Curse of Night (Thorne Hill 5)

So much for saving your life.

“I am,” I whisper, seeing no way around it now.

“And that woman who kidnapped me…she…she was a witch, too?”

“No.” I rock back on my heels and look at the contents of my purse that I dumped out on the ground. “She was a demon. But don’t worry, I killed her.”

Letting out a breath, I get up and put everything back in my purse before someone sees my enchanted dagger or smudge stick. I help Betty to her feet.

“Stay here,” I tell my familiars. “Just in case.”

Then I carefully pick up the paper bag and put it inside the cardboard box it came from. The bottom of the box is filled with a bag of dirt, which I’m willing to bed came from a fresh grave.

“Come with me,” I tell Betty, and we go into the office together. She sits in the swivel chair in front of the computer, and I close the door.

“Am I okay?” she asks again, voice hitching.

“Do you feel okay?” I ask seriously.

“Yeah.” She closes her eyes. “It was like something grabbed my throat, and it tasted like…like…have you ever gotten a cavity filled?”

I shake my head. “I don’t have any.” Which is another perk of being a Nephilim, I suppose.

“Well, when they do the filling, sometimes you can taste the stuff they use to fill it with. And that’s what I tasted.”

“It was magical poison,” I tell her, brows furrowing. “I’m so sorry, Betty.” I look at the shipping label on the box. It’s addressed to me, and there is no return address. “It was meant for me.” I rub my forehead and let out a heavy sigh. Does this mean Ruth knows the curse didn’t kill Lucas?

“But,” I go on, “hexes aren’t as tricky as curses to remove. I still want my high priestess to check you out, though. She’s much more skilled than me for checking for traces of any sort of hex or curse.”

“High priestess,” Betty repeats, looking at me with wide eyes.

“Yeah. I’m going to try and get a hold of her now.”

I send an SOS message to Kristy, Tabatha, and Evander, hoping one of them is out of the Covenstead right now and will get my text. I wait a few seconds and then call Nicole.

“Hey, Callie,” she says, answering on the third ring. “Is everything okay? You never call.”

“Someone sent a hex bag to the store,” I say, cutting right to the chase.

“Oh my god. Are you okay?”

“I am, because I wasn’t the one who opened the box. But I think we’re good now. Are you at home?”

“Yeah. Naomi and I just got back from a barre class. Do you need us?”

“I need you to get a message to Tabatha or Evander. They’re at the Covenstead and I…well, you know.”

“Right. I’ll send Noir now,” she tells me, talking about her familiar who’s taken on the shape of a raven, like the other familiars in her family. The twins come from a line of wealthy witches and warlocks, and a raven is on their family crest. “Are you still at the store?”

“I am. I’m going to hang out here just in case the hex bag was only the beginning.”

“I can be there in like half an hour.”

I don’t want to put anyone else in danger, but I could really use some backup right now. “That’s probably a good idea. You have an avoidance spell, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll take a picture of the page and will send it to you,” she says, and I can hear her walking through her house.

“Thank you.”

“Of course. What should I bring?”

“Um…salt and five quartz crystals if you have some.”

“I’ve got tons. And I just got the book out.” She takes a photo and sends it. “I’ll see you soon.”

I end the call and wait for her text to pop up. I squeeze my eyes shut, center myself, and then read the incantation.

“Shutter the windows, shutter the door. Who is here now will be here no more. Go at once and go away, and far from here you will stay.”

I feel a wave of energy ripple through me, and I turn to Betty. “Hang on. I need to get Danielle before she walks out of here, too.”

Leaving the office door open, I run out and remove the spell from Danielle. The few customers in here hurry to ring up their items and leave. As soon as the last one is out, I lock the doors and turn off the open sign. The avoidance spell is temporary and will keep people from coming in for a day or so.

“What is going on?” Danielle asks, looking scared again when I pull the chain to turn off the neon sign.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” I assure her, though I think it just makes things worse. My phone rings, and I jog into the office to answer.