Page 40 of Upside Down Magic

“Noyelling either!”

Iwas on my phone, callingNatalia, beforeIhit the street running.Morningrush hour inOlmedalasted until lunch, and waiting for a ride might take forever.

“Yes, boss?” she answered in an upbeat tone.

“Closethe shop,”Isaid.

“What?”

“Kickeveryone out, put the dogs in the backyard, and close the shop, then go home.I’llpay you for the full shift.”

“Uh, sure.Everythingokay?”

“Everything’sfine.”Iwinced at that.Eventhe most oblivious person would know everything was most definitelynotfine. “Somethingcame up, andIneed to use the shop for a big spell, that’s all,”Iadded as soothingly as being out of breath would allow.

“Oh, okay,” she said in a brighter voice. “Thoughtfor a moment we had gotten hit by that sickness thing.”

“Nope.Notat all,”Ilied through my teeth. “Havea good day, okay?”

“Thanks!”

Iended the call and calledDru.

“Wehave a problem.”

“Brimstone?” she ventured.

“AndShaneandLilian.”Ihad already updated her about the witch’s surprise visit.

“That’snot—That’sinteresting,” she corrected herself, thankfully.

“ItoldNataliaIneed to do a big spell and to close the shop and go home.Canyou help her and wait atSharpClaws?”

“Sure.”

“Andcan you make sure your demon-y things are still demon-ing?”

“Theywere this morning.”

“Awesome.Seeyou in a few.”

Ipocketed my phone and focused on not dying before reaching theTeaCauldron.Oh, howImissedBee-Bee!MyVespawould’ve been a universe-given gift right about now.

Bythe timeIgot to the shop,Iwas a sweaty, out-of-breath mess, butIdidn’t have time to rest.Nataliahad done asI’dasked, and the closed sign and the drawn blinds hit me like a punch to the gut.

I’dpromised myself andGrandmathatI’dmake this work.

Buthere was my shop, closed down for customers, paranormal and human alike, because it was making them sick.

Islapped my cheeks lightly, stopping my brain from going down that particular free-fall.Sadnesslater, action now.

Forcingthe panic away with a good dose of determination,Iwent into the shop and locked the door behind me.RufusandFluffybarked in happy greetings from the backyard, butIdidn’t allow myself to be distracted.Grabbingthe moon water spray bottle,Iused it on every available surface, traveling methodically from the back rooms to the front of the shop, using the most power on the floor in front of the counter—the best place to spell anyone who came through.

Nothing.

Notraces of dark magic or any other magic that wasn’t mine.

Exhaustedfrom the run over and the expenditure of magic,Ilay down on the floor, staring at the ceiling and trying to feel the shop around me.

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