Page 25 of Bewicched

“And there are dry gloves in the pocket.”

Oh, thank goodness. Even though I didn’t want to, I pushed up the coat sleeves to peel off the wet ones, dropping them in the scrub grass at the water’s edge. I hesitated, not wanting to plunge my bare hands into his pockets.

“Here. Let me.” He reached into his right pocket and pulled out new gloves.

I slid my hands into dry warmth and then dove into his heavy pockets for the water bottle and phone. I put the bottle on the ground by the bowl and let out a defeated gust of air, swiping through my phone.

“I have to call my mom.”

“Okay.”

“No. It’s really not, but I have to do this right. I can nullify the curse, but I want her to see if she can trace it to its source first. I don’t want to play whack-a-mole with curses around here. I need to know who has it out for me.”

While I listened to the ringer in my ear, the sun glinted off the stone tied to the fetish. I hunkered down, the coat completely covering me, as I studied the strange symbol. It wasn’t a proper rune—not one I was familiar with, anyway, and I thought I knew them all. This appeared to be an unsacred combination of runes.

“I didn’t think you’d call to apologize until tomorrow. Perhaps you’re growing up.” Oh, good. I was dealing with Snotty Mom who clearly feltshe’dbeen wronged.

Declan had squatted down beside me to study the fetish. At my mother’s words, he glanced up. Werewolf hearing being what it is, he was following both sides of the conversation.

Rolling my eyes, I said, “No apologies from me, Mom, as you and Gran were the ones in the wrong.” I barreled on before she could argue that point. “I’m staring down at a cursed fetish that was hidden under my home.”

“What?” There. She’d lost the stick up her ass and sounded concerned.

“One of the guys rebuilding my deck found it.”

“Don’t touch it!”

“Yeah, I’m not stupid. The guy who handled it was wearing work gloves at the time, so he’s fine too.” I gave Declan a suspicious glance. He better not have touched it.

“You didn’t bring it inside your home, did you?”

“Mom,” I responded sharply. What the hell was with her assuming I was a moron?

“I’m getting in the car now.”

I heard the engine rev and tires squeal. “Don’t get into a car accident. It’s outside, near the water’s edge. It’s sitting on a work glove, inside my silver bowl. I have a nulling draught—”

“No. Don’t null the spell. I need to feel it first.”

“That’s why I’m calling.” I stood. It felt like it was pushing me away.

“And don’t leave it alone. Whoever set it will feel its discovery. They’ll try to retrieve it by any means necessary.”

12

See? She’s Not All Bad

Declan stood as well, braced for whatever might be coming.

“It was found yesterday,” I said.

“And if he or she was busy—maybe holds a job—they might not have realized.”

I’d been looking over my shoulder toward the road, assuming trouble would come from that direction, but then I heard a strange whistling sound. When I turned to see if Declan was hearing it too, I was met with his very large back.

“Stay behind me,” he growled.

The bowl holding the fetish was on the ground between us. I tried to peek around him to see what was coming when long, lethal claws slid from his fingertips.

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