Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Chapter 1:  Michelle

Chapter 2: Elron

Chapter 3: Michelle

Chapter 4: Elron

Chapter 5: Michelle

Chapter 6: Adder

Chapter 7: Elron

Chapter 8: Michelle

Chapter 9: Elron

Chapter 10: Michelle

Chapter 11: Elron

Chapter 12: Michelle

Chapter 13: Michelle

Chapter 14: Michelle

Chapter 15: Michelle

Chapter 16: Michelle

Chapter 17: Michelle

Chapter 18: Michelle

Chapter 19: Michelle

Chapter 20: Michelle

Chapter 21: Michelle

Thank You

Also by N. E. Conneely

About the Author

Connect with N. E. Conneely

A WITCH'S PATH

N. E. Conneely

Copyright © 2014 N. E. Conneely

All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or author. Requests for permission to copy part of this work for use in an educational environment may be directed to the author. This book is a work of fiction. References to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or persons or locales, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

For all the people who helped with this journey.

For Jasmine, who cuddled with me even when I wasn't petting her.

Chapter 1:  Michelle

"Oaks Consulting, Michelle speaking," I said as I answered the phone.

"Hello, this is Patrick Westmoreland from the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office. Rodriguez said you could give me some advice."

"I'll be happy to try. What can I do for you?" A few weeks ago Rodriguez had asked me questions for Westmoreland. This was the first time I'd talked to Westmoreland, and he sounded young.

"I'm still having trouble with the gremlins." Gremlins were small creatures that were often the first sign of an evil presence. They were tricksters and troublemakers. "We're seeing more of them, and more of the sensors we deployed to detect evil are sounding alarms."

"If you're seeing more gremlins, it might be a good idea to add surveillance cameras where most of the alarms are being triggered. You may not see anything since those sensors can be tripped by energy surges."

"Wouldn't we see whatever is causing the energy surges?"

"Not necessarily. The source could be miles away."

"Shoot." He paused before continuing. "Thank you, I think. Is there anything else I can do?"

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Rodriguez. I'd try to attract a flock of gargoyles."

"I don't speak gargoyle." Frustration laced his voice.

"I do. Rodriguez and I have spread the word that I'd like to talk to any flocks people see. Before you worry about money, I know you didn't ask me to talk to them. I'm looking for the gargoyles anyway. I have family in that area, and they're worried about the suicides. A positive presence, like gargoyles, would be a good thing."

"Thank you." He sighed. "Could you e-mail me your rates and any package deals you have? There are a few things I'd like to have a second opinion on, but I can't talk about them with anyone outside the department. I've looked into a few other witches, but the department hasn't had room for them in the budget."

"Sure, I'd be glad to send over the information. I have hourly and case-by-case rates as well as a few packages. If none of those fit your department's needs, I'll be glad to talk about a plan specific to your requirements."

"That would be great." He rattled off an e-mail address.

"Oh, before you go. If you really need advice, you can give me a call. I love talking about what-ifs."

He laughed. "Thank you. I might take you up on that. Have a good day."

"You too." I hung up the phone, opened my e-mail, and sent him my information packet.

Reluctantly, I turned back to my paperwork. There was nothing I wanted to do less than type a detailed account of my last case. Reliving escaped trolls, dead humans (courtesy of hungry trolls), a near-death experience, and death threats wasn't fun. I signed the last paper and stuffed the pile of documents in an envelope. Tomorrow it would be on its way to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office and out of my life.

I'd thought finishing the paperwork would feel good, but I wasn't any happier than I'd been an hour ago. Picking up my phone, I called Amber. Days like this called for best friends.

"Hi, Michelle," Amber said.

"Hey, how are you? It's been a few days since we talked."

"I'm doing all right. I think the question is, how are you?"

"Sad? I'm not sure. Would you want to get coffee tonight? I could use some girl time," I said.

"Sure. The Coffee Time here in town? Say six?"

"Perfect." Good company and yummy food were what I needed.

"I'll see you then." She hesitated before saying, "I'm glad you called. I've been meaning to talk to you."

"You know I'm here for you, right?" She sounded off, like something was wrong.

"Yup. I need to get back to work. I'll tell you all about it tonight."

"See you then." Puzzled, I hung up the phone. With a shrug, I returned to my work; she would tell me everything this evening.

Two hours later, I got up from my desk. The business was doing better than I expected. Thanks to the trolls case, several new departments had contacted me, and I had more clients than ever. A week ago, I would have complained about all the work, but these days I needed the distraction. It kept me from dwelling on the death threats. They were probably empty threats anyway.

Purse and keys in hand, I headed to meet Amber. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into Coffee Time's parking lot. Seeing her car, I hurried inside. Looking around, I spotted a redhead at the corner table. I headed over, sure it was her; not many people had that hair color.

Amber jumped up and hugged me. "It's so good to see you," she said.

I laughed. "It's good to see you too. Thanks for grabbing a table. This place is packed."

"No problem. Go get some food."

I draped my jacket over a chair. "Are you coming?"

"No, I already—"

"Chai latte and chocolate croissant for Amber," the barista bellowed.

"You already ordered," I finished. While she retrieved her food, I got in line. As was my usual luck, I got stuck behind someone ordering three coffees, four lattes, a tea, and a hot chocolate.

"What can I get you?" the cashier asked. The poor girl looked exhausted after the last customer.

"Can I get a triple chocolate, no coffee, iced and blended latte, and a spinach-and-feta-stuffed croissant?"

"Sure." She looked relieved to get a simple order.

After paying, I headed back over to our table. Amber was halfway through her chocolate croissant, with glassy eyes of chocolate-induced bliss.

"It's that good?" I asked.

Amber nodded, still chewing. I heard my name, walked over to the counter, and grabbed my food. By the time I was back, her croissant was gone.

Amber studied me. "Is that case still bothering you?"

"Yes." The drink was as delectable as always, with chocolate milk, chocolate chunks, and chocolate syrup on top. "I don't know why, but I can't shake it. When I told everyone about the threats, I said it wouldn't change the way I live my life, but it has."

"Of course it has. Knowing someone wants you dead would change anyone's behavior."

"But that's the thing, Amber. No one in that case was going around killing people. It seems more like theatrics than anything else."

"And maybe it is, but you should still be careful."

I looked up from my food. "I am being careful. I've added extra protections to my apartment, and Landa did the same to the lodge. It's safe." Landa and her husband Mander owned the lodge. It was a bed-and-breakfast tailored to the needs of magical races and creatures. Most people stayed for a night or two, but I was one of the long-term residents.

Amber gripped my hand. "I know it's safe, you know it's safe, but that doesn't change the psychological effect of the threats. Who knows? Maybe that's what they wanted to do, get inside your head."

That explanation fit what I knew better than anything else. Maybe I was overthinking everything and should let it go. If they wanted to hurt me, they knew where to find me. "Thank you."

"Hey, that's what friends are for." She smiled.

I studied her. Her face was paler than usual, with circles under her eyes. "What's going on with you? You sounded worried on the phone."

She played with her drink and avoided looking at me.

"What's going on, Amber?"

"Well, um, I'm sure it's nothing, but I think I'm being stalked."

"What! Why didn't you say something sooner?" I hadn't been the easiest person to talk to lately, but she could've told Tiffany. Tiffany was a private investigator, and this was the type of thing she dealt with every day.

Amber kept staring at her drink, as if it had answers.

"Did you tell Tiffany?" I asked.

She finally looked at me and shook her head. "No, I haven't told anyone else."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Okay, start at the beginning. What happened?"

"A few weeks ago, I started noticing odd things. At first it was a feeling, but once I started paying attention, it was creepy. The same black Jeep was behind me every day as I drove to work. Then I started seeing it when I was doing errands. After that, I started to see this one guy everywhere I went. About a week ago it got worse. The Jeep followed me everywhere, and the guy was always around."

"Do you know who he is? Did you get a plate number on the Jeep?" The police couldn't do anything without details.

Amber dropped her eyes. "I've never gotten a look at the plate. It's usually in my rearview mirror, and Georgia only issues rear plates. As for the guy, I don't know who he is. He looks kinda familiar, and I think he's a shifter."

Well, that was a help. "Why do you think he's a shifter?"

"It's the way he moves. I don't know how I know, but he's a shifter." Amber took a long drink, as if the latte would make everything better.

"Have you thought about going to the police?"

"With what? That a black Jeep and a guy are following me? They can't do anything if they don't know who's stalking me."

I leaned against the table, wishing that life would give us a break. "You never know. They might be able to help."

Amber shook her head.

"What if Tiffany followed you? Then she could take pictures of the Jeep and guy."

"No. I don't want her involved. She's no match for a shifter, and I don't want her getting hurt."

"What can I do to help?" I asked.

"I don't think you can do anything. I wanted to talk about it to see if you could think of something," Amber said.

"You haven't liked any of my ideas." I wanted to help, but she was tying my hands.

"I know." She pouted. "I'm probably imagining it. Odds are we work, live, and shop in the same areas. Canton isn't that big of a town. It could happen."

I looked her in the eye. "Are you trying to convince me or you?"

Amber dropped her eyes. "Both? Can we please talk about something else?"

Rolling my eyes, I started my yearly rant about how much I disliked the winter, all the while trying to figure out if coincidence could stretch so far.

*******

The next morning, I hurried through breakfast and back to my office. Two hours later, I'd made more healing charms, added several oils and herbs to my kit, and was back at the paperwork.

Someone knocked on my door, and I called out for them to enter. It wasn't locked. Landa walked in, carrying a small tray.

"I thought you could use a snack. You didn't eat much at breakfast, and I was worried about you." She set the tray on the coffee table before pouring each of us a cup of tea.

"Thank you. I was thinking about things and didn't eat as much as I should've." I picked up a plate with half an egg salad sandwich and a thick slice of gingerbread cake. She settled next to me on the couch.

"Not a problem, dear. I worry about you. You've been a bit different since the dreadful events with the trolls."

Looking at her large green eyes set in a small brown face, it was easy to forget her age. She often seemed tiny and childlike, but Landa was a brownie, hundreds of years old and still in her prime. "Knowing how close I came to dying, for such foolish reasons, has made me rethink things. I love my job. Working with the police is fun and interesting, but I think I forgot that my job is to provide magic. I'm not a cop or hero. I'm simply magical support."

"I know the threat of losing business scared you, but if they don't value your services, you don't want to work with them. Not every client is worth keeping."

"True. With everything that was going on, I wasn't able to think things through. I need to be better at keeping my focus." I floundered, not sure how to say what I was feeling.

Landa finished the thought for me. "And that will be easier when everything isn't going wrong at the same time."

Smiling, I answered, "Exactly. Thank you, Landa. You always know what to say to make me feel better."

"Child, it's not difficult. I've known you since you were born." She hugged me before leaving. "Enjoy the peace while you can. It won't last."

After finishing the gingerbread cake, I tidied up my workroom. A client was on the way, and charm components were strewn everywhere.

My phone, always ready to disrupt my day, rang.

"Oaks Consulting," I answered.

"Is Michelle there?"

"Speaking. How may I help you?"

"This is Bethany Travis from the Union County Sheriff's Office. I wanted to confirm our ten-thirty appointment?"

I loved it when my phone brought me tidings of the day going as planned. "Yes, I was expecting you in"—I checked my watch—"twenty minutes."

"Great. I wasn't sure how long the drive would take, so I'm ahead of schedule and will be there in ten if that's all right."

"It's fine. I'll meet you at the door."

"Thank you."

"Not a problem," I said, hurrying to clear the counter. With two minutes to spare, I headed downstairs.

After the events with the trolls, Union County had contacted me. They wanted occasional magical support and help disposing of the dangerous items they confiscated. Several days ago, I'd traveled up to meet the sheriff and their hedge-practitioner. To my surprise, they didn't have a hedge-witch, but a witch.

Bethany was a minimally talented witch from a large clan, the Bera. From a young age, she'd been interested in being a police officer. When it became apparent that she was only slightly more powerful than a hedge-witch, the Bera helped her find the job in Union, where she could use her abilities and be a policeman. Luckily, she was easy going and didn't have a problem working with a clanless witch.

One of the things Union had requested was a way to reduce my cost. The simplest way I could think of was to reduce my travel time. Having items delivered to me solved both our problems. I didn't need to spend time driving to them, and they could justify paying for more of my time.

An unmarked van rolled to a stop, and I stepped out to welcome her. Bethany had medium brown hair and milk-chocolate-colored eyes.

"Welcome to the lodge." I stuck out my hand and was rewarded with a firm shake.

"Thanks." She smiled and was instantly transformed from nondescript to lovely.

"It's nice to see you again. What do you have for me?"

"A large pile of things I don't know much about."

"Why don't we haul the boxes upstairs and I can take a look." The comment reminded me of a previous conversation when I'd asked what I'd be doing. She'd hesitantly told me decommissioning illegal magical items but couldn't tell me more than that. When I'd pressed for further information, she simply said she wasn't sure.

The back of the van was stacked full of boxes. At my widened eyes, she hastily said, "I wasn't sure how many we could get through."

"No, it's not a problem as long as you don't expect us to deal with all these today."

"I never thought we'd get through more than a couple of boxes."

"If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been working in Union?"

"Three years. But before I arrived, there was an old, poorly trained hedge-wizard. The sheriff didn't know, but anything the hedge-wizard couldn't deal with he stuck in a box and hid. When I started, I found twice this many boxes. Over the years, I've slowly gone through the items and done what I could, but without the case notes, I didn't know where to start. I'm not much of a witch, so I need all the help I can get."

"Bethany, I'm exceptionally good at dismantling spells, and I'm not fond of doing it without a backstory either." The back of the van was daunting, and for a brief moment I wondered if the department realized how many items they wanted me to neutralize.

She pulled out two boxes, one for each of us, and we headed to my workroom. Once we were in the room, I set the box down and asked, "Where would you like me to start?"

"I thought it would be best if you started with the things acquired since I started working with the department. I know some of the history on these, and the other stuff has been piling up for thirty years. I don't think a few more months will make a difference."

"Sounds good. What first?"

Bethany rummaged around in the box I'd carried up, producing a doorknob, front and back, a matching knocker, doorbell, and a doorstop. "These were taken off the house after the old woman who lived there died. Her son discovered them when he went to pack up the house. The doorknob permanently etches 'Thief' into the hand of anyone but the owner of the house. The doorbell sounds an alarm, and if you managed to get into the house, the stop holds the door closed and erects a barrier, preventing anyone from leaving the house."

"Messy."

"Yup, it was lots of fun. I got him out of the house, but he still has 'Thief' on his hand." She set the doorknob in front of me on the workbench and placed the other two off to the side. "I think you'll have the most luck if you start with the doorknob, but you can examine them and decide for yourself."

I nodded, my attention focused on the items on the table. The doorknob was the focal point for the spells on all three items. It determined if an individual was the owner of the house or an intruder, though I wasn't sure how it made that decision.

After moving the other pieces to the side, I started working on both parts of the doorknob. I carefully found the threads connecting the knob to the other pieces. With a delicate application of power, I sliced those spells away from the main spell on the doorknob. First, I attempted to unwind the spells, but they kept recasting themselves. After attempting three different ways to dismantle the spells, I pulled them apart with brute force.

Moving the knob out of the way, I started on the other two pieces. Without the spell from the knob controlling them, their enchantments were simple and easy to dismiss. Slowly, I left the light trance I'd been in, stretching as I came back to reality.

Bethany looked at me expectantly. I held up a finger, grabbed my water bottle, and gulped down half of it before addressing her. "They're ordinary household junk now. You were right about the knob being the focus. I can work on these, but I'm not sure that it's necessary for you to be here for all of them, unless your boss wants you to watch."

"He wanted me to bring things down and observe you for a little while. I told him it wasn't a lack of education, but power. I can't do what you did. Anyway, he wants to keep the original agreement. If you can work on things here for a reduced rate, he's happy."

"I'm more than happy with that arrangement." Having work to do here would reduce my down time and help me make money between cases.

"Good, because I have a lot of items for you. Most of them are from the old codger who left me with mountains of junk. Some of the items have my notes attached. Oh, anything with a red tag is dangerous."

"I can work with that. What else do you want me to work on right now? Can you see what I'm doing when I unmake these spells?"

"Can I see it? Yes, and I can follow most of what you're doing, but I don't have the power or finesse to do what you did with the door set." She pulled another item out of the box, a lampshade. "A middle-aged man who was evicted from his home had this. As it turns out, he only left the lamp on when he wasn't home. If you went in the house when the lamp was on, the shade cast an illusion on you. Several of our officers were there to move his belongings and were stuck in a black maze. I got them out by unplugging the lamp and putting a containment spell on the lampshade, but I wasn't able to undo the magic."

Taking the blue striped shade from her, I prodded the spell, trying to see how it was constructed. After setting the lampshade on the workbench, I pulled a large plastic bag out of a drawer. It looked ordinary, but it was a recent innovation of mine. The bag was spelled to contain and dampen any magical event inside but wouldn't block magic working from the outside on the bag's contents. I shoved the lampshade in the bag and funneled more power into the spell than it could handle. The spell dissolved in a flash of sparks, leaving a slightly charred lampshade behind.

"The shade only worked when the light was on because it required a constant input of energy. In this case, heat would do the trick. When you unplugged it, you removed the energy source, terminating the continuation of the spell. The difficult part was getting in the house and disconnecting the lamp, right?"

She thought for a moment. "You're right. A little push and the guys snapped out of it as soon as the lamp was off, though disconnecting the lamp wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done."

"We should sit down over a drink one day and share war stories. I'd love to know how you managed to rescue them."

"Sure. I don't have many opportunities for shoptalk."

"I know the feeling, there aren't many of us in this line of work. Do you want to bring more boxes up? I can neutralize a few more items before you leave."

"Sure, I'll be right back." Bethany was out the door before I could say anything else. Grateful for the rest, I sat and sipped the water. Disenchanting always sounded easy in theory; the reality was exhausting.

*******

There was a knock on the door, and I quickly answered it. "Hi Landa, what's going on?"

"I found this under the front door this morning." Landa handed me an envelope with my name on it. The paper was soft, heavy, and expensive. Paper like this wasn't cheap.

Landa watched me open the letter.

Michelle,

I know you don't want to hear from me, but I needed to tell you a few things. I do like you and I enjoyed our date. When I called you, I wanted to have a fun evening with an interesting woman.

When I told my friends about you, I mentioned the spells you did to save the mermaid. Word passed to important ears, and my clan realized your power and potential. They had me set the tracking spell on you because they wanted to learn more about you.

Please talk to me. You are unique. Neither I nor my clan would do anything to hurt you. They would like to offer you a place with us.

You are welcome here. They know how talented you are and don't care about your clanless state, or how you ended up that way. They see a talented witch and would like you to be part of their family.

If you don't wish to be a member of my clan, the elders will relent. I'm sorry I let the clan's will hurt you and our relationship. I would like to see you again.

With deep regrets,

Andrew

"What is it, child?" Landa asked.

I reread the letter, trying to wrap my head around it. He liked me, but had spelled me at his clan's request, a clan that wanted me to join their ranks, but would leave me alone if that was my heart's desire. It felt off, strange. There were too many contradictions for this to sit well with me.

"It's a letter from Andrew, the wizard I had coffee with in Ellijay. He wants me to consider being part of his clan and wants to see me again."

Landa hummed. "What do you think about his offer?"

I laughed. "I think he got caught putting a spell on me, and now he's trying to get back in my good graces. I'm not sure what they want, but they aren't getting it from me, and any guy dumb enough to think he can get away with spelling me doesn't deserve another chance."

"Take some time to think it over. There may be truth in his words, and an ally is better than an enemy."

"An ally I can't trust isn't very useful."

She glared at me, clearly wanting me to see her point and not argue.

I nodded. "I'll try not to do anything rash."

"That's a good girl." Landa patted my hand before leaving.

When her footsteps had faded, I poked my head out the door. The hallway was empty. Satisfied that I was alone, I focused on the letter resting in my hand. It popped an inch in the air when a shield bubble formed around it, forcing it away from my hand. A word muttered under my breath and the letter engulfed in pink flames.

I smiled. He'd sent the letter because he felt me destroy the tracking spell. It didn't take a smart man to know better than to confront the woman he'd wronged. Though few smart men would try to spell a better witch.

A quick flare of magic assured me I was free of spells.

True motivations aside, Andrew and his clan were a problem I didn't need, and one that should go away with this letter. If I didn't contact him, he would assume his plea had fallen on deaf ears. Though Landa wouldn't be pleased if she discovered this fit of temper, I was taking her advice. I knew how to contact him; if I changed my mind, it would be as easy as picking up the phone.

When the flames ran out of fuel, I set the shield bubble in the trash and dissolved the spell. Ash dusted the banana peel and sandwich wrapper.

Chapter 2: Elron

I cradled the wilted flower in my hand as I cut it off the stalk. The Fairy Rose pulled away from the pruning shears. I gently stroked a pale blue leaf. "Shh. I know it pinches, but the flowers are past their prime. You will make more in the spring."

The baby blue leaf curled around my hand, and the vine held still while I nipped off the last bloom.

"It's lovely."

I looked up, surprised to see my boss here so early in the morning. "Good morning, Brandon. The Fairy Rose is coming along."

Brandon smiled. "I can see the progress. I tried to prune this beauty and ended up with ten thorns in my arm. May I?"

"Of course. She will behave now." The rose was one of the plants I'd had a heart-to-heart with, explaining to them that the people here wanted to admire them. Most of the plants had understood, but I was still working with the Pink Azalea and the Lace Flower.

He gently rubbed a leaf between two fingers, and the plant shivered, thrusting another leaf under his hand. Brandon petted the plant until it stopped pushing leaves into his hands.

"You've done amazing things. A month ago I had people running out of these greenhouses because the plants were unmanageable, and the department head wanted to scrap the project. He said it was impossible to keep this many magical plants in one area. Now the university is in love with the magical garden, and I haven't heard about the Lace Flower attacking anyone since you arrived."

"Thank you, but please stay away from the Lace Flower. I moved it behind a few plants to make it more difficult for it to cause problems." The Lace Flower was vexing. Thus far it had been reluctant to talk to me, but we had reached an uneasy truce. It would be less aggressive if left alone, so I moved it behind two large ferns, shielding it from casual approach.

"You've done a great job managing the untamable. Do you have a few minutes to talk?" Brandon motioned to my office.

"Yes." I set down the shears and gave the Fairy Rose one last pat before following Brandon.

I pushed the door shut behind me and turned to see him leaning against my desk, ankles crossed and hands resting on the wood. Leaning against the door, I watched Brandon study me.

"Where do you see this garden in a few years?" Brandon asked.

"I hadn't thought about it that way. Ideally, the four teaching greenhouses would be complete, and I'd be devoting more attention to the research greenhouse. Did you have something in mind?"

"Yes. After seeing what you've been able to accomplish in the short time you've been here, the university and I feel that we underestimated the feasibility of bigger projects. We want to develop an extensive magical garden for teaching and scientific exploration, with a section open to the public. Right now we have common magical plants, ones that are readily available and relatively easy to cultivate. I know this isn't what you were hired for, but would you consider the additional responsibilities?"

I sighed. "You are offering me a fantastic opportunity. However, as I said during my interview, I don't know how long I will be able to stay."

Brandon frowned. "Yes, you mentioned something about a Calling?"

Pulling a chair over, I sat down. "Yes," I said. He made the Call sound simple, but he was human and couldn't understand. I was one of the elves who were pulled, by a tugging at our souls, to follow a different path. The called often played a vital role in events that changed the course of history, but we were destined to walk a dangerous path, one few traversed without dying. It was unpredictable as well. My Call was satisfied to have me living at Landa's Lodge and working at the university, but that could change at any moment.

"We discussed it during your interview, but I didn't realize it was still an issue."

Humans. I shook my head. "Brandon, we discussed this. I am happy to be here until I'm drawn elsewhere."

Brandon tipped his head back and rubbed his temple. "I have someone else in mind for the political and paper-pushing side of the job. I want you to work with the plants. You would need to work with a few students because the garden will need more daily care than you can provide, and it needs to be usable for academics and research. I also want you to track down the new additions."

I shifted in my seat. "When I was hired, it was with the understanding that the greenhouses were for university use. You agreed that I could have some time to get things under control. Most of the plants are settled in, and having help would allow me to focus on the stubborn individuals. I can start working with the students next week. "

"Yes, that's all true." He waved his hand in the air. "And as happy as I am to hear you say the garden is ready for other people, that isn't my point. I want you to track down and retrieve new additions to the garden. Before you protest, the school would consider travel and time away as part of your job if you brought us new specimens."

I chose my words carefully. "You mean I can come and go as I like, as long as the garden is cared for when I'm away and I bring back unique additions?"

"Yes, and unless you are gone for more than two months, with or without a sample, you will receive your full pay and benefits," Brandon said.

"That is a fine offer." My mind raced, trying to find the flaws.

"I thought it would be a way for you to continue to work here while giving you the time to explore your Call." He smiled, knowing the offer was too good to refuse.

"You certainly know how to tempt a man. I accept the additional duties." How could I refuse? Brandon was offering me the opportunity to be part of a grand project, one that could help preserve endangered species, while giving me the flexibility to follow the Call.

"You'll do it?"

"Yes."

"Fantastic. I wouldn't have anyone but you retrieving the new additions. I'll bring the official paperwork over tomorrow." Brandon came over and offered me his hand. I stood up and accepted the handshake.

"Thank you for understanding the needs of an old elf," I said.

"No, Elron. Thank you for taming this mess of magical plants," Brandon replied. He was out the door as quickly as he'd appeared, leaving me with plenty to ponder.

Chapter 3: Michelle

Dinner at the pizzeria with the girls was the highlight of my week. This evening, I was the slow duck; Amber and Tiffany were sitting in the corner booth, chatting.

"Hi, girls. What'd I miss?" I slid onto the end of the seat, gratefully grabbing the water they'd ordered for me.

"Nothing, we were joking about Mark's last romantic gesture," Tiffany said. She was a private investigator, meaning she mostly followed around cheating spouses. Her burgundy pixie haircut contrasted beautifully with her olive skin and brown eyes.

"What did he do?" I asked.

Amber giggled. "He tried to take me to an exotic restaurant that served peacock."

"No, way!"

"Yeah. I told him I was opposed to eating exotic animals."

"You still haven't told him you're a werepeahen?" I asked. Amber shifted into a peahen, the female version of a peacock.

"No. I want to get to know him better before I tell him about that part of my life." She squirmed in her seat. "Besides, now isn't a good time to introduce a human to that side of me."

"Is Adder making more trouble?" Tiffany asked.

I gave her a funny look.

"What? I know I'm the worst type of human. I don't care what happens in the other communities as long as it doesn't affect me, but I have ears. That wolf is bad news, and he's looking to make as much trouble as he can. I don't think he cares if he causes problems for the wolves, all the shifters, or the entire region."

"From what I've heard, you're right." There wasn't much more I could say. It was surprising to hear Tiffany admit her faults when it came to racial relations.

"Well, I don't think he's made any more trouble, but he isn't letting anyone rest easily. By law, he's forbidden to interfere with other shifters, but the rumors say he isn't going to respect the laws. His dad, Simon, the pack alpha, should've punished Adder when this behavior started, but he has a blind spot where his son is concerned. I think he's finally realized how badly his son is behaving. Simon needs to put him down, but it's his son, and the situation wouldn't have gotten this bad if Simon had been doing his job from the start." By the time she finished, Amber looked paler than usual.

I gave her a one-armed hug, the best I could do at the table. Amber had more to fear than most because she shifted into a prey animal, and there weren't many werepeacocks in the area.

"Don't worry about it. Before Adder could cause trouble he'd have to be the alpha. I don't see him killing his father, so everyone is safe for now," I said.

Amber relaxed. "True, and I wish Simon a long and healthy life."

"A toast then, to Simon's long and healthy life," Tiffany said, raising her glass.

"Hear, hear." I tapped glasses with her.

Amber smiled and tapped both of our glasses. "To Simon's long life."

After our toast the waiter, a shy teenaged boy with glasses, came to our table. "Are you ready to order?"

We nodded, having perused the menu so many times we could order from memory.

Tiffany ordered first. "Could I get a medium spinach, broccoli, and feta white pizza?"

The kid nodded, scribbling on his pad. When he looked up again Amber ordered. "I'd like the veggie calzone."

"Could I get a pepperoni, Italian sausage, mushroom, and onion calzone?" I asked.

The waiter nodded, repeated our orders back to us, and inquired if we wanted anything else, which we didn't, before leaving.

"Enough depressing chitchat. How are you and Mark doing, other than the peacock issue?" I said.

"Good. It's hard to say how it's going because we've only been dating for a month, but I like it so far." Amber finished with a smile.

"Awesome. Tiffany, what's new with you?" I asked.

"Eh, not much. I have more faith in the sanctity of marriage."

"What happened?" Amber asked.

Tiffany sighed, staring into her drink. "This lady came to me last week. She told me she thought her husband was cheating on her. We talked, and I outlined what I normally do and how I give her the evidence. When we started to talk price, she broke down. One of her friends had recommended me, but she didn't have the money to pay my fee. I asked why this was so important to her and why she didn't ask her husband what he was doing.

"She slipped off her wig, showing a head with the tiniest fuzz of hair growing back. To pay for her cancer treatments, they'd had to sell their house along with almost everything else they valued. He'd been with her for years of ups and downs. The past few months were the first time she'd been cancer-free in five years. With tears in her eyes she told me she couldn't even blame him for cheating. All she'd been was a burden for the past few years.

"Since I'm not a heartless monster, and I didn't need her money, I told her I'd see what I could find. Two days later I had her come back to my office. She was shaking like a leaf. I spread out the pictures, showing her husband bussing tables at a bar. After he got off, I talked to him. He'd taken the job to save up extra money so they could have a vacation get away, just the two of them. Crying, he told me how much he wanted to provide for his wife, but with the way things had been going they didn't have the money for a trip."

"Did you tell her about the trip?" Amber asked, wiping tears for her eyes.

Tiffany glared at her. "Of course not! She called me yesterday to thank me. He told her what he'd been doing and why. In a few weeks they're going to a resort in Florida for a week of pampering."

I dabbed a few tears from my eyes. "And you complain that all you ever deal with are cheating spouses who erode your faith in humanity."

She shrugged one shoulder. "It's nice to be surprised once in a while."

"Michelle, you haven't told us what's new with you," Amber said.

I paused while the waiter handed out our food. "I finished the report on the troll incident for the police."

"How are you doing?" Tiffany said.

"Good. I'm glad to put it behind me. It was so stressful, and things spiraled out of control. I've finally gotten a grip on my life. None of the police cases have been out of the ordinary lately, Elron has been a good neighbor, and the new family dynamic is going as well as can be expected."

"Are you sure? Anything you want to talk about?" Amber asked.

"I'm doing good. Things have been good. As soon as the last of the scary memories fade, I'll be my old self. Now, is there anyone new in your life, Tiffany?" I'd been over the events a hundred times. Forgetting them was the best medicine I'd found.

"Always. It's part of being a private investigator."

"Any love interest?" I asked.

"Well, I've talked to this one guy a few times while getting coffee. He seems nice, but even with my new faith in love, I'm off guys."

"Are you sure? You never know where you'll find a great guy." Amber said.

"I might see if it goes anywhere, but I'm not going to push things."

"As long as you keep your eyes open. We don't want you to miss out because you're a cynic," Amber finished.

We chatted while we finished eating. As soon as Amber cleaned her plate, she asked, "Now, who wants dessert?"

"Me," I said.

"Me too," said Tiffany.

I flagged down the waiter so we could order. "Could I get the chocolate lava cake?"

Amber looked up from the menu. "Can I get the Boston cream pie?"

"And I'll have the chocolate mint ice cream cookie," Tiffany said.

The waiter repeated our order to us and hurried off.

"I'm off to the girl's room. Do either of you want to come?" Tiffany asked.

Amber declined, and I shook my head. My bladder could wait; I wanted to talk to her about the stalker. As soon as Tiffany was out of earshot, I turned on Amber. "Do you still think you're being followed?"

"Yes." She fiddled with her napkin before looking at me. "The car followed me here but continued down the road after I turned into the parking lot."

"And?" I prompted.

Amber squirmed in her seat before answering. "I've started getting odd phone calls. A blocked number keeps calling me and hanging up as soon as I answer."

"You have to talk to the police."

"No. They won't be able to do anything. I'm sure it'll go away soon."

"What if it doesn't go away, Amber?" I asked.

She bit her lip. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"It sounds like you're being stalked and should talk to the police." Amber shook her head. "What if I go with you?"

Amber hissed, "Let it go. Tiffany is coming back. Not a word, Michelle, I mean it."

"Did I miss anything?" Tiffany asked as she sat down.

I forced a smile. "Nope. We were just debating how many ice storms we'd get this winter."

Before Tiffany could ask any more questions, dessert arrived and we moved on to other topics.

After we finished eating and talking, I headed home. Amber was worrying me. She needed to go to the police, but I couldn't make her. For once, I'd like to be wrong and have it turn out to be nothing, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be that simple.

At home, I settled into a relaxing bath. It had been a long day, and lounging in a bath was sure to relax the tight muscles in my back. Sliding into bed, I hoped my annoying neighbor wouldn't haunt my dreams. Sure, Elron was easy on the eyes, with silver hair and the pointed elven ears, but he was also rude and annoying. These days I dreamt of him more often than not. I wanted to know why he was in my dreams. For a witch, dreams were never as simple as the musings of the subconscious come to life. They could be a glimpse of the future, warnings of events to come, or even meetings between spirits.

I was tired enough that even Amber's stalker couldn't keep me awake. Morning arrived quickly, with the sun peeking though my windows. The night had been refreshing and without any dreams of Elron. Walking to the bathroom, something caught my eye. There was a strange glint coming from my window.

"It's not over" was written in what looked like blood, oozing down the outside of my window.

I screamed, scrambling backward. Something had found me, something related to the last case. Footsteps sounded on the floor—it was coming for me. The door to my apartment opened, but I didn't hear it close. Frantically, I looked around, trying to find a good place to hide.

"Michelle? Are you okay? Let me past these guards." It was the Narzel blessed elf, coming to my rescue after hearing my screams.

After an unfortunate incident with a lusty satyr, I'd acquired two stone lions to guard my bedroom door. They were under orders to detain anyone who tried entering without permission. Elron had been allowed in before, but he didn't have a lasting permission.

"Let him in," I yelled.

Elron, all silver hair and muscles, rushed into my room. He wasn't wearing a shirt, leaving his six-pack in clear view. It was a shame I couldn't properly appreciate the muscles right now. Halting, he looked around, trying to find the danger. When he spied the window, his lips pursed and he scooped me off the floor, carrying me to the living room.

I peered over his shoulder at the red letters scrawled across my window.

"You don't need to look at the writing right now."

"What?" I sputtered. "It's on my window. As soon as I calm down, I need to examine it and figure out who left it there."

"Since whatever left it there managed to bend Landa's wards enough to write on the lodge, I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"As soon as I calm down, I can look at it." He glared at me, and I dropped my eyes so I wouldn't have to look at him. I didn't want to admit that I needed to wait for the shaking to stop. Knowing a mysterious entity wanted to harm you wasn't the same as having it scribbled on your window. I'd thought the wards I'd placed on my rooms, coupled with the ones Landa had on the lodge, would prevent anything from harming me while I was on these grounds.

"Landa will be here in a moment." A pulse of elven magic flowed across the wooden floor, rippling through the building. "I'd have you tell me what happened, but I can guess, and Landa will want to know when she arrives."

With that, he strode over to my kitchen, muttering as he rifled through the cabinets. Once, when he didn't think I was looking, he glared at me, clearly dissatisfied with the contents of my kitchen. The quiet clatter was comforting. If the big, bad mystery monster came for me, I wouldn't be alone. A few minutes passed before my front door opened as Landa and Mander arrived.

Elron returned with a cup in his hand. "Here," he handed it to me. "This is the best calming tea I could make considering your limited selection."

"The selection isn't limited; it leans in the energy-building direction."

"It's limited."

"Children," Landa scolded. "As fun as this is, I want to know why Elron called me to your room and why you look white as fresh snow."

Sighing, I told the story. "I woke up, got out of bed, thought I saw something funny, and looked around. That's when I saw the writing on my window. It said, 'It's not over.' Elron must have heard me scream, because he ran over, looked at the window, and helped me to the living room. You can look at the writing."

Without saying a word, Landa and Mander walked into my bedroom. My door guardians knew the brownies were allowed, and let them pass without incident. I sipped the tea, trying to stop my shaking so I didn't spill. After studying me for a moment, Elron followed the brownies. If they said anything, I couldn't hear it, but it was a solid five minutes before they returned. By the time they returned, the tea had started to kick in, my pulse was normal, and the shaking was almost gone.

"Well, what do you think?" It was annoying that they got to examine the creepy writing on my window before me.

"I think I'll be getting some of the other fey to help boost my wards. That said, I don't think whoever did the graffiti wanted to break into the lodge or hurt you. The wards should've prevented someone with those intentions," Landa said through clenched teeth.

"What bothers me the most is their knowledge of this place. They didn't write on any window, or on any window in your apartment, but on your bedroom window. I didn't feel any magic about the writing, which makes me think someone watched the lodge and physically wrote the words. From the look of them, shortly before you awakened," Mander growled.

Elron shrugged. "My magic isn't the type to read the words or glass, but the forest was very unhappy with the visitor. Later I will communicate with it. Perhaps I can determine if this was a one-time visitor and persuade the forest to protect the lodge."

"Wait… What you're telling me is that you can't tell who, or what, wrote on my window? I'm going to look at it." I marched into my bedroom and over to the window. The oozing red letters were as scary as they'd been the first time I saw them.

It wasn't the phrase. "It's not over" could mean lots of things. It was the way the letters oozed down the window. I had pictures of the jail cell where the sorceress who'd helped the trolls was murdered, and it had this phrase written in blood on the wall. Whatever had killed the sorceress was after me.

I carefully touched my magic to the glass. When nothing happened, I focused on the letters. They didn't pull at my magic, activate a spell, or anything. There was nothing for my magic to find because there was nothing magical about the words; it was paint.

With a sigh, I gave up and headed back to the kitchen. Looking at the three worried faces, I knew this wasn't a job for us but for the police. "I'm calling Rodriguez. I want the police to fingerprint and document the warning."

"Make the call, dear. Perhaps they can find something our magic can't. We will be downstairs if you need us." Landa and Mander gave me hugs as they left, and Elron tugged on a lock of my hair.

Before he closed the door he added, "There's more tea in the pot."

I picked my phone up off the nightstand, wanting to put this mess behind me as quickly as possible.

"Rodriguez."

"It's Michelle. Someone crept up to my window last night and left a nasty message. Could you come out with a crime-scene tech? I'd like it dusted for fingerprints and photographed. It looks like it might be related to the troll case."

"Are you okay?"

"Yup, I'm great," I said sarcastically. "I love knowing someone peeked through my window while I was asleep."

"I'll be over in thirty minutes."

"Thank you." I hung up the phone, retrieved clothes, and hustled to the bathroom. I wanted to take a quick shower and grab some food before they arrived. Fifteen minutes later, I was out of the shower, dressed, and headed down to the dining room.

The sideboard was mostly bare, but there were baskets of muffins and fruit. I stuck two blueberry muffins and several strawberries on a plate before setting it next to my tea. From a rack on the wall, I selected a gardening magazine. I flipped through the pages, looking at pictures of gardens in full bloom while I ate. Two police cars parked in front of the lodge as I popped the last strawberry in my mouth.

I walked out to greet them. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Not a problem. We take care of our own," Rodriguez answered. "Let me introduce Burke and Links." Burke was a tall, blond woman, and Links was shorter, with spiky red hair.

"Thank you, Rodriguez, and thank you, ladies."

"Ha, you're doing us a favor. The other option this morning was a house that looked like it had been vandalized by a group of teens," Burke answered.

"We did one last week and aren't in any hurry to see another." Links shuddered. "It smelled like an outhouse and was equally unsanitary."

"Could you show us to the outside of the window? While they collect evidence, you can walk me though what happened," Rodriguez said.

"Sure. It will be easier to walk through the lodge." They followed me through the building, out the back door to the garden, and around to my bedroom window.

"I'm impressed. Most criminals don't remember that they need to write backward for the person on the other side of the window to read it," Links said.

I cocked my head to the side. "The lettering is rather tidy for writing backward. I don't know if I could have done as well." Sure, a few of the letters were lopsided, but none of them were backward or indistinguishable.

Rodriguez shook his head and tried to suppress a smile. "I'll add that to my report."

"Enough lollygagging," Burke said. "This was a nasty morning surprise, but it shouldn't take us long to collect the evidence."

"Thank you," I said.

"No problem. Now, off with the two of you. You don't need to stand here and watch us." Burke waved Rodriguez and me away.

Back in my living room, I talked Rodriguez through the events, telling him exactly what I'd told Landa, Mander, and Elron.

"Can you add times? I know you called me at six fifty-five."

"Well, I got up around six thirty, and Elron was here immediately. Landa and Mander arrived a few minutes later. The three of them examined the room for a sold five minutes, I looked at it, and we talked until shortly before I called you. After that, I took a shower and grabbed breakfast downstairs."

"You said you didn't feel any magical residue. Do you mind if I check?"

"Go for it." I watched as he focused and brushed power over the window.

Rodriguez opened his eyes. "Nothing. Could you track the person who did the writing?"

"I haven't done a thorough examination yet, but I didn't feel anything but the paint. Unless Links and Burke find something with a stronger connection to the perpetrator, I'm useless."

Rodriguez nodded. "I'll let you know if they find anything we can use. Do you mind if I talk to the others and hear their side of the story?"

"No, not at all." I led Rodriguez out of my apartment, where we met Links and Burke.

"How'd it go?" Rodriguez asked.

"Not great. We found partial fingerprints, and we'll run them, but I don't expect much. We also found shoe impressions but nothing unique enough to identify the person from the shoes. Back at the lab, we'll be able to find size and make, but I'm guessing it's a guy from the size. If you don't need us, we'll head back and send this stuff off for processing," Burke said.

Rodriguez answered, "We should be fine. Thank you."

I shook their hands. "Thank you, really."

"Part of the job. We'll let you know if we get any results." With a wave, the two of them hurried back to their car.

"It looks like we're relying on forensics for this one," Rodriguez grumbled.

I shrugged. "Hopefully they can match the fingerprints to someone."

"I'm sorry about this, Michelle."

"It's not your fault unless you painted my window," I said.

"Nope, sorry. I was snuggled against a nice Catholic girl this morning."

"Figures. At least you had a good night and a pretty sight in the morning."

"Yup. If I'm lucky, I'll see her again tonight." Rodriguez grinned.

"What does your mom think about this?" I asked.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, she'll be thrilled I'm dating a Catholic, even if we're living in sin." He chuckled.

"Be nice to that mom of yours. She's in good with God."

"Yes, she is. You know, you never told me. What do witches believe?"

"We're a bit like humans, believing in different things. Generally, we honor the moon as the source of female power, the earth as the mother, and the sun as the father. We recognize and respect other's belief systems, and some witches practice more than one. To some people, it's less of a religion and more of an acknowledgment of energy and spiritual connections."

"Do witches have a religion?" Rodriguez asked.

"Everyone has their own beliefs. I don't think I'm the best witch to ask since I don't have a clan and haven't spent much time around other witches." I looked in the dining room but didn't see anyone. "Let's try the parlor."

"Thank you," Rodriguez said. "I've been curious about that for a while."

"No problem. Here they are." We found Landa, Mander, and Elron having tea and muffins in the parlor.

"Rodriguez, let me introduce Landa, Mander, and Elron. This is Rodriguez, from the local sheriff's office. He wanted to hear your account of this morning's events. Would you mind talking to him?"

"Not at all, dear. Sit down. Have some food, son." Landa loved to feed people.

Rodriguez collected a plate before asking questions. "If you don't mind, I'd like to start with Elron. Tell me what happened."

One by one they each recounted their sides of the story. While they were talking, I munched on an orange muffin, unwilling to return to my rooms right now. It took nearly thirty minutes for them to finish detailing their stories. By that time, I was tired of hearing about the creepy events.

"Can we clean the window?" Landa asked

"Of course. The evidence has been collected, so you are free to deal with it as you see fit," Rodriguez answered.

"Thank you, lad. I don't want that graffiti on my house any longer than necessary," Landa said.

"I would feel the same way. Unless you have any more questions for me, I think we're done."

I interjected, "Could you send copies of the report and any results from the evidence to Jones over in Forsyth County? If this is connected to the other events, they should know."

"Sure, not a problem. Anything else?" The others shook their head. "All right. Thank you for your time."

"I'll walk you out," I said.

"As soon as I have any useful information, I'll let you know." Rodriguez sighed. "But there isn't much for us to go on."

"I know. Thank you for coming out so quickly," I said.

"You'd do it for me." He closed the front door.

Walking back to the dining room, I knew I was going to be answering a few questions. Sure enough, two expectant faces were looking at me. "Where's Mander?" I asked, stalling.

"He went to talk to a few fey friends of ours," Landa said.

I didn't need to read between the lines to know he was calling in favors, or trading favors, to have more protections placed on the lodge.

"Child, why would this be connected to previous events?"

It was hard to refuse Landa, so I changed the subject. "Elron, why are you still here?"

"Me? I'm an old elf. Everyone knows the old have no manners. I'm exercising my right to be crotchety and nosy." He smiled and picked up a butter cookie.

The grinding of my teeth was involuntary, and from the way his smile changed, I knew he could hear the screeching.

"Michelle, how dare you," Landa scolded.

"What! He doesn't…" Her look stopped me in mid sentence. Not only had she asked me to be understanding and helpful, but by his own admission he was having a difficult time adapting to life outside the forest. He'd come to help me this morning as well, and that couldn't be discounted.

My breath huffed out in a long sigh. "My deepest apologies, Elron. There is no excuse for such rude behavior."

"If I'd awakened the way you did, I'd be difficult as well. All is forgiven." For a moment the snarky jester retreated, letting me catch a glimpse of the caring and fragile side of him.

"Now, if you children are done, I want to know why this might be connected to previous events."

I sat, wrapping my hands around a mug of tea. "Landa, I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you. After the trolls were captured, the sorceress went to a federal prison because the local prison didn't have a good way of holding her. She died horribly the first night, and one of the things she was yelling before her death was, 'It's not over.' She specifically named me as a future target. No one is sure who's after me, but they don't like me." Those words had been written on the cell walls in blood too, but I didn't see how telling Landa that tidbit would help anything.

"You should have told me, Michelle."

"I'm sorry. I would've told you, but I didn't want their threats to change how I live my life."

"There's a difference between letting threats control your actions and taking precautions." She glared at me.

"I know, Landa, but I never thought this would happen." In the days since I'd learned about the threats, I'd convinced myself it was idle talk. That theory had been blown out of the water by this morning's events and the undeniable truth that someone wanted me dead.

"Let's make sure this is the worst occurrence at the lodge. I can't protect you everywhere, but this will be a safe place." She crossed arms, silently daring me to object.

"I'd like that."

Elron said, "While I may not be able to work any spells, I can add additional protections as well. I must be going. The additional protections will be finished tomorrow night. Landa, I'll keep you informed. Michelle, keep busy. It'll help." He was out the door before either of us had a chance to say anything.

"Michelle, you need to call your parents before they hear about this from someone else. You know how much it upsets them when something happens to you," Landa said gently.

"Thank you for the reminder, I'll go call them." I headed back to my apartment, where I'd left my phone.

A little luck was with me because I hadn't missed any calls from the police. With great reluctance, I dialed my mother's number. She wasn't going to be happy.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Michelle. How are you?"

"I'm all right. I had a bit of trouble this morning. Is Dad there?"

"No, I'm afraid not. He's still planning on coming by to spend time with you and help prepare for the class you're teaching. What happened? Do you need to talk to him right away?"

"No. I was trying to tell both of you at the same time—"

"Tell us what?" She demanded.

"Mom, I can't explain if I can't get a word in." Silence was the only answer I got, so I blurted out the news. "I may not have mentioned it, but the sorceress I helped capture died in prison. Before she died, she made several threats mostly focused on me. One of those threats, 'It's not over,' was painted on my bedroom window this morning." I braced myself. She wasn't going to like this.

"What?" She screeched. "Are you safe there? Did they try to break in? What were you thinking, not telling us about this?"

"Mom, I'm perfectly safe. After I found out about the threats, I added more protections to my room. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. Landa is adding more protections to the lodge because she wants this to be a safe haven for me. As far as the police, or I, could tell, they didn't try to break into my rooms. In fact, it doesn't look like magic was used at all."

"I still don't think you're safe."

"Well, what would make you think I'm safe?" There was a long pause before I continued. "Mom, I'm doing everything I can to stay safe, but I won't abandon my job or life because someone made a few threats."

"I want you to call me every day, okay? If someone is hunting you, I need to know you're all right."

"Fair enough. I'll call you every day. I won't promise what time, but if you don't hear from me by late evening, give me a call. Will that work?"

"Yes, but I'm not happy about this, Michelle."

"Mom, I'm not asking you to be happy. I'm asking you to support my desire to be happy."

"Fine, fine. When are you going to look into those suicides?"

"When the police ask me. I've told you I can't show up and start investigating." I could hear her take a few deep breaths, but there was nothing I could do. She'd brought a string of suicides to my attention while I was hip deep in missing trolls, and the local police hadn't asked for my help.

"If they don't ask you soon, I want you to talk to them."

"Can I wait a week or two?"

"If you must."

"Thank you, Mom."

"I worry about you, Michelle. Now I'm going to worry more. I want you to call me tonight. You also need to talk to your father."

"Yes, Mom. I'll call you, and I will talk to Dad."

"Good. Now, if you 'forget' to mention something like this again, I'll tan your backside. Make sure you call me tonight. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom." I waited for her to hang up before I ended the call. That could've been worse.

The day had started so badly I was tempted to start over. Without thinking about it, I was walking in my bedroom and contemplating lying down for thirty minutes. I returned to awareness, blinking to focus the room. The nap was still tempting, but any desire to lie in my bed died when I saw Landa furiously scrubbing at the words on my window.

Feeling slightly ill, I returned to my living room, set an alarm on my phone, and tried to go back to sleep on the sofa. I must have fallen asleep at some point because when the alarm went off I was dreaming of Elron. He was in my apartment, telling me how to care for a plant and warning me he'd know if I wasn't properly attentive.

There was a gentle rap at the door before Landa walked in, still carrying a bucket of cleaning supplies.

"I cleaned the window. There isn't a speck of paint or anything else left."

"Thank you, Landa."

"It was the least I could do. Come down for lunch. I think the company will do you good. If you need anything, call me."

"I will." I reached down to give her a hug. "Thank you for looking after me and cleaning up." I swallowed, trying not to cry.

"Oh, enough with that. You'll have me tearing up. I was worried when Elron called me to your room."

"What did he do? I've never seen anything like that before."

"He told the house to tell me I was needed here. He has a connection to wood, and I have one to homes, especially my home."

"Interesting."

Landa smiled. "There is more to magic than you know. Michelle, you need to tell us if you're threatened. Mander and I want to help, but we can't when you hide things from us."

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry anyone."

"I know. So does everyone else. However, this is a time when more people knowing is better. What one eye misses, two can find. I need to do other chores. Make sure you come down for lunch."

"I will."

After Landa left, I retreated to my workroom, locking the door behind me. I had plenty of things waiting to be disenchanted. Too bad. I didn't want to look at work but curl up and pretend this morning hadn't happened and that my illusions of safety hadn't been shattered.

I was placing the newly disenchanted door knocker in the recycle bin when my phone rang. I answered, "Oaks Consulting."

"Michelle, it's Jones. What's going on?"

"What have you heard?" I asked.

"Rodriguez faxed over a police report about writing left on your window."

"Everything is in the report. I don't have anything to add."

"Are you okay?" Jones asked.

"I'm fine. I'd be better if everyone stopped asking me that question."

Jones chuckled. "I'd feel the same way. The report says there are no suspects at this time. Are there any unofficial suspects?"

"Nope, I was hoping you might have a lead. You were the one who told me I was going to be a target," I said.

"I don't have anything helpful," He sighed. "I'm adding the report to the file, but that's the best I can do right now."

"Thanks, if you learn anything can you give me a call?"

"Sure, not a problem."

"Did you get my report yet? I sent it overnight mail." It was worth checking. I'd had a letter take a month to travel forty miles.

"I finished reading it shortly before the paperwork from Rodriguez landed on my desk."

"Is it good enough?"

"Yup, it's fine." Jones sighed. "I need to get back to pushing papers. Be careful."

"You should do the same."

He was laughing when he hung up on me. Neither of us were in the staying-safe business.

Chapter 4: Elron

Whilst a timely arrival to work was important, other things took precedence. I walked out of the lodge and into the woods as only an elf could, silently and hidden. When I was far enough inside the tree line to be hidden from view, I dropped to the ground, leaning against an old white pine.

Resting my hands on the earth, I opened myself to the forest.

Anger rolled into me, trying to drag me away from my physical form and into the spirit of the forest. Breathing deeply, I distanced myself from the emotions. When there was enough separation that I was no longer in danger of losing myself, I queried the woods. Why was it angry?

The answers rushed back to me. Another man had tried to hurt Michelle. Michelle was nice to the woods, and the trees enjoyed her presence. They wanted her to stay, but if she was injured or killed the earth would reclaim her. The forest had barely been able to save her before. She had been in the middle of that rock field, and without the bundle of seeds, it couldn't have acted in time.

The knowledge flowed in faster than I could process it.

"Slowly," I told the forest spirit.

It obliged, and the onslaught slowed to the pace of a gentle rain. The images clarified, and I could see myself asking the forest to keep her safe, the moment when Michelle had been defenseless, the forest forcing the seeds to grow, and the forest using the magic in her blood to fuel the protective barrier.

The forest moved to the man who had written on the lodge. Feeling his presence hadn't been enough, as the forest hadn't been able to identify his position and had been unwilling to capture him at the expense of innocents. Some shifters were out for a stroll, and a family of unicorns was nearby with their fragile offspring.

I soothed the forest. It had done all it could and had saved her when she was in the rock field. Once the forest had calmed, I inquired as to its willingness to prevent others from frightening and harming Michelle.

It quickly agreed, and I helped it understand the types of threats it should look for in the future. The forest absorbed the knowledge quickly, and the trees whispered their thanks.

Thanking the forest, I got up to leave. My Calling knocked me to my knees as the forest deafened with calls for my return. I quieted the forest and dampened the call enough for me to comprehend the questions. The call was adamant that I was needed in the woods; I had work to be done here. The forest spirit was equally determined to show me something.

After some time, the three of us came to an agreement. While both my call and the forest demanded that I give them their time, they were willing to be patient for a few days. After that they would drag me back, willing or not.

I may not be a wise elf, but I was a prudent one. I would return of my own volition.

Chapter 5: Michelle

There was a quick rap at the door before it swung open and Dad walked through.

"Hi, Dad," I said. "It's good to see you." It was, but he had come into my life recently, and we were still getting used to being around each other. I figured he volunteered to help me with the class as a way to get to know me.

"It's good to see you, Michelle." He smiled at me and smoothed his hands down the side of his jeans. The green button-down shirt had fresh creases, and his black hair was neatly combed.

I was closing the door behind him, when he said, "Cou…could I get a hug?"

"Um." I turned and saw his stiff posture and furrowed brow. "Sure."

He opened his arms, and I stepped forward. With my head resting on his shoulder and his cheek pressed against my hair, I could feel the tension slide out of me. Seconds later, he pulled back. "Thank you. That brightened my day."

I smiled. "It brightened my day too."

Dad cleared his throat. "I know we need to look over the materials for the class, but your mother said you wanted to talk with me about something?"

"Oh that, yes. Do you want some tea?"

"Sure. Could I get something herbal or low caffeine?" he asked.

"How does a rooibos and lavender sound?" I hurried into the kitchen, filled the kettle, and put it on the stove.

"Delicious." He watched me set out the mugs, pull out the jar of tea, and fill two strainers as the water came to a boil. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Hold on. The tea is almost ready." I shoved a tea bag in each mug and poured the boiling water. "Let's sit at the table."

Dad followed me to the dining room table with his tea. Sitting down, I wrapped my hands around the mug, hoping the earth would give me courage. "What did mom tell you?"

"Nothing. She left a voice mail telling me what we would have for dinner and that you wanted to tell me something. Why?"

I sighed. "It's a bit of a story."

He cocked his head and arched an eyebrow.

My leg started bouncing. I took a deep breath and dove in. "I didn't tell you and Mom about something that happened during the troll case because I didn't want to worry you. After the sorceress was taken into custody, she died alone in her jail cell. When she died, she was yelling about how death was the first step, and that she would come for me. Written on the cell walls in her blood was 'It's not over.' This morning I woke up to find that written on the outside of my bedroom window." I took a big slurp of tea while waiting for his response and then another.

"You didn't tell us because you didn't want us to worry?" He dropped his head into his hands, sitting still as one minute stretched to two. When he looked up he was calm, but I could see the worry lines creasing the corners of his eyes. "For years I could only watch and worry from a distance. I have a chance to be in your life, help you, and be there for you. I'll worry even if you aren't in danger, but let me try to help you, and trust me to be able to handle the extra worry."

"You took this a lot better than Mom." I wasn't protesting. It was an observation.

"Mothers worry in different ways. Dads tend to tell you to keep your chin up and keep swinging. I'm worried, but I know you can protect yourself. You've proven to be mature, realistic, and trustworthy. Besides"—his eyes hardened, looking nothing like the kind eyes I was coming to love—"if anyone hurts my little girl, I will hunt them down."

My mouth fell open. I wasn't sure what to say.

"Why did the sorceress target you?" he asked, saving me from my shock.

"I don't know."

"I don't follow. You put her in jail, and you don't know why she would target you?"

"Dad, I understand why the sorceress would come after me for revenge, but she's dead. Who else would have a grudge against me?"

"Whoever gave her the power?"

"That's my guess. We never did figure out who gave her magic."

"True. Did the police ever round up the rest of the troll group?" Dad asked.

"Only the teenagers we found at the chicken farm. The group was compartmentalized, and the kids couldn't identify anyone else. It's an open investigation, but there hasn't been any progress in finding the rest of them."

"Something turned her into a sorceress, and I'd look for it behind the scare tactics." His voice was firm.

"I'll keep my eyes open, Dad, but unless forensics comes up with something, there isn't a trail to follow. Not to mention I'm a witch, not an investigator or the police. I learned that one the hard way and don't want to repeat the experience."

"Good. Your mother and I don't want to be getting any more calls from police informing us that you are in the hospital."

I ducked my head, unsure of what to say.

He smiled and changed topics. "Why don't you tell me where you're at with the preparations for the class?"

"The supplies have taken over the coffee table and part of the floor." I motioned in the direction of the living room with my mug. "Watch where you step."

Dad followed me to the couch, dodging piles of cloth, wands, stacks of paper, and three-ring binders.

He sat down next to me. "You've been busy."

I shrugged. "A big case could crop up at any time. I need to get this done before the next emergency."

"Where do you want to start?" He asked.

"Would you mind helping me measure out the herbs while we go over what I've done so far?"

"Not at all. Do you care where I start?"

The coffee table was occupied by nine large jars and a dozen small jars of herbs. Next to the table were several flats of pint and half-pint jars and empty flats labeled and waiting to be filled with the small jars.

"I'm almost done with the rosemary. Would you mind working on the milk thistle?" I asked, sliding off the sofa so I could sit on the floor beside the coffee table.

"Am I dividing it into pint or half-pint jars?" Dad sat on the floor next to me.

"I was thinking half-pint?"

"Was that a question or statement?"

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. When he taught me magic, our lessons had often gone like this; he would make me ask the questions and seek out the answers. "It was a question. I've never taught anyone, and I want your help."

Dad smiled. "All right. I'll go easy on you. Is this a six-week course?"

I nodded.

"Based on the curriculum we talked about, I would use the pint jar and fill about three quarters of it."

I was on my second jar when I started asking him questions. "Natalie recommended having the students add a pinch of daylily dust to their spells. Is that a good idea? I don't remember doing that."

"It's a great idea. I wish I'd thought to mention it, but I'm used to teaching more advanced students. I'd have to ask your Mom, or your old teachers, but I think your first teacher lightly laced the other components of the spells so you didn't need to add the daylily dust."

"Oh." This was going to be educational in so many ways.

"It looks like you have a good selection of herbs and oils. Why did you get the wands?"

I put the last jar of rosemary in the flat and started on the horse chestnut seeds. "I wasn't sure what supplies they would have since most of their magical equipment will be owned by the police department. If they don't have a wand for personal use, they can use one of these with the option to buy it. The mortar and pestle, ritual knives, herbs, oils, wood disks, twine, grease pen, parchment, burlap, cloth, and work mats will be in kits owned by me that they can use for the class. That way I don't have to deal with them forgetting to bring something. If they want, they can buy part or all of the kit at the end of the class."

"That's a good idea. It should simplify the setup. Are they going to take the binders home?" Dad finished the last jar of milk thistle and started on the daylily dust.

"I haven't figured that out. I was thinking about e-mailing them an electronic version of the binder and having them keep the physical copy here until the end of the class." How to manage the information had been an ongoing dilemma. They needed to have access to it when they were at home so they could practice and use what they'd learned, but I didn't want to deal with them forgetting the papers.

"I've done something similar, and I liked the way it worked. A few of the students didn't like having their notes at class when they were home, so I had them bring a different notebook for taking notes, and they could keep that one with them."

"I hadn't thought about that. Thank you!"

The next two hours flew by, and before I knew it, he'd kissed my forehead and escaped out the door. The information he'd given me was swirling around my brain. While I let it sink in, I finished cleaning up. Dad had helped me move the completed kits into my workroom, but I still needed to store the rest of the jars and vacuum.

By the time I finished cleaning, I was hungry. Since my fridge was bare, I went downstairs to find food. After scavenging in Landa's fridge, I settled down to eat a sandwich, but my phone rang before I'd taken the first bite. I answered reluctantly, unwilling to disrupt my evening for a police emergency. "Oaks Consulting."

"Hey, Michelle. It's Rodriguez."

"What can I do for you?"

"Nothing. I wanted to tell you the lab didn't find any fingerprints. They pulled a few smudges they thought might be prints, but there wasn't anything usable. The paint is a standard red latex paint that's available in several stores, so it isn't unique enough to tell us anything. As for the shoe print, we know it's a guy's size 10 tennis shoe, but the tread was worn off so badly that they couldn't get a brand. I'm sorry I don't have better news."

"It's fine. You didn't have much to work with." I tried to sound cheerful.

"I've got them running a few other tests, but I wouldn't bet on them coming up with anything."

"Thank you. I know this has turned into a giant waste of time, but thank you."

"It wasn't a waste of time. There was an incident, which you reported. Like I said, we take care of our own."

"Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome. I need to head home. Good night."

"Night."

With a heavy sigh, I returned to my turkey, bacon, and cheddar sandwich while watching a dwarven comedian. Normally, I opted for documentaries or reading, but tonight I wanted something lighthearted to take my mind off things. The dwarf had given way to a human and I was placing my dishes in the sink when someone knocked on my door.

I made a beeline for door, calling out, "Who is it?"

"Elron. Please let me in."

Newly paranoid, I looked through the peephole before throwing back the seldom-used deadbolt.

Elron walked in, carrying a small tree in a green ceramic dish. "How are you? I thought you might like some company."

Seeing the hesitation in his body, I smiled. "Company would be great. I'm sorry for being difficult this morning. You were helping, and I was rude."

He shook his head, sending his silver hair rippling around his shoulders. "As I said before, all is forgiven. I would be testy if I awakened in that manner. The woods have been—awakened, for lack of a better term. They will try to prevent evil and evildoers from entering this area. If they can't prevent their progress, they will alert us. With your connection to the earth, you should feel their alarm and distress."

"Thank you, I feel safer already." Which was true, but it was going to be difficult to sleep with mental images of something nasty creeping around the lodge.

"This"—he nodded at the bonsai—"is for you. It will extend the protections of the forest into your apartment. I understand if you do not want it. Last time I gave you a plant, it engulfed your bathroom." His shoulders drooped, and I could tell that he still felt bad about the last gift. Exposure to my magic had changed the small flower. I now had a purple-and-blue-striped flower the size of a dinner plate next to my bathroom sink and green vines twirling around the rest of my bathroom.

"Once you made it stop crawling all over the place, I liked it. I'd never figured out how I wanted to decorate the bathroom, and now it's beautiful."

A small smile started at the corners of his mouth. "You like it?"

"Yes, now that it's a bit tamer. Is that thing going to turn into a full-sized tree one day?" I asked, my voice warm and teasing.

One side of Elron's mouth twisted up. "It will not."

"Then I would love to have the bonsai. Would you like to sit down and have some tea?"

"Yes, thank you." He set the tree on the dining room table and followed me into the kitchen.

"Would you mind making that calming brew? I'm still jumpy."

"Not at all." He rummaged around, and in a few minutes handed me a steaming cup.

"Yummy. Even better than last time. You have to tell me how you make it."

"I can tell you, but you won't be able to replicate it because I add a bit of elven magic to the herbs."

"Oh. Can you prepare the herbs ahead of time so I could make the tea on my own?"

"I could make a small batch, but the effectiveness with quickly decline."

"How quickly?" I asked

"It is not easy to say. The tea will be good for a week, perhaps two."

"I'll use it before then." I found a small, empty mason jar and handed it to him.

Elron measured out several of the herbs, and cupped his hands around the jar. When I concentrated, I could see the green haze of his magic drifting into the herbs. He capped the mason jar and handed it to me. "A calming brew for you."

"Thank you. This is better than any of the calming teas I make." I labeled the jar and set it on the lazy Susan with the rest of my tea.

"You are welcome. I've made something of a study of herbs and teas. I've had the time."

"I suppose in fifteen hundred years one can pick up a few hobbies."

"True. Tea is a more recent interest. It is a delightful example of the favors the earth has to offer, and modern times have made it much easier to enjoy. My true passion has been plants."

I took a closer look at the tree. "Did you shape the bonsai?"

"In a way. I grew it from a seed, and it told me it wanted to stay small, so I gave it some direction."

"It's lovely, especially since it wasn't forced to be small."

He twisted the mug of tea in his hands. "I thought you'd enjoy having more greenery in the apartment."

I laid a hand over his, jumping when our energies mixed, throwing off heat. He paled. I pulled my hand away and cleared my throat. "I trust you. I know you had nothing to do with the flower's growth."

Elron licked his lips. "You are correct. That was unintentional."

Thank the moon he was ignoring the moment when our energies mixed. "Yes, I'd love to have the bonsai, but I'm not good at keeping plants alive. What if I kill it?" I paled. This was like the dream. Narzel fart, parts of my dreams were coming true.

"It will let me know if it needs anything, and I'll let you know."

"All right. In that case, I'd love to have it. Where should I put it?"

Elron retrieved the tree from the dining room table and went into the living room. He set the bonsai on a table under the window. Humming, he shifted it from one spot to the next. Stepping back he surveyed his work. "This spot should be perfect."

Walking over, the room seemed happier and tranquil. My gaze shifted from the bonsai to the elf. His hands were behind his back, and his hair draped over one shoulder, glittering in the light. There was a sharpness in his eyes, as if he could see through my skin.

I stroked a finger along the trunk and traced the swirling designs on the outside of the dish. The bonsai shifted, pushing a branch under my hand, moving until my nails scraped over a rough patch of bark. It shivered, and I ran my nails over the patch again and again, as it twitched and pushed against my hand.

"It is fond of you," Elron said.

The bonsai pushed my hand away. I turned to smile at Elron. "I like it too. Thank you for bringing me such a delightful plant."

"Tis but a small thing. Remember, it will help the forest watch over you."

We studied the plant, sipping our tea. Unable to take the silence, I felt the need to repeat myself. "Thank you for rushing to my aid this morning."

"When I needed help, my friends were there. I think I owe the earth a debt for sending me the help I needed." He was looking out the window, but I didn't think he was focused on the garden.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Hum?"

"The times you had friends to help you when life wasn't going your way; do you want to talk about them?"

"It was long ago, and the details would bore you."

"Try me. You might be surprised."

He studied me over his shoulder, but I couldn't see past the poker face. Finding an answer in my expression, Elron returned to looking at the window. A few seconds passed before he said, "I know it must seem odd for me to be unaccustomed to many modern comforts. After all, they were invented during my life, but I wasn't here to see their birth. I've spent nearly two hundred years hiding in a forest because I was in mourning. My friends did their best to help me, and often I didn't want to be helped. If I'd ever reached out, they would've moved mountains to help me."

Knowing it was pushing the boundaries, I asked, "Why were you in mourning?"

Elron's hands clenched, forming fists, while his power fluctuated wildly, charging the air around him.

"Elron, you don't have to answer. I was simply asking why you would've spent such a long time in mourning. It must've been a horrible event." His magic was still pulsing, and I was afraid of the result. I'd never seen an elf lose control, but when witches lost it, bad things happened.

All of a sudden the energy died, sinking back into his skin. "My mate was killed."

"I am so sorry. I can't imagine losing the love of my life." I gave myself a mental kick. Why didn't I leave it alone?

"Thank you. I loved her very much, and have spent years trying to forgive myself for her death." Elron bowed his head, hiding behind his hair.

With a sigh, I replied, "You're a good man. I'm sure you did everything you could."

"That does not make it any easier."

I moved closer, wanting to support him, but unwilling to touch him. "I don't want you to be sad. Sit down; watch some silly shows with me. We can remind each other that we aren't alone and move on to happier topics." When he raised his head and his shoulders dropped, I teased, "Besides, I can't have us becoming friends. I'd have to stop calling you 'Old Feisty' and 'Dratted Elf.'"

"That would be terrible. Almost as terrible as thinking of you as a mature witch, rather than a little girl playing dress-up."

"So funny, elf. What do you want to watch?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. You should pick."

Time raced by as we watched comedians, sharing laughs and having a good time. Before I knew what had happened, we were shoulder to shoulder, with our energy sparkling when it touched.

I looked at my watch and sighed. "It's later than I thought, and I need to get to bed soon. Morning comes early these days."

"Did I do something to upset you?" he asked, sitting still.

"No, not at all. Today has been long and exciting. I'm not sure I'm going to sleep well, and I'd like to get as much rest as possible."

He gave me the once-over. "I can see the fatigue in your eyes." In one smooth move he picked up my hand, and planted a kiss on the back. "Sleep well, Michelle."

"Good night, Elron. Have happy dreams."

My hand was still tingling when the door closed behind him. Shaking my head, I went to have a talk with my lions, adding Elron to the list of people allowed unrestricted access to my apartment.

Realizing I hadn't called my Mom, I dialed her number. She wouldn't accept my father seeing me a few hours ago as an excuse.

"Hello?"

"Mom? It's Michelle. I was calling to check in, as you requested."

"Thank you. It makes me feel better. Love you, stay safe."

"Love you too, Mom." If I'd known it would be that easy to talk to her in the evening, I would've called earlier.

I pulled blackout blinds over all the windows in my apartment. Safety first.

Chapter 6: Adder

"Father, we need to talk." My dad, still powerful in his old age, looked up from his desk and the papers he'd been reading. That's all he seemed to do these days, push papers and be in my way.

"I'm afraid we do, son."

"What?"

He sighed, leaning back in the chair. Gray eyes matching the gray hair gazed at me with emotions I couldn't identify.

"Adder, your behavior has become increasingly erratic. I was willing to pass off many of your escapades as youthful adventures, but you've crossed the line from youthful hijinks to criminal behavior. If you don't reform, I will be forced to take punitive action."

"What do you mean by punitive action?" Father hadn't punished me in years.

"The first thing would be a challenge in front of the pack. If your behavior continued, you would be imprisoned. If you continued to flaunt our rules after those punishments, I would be forced to try you for insubordination and kill you." A single tear slid down Father's cheek.

"Why? What have I done to deserve that?" My friend's suggestion came back to me, whispering how one move could end all my problems. I tried to push away the thought, but the words kept coming back.

He leaned forward, his mouth set in a hard line. "You beat two of our women when they declined your advances. You encourage violence and show a complete disregard for our history and laws. I have more than a few questions about what you're doing when you aren't being a thorn in my side, but those can wait for later."

"Why do you care? I'm not here causing problems for you."

"Yes, son, and that's what scares me. I'm waiting for those other problems to land on my desk."

"Those women deserved what they got. First they were flirty, then they couldn't wait to run away." Even as I said it, I knew it wasn't true, but I'd been so angry, and they were there. "As for these rules, they're nothing more than guidelines set down by a group of old farts trying to make sure none of us can have any fun."

"I'm sorry to hear you say that, son, but you still have to pay for your actions."

"And how will I be paying for them?"

"A challenge at the pack meeting on Friday. After which, you'll spend three days in silver chains."

"I won't be able to heal if I'm in silver."

"I'm aware. That is part of the punishment."

"No. I won't go. I won't do it."

He surged to his feet, leaning over the desk. "You don't have a choice. If you refuse to attend the meeting, you will be forcibly retrieved, and you will face a more severe punishment."

"No!" I shouted. He had no right, no right at all. Father, Alpha, neither had the authority to tell me to show up for a pack-sanctioned beating.

"One way or another, you'll be facing a punishment. Take the lesser one."

"I'm sorry, Father, but I can't."

I pulled a knife from the small of my back and leapt over the desk to plunge it into his chest. He threw up an arm, trying to guard against the attack, but it was too late. The knife slid in. For a moment we stayed upright before he fell back, and we ended up in a heap on the floor.

He gasped, choking for air. "This won't kill me."

"Yes, it will. The blade was poisoned." I tightened my grip on the hilt and pulled it out as Father screamed. "Don't worry. I was told it would be a fast death."

As he lay there wheezing and choking, I pulled a cloth out of my pocket and rubbed the blood off the blade. My friend had been right. The small twinge in my heart was nothing. I didn't have to justify my actions or listen to another lecture about how I was tarnishing the family name.

Once my father was unconscious, I used a silver pocketknife to make a shallow cut across both our wrists. Mashing them together, I surged power through the cuts. A burning sensation lanced across my arm. With a hiss, I pulled away to find the cut healed, and I was starting to feel the pack magic settle around me. Father wasn't even cold when I left. I had a friend to see and a pack to order. The rules were about to change.

Chapter 7: Elron

I left Michelle with a smile on my face and a spring in my step. In the past, even mentioning Sylvia had been enough to send me into hiding, where I tried to believe that she would return. I knew better now. My wife was gone. While I would never forget her, my guilt and grief were dissipating. As the past reformed into a coherent memory, my emotions awakened, and I was able to think again.

My love for Sylvia had been true, but it felt more like a passionate love run wild than the love of my life. My extended mourning was due to my inability to save her and my guilt-infused relief that I didn't have to try to make both of us happy anymore. I had spent decades trying to be everything to her, for her. There was no doubt in my mind that she had been happy, satisfied with our life, but in hindsight my efforts to please her were an attempt to fill the void in my heart.

We were so blinded by love that we didn't see one another. We saw what we wanted to see, the love we wanted to have.

The modern world, Landa, Mander, and Michelle had changed me. I was learning about me, seeing past my upbringing, life in the woods.

Being near Michelle made me feel young and alive. Her presence had fascinating effects on the Call as well. It stopped pushing me when I was near her and seldom bothered me while I was at the lodge.

The push irked me, as it wasn't mapping a clear path. It wanted me in this area, and close to Michelle. Past that, I couldn't determine what I should be accomplishing. It was maddening.

Beyond Michelle's effect on my Calling, I was stumped as to what it wanted from me. It had urged me to this time and place, but Michelle's work was the most exciting thing around. Everything I had been taught about Callings revolved around dangerous situations that had a significant impact on the world around them. Thus far, I was tending a garden and spending time with a witch, hardly world-altering activities.

However, something was after this witch, and I would do my part to ensure her safety. I had been honest about the bonsai's primary purpose, but I had left out a few of its abilities. Along with extending the protections of the forest, it would give me a way to sense what was occurring in her rooms. Unless I went into a trance to have a deep connection with the bonsai, I would only feel extreme emotional spikes. It should help me aid her during peril and give her privacy the rest of the time.

Unbeknownst to her, I had given the plant in her bathroom extra direction as well. It would now shield her if she was in the bathroom and needed protection. If an individual intending to harm Michelle went into the bathroom, the plant would detain or kill them. I hadn't been very specific on which was preferred. If the bad guy was alive, we might be able to question him, but if he was dead, it was one less spot of evil on the earth.

Chapter 8: Michelle

I blinked, trying to wake up enough to figure out what I was hearing. There was a grunt, growl, and then a yell.

"Michelle, help! Arrg, get off me!"

It was Tiffany's voice. What she was doing here, I didn't know, but the lions would be making short work of her. I rushed through the door, wand at the ready in case there was some trickery. Tiffany was lying in a defensive curl four feet from the door. One lion had a grip on her arm, and the other was restraining an ankle.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, motioning the lions to release her but stay on guard.

"Michelle? Is that you?" She scrubbed her eyes and blinked a few times.

"Yes, it's me. Why are you in my apartment?" Tiffany looked terrible. Her normally perfect makeup was smeared, clothing torn, and she had a few scuffs on her arms. Even though it was flirting with freezing outside, she wasn't wearing a jacket.

"I need you to help me!" Tiffany demanded.

"I figured as much."

Tears dripped down her cheeks. "Don't you understand? He's taken her," she whimpered.

"Taken who, Tiffany?" I knelt down next to her. Even though she looked and sounded like my friend, I checked to see if she was wearing an illusion spell. Then I checked to see if she had been spelled and if magic had touched her lately. When I finished, it felt like a waste of energy; as far as I could tell, I was looking at a slightly crazy best friend.

"We have to get her back."

"Who? Tiffany, who was taken? Who did the taking?" I resisted the urge to shake her. She was one of my best friends, but I couldn't say she was at her best in an emergency.

Tiffany turned toward me, but her eyes were unfocused. "He could hurt her. Why won't you listen?"

"I am listening," I yelled. "You won't tell me the problem. Who needs help?"

"I didn't say?" For the first time her eyes were focused on me.

"No, you didn't. I want to help, but if you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't help you." If someone was in trouble, they were going to be dead before I knew the problem. "Let me get you something to drink."

I got her to sit at the table and watched her sip the water I'd given her. After the first sip, she paused to catch her breath. Half a glass later, she looked calm, but I could still see the pulse in her neck jumping. I sent the lions back to their post by the door, where they returned to looking like stone figurines.

"What did I tell you?" Tiffany asked.

I slowly counted to ten before answering, "Nothing helpful, so start at the beginning."

"Amber's been kidnapped. That's not the beginning, but you need to know. See, Amber asked me to tag along when she went to a meeting with the bird shifters. I don't know why, but she was edgy. Amber kept saying something might go wrong. I asked her what could go wrong, and she didn't answer. Everything seemed fine. The meeting lasted about an hour. I sat in the car reading a book. Anyway, she came out and was running for the car when a guy jumped her. She tried to fight back, but couldn't get away. I rushed over to help her, but he shoved me down and I hit my head on the road. By the time I stopped seeing stars, she was gone."

"Who took her?" I growled. As a werepeahen, Amber was considered a prey animal by most of the shifter community. As a person, Amber was sweet and much more suited to her office job than facing down an abductor.

"Let me finish the story." Tiffany took a sip of water. "I went back in the house, hoping one of the shifters could tell me who he was, but they were all passed out. Some of them came around on their own, and I roused the rest of them. They said someone had come in after the meeting ended and jumped them. The bruises proved their story. They wouldn't call the police. They said it was shifter business and I shouldn't be involved.

"I called the police, but no one wanted to believe me. They wanted me to give a statement in the morning and said they would send a car around. The person on the other end of the phone had the gall to suggest it was a game. I know Mark, and that wasn't him."

I was a second from killing Tiffany out of frustration. "That's great. Now, who took Amber?" My money was on her stalker.

Tears resumed dripping down her face. "One of the birds said it sounded like Adder. The rest would only say it smelled like werewolves. I don't know why Adder would take Amber. His father is still the alpha and would kill him for this."

"The crazy werewolf everyone is afraid of has Amber?" I started rubbing my temples.

"I think so." She buried her head in her hands and resumed crying.

"Tiffany, focus on me for a second." She looked at me, chest heaving, tears running down her face. "Did she mention anything about a man or a specific car?" Tiffany shook her head. "What kind of car did her abductors use?"

"A dark van."

"What kind of van? Was it a cargo van or a minivan? Did you get the plate?" I held my breath. Please, let her have a solid lead.

"I didn't get the plate." Tiffany chewed on her lip. "I think it was a minivan. There were a lot of cars parked on the street when we arrived, so I ended up parking down the street. One of the spaces close to the house was empty when I went in to check on the shifters."

I took her by the shoulders and turned her so she was looking at me. "That was good, Tiffany. You need to remember every detail when we talk to the police. I promise I'll find an officer who will believe you."

A knock sounded at the door. "Great," I mumbled. "Exactly what I needed, more problems."

"Who is it?" I called out, not bothering to get up from the table.

"Elron."

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"The commotion woke me. Are you hurt?"

"Do I sound hurt?"

"No. But given recent events, I'd feel better if I could see for myself. Landa would never forgive me if I let something happen to you."

"Fine. Come on in." Tiffany hadn't locked the door behind her.

He came in and immediately flipped on the light, blinding me but having no effect on Tiffany, who was still sobbing. Unlike when he'd come barging in yesterday, he was fully clothed.

"Took the time to dress? Hardly in a hurry to check on me."

"This didn't sound as serious, and none of the alarms sounded."

I shrugged. My wand was still at hand because I wasn't sure why Adder, if the identity was correct, had left Tiffany behind.

"What's going on?" Elron asked.

"This is Tiffany. She's a private investigator. Amber, a good friend of ours, was abducted a few hours ago. She thinks Adder did it," I answered.

"What would he want with your friend? And why would he do it? His father won't let him get away with kidnapping," Elron said.

"I don't know why he wants Amber or how he'll get around his father."

"Is there anything special about this girl?" he asked.

"She's a werepeacock, and my friend," I said.

"Really? In all my years, I've never heard of a female shifting into a peacock," Elron quipped.

"Quit being dense. I can see the smile on your face. She is technically a werepeahen, but you know as well as I do that no one makes the distinction."

"True." He stared at the woman slumped in the chair. "Did she go to the police?"

"Yes, but she said they didn't take her seriously."

"Don't you have contacts at the station?"

"Again yes, but they normally work day shift. I'm planning on calling them in the morning."

"What are you planning on doing now?"

"Tucking her in on the sofa and trying to figure out who I can call in the middle of the night that will know what's going on with a werewolf pack."

"I'm afraid I may not be of much help. While I know several nocturnal individuals, none of them would know the latest information about werewolves."

"Don't worry about it. Could you put her on the sofa? I don't think she's moving under her own power at this point." Tiffany was passed out at the table.

"Not a problem." With an ease I was happy to admire, Elron scooped up Tiffany. He carried her the few steps to the sofa before carefully placing her on the cushions and covering her with a blanket.

I knew the first few hours after an abduction were critical, but it was two thirty in the morning, and those first few hours had already passed. What I needed now was good information, but most of the police I was on a first name basis with didn't start work until eight in the morning. Offhand, I could only think of one person who'd be up and might know something.

"Could you watch her for a few minutes?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I need to step out for about fifteen minutes, and I don't think she should be alone."

Elron nodded his agreement, and I sped out before he could change his mind. The first stop on my list was in the basement. Paxton was the resident vampire. He'd arrived back in town two nights ago. Even if he didn't know anything, I wouldn't be disturbing his sleep.

I gently rapped on his door, unsure of my welcome. The door flew open under my hand, and I took an involuntary step back.

Paxton was on the shorter side, only five feet five inches tall, but stocky and dark. He was still, other than his eye running up and down my body and the fluttering of his nostrils as he examined me. "Michelle, what a surprise. I suspect this isn't a social visit."

Shaking my head, I answered, "It's not. Sorry for showing up unannounced; I was hoping you would know what's going on with the wolf pack."

Paxton leaned against the doorjamb. "It depends. What do you want to know?"

"Have there been any changes in pack structure?" I bit my tongue trying not to say too much.

"Not that I am aware of. How recent would this change be?"

"Recently enough for a werewolf to go after another shifter a few hours ago."

"Ah." He froze, not even blinking while he pondered. Resuming more normal actions, he continued. "I'm afraid I don't have any information for you. I wish I had more to tell you, but I haven't talked to any of my shifter friends in nearly a week. Baden is usually better informed, and I know he's home tonight. In fact, I heard him come in a few minutes ago."

"You don't think he would mind?"

"Under the circumstances, he would understand."

"Thank you, Paxton. If I can return this favor, let me know."

"Nonsense. You were merely asking a question. There is nothing to repay." He became solemn. "Best of luck with this… issue."

I bowed my head. "Thank you." When I looked up, Paxton was gently closing the door.

Baden's room was on the third floor, and my tired body protested the climb. I hadn't gotten enough sleep before Tiffany showed up, and it didn't look like I was going back to bed anytime soon. The door opened shortly after I knocked. Baden was a large guy, nearly a foot taller than me and twice as wide. None of the width was fat. He was solid muscle.

"Michelle, how can I help you?" he rumbled.

"I'm sorry to bother you so late, but I had a few questions."

"I was up. Come in. I'll try to answer."

"Thanks." I perched on a barstool while he held up the wall across from me. "Do you know if there's been any change in power in the werewolf pack?"

His eyes narrowed, changing to a golden color. "Why do you need to know?"

Baden's reaction was strange, since he wasn't a wolf and their politics shouldn't affect him. "Anything you can tell me about Adder and the wolves would be helpful. Adder may have abducted a friend of mine, a werepeahen."

He sighed, relaxing against the wall. "When was she taken?"

"Earlier this evening."

"I was at a meeting for large cats today," Baden said.

I nodded. He shifted into a Bengal tiger, and there weren't many of them around. It was common for shifter groups who didn't have larger numbers to band together with similar shifters.

"Simon missed several meetings today, and no one has been able to contact him. All the inquiries were directed to Adder, who said his father was under the weather. Whatever is going on, the wolves are keeping quiet."

I frowned. "If Adder is taking calls for his father…"

"Then the slim margin of control Simon had over Adder is gone," Baden sighed. "Simon was in a bad position. He needed to get Adder to behave or kill him."

"Adder may be in charge now, but that doesn't explain why he'd want Amber." Simon had been the only one standing between the world and two hundred pounds of crazy werewolf.

"Had he met her before?" Baden asked.

"I don't know. Do you know her?"

"Eh, I might. It's hard to keep track of every shifter in the area. What does she look like?"

I described her human and shifted forms, though I'd only seen her in feathery glory twice.

"I've met her. Cute, nice, but not powerful as shifters go. I don't know of them crossing paths." He shook his head. "Adder is bad news. I hope you can get your friend soon."

"Thank you for helping Amber and me."

"What are you going to do?"

"Try to get the police to rescue her." Silently, I admitted that if that failed I'd go after her.

"In that case, let me give you a number." Baden scribbled a few lines on a mini legal pad sitting next to his phone before ripping the sheet off the pad and handing it to me. "I know it's not much, but that guy might know more about Adder, and if he doesn't, he'll know who does."

"Thank you." I gave him a hug.

"If I learn anything else I'll pass it along."

Baden closed the door behind me, and I headed back to my room while folding the paper and stuffing it in my pocket. Baden had given me plenty to think about.

In my apartment, I found Tiffany asleep on the sofa and Elron studying a picture of a willow tree hanging on my wall.

"Thank you for watching her," I said.

"Of course."

"Still, you didn't have to help." I wasn't used to us being friendly and helping each other.

"Can I be of further assistance?" He tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "You should rest."

My cheek tingled where the back of his hand had brushed against me. "I don't think so. I'm going to make us some food, get more information from her, and then we're going to the police."

"Call for me if you are in need."

He was gone before I had a chance to thank him again. I'd been saying a lot of thank-yous lately. These situations were supposed to have gone away when the trolls were captured. Here I was, faced with a missing friend and a crazy werewolf.

Tiffany was going to want to go charging after Amber right away, and I wouldn't agree. This was a matter for the police and shifters. I wasn't either of them, and I wasn't a match for an angry werewolf. My last brush with a confrontation had given me a clear view of my limits, and rescuing my friend from a crazy werewolf wasn't a skill I possessed.

"Tiffany, honey, you have to wake up," I told her. She mumbled, but didn't move. "We have to find Amber."

She shot up. "Amber? Where is she?"

"That's what we need to talk about."

Tiffany scrubbed her eyes. "I feel terrible."

"I bet. It's going to be a little while before we can go back to the police. Where was the meeting?"

"Up in Ellijay."

"Which police department did you talk to?"

"I talked to emergency dispatch."

"Why didn't they believe you?" I asked. Tiffany should've spent more time with the police last night. I couldn't figure out why she hadn't been interviewed by several cops.

"They thought I was making a prank call because I was fuzzy on the details. The other birds wanted to be left out of everything, which made telling a coherent story impossible."

"But you told me the entire story, right?"

"Yes."

"Good. Do you know why Adder wanted Amber?"

"No." She started crying. "But I knew she was scared. I should've done more to help her."

"Sweetie, you did what you could. Let's go over everything again."

We went over every detail of the night twice. I let Tiffany drift back to sleep while I found a change of clothes for her. After a brief debate over using the number Baden had given me, I pocketed it for later. I wanted to talk to the police before I did anything else.

Chapter 9: Elron

The bonsai worked as I'd planned. It alerted me when Tiffany got in a scuffle with the two door guards; those were an excellent addition to Michelle's security. Since the tree didn't see any evil intent, I stayed in bed, hoping the disturbance would pass. When the discord continued, I hastened to her apartment, wanting to make sure she was safe.

I was playing a delicate game. I wanted to help, but it would be unwise to wear out my welcome. She wanted her independence and wouldn't enjoy my constant intervention. Besides, if I arrived every time something happened, she'd get suspicious.

I looked at her door before I went down for breakfast. Thanks to the bonsai, I could tell that she wasn't home. Downstairs, only residents were up this early, making it a small group. Landa and Mander were setting out food as quickly as they could, while Baden waited next to the plates. Paxton was already seated, sipping on a large mug of blood.

As soon as Landa set down the last dish, the four of us loaded our plates and started eating. After a moment of chewing, I asked, "Landa do you know where Michelle is this morning?"

"No, I haven't talked to her today. Why?"

"I thought she might have told you, considering last night's excitement."

"What happened?" Landa demanded. She was protective of Michelle, seeing her as a daughter.

"Her friend, Tiffany, broke into her room. From what she said, their friend, Amber, was abducted last night by a werewolf named Adder. According to Tiffany, the police weren't helpful, and she thought Michelle could help."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I thought you knew. She asked me to watch Tiffany while she went to talk to someone. I thought she was talking to you."

"If I may," said Paxton. "I was her first stop. She knew I would be awake and thought I might know something. Unfortunately, I didn't have any useful information for her, so I sent her to Baden. I'd heard him come in not long before and thought it wouldn't be too much of an imposition, considering the circumstances. My apologies if I was mistaken, Baden."

"No, I was still awake and happy to help. I've never heard anything good about Adder, and the news only gets worse."

"Since Michelle isn't here, could the three of you fill me in?" Landa asked.

The three of us explained the events of last night, filling in the sections of the evening we'd experienced. By the end of the story Landa was glaring at all of us.

"Michelle and Tiffany are gone, and none of you have any idea where they went?"

We shook our heads.

"But you think they're at the police station."

We nodded.

"Elron, keep an eye on her."

Chapter 10: Michelle

"Michelle, what's wrong?" Rodriguez answered the phone. "I'm supposed to be calling you early in the morning, not the other way around."

If I'd been less stressed, I would've laughed. "True. I had a quick question. Crimes have to be reported where they happen, right?" I pushed Tiffany down the hall, steering her around a side table she swerved toward.

"Yes, why?"

"My friend witnessed a crime and didn't get a lot of help from the operator, so she came to my house. Before we drove to the sheriff's office in Gilmer County, I wanted to check on the procedure."

"You'll have to drive up there to make the report."

"Anyone who might be able to help us with a matter including shifters?"

"I'd talk to Randy Wells. He's a shifter and a detective. I haven't talked to him much, but he stays out of most of the politics and focuses on being a cop."

"Thank you."

"Let me know if there's anything else I can do."

"I will." I hung up the phone and grabbed Tiffany as she toppled into a wall. Sleep deprivation and stress were getting the better of her.

"Wrong way, sweetie. We need to go down the hall to the car." I repositioned us, draping her arm over my shoulder and wrapping my arm around her waist. We teetered down the hall like a drunken moose.

"Have to… to help Amber." Tiffany muttered.

"I know, Tiffany. We're headed that way." I dropped her in the passenger seat, shoving arms and legs into the appropriate locations so I could get the seatbelt buckled. A sleeping charm had her out cold. She hadn't rested well last night, and I needed her coherent when we talked to the detective.

Pulling out of the driveway, I turned on classical music rather than my usual pop station. Hopefully, the soothing music would help Tiffany recover.

Amber's been abducted. The words kept echoing through my head. Not gentle Amber, the softest and kindest of the three of us.

Amber's been abducted. But why?

My phone rang, knocking me out of the haze. Of course it was ringing. My phone rang at every hour of the day and night.

"Oaks Consulting. This is Michelle."

"Michelle, this is Mark. Amber told me to call you if I ever needed to find her."

"Oh, hello." I'd been dreading this call. Amber used me as her emergency contact because she didn't have any family in the area. She'd considered using Tiffany, but half the time Tiffany had her phone off to avoid attracting attention while she was at work. I was first on Mark's list to call if he was looking for Amber.

He sounded hesitant, as if he wasn't sure he should ask. "Look, I know Amber's been keeping something from me, and I want to know she's okay. If she doesn't want to see me anymore, I can live with that, but this is very sudden. Last night we were fine, and now she missed breakfast and isn't returning my calls."

Now I had to tell the confused boyfriend his girl had been taken. This was not a conversation I knew how to begin. "Mark, Amber really likes you. She isn't breaking up with you."

"That's a relief. What's going on? Is her phone dead? Did she have a family emergency?"

"Mark, where are you?"

"At home, about to go to work. Why does that matter?"

"Amber was abducted last night. I'm driving Tiffany to the police station to make a formal statement and try to report her missing."

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure. Some guy grabbed her when she was walking to the car. Tiffany tried to help and attempted to report it last night, but the police wouldn't listen."

"Wait. Someone took my girlfriend, and the police don't care?" Mark growled.

"Mark, that's not what happened. From what Tiffany said, there was a mix-up with the operator. We can talk again after the police talk to you. Right now you need to take some time and let this sink in. Go in to work late or call in sick and meet us at the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office. I'm sure the police will want to ask you some questions."

"You're going to find her, right?" He asked.

I blinked away tears. I had to be able to see the road. "Mark, I'm a witch, not a cop."

"You work with the police, right?"

"Sometimes."

"Work with them now. Find her!" Mark demanded.

I swallowed hard. "It doesn't work that way. I can only work on the case if they hire me, and I doubt they will."

"Why wait for them to hire you?"

"Because I'm not a cop. As a consultant and expert in my field, I can't touch a case without an invitation. They won't invite me because she's my friend. I know this will be hard to hear, but last time I did the lone-hero thing, I almost died. I'm not in the dying-hero business. I will do what I can. She's my best friend." Part of my heart cracked. It didn't matter if I was telling him the honest, bare-bones truth. It hurt. It hurt him, Tiffany, Amber, and me.

"All right, I get it. I need to think about stuff. I'll talk to you later."

I sighed with equal parts relief and exasperation. It felt good to have that conversation behind me, but it was frustrating for everyone to think I could fix it all with a quick spell. I couldn't work miracles, just spells. Wanting something to be a certain way didn't make it so.

I tried to shake off the mood when we arrived in Ellijay, but it stuck with me. Rather than fight what I couldn't change, I focused on what needed to be done.

After I deactivated the sleeping charm, I gently shook Tiffany's shoulder. "Tiffany, wake up. We're here."

"Umm-hurph."

"Tiffany, I need you to wake up so you can tell us what happened to Amber." I waved the tea under her nose.

Tiffany blinked, stretched, and focused on me. "Where are we?"

Score. She was coherent and lucid. "Outside the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office. They are going to take your statement about Amber."

"Right. How's that going to work? They didn't want to listen to me last night." She yawned and stretched again.

"To start with, you're going to drink this tea and wake up a bit. Then we are going to walk in there and request to speak with Detective Wells. A friend of mine recommended him. When he talks to us, you are going to tell him the truth." I glared her. "No lying to protect anyone."

She squirmed a bit. "But he'll want to talk to the shifters, and they won't back up my story."

"You'd be surprised. But if you don't tell him the truth, you're preventing him from doing his job. Would you take a job if you couldn't get any information about the clients and what they needed?"

She scraped the toe of her shoe along the floor mat. "No." A gulp of coffee later, she continued. "I'll tell him the truth, but if it comes back on me because no one will back me up, I'm going to blame you."

"You sure are full of hot air. You'll blame yourself, the shifters, the police, Detective Wells, the guy who took her, and then me." I ticked them off on my fingers. "We both know you'll never forgive yourself if you can't find Amber," I said softly.

"Michelle, I'm scared."

"I know. I am too," I said softly. "Now, let's go."

Tiffany trailed behind me like a lost puppy. Considering her usual spunky attitude, it was disheartening to see her so lost. I hoped she would bounce back after the police began their investigation, but I had a feeling she wouldn't feel right until the three of us were laughing over pizza again.

With that thought, my stomach knotted. If the police didn't rescue Amber, I stood to lose two friends. I quickly brushed the moisture away from my eyes, blinking to focus on the building in front of me.

The sheriff's office was a large brick building with white trim and glass doors. Once we were inside, I made a beeline for the receptionist, a heavy woman with glasses and short curly hair.

"Good morning." She smiled. "How can I help you?"

"We need to speak with Detective Wells. Is he in?"

"Your names?"

"Michelle Oaks and Tiffany Long."

"Please sit down. I'll see if he's available."

"Thank you." I steered Tiffany away as the receptionist picked up the phone.

The seats in the small waiting area were hard plastic. I would've criticized the decor, but I had a feeling the chairs lived a rough life. Scattered between the chairs were side tables with stacks of National Geographic magazines. I picked up one with a rare black unicorn on the cover, and began reading about secluded tribes of unicorns living in Wyoming. The article featured a herd looking for a way to continue living a semi-nomadic life style and have the advantages of modern life. The unicorns had partnered with local ranchers to assume many of the duties they would typically need a person to accomplish. The unicorns would patrol the fences, look after the livestock, and report any problems requiring opposable thumbs to the ranchers. In return, the unicorns had shelter, food, people aware of their location in case of trouble, and a small stipend.

"Ladies?" A deep voice asked. "I'm Detective Wells. What can I do for you?"

I looked up to see a very average-looking man. He was just shy of six feet, neither thin, nor broad. His two most distinguishing features were his dirty-blond hair and definition in his muscles.

"Hi," I said as I stood up and reached out to shake his hand. "I'm Michelle Oaks. Thank you for seeing us." He hesitated but reached forward to shake my hand. I revised my earlier assessment. The most notable aspect of the detective would be the six fingers on both his hands.

"Nice to meet you," he said, clearly relieved that I wasn't bothered by his extra fingers.

Tiffany reached around me to introduce herself. "Tiffany Long."

After shaking her hand, Detective Wells stuffed his hands in his pockets. "If you ladies will follow me, we can talk at my desk."

We followed him down a short hall and into a room with ten desks. Four of them had uniformed men and women at work. He motioned for us to sit across from a well-organized desk at the back of the room.

"What can I do for you?" Detective Wells asked.

Beside me, Tiffany froze. Shifting in my seat, I stomped on her toe while I answered the question. "Tiffany would like to report a crime."

He shifted his gaze to her. With a squeak, she started talking "Last night, our friend, Amber, was kidnapped."

"Ms. Long—"

"Please call me Tiffany."

"Tiffany, did you witness the abduction?"

"Yes."

"Please describe the events." He slid a legal pad to the center of the desk and pulled a pen out of a drawer.

Tiffany looked at me, and I waved my hand at her. She needed to get on with it; Amber was counting on her. Tiffany dropped her eyes before turning back to the detective. "Yesterday Amber asked me to accompany her to a meeting that bird shifters have. She was worried, and I don't know why. She never said."

I listened to Tiffany tell the story again. This time the story made sense because she told it in order. She went through the entire sequence of events, from arriving at the house, Amber's kidnapping, checking on the other shifters, to her attempts to talk to the police.

"The shifters wouldn't tell me much. Amber had been at the front door when they were attacked. She must have run out, hoping to escape." Tiffany was speaking in a flat voice, devoid of emotion. Her eyes weren't focused on the detective, but on some distant point only she could see. If I hadn't known better, I would've said she was hypnotized.

"One of them told me Adder, a werewolf, might have taken her. The most the rest would say was that their attackers had smelled like werewolves. They wouldn't let me use their phone to report her abduction because they didn't want to be involved. I went back to my car and found my phone. I called nine-one-one, but the operator told me anyone could've taken Amber. He told me to call back if she didn't show up in the morning. I drove to Michelle's house, hoping she would help. This morning she told me we were coming up here to make a report, so here I am. I just want to find Amber. She trusted me to keep her safe, and I failed." With that, Tiffany broke down, softly sobbing.

Detective Wells handed me a box of tissues. I pushed one into Tiffany's hand. She blew her nose and dried her eyes.

While Tiffany cried, I told my side of the story starting from the time we entered my apartment through the phone call with Mark to dragging her in here. The detective asked me a few questions to clarify points and turned his attention to the now-sniffling Tiffany.

Detective Wells said, "Tiffany, I need to ask you a few more questions. It would help me and Amber if you could answer them." She choked on a sob and nodded. "What kind of meeting was Amber at? Was there anything special about her? Where does she work?"

"All I know is that it was for bird shifters that didn't have a flock of their own kind in this area. She's a werepeahen. You know the female version of a peacock? That's the most unique thing about her," Tiffany said.

I answered the work question since Tiffany was blowing her nose. "She's a paralegal at Dotson and Company in Canton."

"Tiffany, what time did you call nine-one-one? What were you told?"

Tiffany flipped open her phone, to check. "Eight fifty-three. The guy I talked to said he could send a car through the neighborhood to look for anything suspicious. I could report her missing if she didn't show up in the morning. He told me I might have seen a sex game or her boyfriend. Amber isn't the type. If she'd wanted me to drop her off for a game, she would've told me. And her boyfriend is a very nice human. Mark wouldn't do something like this."

"What's her boyfriend's full name?" Detective Wells asked.

"Mark Baker."

"Do you know what types of birds the other shifters are?"

Tiffany shook her head. "No."

"Could you describe the person who took Amber?"

"Not really. It was a man. He was big, very muscular. I couldn't see any of his features because he was wearing a high-collared, long-sleeve shirt, ski mask, gloves, and pants."

"How tall?"

"Six-three?" Tiffany answered.

"Did he say anything?"

"I don't remember."

"Why did the shifter think Adder was the man who abducted Amber?"

"He didn't say." With that Tiffany resumed crying.

I gave Tiffany another tissue and locked eyes with the man on the other side of the desk. Tiffany blew her nose and plucked another tissue out of the box.

We studied each other, waiting for someone to break. Detective Wells dropped his pencil, and his six-fingered hand began tapping on the desk. "Ladies, let me be frank. I think you witnessed something terrible happen to your friend, and when the people who should've helped you didn't, you went to Ms. Oaks. Ms. Oaks has a very good reputation, which is an integral part of her business. She has no reason to damage that image. Tiffany, you are a respected private investigator. The worst that can be said about you is that you tend to work on cases relating to cheating spouses. As that is a perfectly respectable way to earn a living, and a blemish on your reputation would injure your business, you have no reason to lie. What I don't believe is Simon allowing Adder to stalk and abduct a woman."

Tiffany sat there looking shocked, while Detective Wells studied our reaction. Leaning forward, I matched his gaze. "I don't think he did. I heard a rumor that there has been a shift of power in the pack."

For a second, Detective Wells' profile wavered. He coughed, his profile solidifying, and he remained human.

I continued speaking as if nothing had occurred. "While you ponder that and decide which questions you'd like to ask me, would you answer a question for me? What kind of shifter are you?"

His head tilted as he considered. "I'm a wereoctopus."

"Why live here?" I kept my jaw attached to my face and didn't say anything stupid. I didn't expect someone who shifted into an ocean creature to be living in the landlocked North Georgia mountains.

"Have you read about octopi? We tend to be deep-ocean creatures, and I don't have any desire to be snacked on by a shark or orca. It's not fun to shift at the surface, swim down to a dark area, and chill out while trying to avoid being eaten. I can have more fun in Carter's Lake or Lake Blue Ridge."

"I hadn't thought of it that way. If you don't mind me asking, do all wereoctopi have extra digits?"

"Most of us have one extra finger or toe. It's very rare for someone to have extra digits on both hands."

The look on his face told me to stop asking questions about fingers and toes. "Thank you."

"No, thank you. It's refreshing to meet someone who doesn't look at me like I'm a science project gone wrong."

"You're welcome. Anyone who thinks that of you hasn't been around enough crazy witches. Send them my way. I know a few mad scientists who can set them straight."

He chuckled. "I hate to return this to unhappy topics, but I need to know why you think Simon isn't in charge of the pack. I hadn't heard that bit of gossip."

"Well," I answered, "there's the part about Adder taking Amber, but the real reason is because I heard it through the shifter grapevine. I don't have any evidence or any names to give you."

Detective Wells sighed. "I'll see what I can do, but unless I get other witness statements or creditable corroborating evidence, I don't have enough to focus on any individual."

Before he could finish, my phone rang. "I'm sorry. I have to get this." I moved to a wall a few feet from his desk. "Oaks Consulting."

"This is Patrick Westmoreland with the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office. Could you tell me if an Energy Sensor was working? Half the ones I had active last night registered high levels of evil."

"Sure, but I would have to see the sensor in person."

"That's fine. My boss was willing to accept Package Five, the one that allows for hourly and case-by-case rates."

"All right. We can sign the paperwork."

"When could you come by?" Patrick asked.

"I'm at the Gilmer sheriff's office right now. I was here on an unrelated matter, speaking to Detective Wells."

"Oh, do you have time to look at it now?"

"Sure. I'll be over in a few minutes."

I walked back over to hear Detective Wells ask Tiffany if she wanted to file an official missing persons report.

"Excuse me. I need to attend to some business. Do you need me for anything?" I asked Wells.

"No. I have your number. If I have any more questions, I can call you," he answered.

"Tiffany, I need to do some work here. Give me a call when you're done."

She nodded. "Okay. Go deal with your business. I have a lot of papers to fill out."

I waited, rather awkwardly, by the door.

"Ms. Oaks?"

I turned to see a young guy, only a couple of inches taller than me, with fiery red hair, standing nervously a few feet from me.

"I'm Patrick."

I held out my hand. "It's nice to meet you. I don't have the paperwork with me, but I can send it over later. Where are the sensors?" His handshake nearly broke my bones.

"This way." He started walking. "Works for me. If I don't have the contract in a day or two, I'll give you a call."

I followed him through the door, down the hall, and into a small room on an outside wall of the building.

Patrick said, "I'm sorry if you're cold. They built this room so the walls would blow out if there was an explosion. It makes it hard to keep it warm."

His office had an old metal desk against one wall, with charts and papers strewn across it. The other wall had a long counter with a sink on one end. Two Energy Sensors were sitting on the counter, and there was a box of them on a floor.

"These are a few of the sensors that tripped. The two on the counter surged to Very Evil, temporarily returned to Bad Vibe, and have now been stuck at Evil for eight hours." Patrick gestured to the ones in the box on the floor. "Those suffered a similar fate. Before I tinker with them, I'd like to know if they're broken or if that's what they're sensing."

"I can do that." I set down my purse before returning to the sensors. There was nothing notable about them. The one I had in my hands was a bread-loaf-sized black box. On one side there was a dial with a needle that pointed to the categories: Very Evil, Evil, Bad Vibe, Neutral, Good Vibe, Good, and Very Good. Inside the box was glass with the spell etched into it, and a sensor connecting it to a dial. At the other side of the sensor was a small radio unit relaying the unit's identity and the current reading to the base station. I held my hand over the sensor, extending my power so I could feel the spell. The first taste I got gave me a feeling of contentment. Running my power along the spell and sensor, I didn't find any problems.

"Sowil," I said, casting a containment spell. Concentrating, I fed happy feelings into the spell. The needle moved from Very Evil to Good. I started feeding the spell unhappy thoughts, and it moved to Bad Vibe.

I released the spell and the needle swung to Neutral before moving back to Evil. Picking up the next one I repeated the procedure and saw the same results. With a sigh, I turned to Patrick. "The good news is that they're working fine. In fact, I'd say their calibrated on the good side. What do you know about these sensors?"

He blushed. "Not as much as I'd like. I know they measure the energy of a small area and display the result."

"Basically, but what they measure is difficult to describe. Most people like to think that they measure the flavor of the land, building, people, and past events that linger. Usually, the sensors only work in a limited area because the energy of people, or events, can only travel so far. Sometime there is an energy so good, or so evil, that it travels a great distance and overwhelms other energies."

"So what are the sensors reading?"

"I'm not sure. I think most of the town would read one side or the other of neutral, and the police station would change based on who's here. The Evil to Very Evil reading could be from one very bad event, or several bad events happening near the same time and place. I don't know which."

He shredded a paper towel. "What should I do?"

I shrugged. "Your job. There isn't much you can do except keep your eyes open and the department informed."

"Thank you. About the gremlins, before I could get the camera out, they stopped making trouble. I haven't had any more reports of issues with them. Is there any reason they would suddenly stop being a nuisance?"

"I can't think of a reason, but I don't have much experience with them. Have there been any sightings?"

"One or two, but they haven't caused any trouble."

"Very odd. Count your blessings for now, and if they crop up again we'll deal with them." Gremlins were covered in some of my books. I would need to refresh my memory before I could offer more information.

"Um, I have another question." Patrick stared at the box of sensors. "Lately there have been several suicides. Could those affect the sensors and cause an Evil reading?"

"Sure, that's a negative event that affects a lot of people, creating more negative feelings."

He nodded. "I know. That part I get. What I don't understand is why the readings weren't as high near the suicide as they were across town."

"What?"

"That's what I thought when I made the connection, but when there is a suicide there's a spike from the Chatsworth Highway direction. My sensors end at the edge of the city limits, but I'm thinking about moving a few further out there because I've gotten more spikes, and higher spikes, from that area than anywhere else."

"Are there any other inconsistencies in the suicides?" Before he could answer, my phone rang. "Give me a minute. I have to take this." I answered the phone with my usual greeting.

"Michelle? It's Hal." He was shouting over screams, crashes, and a strange growling sound.

I plugged my other ear, hoping it would help hear him. "It's me. What do you need?"

"Where are you?" Gunfire sounded on his end of the connection.

"I'm at the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office. What do you need?"

"I'm sending a chopper. It'll be there in seven minutes, back parking lot. I need you—" A crash and a boom sounded from his end of the phone. "Syed, that was close. I've got a T-Rex stomping through town. We can't stop it, we can't kill it, and we need magical backup. The pilot will fill you in. I've got to go." He didn't wait for me to agree before he hung up the phone.

If Hal was using Syed's name it was bad. In the legends, Syed was known for eating children and being the mother of evil. I glanced at Patrick. "I guess you heard that?"

"Some of it."

"The Lumpkin County Police are sending a chopper for me. I'm told it will land in the back parking lot." I stopped because his office phone was ringing.

"Westmoreland," he answered. A few grunts and a "yes, sir," later, he was addressing me. "If you need anything other than your purse, we need to run. You've got nine minutes to grab it and get to the parking lot. They've cleared a space for the chopper to land."

"I've got to get my kit out of the car. What's the fastest way there?"

"This way." He took off, and I followed him.

We dashed down the hall, and I figured this was the best chance I had to finish our conversation. "If you want me to look at the suicides, send me the case files. No charge unless I help you with the cases." I stopped talking to pant.

"Will do." We zipped across a room and out the lobby.

Patrick dodged an officer wrestling a man in handcuffs down the hall.

"Make sure Tiffany takes my car home." I spat out before gasping for breath beside the car. I dug through my purse, grabbing my keys and popping open the trunk with it.

"Which bags do you need?" He gestured to the three duffels in my trunk.

"All of them."

"Breakable?"

"Yup." I grabbed the bag with the most delicate items, and he took the other two. We set off at a fast trot, circling the outside of the building.

We were six feet from the back corner of the building when we heard the chopper. We sped up, rounding the back of the building in time to see the dark green chopper with an American flag tattooed on the side land in the parking lot. A guy jumped out and ran over to meet us. "I'm Lieutenant Johnson. You don't have to duck. The blades won't hit you. Let me help you with those bags." He took the bags from Patrick.

"Patrick, thank you. Remember to tell Tiffany to take my car home. The keys are in my purse. Oh, send me those files too." I shoved my purse into his hands. It was safer with Tiffany, and I didn't need it to face off with a dinosaur. Patrick waved to me as I ran toward the helicopter.

Lieutenant Johnson stowed the two duffels he was carrying before grabbing mine and adding it to the stack in the back of the helicopter. He buckled me into the seat and handed me a headset. As soon as he was buckled in, the pilot took off. When we were off the ground and headed for Dahlonega, I heard Lieutenant Johnson's voice in my ear. "Ms. Oaks, the pilot is Major Mann."

"'ello, ma'am," Major Mann said.

"Hi, Major."

Lieutenant Johnson started filling me in on the situation. "Hal wanted us to fill you in because he was busy. About an hour ago, someone called the police saying they'd seen a T-Rex headed for the Wal-Mart. The police sent a car around, and sure enough, there was a pink-and-purple dino smashing the old Movie Gallery and making a beeline for the Wal-Mart. Anyway, backup and more backup was called. The officers couldn't do anything because they didn't have a gun that could get through its hide.

"There was talk of calling the National Guard, or an Army Reserve unit, but since they live in town, it didn't make a lot of sense to make a bunch of guys cross town, and the T-Rex's path, to gear up, then go back out to fight the dino. Instead, they called the Rangers at Camp Merrill," Lieutenant Johnson finished.

"Wait. I thought those guys were in training?" I asked. Camp Merrill in Dahlonega was where the Army Rangers completed the mountain phase of their training.

"Well, all those guys had their Army training before they started Ranger school. Also, they were already gathered in one place, easily armed, and ready to roll out in groups. The problem was the Rangers couldn't hurt the T-Rex, but they did a great job at making it mad. At that point, Hal and some Ranger witches figured there was magic in the beast. That's when he got the okay to send us down to get you.

"Anyhow, Ol' Rex has trashed the empty Movie Gallery, half the Wal-Mart, the tourist gold mine, a CVS, Chick-fil-A, and last I heard it was working on a gas station."

"And they thought it was a good idea to let it linger there?" A gas station. What could go wrong?

"Like I said, they weren't having much luck containing it. It's twelve feet tall and thirty feet long."

"Anything else I need to know?" I was still having a hard time getting my brain around the idea of a real, live T-Rex stomping through a town. Not to mention, I didn't think they were naturally pink and purple. Anything they could tell me was a clue as to what I was dealing with, other than thirty feet of angry reptile.

"You know everything I do," Lieutenant Johnson answered.

"All right. Where are we landing?"

"Not sure," Major Mann rumbled. "I'm waiting to hear if there's a safe zone close by. I'm not risking the chopper."

Major Mann stopped talking to me and listened to someone on his headset. He answered a few of their questions and then answered mine. "There's a post office up the road from the gas station. We'll set down and let you out. King has a car and some guys meeting you there."

Before I could ask another question, the helicopter slowed down and landed. Lieutenant Johnson jumped out, handed me one duffel, took the other two, and headed to a black crew-cab pickup.

"Pickup truck?" I asked.

"Yeah, it belongs to the county. They wanted you in it in case you needed to go off road to avoid the T-Rex." Three guys, two in uniform, and one in jeans and a long sleeve shirt, jumped out of the truck. Johnson set down the duffels and double-timed it back to the helicopter.

"Ms. Oaks?" A short guy in uniform asked.

"Yes, but please call me Michelle."

"I'm Sergeant Cooper. This is Specialist Trent." The thin uniformed guy tipped the brim of his hat. "And this is Middleton." Middleton was five ten, with short brown hair, and big bulging muscles. "We are your physical protection and ride. I've worked with witches before. What do you need us to do?"

"I can't be sure until I get a feel for the dinosaur, but I need a good view and easy access to my duffels. Other than that, I'll trust your judgment. I haven't even seen this thing yet." I slid my wand out of the duffel I'd been carrying.

"We can fix that. You've got shotgun," Sergeant Cooper finished. The guys stowed two of my duffels on the floor of the backseat and strapped the third one onto the middle seat with a seatbelt before taking the two window seats. Middleton slid behind the wheel, and I buckled up, wishing I was in a more secure seatbelt, perhaps one with five points rather than three.

"There are a few things you should know," Middleton said.

"Such as?"

"So far the T-Rex has stomped and smashed its way through half the town. It's blocking the best access to the hospital." He paused as he flung the truck around another corner. I grabbed the side of my seat with my left hand as my right hand found the grab handle over the window. Luckily, I didn't break my wand.

Middleton continued, "We haven't found a gun that can injure the dino. It seems to be magical, and they're evacuating the town. There are city police, county police, state patrol, Rangers, National Guard, a few Army Reserves, and civilians working to contain and clean up this mess. The Rangers had two witches, both of whom said they could feel the magic, but they didn't know enough to attempt anything. They said their specialties were healing and scrying. The hedge-wizard said he felt more than one spell."

We slipped around another corner, giving me a view of something purple waving around.

"Oh, and it's pink and purple." Middleton finished.

"So I've been told."

The T-Rex was huge, maybe larger than I'd been warned. It focused its destructive nature on the gas station, shredding what remained of the roof over the pumps. It alternated between chomping and bashing portions of the structure with its powerful head. The body of the T-Rex was purple with hot-pink stripes starting along its spine and diminishing as they reached its belly.

The car slid to a stop, but I was too distracted by the dinosaur to move.

"Come on! There are people who need to talk to you." Sergeant Cooper pulled me out of the truck and over to a group of people hiding between the cars. I kept my wand in hand. It was easier to cast spells with the wand focusing the power, and I had a feeling my power was going to need as much help as it could get. Larger objects, or spells, required a larger energy input, and I had a limited supply of energy.

"Michelle, you're here." Hal King was a good ol' country boy. He was wearing his usual work boots, jeans, a tan jacket, and a battered baseball hat with a police logo. Hal usually chewed tobacco, and his back right pants pocket had a white ring proclaiming where the chew lived. He pulled me into the group, leaving the guys who'd picked me up from the helicopter to huddle around the outside of the ring.

A map of the town sat on the trunk of a police car. Red Xs covered a section of the map. Hal pointed at a spot north of town along Highway Nine. "We think the T-Rex came from somewhere in this area. There were reports of it moving down the road and through some residential areas. The first place it did real damage was in the Wal-Mart shopping area. Most of the shops are destroyed, and the Wal-Mart is missing walls and some of its roof. We've got crews over there trying to rescue people." His finger tracked the areas the dinosaur had destroyed and the areas emergency crews were working. "It kept going down Hwy. 9, trashing the Chick-fil-A, Zaxby's, Wendy's, Captain D's, a few apartments, and the Taco Bell. Thank God it skipped downtown and emergency services. Since it's blocking the road to the hospital, everyone is being treated at the nursing school right now. We're trying to figure out how to evacuate the hospital if we can't stop it before it goes in that direction, but we don't know where to put the people. We need to keep it away from the town, contain it, and figure out how to kill it."

Everyone looked at me. Behind the determination and tears, I saw hope. They thought I could fix this problem. I swallowed, feeling nauseous. "I need every witch and hedge-practitioner you can find. I'll start reading the dinosaur, and I need a driver to help me follow it as it moves and someone to watch out for me when I trance."

"Cooper, Trent, and Middleton volunteered to help you," Hal answered.

"I'll get to work." The three of them had volunteered for the most dangerous task, protecting the one-woman army that was going to face down a reptile that could squish me like a bug. I turned to the guys. "I need to go into a light trance and get a good reading on Rexie. I'd like to be by the truck in case we need to get away quickly."

"Rexie?" Middleton asked.

"We can't keep calling it T-Rex. That's its species. Every opponent needs a name, so I'm calling him Rexie."

The guys smiled. "What if it's a girl?" Trent asked.

"Then I'll call it Roxanne—Roxie for short." I shrugged. The guys positioned me behind an open truck door, ready to hurl me in and take off if Rexie headed our way.

I fell into a light trance. At first, I tried to get a feel for the spells, but there were so many spells crisscrossing this beast that it was impossible to feel all of them. I pushed my power to Rexie. This was the most dangerous part. Some of those spells could be used to detect magic, and if I triggered them there was a good chance the dinosaur would come after us. When my magic brushed Rexie and he continued to destroy the gas station, I relaxed into a deeper trance.

Spells clamored for my attention, forcing me to try to focus my attention on a single spell rather than getting a sense of the whole. I started with the oldest spells. The first spell I examined was a life spell. It felt like magic elves or brownies would use to keep crops growing and animals free of injury. The next spell was similar to the stay-awake charm I made to help me stay awake when I was tired. This was a more powerful version, but it was designed to keep something awake, regardless of how rundown or tired they felt. I found three illusion spells of different types, as well as a containment spell and a spell designed to find pieces of a whole. There were a few more life and health spells, all slightly different. There were one or two spells binding all the spells together, and layered on top of all these were invulnerability and shield spells.

I pulled my power away from Rexie. Suddenly the spells moved, expanding, changing, and the backlash of power hit me before I should shield. I had just enough time to curse before I blacked out.

Chapter 11: Elron

With the new flexibility at my job, I could spend more time in the woods. Today I was following that desire. When I asked the forest around the lodge to help protect Michelle, it had tugged at me, wanting to show me something. It wouldn't leave me be until I assured it I would be back. The Call nearly flattened me when I turned to leave. It wanted me to be in those woods as much as the woods wanted to keep me.

This morning, I communicated with the forest outside the lodge. It pushed me to the car, tugging me down this road and across that river. Following its desire, I drove until the pull from the woods was too strong to ignore. My own Call was pushing at me too. When I put my feet on the ground, it welcomed me. Leaving the car behind, I let my feet and the earth pull me into the woods.

The trees swayed around me, creaking in welcome. My hands brushed them as I walked past, and I could feel their joy. The forest wanted me here. The pressure of the Call lessened while pushing me forward. I was needed in this time, in this place. Although the Call wasn't obliging enough to tell me why my presence was required.

From one step to the next, the forest changed. It was now merely tolerant of my presence. Taking two steps back, I was even with a holly tree, and the forest was welcoming again.

I settled to the ground, trying to determine why one step would make such a difference. Running my hand along the ground, I focused on the feeling the forest had in that spot. It was as if a line was drawn; on one side the forest was happy to have me here, and on the other it only tolerated my presence.

Try I did, but the forest was coy and vague. I could go into the less welcoming area, but it preferred to have me here. The forest urged me to explore. With my hands touching the ground, I extended my senses and looked with more than my eyes.

Beyond the change in attitude, there was no difference between the two areas. As my eyes explored, they came to rest on a large tree twenty paces away. It was off. It looked like a maple, but it didn't feel like a maple, and it did funny things to my eyes when I tried to focus on it.

Blinking, I tried again. The tree rippled, and shimmered.

Rising from my spot on the earth, I approached the tree. Though it continued to play tricks on my eyes, there was no feeling of malice or danger. Upon stepping under its branches, the feeling changed from indifferent to curious and welcoming. Taking the last few steps, I laid my hand on the trunk.

To my eyes, the surface of the tree rippled, though my hand felt nothing. The tree twitched, as if shaking off dust, and transformed.

My lips lifted into a smile. It was a hidden tulip tree, the magical cousin of the more mundane tulip tree. These trees were known for hiding in plain sight, being masters of illusion. Most races would be unable to detect them, though elves were more difficult to fool.

The tulip tree was happy to see me. It didn't get many visitors, and it enjoyed having company. When its chatter died down, I asked if it would like to move to the university. The tree was quick to inform me that it was here for a reason, but it would be nice if I came to visit.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

To hide things was the answer it offered.

"What things?"

The base of the tree shimmered, and three orchids were unveiled. Leaning down to get a closer look, I could see a dark flower with long petals drooping past the rest of the blossom.

A shimmer at the edge of my vision caught my attention, and the bases of dozens of trees flickered, momentarily showing orchids hidden by the tulip tree and forest.

"These are lovely. Why do you hide them?"

The tree wouldn't answer, seeming to think it had said enough.

"Could you save a seed for me in the spring? I would like to have one of your kind at the garden for people to admire." The tree was taken with the idea of being admired. It urged me to turn around. A few feet away was a young tree, not yet as tall as my hips.

"Do you think it would want to move?" The large tulip seemed to think so. It asked me to return sometime, and I agreed before saying my farewell. Tulip trees were lovely, and their magical relatives were known for flamboyant spring displays.

Kneeling next to the small tree, I introduced myself. It was very excited. I was the second person it had met. After getting to know one another, I gently asked if it would like to be around more people in a different town. The tree agreed and hurried to pull its roots from the ground.

"Slow down. There's no rush." I chuckled.

Chapter 12: Michelle

I woke to three pairs of eyes looking at me and blinked a few times to bring them into focus. I shifted and felt myself slipping.

Sergeant Cooper's mouth moved as he and Trent steadied me. I was lying on the backseat of the car and couldn't hear a word Cooper said. His mouth moved again. When I stared at him, he pointed at me, then at his ears, and finally at himself. I figured he was asking if I could hear him. I shook my head. The only thing I could hear was a dull ringing. My head swam when I sat up, and Cooper tried to push me back down. I shoved at him, patting the pockets on the outside of my primary bag until I felt a small round charm.

Without hesitating, I pulled the straight pin off the back and jabbed my finger. I put the pin back in the charm and squeezed a drop of blood on to the charm. Then I laid back down and set the charm on my chest. I still couldn't hear, but I mumbled, "Healing charm." I wasn't sure if Sergeant Cooper could hear me, but he relaxed and addressed someone behind me. I couldn't summon the energy to care who he was talking to. The less I did, and more I relaxed, the faster the charm would work.

To pass the time, I counted seconds. Thirty seconds later my hearing had returned, though everything sounded far away. A full minute after I'd activated the charm, my ears felt like I hadn't cleared them in an airplane. Fifteen seconds after that, I could hear normally. I tucked the charm in my pocket, since it would continue to repair my body until the magic was exhausted.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Are you feeling better?" Cooper looked at me skeptically.

"Yup, I'm healed. The charm did its job. What happened?" Sitting up, I realized the light was flickering. "How long was I out?"

"About ten minutes. The blast hit you harder than the rest of us."

"Blast?"

"The gas station exploded. I guess Rexie damaged the gas pumps while he was shredding that part of the structure, and when he moved on to the building something set off a spark. Gas fumes in the air exploded, and the gas on the ground went up in flames."

"Was Rexie hurt?" My eyes were glued on the gas station. There were flames all over the building, but there was still a dinosaur tearing into the fiery remains.

"As far as we can tell, he's fine. The blast knocked him back a few steps, but when the fireball cleared he shook himself like a big dog and got back to work on the remains of the gas station. He isn't even burned. I'll be honest. I thought it had done him in for a minute."

I tore my eyes away from Rexie. "Is everyone still here? I should explain this to everyone."

I followed Sergeant Cooper out of the car. We had moved back a few feet, but the cars were still parked in a group, ready to race off in different directions. On the far side of the cars was the group of guys.

Cooper whistled. "Guys, Ms. Oaks has something to tell you."

I nodded at Hal. "Rexie has some crazy healing and life spells on him, as well as two spells to make him invulnerable. That's why the explosion didn't hurt him. I was knocked out by the spells reacting to the damage he would've incurred because my magic was very close to the spells."

"Can you break the spells?" an older uniformed man asked. "We have our witches on the way here to help you."

"Lieutenant Colonel Robins, Army Rangers," Sergeant Cooper whispered in my ear.

"With their help, I can weaken the spells enough that a strong physical blow should destroy the T-Rex. If that doesn't work, the witches will be knocked out by the backlash, and you should drop a big bomb on it. The spell could be overloaded by purely physical means, but a bomb large enough to do that might leave Lumpkin County with a crater where their town used to be. I'm sure the people would like to keep Dahlonega, so I'm willing to risk magical backlash if you'll get the artillery."

"Give me a minute." Lieutenant Colonel Robins pulled out a phone and walked a few feet away from the group.

"Do you need my help to kill the beast?" asked Hal.

"Absolutely. You're going to be our ground, the emergency valve that guides excess energy away from us and into the earth." He nodded, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. "Because there will be a backlash. Even if this goes perfectly, energy is going to snap back on us like a charging bull."

Hal paled. I glared at the rest of the guys. "Let me be clear. It's worth the risk because Plan B is even more dangerous for everyone involved." The men around me nodded, realizing the alternative wiped their town off the map.

Lieutenant Colonel Robins walked back. "We're in luck. They were running a readiness drill. Dobbins Air Force Base will have a Warthog in the air in ten minutes. It has a 30mm cannon and has missiles on board as well. Will that work?"

"What's a 30mm cannon?"

"It kills tanks."

"That sounds good. How long before it gets here?"

"About twenty minutes," he answered.

I nodded. Now, I had to figure out how to keep a dinosaur in one place for twenty minutes. There wasn't much of the gas station left, and I suspected it would move on to more interesting things when it finished. I sprinted back to the truck.

"Where are you going?" Someone yelled.

"Need supplies. Gotta keep it here. It can't do much more damage to this area." I dove into the truck, rummaging through my bags for different supplies. I set a square of purified cloth, three oils, and an empty dropper bottle on the seat.

"Does anyone have a bow?" I yelled.

"I do, and a couple dozen arrows," someone shouted back.

"Grab them." I quickly measured out portions of the oils into the empty dropper bottle before replacing the lid. After placing the oils back in my kit, I hopped out of the truck. There was a human waiting for me, a quiver across his back and a crossbow in his hands.

"Grady." He introduced himself. "What do you need the bow for?"

"I need you and the bow; I'm not an archer. Can I see the arrows?" He handed me the quiver. I squeezed oil onto the cloth, quickly rubbing it across the arrows. "I need you to shoot these in a circle around Rexie. It doesn't have to be a complete circle, but the closer to complete, and the more arrows in the circle, the better. Do it fast. Fast is important."

"Michelle," Hal called. "The wizards are here!"

I ran over to explain the spells we were going to attempt to the wizards while Grady shot the arrows around the gas station. The two Rangers were big strapping guys that made me wish we were on a date, rather than in a colossal mess with a not-so-extinct dinosaur.

"Michelle, these are Lieutenants Cage and Albertson. Guys, this is Michelle Oaks," Hal finished.

"It's nice to meet you. Call me Michelle. What are your specialties?" Someone had mentioned it earlier, but I'd forgotten.

"Nice to meet you, Michelle. Call me Cage. I'm a healer." The one with emerald-green eyes, and blond hair tipped his hat.

"My talent is scrying. And please call me Al." Al had blond hair and brown eyes.

"Right now, I've got a guy spreading some oils to help cast a containment spell. I'm pretty good at those, so I shouldn't need help."

"Even for one of this size and complexity?" Cage asked.

He was right. This one was more complex because it needed to allow things like magic and bullets, or perhaps a bomb, to enter but prevent Rexie from leaving. "I can cast it with one-way entry. Rexie won't go anywhere, and it shouldn't trigger a reaction from the spells on him."

"He's spelled?" Al asked. I nodded. "That's why I couldn't get a reading on the possible outcomes. Not only were there too many, but the spells were getting in the way. Funny thing, as long as you were here, they all ended better."

"Please don't tell me how they end." I didn't want to know the difference between the outcomes. I was scared enough. I had a job to do, and there wasn't anyone else here who could do it, so I had to keep it together. "I need the two of you to feed me energy. Hal is going to act as our ground to funnel any backlash of power or spell into the earth. While the two of you are feeding me energy, I'm going to cast a spell that will remove the magical protections on Rexie."

They studied me. Cage asked what the others must have been thinking. "What if it doesn't remove the protections?"

"It should reduce them enough for the bullets the plane will be shooting to shatter the spell. Any questions?" No one said anything, most likely because they knew it was a bad plan, but they didn't have a better one. "Then stay close. I've got to cast the containment spell, and the plane should be here soon."

A radio call informed us that Grady had used all the arrows. I rushed around the pickup truck. Since I hadn't watched the arrows being fired, they were hard to find. I spied one and planted my feet. Using my wand, I sketched runes in the air. With a flick I sent the runes to bind to the oil on the arrow. A faint glow emanated from the oil. I sketched the last runes in the air and threw power into the spell. I felt it go up, falter, and steady with a smidgen more power. The containment bubble solidified into a visible sphere around Rexie. When the energy leveled out, it was self-sustaining. I removed myself from the spell and found myself being supported by Middleton.

"Are you okay? For a moment, I thought you were going to fall."

"Thank you. I'm fine. It took more energy than I expected. There's a bottle on the side of my blue bag. Would you mind getting it for me?" He was slow to remove his arm from around my waist, unsure of my stability. As soon as he was sure I could stand on my own, he was digging in the truck. His concern was sweet, but I was fine. It was always difficult to guess the input for large castings.

"Did it work?" Hal asked.

"Yes. Even if the arrows are smashed, it will hold. The oil was helpful for setting the perimeter and boosting the power of the spell."

"Good."

"When will the plane be here?" I asked.

"Eight minutes," someone answered.

Middleton handed me the plastic bottle. With a grimace, I gulped down about a third of the nasty brew. It was an old family formula for restoring energy, but it kicked like bad vodka, and at some point you'd pass out for twelve hours of sleep to recover.

I looked at Hal. "We need to be in contact with the pilot because this only works if we remove the protection spells at the same time he fires on Rexie."

"I'm on it."

"Cage, Al, do you have any questions?"

They shook their heads. "We feed you power and hope nothing goes wrong," Al said. "It's pretty simple."

Hal came back with Sergeant Cooper trailing behind him. "We won't be in any shape to use electronics, so Cooper will keep us informed."

"Thank you."

"Part of the job, ma'am."

The radio squeaked, "ETA: five minutes."

"All right. I need to start casting. Let's get this going." I stayed standing because I worked better on my feet, but the guys sat down behind me. Al rested a hand on my right ankle, his hand warm against my cold skin. Cage's hand on my left ankle was even warmer. Hal held hands with the two of them, completing the circle. If there was any backlash, it would hit me first, and that was the best I could do to protect them.

I pushed away my negative thoughts, the ones that said I'd sworn to avoid life-threatening situations, and began writing the runes. Eight runes later, I heard Cooper say the plane would be in range in one minute. I quickly sketched the last two runes before pushing my power into them and connecting them to each other. "Ehaz," I said, feeding power into the spell. The spell activated, becoming an emptying hole trying to suck the power out of me. I clenched my teeth, trying to regulate the outpouring of energy. Distantly, I heard loud sounds.

The guys were feeding me less and less power. I pushed more of my power into the spell. The guys fell out of the spell, leaving me to keep it alive, but I didn't have any more energy to give. Before I could cut myself off from the spell, something hit me, knocking me off my feet for the second time today. I hit the pavement, and lost consciousness.

Chapter 13: Michelle

"Michelle, can you hear me?"

"Maybe we should try to get some of that brew in her. It says it restores energy."

"It's worth a try, but how do we get to her?" a distant voice asked.

I awakened slowly, trying to hear past the whooshing in my ears. I knew those voices, but it took me a moment to place them. King, Cooper, and Middleton were all talking about me. But why? I felt fine, or as fine as I was going to after being hit with the backlash from that spell.

"One of the bravest things I've seen."

"I've never seen anyone with a power reserve that large. I've never even heard of her, and I thought I knew every witch that powerful." I couldn't decide if that was Cage or Al, but the next sentence decided me.

"Cage, my clan tries to know the developing powers, and her name isn't on the list. It should be. I wonder what clan she's from."

If they were talking about me like I was a hero, it was time for me to move. I wasn't a hero. It had been a job. A hard, nasty job that would pay as much as I normally earned in a month. I'd earned every penny, because it might be another month before I could move. I wiggled all my important parts; I was in one piece. I opened my eyes and froze. A giant pink eye was examining me.

My lungs started working again, and I promptly began to hyperventilate. Rexie wasn't dead. He was deciding how to eat me, and if he'd prefer me with some seasoning.

"Michelle," Hal said. "Can you hear me?"

I was too scared to answer him. It was taking all my self control to keep my bladder from releasing its liquid.

"I'm going to guess you can hear me, since your eyes are open. He's not going to hurt you. As far as we can tell, he's turned into a Michelle-obeying puppy." As if to prove Hal's point, Rexie gently nudged me with his nose. "Try sitting up."

I inhaled, counted to five, and slowly exhaled, trying to figure out what I'd do if it tried to kill me. As soon as I started moving, Rexie pulled back, studying me to see what was going on. I slowly rolled into a sitting position. As soon as I was upright, I realized I'd made a terrible mistake. I made it to my hands and knees in time to vomit onto the pavement. After a few dry heaves I scooted away from the mess, and resumed a horizontal position. I thought I'd overreached myself before, but I'd never felt like this.

"Could you talk to us?" Cooper asked.

"I lost too much energy, my body's rebelling, and I've been knocked out twice today. Could you roll me the healing brew and tell me what happened?" It looked like Rexie was standing guard over me, or that's what I hoped. I couldn't think of another reason all the guys would be fifteen feet away and I'd have a dinosaur snuffling me.

Cooper rolled the thermos of brew over. I sat up enough to gulp it down. Sleeping later would be fine, as long as I stopped feeling like a dried-out husk right now. I picked my wand up off the ground and returned it to the arm sheath.

Cooper said, "I might as well tell you I think I've got the most complete story. You guys got the spell activated about ten seconds before the plane was in range. It blasted Rexie here with nearly a thousand rounds, and there was a huge flash. I was trying to get you to break the spell when the guys collapsed. When Cage and Al dropped out, it pulled Hal out of the spell too. Then the backlash came and it just hit you, or I think it did. It's hard to say because by the time our eyes cleared, Rexie was standing over you like a mother protecting her young.

"We were able to help the guys. They're mostly back to themselves, but we couldn't get to you because Rexie would get aggressive. The plane hung around for a new minutes, but when it became apparent that Rexie was trying to protect you rather than terrorize the town, it left."

"Wait. How did it get attached to me?" The last thing I needed was a pet dinosaur. I couldn't afford to keep it, feed it, or house it.

"I wanted to mention that earlier, but you didn't want to hear the possible outcomes," Al commented. "When I said the outcomes with you in them were better, I meant it capped the deaths. There were still a few paths that would've lead to more injuries and destruction. Nearly half the paths had Rexie surviving the spell and weapon combination, and most of those ended with him being a fairly docile pet. I think we are in one of those."

"So, he's mine?"

"That I don't know. See if you can keep him calm while one of us comes to you."

"All right."

Cage took a few steps forward. Rexie growled. "Cut it out. He's a friend." The big head swung between the two of us, but in the end Rexie took a few steps back and allowed Cage to come closer. I glanced at Al. "I thought you were joking, but he listens to me."

Al shrugged. "Can I examine you? We need to know if you're injured."

"Sure. I'm bruised, but I don't think anything is broken." However, my shirt was shredded, and I was thankful that I'd worn a conservative bra.

Cage started with a physical examination, running his hands down my arms and legs, finding most of my bruises. "Why aren't you using magic to examine me?"

"I don't think foreign energies would be good for you right now." When he got to my back, he sucked in a breath. "You're missing a bit of skin." His fingers stilled on my shoulder, where the tattoo proclaiming me a witch and declaring my clan rested. "I thought you were clanless. That's what they told me when I asked about you during the briefing."

"I am."

"You are marked as a member of a clan."

"I don't have a clan."

"The clan scar says you do, whether or not they recognize you. In fact, you have two clans…" He moved to study my face. "Blessed by the Mother indeed."

"What?"

"You are unique, Ms. Oaks."

Great. The last thing I needed was another witch who thought I was valuable because of my clan or lack thereof.

"Why don't you claim a clan?"

"Cage, you'll have to be clearer. If you're reading something in my tattoo, you know more of it than I do. I can't read it. If my father has a clan, I don't know anything about it. My mother's clan cast her out. I am clanless by birth."

"No, you are special, unique and gifted."

A throat cleared. "I hate to break this up, but what are we going to do with Rexie? What happened to change his attitude? And why are you talking about clans?" Hal asked. His eyes were glued to Rexie, as if he didn't trust him to stay docile.

The two witches shrugged, and Cage answered. "The dinosaur is not truly alive, not the way we are. He is a construct of formerly living matter and spells. As for Ms. Oaks, I suspect her clans will be looking for her. Her scar marks her as an Ieldra, one who is very powerful."

The very human Lieutenant Colonel Robins said, "I don't understand. I thought witches with power as limited as yours and Al's were rare. Most witches are capable of a variety of spells and control a great deal of power, right?"

"True," Al answered. "However, it takes many years to learn that many spells and develop the strength to hold and direct that much power. Many young witches are like us, with limited powers, but over time they develop their skills and abilities, becoming powerful. Cage and I may yet become strong witches. We have power and understand the foundations for many spells, but we must use runes to cast them. Our specialties are the things we can do as easily as she casts large spells. It would've taken us a day to construct the spell she performed in minutes. That's why young witches like ourselves spend years working in the clan business. It allows us to continue learning and developing our power while using our strengths to support ourselves. Our clans would've allowed us to remain with them, but they didn't need us and we wanted to serve our country."

"Now that we've determined Ms. Oaks is a very unique young witch, could we return to the pressing issues like the medical evaluation you should be doing and figuring out what is going on with Rexie?" Cooper interjected before anyone else could continue the current line of questions.

With a chastened look, Cage returned to evaluating my condition. While he was inspecting a scrape on my hand, a small medallion embossed with an elephant appeared in my palm. Under the medallion was a scrap of paper with a phone number.

Cage whispered, "Lady, it would be a privilege to answer any of your questions. You need to understand how unique you are."

I didn't say anything but pocketed the coin. I might need it later. These witches seemed to know something that I needed to learn. Normally, I believed ignorance may not be bliss, but it was the next best thing. However, I was tired of being the only one who didn't know things about me. I chugged more of the restorative brew.

"You have scrapes and bruises. Those will hurt for a while."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"You've had a nasty blow to the head and a mild concussion. All the swelling is outside your skull, so try to avoid head injuries for a while and you'll be fine. I would heal it, but I'm out of energy for a while."

"Awesome. You ruined my plans to go boxing later." At his confused look, I tossed up my hands. "It was a joke!"

Lieutenant Cage moved back to the rest of the group, and Rexie immediately sniffed every inch of me. He seemed to determine that I was fine because he heaved a sigh and plopped down beside me, shaking the ground.

"Does anyone have a suggestion for dealing with Rexie?" I asked. So far this was the point we'd all dodged.

"He doesn't seem to be a danger to anyone while he's with you." King offered.

"True. I guess he could come home with me, though I haven't a clue how to get him back to the lodge. What's the damage report?"

"So far there haven't been any deaths. Actually, all the injuries have been from building debris or people panicking. As far as we can tell, he stuck to property damage." I wasn't sure who volunteered that information.

"Could you read him?" Hal asked.

"Nope. I'm basically magic blind right now. I need to recharge." I was out of power and heading toward a long nap.

An elf with short, spiked brown hair and a police uniform pushed her way to the front. "Oh, let me look at him." Before anyone could protest, including Rexie, the elf marched up and laid a hand on his nose. His big eyes crossed trying to bring her into focus, but after the initial flinch of surprise he didn't move. The elf hummed, trailing her hands across his body. When she finished, she walked back to his head, rubbed his cheek, and whispered to him.

"To start with, he doesn't like Rexie," she announced.

"Do you like Ty?" The elf glared at me. She didn't think much of shortening Tyrannosaurus, but he nodded enthusiastically.

"Now that a few of the spells are broken, I can answer the previous questions. Ms. Oaks was correct. He's a mess of spells. He's still hard to hurt, but the two spells making him indestructible are gone or greatly diminished. Something, spell or intentions of his creators, was making him ill-tempered. That's gone now. He attached himself to Ms. Oaks because she saved him."

"How do you know that?" Hal asked.

"Some elves are good with plants. I'm better with creatures. At this point he's a type of creature, and I can feel the intent of the spells. Michelle should check him more carefully later, but she's in no shape to do that now," the elf said.

Hal frowned, and I jumped in before he could annoy the elf. "I'm glad someone can communicate with him. Ty does seem to have a better attitude, but I can't afford to feed him." And I didn't need a one-gal pet that destroyed towns.

"Ty doesn't eat. Ty is real, in the sense that we can see him, feel him, and interact with him. However, he is not alive. Think of him as a sophisticated, magical version of one of those artificial intelligence robots scientist are trying to make."

"So I can teach him, and he'll learn?"

"Absolutely. He understands you, though he has a hard time communicating. If you know any elves, they may be able to communicate with him better than you." The elf scratched under his jaw, and he moaned in pleasure, thumping his big tail.

"Ms. … what's your name?" I asked.

"Nell."

"Nell, could you tell him to assume people are nice unless they try to harm me?" If he wasn't trying to actively guard me, things would be simpler. "And could you teach him a few basic commands? Like guard, relax, friend, come, and lay down?" I had the world's biggest dog in a T-Rex wrapper.

Nell talked to him for a few minutes, and from the sounds he made, argued with him. "All right guys, come on over. Pet him. Get him used to people." The group of people slowly walked over, and soon the guys were scratching his chin and exclaiming about the size of his teeth and claws.

Hal came over to talk to me while we watched them pet Ty. "I think it would be better if Ty went home with you. I'll come photograph him in a day or two. I need the pictures for evidence. Nell assures me that he'll recognize me and be willing to work with me. You won't have to be there."

"Sounds good." I needed to slather myself in a gallon or two of bruise treatment and take a long nap.

"I've been thinking about how to get him to your place. You need a ride home, and I think with some elvish encouragement he'll follow your car." I thought he'd follow my car without encouragement, but we didn't need to debate details. "We'll give you a police escort, and you guys can travel back to the lodge at his pace."

"As long as I don't have to drive. In about five minutes, I'll be out cold. My bags need to come with me." My wand was safely strapped to my arm.

Sergeant Cooper shook me awake and guided me to a police car. My bags were already in the backseat. Ty looked at me through the window, his breath fogging the glass. I rolled down the window to pet him. We headed for the lodge, and he trotted behind the car. With the crisis over, I fell asleep.

My phone woke me up. According to the clock, I'd been asleep for two hours. "Oaks Consulting, this is Michelle." I yawned.

"Where are you?" Tiffany asked.

"I'm in a car between Dahlonega and the lodge."

"When will you get here?"

I repeated the question to the officer driving, and repeated his answer to Tiffany. "About thirty minutes."

"Well, I need to talk to you when you get here."

"All right. I'll see you in half an hour." Tiffany huffed before she hung up the phone. Mentally, I shrugged. I couldn't do anything about Amber in my current state.

Before I could fall asleep again, I called my mom. She'd be outraged if I didn't tell her about Ty before the news informed her. "Hi, Mom."

"Michelle, is everything all right?"

"Yes, but I wanted to tell you about my day so you wouldn't be alarmed when you see the news." It didn't take as long as you'd think to retell the events, perhaps because I'd been unconscious for so much. She made noises about how dangerous my cases were getting, and I brushed her off, though privately I agreed. A few minutes later, I worked up the courage to ask, "Mom, some witches saw my tattoo today and seemed to think it was strange that I didn't have a clan."

"I've told you they didn't want us."

"Right. But they seemed to think the clan would be reluctant to let me go."

"They can think what they like. The clan didn't want us. Someday we may be able to join your father's clan, but that day hasn't come. It would be best if you forgot about that nonsense."

"Yes, Mom. Could you tell Dad what happened? I had to drink a lot of the restorative brew." My eyes were droopy and my brain fuzzy.

"Of course, you need your rest. Stay safe, and don't let Ty get out of hand."

We finished our good-byes, and I collapsed against the seat. A quick look over my shoulder proved that Ty was still gamely tromping behind us. Now, if I could figure out how to break the news to Landa and bribe Elron into helping me communicate with him, I'd be in good shape.

We pulled into the driveway, and I spotted Landa, Mander, and Elron waiting in front of the lodge. They must've heard the noise. As soon as the cars stopped, I jumped out and told Ty to stay. Turning to the group, I said, "I can explain."

"No need, lass. We saw most of it on the telly," Mander answered.

"Oh."

"Is it tame, or are you controlling him?" Landa asked.

"I don't have the energy to control a fly right now. Once the spells broke, he decided I was his new best friend. An elf up there, Nell"—Elron nodded, recognizing the name—"talked to him. Ty's basically a big dog, but he isn't exactly real so he doesn't eat. Do you want to meet him?"

They nodded.

"Ty, come here."

He walked over, and I introduced them. Before long, he was happily grunting as the three of them petted and scratched him. While they were getting acquainted, I retrieved my bags from the car and sent the policemen home.

"Elron?"

"Yes?" he answered, still rubbing Ty's brow ridge.

"Could you talk to Ty? Explain that I have to stay inside and he needs to stay outside. If he'd be willing to look out for trespassers, it would be nice." With the way my day had gone, I'd be lucky if he didn't tell Ty to eat me.

"I'll work with Ty, if you tell me what you think of the bonsai." He bargained, grinning.

Narzel take him. "Deal. I love the bonsai. It's pretty and soothing. Now, will you talk to him?"

"Sure." Elron turned his attention to Ty.

"Michelle, Tiffany is waiting for you in your apartment," Landa said.

I sighed. "I know. She's very upset about Amber. I'll go talk to her. I'm sorry I brought home a dinosaur."

Landa and Mander busted out laughing as if they couldn't contain it any more. Landa stopped laughing long enough to answer. "You couldn't have brought home a better guardian if you'd tried. I doubt any more people will be sneaking around on this property."

"I hadn't thought of it like that."

"Go talk to Tiffany, and rest." Landa shooed me into the lodge, using brownie magic to send my bags after me.

I walked into my apartment and plopped my bag next to the door, startling Tiffany.

She leapt off the couch and walked over. "You look terrible."

Considering that my pants were dirty and ripped and my polo was hanging off me in shreds, terrible was an understatement. "Can you tell me what the police said while I take a shower? And when I'm done, would you paint me with bruise cream?"

"Yes and yes, but you have to tell me what happened to you too."

"Come on. It's a long story." I started the water and tossed my clothes in the trash. Tiffany gasped when she saw how much of my body was bruised and scraped. I climbed into the shower and asked, "Now, what did the police say?"

"Detective Wells reviewed my nine-one-one call and made noise about investigating the dispatcher. Then he finished taking my statement and had me file a missing persons report. Detective Wells said they would talk to the other people at the meeting and to Adder, but without evidence it would be difficult to pursue him as a suspect. Basically, they are going to investigate, but we shouldn't have a lot of hope."

"That's just perfect." I tried not to make unhappy noises, but the soap and water stung my abraded skin.

"Can you do anything?"

"I'm not the police; it's not my job. They could arrest me for interfering with the investigation. Besides, I can't cast right now, and I really need to rest. Dealing with today's emergency sucked me dry. I'll be magically useless until late tomorrow." I turned off the water. Picking up the towel, I carefully dried myself, trying not to hurt myself with minimal success.

"I guess you're right." She pouted for a moment before realizing she hadn't asked about my day. "How did you get so beat up?"

"How much did the police tell you?" I pulled a jar of bruise cream out from under the sink. "Could you do my back?"

Tiffany took the pot from me and started on the scrapes. "Something about a dinosaur in Dahlonega, and the Lumpkin police were sending a helicopter to pick you up because they needed a witch."

I explained what happened, leaving out the clan talk. I didn't want to deal with it right now.

"So, there's a T-Rex here, and we aren't worried because it doesn't eat? And after destroying half a town, it's well-mannered because a spell was broken?" The tone of her voice suggested I'd smoked something while I was gone. She handed me the cream, and I worked on the front of my body.

"Yup. Do you want to meet him?"

"No thanks. I don't have a death wish. I need to find Amber…" Her voice trailed off.

She followed me into the bedroom. I pulled on sweats, wanting to be warm and comfortable. "Tiffany, I want Amber back as much as you do, but I can't do anything about it right now."

"I know. I'll go home and try to sleep."

"Okay. I'm only a phone call away."

"I know. I'll be fine."

I walked her to the door and gave her a hug.

Leaning against the closed door, my throat worked and my eyes burned, but the tears wouldn't come. My eyes closed, and I slipped sideways. Catching myself on the wall, I headed for bed. I had to find a way to help Amber and keep the promises I'd made to Mom.

A ringing phone woke me up, as usual. "Hi, Dad," I answered.

"Hi, Michelle. Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm a bit sore and bruised, but I'm fine."

"Good. I was worried. I talked to your mother, and it would be best if you kept a low profile when it came to witch matters."

"Why?" Curiosity was eating me alive, but I had someone who would answer questions now.

"Come to dinner this week, and your mother and I will explain everything. For now it would be best if clans didn't look into you. If anyone talks to you about clans or acts strange, tell me."

"Okay, Dad. I'll be careful," I replied, even though I was sure the events in Dahlonega had blown the low-profile plan out of the water.

"Get some more rest. You need a lot of sleep to recover."

"I will. Good night." The threats from when the sorceress was killed, along with the writing on my window, were enough of a reason to stay out of sight and out of mind. I'd wanted peace and quiet, for time to cushion the memories. Instead of that, I was being pulled between friends, family, and work. Every time I caught up, a new emergency cropped up, keeping me two steps behind.

There was nothing I could do about any of it now. Sleep was calling, and I needed the rest.

I woke up stiff, and my entire body throbbed with my pulse. Slowly, very slowly, I stretched, working enough kinks out to reduce the pain to a dull ache. No amount of stretching would fix the void inside me; it would take time to regenerate the energy. Getting out of bed wasn't fun, but the shower and clean teeth went a long way toward making me feel better. Another round of bruise cream soothed my body enough that I wasn't hobbling.

After a cup of tea and the muffins Landa had thoughtfully left outside my apartment, I went outside to check on Ty. He ran over as soon as he saw me, shaking the ground with his "I'm happy to see you" dance.

"Lean down so I can pet you," I giggled. His big body tilted down, and he held still while I rubbed the pebbled skin between his nostrils. He grunted, nudged me with his nose, and set me stumbling backward.

"Be gentle. I'm fragile compared to you," I scolded.

Ty huffed, lowered his head, and backed up.

"Oh, no. You're not getting away that easily." With the teasing tone of my voice, he stopped moving and started wagging his tail.

I scratched under his chin. "You are a very good boy, and so handsome. Did Elron talk to you last night?" Ty nodded before shoving his head under my hand. I obligingly scratched his cheek. "Good. Did he explain that you always need to listen to Landa and Mander?" He blinked at me, and rubbed his cheek against my nails.

Giving up the pretense of the conversation, I rubbed under his chin with both hands. "Remember to listen to Landa, Mander, Elron, and me. You should leave the residents and visitors alone. If you think someone is misbehaving, detain them and alert one of us. Can you do that?"

Ty's entire body bobbed.

"Thank you." Reassured that he wasn't causing trouble, I gave him one last pat and went back inside.

In spite of being asleep for eighteen hours, I didn't have a single message. Although the time to recover was appreciated, no news was not always good news.

Tiffany answered on the third ring. "Michelle, have you heard anything?"

"No. I woke up an hour ago. I was hoping you had news."

"Nothing," she said glumly. "I talked to Detective Wells half an hour ago, and he didn't have any news on Amber. They are still investigating. He did tell me that calling every hour wasn't helping him get his work done, and he would call me when he had relevant information."

"Did he talk to the werebirds?" I asked.

"The last useful information I got out of Wells was that the owner of the house had a black eye and might have smelled a wolf. He gave Wells a list of the people who were there that night and refused to answer any other questions. Wells hasn't gotten anything out of the rest of the shifters. Most of them are refusing to talk to him."

"Awesome. Have you talked to Mark?"

"We talked briefly this morning. We're going to meet for coffee in—I'm late. Do you want to come?"

"I'll meet you there."

Twenty minutes later, I picked up my chai tea latte and headed over to Tiffany and Mark. They were at a small table in the back of the shop. People avoided this area because the chairs were more comfortable at the front of the store.

If someone had asked me to picture Amber's perfect match, I would've drawn Mark. He was a couple of inches taller than her and solid muscle. His frame proved that he wasn't naturally bulky; he'd worked for his current build. Last time we met, I'd been impressed by his calm attitude and confidence, but the man at the table had shadows under his eyes and two days' worth of scruff on his chin.

"Hi, guys," I said as I slid into the wooden chair.

"Should you be here?" Tiffany asked. "You look… pasty."

"Yes, I should. She's my friend. I may feel like a raisin, but I'm recharging." The latte was the hot, spicy boost that I needed. Normally, I could feel the energy buzzing under my skin. Today it felt like a single bee rather than a hive.

"Michelle, I'm glad you came." Mark said.

"Me too. What do you guys know? I haven't talked to Detective Wells since you reported her missing." Yup, that was me, out of touch because I had to keep a T-Rex from destroying a town. Thinking of the lives I'd saved didn't help. I was failing my friend.

"Nothing, really," Tiffany said.

Mark sighed. "The detective had me come in so we could talk. After we got through the stupid questions about a shifter and a human dating—because I can't like a girl with some feathers—he moved on to what I was doing when she was abducted. Since I was at a football party with fifteen people, all of whom he called to verify my story, he stopped asking me what I'd done to her and started asking me about useful things. I told him what I knew; she'd been preoccupied, but I thought it was work stuff. I told him about Amber missing our breakfast date and calling you. I talked to him this morning, and he simply said the investigation is in progress."

Tiffany patted his hand. "I talked to him a little while ago, and he said only the host admitted smelling a werewolf. I got the feeling they couldn't do much with that information."

"No, he can't." I suspected Detective Wells was in a bind. If he didn't have a specific werewolf to investigate, he should talk to the alpha, but Adder was running the pack. Even if it was the local wolves, Adder could be aiding the kidnappers, or have Amber killed to cover up the crime.

"Michelle." Tiffany's eyes were wide and her voice jagged. "You could track her. You could lead us to her."

Blinking furiously, I tried not to cry. "I can't, not now. I don't have the energy. Maybe tomorrow." Energy wasn't the only problem. "Do either of you have something of hers? Not something she gave you, but something of hers."

Both of them thought for a minute, before shaking their heads.

"No," Mark said. "We aren't to the spending-nights stage yet. She hasn't left anything at my place."

"I don't have anything either. For a while I had a spare key to her place, but she changed the locks the other day and hasn't given me a new key. Maybe we could break in."

Waiving my hand dismissively, I said, "Won't happen. Her building has spells against that type of thing incorporated into the building. And, no, I can't get around those spells."

"We have to do something." Frustration laced Tiffany's voice.

I looked at both of them, making sure they understood. "I can try—try—to do a tracking spell because I know her very well. But without an item that belongs to her, there is no guarantee that it will work. Even then, I can't invite myself to work on a case. They have to ask me."

"When can you do the spell?" Mark asked.

"I don't know. Maybe tomorrow. But—"

"I know the police haven't invited you to the party, but we can't sit here and do nothing. I couldn't live with myself if I let something happen to her because I was afraid of what the police would do to me."

"Shhh. Keep your voice down," I scolded.

Tiffany took a few deep, ragged breaths.

"Twenty-four hours. If nothing's happened by then, I'll do whatever I can to rescue her." I didn't say, but I could tell by the look on their faces that they were thinking the same thing I was. What if we were too late? What if something horrible had happened to her? What if she was already dead?

We parted company, promising to keep in touch and keep each other informed. My attention wasn't on the road or the cars around me on the drive home. No, I was trying to figure out if I could live with myself if I waited too long to save her. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that going after her would be dangerous and break all the promises I'd made to stay safe. I could live with paying the price to help her, but abandoning her would haunt me for the rest of my life.

It wasn't easy to focus on my work, but magic or not, I needed to look into the suicides. Sitting at a desk reviewing files should be easy, but my body protested. Pavement was hard, and the chair reminded my butt of its recent date with the ground.

The first suicide victim, a young guy by the name of Travis Brown, had been in high school. His parents and friends didn't think he was at risk, and the police didn't find any pertinent information when they went through his things. His trumpet was still sitting next to his bed. Both his wrists had been slit, nearly to the bone. The medical examiner noted it would be difficult for a person to cut both wrists equally deeply. Unable to find any evidence of foul play, the police ruled it a suicide.

Two weeks later, a girl, twelve-year-old Sandy Carroll, was found dead in her playhouse. She'd overdosed on her mother's anti-anxiety medication. Sandy wrote in her diary every day, and there wasn't a hint of depression or anything suspicious on the pages of the pink book with the gold lock. As with Travis, the police couldn't find a reason to suspect foul play, nor could they find a reason for her to have taken her own life. The medical examiner didn't think the levels of the anxiety medication in her blood should have been strong enough to kill Sandy, but he couldn't find another reason for her death.

Eighteen-year-old Anders Thompson drove his car into a tree off the highway. In the passenger seat they found a note saying he was sorry and that he wished he'd been a better son and boyfriend. What the police didn't find was a reason for him to feel like he'd been a bad person. His father only had the usual complaints about a teenager, and his girlfriend was madly in love with him. According to her, they hadn't been having any trouble, and he hadn't done anything to disappoint her. As with the first two victims, the police couldn't find a reason for him to have ended his life.

Unlike the police, I had a different view. Nothing was wrong in their lives, or minds. Evil could easily influence teens because at the best of times they had moments of doubt, sadness, and loneliness. More importantly, all these kids had died alone, unexpectedly, and in ways that would allow evil to witness their death and feed off the energy. Evil wouldn't want to kill a depressed person, because that person didn't have as much energy, but evil would delight in taking a happy, healthy teen and watching them die.

The inconsistencies the medical examiner couldn't reconcile made me believe that these kids hadn't committed suicide. They had been murdered by something evil. I believed if I examined Travis, Sandy, and Anders, they would be tainted with evil energy.

With a heavy heart, I composed a polite e-mail to Westmoreland, detailing the reasons I thought the suicides had been caused by evil. A second e-mail followed, with the contract we'd discussed attached. After sending my thoughts to him, I tried to think of what to say to my mother when she asked about the deaths. I would have to tell her the truth, but it wasn't going to make her feel any better. The best I could do was wait for her to bring up the topic.

An e-mail from Rodriguez caught my eye. The extra tests he ordered hadn't given them any more information, and he was very sorry they hadn't been more help. I replied, thanking him for the help he had given me. If nothing else, there was an official record of the incident.

Picking up a set of baoding balls, I rolled them in my left hand. It was difficult to keep the rolling motion smooth in that hand. Focusing on the movement and sound helped me relax, and my neck and back slowly loosened. I switched hands, rolling the balls clockwise, then counterclockwise.

My phone rang, and I prayed it wasn't another emergency as I answered, "Oaks Consulting."

"Hi, Michelle. It's Westmorland."

"That was fast."

"I was at my desk. Would you be able to give us more information if you examined the bodies?"

"You still have them? I figured you would've released them to the families."

"We still have those three. The medical examiner wasn't happy with her findings, so we haven't released the bodies," Westmorland explained.

"I can take a look. There might be some residue of the energy." Few medical examiners had the ability to look for magic, especially something as subtle as an energy variation.

"Anything you can do would help. When can you be here?"

"What time do you get to work tomorrow?"

"Seven."

"I will see you then." It would give me time to recharge, and the earlier I had work the better. Between Amber and the dead kids, I was going to have nightmares.

"Great. I'll see you in the morning."

I was acquiring haunting memories at an alarming rate. If this kept up, I was going to need therapy. The bodies I'd looked at in Forsyth still bothered me, as did the cut-up dwarf, not to mention the pictures of the mutilated sorceress. I didn't have to see the bodies of these kids to know I would be able to see them every time I closed my eyes for the rest of my life.

The phone rang again, saving me from my thoughts.

"Oaks Consulting," I answered.

"Hi, Michelle. It's Hal."

I sighed.

"Don't give me that. I don't have any dire emergencies," Hal scolded.

"Good, because your last one was a doozy."

"We have a lead on the T-Rex case. Could you come over here and check it out with us?"

"When you say 'lead' and 'check it out,' what do you mean?" Thanks to recent events, I was suspicious.

"We were able to backtrack the dinosaur—"

"That had to be hard." I rolled my eyes.

"Really?"

"Fine. I'll be nice."

"It wasn't difficult to follow the path of destruction, but the path ended in the middle of a road. I poked around and found a house reeking of magic. I want you to be here when we investigate the house."

I bet he did. "Do you want me there?"

"Yes, please."

"I won't be for any big spells. Dealing with Ty sucked me dry." I wasn't worried about examining the bodies. That would require more skill than power. But someone had created Ty, and they'd used a lot of spells, some of them powerful.

"I would postpone, but…"

"But it's a time-sensitive, important issue," I finished.

"Yup."

"I know it's off topic, but did you get pictures of Ty?"

"Early this morning. He was good. Kinda fun when he isn't blowing up my town."

"Hey now, he didn't know the gas station would explode," I teased.

"That doesn't change the result. About this house, when could you get here?"

"Midmorning, by ten. I have an appointment to look at bodies in Ellijay at seven. I'll let you know when I'm headed your way."

"Works for me. Thank you, Michelle."

"You won't thank me when you get the bill."

"I was afraid of that."

Hal hung up before I could reply.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. After dealing with the sorceress, things should have calmed down. Nothing about the past few days could be considered calm. Things were falling apart, and each time I did something right, something went wrong.

I rubbed a few tears away from my eyes. With gremlins, evil energy surges, and suicides in Ellijay, it looked like life was going to get worse before it got better. There weren't many entities that could be responsible for those deaths, and every one of them was bad.

My hope was that a shifter had been corrupted by an artifact, a magical item from time before memory with the power to change people. Similar events had happened. Most races blamed the humans, who were digging up old towns, graves, and tombs. The other races hadn't found a good way to forbid it, and they couldn't post a guard outside every important spot.

If I couldn't have that, I wanted it to be a fey. Fey were one of the original races. They mostly kept to themselves, and this area didn't suit them. It was in between, neither towering mountains nor lush fields. They preferred to live in the extremes; the Alps, Himalayas, Sahara, and Amazon. I'd heard some lived in the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Mojave Desert, and Aleutian Islands. A fey gone bad could rile up the other original races, and they would deal with the problem.

There were countless possibilities after that, and each one had its own pros and cons. None of them were fun, but I wasn't hoping for fun. I was hoping for someone else to rush in and save the day. With the way things had gone lately, I'd be lucky to have my wand when I went after the big bad mystery thing.

Since Mom wanted an evening phone call and I wasn't planning on going out again, I dialed her number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom."

"Michelle, I'm so glad you called." Her voice smoothed.

"You wanted to hear from me at night."

"Thank you."

"No problem." I took a breath before asking a loaded question. "When did you want to have dinner and talk about the family secrets?" Dad had mentioned explaining things to me, but I hadn't gotten the feeling Mom was willing to share information.

Seconds ticked by. "What are you talking about?"

"Dad said I should come for dinner and the two of you would explain things." The dynamic between my parents was clear. Mom wanted to keep secrets and hope things worked out. That had worked for her for more than two decades, and she was sticking with it. Dad wanted to share. He was in favor of treating me like a responsible adult, building trust, and building the father-daughter relationship he wanted. I couldn't tell if honest was his policy or if he thought it was the best way to my heart. Either way, he was winning points.

"I wasn't aware of this dinner. Greg and I will need to talk."

"About what? How much to lie to me?"

"Michelle, you will not speak to me like that."

I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." I was. I was sorry that our relationship had devolved into a string of questions and not-answers, I was sorry she couldn't trust me, and I was sorry I was losing my faith in her.

Mom huffed. "I'm glad you're safe for the night. Greg and I will talk. Good night, Michelle."

"Night, Mom."

Dad offers answers and Mom takes them away. As a child I accepted her explanations about our lack of family, but it was different now. I was making my own way in the world. I needed to know what I was up against so I could protect myself. Maybe this is what Dad meant when he told me to keep my chin up and keep fighting. He knew I was strong, smart, and able to look after myself. Dad would let me fight my own fights. If I failed, he'd be there to catch me and start a fight of his own.

Mom wanted to protect me, to prevent any of us from fighting. That had been a good plan when I was young, but what was done could not be undone. People knew about me, my power, and my skills. The clans would hear about me soon enough.

Knowledge was power, and being ignorant of clan matters left me at a disadvantage. If I wanted to be a step ahead of them, I needed answers. A gang of witches wasn't going to bully me.

Inspiration struck, and I dashed into my bedroom, shoving things off my nightstand until I found what I wanted, the small medallion with an elephant and a scrap of paper.

My hands trembled as I dialed the number on the paper. The phone rang and rang. I was ready to hang up when Cage answered.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Uh, this is Michelle. You gave me your number—" I stumbled over the words.

"I remember. It's good to hear from you. How are you feeling?"

"A little sore. Asphalt isn't the most forgiving surface."

"It's not. I suspect this isn't a social call." His tone was light, yet careful.

"It's not. You said you would answer my questions. I would like to take you up on that." I breathed in slowly, trying to stay calm. This could be a brilliant way to get more information, or it could backfire.

"I would be glad to. I would rather talk in person."

"Me too," I cut in before he could finish. The more I knew before I talked to my parents, the better. "I'll be in town tomorrow. Could we do a late lunch or tea?" I held my breath while he thought about it.

"Tea. There's a shop near the college, Gold Rush Tea. Let's meet there. The T-Rex didn't touch that part of town."

"Thank you."

"As I said before, it is a privilege."

"You'll have to explain why. I don't understand."

Cage laughed. "I'm sure you don't, but I will explain tomorrow. Good night, Michelle."

"Good night."

I got off the phone, relieved and confused. This should have made me feel better; I was finally getting what I wanted. Instead, countless scenarios marched through my head. Everything from Cage being exactly as he seemed, to him being an agent for the clan my mother feared. He would answer my questions, but at what price? In my experience, nothing was free.

Cage hadn't mentioned a cost, and that made me suspicious. Either he was preying on my desperation for answers, or he was a good, generous man. It was another question I could get answered tomorrow.

My phone chirped, and I read the message from Tiffany. She'd called the police department again, and they still didn't have any news. I thanked her for the update and plopped onto the couch.

I was tired, both physically and mentally. My body ached, and the trickle of magic I'd regenerated wasn't enough to banish the empty feeling. The parts of me that weren't tired and empty were frustrated and angry. My friend was out there, and I couldn't help her.

In the morning, I should be recharged enough to try a tracking spell. I didn't expect it to yield anything, but I had to try. When I failed, I'd figure out my next move. Right now, I was crossing my fingers and toes, hoping the police would find something.

I curled up on the couch with a book. I wasn't up to disenchanting the items from Union County, and fretting wouldn't fix anything. In my hands was a book I'd been meaning to read for a while but hadn't gotten around to.

It took a few pages for me to lose myself in the story about a boy and the magic beans he found. He was being scolded by his mother for selling the family cow for the three magic beans when I noticed something black on the ceiling.

I tried to focus on it without moving the book. The part I could see around the book was as big around as my pinky finger, black, and slightly fuzzy. Tilting my head and squinting didn't make it any clearer. I tipped the book toward my lap. Before my brain had comprehended the sight of a spider, a shriek escaped my lips. With the book clutched protectively against my chest, I sprinted off the sofa to huddle against my bedroom door.

Hyperventilating, I took a second look. Yup, there was a spider the size of a large dinner plate clinging to the ceiling directly over my sofa. It was big, black, fuzzy, and shouldn't be in my room. It wasn't a native spider since none of the ones in this part of the world were that large. Though the better question was how it arrived in my apartment since I'd spelled the perimeter to repel all kinds of bugs. I didn't like finding them, living with them, or killing them. Nothing about bugs appealed to me. My spells were a secondary defense. Landa had brownie magic preventing most unwanted things from entering the lodge, and spiders were on that list.

The door opened with a crash, and I froze, huddled against the wall with my eyes darting between the spider and the doorway.

"What happened?" Elron demanded.

I gasped for breath "You scared me half to death." My eyes locked on the spider, which had moved in our direction.

"You didn't answer my question. Oh, never mind. That's a big spider."

"Yup."

"How did a spider get in here?"

"I don't know."

He stared at me, clearly expecting me to have a better explanation.

The spider shuffled around, not coming closer to us but moving around above the sofa.

"Well?" Elron asked.

"I don't know! I was lying on the sofa, reading this book, when I noticed something black over the top of the book. I moved the book to see what it was, and I saw that thing over me, so I bolted for this side of the room. What more do you think I can tell you?"

"How did it get here?"

"Aren't you listening? I don't know. My rooms are spelled to prevent bugs from coming inside. That's on top of the magic Landa has that keeps bugs out. That Narzel blasted thing shouldn't be here."

"All right. I get it." He studied the spider for a moment. "Is it writing something with its silk?"

I studied its movement for a moment before answering. "Can we kill it now? I'd rather not know what creepy message it's sending."

"Michelle, we must honor life. It could be friendly. We can't kill something just because it upsets you," he scolded.

"Then what should we do, O smart one?"

"Wait and see what it says. If it's friendly, it may leave on its own."

After a moment, Elron stopped focusing on the basketball-sized spider and started staring into space, lost in thought.

"Hey, can we kill it now?"

"Huh?"

I pointed at the words the spider was still working on. "Anything that leaves death threats on my ceiling and comes in the shape of a spider deserves to die."

Elron focused on the words. His body stilled, and his inhuman beauty sharpened, leaving his skin whiter and his hair a more vibrant silver. A shivery feeling filled the air for a moment, fleeing before I'd determined the source. A black powder sprinkled off the ceiling, landing in a pile on the floor. The words "You Will Die" remained above the sofa.

"Did you kill it?"

"Yes. I'd still be careful when disposing of the remains, but they should be harmless."

"Oh, thank you." Then my mouth got the better of me, and I blurted out my thoughts. "How did you do that? Doesn't matter. Thank you. I hate bugs."

The elf was staring at the remains of the spider.

"Elron?" I asked. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine." His stiff posture relaxed as he focused on me. "Would you like assistance cleaning the rest of this mess?"

"Please. I'm getting tired of things threatening to kill me and leaving nasty messages in my apartment." I started rubbing my arms.

Elron studied me for a moment before walking over and wrapping his arms around me. I nestled against the warmth of his chest, and after a moment his chin came to rest on top of my head. There was a rightness to his touch that I hadn't felt in a long time. Without warning, my lips were dry, and thoughts of kissing were dancing through my head.

Whoa. I was thinking about kissing Elron, the elf who could make me laugh and rage in the same conversation. However, there was no mistaking the desire to turn around and do naughty things with the nearly immortal Elron.

Immortal. Elron was sixty times my age, bringing an entirely new meaning to dating an older guy. I'd made fun of my girlfriends when they'd dated guys who were thirteen years older than them, never mind more than 1500 years their senior.

When I stepped back, his arms dropped away. I cleared my throat nervously. "Thank you. I feel much better now. I'd like to have help cleaning up the rest of the mess."

"Shall we dispose of the message?"

"I don't know. The police might want documentation of it since it could be considered a death threat."

"Are you sure it's from the power behind the sorceress?"

"No."

My sheepish answer had him studying me again. "Why not?"

"Adder could've sent it. It's unlikely though, since he's isn't known for using magic," I finished.

"He still has Amber?"

"To the best of my knowledge. Why?"

"I'd hoped she would be rescued by now."

"Well, she isn't, okay? I know I should have her back by now. She's one of my best friends. The police should be finding her, but they're not. They're looking into all the possibilities. Besides, she's not the only thing I'm thinking about. Ellijay is having trouble with nuisance critters that often precede evil to an area. My Mom is worried about suicides that have been happening, the power behind the sorceress is still after me, I spent the day dealing with a recreated T-Rex bent on destroying a town, and another day recovering from that effort. I'm stressed. I'm drained. All I wanted to do was relax tonight!" Panting, I stopped.

"Shhh, calm down." Elron turned me around and rubbed my shoulders. "No one is blaming you for wanting to escape for an evening. Why don't I help you clean up? Then we can have a glass of wine and talk about the rest of your troubles."

"Okay," I sighed. He was here to help, not deal with an emotional woman. The problems in my life weren't an excuse to be rude. "I'm sorry for yelling at you."

He waved his hand at me. "If I kept finding threats in my home I would be overwrought. An outburst is understandable. You are not in this alone, Michelle. You have friends who will help you."

Elron went outside to start a fire so we could destroy the spider and any magic attached to it. While he did that, I retrieved a dust bin and short broom from under the sink. Normally, I'd pick up a spill like that with a bit of magic, but I didn't want my power anywhere near that thing. I carried the remains of the spider outside where I dumped them into the fire. We watched it for a moment, but nothing happened.

I jumped when Elron touched my shoulder. "Come back inside with me so we can get the writing off your ceiling," he said.

"Have I thanked you for helping me?"

"Yes."

"Oh… Thank you again."

"You are welcome. I'm sorry the circumstances of this evening haven't been better."

"It's not your fault, unless you sent the spider after me as some stupid joke and aren't willing to confess that it was a prank."

"Nope. Something truly scary isn't my style."

"Right. You're more of a crazy plant kind of a guy." He smiled but didn't say anything. "How did you kill that thing?"

He stiffened. "I twisted the gifts the Mother gave us. That is all you need to know."

Translated out of elf talk and into normal language, he was saying he had used power given to elves by the earth in a way the magic wasn't intended to be used.

"You know, the earth kills too." I didn't want him to feel guilty. He had saved me from having to find a way to kill the spider and prevented my magic from touching it.

Elron gazed into my eyes. "You are correct. Now, how would you like to remove the web?"

"Did you feel anything strange when you killed the spider?"

"No, but I doubt it would be able to affect my magic."

"I'm worried about it doing something to my magic. Could you try to remove the web? It is a natural fiber."

A green glow of elven magic surrounded the web, and it slowly peeled off the ceiling and rolled into a ball. He picked it up with a paper towel. Outside, he tossed the web and the paper towel in the fire. Once the silk had burned, he used a stick to spread out the wood so the fire would burn out more quickly.

While we watched it burn out to ensure nothing strange was going to happen, we reassured Ty that everything was fine. He'd been worked up when we came out of the lodge. I guess he heard my scream. Once the fire died, we gathered up all the ashes and took a short walk to the stream bordering the lodge. I dumped them in the running water and watched them separate as they floated away.

"Elron, do you still want that glass of wine? I don't want to be alone."

"Yes." He took my hand in his and guided me back to the lodge.

"I'll be back in a moment," Elron said before vanishing into his apartment.

I went inside and pulled a sweet red out of the fridge. Elron returned with a tray of food in his hands. He set it on the dining room table. I set two glasses of wine next to it.

"I thought you might like some food," he said, uncertainty lacing his voice.

"I'd like to have dinner with you," I said as I laid my hand on his, promptly losing myself in his eyes. A moment later, I shook myself out of the trance. "What did you bring?"

"Lucky for us, Landa gave me leftovers earlier today. We have meatless lasagna, mushrooms sautéed with lemon juice and pepper, seasoned grilled okra, delicata squash roasted and glazed with brown sugar, and cranberry orange muffins." He named the dishes as he set them on the table.

"It looks amazing." I grabbed plates, utensils, water, and the wine bottle. We were quiet while we loaded our plates. The food was as good as it looked.

"Michelle, did you know the forest saved your life the night you captured the trolls and sorceress?"

I swallowed my food without chewing it, hastily drinking water to wash it down. "The earth did give me that impression. How did you know?"

"The forest told me when I asked it to protect you."

"Oh. Did it tell you anything else?"

"Naught related to the current issue. It does care for you greatly."

"I'll have to spend more time in the woods. I usually say my thanks at the altar." My voice trailed off. If the woods were being this proactive, it was only right to give thanks.

Several minutes passed before I thought of a way to continue the conversation.

"I know you have a job, but I've forgotten what you do. Would you mind telling me again?" I asked. We hadn't been on the best of terms when he moved into the lodge.

He carefully wiped his mouth. "I'm helping Kennesaw University set up an exotic garden. They want magical and rare plants that require an elf to tend them."

"It must be beautiful."

"The plants are lovely, but the space incomplete. It will be some time before it is as lovely as it should be."

"I'd love to see it." Magical plants were difficult to grow, and many were beautiful.

Elron stiffened and then relaxed. "It isn't ready for visitors yet, but when it is, you will be the first."

We didn't speak for several minutes while we ate. He had mentioned knowing about my clan and witches. It would be good to know something before I talked to Cage. "Elron, you once mentioned that you could tell me about my clan. Would you mind explaining? Could you explain my clan scar?"

"May I see it?"

I turned my back to him, pulled my hair over my shoulder, and tugged my shirt down until the markings were visible. Elron leaned close and studied it. Twisting my neck, I tried to see him, but couldn't focus enough to see his expression. The basic shape was a curvy X. On the outside of the top left side of the X were two lines that joined the rest of the shape at a sharp angle. The top of the X and the top line formed a point. The other side, two quarter circles came off the outside top portion of the X. They ended even with the top of the X.

"You may straighten your clothes."

Pulling my shirt up, I turned to look at him. There was a crease between his brows, and his mouth was pinched. "So?"

"Although I can read many of the clan scars, I do not recognize the one you bear. My apologies, I did not intend to mislead you when I said I could read them."

My fingers brushed his cheek. "It's okay. As it turns out, I'm something of a mystery. Can you tell me anything about my clan or parents?"

"I do have some information about that. It is vague and may be less than satisfying." He seemed uncertain. I tore my eyes away from his silvery hair to study his face.

"Please? I've had a few strange encounters lately." I needed answers, and strangely, I trusted Elron. Plus I had a better chance of getting the truth from him than I did from my parents, Landa, or Cage.

"I don't know the entire story, but I'll tell you what I do know. Your mother, Nancy, was the daughter of a very powerful witch in her clan. Nancy's mother became the clan leader, but your grandmother was never happy with your mother because Nancy wasn't powerful. Your grandmother was determined to force Nancy to mature into a powerful witch and find her a good match in their clan or an allied clan.

"Nancy didn't want to be her mother's pawn. She had found love on her own terms, and at Nancy's insistence they kept the relationship a secret. When Nancy's mother tried to force her away from her job and into a clan position, Nancy refused. Nancy's pregnancy was where the real trouble began. Your grandmother wanted to know who the father was, and Nancy refused to say. Greg's clan was progressive, and hated by Nancy's clan. If Nancy's mother had found out who she was dating, it might have started a clan war.

"Since Nancy wouldn't say who the father of her child was, her clan assumed she'd been dating a human and cast her out of the clan. Your parents went to great lengths, mundane and magical, to make Nancy vanish. Since your mother's clan would be looking for a couple with a baby on the way, they decided to stop seeing each other. Because of this separation, Greg didn't see your birth. In fact, it was six years before Nancy heard that the clan stopped looking for her. To prevent suspicion from falling on them, they continued to see each other secretly."

"All right. I understand that, but what does that have to do with me?"

"Your grandmother is growing old and wants the clan to continue down the maternal line. Your mother and you are her only descendants, and she wants the clan leadership to stay in the family. Without you or your mother, the line will pass to someone else."

"And my father's clan?"

"They couldn't accept the two of you into their ranks without starting a war."

"How do you know this?" I asked. This was information I'd never heard.

"Elves hear things."

I rolled my eyes. "Be serious."

He sighed. "I am. I cannot tell you more without breaking the trust of the elf who gave me the information.

"Fine, I get it. I don't like it, but I get it." I settled on asking about the clans. "Why aren't you telling me what clans they belong to?"

"I'm a forgetful old man." He winked.

"The feeble old man trick is getting stale." I smiled.

"What? You don't think I'm a crazy old coot?"

"Nope. You are a perfectly sane, cantankerous man, playing the senile-old-man card every chance you get."

"Ah, but I am an old man. I've already lived more than three of your lifetimes."

"When you came here, you had trouble driving, using a cell phone, and talking to people."

"Your point?"

"You haven't lived in this century. You have lots to learn about the world."

"I should experience as much of the modern lifestyle as I can." He emptied the glass of wine. "In that endeavor, would you like to go on a date?" He stumbled over the word.

"Why?" I promptly turned bright red and wished myself anywhere else. I'd wanted to be more tactful, but my brain stopped working when I heard his question.

As he spoke, the vulnerability I'd seen glimpses of came back, allowing me to see the man behind the snark. "I like your company. You're more vibrant and real than anyone I've met in many years."

"What about our age difference? Or our races? Why date someone who's a child compared to you?"

"We have had different lives and experiences. You are correct, I have little experience in the modern world. While you are young, you are an adult, and I like what I see in you. If I thought you were a child, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

"As for our races, it's very uncommon for people to date cross-race, but it isn't unheard of. I want to get to know you better, and my feelings aren't strictly platonic."

"I'd enjoy a date with you." I said. Seeing his shoulder drop, and the lines around his eyes smooth out, I realized how much of himself he'd let me see.

"Thank you. I'm honored."

I grinned. "You might be less honored after the date."

Chapter 14: Michelle

I fell asleep dreaming of Elron. Images of his charming smile and silver hair danced through my head. We were at a campfire, laughing, smiling, and happy.

The dream changed, and I wasn't at a campfire with Elron. Now a woman studied me from across the fire. In the flickering light, I could make out light-colored hair and pointed ears, but I didn't know this woman.

"Be careful," she said in a raspy voice. She must have seen the questions in my face because she explained, "While we are in your dream, now our dream, things we say can find their way to another's ears."

I nodded. "Who are you? How did you get in my dream?"

"I can't answer the first question. You'll find out in time. It took a great deal of effort to find my way into your dream. I'm here because I needed to talk to you."

"How can someone I've never met need to talk to me?" Something felt off. These woods weren't welcoming, but looming, as if they were listening, ready to report back to their master. The fire was doing strange things in her eyes. One moment, she had flames where her eyes should be. The next, she had eyes like any other elf.

The woman picked up a stick and started dragging it through the dirt in front of her. "You need to listen to me because I can help you. Don't ask why you need help. I can't tell you, and I'm running out of time."

I cocked an eyebrow. I wasn't inclined to listen to a woman who'd broken into my dreams.

"The book. You need to find the book." She continued to look at the ground, pushing dirt around with the stick.

My tongue was firmly clinched between my teeth. It wasn't worth asking for details about the book; I knew she wouldn't tell me.

"And there is one more thing." She didn't continue.

"What?" I asked. The fire that had been blazing moments ago was quickly dying. Behind her, the trees seemed translucent. In some spots I could see furniture. It was as if this area was fading into a room.

"I don't have much time. If you see me again, you must not give any sign that you recognize me, and you can't trust me. I won't be on your side." The woman tossed the stick into the fire.

"What are you talking about?" Now my dreams were as confusing as my life. I didn't know why she was telling me these things. The fire was down to softly glowing coals, and the woods behind her were fading into a room.

She stood up, her eyes normal. "The book will help you. You can trust the book, even if you can't trust me."

"How can you be here to help me if I can't trust you?" This was a bizarre dream, even for a witch.

"What I said here was the truth. You can trust these words and the book. You cannot trust me outside this time and place."

"Then why are you here?" The woods behind her were almost gone, bringing an opulent office into focus.

"Get the book. Do not hesitate to kill me." Her eyes flickered yellow and orange.

With that, she was gone.

The office was gone, leaving me at a campfire in the woods. The woods were more welcoming than they'd been moments ago.

I walked to the other side of the fire, curious about what she'd spent so much time tracing into the ground. The stick she'd used was gone, burned in the fire, but on the ground was a mush of curves, lines, and swirls. Circled by the doodles was the name Sylvia.

*******

The dream stuck with me through my shower. Witches were known for having strange dreams, but nothing I'd read indicated that a stranger could show up in my dreams. Most of the literature referred to dreams shared between people close to one another, often spouses. Some witches had prophetic dreams. However, the books suggested that those would be snippets of an event, enough to make you think, but not enough to give you an answer.

Last night had been different. It didn't follow the pattern of the other dreams. Something changed the dream I was having, morphing from Elron to the woman. The crazy woman who said I could trust what she said in the dream, and in the book, but told me to kill her.

Then there was the name, Sylvia.

The name tugged at me. I felt like I should know something about it, but I didn't. It was one more thing I couldn't solve, fix, or answer.

I growled at my reflection. Setting down the brush, I pulled my hair into a ponytail. I didn't have time for puzzles today. My magic was back—well, significantly improved from last night—and I had things to do.

In my living room, I sat on the floor beside the bonsai. The tracking spell didn't need any special supplies or safeguards, so I was abandoning my workroom. Taking a few deep breaths, I pushed the dream out of my mind, focusing on Amber.

I slowly built a picture of her in my mind, only it was far more detailed than any picture. It was her, her face, hair, wearing her favorite shirt and pants. I added her likes to the image; pizza, Mark, her job, her feathery form. Then I added her personality. Her quiet nature and soft words, her aversion to violence and fighting.

When I had her, all of her, locked in my head, I focused my power and said, "Radnu." Find.

The magic formed a tight coil in front of me, as if gathering itself, before shooting into the world. It raced away, and I could feel it, moving, searching. Then it was gone. The connection dissolved.

"Narzel curse it," I hissed. There was no point in trying the spell again. Without a tie to her, it wouldn't work. Why was Amber so tidy? If only Tiffany had been taken, I could've found her that night. Two pairs of her shoes and her blue jogging jacket were in my closet.

Bad, Michelle. Wishing you could swap them was pointless. It was what it was, and ideally I wouldn't be in this situation because both of them would be safe. Dwelling on the failure wouldn't help.

I texted Tiffany and Mark, letting them know that the tracking spell had been a bust. Within seconds they had replied, thanking me for trying. It was time to figure out a new plan, but that would have to wait. I needed to eat and get to Ellijay.

Outside my door I found a small basket with little jars. Careful letters labeled them as calming, energizing, relaxing, and morning. I carried them into my kitchen, touched that Elron had taken the time to make them for me.

Landa was serving breakfast early today because some of the guests and I wanted to get an early start. It may have been days since I had time or inclination to have a meal in the dining room, but nothing had changed. There was still a sidebar heavy with food and a big table.

I wasn't the only one up this early. A group of five guys was taking up the end of the table. The energy of the group surged and pulsed; they were shifters. Rubbing a few sleepies out of my eyes, I hurried to fill a plate. Fluffy eggs, blackberries, bacon, and an orange muffin found their way onto my plate. I balanced the fork, spoon, napkin, and plate in one hand while filling a mug of tea with the other.

After setting my breakfast, tea, and cutlery on the table, I slid into the chair next to a man with bright red hair. He turned around to greet me, a big smile on his face.

"Lass, I didn't expect to see you this early."

The hair hadn't been enough for me to recognize, him, but the voice was unmistakable. "Liam, how are you?"

Liam was a werewolf who I'd met at this table a couple of weeks ago. I quickly greeted Bobby, the sage, or spiritual leader, of the pack. Last time Liam had been here was after he'd passed the alpha trial. The other men were less memorable. They could have been the wolves I'd met last time Liam was here, but I didn't recognize them.

"I'm good lass. How are you?" The Irish accent was delightful. I could listen to him talk all day.

"As well as can be expected. After this I'm off to look at bodies. Not exactly my favorite way to start the day. What are y'all up to?" I asked.

"After this, we are going for a long run. The woods in this area are lovely."

"Fall is beautiful around here." Though it was the tail end of fall, and most of the trees had shed their leaves.

After a few more pleasantries, Liam resumed talking to the other wolves. I listened while I chewed on my muffin. Most of their conversation was idle chatter but one wolf said, "How are you going to take over the pack now?"

The rest of the men gave him a startled look, scooting their chairs away. Liam and Bobby studied him before Liam said, "I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'd need the council's approval before I could take over a pack. Hopefully, the run will clear the cobwebs out of your head."

The wolf ducked his head and eyes. Once the normal flow of conversation resumed, he ate until his food was gone and then sat there, eyes downcast, unwilling to participate. Finishing my meal, I excused myself, saying polite good-byes.

Back in my apartment, I picked up my bags and headed to my car. I needed all my supplies if I was going to look at the home of the person who created Ty. On the drive to Ellijay, I mulled over the wolf's comment. The only pack I could think of that was primed for a change in leadership was the pack run by Adder.

Liam was going to be in for a nasty fight if he challenged Adder. From what I'd heard, Adder was mean and dangerous when challenged. Even if he won the pack, it wasn't that easy to win over the pack. He could end up with a bunch of angry, resentful werewolves on his hands. Though I'd bet the pack would take the time to celebrate Adder's death before they turned on the new leader.

I parked my car outside the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office and pushed the werewolves out of my head. There were bodies to examine, and if I was lucky I'd been wrong about evil being at work and I could assure my mother the suicides were nothing to worry about.

I wasn't known for my luck.

Westmoreland waved at me. I waved back, grabbed my gear, and hurried over.

"Good morning, Michelle," Patrick said.

"Morning. How are you?"

"Good. Follow me. The medical examiner has the bodies pulled out for you. The room is yours as long as you need it."

"Thank you. Are the bodies covered?" I didn't like working with dead people. I always ended up thinking about how they died and how much pain they must have been in before death. It made me sad and queasy.

"Yes, as you requested. I'll be there to assist you with anything you need. Take a left." The hall dead-ended into another one up ahead. Patrick motioned for me to follow him around the corner.

"I'll find something for you to do. Bodies give me the creeps."

"Then I'll stay. Maybe I'll learn something. Here we are." Patrick pushed open a door to a room with two deep sinks, gowns, and face masks. "You need a lab coat and mask."

I picked through the piles, finding ones in my size. I even found a cover for my duffel. After we dressed, Patrick showed me through the door.

I planted my feet, lurching forward when he bumped into me. There were seven bodies on tables and gurneys. "I thought there were only the four of them?"

"I sent you the files for the four suspicious suicides. There have been ten deaths in the past month. We now consider all of them suspicious and have recovered all the bodies we could. One family wouldn't consent to an exhumation. Two of them have been cremated, and we have their ashes." He motioned to two jars sitting on a table on the other side of the room.

"I don't know anything about the rest of these. Do you want me to test all of them?" Last I heard I was testing the bodies of the four suicides I'd reviewed.

"I'll tell you what I can about the other cases, and I can give you the files later. How about starting with the four we talked about and working from there? The first one is over here." He pushed back the sheet to show an arm and side covered in bruises.

"Car crash?"

"Yes."

I set my bag on the ground and rolled over a tray stand, complete with tray. I pulled a jar full of Energy Strips out of my bag, opened it, and set it on the tray. A large glass bottle, and a jar of Sorc-O-Meters joined the Energy Strips.

Energy Strips resembled litmus paper. They were thin strips of white cloth spelled to detect residual energy on whatever they were touching. The strips had to be stored in a special container to prevent contamination. Most people didn't like to use them because they were subjective. Each one gave a slightly different reading, and it made it difficult to determine how much energy was present. In this case it didn't matter. I was looking for extreme energy shifts.

Sorc-O-Meters were spelled sticks with a piece of cloth on one end. They changed colors when they contacted energy that would be associated with a sorcerer.

"What size gloves do you wear?" Patrick asked.

"Small."

He set a box on the tray. I wiggled my fingers as I slid them on. They were nice and snug, with no extra material to get in my way.

Taking a deep breath to ready my nerves, I picked up a Sorc-O-Meter and rubbed it on the body. Patrick watched me watch the cloth. When a minute had ticked by and it was still white, I sighed and stuck it in the glass bottle.

"Was that good or bad?" He asked.

"Sorry. I should explain what I'm doing. That was a Sorc-O-Meter. It turns purple when it touches something that was tainted by sorcery."

"No sorcerer is good."

"Very good." So very good; I didn't want to see another one. I picked up an Energy Strip and showed it to Patrick. "Have you ever used litmus paper to test pH? How acidic or basic a liquid is?"

"Sure. We did it in school."

"This will do a similar thing, but with good to evil energy. If it stays white, it's good energy. The closer to black it turns, the worse the energy." He nodded.

I moved away from where I'd rubbed the Sorc-O-Meter and set the strip on his arm—the body. I had to think of it as a body. If I thought of it any other way, I wouldn't be able to do this.

The strip slowly faded to a charcoal gray.

"Narzel fart," I swore.

Patrick said a few choice words of his own.

"Let's test the other bodies." He covered the body while I rolled the tray to the next table. I repeated the process with the same result.

We uttered several more nasty words.

When the third body yielded the same results, we didn't bother to curse.

At the seventh body, my eyes crossed with rage. All these people were dead because something was a sick, greedy monster.

Breathing deeply, I counted to one hundred. It didn't help enough.

"I don't see a point in testing the ashes," I said through clenched teeth.

Patrick's shoulders sagged. "Me either. Are you done? I want to get out of here."

"Two minutes." I quickly capped and sealed the Energy Strips, Sorc-O-Meters, and the glass bottle. Once they were safely stowed in my bag, I marched to the exit, stripping off the gloves, lab coat, and glasses.

"Let's go to my office," Patrick said.

We ended up sitting in his office, looking at each other, silence filling the space between us.

"I have to get going. I have an appointment in Dahlonega."

Patrick nodded. "I don't know what to say. I didn't expect good news, but I didn't think we'd see that."

I hadn't been prepared either. Logically, I knew this was a possible outcome, but it wasn't one I expected. Finding seven people dead because an evil roamed the land was troubling.

Looking at those people, not bodies but people, the dead people, had changed me, because I wasn't afraid, or worried.

I was angry.

Those people had died because evil fed off suffering, fear, and death.

"Michelle?"

"Oh, uh, I didn't see that coming."

"I guess I should tell the captain."

"He should know," I said slowly.

"What do we do? How do we protect ourselves?" His voice was loud and thin.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and studied him. "Tell your captain what we found. Then you tell him being in groups is better than being alone. I'll do some research, and we can work out our next move."

"Will you keep working with us if we are facing evil?" Patrick said the word like it was foreign. In many ways it was. There were plenty of bad things in the world, but this was different. This affected things in ways few evils could.

"Yes." I held his gaze. "I'll keep working with you."

"What if… our budget…"

"We will figure it out. I will stand with you." He gave me a tight nod. "I'm sorry to dump this on you and run, but if I don't leave now, I'll be late."

"Okay."

Walking out, my steps were more determined, if lacking the satisfying crack of high heels. I would stand with the police, because I couldn't look at bodies knowing they were people that I'd abandoned. I would stand with the police because evil shouldn't be allowed to ruin lives. I'd stand with them because I didn't know another witch who would, and they would need magic. They would need my magic.

Chapter 15: Michelle

I waddled into the sheriff's office, a duffel over each shoulder and one in my left hand. It was a good thing I didn't have anything in my right hand because the guys were listening to a brief and didn't see me at the door. Huffing, I made it to an empty desk in the back of the room and unloaded. Pushing through the crowd didn't interest me, so I made myself comfortable on top of the desk.

A wall of officers blocked my view of the speaker, but there was a short pause followed by Hal's voice.

"Michelle and I will approach the house with Grady, Nell, and Jacks for back up. The rest of you will stay back, cars pointed at the exit. When you hear 'green light' from us, you'll attend to your assigned duties, guarding the perimeter or investigating the house. If you hear anything else, get out of Dodge. Remember, green light means there is no imminent danger. Considering what we think came out of that house, it's the best we can do.

"The five of us will check the property in stages; keep track of where we are and how that affects your duties. If at any point you think you need magic, you radio us. Don't be afraid to call us over. In fact, if your eyebrow twitches, or your toe itches, call us." No one moved as the officers realized what could be in a house that spawned the king of dinosaurs. "Any questions?"

"Yeah." A deep voice came from the other side of the room. "Where's the witch?"

I stayed on the desk, ankles crossed, wand in my hand. I didn't even raise my voice when I said, "Here."

The entire room swiveled to look at me, a mixture of surprise and relief on their faces.

"Good, you're here," Hal said. "Time to go. We leave in ten minutes."

The crowd dispersed, mainly to the restrooms.

"Good timing. I might've had a riot without you."

"I try. When are you going to tell me the plan?" I asked.

"In the car. Are you ready?"

"Give me five. I need use the bathroom. Are we taking your cruiser?" He nodded. "I'll meet you there if you take my bags."

"Sure. Everything else is loaded. Nell will be driving." He waved her over. "And she'll help me load the car."

"Thanks." I slipped around the corner to a seldom-used women's bathroom. Sure enough, it was empty.

While I was washing my hands, the face in the mirror caught my attention. There was a set to my mouth, with the edges pinched, and a wrinkle in my brow that changed me. My face wasn't that of a carefree girl anymore. It was a face that had seen bad things and knew there were worse things to come.

I walked out of the bathroom. No good would come from ruminations. Regardless of what tugged at me, wanting attention, all that mattered right now was that house.

Hal and Nell were already in the car. I slid in the back, more than happy to be next to my gear.

"Hi, Nell. Thanks for driving."

She grinned at me in the rearview mirror. "Wouldn't miss this. It's the most excitement the town's had since the gold rush of '29."

By that, she meant the gold rush of 1829.

We were saved from having to think of a response when she revved the engine and shot out of the parking lot. Hal twisted around. "How much of the meeting did you catch?"

"I'm not sure. From what I heard, the plan is that Nell, Grady, Jacks, you, and I check everything, and then the rest of the force comes in behind us."

"That's the idea. What do you think?"

I thought I should be rescuing Amber, but that wasn't the issue right now. "I don't have a better plan. I can place protection spells on us, and you and I can sniff out any magic."

"Any thoughts, Nell?" Hal asked.

"Dibs on the next dino."

Hal was laughing so hard the seat belt was the only thing keeping him upright. I giggled. "Nope, I already claimed the next one. Ty needs a friend."

"Joint custody over both of them?" Nell countered.

"Good luck talking Ty into that," I snorted.

"He is attached to you. We'll flip for it."

"Done."

We were still laughing when my phone rang.

"Oaks Consulting, this is Michelle."

"Hey, it's Jones."

"What happened now?" I rubbed my temples. The last thing I needed was another emergency.

"You're in luck. I can help you this time. I've got a flock of gargoyles out here. It looks like they're asleep for the day. Can you come up this afternoon and talk to them when they wake up? I know you were looking for a flock."

"I can be there early evening, four thirtyish."

"Great. I'll meet you in my office."

"See you then," I said before I hung up the phone.

"Is everything okay?" Hal asked.

"That was good news. Actual, honest-to-God, good news. A flock of gargoyles is resting for the day in Forsyth. Since Ellijay would like to have a flock of gargoyles, I'm going to talk to them."

Hal nodded. Nell seemed to be ignoring us. We had turned off the main road when I was on the phone, and even though this was a well-maintained, paved road, she was going slow. When the car turned, I thought we were pulling off to park, but what looked like a thin spot on the tress was actually a narrow gravel road. It widened enough in a few spots to allow one car to stop while the other one passed. At the third passing area, Nell turned the car around and backed it in the direction we'd been traveling, leaving room for other cars to turn around but blocking access to the house.

Behind us another car repeated the process, parking their car two feet from the nose of ours. Nell and Hal got out to talk with the other officer, but I stayed in the car, fitting packets of herbs and bottles of oil on a belt I'd made. I'd tried the idea when dealing with the trolls and refined it into my version of a police belt.

Getting out of the car, I secured the belt to my hips and made sure it was both comfortable and firmly attached. I double-checked the fastening on the wrist sheath on my left arm, snapped my wand in place, and headed over to the group of officers around Hal.

Grady had a bow in his hands, a quiver on his back, and a .45 strapped to his leg. Nell had a knife hilt poking over each shoulder and a collection of smaller knives in her vest. When she turned around, I got a look at the short swords on her back. Like Grady, she was mixing modern and traditional weaponry, with a 9mm on one hip and extra magazines on her other side.

I hadn't met Jacks before, but I figured he was the coyote in the police vest. Werecoyotes were resistant to magic. Placing the protection spells on him would be difficult, but it would be harder for other magic to affect him too. Considering what we were about to do, it was a worthwhile tradeoff.

Compared to the rest of us, Hal looked very human. His wand was in a wrist sheath like mine, but he had the traditional police gear: gun, cuffs, radio, baton, Taser, and OC spray.

"I don't think the two of you have met. Michelle, Jacks. Jacks, Michelle." Hal rushed through the introductions. The werecoyote and I nodded at each other while he continued. "Unless someone has an objection, Michelle will lay protection spells on us, and we will slowly approach the house. It's about a quarter of a mile down the road. As we determine that areas are not immediately hazardous, we will communicate that to the rest of the officers, who will hold the area."

"I can't guarantee that any of this will be clear. You do realize that?" I could walk every inch of the ground looking for spells and not find one because the spell only targeted shifters or humans or giants. There were hundreds of reasons I could miss a booby trap.

"We know. That's why there are five of us. Between the shifter, elf, human, human with magic, and witch, we should be able to vouch for some amount of safety," Hal answered.

That wasn't particularly reassuring since that logic had more holes than Swiss cheese.

"Michelle," Nell said. "We have little illusion of safety. We stand between the danger and citizens."

I nodded, unwilling to comment. When she put it like that, our job descriptions were remarkably similar. When Hal resumed talking, I shoved the thought to the back of my mind. I'd think about it later.

"Can you spell us?"

"Sure."

Palming my wand, I stepped in front of Hal. I gently brushed his vest with the wand, tracing the rune, and pushing power into it. As I finished drawing, I whispered, "Kannu." The words sealed the spell, separating it from my power. It would hold until it exhausted the energy used to create the spell.

Repeating the procedure on Nell and Grady was easy enough. Coming face to face with Jacks, I tried to remember what I'd learned about werecoyotes and magic.

"Can you do anything to be more receptive to magic?"

Jacks tucked his nose under a forearm, covering his eyes. I took that to mean no.

Squatting down, I said, "I didn't want to do it this way, but stick out your tongue."

He rolled his eyes, but let his tongue slip out the side of his snout. This hadn't been my first choice, but they were more susceptible to magic introduced internally. His mouth was as close as either one of us would want to come to internal.

I tried not to wrinkle my nose at the slobber accumulating on the tip of my wand. Jacks was cross-eyed with the effort to see what I was doing, and his nails were digging into the dirt in an effort to stay still.

As my wand moved across his tongue, it became harder and harder to push the energy into the spell. Finishing the rune, I wheezed, "Kannu," for the last time. The spell wobbled for a moment, but snapped into place.

Jacks must have felt it too because the moment the spell solidified he was on his back, wiggling across the ground, with his paws rubbing his face and tongue.

Standing up, I was pleasantly surprised at how little energy I'd expended casting those spells. I was finally back to normal after dealing with Ty two days ago.

"Are you okay?" Grady asked.

Jacks flipped over, landing on his feet, tail wagging.

"He looks fine," Nell said.

"Are you guys ready?" Hal asked.

Nell, Grady, and I nodded. Jacks trotted down the road and looked at us over his shoulder. I took the hint and started after him, wand in hand. They caught up to me three steps down the road.

"How far down the road did you go when you scouted this place?" I picked my steps carefully. The gravel had been pushed into the dirt long ago, leaving hard-packed earth with loose rocks on top. Branches and brush crowded the road, leaving enough room for a single narrow car.

"Within sight of the house," Hal answered.

Reassured that we shouldn't be in immediate danger, I dropped my shields, letting my power expand around me. Letting my power explore the ground and peek behind trees was the passive way of checking for spells and traps. Like was drawn to like, and as my power explored, I could get a feeling for what was around us.

It was hard to limit the flood of information. Every rock, twig, and pebble was interesting to my magic. I adjusted the way the power could move around me, giving it less freedom and tuning out feedback from things found in ample supply like trees, leaves, rocks, and deadfall.

Since I had no way of knowing what could be waiting for us, magical or mundane, limiting the details I received could make me overlook a trap. The flip side was that I couldn't process every bug, misshapen leaf, or broken branch. I would drown in details.

Jacks stopped and waited for us to catch up. The five of us rounded the corner. Ahead of us the woods opened up, revealing a single story ranch in a large clearing with a rusty pickup truck in the carport. From this angle, there was nothing remarkable about the dwelling. It wasn't in the best repair; sections of the gutters were missing, and the paint was flaking off the side.

I reeled my magic in, only letting it explore fifteen feet around me. Focusing, I cast a fine web over the land and house. The power touched down, sat there, and slowly trickled back to me. There were a few sticky spots in the house, but they felt like minor household spells.

Blinking, I focused on the road in front of me.

"Well?" Nell asked.

"What?" I turned to see four sets of eyes locked on me. "Oh, I can't feel anything. What do you have?"

Grady shrugged. "I'm the muscle and human bait. It feels like any patch of remote woods with an older home to me."

Lying down, Jacks let out a big sigh. I couldn't tell if that was agreement, or boredom.

"The woods and field feel fine. There aren't many creatures around, but there could be more constructs like Ty; I couldn't feel him unless I could see him," Nell added.

"Hal?" I asked.

His lips were pursed. "I didn't feel any magic." His voice trailed off.

"How would you like to proceed?" I asked. This was his investigation, and I would follow his directions.

The buzz of insects and the wind in the trees filled my ears.

"I don't know about anyone else, but I thought we'd come across magic or a dinosaur by now," Nell said.

"As far as I can tell, there's nothing alive out here," Hal mumbled.

"That's the issue, isn't it?" I questioned. "Ty isn't alive. He's a hodgepodge of spells. That he functions like a big dog is rather odd. I've been leaving him alone because I can't find anything wrong, evil, cursed, or bad in him. Ya'll haven't been able to feel any life, and I haven't felt any spells. What do we do?"

Hal polished his sunglasses before replacing them on his nose. "We call it safe to here, call the officers in, and explore the rest."

"Done." Grady walked back down the road and radioed them.

The rest of us looked around, trying to determine how we should approach the house. Well, most of us looked around. Jacks flopped on his side and closed his eyes.

Grady returned, "They're headed this way."

While I had a healthy respect for Ty's creator and a distinct lack of desire to confront similar creations, I was losing my patience. For all appearances, this place was abandoned. We could be going through all this for the wrong house.

"I'm tired of sneaking around. Why don't we, carefully, walk up to the house and look around?" I asked.

"I'm game," Nell grinned.

Jacks shot up, wagging his tail.

"Fine. Fan out. Don't be afraid to communicate. If we do it this way, we're abandoning stealth," Hal directed.

We marched out of the tree line, adjusting our paths so we came at the house from the front and sides. Jacks trotted off, taking the long path across the yard to the far side of the house. Grady took the path to my right, bow in hand, arrow nocked. I headed for the front door, wand in hand, ready to cast. Nell was to my left, knives in each hand, grin on her face. Hal was taking the short path, aiming for the carport, knuckles white where they gripped his wand.

We were halfway across the yard when Hal grunted. I swung around, wand raised, in time to see his right foot sink into the ground. He stumbled forward a few steps and turned bright red.

"Sorry. Mole tunnel."

Weapons lowered, we resumed our march to the house. I rolled my shoulders, trying to release the tension that had gathered when I saw Hal's foot sinking.

Hal's pinwheeling aside, crossing the yard was anticlimactic. Birds chirped, and life continued as usual. I came to a stop inches away from the landing outside the front door. The house didn't look any better up close. Along with the pleasing blue on the side of the house, the white trim around the windows had nearly worn off, and the wood front door was cracked. The two holly bushes on each side of the door hadn't been pruned in years. They were four feet tall and nearly as wide, obscuring all but a small portion of the middle of the landing, just big enough for one person.

Figuring we'd lost any chance of surprise, I hollered, "Go in or check the back?"

"Stay put. Jacks and I will check the back. Nell, stay at the side, ready to help. If it looks good, we'll go in," Hal yelled back.

Nell took a few steps back so she could see both areas. Jacks loped away, tail high in the air.

"How do you want to do this?" I asked Grady.

"With the bush there, it limits the options. I'll stay here." He was a few feet behind and to the right of me. "If an arrow would be better than magic, you can duck and I'll do my part. Once you're inside, I'll move around and follow you."

"Works for me. Could you tell the officers it's safe to enter the yard?"

"Sure." He relayed the information.

I prepared to cast a spell to open the door.

"We go in on three," Hal yelled. "One, two, three!"

Jabbing my wand at the door, I released the spell. "Purisaz," I demanded.

The door flew open, and I marched inside, ready to zap anything that got in my way.

It was dark inside, the only light coming through the windows. Pausing to let my eyes adjust, I could hear Grady walking in behind me. The stench of rotting garbage reached me, but I tried to ignore it.

When my eyes focused, I could see a flowered sofa with a white coffee table in front of it. The coffee table was covered in ash, and a large ashtray was overflowing with cigarettes. Across the room there was a television, one of the old ones built into a wooden cabinet. Books were stacked here and there; some of them had been left open with rocks holding the pages down. Loose papers were piled around the books.

I slowly advanced through the living room, coming face-to-face with Jacks. He gave me a toothy grin before heading for the bedrooms. Hal was behind him, having come in the kitchen door.

"Anything in the kitchen?" I asked.

"Nothing we need to look at now."

I nodded.

"Entry closet is clear." Grady said.

"Thank you. I didn't think to check for one," I said.

"That's what I'm here for. I'll keep watch here if you want to check the rest of the house."

Hal and I headed down the hall, dodging piles of dirty junk. I could feel little spells on the piles. I'd look at them when we were done with the bedrooms. A door opened up on each side of the hall. I took the one on the right. The bathroom was as dirty as the rest of the house and didn't have any feeling of magic.

Hal backed out of the other room. "I can't feel any magic. Heck of a lot of dust."

"Don't look in the bathroom."

Jacks nosed his way out of the last room, sneezing, and a foul smell grew stronger. For some reason, I didn't think it was the garbage.

Hal stepped in front of me and pushed open the door. The smell hit me, making my eyes water. I swallowed hard, trying not to gag. The part of the room I could see around him was every bit as dirty as the rest of the house.

"Michelle, you don't have to see this, but I would like to know if you think this was part of a ritual." Hal backed up, forcing me out of the room, and closing the door behind us.

"Is it what I think it is?" There weren't many things that would have him looking green.

"It's a body. Adult humanoid, not pretty to look at. I can't tell you anything else without influencing your opinion. Will you look at it?"

"Do you have a barf bag?" I made a mental note to add them to my kit. When I started consulting for the police, I was dealing with misbehaving toasters and coffeemakers that added poison to your morning joe. Barf bags weren't a necessary item. By the smell, times had changed, and I needed to be prepared.

Hal unzipped a pocket on his vest and pulled out one of those little laminated bags. I didn't want to know why he was carrying one; my guess was the story was nasty enough that I'd use the bag before I set eyes on the body.

If he'd asked me yesterday, I would've said no. Today was different. I'd looked at bodies and seen innocent children. I'd found evidence of evil on their skin. Evil discriminated. It went after gentle souls and innocents. It caused mayhem and destruction simply to feel people suffer.

Evil was sneaky. It wanted to hide, lurk in the shadows, play with lives. Evil didn't care about laws or evidence, as long as it avoided detection long enough to have fun.

But I wasn't the law. I was a witch, a witch without a clan to limit my behavior.

I slid my wand into the wrist sheath. Taking the bag from him, I shook it open, wanting to be ready. I took a deep breath of the air in the hall in a rather foolish hope that I wouldn't have to breathe too much of the air in the room. Opening the door was an act of will. I didn't have a good feeling about what was on the other side.

Two steps into the room I knew why Hal had said this was optional. There was a mess of something on the bed. It was humanoid and had been here long enough for decay to distort the body and push things that should have been inside to the outside.

I swallowed, trying to force what was left of my breakfast to stay down. The bed was a horrific mess, one that would stay with me for years, but I didn't feel anything magical. To my untrained, and watering, eyes it looked like decay.

With that, I rushed back to the hall, slamming the door behind me. I kept my eyes focused on Hal as I took deep breaths. After being in there, the hallway air smelled clean and fresh, even though I knew it was foul.

"You'll need someone else to tell you if that was natural. Nothing indicated that magic was involved, and if you want a second opinion you can send it to a firm in Atlanta. I'm not looking at it again."

"Thank you," he said softly. "I know that wasn't easy."

"Take your barf bag back. If you have to go back in, you might need it." I shoved it in his hands, and marched through the living room and into the yard.

I took deep gulping breaths of fresh air, air with the scent of fall and a brisk wind.

"Michelle?"

"I'm sorry, Hal. I needed to get out of there." He stood beside me, but I kept my eyes on the woods and the dwindling fall colors.

"Nothin' to apologize for. That's an ugly sight, and I've seen a lot of ugly things."

"Does it ever get easier?" We stood there, the breeze blowing away the stench of death, the earth a comforting presence under our feet.

"No. Your scale of what's horrible changes. It's like when those city folk move out here, and they get upset because there's a gun rack in the truck. Then a few years later they have a gun rack in their truck and are giving the newcomer the stink eye when he asks about the guns.

"I can't speak for everyone else, but I've been doing this for twenty years and it still bothers me. 'Course I'm almost as worried by what doesn't bother me anymore. Like everything in life, it'll get easier and harder in equal measure."

"I really wanted you to say it got easier."

"Couldn't lie to you." He put his hands in his pockets and kept his eyes on the trees.

Part of me wanted to walk away, but the bigger, meaner, angrier part wasn't going anywhere. I would find a way to live with the terrible things. I had to make it through them, because it gave me a chance to prevent worse events.

I exhaled. My life was going to change.

Hal cleared his throat. "Do you think it's safe to let the officers and medical examiner in there?"

"I can't be sure without looking at every piece of junk, but I didn't feel anything harmful."

"I'll let them know. Nell and Jacks are out back. There's a barn back there they'd like to look at. Could you give them a hand?"

"Sure." I scrubbed my palms down my thighs, and grabbed my wand.

While I'd been getting the stink of death out of my nose, police had swarmed the property. There were ten different cars here, including the medical examiner's van. I dodged the officers headed for the house and found the elf and werecoyote alone in the back yard.

"Jacks, you could've warned me."

He cocked his head to the side. I guess even nasty decaying bodies didn't bother shifters.

"Never mind," I muttered.

"I'm sure it wasn't enjoyable for him, but bad meat is simply that," Nell said.

I shrugged. She had a point. "Hal said you wanted to check out the barn?"

"It's the only thing out here we haven't explored."

"Let's go."

We headed across the field separating the barn from the house. The uneven ground had me wishing for four feet instead of two.

The side of the barn was dark and uneven, with old weathered wood that had seen better days, and the red metal of the roof was faded and rusty. There wasn't a door but an opening with a gate. There were lots of barns like this in North Georgia. They were built years ago, and as land changed hands and fewer people kept livestock or farmed, they fell into disrepair.

The barn ahead of us was a prime example; one corner was noticeably lower than the other. Between the gaps in the boards and the tilt of the building, it looked ready to collapse. I wasn't sure they were paying me enough to set foot in that death trap.

My magic tugged at me, until I stopped, closed my eyes, and let a strand explore the barn. It raced back to me, having found hundreds of spells. My eyes popped open, in time for me to see Jacks scrabble through the gate and Nell vault it.

"No. Stop. Wait. There's something in there!" I shouted, taking off to the barn. I tried not to picture another Ty. I didn't have that in me today.

Something lit the inside of the building in a soft glow. I was hoping it was a light bulb.

Reaching the barn, I shimmied over the gate with ease. I may not be a farm girl, but I was a country girl. With both feet on the ground, I turned, wand at the ready.

Rather than danger, I found tables lining the walls and bins of old items here and there. Jacks was busy sniffing a pile of bones in the corner, and Nell was examining the ones laid out on a table.

"Can you feel the spells?" I asked.

Jacks turned enough to bob his head.

"Yes. I haven't touched anything. Would you mind looking at this?"

I picked my way around tables and piles until I reached her. Nell stepped back to give me better access.

The table had most of a skeleton of a deer neatly arranged. Along with the skeleton were knives, a watch, two plates, a teddy bear, and a few items I didn't recognize. I examined each object with my eyes before probing it with my magic. One of the knives had been driven into a bone. The knife had been spelled to be unbreakable, and the bone now shared that spell.

The next table had a complete skeleton, one of a rabbit. It didn't have household items attached to the bones. When I reached out to touch it, the rabbit twitched and started to move away. I drew my hand back to my chest, and it settled down.

By the fourth table, I wasn't surprised to see parts of a skeleton twitch when I approached. Like the last three, the spells being incorporated into the skeleton were basic, attached to inconsequential items.

"Do you know what this is?" Nell asked.

"I know as much as anyone. I know what he was doing, though how and why are up for debate."

"And?" Nell prodded.

"We should talk to Hal. It will be easier to tell everyone at once. Jacks, come on. We need to find Hal." Jacks sniffed the bones one last time before following us.

The walk back to the house wasn't long enough for me to figure out how to break the news to Hal. There were limits to my abilities, and what was in that barn was out of my league.

We found Hal sitting on the trunk of a cruiser, drinking water.

"What did you find?" he asked.

"It could be worse," I said, trying to gauge his reaction. "There aren't any other creatures like Ty, but we did find fifteen partially reconstructed and animated creatures. There are a lot more bones in there and piles of magical items, but few of those items are of any concern. I don't know if the person in the house was doing this or if he had help. That's your job.

"Whoever did this was twisting and mixing basic spells with bones. From there they managed to reanimate skeletons. If I had to guess, I'd say the ones in there were test pieces and Ty was the masterpiece."

"What's the bad news?" he asked in a flat voice.

"I can't dispose of everything in there. I'm not willing to mess with the partially animated bones. The regular bones aren't my department, and there's simply too much magical junk for me to sift through and disenchant. If it was me, I'd send it through the crusher. Since you may have to keep this stuff for evidence, I'd hire a firm from Atlanta. Some of them specialize in this sort of thing. They can catalogue and dispose of it." There was nothing fun about telling someone bad news, especially a client who was paying for my abilities.

I couldn't even make the same arrangement I had with Union County. Their stuff was ready for disposal. This mess was going to end up as evidence in the investigation into how a T-Rex demolished half a town.

"The captain won't be happy about this." Hal twisted the water bottle in his hands.

"The ATF and FBI have been itching to get in on this. Maybe we can shovel this mess into their lap," Nell offered.

Even Hal managed to laugh.

"Thanks for coming out, Michelle," Hal said.

"No problem. Sorry I couldn't be more help."

"I knew this could go poorly. All things considered, it's not a bad outcome. We don't have any more dinosaurs creating havoc, and we can invite the feds in to clean up this mess."

"Okay. If you're happy with it, then I've done my job."

"I don't know if happy is the right term, but it could've been a lot worse."

"Do you want me to look at anything else?"

"No, you've done your part. I'll have Grady drive you back to the office." Hal ambled off to find my driver.

I took his spot on the trunk and tried to let my brain turn off. Thinking about this wasn't going to help. I did my part, and sometimes that's the best I could do.

Chapter 16: Michelle

While Grady drove us back to town, I dug my phone out of my bag and sent a message to Cage, letting him know I would be at the tea shop in forty minutes. I had a message from Tiffany. She'd talked to Wells again, and there hadn't been any progress in Amber's case. I thanked her for the update.

If I could figure out where Amber was being kept, I'd get her back. Of course, the police had to be thinking the same thing. They had questioned every person remotely related to the case, and no one had useful information.

That was the problem, wasn't it? The police were asking questions. If I knew I'd be killed for sharing information, I'd be reluctant to talk. Police had procedures and documentation. At some point, the trail would point at the person with the loose lips.

I didn't have to play by those rules. If I was questioned, the answer would be simple enough. I used a spell to figure it out. If they were asked, either they hadn't talked to me, or I'd used a spell to force them to talk. It might not be witness protection, but it was a close second.

There was a cost. There was always a cost. I would betray the police I worked with and their ideals. Those ideals weren't random; they were there to protect people and their rights. It wasn't a perfect system, but it was the best one we had. I knew they were doing everything they could to find Amber. Wells, Westmorland, Jones, Hall, and the rest were all good people. When witnesses didn't come forward, they got stuck. If I made a deal behind their back, I would be one of the reasons the system failed. I could lose my business and go to jail.

I could live with that if Amber got a shot at living happily ever after.

"Michelle?"

Opening my eyes, I saw the sheriff's office. "Sorry about that, I zoned out."

"It's okay. Do you need help with your bags?"

"If you wouldn't mind."

Grady helped me stash the bags in my car. I pulled a small shoulder bag out of the trunk and followed him to the locker room. After thanking him, I took a hot shower and changed clothes. After the second time I soaped and rinsed, I felt and smelled clean.

I pulled my wet hair back into a ponytail and headed out. Cage had promised me answers, and I didn't want to be late.

In minutes I was heading into the street-level portion of a two-story building. The front had Gold Rush Tea in gold letters and baskets of flowers hanging around the patio. The inside of the building had developed its personality over time. The wood floor was dark and smooth from years of foot traffic. There was a slight dip around the door. The walls were brick, with black-and-white pictures of miners. The tables and counter were honey-colored and shiny.

At the counter, I ordered a tomato, basil, and mozzarella sandwich, and a chai tea latte.

I was halfway through my sandwich and winning the battle against this morning's memories ruining my meal when Cage walked in. He waved at me and went over to the counter. While he was waiting for his order, I got the rest of the food in my tummy, and shoved the bad images to a dark corner of my mind.

Cage came over with a bagel and large drink in his hands.

"Thanks for meeting me." I stood up and offered him my hand.

He set his things on the table and gently engulfed my hand in his. "It is my pleasure."

We settled into our seats, and I started playing with my mug.

"Where would you like to start?" Cage asked.

I had so many questions. Between Elron and my parents, I had hints and partial facts, but it wasn't safe to ask him about that. He had mentioned things I didn't understand when he helped me neutralize Ty. "What is an Ieldra?"

He studied me as he finished chewing. "You don't know anything about clans, do you?"

I shook my head.

"Ah, we have a lot to talk about. The clan follows the leadership of their elders. The elders are a group selected for their wisdom, power, and experience, whatever would make you pick a leader. Out of that group comes the clan leader, or Minister. An Ieldra is a witch born with a curved X as part of their clan scar. That scar marks them as powerful."

I gave up on finding out what being an Ieldra meant and followed the flow of information. This was the most information I'd gotten from a witch. "You said it's rare to be born with this mark. How rare is it? Can tattoos change outside of joining a new clan?"

Cage smiled. "You know which questions to ask. It is very rare to be born an Ieldra. No, to the best of my knowledge, clan scars only change if you join a new clan."

I took a sip of my drink. That was good information, but it didn't apply to me. "What about the tattoo on my shoulder? What does it mean?"

His voice deepened. "When a witch is born with the tattoo of an Ieldra, it marks her or him. The way it was explained to me was that it's like a prophecy. You will do something that sets you apart. What that is varies. For some it is undertaking a great task, and others have changed the way we view magic."

All that was fascinating, and something I needed to think about at length. He hadn't told me about my tattoo. "Is that what my tattoo means?" I had trouble referring to the mark on my shoulder as a clan scar. It was nearly identical to the tattoos humans and shifters were fond of, and I didn't have a clan.

Cage shrugged one of his shoulders. "Yours is different. I've never heard of one like it. You have the mark of an Ieldra, but it mixed with the symbols of your clans, and I can't tell which clans."

"Why not?" I struggled to keep my voice pleasant. Cage was helping me, answering questions I didn't know to ask, but my hope for clarity and understanding was fading. Sure, I could get answers, but only ones that left me with more questions.

"Two clan symbols can mix in countless ways. Your scar is a mixture of three symbols, with the Ieldra being the most prominent. I wish I could help."

"You've helped. You've told me more about clans in the past twenty minutes than I've learned my entire life. Thank you."

He smiled. "My pleasure. What else would you like to know?"

"You said being an Ieldra is like being part of a prophecy. Could you explain?" If my skin thought it had a say in my life, it was wrong. I would make my own choices, for better or worse.

"You're the first Ieldra I've met, so I'm telling you what I was told. Just as a witch is born with a clan scar, they can also be born with the mark of an Ieldra. It seems that babies acquire that scar the same way they acquire the clan scar, but that's poor information since no one knows how witches get a clan scar. Being marked an Ieldra does not give any indication about what you could do, only that you will do something extraordinary. As far as I'm concerned, you've already lived up to expectations. What you can do, how you cast spells, that's beyond compare."

"Great. I don't need my skin dictating my life."

Cage chuckled. "I wouldn't worry about it. The events will come to pass or pass you by."

"Easy for you to say. You didn't find out that you're supposed to do something amazing."

"No, but most Ieldra live long, happy lives."

That sounded about as likely as a werehog growing wings, but I wasn't going to be rude to the guy who was helping me. "But I'm not part of a clan."

His eyebrows pulled together. "That I don't understand. You are marked as a member of two clans. How did you end up clanless?"

"I was born without one. Mom wasn't a member of a clan, and I didn't have a father growing up." I left out the part about having a father now. It wasn't any of his business.

Cage shook his head. "I don't know what to tell you. I suspect your Mom still had ties to a clan, as did your father. Your mother's clan may come looking for you. If your mom had a tie with her clan when you were born, they may have felt your birth and the potential in you. The same goes for your father's clan."

I was pretty sure I was safe from Dad's clan. He knew exactly where to find me. Mom's clan was a different kettle of fish. My parents' warning stuck with me. "Would other clans come after me?"

"You make it sound like they would hunt you down. I doubt they would use force, but yes. Any clan who hears of your abilities may attempt to court you. Their ways of courting could be invasive. In spite of living in a modern era, some elders are very traditional, in the worst sense. They may invade your life, talk to your friends and family, and generally do their best to find out everything about you," Cage grumbled.

"Have you seen that happen?"

He nodded. "Not by my clan. I meant what I said. I want to help you. The Elefant would be honored to have you join us. That's my invitation, not the elders, but we won't pursue that relationship. And I'm from Pennsylvania. I doubt you're itching to get a clan and move a thousand miles away."

"No, that's not high on my list." I smiled. "How pushy will these clans get?"

Grinning he said, "I suspected as much." He sobered. "They can be downright scary. A neighboring clan went after one of ours. By the time the clan had threatened his family, followed him to and from work, and generally made his life miserable, he wasn't going anywhere."

"How did he get them to back off?"

"He didn't. Our Minister took a hostage from each of the clans. She wouldn't release them until the other Minister and Elders had made binding promises to leave him alone."

"Oh." I doubted I could get away with the same thing if a clan bothered me, but I'd keep it in mind. "What should I do if a clan comes after me like that?"

"Join a different clan." His voice was flat, and his eyes hard.

"Narzel fart."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I'd rather know the truth."

Cage checked his watch and winced. "I hate to run out, but I'm due back."

Looking at the time, I needed to get going or I wouldn't be able to catch the gargoyles before they left Forsyth. "I need to go too. Thank you for helping me. I won't forget this."

Nodding his head in a sign of respect, he said, "It was my pleasure. If you have any other questions, or need a friend, you know how to find me."

With that, he headed out the door. I returned my dishes, quickly used the bathroom, and was on the road.

The past few days had been a never-ending deluge of events and information, and today was continuing the trend. Having an unknown force decree that I could do something amazing was unnerving. It was equally obnoxious that it couldn't be bothered to tell me what fantastic thing I could accomplish. If I was going to have a destiny, I wanted to know what it was.

Given the new information, I had to agree with my mom's paranoia. If clans with no ties to a wizard were willing to invade his life to the point that his loved ones were distancing themselves, there's no telling what her clan would do to get me back. Laying low had been a great plan—until I blew it by being me.

Maybe dad had the right idea now. I wasn't a child anymore. It was time to change strategies, protect ourselves and our lives. If they came, they came. I could protect myself. Besides, the clan wasn't motivated to hurt me. They wanted to reclaim me because I had the special scar. A dead witch wasn't much good.

With a sigh, I focused on more urgent matters and gave Detective Wells a call.

"Detective Wells."

"Hi, this is Michelle Oaks."

"I'm guessing you want an update on your friend's case?"

"Yes. Is there any news?"

"Simon, the pack alpha, is now a missing person. He has not been seen in several days, and communication to him as been redirected to Adder. His disappearance is under investigation. Sadly, I do not have any additional information about Amber. I'm going to tell you the same thing I've told the friend of yours who keeps calling; we are looking into every possibility."

"Thank you." I tried to keep my voice sincere.

He gave a gusty sigh. "I am bound by policies and regulations. We are actively searching for evidence that could jumpstart the investigation."

"I understand." I didn't like it, but from my dealings with the police, I knew he was telling the truth. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help." The words tasted bad because I knew he wouldn't ask for my help.

"I will. Have a good day." He didn't sound happy about the current state of affairs.

"Thanks, you too." I hung up the phone with a heavy heart. I could only think of one person who would gain from Simon's absence. If Adder had a hand in his father's disappearance, the odds of finding Simon alive and well were not good.

The rest of the drive passed in a blur. Thoughts zoomed in and out of my head faster than I could make sense of them. My parents and I needed to have a talk, but it would have to wait. Elron and I had a date tonight, and I wanted to enjoy it. Amber was missing, and I needed to find her. Gargoyles could help combat the evil in Ellijay.

It was a relief to get to the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office and have something to occupy my mind. If I kept thinking about everything, I would get a headache. I walked in, waving at the familiar faces. Since the troll incident, I'd become somewhat of a fixture around here, and no one was surprised to see me. When I didn't see Jones at his desk, I headed to his workroom.

"Jones, where'd you go?"

"In here," he called out.

I found him digging through a cabinet under the sink, only his rear and legs left on the outside. "Are you digging for China?" I heard a thump and a muffled curse.

Jones popped out of the cabinet. "Michelle, it's good to see you."

"I'm sure it is since I'm not here fixing an emergency. Can I help you with anything?" I asked.

He wrinkled his brow before realizing he was still on his hands and knees in front of the cabinet. "Oh, that? No, I was trying to find a Crock-Pot so I could make mulled cider for the guys who work Thanksgiving."

"Oh, that's nice."

He shrugged. "They enjoy it. A lot of junk gets piled in there because everyone uses that cabinet as spare storage. I'll find it later. I bet you want to know about the gargoyles."

"You guessed right."

"I'll tell you on the way over there."

We gathered up our things, and I gratefully settled into the passenger's seat. I'd been behind the wheel for two hours already, and I had another forty miles to go after this.

"The gargoyles landed this morning. I'm sure they thought this spot was out of the way, but the field they're in is the community green for a gated community and next to the main road. When I heard about them, I called you. It's a small flock, only ten adolescents and adults and five children. Everyone agreed on the number of children, but most people can't tell an adolescent from an adult."

"Understandable. They look very similar, and not many people have seen gargoyles." Gargoyles weren't very common, and even to the trained eye, it was difficult to distinguish adolescents and adults. Generally, facial features and mannerisms would give them away, but they were stone during the day.

"Have you?" Jones asked.

"Once, a flock stayed with some elves my family knew when I was a teenager. I was lucky enough to talk to a few of them. They are very formal, but nice." I shrugged. They were people, just like elves, shifters, witches, fey, centaurs, satyrs, dwarves, dragons, and giants. From my last interactions, I'd learned most of them took being a guardian against evil very seriously. Since I knew bad things were happening in Ellijay, I figured this was going to be an easy conversation.

"Nice. I've never seen them before." Jones said.

I smiled. "Then this should be fun."

A few minutes later, we pulled into an upscale subdivision. Twenty feet down the road, I could see a playground next to a grassy field covered in gray statues. The gargoyles were grouped to one side, as if trying to protect one another even when they were stone. There was some debate as to how stone-like they really were when the sun was out. There were documented occasions when a gargoyle had awakened from its stone state and moved around during the day. However, there was also documentation of their similarities to stone. Having spoken to gargoyles in the past and being allowed to examine them, I agreed with a different theory. Their skin, which was normally thick and rough, changed composition during the day, making them look and feel like stone. This thicker skin made it difficult for them to move, so gargoyles slept during the day.

"This flock has a lot of youngsters. I hope they're willing to move somewhere with evil brewing," I said.

"As a parent, I wouldn't want to take my kids to a dangerous area, but I'm human." Jones was still staring at the gargoyles. "That is one impressive sight."

He was right, each of them was frozen in a different position. Even from a distance, it was easy to see the different shapes of horns and ears. Some were heavier, thinner, taller, or shorter. Their wings were as unique as the rest of them, coming in different shapes and sizes.

"They are compelling." Armed with my wand and a ball of yarn, I headed over to the group. I walked a circle around them, infusing the yarn with power as it trailed behind me. When I reached my starting point, I tied the ends together. The magic fluctuated, traveling the length of the yarn without structure. I quickly sketched the runes to form the spell. A transparent wall rose from the yarn, forming a dome over the gargoyles.

When the sun hit the dome, you could see a shimmer.

"What did you do?" Jones asked.

"It's a type of barrier spell. They can come and go, but it will alert me if any of them leave. Part of the spell will inform the adults that we would like to talk to them and assure them of our friendly intentions." I explained.

"What do we do now?" Jones asked.

"We wait for them to wake up and hope they are willing to talk to us."

"Oh, do you want to wait in the car?"

"Please. It's chilly." It wasn't much warmer in the car, but we were protected from the wind.

"How have you been? It's been a while since we had a chance to talk."

"I've been better. It's been a rough week." I studied the man next to me. Jones had helped me through the thick and thin. "We're friends, right?"

"Yes, why would you ask?"

"I need to talk to a friend, not a cop."

After a moment, he nodded.

"There's been so much going on. Most of it's little stuff, the threat on my window, a spider who left a threat on my ceiling."

He opened his mouth, but I kept talking.

"I didn't report that one. It was late, and I didn't want to deal with it. There's a strange family and witch matter that I don't understand, and my best friend was abducted."

"Who was taken and when? I haven't heard about it."

I quickly explained Amber's situation. "The worst part is I know they are trying to find her, and they can't. I want to go after her. I know it's wrong, but I think I can find her. If she's alive, I can save her."

"Michelle, do you know what you're saying?" The worry in his eyes was touching.

"Yes," I said softly. "And I know what I said before, about leaving the danger to the police. Things have changed, Jones. There is an evil killing people in Ellijay, and my friend is missing. I looked at the bodies of children this morning. They died from something humans can't fight."

"Not all police are humans."

"Not all, but enough. Shifters, humans, and vampires are drawn to this life."

"That's true, but do you think you have a chance against a force that kills children?"

"I don't know, but I can't look at another dead child knowing I did nothing. I can't do it, Jones." I bit my lip, the pain forcing the tears back. Don't cry.

Jones patted my hand. "You give us an edge. Every clue or hint you give us gets us one step closer to saving a child. The best thing you can do is be strong enough to fight against the bad."

"What if I can't do that with the police?"

"Are we talking about the kids or Amber?"

I shrugged.

Jones leaned his shoulder into the seat, and drilled his eyes into mine. "As a cop, anything you do outside of aiding us with an investigation could be criminal, resulting in the loss of your business and time in prison. As a friend, you need to figure out if helping them is worth the price you may pay. You need to do whatever it takes for you to look in the mirror and be happy with the person looking back."

I gave him a tight nod, turned, and looked out the window. He'd squished any doubt I had. No matter what the cost, I was going after Amber, and I would find whatever murdered those kids. If I could do it with the police, I would. When I couldn't, I would pray that when the dust settled they knew I was on their side. And I'd pay the price for breaking the law.

"Jones, I've got one more question."

"Shoot." He looked at me, his eyes bright.

"Had anyone figured out who or what killed Carrie? Or who turned her into a sorceress?" My best guess was that the person behind her was behind the deaths in Ellijay and the threats on my life.

"No and no. The FBI knows magic was involved in her death, but that's all they've shared with us. We've been over the evidence a few times, but we don't have anything."

"Narzel fart." It had been a long shot. Jones would've called if they had any useful information. Since she died in a federal prison, odds were the locals never got a complete file. Her death was the key to what was going on in these mountains.

"Are they waking up?" Jones asked.

I stopped staring into space and started studying the gargoyles. I noticed a leathery look to their skin, and one or two of them seemed to be twitching, slowly moving into a different position.

"I think so. Let's get a closer look," I said. We got out of the car and walked to the edge of the field.

One by one, their posture relaxed, and they began to move. At first, it was slow, a few fingers or a change in the angle of their head. A few minutes later, some of them were opening their eyes and stretching as humans would after waking. The adults seemed to be the first to awaken, and the children curled up on the grass were the last. The first gargoyles studied us, ears and noses twitching. If they were anything like dogs, they were curious rather than alarmed.

After all of them had gotten their bearings, there was a bit of conversation in a language I didn't recognize. A gargoyle with horns that emerged from his forehead and curled behind his head with the points under his ears walked over to us. It sat back on its haunches, arms crossed over its chest.

The gargoyle seemed to be waiting on us to make a move so I took a step forward, and introduced myself. "Greetings, I am Michelle Oaks, a witch. My apologies for leaving the message for you while you rested. I did not mean to alarm you."

"Greetings, Michelle. I am Horst, leader of this flock. Your message was polite and well intended. What do you wish to discuss?" Horst was very stern, even for a gargoyle.

"I represent a nearby town. This town would like to offer you a home or temporary residence. They are experiencing trouble with an evil and desire the aid of those experienced in fighting that force." I didn't really think this group had that much experience fighting evil since so many of them were young, but fighting evil was in their blood. It's what they'd been doing for thousands of years.

"Many of us are young and ill suited to fighting."

"I would not ask that you risk the young. Your presence would help protect the citizens of the town even if none of you fight."

"I must converse with the others. We would be honored to aid the town, but this flock may not be the one you need."

"Thank you, Horst. We respect your wishes."

Horst returned to the flock. Two smaller gargoyles and the five children were sent to the other side of the clearing. The two adolescents watched the children play and kept them from wandering away from the flock. The eight that remained chattered back and forth, but most of the conversation was between Horst and two others.

"What do you think they'll do?" Jones asked.

"I'm not sure. I didn't expect to find a flock with children. They don't reproduce often. However, it is their duty to fight evil, and the gargoyles I've spoken to in the past took their duty very seriously. They told me it was difficult to find a place in the world when their reason for being had largely been removed when the demons were killed. These days they fight lesser evils, people who have gone down the wrong path."

We watched them debate as the sun finished sinking behind the trees.

Horst bounded over, coming to a halt close enough to have a comfortable conversation. He said, "We have terms."

"I am willing to hear them."

"We will only fight if necessary and only after sending the young to safety and bringing in fighters. We need a place to roost, preferably a location similar to this one. We will want a shelter and a small stipend for the adults. If our terms are accepted, we will roost through the winter and renegotiate in the spring."

I didn't even need to consider. All the terms he'd named were very basic, and I knew that Gilmer County would consider it a fair trade. "Would you be willing to accept half the stipend in food?"

"Yes, provided we preapprove the food."

"Of course. There is a shelter in the park that can be adapted to your needs. If that is unacceptable, they will find other accommodations. Participation in any fight is at your discretion."

"I find those terms acceptable."

We briefly haggled over the stipends and finished on positive note. "Can I give you directions to the town?"

"Please. Could a green charm-flare be send up over the area we are to roost?"

"Yes." I provided flying directions and wished them pleasant travels.

As they were flying away, Horst called out over his shoulder, "We will tell our cousins to go to your home. Evil is hunting you." Before I could reply, he disappeared into the night sky.

"What was that about?"

"I don't know. My guess is the sorceress. Oh, well. A few gargoyles around the lodge would be a good thing. Let's head back. I need to call Westmoreland and tell him the terms."

In the car, I called Westmoreland and relayed the news. He thanked me so many times I had to remind him that they were paying me. It had been a job, though a pleasurable one at that.

Jones waited until I was finished with my call to ask, "Why are you in such a hurry?"

I blushed. "I've got a date."

"What?"

"You heard me. A date."

"With whom?"

"Elron."

Jones paused. "Isn't he the old elf that lives next to you?"

"Yes," I mumbled. I didn't want to have this conversation.

"How old is he?"

"Does it matter?"

"It seems to matter to you," Jones said.

"He's over fifteen hundred years old. Can we drop it, now?" I demanded. Jones didn't say anything. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "What are you thinking?"

He glanced at me. "Since you asked so nicely, I think it's good for you to have a date. You're a grown witch. You can do what you want."

"Thank you."

Ignoring my thanks, he continued, "If I'd known you were into older guys, I would've introduced you to my great uncle. He's been looking for a new wife. Compared to your elf, he's a spring chicken."

Chapter 17: Michelle

"Mom, I can't talk right now. I need to get to dinner." Which was true, but I didn't want to talk to her anyway. Between Elron and Cage, I'd learned more about my family from strangers than I had from her, and I needed to sort out my feelings before I could attempt a rational conversation with her.

"Landa won't mind if you're late. I needed to hear your voice."

"I'm fine," I said.

"Did you look into the suicides?"

I'd been dreading this conversation since the first time she asked me about them. It was one of those times where the honest answer might not be the best answer. She was worried about me as it was. "Yes, I did."

"And?" She sighed, as if I was being difficult. Which I was.

"I agree with you. They were contaminated with negative energy."

"Who left that on them?" Her voice was sharp.

"I don't know. That's something the police need to investigate." It was true, as far as it went. I didn't know who killed them.

"Did the police hire you to investigate their deaths?"

"Not exactly. I examined the bodies this morning. There isn't anything else I can do at this point," I answered honesty.

"I hope they leave you out of it. I don't want you involved in something like that."

That was why I was less than honest with her. I would be involved with the case one way or another. "I'll keep that in mind. Mom, I need to go before I'm late."

"Why are you in such a rush?"

"Because I'm hungry, and I don't want to be late."

"Fine, go eat. Be safe, and I love you."

I didn't return the sentiment. Until we hashed out the family history, it was going to be hard to feel good saying the words. After getting off the phone, I went back to picking my outfit. Elron had been frustratingly vague on the details, like where we were going and how I should dress.

He told me to dress casually, but he hadn't said if that meant casual, but dressy, or plain old casual. Boys were confusing. I yanked a pair of jeans out of my closet and found a cute green shirt to go with them. After that, I pulled out socks and tugged on a pair of boots. A quick trip to the bathroom and my hair was slicked back into a pony tail.

There was a knock at the door. "Be right there," I yelled. I was running a few minutes behind, and Elron was the timely sort.

I grabbed my phone and purse, before rushing out the door. "I know, I know, I'm late."

Looking up, I lost my breath. Elron's jeans were worn thin in a few places, and snug enough to give a good view of his butt. The T-shirt left his arms bare, and there were more than a few muscles being shown off. His silver hair was pushed behind his ears, sharply contrasting with the ash gray of his shirt. I swallowed a few times, trying to regain the ability to talk.

"You look great," I said.

"Not nearly as good as you." His smile showed his dimples.

"Thank you. Where are we going?"

"Out. I have a picnic in the car. It's a short ride, if you trust me to drive." He laughed, and I wasn't sure of the joke.

"Humm, no body damage. I'll risk it."

"Brave of you. I've only been driving for a year." He guided me out the front door and opened the passenger door for me.

"Really?" I stopped outside the car.

"Yes, but I haven't been in an accident yet." He batted his eyes.

I laughed. "Cute, but you've been my knight in shining armor lately. I don't think you'll let me get hurt."

Elron's eyebrow popped up. "Knight in shining armor is it? I'm not sure I like it. Most of those stories involve charging into battles brandishing a sword. That's a good way to end up dead." He closed my door and started around the car.

He had been different lately. We still bantered, but it was less cutting, friendlier. It was nice to see him, the honest thoughts and feelings. If I'd seen this when we met, we wouldn't have butted heads.

Elron slid into the driver's seat, and seconds later we were rolling down the driveway. He glanced at me a couple of times before saying. "It is unfair for me to know more about you than you know about me. Shall we even things up? It would be my pleasure to answer your questions."

I thought for a moment, I didn't want to start with a pushy question. "Where were you born?"

He smiled. "Starting with the basics are you? I was born in what would be North Carolina today."

"How'd you end up in Georgia?"

"I moved here with my wife."

"That's a concise answer." If he was going to answer every question like that, this would be a long, awkward date.

"I did not know it was customary to share the story."

"It isn't customary, but it's nice to have a longer explanation. Besides, I want to learn about you."

He thought for a moment, his eyes glued to the road. "I met the woman who became my wife at the spring equinox celebration. My parents had expressed a desire to be left alone to enjoy each other's company and visit periodically. When we were given permission to marry, I moved to North Georgia with her. Her parents were not in good health, and she wished to be with them in the end. We stayed here after they passed."

"What happened to your parents?" I knew better than to ask about his mate.

He stiffened. "Once my parents began traveling, we lost touch. They were more teachers than they were parents."

"Sorry." I hadn't meant to spoil our evening.

"No, it's all right. I know your past. It's only fair for you to know mine." He was quick to reassure me.

"How long have you lived in Georgia?"

"You know, I haven't thought about it in a while. The better part of a thousand years, I guess."

"Then you were here when the first humans settled in this area?" I asked.

"Yes. I rarely interacted with them, preferring to stay with my own kind."

"I've heard other elves express similar sentiments." I would be lucky to live three hundred years. We had turned off the highway and past a stone wall with shiny letters. "Are we on Kennesaw University's campus?"

"Yes, we are." Elron sounded smug.

"All right. You've got a secret. Spit it out."

"You'll see soon enough. It's a surprise." He tossed a blindfold onto my lap. "Put that on."

"What?" I sputtered.

"It's part of the surprise."

"Because you asked so nicely." I slipped the blindfold over my head, blacking out my vision.

"No peeking. I'll know if you peeked."

"How?"

"That's for me to know. We're almost there." It was nice to hear happiness and laughter in his voice.

I felt the car slow down, turn, and stop. Elron turned off the engine and told me to wait for him. I couldn't do much else since I wasn't supposed to take off the blindfold. I heard the back door open on his side of the car. He picked up the picnic basket and closed the door. A moment later, my door opened.

"You can take off your seat belt," he said.

I mashed the button and untangled myself from the strap. "I can get out on my own."

He waited for me to get out before speaking. "I know you want out of the blindfold. Two minutes and you can get rid of it."

"Are you sure?"

"Maybe three, but certainly not more."

"Okay. Give me your arm. I can't go anywhere without a guide," I said.

Elron settled my hand in the crook of his arm. "If you listen to me, you won't trip."

"I'm doomed."

"Oh, stop that. We're coming up to a curb."

He slowed down as I started taking tiny steps, feeling in front of me as I set down my foot. On the third step, I felt the curb and carefully stepped up. "What's next?"

"Nothing. The pavement is fairly smooth, and we'll turn left in three feet." Elron guided me around a corner. "And stop. I need to open the door."

I felt Elron bend over as he placed the basket on the floor. There were a few beeps and a click. He picked up the basket and guided me through a door that must've opened automatically. We walked down a hall that echoed a bit.

"Turning right in two feet." He guided me through the turn, and I heard a door slide open. A blast of warm air hit me.

"Now, can I take off the blindfold?"

"A few more feet. We are going down ten stairs. The first one is a foot and a half in front of you."

I patted around with my toe until I found it. Clinging to his arm, I carefully felt my way down the flight of stairs.

"Your next step will put you on the ground."

Sure enough, my foot landed on pebbles. "You're pretty good at this. Have you had practice?"

"I have had some practice. Friends of mine have had temporary eye injuries, and there are blind elves."

"How do elves get temporary eye injuries?"

"Stand right here for a moment." I could hear him doing something as he answered my question. "They get tossed from a horse, injured during sword or wrestling practice, or mess up a spell."

"Must've been some spell."

"It was. One of my friends was trying to crossbreed magical sunflowers and daylilies. He wasn't having much luck, so he tried using magic to mix their pollen. The resulting flash of light left him blind for a week. He's fine now, but hasn't resumed his attempts to crossbreed those species again."

I chuckled. Magic could be unpredictable.

"Don't be surprised. I'm next to you." He wrapped an arm around my waist, and tingles shot up my side. "I want you to sit right here." He maneuvered me until I was in the position he liked and had me sit on a rock. "Wait a moment." I heard him sit down near me. "Okay. Now you can take off the blindfold."

I pulled the blindfold off and was stunned by the beauty around me. The rock I was sitting on was the edge of a pond of glow koi fish. They were frolicking around tiger lily pads. The lily pads were striped orange, purple, and red.

Hanging over the pond was the magical night sky bird-of-paradise plant. This one was six feet tall, and its fanlike leaves were blue with white stems running through the center. The flowers were the palest yellow with purple highlights running through the petals, glowing like small suns.

"You like it?"

"Yes. I've only heard of these." I looked at him, and I could see his tension melt. He'd been worried I wouldn't like it, but he couldn't have been further from the truth. This was a perfect place for a date between an elf and a witch. This place held only rare and magical plants, a melding of my talents and his. "What is this place?"

"This is my work. They want me to make the largest collection of magical and rare plants. I have four greenhouses right now, and the option to take a few more. We are working on an outdoor garden as well. This is the only one that's even close to completion." He smiled, looking at the variety of tropical plants, sparkling, glowing, and blooming for us.

"Is this where you got that flower you gave me?" During the troll case, Elron had given me this cute purple flower. It was a cute little flower until a sudden growth spurt turned it into a dinner-plate-sized flower.

Elron blushed, a bit of pink showing on his cheeks. "No, that flower came from an ordinary garden down the way."

"If you say so."

"I do, but if you want to see what the cutting has done, it's in my workroom. Now, we have dinner." He uncapped a bottle and poured each of us a glass of something bubbly. "This is sparkling apple juice, not wine. We have a spinach, pasta, olive, pine nut, coconut, and heart of palm salad topped with parmesan cheese and a vinaigrette. There's a side of corn casserole and dinner rolls. For dessert we have blueberry tarts." He pulled them out of the basket.

"It looks delicious."

"Thank you, though I must admit I didn't cook them. Landa insisted after I told her what we'd be doing tonight."

"You told Landa?"

"I had to. She wanted to know why we wouldn't be at dinner. I think she approved."

"Oh, good." I relaxed, knowing I wouldn't need to defend my actions to her. My parents were a different story. If things got to that point, it would be a bit awkward to introduce my boyfriend when he was older than both my parents combined. Narzel save me.

"Are you okay? You look worried."

"I had a strange thought."

Elron arched an eyebrow. The look was too much for me; I spilled everything. "If we got to this point—If, mind you, we dated for a while and it was appropriate to meet our respective families, introducing you to my parents would be awkward since you're older than the two of them combined."

His face stilled, his eyes unfocused. Shaking his head, he came back to the present. "That would be unsettling for all parties. If we come to that point, I will think on it more. Since we aren't there yet, let's leave it be. That bridge will be there should we need to cross those waters."

That was a level of wisdom and maturity I hadn't seen in men my age. "Very true. Where are the plates? I'm hungry."

Elron handed me a plate, napkin, and silverware before pulling them out for himself. We were quiet as we divided the food. Everything was delicious; Landa's food never disappointed.

"Can you cook?" I asked.

"Yes, can you?"

"Not really."

He blinked several times.

"What? I'm a great witch. I can cook up a good charm, but I can't cook food. Trust me, I've tried and it usually ends badly."

"Even with modern kitchen equipment? My experiments with microwaves and toaster ovens have been quite successful. I am accustomed to making foods that require less cooking."

"I've had elven fare. It's good. Would you cook for me one night?" Even if it wasn't a date, it would be enjoyable.

His lips curved in a smile. "Only if you'll give me sleeping charms."

"Fair enough, but why do you need them? Can't you make a tea that has the same effect?"

"I was using a tea, but it might be part of the problem." His brow wrinkled, and he focused on his food.

"What problem? Is it more than insomnia?" I didn't want him to realize I'd asked for another date. Any conversation was better than that.

"I keep having these crazy dreams. They are strange. I even dreamt about the two of us going on a date. Lately, the dreams haven't been particularly restful. It would be nice to sleep without them for a few nights. Michelle, what's wrong?" He set down his plate, getting up from the rock he was using as a seat. "I didn't feel anything. None of these plants should be able to hurt you."

I shook myself, closing my mouth. "I'm fine, just surprised." I didn't bother telling him to stay seated because he was already sitting next to me with my hand cradled in his so he could take my pulse. His eyes traced all the plants before coming to rest on me.

"Are you sure? You're very pale." He brushed stray hair away from my face. "And cold."

"Elron, what kind of dreams have you been having?" I wasn't sure what terrified me more, sharing dreams with him or both of us dreaming of the other without magic being involved.

He blushed. "I'm not comfortable sharing the details of the dreams. In fact, I'm ashamed to be having them. Could we drop it?"

"A few nights ago, I dreamed we were in bed. Where the headboard should've been was a large flower similar to the one in my bathroom. You woke up when I reached to turn off the alarm, telling me we'd forget the time and would be late to work if it was off. Then we kissed." I watched him as the color drained out of his face, and his fingers slid off my wrist. "It wasn't an idle question. What kind of dreams have you been having?"

"I had that dream. How did we have the same dream?" He seemed confused and a bit angry.

"Witches can have dreams that show future events that might come to pass. On rare occasions, we can share dreams with those close to us. Usually, it happens between partners, mates, best friends, or siblings. I'm not sure why we're sharing dreams, especially racy ones."

The corner of his mouth lifted, and he gave me an assessing look. "So we're sharing dreams?"

"Yes. What's going through your head?" I leaned back, feeling unsure. Something brushed against me, sliding along my back and through my arm. "Elron, something is on me. What is it? Get it off!"

He peered around me, and started to chuckle. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing. I feel it. Maybe you need your eyes checked."

"It's nothing to be worried about. Look at your right arm."

Bracing myself for the worst, I slowly looked down. The tip of a leaf was resting on my arm. My eyes traveled along the leaf, unable to see all of it because it vanished into the heart of the plant. The part I could see was as big as my torso. The center of it was a yellow that transitioned to a midnight blue at the edge of the leaf. As I watched, it shifted and slowly rubbed my arm. "What is it?" I asked, fascinated. I'd never been petted by a plant before.

"It's a golden elephant's ear."

"Golden?"

"The young plants are blue and green. It takes years for them to reach full size and develop the yellow centers on their leaves. Juice from the leaf is yellow as well."

"Cool. Why is it named for gold rather than yellow?"

"The leaves will hold whatever shape they are in while they are drying, and the entire leaf turns gold. They are the original gold leaf, used in decor."

"When did using gold become fashionable?" I asked.

"Humans did that." Elron watched as I stroked the striped leaf. It rolled under my fingers until I hit the spot. The edges twitched as I rubbed the itchy spot it couldn't reach. "It's lovely."

"I know." There was a wishful note in his voice. I didn't have time to dwell on it, because a breath later he was kissing me.

He leaned back to look at me, and my eyes uncrossed enough to see the corners of his mouth tip up and his eyes sparkle. After gently touching his lips to mine one more time, he returned to his seat on the other side of our plates.

My lips tingled and my hand felt cold and lonely.

"That was nice." I cringed. Nice didn't begin to describe the kisses.

Elron chuckled. "During dinner I kept thinking, 'What if I could kiss those lips?' Forgive a forward old man."

I waved him off, flustered enough that my hand hung limply, hardly moving. "I like the forward old man. You should be him more often."

"I will remember that. Would you like a blueberry tart?"

"Thank you, but not yet. Can we explore the garden? I'd like to see the clipping from my plant too."

"As my lady wishes." He rose to his feet and offered me a hand. I placed my hand in his and was gently pulled to my feet. "Which way?"

"Let's do the downstairs first, then the upstairs."

"After you."

My hand slipped out of his as I walked into a magical world, the likes of which I had never seen before. The beauty and mystery around me was a sight I would never forget. Every plant was a different color, sparkling, shimmering, with brightly colored leaves and flamboyant flowers. The stems and trunks, often plain on common plants, were as brilliant, deceptive, and captivating as the rest. Some of them rushed to touch me, while others shied away. Elron cajoled them close enough for me to get a good look.

A bright twinkling light drifted to me.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Glittering apricot hibiscus. It uses the lights to attract insects. Pitcher plants will often grow nearby to collect any foolish enough to land."

I held out my hand and the sparkle floated into my palm, sending a light tingle through my hand, as if static electricity was jumping from the sparkle to me, then it winked out of existence. The plant, with big ruffled blooms, shimmered. I sent three sparkles of my own dancing closer to the tree. It responded with three of its own, and the six shimmers twisted and twirled around each other.

*******

"Why is there a man sitting on the steps with Ty watching him?" Elron asked as we drove up to the lodge.

"What?" His question pulled me out of my stupor. The date had been lovely, so lovely that I wanted date two to start the minute this date ended. At the same time, I'd gone out and had fun when Amber was… well, I didn't know what she was doing, but I shouldn't be having fun. I needed to find her, bring her home safe.

My eyes focused on the building in front of us. Sure enough, Ty was standing watch over the guy on the steps.

"Do you know him?" Elron asked.

"I don't know. We're too far away." All I could see was the outline of a male.

"Oh, that's Andrew," I said as soon as I was close enough to identify him. My tongue ended up between my teeth to prevent cussing.

"Is he the one who spelled you?" Elron's eyes narrowed. He'd been the one to find the spell.

"Yes."

"What does he want?"

"I'm not sure. A few days ago I got a letter asking my forgiveness. He wanted to talk to me, but I didn't call."

Elron parked the car. For all his comments about being an inexperienced driver, I hadn't stomped on my imaginary brakes once this evening. Elron motioned for me to stay as he got out of the car. I sighed as he came around to open my door and help me out. Elron said something to Ty in elvish, and the big guy moved off, still keeping an eye on things.

Andrew looked around uneasily. The dinosaur and elf must have thrown him off balance. Andrew looked at Elron one more time and seemed to dismiss him as unimportant. "Michelle, I didn't hear from you. Would you consider my clan's offer?"

"Are you asking or is your clan asking?"

He tugged at his shirt collar. "Both."

"That's not an honest answer. Did your clan ask you to come here?"

Swallowing hard he answered, "Yes."

"No. If this was a serious offer a clan elder should have made a formal request." As if I would want to join a clan that forced a man to spell his date. For all I knew, the date had been his clan's idea.

He twisted his finger. "I know, but I didn't have a choice. They thought you'd be more willing to listen to me because of our date."

"Then your elders are as foolish as the man who can't tell them no. Go away. Don't come back." If I did join a clan, I wouldn't pick that pack of idiots.

Beside me, Elron tensed like a predator focusing on his prey. He reached out and raked his finger through Andrew's aura. A green shimmer washed over Elron. "If you or any member of your clan comes here again, the forest will not let you pass. You and yours have bothered Michelle enough."

Andrew stepped closer to me. "Michelle, think about this. It's a good offer—"

"The lady declined your offer. Be on your way."

"Listen to him, Andrew. I'm done."

Andrew reached for me. I stepped back, unwilling to have his aura brush mine. Andrew's arm was extended, fingers open, when the flat of a sword knocked his arm away. The sword arced up, coming to rest at his throat. Andrew stilled, eyes locked on Elron.

"You do not listen. The lady does not want you here. Neither do I," Elron hissed.

Andrew's head jerked up and down. Elron stepped back, lowering the sword, and Andrew fled.

A warm breeze hit the back of my neck. I turned. "Ty, stop that."

He tilted his head and danced from one foot to another.

"Do you want to scare him?"

Ty nodded.

"Okay, but don't hurt him or the car."

When Andrew saw the dinosaur in pursuit, he gunned it, tossing gravel as he sped down the road. Ty made a happy sound and trotted after him, growling and snapping at the car.

When Andrew's car had vanished into the night, Ty came back. I told him he'd been a good boy, scratched his nose, and sent him back to the garden.

Elron was still looking down the road, hands in his pocket, sword missing.

"Where did the sword go? And where did you get it in the first place? What did you do to him?" The questions tumbled out of my mouth.

"Elven magic, it is difficult to explain."

"Try me. I'm pretty good at following magic," I answered dryly.

"The edge of your power, or aura, is similar to skin, right? It holds everything inside." I nodded. "I broke the aura so the earth could get a better sense of him and his clan. The forest wants to help. This gives it the information it needs to protect you."

"Smart. I like it." It used minimal power but maximized what an elf was capable of doing. He hadn't answered my question about the sword. That was a trick I wasn't going to forget. "And the sword?"

"The blade is spelled. Our blade masters bestow them upon elves who finish training. As you can see, it has some special abilities." As I watched, Elron closed his hand as if around a hilt. The empty air was filled by a sword. His hand twitched, and the sword was gone again.

"That's a nice trick. Why did you scare Andrew away?"

"He did not understand your dismissal, and I'm tired of people threatening you. They seem bent on frightening you at the most inconvenient times, disturbing my rest." He held the front door open before following me inside.

"It's not my fault they're frightening me."

"Stay with me. They won't look for you in my apartment."

"I think it's a bit early in the relationship for that." Elron was growing on me, but spending the night with him was taking it too far.

"Narzel take it." Elron stopped us in the middle of the hall. Color brightened his cheeks, and he ducked his head. "That is not what I meant. It would not be proper for us to share a bed. You could have my guest bed, my bed, or the sofa. I would take the one you weren't using. If none of those were acceptable for you, we would discuss other options, but I would not dream of insulting a lady by asking to have relations after the first date."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I misunderstood. Guys my age are more focused on sex than companionship. Thank you, but it would be best if we kept a distance for now, since someone is hell bent on harming me."

"I don't want to keep my distance." He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, my skin tingling under his touch.

"You could get hurt."

"So could you."

"It's not your fight." He didn't say anything, but I could see his mind working.

"I'll make it my fight."

My eyes traveled over his face, looking for a clue. "Why would you do that?"

He took a deep breath, slowly exhaling. "I want to be there for you, help you when you are in need." I cocked my head, and he continued. "When I'm with you, I feel something I can't explain."

This was the strangest post-date conversation I'd ever had, not that I'd been on that many dates. "Why don't we date and get to know each other? You can help me fight battles later."

The corners of his mouth tipped up. "That will do for now. You are a charming woman."

His fingers brushed the underside of my jaw, tipping my head up. With his eyes locked on min, he laid a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Michelle?"

I licked my lips and swallowed. My mouth didn't want to work. "Yes?"

"You can count on me to help you."

"I need to take care of my own messes. They are my responsibility." I couldn't pawn my problems off on someone else. It wasn't right, and right now my problems couldn't be solved by anyone else. They needed a witch. Other witches weren't exactly beating a path to my door, eager to take my place as occasional hero and punching bag.

"You aren't alone. You have acquired an impressive array of guardians."

"What guardians?" I wasn't acquiring anything of the sort. Even if I did, I hadn't tried to acquire them, and I didn't know how to use them.

"There is the indestructible dinosaur in the yard. The forest is very attached to you. Landa and Mander are no small force. You recruited a flock of gargoyles. That doesn't factor in your mother and father or me. I'm sure there are others."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of it that way." When he put it like that, it started to sound like an army. But why would I need that many protectors, or an army?

"Learn from the old man. Look around and see what you have."

I gazed into his lovely eyes and nodded in agreement. His hands framed my face, and he pulled me in for a leg-melting kiss.

"Good night, Michelle. Thank you for spending time with me tonight. If you need me, I am but a shout away." He was back in his room before I could say anything. In a daze, I walked to my room.

Chapter 18: Michelle

It didn't talk long for the daze to pass. The magical evening couldn't stand up to my guilt. Amber was out there.

Checking my phone, I found a message from Tiffany. No news.

I dug around on my nightstand. I had one last trick, but first I had to find the paper. After looking in the drawer, on top, under the loose change, and behind the clock, I was stumped. It had to be here. Kneeling down, I checked behind the table legs. Nothing. I took a step back. Where else could it be? I'd moved everything… but the lamp. I picked up the lamp, and there it was, hiding under the base, the tiny piece of paper with ten numbers scrawled across it.

Before I could second-guess myself, I dialed the number, wishing Baden had given me more information. The phone rang and I crossed my fingers. This was my last hope.

"Hello?" A deep voice with an Irish accent came across the line.

"Hi, this is Michelle Oaks. I'm a witch, and a friend of mine told me you might know something that could help me recover my friend who's been abducted."

His voice warmed. "I know who you are. This is Liam. Who gave you this number? It isn't the one I left with you."

On the bright side, Liam had expressed his willingness to help me in the past. On the other hand, he had been at the lodge this morning. "Baden, the weretiger who lives here, gave me this number when I asked him if he knew why Adder had taken Amber."

"Who's Amber?"

"Amber's one of my best friends. She's a werepeahen, and a few nights ago she was abducted. The shifters she was with at the time blamed it on werewolves, and odds are that means Adder."

"So, that's who he has. I can tell you she's unharmed and safe for the moment. I can't say how long she'll be safe as Adder has gone quite mad."

"She's safe? Thank the earth." I squeezed my eyes shut, trying not to cry. The rest of what Liam said sank in. "Mad?" That was bad. Amber wasn't powerful or a fighter. She wouldn't be able to defend herself against an angry werewolf.

"Yes. He murdered his father, and I think he's working for someone. Adder couldn't have killed Simon without help, magical help. He wasn't a good enough fighter, and he was terrible with pack magic. When Simon died, there were signs that magic had been used."

If Adder had killed Simon, there was no one standing between him and the rest of the world. Amber was being held by a man feared by strong and tough shifters. A mad wolf was scary. A mad wolf with magic was terrifying. "What kind of magic?"

"I don't know. It wasn't pack magic, and it didn't feel like any magic I've felt a witch perform."

Werewolves weren't sensitive to magic. They had to be near it to feel it. "You were there? How did Simon die?"

"I had a meeting scheduled with him. I walked into his office and found his body. There was a single stab wound to the chest. Without magic, it shouldn't have been a fatal wound. There was an odd energy around the body, magic, but not a type I've seen before. The body was still warm and stunk of Adder. I left because there was nothing I could do for him. I would've reported his death to the police, but Adder couldn't find out I was meeting with his father."

"Why not? Wolves meet. There's nothing wrong with that."

"There is when Simon was planning on stepping down and handing the pack to me. He was tired of being the alpha. We agreed to do a ritual fight, in which he would surrender. He thought Adder would challenge me and I'd deal with him. I came here at Simon's invitation because the alpha of my last pack was happy in his role, and I had no desire to challenge my father."

"From what I've heard, Adder isn't a popular man."

"I know, and I've petitioned the council to let me take over a hostile pack, but until they agree, there's nothing I can do without risking their wrath. My life isn't worth that. I want to help, but I'm not willing to die to help a bunch of wolves that can't help themselves."

"Fair enough. Do you know where Adder is keeping Amber? I need to get her back."

"That I can help you with. He's in a big house off Clear Creek Road. If you go down by the cemetery near the Baptist church, you'll see a rustic house with well-maintained pastures. That's where he's living. She's in a bedroom off the living room."

"How do you know that?"

"I have allies in the pack. They want her in a safe location as much as you do, though they can't do anything without risking their lives." Liam paused. "Michelle, you're a good lass. Adder would enjoy hurting you. He's not right in the head. If you tell me when you're going after her, I might be able to protect you. I'm not at the lodge right now, but I'll be back later."

"Thank you for helping me, for telling me she's safe, but it isn't your job to keep me safe. I'll keep in touch."

Liam sighed, as if he could tell that I'd lied. "Be careful. There is more than a rogue werewolf at work; Adder had help killing Simon."

I thanked him again and got off the phone. His last words kept playing over in my head. Adder had help. That had to be the evil in Ellijay. A crazy werewolf was bad, a crazy werewolf with a powerful and evil supporter was a new level of scary.

Seconds after I hung up the phone, someone knocked on the door.

"Just a minute," I hollered.

I opened the door to find Tiffany with a stun gun in her hand.

"May I come in?"

"It depends. Are you going to use that on me?" Friends don't electrocute friends.

"I wasn't planning on it."

I stepped out of her way and closed the door behind her.

"Sit." I pointed at the dining room table. She sat, stun gun resting on the table. "What are you doing here late at night, armed with that?" That was as polite as I was going to get under the circumstances.

She tapped a foot on the ground, eyes locked on the table. "You said you'd take matters into your own hands in twenty-four hours. It's been thirty. I've been worried sick, checking in with the police, doing anything I can to find her. You've done one silly spell. When are you going to do something?"

"That's what this is about?" I demanded.

Tiffany looked at me and nodded.

"Let's get something straight, I've been working my butt off since she was taken."

"That's a lie."

"What did you say?"

She leaned on the table. "I said that's a lie."

"What makes you say that?" I knew what she was going to say, but I wanted to hear it.

"You went on a date."

I nodded. "Yes, I did. I went on one bloody date, because he asked me. And you know what? I liked it. It was nice. He was nice. And unlike the last guy I went on a date with, Elron doesn't have a reason to spell me or recruit me. I felt guilty too, guilty because I was safe and having fun. If you'd been nice, we wouldn't be wasting time with this conversation, and I'd be telling you what I found out about Amber."

Tiffany had the grace to look ashamed. Then she opened her mouth, and that grace went out the window. "What about Amber?"

Nope, not ashamed at all. I resisted the urge to jump over the table and strangle her. Ignoring her question, I continued, "Since you interrupted my sleep two days ago, I've battled a dinosaur, family issues, death threats, examined the bodies of children, looked at a badly decomposed body, negotiated with gargoyles, and had a date. I'm grateful that you kept up with the police investigation, because I couldn't. I'm sorry I haven't been there for you and that you felt alone. I'm sorry you think I don't care about Amber. Trust me, I care. Are we good?"

"I think so." Her hand left the stun gun. "What do you know about Amber?"

"I just found out where Amber is being held."

"Are we going to rescue her?" Tiffany perked up.

Silently, I counted to ten. Tiffany was a friend, a hyper-focused, grief-crazed friend, and I wanted us to be friends after this. She deserved my patience, even if it was in short supply tonight. "We need to talk about it. There's more at work than meets the eye."

Her breath hissed out from behind clenched teeth. "I've done all the chitchat I'm capable of tonight."

"Unknot your panties. This isn't small talk. My source said Adder is holding a woman who fits Amber's description. There is a catch, Adder has a silent partner, one who's powerful enough to hide and evil enough to kill kids." I relayed the information as blandly as I could, not wanting my emotions to influence her choices.

"I don't like the sound of that."

I crossed my fingers; maybe the reasonable and logical side of Tiffany was coming out to play. "You shouldn't. If we go after her, we will be dealing with Adder, any guards of his, and maybe this mysterious evil."

"You're a witch. That has to count for something."

Shaking my head I answered, "Maybe from a distance, but up close I'm no match for a werewolf."

"Oh, what do we do? I want to help her."

"Option one, we wait until morning and I tell the nice detective what I know. Assuming it's enough information for them to act on, we cross our fingers, and hope they get her back with minimal collateral damage. I doubt my information will be worth much. Wells isn't going to be impressed by information I got from a guy who got it from a guy."

"When you put it that way…"

"I know. It's worthless. Wells said only one bird mentioned smelling werewolves, and the rest won't talk to him. On paper, you heard someone say Adder, which the police can't verify, and I have a secondhand tip."

Tiffany's shoulders dropped. I felt her pain. We would sound like lunatics. Even if Wells wanted to believe us, on paper we wouldn't be credible.

"Option two," I continued. "We go after her. If we do this, it could be the two of us against Adder, his wolves, and his mysterious backer. Besides the obvious risks to life and limb, we'll be risking criminal charges and jail time." The part of me that wanted to save Amber was ready to blackmail Tiffany into helping me. The rest of me was announcing how dangerous and stupid it would be to invade Adder's territory.

If this conversation had taken place before I looked at the bodies of children, I would've been adamant that this was a job for the police. Instead, I had a feeling that I needed to be there. I needed to get a look at Adder and his silent partner.

"Let's do it."

I laced my fingers together and leaned forward. "I was hoping you'd say that. When do you want to do this?"

"Now."

"Now?" My eyebrows shot up.

"Yes. Every minute that passes is one more she spends at his mercy. Besides, I doubt Adder likes overnight company, so there won't be as many guards."

Chapter 19: Michelle

"We should've waited until morning," I whined, memories of my last nighttime battle shaking my confidence. I didn't want to be scraped off the pavement or carted off in an ambulance again.

Since we got in the car, my butt-kicking, brave, heroic persona had gone into hiding. It was easy to be angry, determined, and bold when I was sitting at home. It was harder to be those things when facing the unknown and pointy teeth.

"Well, we're doing it now, so shut up about it and finish draping yourself with charms," Tiffany replied, not taking her eyes off the road.

"Hey, you hauled me out of my apartment without any time to prepare. I've got my wand. This is not prepared." Though preparation hadn't helped with my last nighttime battle. Chain mail would've been a good idea. It could protect against teeth.

"You said less would be better, remember? Something about Adder's partner having magic. It would be better if you didn't bring charms. There was something about preventing others from using your own charms against you."

"Yeah. Thanks for reminding me why I'm going into battle naked." Note to self, buy chain mail when you get home.

"You've got your wand."

"And that might be a bad idea. I'd rather not end up with it sticking through a body part because a rogue wolf thought it would be fun."

Tiffany didn't bother to reply, which was probably for the best considering my mood. It wasn't often I was threatened with electrocution, rescued damsels in distress, battled werewolves, or played hero. If I was extra lucky, this would go better than last time. I'd had my fill of hospital beds.

Werewolves were dangerous, resilient, and smart. Trolls weren't blessed with intelligence. We needed backup that could go toe to toe with a werewolf. I grabbed my phone and started dialing.

"What are you doing?" Tiffany asked.

"Calling a guy who might be able to help. Now hush." The phone started to ring.

"Hello?" A voice rumbled.

"Liam?"

"Ya found me, lass."

"I'm going after Amber. If you want to be there, we'll be at Adder's house."

"That's not the brightest idea, Michelle."

"What did you think I was going to do with the information?"

He sighed.

"I know it's a bad idea, but she needs help."

"All right. I'll try to help. If nothing else, I'll take the pack when he's arrested. If he attacks you, killing him will be justified. That would make the council happy."

"If we can, we'll have the police arrest him. Otherwise, we will play bait."

"Good girl."

We both hung up, and I ignored Tiffany's silent plea for information. She'd heard enough to get the idea. Besides, Liam didn't want me telling anyone about him, so I couldn't answer her questions without betraying his trust.

"All right. We're getting close. Do you still agree with the plan?" Tiffany asked.

"Yes, this is the best plan we have," I said.

The plan was to park the car by the side of the road near the driveway to Adder's house. Then we were going to creep through the woods until we found the house, at which point the details got fuzzy. As Tiffany had last described it, we would grab Amber, get back to the car, and drive like mad to the police station. I still hadn't figured out how we were going to explain rescuing her, assuming we made it to the police station.

"Are you sure you can't think of a better plan?" I asked.

"No. You vetoed my other plans because they were worse than this one." She pulled the car off the side of the road.

To be fair, I doubted there was a good plan when crossing paths with an unhinged werewolf and an unknown evil. Even with days to prepare, there wasn't much I'd do differently given the current information. "True. Let's get her back."

Tiffany tugged on my arm. "This way."

I followed her into the woods, shivering. Even with my jacket, it was cold. I wasn't a fan of cold weather, but smells didn't travel as much in the cold. We needed every advantage against a werewolf's senses.

After pushing my way past a pine tree, climbing over two fallen trees, and dodging thorny berry bushes, I slipped my wand into the wrist sheath. I figured it was better off attached to me than dangling from my fingers while I beat my way through the backwoods of North Georgia. If I couldn't get to it later, I'd reevaluate.

When we got to the stream, I knew it wasn't my lucky day. Slipping down the bank was bad enough, but I got water in my shoes and fell face first into mud on the other side. Tiffany pushed through it like she was part nymph. I wiped the mud off my face, wrinkling my nose at the smell. This wasn't spa mud that would improve my complexion but smelly farm mud. Luckily, it didn't get in my eyes. Giving my feet a halfhearted shake, I resigned myself to being cold, wet, and miserable. A few minutes and three holly trees later, I started to see lights though the woods. Tiffany stopped, and I nearly ran into her.

"What?" I hissed.

"The house," she answered.

"Okay, what now?" Leaning to the side, I could see the front porch. I had all sorts of bad feelings about trying to sneak into Adder's home. I really hoped I wasn't going to be giving a wolf a dental exam.

"I don't know. We could bust the door, deal with Adder, and find Amber," Tiffany offered.

"Oh, I love it. As easy as one, two, three."

She poked me in the ribs. "Well, what do you suggest?"

"It would be good if we knew who's in the house and where Amber is being kept."

"I'm going to look in windows until I find her." She took a few steps forward.

"Tiffany, stop. You can't do that. He'll hear you. Then you'll be dead and Amber will still be his captive." Like standing outside his house whispering wouldn't call his attention. We might as well have been shining a spotlight on his place and using loudspeakers.

The front door opened, blocking our view of the light, sending the porch into a shadow my eyes couldn't penetrate. A voice drifted out. "You said you wanted to talk. Let's go for a walk. I need the fresh air, and she can't hear us out here."

I nudged Tiffany and mouthed "Adder" since it was a man's voice.

"I don't see why we need to talk outside. Can't you do something about her?" a woman replied.

I looked at Tiffany. She shook her head. She didn't know the voice either.

"She's in her own room. There isn't much I can do about sound traveling."

"Render her unconscious."

"I will not hurt her. She's mine."

"Careful, Adder. I can take away what I helped you gain."

"It's a nice night. Let's take a walk and talk."

I didn't think it was a nice night, but werewolves enjoyed the cold. Heavy footsteps, like a man in work boots, sounded, followed by the sharp thwack of high heels. The footsteps moved across the porch, down the stairs, and onto the gravel.

Adder's mysterious partner was a woman. Any woman capable of bringing a werewolf to heel wasn't one I wanted to cross, though I couldn't help but wonder how she was managing the gravel driveway in heels.

I bumped Tiffany with my elbow and made a walking motion with my fingers before pointing at us and the house. She nodded, and we quietly moved forward.

This was our best shot. The two of them were walking down the driveway, going away from us, and the house, with every step. There was a chance they could hear us, but I was banking on the wildlife and wind covering up our movements. If we were really lucky, Amber would be alone and we could do a rescue and escape without a fight.

We tiptoed out of the woods and across the grass surrounding the house. I paused to listen, but I couldn't hear Adder and his friend anymore. The driveway wasn't that long. Unless they stopped to talk, they would be back in minutes.

The house was a doublewide, with bricks along the bottom and clean siding.

Tiffany slowly twisted the doorknob, and the door popped open. With a smirk she pulled it back enough to peek inside. I pulled out my wand. This was the dangerous part. Tiffany opened the door, and we stepped onto a strip of vinyl floor separating the kitchen on our left from the living room on our right. Luckily, both rooms were empty.

We walked into a living room with a large TV, an old couch, and a battered wooden coffee table. There were posters from football teams and popular movies on the walls. Beer bottles, stale nachos, and old macaroni and cheese sat on the coffee table. Behind the couch was a large window, partially covered by curtains.

The window was wrong. It was strange to have a window between two rooms of a house. The frilly white curtains didn't match the movie posters and sports memorabilia decorating the room.

I walked over and pushed back an edge of the fabric. The window looked into a room. It was lacking furniture, with only a twin bed covered in rumpled blankets in sight. The blankets twitched, and light red hair fell across the pillow.

Dropping the curtains, I grabbed Tiffany, and pulled her around the corner. Luck was on our side because this door was open too. When I walked into Amber's prison, emotions and thoughts rushed through me. It was so good to see her. I wanted her to be unharmed. Adder was a piece of garbage that deserved to be put down. The emptiness of the room would drive me crazy. The walls were white, and the outside window had been boarded up from the exterior. The inside window had a view of white, unless Adder opened the curtains, at which point she would have a lovely view of the living room and her abductor.

Tiffany and I reached the bed at the same time. Seeing the tears in her eyes, I let her wake Amber.

"Amber? Can you hear me? It's Tiffany. Michelle and I are here to save you."

Amber didn't move.

Tiffany touched her shoulder. "Amber, wake up."

Amber rolled over, eyes unfocused, and a soft smile on her lips. "I knew you would save me." She closed her eyes and appeared to go back to sleep.

"Narzel, she's been drugged," I said.

"We are not leaving her here," Tiffany hissed.

"I didn't say we were. Let's get her up. This is going to slow down our escape."

We untangled Amber from the sheets. A shackle was attached to her arm, and I unlocked it with a tap of my wand. Now that I could see Amber, or the parts of her that weren't covered by her flannel pants and long-sleeved shirt, she looked surprisingly healthy. Her hair was tangled and her eyes glassy, but she didn't have any visible bruises, and her clothes were clean. The lack of visible injuries didn't mean she was unharmed. There were plenty of injuries to the body and mind that I wouldn't be able to see.

Amber was in and out of consciousness. When she was aware, she would smile and help us. When she wasn't, she turned into dead weight. We got her upright, propped between us, but we weren't going to fit through the doors.

"I'll take her," Tiffany said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You're better in a fight."

I moved away so Tiffany could get a grip on Amber's waist. Then Tiffany draped Amber's arm over her shoulders, holding onto her wrist. For us, this was better than a fireman's carry. I could take most of Amber's other side if I wasn't hurling spells, and if Tiffany tripped, Amber wouldn't fall as far.

Amber opened her eyes. "Good to see ya. I help," she said before leaning her head against Tiffany.

"Ready?"

Tiffany nodded. I walked out of the bedroom, giving Tiffany room to maneuver. Amber had to be more aware than she looked because she was taking haphazard steps, keeping herself moving. Swaying and stumbling, they made it to the living room.

If the situation wasn't dire, it would have been funny. I whispered, "Do you want help?"

"No, I've got her. Get the door."

I held the door open as Tiffany helped Amber step down to the concrete. I joined them, pulling the door closed behind me. We stayed there, hunched over, trying to figure out where Adder and the woman had gone. Finally, I shrugged and motioned for us to head back to the woods.

We made it to the woods without incident. Once we were in the trees, our formerly slow pace was reduced to a crawl, and we made ten times the noise because Amber wasn't aware enough to be useful. She managed to crack every dry twig, and whack two holly bushes. After twenty unsuccessful feet, I took Amber's other side, and the two of us snaked through the woods, going from one large gap between trees to the next. I heard gravel crunching, and we froze.

A deep voice drifted to us. "Stupid woman. 'You owe me because I helped you.' That may be, but I'm no dog."

My eyes darted around, trying to find Adder. It took me a moment, but I spotted the dark shape walking down the drive way to the house. I knew we didn't have much time. He'd smell us the moment he got inside. I started creeping forward, dragging the two of them with me. This had been a heroic but stupid plan from the start.

We managed to make it a few feet before Adder walked up the stairs. As soon as we heard the door open, I started moving faster. I leaned around Amber to talk to Tiffany. "We've seconds before he realizes something's wrong. We have to hurry. He can track us, and we can't outrun him without the car. Let's move to the driveway since we can move faster on a clear path." Tiffany nodded, and we crashed through the brush at the edge of the woods.

The car was a rather foolish hope. We weren't close, and it had taken us a long time to get here. It was going to take us even longer to get back since Amber wasn't up to moving on her own. I heard a howl and a crash.

"Forget quiet. We have to run," I told Tiffany. She nodded, and we took off like a drunk couple running a three-legged race.

Took off was an exaggeration. We upgraded our lopsided walk to a painful staggering motion. With every step, we lurched from one side to another, gravel skidding out from under our feet and the weight of Amber's body hanging off our shoulders.

There were a few more crashes from the house, but we kept running down the driveway. It was faster than the woods, and it wasn't like he would have trouble finding us. There was a loud crash and the sound of rocks hitting other rocks.

Tiffany came to a stop, looking around frantically like a savior was going to pop out from behind a tree. "What do we do?"

"We hope the woman is gone. You take her and get away. I'll hold him off."

"Take the stun gun." Tiffany held it out to me.

"Keep it. You might need it. Now, go!"

I turned around and started sketching runes in the air. Crazy had to run in my family, or I wouldn't be doing this. I spotted a dark shape rushing at me and hurried my casting. I wasn't going to finish in time.

Adder launched at me, and I got stuck. I was too far into the one spell to do another. Unsure what to do, I tried to force the spell into action, and nothing happened. My magic sputtered and flowed back into me. I blinked with confusion and realized Adder was going to hit me any second. I scrunched my eyes closed and hoped for a quick death.

I heard a thump, the thick sound of bodies colliding, and a yelp, but I was fine. Peeking through my eyelashes, I saw Adder on the ground fifteen feet away. I was confused and trying to figure out how he'd gotten there, when I saw silver hair. Elron was standing up, wearing chain mail and holding a long dagger in his right hand.

Even the elf knew to wear chain mail when fighting something toothy.

Adder stood up, shook, and lunged at Elron. Elron dodged, laying a shallow slice on the wolf's side. Adder turned, and his jaws snapped shut on air, missing Elron's arm.

"Get out of here," Elron ordered.

"Michelle, what's going on?" Tiffany yelled.

"Narzel if I know, but get Amber to safety and call the police," I yelled.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed my power around inside my body. The fizzing out hadn't hurt me. I could still cast.

My attention returned to the fight as Adder went for Elron's throat. Elron landed a kick to the wolf's chest, and Adder fell to the ground for the second time. I had to stop this fight before Elron got hurt. A containment spell, that would do it.

I jabbed my wand at Adder. "Sowil." A bubble appeared around the prone wolf.

Elron stumbled back as he walked into the spell. "What did you do?"

"Containment spell. He can't get out. We can call the police and they'll take it from here."

"If you call the police, we'll all go to jail. We broke laws."

"Do you have a better idea?" I demanded.

"No, but if you give me a moment to think, I might." He picked up a few leaves and started scrubbing the blood off his knife.

"How did you get here?" I asked.

He waved his hand. "I followed you. It's not important."

"You followed me? Why?"

"I had to. The Call made me. Besides, for being a witch, and in touch with the earth, you're not much of a nature girl."

"What's that got to do with anything?" I sputtered. "And since when do you have a Call."

His eyes narrowed, and he pointed at himself, then me. "Elf, good with nature. Witch, can't walk through the woods without dancing with mud. If you had told me what you were doing, I would have helped you. I told you I would help."

I blushed and hoped he couldn't see it in this light. "Not all of us are naturally gifted with ability to walk through the woods without breaking a twig. Get over yourself." I didn't let his glare stop my rant. "How would I know you'd help? Having fun on a date hardly puts us in a level of friendship were I can knock on your door and say, 'Would you mind giving me a hand? I need to kill a werewolf.' And when did you get a Call?"

He put the knife away and pulled a hand through his hair. "I've had the Call for a while. It's what drove me out of the woods. I'm glad it did. I care about you."

"Right."

Elron put a hand on each arm and pulled me forward. I squawked in protest, but it was too late. He was giving me another knee-melting kiss. When he broke the kiss, we were both breathing heavily. He rested his head against mine. "Arguing with you has always been fun, but not productive. You need to know I care."

Air whooshed out of my chest, and my legs went limp. For a moment, I lost control of my body. I couldn't take a breath or make my legs work. Elron caught me before I could hit the ground.

"What happened?" he asked, examining me.

I shook my head, trying to get my bearings. It felt like I'd been punched, but no one had touched me.

It smashed into me again. The force was external, a push of energy. Then it clicked. I was feeling the energy flux of a spell under assault. "The containment spell…"

I looked at the bubble around Adder. The spell had visible lines, like cracked glass. As I watched, Adder backed up and threw himself at the spell again. This time I was prepared for it and absorbed the power rather than feeling the physical blow.

"I thought you said the spell would hold him?" Elron pulled the knife out with his left hand and twisted his right hand, his sword appearing.

"I…it should." I stammered. "He shouldn't be able to break it. Those jumps shouldn't be able to overload it physically, and he doesn't have magic. He'd need some type of magic." Unless the woman had given him magic.

"Do we wait for him to break out or can you do something?"

"I'll try to fix it." Building a spell to contain magic and spells wasn't as easy as containing a werewolf. The spell I'd used on him should have withstood any physical assault Adder had mounted and minor magic.

I started a series of runes, drawing them in the air with my wand. I needed a stronger spell, one that was more resilient to magic, and wasn't tied to my personal energy. If he did manage to break it, I didn't want to be hit with the backlash. The sudden energy fluctuation would mess with my head, making it difficult to cast spells for a few seconds.

Repairing the damaged shield and adding the additional features to the spell wasn't easy. It would have been simpler to break the spell and recast it, but I didn't want an angry werewolf on the loose until I was able to cast the next spell.

"Could you hurry? The spell is breaking."

"I'm…" I never got to say trying. The house exploded, knocking me on my butt. A second later a magical shockwave hit. For precious seconds, I couldn't feel my magic, and I didn't know if Adder was still contained.

Someone patted my cheek. "Wake up, Michelle. Are you hurt?"

"What?" I blinked a few times, trying to focus my eyes. "Elron? I think I'm good."

"Are you sure? The force of the blast seems to have hit you harder than it hit me."

"There was a magical shockwave too," I said.

"Oh."

"Elron, is there a woman in the flames?" He turned to look at the burning house. I could see the figure of a woman walking out of the house with fire gliding up and down her skin. She was tall, with pointed ears, blond hair, and a small pink line on her cheek.

The second the effects of the blast faded enough for me to feel my power, I knew the containment spell was gone. The spells I'd been working on before the explosion were gone too.

Looking around, I found Adder a few feet away. Bracing his feet, he shook himself. Sinking down, he growled. This was bad.

"Elron?" Nothing. "Elron?" Darting my eyes over to him, I realized he was still staring at the woman walking toward us. Trust a man to focus on the less immediate danger.

I patted the ground, trying to find my wand. It had fallen out of my hand when the house exploded. My hands rolled over sharp stones, twigs, leaves, but not a wand.

Adder charged at Elron, at us. My fingers found the smooth wood of my wand. "Ah, ha!" I raised it, ready to cast another spell, only to realize that it would be too late again. In desperation, I shot a blast of energy at Adder.

It hit him in the chest, knocking him back a few steps. The air felt tingly. The woman was casting a spell. Adder settled on to his haunches, ready to jump. I shot a stun spell at him, but he managed to dodge it.

Elron snapped out of his funk and threw a knife at Adder, tearing a strip off his shoulder and making him yelp. Gripping his sword, Elron started after Adder.

I turned my attention to the elf casting spells. Elves couldn't cast spells, not like a witch could, but this one was standing there, casting a spell as if she was a witch. I reached out, trying to determine what she was casting.

A bit of gravel smacked my arm, distracting me. Elron was on the ground with Adder leaning over him. Elron got a foot in the wolf's gut, throwing him back. Adder hit the ground hard but twisted, gaining his feet. Elron got up, but Adder was in the air, headed for Elron's throat.

Elron ducked and twisted, saving himself from teeth, taking most of the impact on his shoulder. The force of the impact sent Elron to the ground, where he laid limp and defenseless. Adder landed next to him. Turning, he took a step back, jaws open, ready to tear into Elron. A furry blur knocked Adder off Elron, and tumbled the two of them across the road. I caught a glimpse of red fur in the rolling wolf ball. Liam had come to help.

With Elron safer, I turned my attention to the woman. The spells building around her had a nasty feel. I was done using runes, being energy efficient, and separating myself from the spells. It wasn't working for me tonight, and a witch without spells was useless. It was time to be useful.

Thrusting my power around the elf, I found the first spell she was trying to cast. It would fling the burning bits of the building in our direction. Since I didn't feel like being flame grilled, I thrust my power into the spell and expanded it until her spell ruptured.

She was too far away for me to see the expression on her face, but her posture didn't change. The fire was doing funny things with her eyes. The way the light was reflected made it look like her eyes were flames.

The next spell I felt was also partly finished. It was designed to uproot the trees around us. Turning my magic into a knife, I severed the spell from her and guided the energy into the earth.

Behind that was a spell designed to form a small twister, shredding us with gravel. Again, it was partly cast.

Taking a mental step back, something didn't add up. She could've completed several of the spells she was casting, but she'd left them unfinished. Examining her more closely, I found three more destructive spells, none of them finished or progressing, yet she was still casting.

Pulling my magic back to my body I studied her. She was hiding something. I extended a tendril of power, trying to find the spell hiding behind the others. There it was, a large spell.

There was a change in the energy, and the tendril of power I'd extended to investigate touched the spell as she released it. The death spell flew toward Elron.

Extending a hand, I threw every drop of my power in front of him, frantically shaping it into a reflective shield. If it worked, the spell would reverse and go after the caster. If it failed, it would hit Elron and me.

The spell hit my shield. Layer by layer, the shield was eroded. With wisps of power left in the shield, the death spell reversed, heading for the woman. She fell into flames.

I sucked in a few breaths, unable to believe I'd saved Elron. I walked over to him, feeling empty. The lack of power in my veins wasn't as frightening as the void in my heart. Elron hadn't moved since Adder tackled him.

Kneeling next to him, I ignored the rocks digging into my knees. I turned over his arm and set two fingers against his wrist. He was alive.

Movement near the house attracted my attention. The woman, who should have been dead, was standing up and dusting off her flaming clothes. She looked at me, the flames that had been in her eyes gone, and tossed a book onto the grass. The flames returned, and I realized they weren't a reflection of the fire around her, but something else.

Between one breath and the next, she was gone. I hadn't blinked or lost track of time. She simply vanished. In the distance a wolf growled, and I hoped it was Liam.

In my dreams, an elven woman with light hair and flames in her eyes had told me to find the book. This woman could have been her twin, and the book she just tossed on the ground was the only interesting book I'd come across lately.

Picking my way through the remains of the building, I found the book. It was a small leather-bound volume. I couldn't feel spells, but I didn't want to touch it. Looking around, I found a partly burned shirt that felt, to my limited senses, completely normal. It would have to do. Careful not to touch the book with my skin, I wrapped it and slid it in my pocket.

I checked on Elron again, only to find he was still unconscious. Figuring next to him was as good as anywhere, I sat down, pushing a few pointy pieces of gravel away from my rump. A red wolf trotted over, its muzzle wet. Eyeing it, I tried to figure out what I'd do if it wanted to hurt me.

The wolf stopped five feet away, laid down, rested its head on its paws, and heaved a sigh.

"Liam?" The wolf raised his head and nodded. "Did you kill him?" He nodded again. "Good."

Liam thumped his tail twice. I guess he thought it was a justified killing too.

I heard sirens in the distance. Tiffany, or the exploding and flaming house, had taken care of summoning the authorities for me. Either way, I figured it was safe enough for me to nap until they arrived.

A sharp bark interrupted my dozing. I opened my eyes to see Liam standing in front of me, wagging his tail. I blinked a few time. He stepped closer, sniffed me, and shoved his cold nose against my neck.

"Hey! What was that for?" I twisted around, trying to get the cold wet feeling to go away.

Liam gave a grumbling sound and backed off.

"My apologies. I wasn't sure if I should wake you. The wolf made the decision for me. What happened?" Elron asked.

Turning around, I found him sitting up, using a tree as a back rest. "I'll explain everything later. Are you feeling okay? Adder knocked you out the last time he hit you. You should thank Liam. He saved you."

Elron looked at Liam and bowed his head. "Thank you. I am indebted to you."

Liam dipped his head before turning and trotting into the forest.

"How close are the police?" I remembered hearing sirens before I fell asleep.

"They should arrive shortly. The sirens quieted shortly before Liam awakened you. I believe they stopped at the end of the driveway."

"Oh." This was it. I'd be on my way to jail soon. I couldn't even count the number of laws I'd broken. If I was going to jail, there were things I wanted to say first. "Elron, I care about you too. I'm sorry I didn't trust you enough to invite you along. Um, if the offer is still open after this, I'll ask you for help next time."

He arched an eyebrow. "Next time? You are planning another event?"

"No, why would I do that? Contrary to appearances, this isn't my idea of a good time." I was still sitting in the same spot I'd been in when Liam shoved his nose against my neck. It wasn't a comfortable spot—gravel roads never were—but I was too tired to move.

"I did not intend to ruffle your feathers. Please accept my apologies, Michelle, I like you. My feelings on that matter have not changed. When things settle down, it would be my pleasure to have you over for dinner. And, I will gladly rush to your aid in the future."

I blushed. "Thank you."

Liam stomped out of the woods. "If you lovebirds are done, we need to talk."

"We do?" I asked.

"Michelle, I think he is right," Elron said.

Clearly my brain wasn't working. Sure, a lot had happened, but did we need to talk about it? As long as Amber and Tiffany were safe, we'd won. Liam should get bonus points for killing Adder. All things considered, we'd done fairly well. Sure the strange woman had gotten away, but I had the book.

"Our stories aren't going to match. There are too many of us, and none of us saw all the action," Liam said.

Thinking out loud, I said, "That could work in our favor though. If we each tell what we know the police will get as clear a picture as anyone." Not that it would be that clear a picture. The pieces didn't fit together perfectly. "If we're lucky, we did enough good and scrambled the rest of it enough that none of us will be charged with a crime."

Elron snorted.

"What?"

"You are never that lucky."

"There has to be a first time."

Clearing his throat, Liam interrupted. "When the officers make it down here, I'll show them Adder's body. Lass, you'll have to explain the death spell."

"What death spell?" Elron asked.

"Not important," I snapped.

Liam eyed the two of us. "She saved your life, elf. The woman cast a death spell on you. Michelle blocked the spell."

"Why did you have to bring that up?"

"Would you have told him, lass?"

I looked at my feet, and the two men looked at me. There was nothing I could say. Liam was right, I wouldn't have told Elron. Our feelings were so new. Elron was old-fashioned in many ways. He might believe that if someone saved your life you were in their debt and must repay them with equal service. It would break my heart to have him help me out of obligation. If we went down that path, I doubted he would consider us even, though he'd saved my life too. He would say that I would have found a way out of the other situations, but he wouldn't have been able to defeat a spell.

The three of us were saved from the uncomfortable silence by a rumbling engine, gravel crunching, and light filtering through the trees. The flashing red and blue lights gave away its identity before it came around the corner. I didn't bother to get out of the road. They would stop to talk to us regardless, and I was too tired to move.

As soon as the car stopped, the passenger door opened and a man got out, gun in hand. "Identify yourselves, put your hands in the air and get on your knees."

Liam, the only one of us standing, sank to his knees, hands over his head. Elron dropped his elbows to his knees, palms facing the officer.

"Can we do the identity check and hands in the air without getting any more bruises from the rocks? It's been an exhausting evening." I stuck my hands up. "I'm Michelle Oaks."

The man behind the car door sniffed. "Witch. You're the one who tamed the dinosaur."

"Yes, sir." That's me, dino-girl.

"I am Liam O'Neil, alpha of the Chattahoochee pack."

The officer didn't say anything.

"Elron, elf, tired, sore, and bleeding." Proof that he was irritating to everyone, not just me.

"Paramedics will be here as soon as we clear the area. Do you know where Adder is?"

Liam jerked his head to the side. "About a hundred feet that way. He isn't going anywhere."

A radio squawked inside the car, and I heard a low voice. A moment later the officer put the gun in his holster and came around the door. His movement was both sharp and fluid. I knew without asking that he was a vampire. The driver, a brawny block of a man, got out of the car too.

The two of them looked at the three of us before the vampire addressed Elron. "I don't smell much blood. Would you be able to join us?"

Elron gave a long, drawn-out groan, but made it to his feet. He hobbled over, settling next to me with another theatrical grunt.

The vampire continued talking. "I'm Officer John Becker. This is my partner, Officer Gudger. We are going to have a nice, calm conversation."

I nodded, wanting it to go quickly so I could get somewhere warm with a less pointy seat.

"Ms. Oaks, how did you get here?"

"Tiffany and I drove over to see if we could find our friend, Amber. On the way over, I called Liam, because I didn't have much experience dealing with werewolves."

Officer Becker nodded, turning his attention to Liam. "And what's your story?"

"I came to help her out, in case Adder was less than hospitable. Turns out Adder doesn't like visitors." He skipped over the killing-Adder-and-becoming-alpha part, but I had a feeling the police would come back to that.

"Elron?" The vampire prodded.

"I followed Tiffany and Michelle here. I had a feeling trouble would find them."

"How did the house explode?" Officer Gudger asked in a deep voice.

"Wish I knew. I'm getting tired of being around explosions." If I kept this up, I was going to need to marry a medical practitioner to keep me healthy.

"Mr. O'Neil, could you show me the remains?" Officer Gudger asked.

"Yes."

Officer Becker moved to the truck, pulled out a small bag, and handed it to Officer Gudger.

"No funny business." Gudger pulled a handful of glow sticks out of the bag and cracked them.

"Officer, my ma taught me better than to mess with a bear." Liam led the officer off the road.

"Enough lip, more walking," the werebear grumbled, more amused than irritated. "You two, is there anything else I need to be aware of?"

"A woman was here, an elf by the look of her, but she could cast. She disappeared," I answered.

"Please explain what you mean by disappeared."

"I don't know. She was here and then she wasn't. To the best of my knowledge, Liam, Elron, and I are the only ones here."

Becker nodded sharply before turning to meet a car that had pulled in behind his. He spoke to the new officers, and two of them split off to follow the trail Gudger had marked with the glow sticks. The two remaining officers got into the driver's seats of the two cars.

The vampire came back to us. "I'll walk you to the paramedics."

We walked around the two cars, which continued down the driveway. They must have been going to check out the house and had taken the cars because it was a single-lane road. This way the road was clear for other vehicles. Twice we had to step off the road, once for a fire truck and once for a police car.

I could hear the commotion at the end of the driveway long before we broke through the trees. Between the headlights and the flashing lights on the police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks, the place was blinding. Everything was in harsh light or deep shadows.

Officer Becker was taking us to an ambulance when I spotted Tiffany and Amber. They were sitting at the back of the second ambulance. Amber was wrapped in a blanket with bandages on her feet. Tiffany had part of her blanket draped over Amber and was doing her best to keep her warm.

I looked at them longingly, wanting to race over and check on them. They looked healthy, but I wanted to hear the words and give them hugs. After seeing the woman vanish in front of me, I didn't trust my eyes. Instead, I followed the police officer to our ambulance, which was separated from Amber and Tiffany by a police cruiser.

A man and a woman jumped out of the back of the ambulance.

"Two more?" the man asked.

"Yes, please tend to them."

The woman came over to me. "Hi, I'm Martha. Why don't you sit down over here, and tell me what happened."

Before I knew what was going on, I was sitting on the bumper with a blanket around my shoulders and a bottle of water in my hands. She chattered at me while she blinded me with a penlight and looked over my visible body parts.

"Does anything hurt?"

I wanted to say my rump and knees from spending so much time on the rocks, but that wasn't what she needed to know. "No, nothing hurts."

"How did you get dirty?"

"I fell in the creek."

"What about the scrapes?"

"Hard to say. Those could be from the woods, the scuffle with Adder, or the house exploding."

"Any other injuries?"

I shook my head. She stepped away to talk to the ever-present Officer Becker. Elron's EMT joined Martha and Officer Becker, leaving us alone.

Elron scooted over until he was next to me. Grateful for the support, I leaned against him.

"You have some explaining to do." I spoke softly.

"As do you."

"Can we explain later? I think we are going to spend the rest of the night explaining."

"As the lady wishes."

Leaning against him, I tried to sort my thoughts and emotions, but I couldn't hold on to them. The events were clear enough, but it felt distant, like I'd been an observer rather than a participant. Maybe the emotions and events would reconnect later, but for now I let it go and drifted.

Eventually, Officer Becker came over. "It's time to go."

I didn't need to ask where. This was the part where we got questioned about every detail of the evening. Elron and I ended up in the back of the car with Becker and Gudger riding shotgun.

At the police station, techs pulled me into a room. My clothes were bagged, my nails were scraped, and my injuries catalogued. They were smart enough to listen to me and bag the book without removing it from the cloth. I almost felt sorry for the poor person who got stuck doing this to Elron.

After they were done, I was given some sweats to wear. I gratefully pulled on the pants and shirt, glad to be clothed and warming up.

Becker took me to another room, and I sat in an uncomfortable chair with a microphone pointed at me and a camera recording every moment. Before long, Detective Wells came in, hair sticking up at odd angles and clothes rumpled.

I should've been surprised to see him, but I wasn't. Or maybe my surprise was used up.

Wells took the seat across from me, dropping a pen, pad of paper, and a slim file on the table.

"Ms. Oaks, I wish I could say it was a pleasure."

I didn't say anything.

He continued talking. "You know what happens now. I ask question, you answer them, and maybe we can all go home and get some sleep."

"Do you really think that's going to happen?" I could be wrong, but I had a feeling I was headed for booking.

"I would like it to go that way."

"I will tell you everything if you get the book out of evidence and into my hands." He didn't have any reason to agree, but I needed that book. The more the events ran through my mind, the more I was convinced that it was the book referenced in my dream.

Wells leaned forward, catching my eyes. "If you tell me everything, I'll see what I can do for you about that book."

He shifted back in his seat, and for a moment one hand had six tentacles instead of fingers. My eyes returned to his face, and he slowly blinked one eye, a move that the camera would see as an eye irritation. I knew better. This man was on my side.

With the glimpse of his fingers, I felt hope. Deep down, I knew it was going to work out.

I started at the beginning, the very beginning. I detailed every pertinent event of this evening. His expression didn't change when I explained my first phone call with Liam or the subsequent conversation with Tiffany. He didn't twitch when I informed him of the second phone call. He might as well have been a statue for all the emotion he showed when I went through the events. I finished my explanation with Officers Becker and Gudger arriving.

By the end of the story, I was proud of myself. The only thing I'd left out was the dream, but that wasn't his business anyway.

He took a moment to think, and then the questions started. We rehashed everything that happened at Adder's house. This time he took notes, often asking me to pause while he got something on paper.

Then he asked one more question, one I hadn't expected.

"Ms. Oaks, was this worth it?"

"I think so. Amber is home. Adder won't hurt anyone anymore, and I may have a clue as to who is causing so much trouble in this town." It was worth it, even if I spent years behind bars.

Wells studied me. I didn't bother trying to determine his thoughts. I was too tired to care about my own thoughts. After minutes of silence he spoke.

"I believe this is a rather obvious extension of your duties relating to the suicides, which have been reclassified as murders. Since your actions, and that of your companions, were in service to this town, we are considering your actions an extension of your contract. As far as the department is concerned, all of you, with the exception of Amber, were acting as independent contractors, confidential informants, deputized civilians, whatever it takes to make this go away and further the investigation into the murders."

"Thank you." I was fairly sure I said the words out loud.

"Let's go get a drink. I could use some coffee."

Wells ushered me out of the interrogation room, down a hall, and around the corner. We walked into a small room with a coffeemaker and hot pot.

"Make something for yourself. I'll be right back."

I rinsed the hot pot and started heating fresh water. While I was waiting for it to boil, I found a thick paper cup and a box of green tea. My eyes rested on the hot pot, and my mind emptied. I'd been up for twenty hours, and I felt every one of them. After pouring the water over my tea, I leaned against the counter and waited for Wells. There would be plenty of time to sort this out later. Tomorrow after I'd gotten some sleep would be good.

Wells returned with an evidence bag dangling from his fingers.

"I believe this is yours. After you've gone through it, I want to know what's in it. I want to see what's in it." He set it on the counter and poured a cup of coffee.

Our trust only went so far, and I didn't blame him for wanting to check the evidence with his own eyes.

"You can see it when I'm sure it isn't dangerous." That was the best he was going to get from me. I didn't trust anything from that woman, and until I was sure the book was safe, I didn't want anyone around it.

He nodded. "You look like you're about to keel over. Considering you haven't gotten any rest since you looked at the bodies, I'm not surprised. I'll make this simple and try to answer the question you would ask."

I nodded, grateful to be able to keep my mouth shut. All the talking in the interrogation room had made my throat sore.

Wells continued talking. "I'm glad you rescued Amber. I've known since yesterday that Adder had her, but I couldn't find a way to act on it without risking the lives of the rest of the pack. The police can't exactly go out planning to kill someone. I knew that if we didn't get him when we rescued Amber, he could do a lot of damage before we captured him. I owe you on that one."

He took a swig of coffee and kept talking. "As for the rest, that's a bonus. It worked out well that Liam killed Adder and is the new alpha. The information about the woman who may be related to the murders is a nice surprise."

"Detective, how often do these things happen? How often do we police ourselves, and you help pick up the pieces?"

"More often than you think. A mostly human style of justice doesn't mean much if you can live thousands of years or use a car as a baseball bat. Over time, the different species and races in this country have been bullied into adapting by their elders, wise ones, councils, or whatever. Do some research. We adopted their system. The stories passed down in my family say that we infiltrated the system to preserve human peace and hide our own brands of justice.

"I'm not recommending going after vigilante justice. These days, things have calmed down, and the human system does a decent job."

I didn't even attempt to process the information, going straight to my next questions. "Can I go home? Can all of us go home?"

Chapter 20: Michelle

I wasn't sure where Liam ended up, but Amber, Tiffany, Elron, and I found ourselves back at the lodge. Landa, who was preparing breakfast, took one look at us before handing us a basket of muffins and fruit and sending us off to bed. Elron retreated to his apartment, leaving us girls to our sedate reunion party. After showers, we sat down at the dining room table, eating muffins and drinking tea.

"Amber, would you mind telling me what happened?" As curious as I was, I didn't want to push her into talking if she wasn't ready.

Amber looked at the two of us, and the floodgates opened. "It was the strangest thing. He was almost gentle with me. Oh, I should start from the beginning.

"I was putting on my jacket at the front door when men burst in from the back. I ran out. Tiffany tried to help, but they pulled me into the van. That was the roughest he was with me. Once we were inside the van and I stopped struggling, he put these soft leather cuffs on me and belted me into a seat. The drive was terrifying. I couldn't figure out what he was going to do."

She paused to take a sip of tea. "He didn't blindfold me or anything, but it was dark enough outside that I couldn't tell where we were going. When we got to the house, he helped me out of the van, snarling at any man who got too close. He took me to the bathroom and then put me in that horrible room. He chained me to the bed, and left me with water and a sandwich.

"I couldn't settle down. I must have examined that room ten times that night. The window was creepy, but the outside was covered so I couldn't see what was past that. Eventually, I got hungry and ate. I settled on the bed and fell asleep. The rest of the time passed more or less the same. He would take me to the bathroom, return me to the bedroom, and leave me with food. A few times he tried to talk to me, but I didn't say anything. I was too scared to say what I was thinking.

"Sometimes when he was alone at the house, he'd open the curtains and look in on me from the other room. One time when I was napping, I saw a woman looking at me. Early yesterday, I think it was, I tried to escape. He caught me, put me back in the room, and had me swallow some pill. Next thing I knew, you guys were in the room."

My food lay abandoned on my plate. I didn't take her experiences lightly, but it was at odds with the behavior Adder had displayed in other aspects of his life.

"Could you describe the woman?" I asked softly.

"Sure. She was an elf, a scar on one cheek, blond hair."

It was the same woman. Tomorrow I would take a good long look at the book. She was showing up in far too many places for her presence to be coincidence.

"What about Adder? Did you ever figure out what he wanted from you?" Tiffany asked.

Amber squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "He wanted me to want him. It was almost like he wanted me to be his girlfriend for something. I don't know. When I wouldn't talk to him, he would leave until it was time for a meal or bathroom break."

We didn't talk much as we finished our food. Afterward, I pulled the blinds down in the living room and pulled the sofa out into a bed. They settled down to go to sleep.

I retreated to my room and checked my phone. Three missed calls and two text messages from my mom. I quickly replied, letting her know I was fine and I'd been busy with a case.

After slipping the book into my nightstand, I tucked myself into bed. This afternoon was going to be busy.

*******

By the time I'd slept off most of the night's activities, it was noon. Amber smiled, Tiffany laughed, and the world was better. It had been all I could do to get them to leave. They were sure my apartment was the safest place in town. If they only knew…

There was a quick knock.

"Open," I yelled.

Elron walked in, closing the door behind him.

"How are you?" I asked. In spite of the beating he'd taken, his walk was fluid and his posture relaxed.

"I have been better. How do you feel?"

"Tired, sore, depleted."

He nodded, frowning slightly. "I…I do not know how to proceed. I would like to talk to you about last night."

I'd known we would need to talk, but that didn't stop my stomach from knotting. "Would you like tea? I have a fresh pot."

"Please."

Elron followed me into the kitchen, where I poured two mugs of tea. I handed one to him and walked over to the sofa. He followed, sitting down next to me. We sipped our tea in a comfortable silence.

So far, I'd managed to avoid thinking about Elron and myself. It felt like things between us changed last night. Those changes could be beneficial or damage the relationship I was starting to enjoy.

"Michelle?"

I jumped. "Sorry. I was lost in thought."

He nodded, took a deep breath, and continued, "I do not know how people outside my community behave as friends or when court—dating. To me, friendship is more than caring and loving. It is helping. I see dating much the same way. It is friendship with desire, for one another and for the future. If you do not see these relationships the same way, I need to know. I want to help you. It hurts when you deny me that opportunity."

"I'm sorry. I…" My voice trailed off. I didn't know what to say. I'd never intended to hurt his feelings. The humans I associated with often offered help, but I'd learned long ago it wasn't a sincere offer. Logically, I knew many races still considered such offers to be binding, but I hadn't processed it that way. I should've known better; elves honored their word.

I tried again. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to hurt you. I've gotten used to doing things on my own, and didn't want to take advantage of an innocent offer."

"I may look young, and I may be ignorant of modern times and customs, but I assure you, I am not innocent." In that moment the eyes looking into mine were old and jaded. Under his gaze, I felt more like a child and less like a woman.

His fingers brushed my face as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "I would very much like to be the one you run to. I want to be a friend, and more."

I pulled one of his hands into mine. "I want that too, but I think we need to clear the air."

"Ladies first."

"Thank you for saving my life." He had followed me, which I wasn't happy about, but in doing so he saved my life. It was hard to be angry when you were alive and unharmed.

His mouth curved ever so slightly. "Thank you for saving my life." He must have seen me take a breath, because he continued without giving me a chance to interject. "As we have both come to the other's aid several times, we should consider any debts in that area canceled."

I nodded, acknowledging his words rather than agreeing. We weren't even. He'd saved me from big pointy teeth. If he hadn't been there to save me, he wouldn't have needed saving.

Dealing with Elron had taught me a few things. I doubted an old honorable elf would consider us even, but if it made him feel better, I would pretend. We would both pretend.

I moved on to my second point, a question he'd partly answered last night. "Why did you follow me?"

"I have a Call. Have you heard of Callings?"

I shrugged. I'd heard the phrase, but I didn't know much about it.

He gave a quick explanation, adding another thing to my list of items to research. Returning to my question, he continued, "The Call pushed at me until I donned my armor and weapons. When you left, I had to follow. It was where I needed to be."

"I did not wish to alert you to my presence, so I kept my distance on the road. It was easier to stay close in the woods. If you had not needed aid, I would not have interfered. You know the rest of the story."

"What did your Calling want with me? Did it want me or the situation?" I wouldn't be able to forgive him if his romantic actions were driven by a Calling.

He shrugged and sighed. "I do not know. It would be much easier if I did. Thus far, the Calling has wanted me to be in this lodge and working at the university. It does quiet somewhat when I am near you, but that is not why I enjoy your company."

"Better not be." My response was out of habit. Elron wasn't the type to deceive and play with emotions.

"I have only honorable intentions." He winked before continuing in a serious tone. "I meant what I said last night. I care for you."

I swallowed. "I care for you too."

Elron's smile lit up the room. "With that settled, I have questions, and the police refused to answer them. What occurred when I was unconscious? My last memory is of Adder knocking me down."

"Well, Adder knocked you out, Liam kept Adder from killing either of us, I started sabotaging the spells the woman was casting, and I deflected the death spell she cast at you. Then she vanished." I had a feeling he would skip over most of the events and hone in on that last one.

"Why would she kill me, and not you? You would have been the more logical target. After all, she did not need someone interrupting her casting."

Michelle, mind reader extraordinaire. "I don't know."

Elron kept looking at me, but I had a feeling he wasn't seeing me at all. While he was lost in thought, I debated telling him about the book. If it was the book the woman in my dream had referenced, then it should shed some light on the situation. On the other hand, I hadn't been able to examine it yet. While it appeared harmless at a casual glance, looks could be deceiving. That settled it; I wasn't letting anyone near that thing until I was sure it was safe.

"Michelle, these events do not connect in a logical fashion."

"Last night's events?"

"Those as well as others." Elron took a deep breath before continuing. "I can understand Adder abducting Amber and attacking us in an attempt to recover her. To an extent, the elven woman fits this puzzle. Adder needed help killing his father, which she supplied. Why an elf would be involved in a werewolf's affairs or with killing children, I do not know."

"Neither do I. Does your Call offer any suggestions?"

"Not a terrible descriptor for its prodding, but no. It is as silent as it has been in recent memory."

We sat, hand in hand, as I replayed the night's events and tried to make the pieces fit together. I couldn't make an elf using magic reconcile. Even if I assumed she merely looked elven, I could only get a short string of events. In that situation, I could rationalize the murders, but not why she would need a werewolf, or why she would help Adder kill Simon.

After going over countless possibilities, I wasn't able to find one thread that connected all of them. I looked over at Elron, only to find his gaze locked on the window, and his eyes vacant.

He'd had this same look last night.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"What?" He shook as he snapped out of it and focused on me.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Why?" He sounded suspicious.

"You did something similar last night. Are you injured?"

Elron sighed. "It's nothing. The elf reminded me of a woman I knew long ago. I did not expect to see her likeness."

For as much as Elron dwelled on the past, he didn't talk about it much. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. "Who did she remind you of?"

"No one you would know. In a day or two, the past will return to its proper location."

I would've felt better if he sounded more optimistic.

Chapter 21: Michelle

There was a sickening slew of emotions rolling around in my midsection as I approached Mom's house. I couldn't tell if the dinner invitation was an excuse to get me to come over so she could check on me herself or if it was a reincarnation of Dad's idea for a family chat. Mom hadn't been please to hear about my recent adventure. Either way, I didn't have high hopes for a pleasant reunion.

I would have come over without the invitation. I wanted answers, and I was more likely to get them in person, especially if Dad was around. He seemed more willing to talk.

My fingers were crossed as I knocked on the door. Please, let this be Dad's idea. His way of sitting me down and telling me everything.

The door swung open and Mom pulled me in for a hug.

"Michelle, you're here." Mom squeezed me before jumping back enough to get a good look at me. "You look good, healthy."

"Thank you, Mom. Hi, Dad."

Dad smiled at me. "It's good to see you, Michelle."

I forced a smile. It was the best I could do. The happy-to-see-you feelings were bound to fade when I got around to grilling them about our family secrets.

"Why don't we move to the living room? We have time before dinner. Michelle can tell us what happened when she rescued Amber." Mom was on the move before she finished talking.

Dad and I exchanged a look before following her. I tried to give myself a motivational pep talk. This was as good an opportunity as any, and waiting wouldn't make it any better. Maybe it would be polite to save the unpleasantries until after dinner, but I wasn't that patient. They had spent enough time lying to me and hiding the truth. It was time for them to come clean.

We sat down and I smiled at them. It must not have been my most convincing smile because Dad lost his.

Oh, well. I couldn't figure out a good way to introduce the topic, so I jumped in. "There are a few things I've wanted to ask the two of you." I took a deep breath. "Mom, will you please tell me more about clans?"

"No," she answered quickly.

"Why not? It can't be safer for me to be in the dark. Witches in the area know who I am, and they seem to know things about me that I don't. If you and Dad won't answer my questions, I'll find a book, or witch, who will."

"Michelle, we can't tell you." Her voice cracked.

"Really? Can't or won't?"

"We can't. You're in danger. You need to be careful."

"Careful?" Blood was pounding through my veins. "I can't be careful when I don't know what I'm trying to avoid. I'll never know if I'm hurting or helping us, and I don't know if I should be aiding my own ignorance."

"You need to stop looking for answers." A tear slid down her cheek.

"No, I need answers. I need to know how to protect myself. If I have to read every book about witches and ask every person I meet, so be it. I will find the answers."

"Michelle, you can't," Mom pleaded.

I swallowed. "I can."

Dad, who had been oddly quiet to this point, pulled her hand into his lap. Mom looked at him, and something passed between them.

If they wouldn't tell me anything from direct questions, it was time to play dirty. I already knew more than they would like.

"The two of you owe me an explanation. I'm tired of being told my ignorance is for my protection. I know you've been hiding me from my grandmother." They both made incoherent noises, though neither interrupted me. "I know more than that. The way I heard it, the two of you fell in love and started this mess." I relayed Elron's story, watching them. I had the dubious pleasure of watching them turn white, red, and green. When Mom heard about the fracture between her and her clan, she grabbed Dad's hand. At one point they exchanged a pained look. That was enough for me. The story was true.

Hopefully, they would be willing to tell me the rest now. I thought it would be satisfying to leverage the information out of them, but it was, at best, an empty satisfaction. I felt mean and rude. They had spent their lives trying to protect me, and I was strong-arming them into divulging information. It didn't matter if I needed the information. Getting it this way felt dirty.

"The secrets end now," I finished and waited to hear what they had to say. At this point, I deserved honesty from them. It might be too late to keep my grandmother at bay, but it would save our relationships.

The two of them exchanged another look, one of those looks people share when they spend a lot of time together. Some type of communication occurred, but I couldn't decipher it.

"No, they don't," Mom said.

The blood throbbed through my veins, and it was a fight to keep my voice even. "If you want to help your daughter, if you like seeing your daughter, you start sharing information with her."

I didn't feel dirty or mean anymore. If this is what it took to get Mom to tell me what I needed to know to protect us, I would do it without regret.

Dad turned to Mom. "We talked about this. You know what we need to do now."

"I don't like it."

His voice chilled. "We tried it your way, and it hasn't worked. It's my turn now. We need to tell her what she wants to know."

Mom pursed her lips.

Greg turned to me. "Ground rules. You don't make idle threats, and neither do we."

I held his gaze. "What made you think it was an idle threat?"

Whatever he saw in me decided him. Turning to Mom, he whispered, "My turn."

Mom stomped out of the room. I could hear running water in the kitchen, and the stove click on.

"Michelle, listen closely, because I will not tell you everything, and you won't cut us out of your life."

I didn't bother to reply.

"The story you heard is true. It isn't the complete truth, but it will serve for now. Nancy's clan answers to your grandmother. She wanted a powerful daughter, and Nancy didn't meet her standards. She can't have any more children and wants to pass the ministry to her own blood. Without you or your mom, she can't do that. Nancy and I have gone to great lengths to protect you. We don't know if your grandmother wants you to be her successor or if she wants revenge."

"Revenge for what? Why would she come after me? How would she know we're related?" All this cloak-and-dagger stuff was too much. They tiptoed around the truth like it would stay hidden if they ignored it. It wouldn't; secrets had a way of coming out.

My already-frayed temper was edging close to the breaking point. The secrets were driving me crazy. I was more of a lay-my-cards-on-the-table type of girl.

"Revenge for making her look bad, for leaving the clan, being clanless, being powerful. It's hard to say. She isn't a nice woman."

I couldn't get a normal family. I had to get the patchwork family with secrets and a potentially homicidal grandmother. Lucky, me.

He gave me a moment to digest that information before addressing my other questions. "How many clanless witches have you met?"

I didn't answer, but he knew what I would've said.

He continued, "None. It's rare to find a witch without a clan. Stranger still is a young, strong witch. It wouldn't take much for her to put the clues together, and the family resemblance is strong enough to make the clues line up. You haven't done anything wrong, per se, but you've proven to be powerful, smart, and you're young. Lots of clans will want to acquire you."

"I'm the new shiny thing they want to play with because I'm a talented witch?"

Dad shrugged. "That's as good of an analogy as any. Plus, the clans are always eager to add a powerful witch to their ranks."

"I have some questions about that too, but they can wait."

Dad nodded.

Mom returned with a tray of tea. We each took a mug, and she sat next to my father.

"Did you explain it?" Mom asked.

"Most of it," Dad answered. "This stays between the three of us for now. Can you do that, Michelle?"

"Yes, I can keep my mouth shut, though I'm getting sick of secrets." Now I get to be one of the secret keepers. I took a sip of tea, praying it would soothe my stomach. He had me, and he knew it. I wanted answers, and I wanted a chance at a real family life. It would be nice to have three people for the holidays rather than two, though it might be best if we didn't invite my grandmother to Thanksgiving dinner just yet.

Mom sipped her tea, but from the look on her face you'd think it was poison.

"Nancy and I are going to get married. She will become a member of my clan. That will break any remaining ties to her old clan. Once she is a member of my clan, she can live in the clan house. That will keep her safe."

"You aren't married?" I had to check.

"No, Michelle, we aren't," Mom said. "Clan bindings are tricky. I was young and scared when I left. I wasn't sure how completely they severed the bond. If there was something remaining, they would've known which clan was helping me. At this point, I'm confident that the tie was broken."

"And with the two of you married and living in clan-induced bliss, what happens to me?"

"Michelle, you must hide the extent of your power. I know you haven't spent much time with other witches your age, but you are more powerful than most."

I opened my mouth to mention Cage, but his narrowed eyes and stern words stopped me.

"Don't interrupt me. We may be new to this father-daughter thing, but you need to let me explain." Dad leaned forward, catching my eyes with his own. "Few witches ever learn to control their magic as well as you. Couple that with the power you control, and people take notice. Michelle, keep a low profile, and don't bother researching the clan tattoos. There are few accurate books on the topic, and your clan scar won't be in them anyway."

Nice of him to mention things I already knew. "I tried to find out what my clan scar meant. Funny thing, all the witch I talked to could tell was that I had the mark of the Ieldra."

Dad started rubbing his temples, and Mom sat next to him, eyes closed, lips moving.

Mom looked at me with a mixture of sadness and pity. "I… we never wanted you to know. No one, especially a child, needs to know that they are expected to do great things. We wanted to spare you that."

"There are people who have been driven to the edge of madness simply from knowing that they have an expected path. You should choose your own path, with or without a symbol decreeing your destination."

For the first time, they were in complete agreement.

"I can't blame you for neglecting to mention that. It wasn't fun to hear about it now. I'm guessing you won't tell me what the rest of my clan scar means?"

"No, we won't," Dad answered.

I sighed. It didn't seem important anymore. The rest of this conversation wasn't going to be fun. If they didn't know how many flashy shows of power I'd done, they were in for a rude surprise. "I know I'm more powerful than other witches my age. I don't have a good grasp of my power level verses that of an average witch my age, but I think it's too late for me to pretend to be ordinary and keep a low profile. I've never tried to hide my power. Lots of people, most of the police departments in North Georgia, know what I can do."

"What did you do, Michelle?" Mom asked.

I threw my hands in the air. "What do you think? Have you thought about the power I pushed around during the cases you hear about? I managed to get one clan after me when I formed a barrier on a bathtub without using runes. I've blocked a car from running over children with a hastily cast shield. I cast the summoning spell on the trolls and sorceress. Let's not forget the containment spell around a dinosaur, using oil as the anchor points."

Their faces were frozen in shock. Dad recovered first. "You used oil to anchor that spell?"

"Yes, it worked just fine." They looked at me like I was sprouting two heads.

"We'll have to talk about that later. I thought…" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. You had one clan show interest?"

"Yes, but I dealt with them. They won't be an issue again."

Mom looked at Dad. "If she's been throwing around that kind of power, they already know about her."

Dad squeezed Mom's hand. "I know. Michelle, you must be careful. Try not to be so obvious with your abilities. Few witches look kindly on a powerful, clanless witch. The way they see it, no one holds you accountable for your actions. They will want you in a clan. You need to maintain your independence. If you commit to being a lone witch, they will leave you alone, eventually."

"Awesome. All the clans will be after me?"

"Not all. But yes, many will be after you, especially my mother's clan. You must not join a clan," Mom repeated. "It will bring my mother's attention to you, and she would stop at nothing to have you."

I'd finally gotten the information I wanted. Unfortunately, it was giving me a pounding headache. If they'd told me all this sooner, I would have done my best to avoid notice. As it was, I'd basically shot flares off the roof of the lodge. "What does stop at nothing mean?" Those words usually meant someone would do very bad things.

Dad broke in. "Let's not worry about that now. It isn't an issue yet, and it won't be an issue unless you join another clan."

I nodded.

"For now," Mom said, "be suspicious of any clan that approaches you and try to avoid blatant displays of power. And be careful because they might try to take you by force."

Sitting there, I began to understand why they hadn't mentioned clans to me in the past. We'd gone from a simple conversation about family skeletons to a maze of clan politics. They didn't need to talk me out of joining a clan. Now I needed to find a way out of the clan kerfuffle.

"We need a better plan," I said.

"I know, but you're smart and strong," Mom said. "You can protect yourself, and Greg and I will find permanent solutions."

"How long will that take?"

"I don't know. I don't know, but you have to stay safe until we do," Mom said.

"Great. What do I do if my homicidal grandmother comes after me?"

This time Dad's smile was feral. "You are my daughter."

He was right, I was his daughter, and he'd taught me how to defend myself.

*******

It took hours of charms, spells, and tests to check and recheck the book for trickery. In the end, there was nothing to be found. I had a completely ordinary book in my hands.

I started reading the book. It was a diary of an elven woman, Sylvia. She had been attacked by trolls while riding through the woods. Sylvia awakened to find herself in a room without windows. The first time Sylvia saw her captor, he was polite, but later things changed. He was not an ordinary man, but the demon, Gremory. The body was simply a vessel for him to use until it was too worn to be useful. Gremory hadn't taken her by chance. He wanted her to be his next vessel.

Gremory had grown tired of occupying human bodies. They weren't robust enough to stand up long-term, even if they were easy to acquire.

Elves were seldom possessed. Not only was it difficult to move into their bodies, but with their affinity for nature, they actively hindered a demon. Sylvia was different, though the demon was reluctant to reveal why he could slide in and out of her body with ease, and he found her physical form welcoming.

In the beginning, Sylvia was unaware of what transpired when Gremory was in charge of her physical form. He would slide out of his human vessel and into her. That would be the last thing she remembered until she was alone in her body again. Over time, Sylvia grew used to him sliding in and out of her body. Gremory always kept a male vessel as well, because he identified himself in more masculine terms, though demons were by nature sexless.

Through the repeated transitions, Sylvia learned to keep an awareness. Once she could observe what he did, she began to learn his secrets and keep her own. It was at this point that she began the diary and quickly recorded as much as she could remember about her time with him.

The diary went on to explain Gremory's behavior and what she was able to discover about demons. The entry about demons ended in mid sentence.

I flipped to the next page, and the text began again. This time it wasn't in dark seeping ink but a fine blue line.

I was married before Gremory captured me. My husband was loving, kind, and strong. He was a good man. No elf easily overcomes the death of a mate, but I fear he would have been more grief-stricken than most. If you are reading this, please find Elron. Tell him it wasn't his fault. He couldn't have saved me. I loved him. He should be happy and live the rest of his life. Our paths do not mingle anymore.

Should he doubt the honesty of your words, remind him of the time I broke my arm. We told everyone I slipped on wet rocks. The truth is that I slipped on wet rocks after stripping down to surprise him while he was tending plants by the river.

If this book was lucky enough to find a reader, heed my words. Gremory must be stopped. Do not seek to spare me in your quest to kill him. Be prepared to kill me. It is unlikely that you will find a way to destroy him without my death. Know that I go willingly. This is my path.

Sylvia

I rubbed tears off my cheeks and set the book on the table so I wouldn't damage it. There was no doubt in my mind that I'd read the story of Elron's wife. Regardless of her words at the end of the book, I had been on a date with a married man. I couldn't see it any other way. Elron wouldn't see it any other way. It had been hundreds of years since he first believed her dead, and he wasn't over her yet.

This would hurt him and undo the healing that had been done. It had already undone us. The tears burned my eyes. It would have been better if I'd never seen past his cutting remarks to the vulnerable man underneath.

The tears fell until I was empty. After washing my face and brewing a cup a tea, I tried to be logical. Our relationship, or lack of one, was a petty problem in light of the information.

Sylvia was alive. She had been in my dream, at Adder's house, and had dropped the book. I had conflicting information from every direction. By her own admission, I shouldn't trust her, but I should trust the book. The book read like an unfinished fairy tale, with the damsel in distress waiting for her knight in shining armor to come to her rescue.

At first glance, I wanted to do just that, rescue her. However, Sylvia had been Gremory's vessel for a long time, long enough that she might not be the person she had been before. It was hard to say if the demon was still using her against her will. The last two entries were alarming. One cut off mid sentence, and the next was written after the evolution of modern pens, suddenly proclaiming that she would die if I killed the demon. For all I knew, Gremory had planned this. Why else would he let the book be found?

The demon's name was teasing me. Gremory. I'd heard that name before, but it wouldn't come to me.

Sylvia and Gremory were only one part of this puzzle. This was Elron's wife. He should know the truth. I hoped he could reconcile the new reality with the old one. It wouldn't be healthy for him to go on a quest to save a woman who no longer existed or to slip back into the depression that had taken him before. His reactions were out of my control; even if he was never the same man, I couldn't keep this from him.

I knocked on his door with a heavy heart. He didn't answer, so I knocked again. At last I heard a faint enter. I pushed open the door to find Elron sitting in his living room.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"To see how you're doing. You seemed upset."

"Perceptive. I am upset." He turned to look at me, eyes vacant. "I cannot get the woman out of my head. She brought back memories that were better left undisturbed."

I sat next to him, wanting to comfort him, but not sure what to do. "What memories did she revive?"

"My wife. She looked like my wife. Tall with golden hair, a delicate nose, and a scar on her cheek from when she'd been thrown from a horse as a child." The look on his face was a heart-wrenching blend of loss and desperation.

"Can I tell you who I saw?"

Elron nodded.

"I saw a tall elven woman with golden hair, a small nose, a scar on her cheek, flames in her eyes, and magic emanating from her." I studied him, watching him work through what I'd said.

"Elves have neither unnatural eyes nor magic."

"I know, but the woman I saw looked elven except for those features."

If he'd been human, his brow would've wrinkled while he pondered, but he was an elf and had better control of his face. "I do not understand."

I sighed, trying to find a way from here to what I'd come to tell him. I couldn't find a good transition. It turns out I'm not any good at introducing difficult topics. "The woman dropped a book before she vanished. This morning I read it. It's a diary, detailing the life of a woman who was captured by a demon."

Elron looked at me, clearly puzzled.

"Elron, I think your wife is alive." I flipped the book open to the last entry and shoved it in his hands. "You should read this."

"I felt her die. She can't be alive."

"Please read the book?" I held it out again.

"Why? I wouldn't trust anything I read here." He held the book out to me.

I crossed my arms. "I'll take it back after you read that section."

He muttered something unflattering under his breath before focusing on the words. Seconds ticked by. Elron sucked in a deep breath, fingers digging into the pages. A moment later, the book tumbled from his hands. I snatched it off the floor before it could sustain further damage.

"It cannot be." His voice sent chills down my spine, and I was glad I couldn't see his face. Any expression that matched that voice would not be kind.

I didn't have any answers. "Is the story true?"

"Which story?" He paused, but not long enough for me to reply. "It matters not. To the best of my knowledge the story is true, but she could have confided in a friend. It is the type of story women like to tell one another. I have difficulties believing my mate is still alive. I felt her die. I felt our bond break."

"It may be within a demon's abilities to make you feel her death without killing her."

He looked at me with tears welling up in his eyes. "If that is the truth, I failed her."

"How could you save her? You didn't know she needed to be saved."

Elron shook his head. "I made a vow to her. I failed to keep my word. I failed her in many ways."

I grabbed his shoulder, shaking him. "Elron, you are not God. There is nothing you could do."

"I begged the earth to switch our places, to fix what I was not capable of preventing. I pleaded with the sun, sky, and stars above. My cries fell on deaf ears. Now there is a chance I abandoned her," he snarled, flashing teeth and pulsing with power.

"You don't know that. This entire book could be trickery. Even if your wife's body has survived all this time, there is no guarantee that she is the same woman you married."

"Do you have anything to support your claim?" Elron whispered.

"Only the book. Read it. Think about it." I held it out, and he carefully removed it from my hands.

Tears gathered in my eyes as I watched Elron page through the book. His hair blocked my view of his face, but I could see his hand shaking. While I watched, he turned the last page and back cover, closing the book. Elron held the book between his hands, shoulders shaking, and I watched a strong man I'd come to know regress into a youth stricken by his first broken heart.

"Do you want me to stay?" I blinked rapidly as the tears escaped my eyes.

Minutes passed with us sitting in silence.

"Do you want me to get Landa?"

Elron's shoulders continued to shake, but he still didn't answer.

I scrubbed the tears off my face. "I…I'll be next door if you need anything. D…d…d…don't hesitate to ask. I'm… so sorry."

Through the closed door, I heard him sobbing. I leaned against the door, wishing I could go back and undo his pain.

My brain briefly moved past his pain, my pain, and patched a few coherent thoughts together. Demons could create sorceresses. It stood to reason Gremory had created Carrie. The creature breeder had references to Gremory in her house. Carrie and the creature breeder worked for the same person, Gremory.

I didn't have an angry troll lover hunting me. I had a demon threatening to kill me because I'd ruined three parts of its plan.

A demon was after me.

The strength left my legs, and I slid to the ground, crying my own tears.

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to read A Witch's Path. If you enjoyed Michelle and Elron's story, please post a review. Reviews are a valuable way for authors to connect with readers. If you're interested, the following pages contain information on upcoming books and my contact information.

Also by N. E. Conneely

A Witch's Path Series:

Witch for Hire (Book 1)

A Witch's Path (Book 2)

A Witch's Trial (Book 3)

Coming Summer 2015

A Witch's Concern (A Witch's Path Book 4)

About the Author

I live in a small town in Oregon with my dog and a mountain of books. It rains from October until June, and everyone rushes outside when it's sunny.

For fun, I play with my dog, read, knit, crochet, paint, tie-dye, and do origami. I make a great pizza. I didn't get the sea monkeys, because I couldn't figure out where to put them in my new place.

I'm currently working on the fourth book in the Witch's Path Series.

Connect with N. E. Conneely

Facebook: www.facebook.com/neconneely

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Website: www.neconneely.com

If you'd like to e-mail me: author@neconneely.com