Maggie sat up when her door opened, but lay back on her bed when Leon stepped into her room and shut the door behind himself. He carried a tray with one hand, and even from across the room the scent of fried catfish wafted to her nose. Along with the fish was a glass of tea, and once Leon lowered the tray, she also saw fried potato wedges and hush puppies. The only thing on her plate not deep-fried to a dark brown was the coleslaw. (And Maggie had suspicions that the men of her family might fry that if they could only sort out a binding agent to keep the cabbage and carrots together.)
Despite the greasy appearance of the meal, Maggie’s stomach growled, compelling her to sit up as Leon moved to the bed. He rested the tray over her lap, and then cupped her cheek, brushing her cheekbone with his thumb.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Miserable,” Maggie said.
This was the truth, but not the whole truth. Not knowing where Leon’s loyalties lay, Maggie was forced to leave her partner in the dark about her plans. But she was still miserable over the death of Velma, and over her role in the innocent woman’s death. She hurt as much over Velma as she did for her cousins, and grief and guilt both robbed her appetite often.
For now at least, it seemed like guilt was willing to take a back seat to her survival instinct.
Leon said nothing while she ate. He had been partnered with her in a treaty with a rival clan, and there had been concerns that they might not work out together during the first few months.
He had come to Texas from his clan’s home in Oklahoma, and his parents bought a house when he started high school. He and his folks were not considered part of the local clan, but they were treated like family anyway.
It was clear that he and Maggie were perfect for each other, and their partnership helped to mend a rift between the two clans over fishing rights in Lake Texoma. The dispute started in the sixties, and had almost come to a small-scale war before a truce was proposed and partnerships were arranged. Maggie and Leon weren’t the only ones being set up, but they were one of the few couples that had worked out so smoothly.
They liked each other, and they had similar tastes. But the secret of their success was that neither demanded anything of the other. Leon treated Maggie as a friend and equal, and not as a possession. Maggie did the same, never thinking of him as an obligation, even if their relationship was.
Leon’s gaze wandered to the window, where a pair of sparrows were engaged in a duet, a dirty limerick involving a mockingbird and a baffled human.
Under other circumstances, Leon would have been smiling, as the song was one of his favorites of the local flock’s selections. But his mouth remained in a deep frown even after the birds moved to the punch line.
He glanced over at Maggie and said, “After lunch, why don’t we go for a walk?”
Maggie nodded, but said nothing, her mouth still full. When she finished, he took the tray to the kitchen. By the time he got back, Maggie had pulled on her shoes. She stepped off in the bathroom to wash her hands and face, and then they wandered away from the house.
The Cartwright home was on the outskirts of town, and behind the house, the woods were thick with wild growth. Trails were scattered around the woods, walking paths worn down by repeated trips made on foot or bikes. The trails were so thin, Maggie and Leon could only walk in single file until they got to the stream. Then they followed the sloping, moss-covered bank walking side by side. Leon’s hand closed over Maggie’s, not so much holding it as supporting it. If they’d fallen out of rhythm, her fingers would have slipped away from his grasp without the slightest effort. But her arm swayed in time with his, and he kept his stride short to match her pace.
Leon said, “Darin wants me to talk to you.”
“I thought he might ask.”
“He’s just worried about you. You’re shutting everyone out, even me.”
“I know, and I don’t mean—”
“The witches don’t have Sandy, do they?”
Leon had gotten straight to the point of Darin’s request, and while the question shouldn’t have stunned Maggie, it still did. She asked, “He knows?”
“He’s guessed it. You’re upset, but he thinks some of this is an act to give Sandy time to escape.” Leon’s head leaned back, and he stared at the thick green canopy above. “I told him I’d ask and report back.”
“How do you think he’d react if Sandy wasn’t in a coven?”
“I really don’t know.”
“How about you?”
Leon stopped walking, turning to face Maggie. “I don’t know that either. Sandy...I mean, she’s a witch, but she’s my friend. I didn’t know Velma as well as you, but I’m sure she wasn’t a spy for the coven. So if they aren’t a part of our war, I’d want Sandy to stay away from it and have a chance at a halfway normal life.”
Maggie chewed at her lower lip, not sure of what to say.
Leon took her other wrist, drawing her close and resting her palms on his chest. His hands slid down her forearms and dropped off her elbows to land lightly over her hips. At any time, she could have pulled away, but instead she leaned on him, seeking comfort from close contact.
“Did you plan this?” Leon asked.
Maggie shook her head. “There’s no plan. I was following the rules right up until Darin killed Velma. I don’t want to betray the clan, but if they want to kill Sandy, I can’t let them do it. I’d sooner die myself. So if they want to torture or execute me, I don’t care. I won’t tell them where Sandy is.”
“You won’t tell me either.”
It wasn’t a question or an accusation, just a statement of fact.
“I can’t. It’s not that I don’t trust you—”
“Shhh,” Leon shushed her. His arms looped around her and he drew her close. “I know why, and I understand. But you must know, the moment you leave, the pack will be on your tail.”
Maggie nodded. “I know.”
“So the only way you can keep her safe—”
“Is by staying here,” Maggie said. “I know.”
“And you know why I have to tell Darin.”
Maggie nodded. “If you didn’t, it might wreck the peace accord between our clans.”
“I don’t want to make this choice. I don’t want to choose between family loyalty and loyalty to a friend.”
“She’s not just a friend to me,” Maggie said. “She’s like my little sister, and the pack asking me to betray her would be like asking me to kill my parents. I can’t do it.” Maggie frowned at a thought. “If your clan told you to kill me, would you do it?”
Leon didn’t hesitate before he shook his head. “No, of course not. You shouldn’t need to ask.”
Maggie leaned her head over to rest her forehead on his shoulder. “I don’t know who to trust anymore. I feel like I’m stuck in a nightmare, and I just want to wake up and be free from this.”
Leon said nothing, only rubbing her back.
Maggie closed her eyes, and tears spilled from her cheeks. She wanted to run to Sandy, to be with her and keep her safe. But Leon wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know. The council was watching her, and if she left, she would lead a pack of killers right to Sandy. For the time being, she couldn’t even call to find out how things were going.
***
Leon stepped into the office and dipped his head in a formal greeting to the council members. Without preamble, Darin asked, “She knows where Sandy is?”
“I think so, yes.”
Darin nodded and raised his hand to rub his mouth with his palm. He lowered it and muttered, “Well, now, what to do with this? Clearly, her intention is keeping the child away from the covens. It’s betrayal, but not to an enemy.”
“I’ve told her she can’t leave. In effect, she knows she’s a prisoner. But by admitting that she can’t leave and reveal Sandy’s location, she’s also admitting that she knows where Sandy is.”
Darin nodded, “Yes, exactly so. Tell me, Leon. If you were in my place, what would you do?”
“I wouldn’t...” Leon looked around at the council members, and every leathery wizened face studied him intently. “I don’t think Sandy should be killed, but I don’t think she should be wandering by herself. She needs an escort, maybe even a whole group of bodyguards to keep her away from the covens.”
“I see,” Darin said. “That’s all for now. Thank you, Leon.”
***
Darin watched Leon close the door, and his face fell in an anxious scowl. Yet he said nothing until Leon had gotten in his car to drive home. The council waited in the following silence, every member looking as grim as Darin.
He cleared his throat and said, “He’s a victim of Sandy’s charms as much as Maggie is.”
Virginia Cartwright, Maggie’s great-grandmother, said, “But Sandy isn’t controlling her powers, either. She isn’t trying to manipulate them. It’s likely that she’s just as much a victim of her charms, that she isn’t even aware she’s doing it.”
“I know.” Darin ran his hand over the top of his short-cropped grey hair. “I don’t want to think of her as a threat, but even if Velma wasn’t a spy, her family was keeping tabs on her. They know Sandy is one of theirs, and they won’t rest until they have her. I hate to say it, but it’s better if we eliminate Sandy before she can be recruited.”
Virginia frowned. “You won’t torture Maggie—”
“No, of course not,” Darin said. “But we may need to force her to run if she doesn’t try to sneak out. Maybe if we used Leon to get them both headed...” Darin frowned as he had a sudden thought. “You know, Maggie brought Velma in a truck. I didn’t recognize it, but now that I think about it, wasn’t Kyle in town that weekend?”
“I think so.”
“So if it’s his truck, why hasn’t he asked for it back yet?” Darin’s frown etched deeper trenches around his mouth. “We might not need to wait for Maggie to run after all.”
***
Maggie crept away from the door before the council meeting broke up, padding on four silent paws as she made her way out of the house and down the road to Leon’s car. A black and grey striped tabby with short, wiry fur, she had a round, smooth body and a tail almost as long as her full body length.
Leon rolled down the passenger window with the panel on his side of the car, and Maggie leapt in, landing primly in the middle of the seat. She was big enough to fill the seat even in her cat form. As she shifted forms, she slipped into the floorboard to stay hidden.
“They figured out where Sandy is, and Darin still wants to kill her,” Maggie said. “We have to go to her tonight.”
Reaching into the back for Maggie’s bag, Leon pulled it over the seat. “But they’ll be following us.”
“Better them following us then us running after them.”
Leon scowled at Maggie as she dressed, but nodded and put the car in gear. “Get on the phone and warn them to be ready for an attack.”
Maggie sat up in the seat first, and then dug her phone out of her purse. After a few rings, it went to voice mail, and she groaned as she listened to the message. “Kyle, it’s Maggie. Get Sandy out, and go somewhere random in public. Call me as soon as you get this, because Leon and I are coming to you, and we’ve got killers on our tails.”
***
Sandy returned from the pizza buffet table holding another plate piled high with thin crust slices. Trisha had talked her into going out for a second night, and by convincing her, convincing Kyle was much easier. He reacted to Trisha like nails on a chalkboard, but if Sandy made the same request, his frosty resistance melted instantly.
Sandy hadn’t eaten so much in a while, and had even skipped breakfast and lunch. Trisha noticed this and insisted that she needed to eat dinner. Once Sandy acknowledged her hunger and had a few slices, she couldn’t seem to satisfy her stomach and fill it completely.
She sat down beside Trisha, and then glanced across the table when Kyle chuckled. “What?”
“Nothing. Just seeing you two sitting together...it’s inconceivable.”
Trisha spoke with an accent. “You keep using that word. I do not think it means, what you think it means.” She laughed, and then looked over at Sandy. “I don’t know...I guess once I gave her a chance, she was able to charm me.”
Sandy smiled at Trisha, but her mouth bowed down when she looked at Kyle and saw him scowling. “What’s wrong?”
“A charm spell. That’s why everyone is paying so much attention to you. It’s why Trisha is being nice to you. You’re charming her. Hell, it might even be the reason I chose to betray the clan.”
Trisha’s face crumpled in an incredulous look. “What? You mean like a magic trick?”
“No, I’m not doing anything,” Sandy said. “I’m sure I’d notice if I was doing it. When I reached out to...” She looked around and lowered her voice. “When I cast the other spells, I felt it, like I was tensing a muscle. If I was really casting a charm, wouldn’t I feel that too?”
“Not necessarily. Some witches are so strong that they’re always charming.”
Trisha held up her hand. “No, wait, I’m not sure I’m buying this. I’ve been around Sandy a long time, and until today, I wasn’t charmed by her. Or...” Trisha frowned, and her eyes glazed over in thought. “I don’t think I was. I...I did feel kinda funny looking at her at the party.”
“Part of the trick is, you have to look into a witch’s eyes to be charmed. I think she’s been casting the spell since...since you spiked her drink!”
Trisha gasped and shook her head. “No. No way.”
Ignoring her, Kyle said, “Sandy, look around and think about how many people are admiring you. It’s got to be a spell. In which case, you need to turn it off before you draw too much attention.”
“How can I turn something off if I don’t know what I’m doing?” Sandy huffed, closing her eyes while she tried to concentrate. But if she was having any effect, she had no clue.
She was still trying when Trisha said, “I still think you’re making too much of this. People are staring because she’s pretty. People do that.”
“People don’t stare openly, Trisha. You’re pretty, and nobody is watching you like this.”
Trisha made a face. “But...”
“Oh, what’s the problem?” Kyle asked, “Can’t you just accept this is a spell?”
“No!” Trisha said, and then huffed louder than Sandy had. She threw down a half eaten slice of pizza and folded her arms over her chest as she sat back for a proper sulk.
“Why not?” Kyle asked, sounding irritated.
“Because I thought I was being nice for once. If this is a trick, then I’m still just as mean and shallow as I ever was. So, thanks, jerk. You just took away the first tinglings of pride I had in myself for developing an open mind.”
Kyle opened his mouth, and then closed it. “You know, I thought about apologizing, but it occurred to me how you just turned this around and made it all about you again.”
“Hey, you know what? I can see it’s a problem for Sandy and still be pissed off for myself too. I already know I’m shallow, but do you also want to make me feel like crap because I’m not empathizing enough?”
She was starting to raise her voice, and Sandy put a hand on her forearm. “Please, don’t fight.” She leaned across the table and put her other hand on Kyle’s forearm. “Maybe you’re being nicer to me because I’m charming you, but you should try to be nicer to Trisha too. All things considered, she’s taken being kidnapped and assaulted rather well.”
“Thank you,” Trisha said.
Kyle scowled and bowed his head. “Why do I have to be the bad guy here for pointing out the obvious?”
“Because you could find a nicer way to say it,” Trisha said. “Better yet, you could take that stick out of your butt and let us enjoy being out of the house for a few hours. For God’s sake, the rat is better company. At least he pretends to like me if I give him crackers.”
“You have yet to give me anything but acid reflux,” Kyle said, rubbing his boiling stomach for emphasis.
“Trisha, you could try not to antagonize him too,” Sandy said.
“I’ll consider it if he can make it twenty-four hours without trying to strangle me.”
Sandy took a breath, and then nodded. “Okay, that’s actually a reasonable request.”
Kyle put his head in his hands, rubbing the sides as if to ease the strains of a headache. “I said I’d behave yesterday, didn’t I?”
Trisha relaxed. “Okay, then I’ll play nice too.”
Sandy said, “Let’s finish the round and get out of here. Now that you’ve brought it up, I feel funny with all these people watching me.”
“If you’re doing it naturally, you should get used to it,” Trisha said. “There’s no good reason you should hide from the world just because the normal people find you charming.” She looked at Kyle. “Or do you disagree?”
“No, I agree.” Kyle offered Sandy a weak smile. “This isn’t your fault, and it does help that you’re already pretty.”
Sandy blushed and looked down. “Thanks.”
The mood settled around the table, and they finished eating before the trio got in the car and returned to the duplex.
They were halfway across the lawn when Kyle grunted “Shit.”
Before Sandy could ask what was wrong, he shoved her to the ground. At the same time, Trisha screeched, and by the time Sandy rolled over, Trisha was falling to the ground with a heavy black cat’s mouth clamped over her forearm.
The cat drew back a paw, and its claws grew long in a flash.
Sandy flung her hand out, and a pocket of air the size of a basketball flew into the cat, sending it flying across the street and into the side of the neighbor’s duplex.
Sandy dropped a barrier over herself, rolling onto her back to stare at the four cats trying to claw her though the shield. She’d know they were there, had felt their claws tearing at the shield, and their every attack made a strange throb in her head.
She got up slowly, focusing in spite of their attacks to let the shield expand and slip around Trisha. She was bleeding heavily from wounds in her arms and her lower gut, and she whined between every gasping breath.
The cat must have slashed her with his back claws, but this left the question of how far out they’d grown. Judging from the amount of blood seeping between Trisha’s fingers, they had sunk far deeper than normal cat claws could have.
Kyle was still outside the shield, fighting with an orange striped long-hair. Kyle had a hold of the cat’s front legs, preventing it from biting or slashing his body. But the cat’s back legs were digging bloody trails from his forearms to make him let go.
He would not transform in public, so he could not heal the damage. Sandy whistled to him, and when he turned, she hurled a softball-sized air missile at the cat, sending it flying.
She pulled Kyle into her shield and looked around at an explosion. The cats had just blown out the tires on her father’s car.
An engine roared, and up the street, Leon’s car slid around the corner. Sandy cast another shield around their car, protecting it from the cats even as she leaned over to scoop up Trisha.
“Come on,” she said, grunting as she straightened up to bear Trisha’s weight. “Our ride just showed up.”
Kyle slipped his head under Trisha’s other arm, and they picked up their pace.
“Ooh, easy!” Trisha grunted, and her face screwed up in a grimace of pain. “If I drop something...pick it up,” she groaned, and then her face drained of color. “I might need it.”
“Stop talking until we’re in the car.” Sandy merged the two shields, pushing Trisha into the back seat before she got in.
Maggie shouted, “What’s she doing here?”
“Long story!” Kyle shouted as he got in.
“Tell it later!” Sandy yelled. “We’ve got to get Trisha to a hospital! She’s bleeding bad!”
“Was she bit?” Leon asked, already stepping on the gas to peel away from the curb.
“Yes,” Sandy said.
“Shit,” Leon hissed. “The hospital is out. We have to shake our tail and bandage her up ourselves.”
“If you can shake them, I know where we can hide,” Kyle said.
“They wouldn’t follow us if we went to a hospital!” Sandy insisted.
Kyle spoke in a calm voice. “We can’t, Sandy. She’s already cursed.”
“What?” Trisha’s pained face crinkled with irritation. “Oh, God, tell me I’m not turning into one of you pussies.”
Leon snorted. “Cute. I hate to kill your sense of humor, but being cursed by a bite isn’t the same thing as being born a cat. Lunar cycles are going to mess you up in the worst way.”
“Just tell me that part of my powers is rapid healing and I won’t care.” Trisha coughed, her eyes growing wide when she found blood on her fist. “Oh, please tell me I can heal soon.”
“She’s getting paler!” Sandy cried.
“She’s going into shock,” Kyle said, his voice low and grim. “The curse takes time to take over, but it won’t help her if she doesn’t survive.”
Sandy glared, raising her head to look out the window at the blurring cats. Raising her hand, she flung her fingers out and shouted, “Back off!”
Bubbles of solid air burst from the back of the shield, and with their detachment, Sandy felt pops in her mind, as well as an increased sense of fatigue in her limbs.
Three of the cats were struck and stunned by the attacks, but two others dodged, and they attempted to jump onto the shield. Sandy flung her arm, and the shield formed a flat fin that smashed the cats. The wailing cats flew into a yard and lay still, dazed, but not dead.
With their pursuers dealt with, Sandy leaned over Trisha and put her hands on the wound. She closed her eyes, listening to Trisha’s body. Her heart was hammering fast, and yet it also sounded weak. Her lungs rattled as she panted.
Desperate to help, Sandy reached out to the blood soaking Trisha’s clothing and forced it to flow back inside. The cells were dormant, shocked and incapable of performing their normal functions. Simply refilling Trisha was not good enough. She needed help recovering from shock.
Sandy focused her will on forcing a part of her spirit into Trisha. Trisha spasmed as she moved in, whining in agony. Once the connection was made, Sandy felt Trisha’s pain as a burning in her own gut and a coldness from the shocked, useless blood. She flooded her consciousness through the blood, warming it with her life force. It began to flow properly, and Sandy turned her attention to the wounds themselves.
As she sealed the cuts, she felt worse pains building all over her body, as if she were somehow absorbing the damage and distributing it throughout herself.
She could not complete the task before the pain inside her was too great to handle, and she slumped over. She was not unconscious, nor did she close her eyes. But she could not move, or even speak. She had to blink slower, finding the task more difficult.
Trisha panted with a slower pace, and then cleared her throat. “God, get her head off my gut. She’s killing me.”
Kyle picked up Sandy and flopped her limp head on his chest. “She healed some of the damage, but not all of it.”
“Yeah, I can see that, jerk!” Trisha hissed as she sat up.
Sandy watched her unwind the keffiyeh around her neck, using it to bind the wounds in her stomach. When she finished, she looked up at Sandy and offered her a pained smile.
“Charm spell or not, that’s twice you’ve saved my life in the same week. That’s an automatic BFF even if you are a nerd.”
Nodding weakly, Sandy swallowed in an effort to find her voice. But it came only as a soft whisper. “You already saved me, so we we’re even. Now you owe me again.” Her gaze flicked down, and she smiled. “And you’re ruining my keffiyeh, bitch.”
“Oh, like you really need it.” Trisha smiled and grabbed Sandy’s hand. “Close your eyes and rest. You earned it.”
“And then some,” Kyle agreed.
Sandy closed her eyes. She thought the pain would make it hard to sleep, but one deep breath later, she was dead to the world.