Cristobal’s hand is a manacle on my wrist. “Dark magic is nothing to play with.”
I stare at his hand and into his flickering eyes until he releases me. “Black in color, not in magic. I’m only returning the presents sent our way. Think of it as marking a letter return to sender.” I wink. A sly smile appears, softening his appearance.
“Clever cousin.” I sense Fel’s approval.
“Let’s see if she can handle what she’s been dishing out in ample amounts. It’s going be a real bitch when that malcontent hits her three times harder.” I hum. “No sleep, no peace, and paranoia. She will slip up or break sooner rather than later.”
I step outside the cave with Cristobal trailing me and place a call to Sacha.
“Hey, girl, what’s up?”
“Sach. I need your help with something important.”
“Sounds serious.”
“It is, and I’m going to need you to swear an oath that you won’t share what I’m going to tell you with anyone else.”
There’s a pregnant pause, and I hold my breath. We’re still repairing ourselves. I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t trust me.
“It’s important, isn’t it?” Sacha asks.
“Yes.”
“I’m trusting you on this one, Lou. I swear.”
“I need my black mirror. Larkin is coming to pick you up and bring you to our location. That situation I’ve been working on with Cristobal just got even more dire, and we need to take action now.”
“Wait. A black mirror? Who’s cursing you?”
“A witch using black magic. I don’t know who or how much. Tonight she invaded my space, brought me into the in-between, and issued threats.”
“That takes some serious power, Lou.”
I close my eyes. “I know. Maybe multiple witches.”
“That’s almost a given.”
“Now you see why I need you. Fel is already with me.”
“We take care of our own rogues. I’m going to need to know why you haven’t brought the council in on that. But I can wait for an explanation.”
It’s more than I deserve. From her perspective, I’m looking shady. “Thank you. Get dressed for a hike.”
“When were you going to tell me you suspect more than one person?” His voice is icy and clipped.
I slip my phone back into my pants. “I just did.”
“Not good enough.” He steps into my space, and I step back. “How long, Louella?”
“Just now, when I saw the specs of the circle, the size of her altar, and the sheer volume of things she’s collected. It would take one witch years to use it all, and probably longer to collect alone.” Sighing, I shake my head.
“How many are we dealing with? A couple, or fully-fledged coven?”
“I don’t know. But this witch is clearly the leader. You cut the head of the snake, and the body will fall.”
“Or regrow more,” he mumbles. “She made a deal with a dark entity, why would she need more people?”
“Well let’s hope it’s not a Hydra. To channel their energy. Because she’s a narcissist, who needs to feel worshipped? Who can say? I don’t make a practice of trying to decipher the decisions of the unstable.”