Page 74 of Bewicched

He held it up, shadowed tentacles curling against the dim moonlight reflecting on the waves. When I stepped forward, he smiled and then tore the octopus in two, flinging the halves in opposite directions.

“No!” I cried. Not Cecil, not my Cecil. I threw a spell at him, my strongest, but he barely flinched. He wagged a finger at me in admonishment, the maniacal smile slipping.

He disappeared and for one moment, I thought it was done, but then he reappeared with two giant starfish in his fists. He slapped them against the glass door. They slipped a few inches and then held.

“Don’t,” I breathed.

“Don’t what?” His voice was in my head, mocking me. He pulled a long, serrated knife from his belt. “Don’t do this?” he asked.

I barely saw his arm move before one of Herbert’s star points was separated from his body, dropping into the ocean below.

“Please don’t,” I begged.

Never breaking eye contact, never dimming his grin, he cut off each and every arm until only the center discs remained. Then he stabbed each and flung them over his shoulder into the water.

I understood the threat. This was what he’d do to me.

Wilbur barked and the demon’s eyes lit up. He disappeared again.No. No. No.

I went to the back door, my hand hovering over the knob. This was what he wanted, me letting him in. I couldn’t. I knew I couldn’t, but neither could I stand here and watch him kill Wilbur.

I stripped off my gloves, rubbed my hands together, and called on the combined power of the Council, of my mother and grandmother. The power built in me and when I threw the spell, I had a moment to worry it still might not be enough. The demon held up Wilbur to take the hit in his stead. My little fetch buddy was there, his eyes wide with fear, and then he was blown to bits, like he’d swallowed a grenade.

I screamed and the demon laughed, his harsh papery voice filling my brain.

“Arwyn! Wake. Up.”

Blinking, the shout caught in my throat, I stared into Declan’s concerned brown eyes. His hands caged my upper arms and I realized he must have been shaking me, trying to extricate me from that nightmare. Had it been a nightmare, though?

Head swiveling, I tried to take it all in. The skylight was clear, gray morning light trickling through. The windows and doors were open.

“Is the wordrunscratched into the skylight?” His eyesight was perfect. If the scratches were there, he’d see them.

Thankfully, he didn’t throw off the question. He stared at the skylight a moment and then jogged up the stairs to get a better look. He shook his head. “No,” he said, looking over the railing at me.

I shook off the blanket and stood. Okay, good. Good. Maybe it was just a dream. Maybe—but I’d felt the uneasiness before he appeared. I’d felt it while I was awake. Had it found a way into my home? Had the fire messed with my protections? Or had I become his unwitting host? Was he rattling around inside of me? A chill ran down my spine.

When I turned in my pacing, I bounced off Declan’s chest. He grabbed me before I lost my balance.

“Can I ask another favor?”

He nodded warily.

“Can you check on Charlie and Herbert for me?” If it was all a nightmare, they’d both still be on their posts.

Declan nodded before stopping at the open door. “Can I get through?

I waved a hand, dismantling the spell, and he leapt through, landing on the top of the closest post before hopping to the next. Once he was on the last one, he leaned over, pulling his phone from his pocket and taking a picture to put me at ease. “They’re fine,” he called.

My heartbeat slowly returned to normal. “Cecil? Wilbur? Are you okay?” I didn’t know if either were in earshot, but I hoped.

“A tentacle splashed the water over here,” Declan called, returning his phone to his pocket. A moment later, when a soggy tennis ball flew straight at his face, he caught it easily and sent it sailing out over the early morning gray surf.

“Thank you.” I moved out of the doorway so Declan could jump back in. “Really,” I said, grabbing his wrist. “Thank you. I was so scared it was real.”

He looked down at my gloved hand on him and then let his gaze travel to my eyes and my mouth. My body combusted, but I didn’t move.

He reached for the long curl hanging in my face. He rubbed it between his fingers, his eyes never leaving mine. “Soft,” he murmured before pushing the curl back, out of my face.

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