Page 24 of Sweaty Nights & Gator Bites

"That's definitely the gator shifters," Dre said, her eyes narrowing in concentration.

"Good," Adèle encouraged. "Now, find the natural magic of the swamp. It should feel ancient and earthy because it is intertwined with the land itself."

We continued our work on peeling back the layers of magic. A deep, almost soothing energy revealed itself. It hummed with the essence of the water, dirt, and critters ofthe swamp. Growing up in the area, I was familiar with the feel of each element even before our magic was awoken.

"This one is definitely from the swamp," Phi confirmed, her voice tinged with awe. "It's so... old and powerful."

Adèle's voice came through again. “Excellent. Now, look for the third trace. Given what I witnessed while you were fighting, I think it will be more malevolent.”

As we delved deeper into the magical residues, a slimy, unsettling energy began to surface. It was distinct and repulsive. And it made my skin crawl. “That's it,” I said with a shudder. “This one belongs to Garrick. It's greasy and dark.”

The sisters all nodded in agreement, each of us feeling the same discomfort from the malevolent energy. “Now we have a clear understanding of the different magical signatures,” Adèle said. “Keep the feel of each when you return to the bayou. With it you should be able to track his movements.”

Having the magical residues identified and separated gave us hope that we could do this. This case was unique for us. We hadn’t ever dealt with situations where we were dealing with mundie corporations, shifters, ancient land magic, and an evil entity.

“Are we ready to go back?” Dre asked.

Dani sighed and poured the rest of her tall-boy into her tumbler. “We need to figure out how to handle the issue with the reunion and Garrick before we do that. We’ve got a lot on our plate right now.” She spun in her chair and grabbed my hand. “Did you ask Dawson to look into how the shifters and Voss can purchase the land and keep big business out of their hair?”

Chuckling, I patted her hand. “I had Ashton email him the information he gathered on the money transfers so he knows how much money they have. He said he would look into it and get back to me. He knows a guy at HUD and was hopeful he could convince him to help move the sale in their direction.Keeping businesses out will make the EPA happy, and that matters nowadays.”

“Hopefully, before we go back out, we will have more information to share with Voss and the gators,” Dre observed as Dani got up and moved to the next table, where we had a map, books, and other crap spread out. We’d brought it out to go over after we ate.

Adèle jumped up and laid down on the end of the table in a small sliver of sunshine and watched us. She folded herself into a ball and rested her head on her paws. Her eyes were half-closed, but her mind was fully alert.

Lia joined her and grabbed a list of shit she needed to cut or etch on the laser before the reunion. “The reunion is in just a few days. We need to prepare the summoning ritual considering the new information Marie gave Dea and we have to make the wine glasses and other signs.”

Dre crossed her arms, a skeptical look on her face. “How do we delegate tasks and make sure we're covering all our bases?”

I lifted a shoulder and sipped my coffee. “Some of us can focus on the reunion preparations while the others continue the investigation.”

Phi glanced up from the artifact she was examining. “I can help you with the summoning ritual by making sure we have all the necessary components.”

Kota chewed a bite of melon and wiped her mouth. “I'll take care of the security measures for the reunion and check the wards.”

Adèle's voice echoed in my mind, offering a calming influence amidst the chaos. “I will help Kota ensure they are reinforced and no one can get through them. I was thinking we should set new ones that can be activated and deactivated as needed.”

Cocking my head, I looked at our familiar. “What do you mean? I didn’t know that was possible.”

“It’s never been done before and should not be possible. However, you six are unique in the magical world,” Adèle replied.

Lia snorted and said, “That’s a nice way of saying we’re magical mutts.”

Adèle lifted her head and pinned Lia with a stare. “Never disparage your heritage. It gives you the ability to do things most others cannot which is why I have been pondering the conundrum of your wards since my arrival. You cannot restrict all traffic because of your venue. However, I think we can set wards that you can turn on at night and off during the day that won’t even allow a frog to cross.”

Everyone’s eyes went wide. Dre shot to her feet. “Do you really think that’s possible? It would solve so many problems.”

Adèle inclined her head and then laid it on her paws again. “I would not have suggested it otherwise. Kota and I can start that process.”

Lia pointed to the books I got from Marie the night before. “We also need to cross-reference these for the historical interactions Marie mentioned so Phi knows what she has to gather. The families she warned us about need to be dealt with.”

“Let’s focus on everything but the swamp this morning,” Dre suggested. “We go as a group to the bayou. We cannot risk Garrick cornering a couple of us. He’s too powerful.”

She got no argument from the rest of us. We divided the tasks between us, giving everyone a clear task to take on. Getting to work brought a semblance of order to the chaos. I looked around at my sisters, feeling a surge of gratitude and love. They were the best gift our mama ever gave me.

“Hand me one of those books, please,” I told Phi as we split up to get our tasks done. Careful with the old tome, Istarted reading through what Marie wanted us to know. I got lost in the words on the page. I have no idea how much time has passed. I was immersed in a world where the Leveaus were allied with other magical people. It was not something I would have expected given what we knew of the current Voodoo Queen.

Eventually, Lia and Kota returned. The laser stuff was done and the new wards were set. We would test the latter when we got back. We decided to set aside what we were doing to return to the swamp. My mind was spinning from the information and I had to spend the drive setting it aside. It would be a lethal mistake to go in there distracted. By the time Lia parked her car, I was only focused on finding Garrick and stopping him.

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