Page 35 of Upside Down Magic

“HopeAvery!” she screeched. “Pressthat play button right now!”

Inside,Icackled. “Covenmembers?”

“No, of courseIdon’t know.Thosethings are kept secret.Now, continue the book.”

“Intime,”Isaid smoothly. “Sonothing at all?Nohints of who might have belonged?SomeonecalledPhilleasLeeman, perhaps?”

“Idon’t know who that is.”

“Whatabout the coven leader?”

“Whatabout her?”

“Doyou know who it was?”

“Everyoneknows who it was.Forsythe.”

“Whydidn’t you tell me whenIasked about the coven before?”

“Youdidn’t ask, did you?”Mysilent cackle had nothing on hers.Ineeded to work on that.

Ormaybe not.Maybeher cackles were her way to lure me into the dark side. “Didyou investigate her?Isthe family still in town?”

“Idon’t know.Now, start the audiobook again.”

“Ifind that hard to believe.Youmust’ve tried to find out more about her.”

“WhywouldIwant to know more about a dark witch who got caught?”Shesounded genuinely baffled.

“Youshould study the failures as well as the successes,”Itold her sagely. “Ifyou can’t recognize the former you will never achieve the latter.Maybewe’ll listen to one of my favorite affirmation books next.”

“Justleave me to rot in the rust bucket and be done with your torture.”

Ipoked the locket. “Don’ttempt me.”

Afterrestarting the audiobook,Iwaited forIanto get back to update him onBagley’sknowledge.Thedogs greeted me like they’d been gone for hours rather than five minutes, and their eagerness made my chest expand with happiness untilIthoughtImight burst.

“Ihave a job this morning,”Iansaid, leavingFluffyandRufusto frolic in the backyard. “I’llsee ifIcan track downEllis’sfamily after that.”

“I’llask around aboutForsythe.”Wehad agreed yesterday to divide and conquer again, and it’d be more natural for me to investigate the evil witch.Unfortunately, todayIonly hadNataliafor a couple of hours, soIwas going to have to stay at the shop all day.Thatmeant my phone was going to get a lot of use.

We’drun some basic searches on the names, but nothing useful had popped out inMontel,Olmeda, or surrounding areas.Eitherthe families had ended up marrying into other names, or they were survivalists.

IreturnedBagleyto the locker, then opened the door forNatalia.Shegaped atIan, who had made himself at home at the counter and was eating a muffin with another cup of coffee, and almost ran into the heater trying to get behind the counter without taking her eyes off him.

Ian, legendary bad-ass bounty hunter and older brother ofClawstonePark’salpha, tended to have that effect on pack members.

Onceshe was situated and everything was ready,Iflipped the closed sign and brought up the blinds.

Aman was standing right outside the front door, hands cupping the glass, trying to peer inside.

Ijumped back with a startled squeak.Nataliamade a strangled sound of surprise.Ianwent still.

“Goodmorning,”Isaid tentatively asIopened the door.

Theman stormed inside.Hepaused at the sight ofIan.

“Cavalier,” he said in acknowledgment, then rounded on me. “You’rethe witch, right?”

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