Page 65 of Upside Down Magic

“Afriend of mine.I’vealready contacted her and she agreed to come.She’llbe arriving in the morning.”

Athread of unease snaked down my spine.Ahigh-ranking, powerful witch who was friends withLilianValenti…Ialmost dreaded asking. “Who?”

Liliansmiled coolly, as if she was about to mention a superstar’s name. “TammySummers.”

ThewitchI’dinterned under, who had taught me nothing except how she liked her coffee.

TWENTY-ONE

Atten inthe morning the next day,Istood at the local airport along withKeyto welcomeOh-call-me-Tammy.

Myspirits could’ve been higher.

“Maybeshe’s not as bad as you remember,”Keyoffered gently.

Judgingfrom the last timeI’dhad contact with my ex-mentor, whenI’dcalled her to getLilian’snumber, she most definitely still was.

Theonly bright spot in this cloudy and downright gloomy morning was that, as far as we could tell, nobody else had gotten sick overnight.Ihad calledDruandVevato make sure they were okay, andIwas confident if anyone else had gotten sick, they’d have come to the shop.

Unfortunately,ShaneandBrimstonehadn’t improved either.Shanehad slept on the rug inIan’sliving room withKeyusing the sofa andAlexthe guest room upstairs.Brimstonehad sent me a few semi-threatening texts before asking ifIwas going to turn my shop into an ice cream parlor next year.

Icouldn’t tell if he was joking or not, but from one optimist to another,Iappreciated him getting on board with his new powers.

Ihad slept over atIan’stoo, andI’dbroughtBagleywith me.

Ianhadn’t been too impressed by my decision, but, asI’dexplained, what if the spell messing with people’s magic messed with the spell keepingBagleyinside the locket?Whatif it accidentally set her free and she took overBee-Bee?

Iwon’t deign to mar your enjoyment of this story by repeating the very,veryun-nice thingsIansaid about finally having an excuse to get rid of my lovely secondhandVespa.

WhenIshowedBagleythe list of dark coven families, beforeIput her on the top shelf ofIan’sentrance closet, she recognized the same family asIan, and another one, which also no longer lived inOlmeda.

Hardto tell if she was telling the truth, but what would she gain by lying?

HuttonandSoniahad also called, demanding to know where we were with the investigation.Whilethe current issues weren’t under thePBOA’spurview,Iunderstood her interest.Iwould be pretty worried too ifIansuddenly got stuck with his magic upside down.

Itold them both the same:Ihad two top-tier witches working on the spell, andI’dfollow today with any news.

Whichbrought me back to the present.

“Isthat her?”Keyasked, a note of awe in her voice.

Ifollowed the direction of her pointing finger to find a tall, striking woman in a white suit, high heels, oversized sunglasses and bright-red lipstick.Herraven hair was artfully gathered into a bun, and she carried a leather jacket draped over one arm while dragging a small carry-on suitcase with her other hand.

“That’sher, all right,”Iagreed before taking in a fortifying breath.

Iwas not her intern anymore,Ireminded myself.Ididnothave to fetch her coffee.Iwas a peer—or as much of a peer someone could be when one had little magical power but owneda witch shop—and she was here to help, not ignore me and forget to teach me any magic.

Tammystopped in front of us and lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head.Hergreen eyes examinedKey, then me.Sheblinked.

“DoIknow you?” she asked.

Myfake smile made an instant appearance asIstuck out my hand. “HopeAvery.Iused to be your intern.”Fortwoyears.

Herexpression cleared up. “Oh, that’s riiiight.Faith.Iremember now.”Sheshook my hand twice, then turned her attention toKey. “Andthis is?”

“ThisisKey.She’shelping us with the magical issues.”

Tammyshook her hand. “Hello,Kelly.Lovelyto meet you.Pleasecall meTammy.”Shenudged her suitcase until it stood in front of me. “Takecare of this, dear, will you?Now, shall we get toLilian?”

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