dragon

Murder Under a Mystic Moon

A Harvest of Bones

One Hex of a Wedding

Holiday Spirits

Well of Secrets

Chintz ‘n China Books, 1 – 3: Ghost of a Chance, Legend of the Jade Dragon, Murder Under A Mystic Moon

Chintz ‘n China Books, 4-6: A Harvest of Bones, One Hex of a Wedding, Holiday Spirits

Whisper Hollow Series:

Autumn Thorns

Shadow Silence

The Phantom Queen

Bewitching Bedlam Series:

Bewitching Bedlam

Maudlin’s Mayhem

Siren’s Song

Witches Wild

Casting Curses

Demon’s Delight

Bedlam Calling: A Bewitching Bedlam Anthology

The Wish Factor (a prequel short story)

Blood Music (a prequel novella)

Blood Vengeance (a Bewitching Bedlam novella)

Tiger Tails (a Bewitching Bedlam novella)

Fury Unbound Series:

Fury Rising

Fury’s Magic

Fury Awakened

Fury Calling

Fury’s Mantle

Indigo Court Series:

Night Myst

Night Veil

Night Seeker

Night Vision

Night’s End

Night Shivers

Indigo Court Books, 1-3: Night Myst, Night Veil, Night Seeker (Boxed Set)

Indigo Court Books, 4-6: Night Vision, Night’s End, Night Shivers (Boxed Set)

Otherworld Series:

Moon Shimmers

Harvest Song

Blood Bonds

Otherworld Tales: Volume 1

Otherworld Tales: Volume 2

For the rest of the Otherworld Series, see website at Galenorn.com.

Bath and Body Series (originally under the name India Ink):

Scent to Her Grave

A Blush With Death

Glossed and Found

Misc. Short Stories/Anthologies:

Once Upon a Kiss (short story: Princess Charming)

Once Upon a Curse (short story: Bones)

Once Upon a Ghost (short story: Rapunzel Dreaming)

The Longest Night (A Pagan Romance Novella)

Magickal Nonfiction: A Witch’s Guide Series.

Embracing the Moon

Tarot Journeys

Totem Magick