Page 47 of Bewicched

He climbs in and starts the engine, wiping blood from his face. When he spins the truck around, a shot cracks the air, sending glass flying.

I shot up in bed. What time was it? I checked the clock as I jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs. Maybe it was just a nightmare and I’d find Declan still working on my deck.

I flung open the back door and found a tennis ball sitting in the middle of my beautiful, partially completed deck. “Declan!” I ran down the deck and around the side of the cannery. Tools gone. Truck gone.

Smacking my pockets, I located my phone and called. Voicemail.Damn it. “Declan, it’s me. Please call me as soon as you can.” The full moon reflected on the water and I remembered. “When you’re done. If you can.”

I could see and chat with Charlie and Herbert again. He’d completed a third of the deck, understanding the rest wasn’t as urgent. He’d even changed the line of the deck so it wasn’t a long, straight rectangle along the ocean side of the gallery. He’d made the edge rounded, with dips cut into the wood that were designed to cradle my tentacles. He’d created exactly what I needed, but I’d been too busy being pissed that he’d questioned my abilities to appreciate it. Jeez, sometimes I was a real asshole.

And now I might not be able to tell him how amazing his design was, depending on the path of that bullet.

On my way back in, lost in thoughts of claws and guns, I scooped up Wilbur’s ball and flung it out into the ocean. Stopping just inside the door, I pressed the button, lifting the shutters. I needed to see and hear the ocean.

I went straight to the kitchen, donned thin rubber baking gloves, and took out my mixing bowls. No more sleep for me. The phone was in the middle of my worktable, the ringer turned all the way up as I willed it to ring.

I was spooning batter into a muffin tin when my phone pinged. It wasn’t a ring, but I’d settle for a ping. Wiping my gloves on my apron, I dove for the phone, opening my text app. Nothing. I went to email. Nothing. What the hell had pinged?

Then I saw a little redonein the corner of my cash app. I tapped it open and found a one cent transfer from Dave with an attached note reading,Why?

What didwhymean? Oh, right. I’d asked him to contact me. Jeez, demons were the worst. I transferred a penny and wrote back,Because we have a sorcery problem in the family and I could use your help identifying the sorcerer.

Again?

Yes, fine. You’re right. Coreys have a predisposition for the dark arts. Sick burn. Can you please help us? We will, of course, pay you.

Hello, Arwyn. This is Maggie. Thank you for helping Dave rescue me and he will, of course, help you in return. I just got a grudging nod, so it’s decided.

Thank you! And I’m really glad he found you. In case he didn’t tell you, he was out of his mind with worry.

If you want me to help you, I suggest you shut up.

Fair enough. No more penny messages from me. I replaced the phone in the center of the table and finished filling the muffin pans. Okay, come on, Declan. It’s your turn to check in.

I was pulling my second batch from the oven when the seabirds started making a racket. I looked out the windows at the dark blue-gray sky and darker water. The sun would be rising soon. Pinpoints of light moved across the water. Fishing boats heading out for the day.

Mug empty, I was reaching for the teapot when I heard heavy boots on the deck. The pot clattered back to the table when I dropped it and ran. I rounded the door and there he was. Alive. I flew to him and jumped into his arms. Legs wrapped around his waist, I turned his head this way and that, looking for blood.

“Whatcha doing?”

“I saw the rifle, heard the shot and breaking glass.”

“Ah, you got all that, huh?” He laced his hands together under my butt so I wouldn’t fall. He tilted his head, trying to get a better look at my expression. “You saw what I did?”

“I heard you warn them and then I saw you defend yourself when that wolf attacked anyway.”

“Yeah. Not his fault. He was following his Alpha’s commands. I had to do it. Had to take one out so they’d stop. I didn’t want…” He turned to the ocean and watched the seagulls fly in circles around the fishing boats, his expression a mixture of sadness and guilt.

21

Muffins Alfresco

“Okay,” I said, smacking his shoulders. “My exuberance at finding you alive has now been played out. Let me down.”

He chuffed out a laugh and put me down on the deck.

“By the way, I love this.” I tapped my foot against the gray planks. “What is it, though? This doesn’t feel like wood.”

Reaching over, he pounded his fist on the rail. “It looks like wood, but it’s a manmade composite that’s waterproof. No more rotting lumber. The ocean can splash up against it all day long and it’ll look just as good fifty years from now as it does today.”

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