Page 46 of Brews and Banishments
Daisy snatched onto her things and gave Susy free reign behind the counter. “As ready as we’ll ever be,” she muttered, the distaste of what she and Tessa were about to do bringing a swirling sensation to her stomach.
As Tessa and Daisy left the storefront behind, going towards the rest of the shops running along main street, a sudden chill seemed to grow all around them.
“When was the last time you saw Sebastian Crowe?” Tessa asked.
Daisy sighed. “About a month ago,” she muttered. “I heard from Old Lady Witherford that he got out of his most recent relationship and the next thing I knew, he was stalking the store nonstop. It wasn’t like he ever came in or dared to follow me home, but justseeinghim after everything was just…” Daisy shuttered. “You know.”
“I’ll never forget the day he laid his slimy hands on you.”
Daisy pressed her lips together. The months after Gary passed were the hardest she’d ever endured. Not only was she reeling over her husband’s death, but there was also the baby in her belly that perished from the stress. Daisy felt more alone than she ever had, but then Sebastian was there, and he allowedher to lean on him more than anyone else. Daisy missed the comfort of those days, right until the moment he swooped in for a kiss, ruining the friendship she relied so heavily upon.
“Isn’t it crazy how a single moment like that manages to change an entire relationship?” Daisy murmured, her mind lingering in the past. “And to think, after all this time, he still believes himself to be the perfect partner for me. After everything.”
Tessa grabbed a hold of her hand as they drew nearer to Sebastian’s mechanic shop. All the hope and desire she felt around Ethan disappeared as if it never existed in the first place. Sebastian managed to bring a dark side of Daisy to the surface, one that was full of pain and despair, one that she never wished to come face to face with again.
But the next thing she knew, they were suddenly in front of his shop. The front garage was pulled open, and Sebastian’s tall, lanky figure could be seen from across the street, where they steadily approached from. He pulled himself out of the car he was working on, the work suit he wore smudged with oil and grease. Sebastian turned, swiping a rag over his hands, and his eyes landed on Daisy within an instant.
He only stared for a second before taking off, whipping out of his garage and slipping around the back of the building. There were a few more streets behind his shop, including a plaza and a wide parking lot. Beyond that was the approaching tree line. A forest crept into Willowbrook from behind main street, a place for an easy escape for someone that happened to be guilty of something.
Daisy clenched her hands into small fists. “Let’s go!”
The pair of witches shot across the street before following in Sebastian’s footsteps, the dark woods eagerly ready to swallow them up whole.
15
Daisy
“Sebastian!”
Daisy ran around the mechanic shop, immediately diving out the way of a family that walked along the sidewalk. They yelped and jumped in surprise, but she was already too full of adrenaline to stop herself and apologize. The plaza behind main street was full of crowds and oncoming vehicles. Behind the plaza, the treetops of Willowbrook’s shadowy forest loomed. Sebastian seemed to course towards the direction of the woods, leaping over parked cars and shimmying past families.
“He’s trying to get to the woods,” Tessa shouted as they shot into the busy parking lot. She waved a hand towards him, where he was already nearing the front of the plaza. “Wecan’tlet him get to the woods!”
Daisy pushed herself even further. The only avenue available to get a hold of Sebastian was out racing him. There were far too many people nearby to try and use magic against him, and Daisy could hardly get a good look at him. The plaza was busier than usual, with kids and teens riding their bikes andskateboards through the already packed lot. Daisy skidded by a few of them, almost falling over herself until Tessa appeared at her left, hoisting her back onto her feet. They kept going, despite the familiar faces they passed that called out their names in confusion.
Sebastian glanced over his shoulder at them, and Daisy could’ve sworn she saw a hint of a smile. But, she quickly told herself, he was quite far ahead of them, and what could there possibly be to smile about in a moment like that?
The more he ran, the easier it was for Daisy to believe that Sebastian sent her that potion. If he didn’t have anything to hide, he would've taken off the moment he saw them coming up to his shop. It was as simple as that, and Daisy was desperate to hear his confession. The sooner they removed the spell from her, the sooner she could return to Ethan with open arms. The sooner her life would return to as normal as it possibly could be.
Sebastian ducked around the plaza, dipping towards the woods effortlessly.
Letting out a frustrated groan, Tessa glanced over at Daisy as they paused in their chase beside the plaza buildings. With the forest in front of them, the shadows and darkness almost begging them forward, Daisy drew in gulps of air to try and catch her breath.
“What now?” Daisy stammered breathlessly.
Tessa shook her head. “Only guilty people run like that.”
“I doubt he’ll be willing to write a confession down.”
“If he’s so desperate to run,” Tessa said, “let him run.”
Daisy narrowed her eyes. “But -”
“The only way to get him is through magic. You know that.”
“We could get in trouble with the Council as easily as he would.” Daisy eyed her friend. “You’re testing for the empath license soon, Tess. Maybe you should go back, and I’ll -”
Tessa grabbed onto Daisy’s wrist, her grasp tight and serious. “If you think I’d let you go after him alone, you don’t know me at all.”
