Page 31 of Welcome to Blackbird Hollow
“The fuck is this?” Fallon asks in a syrupy sweet tone as she approaches. “Why’s that precious little one crying, Wyatt?”
My sister, who has thankfully decided on normal human attire for the second day in a row, crosses her arms over her chest, making a menacing nest out of the florals on her prairie-style dress.
I smile at Fallon. Keeping things civil is no longer an option with her here, but I’m sure as shit gonna try. “These two didn’t notice that they knocked Belle down.”
“Oh,” Fallon says with a smile that should sour the city folks’ stomachs. “Please let me handle this, Wyatt. You’re causing a traffic jam, and people need to get towork.”
At the very least, I can let Fallon run her mouth at them and warn them off treating Blackbird Hollow’s residents like side characters in some dime-store novel. I block out as much as I can of what Fallon’s saying, just to let myself get going. Things are about to get ugly, I’m afraid, and I’d rather Alice weren’t here when it happens.
As I turn, the girlfriend calls Fallon a “dumb hick,” and I spin back in the other direction, but Alice is already ahead of me, so fast I can’t even grab her sleeve. And I’ll be damned by the old gods and the new, but she’s slapped that woman across the face so hard I can see a handprint on her pale cheek.
The woman lunges for Alice. Fallon grabs her by the hair, and the boyfriend just stands there looking perplexed. No way they’re Sector. Sector’s inept as can be in a fight, but they’re never surprised about being hit. They’re assholes who know they’re assholes, at least. Unlike these two yuppie shits. I move as quickly as I can, yanking the woman out from between my sister and Alice Blythe before real harm can be done.
I shove her at her man, but he jerks back from her, causing her to stumble and fall, twisting her ankle in her ridiculously high-heeled boots.
“Get out of this town, if you know what’s good for you,” I sneer at the two of them. “We don’t tolerate that kind of behavior here.”
The woman spits at Fallon, and I have to push my sister behind me to keep her from skinning the bitch alive. “You’re ruining myvacation,” the woman wails.
And then Fallon starts laughing, which is apparently contagious, because Alice laughs too, in exactly the same unhinged way that tells me they’re about to descend upon her like a mob of Maenads.
“Get in the truck,” I growl, pushing them both toward the street before someone draws blood.
Elena Fernandez is laughing her ass off as Sally scoops Belle into her arms, smiling a wicked smile.
“You think your vacation’s ruinednow?” Sally says as she shakes her head, her twin ringlets to her little girl’s shaking with fury. She practically shimmers in the golden light of the afternoon, a sure sign that her words are laced with magic. “Good luck to you both.”
Belle sniffles, saying, “Can we go home, Mama?”
“Yes, my sweet.” She hugs the little girl tight, and they turn away.
I breathe a small sigh of relief and order Fern into the cab of the truck. Fallon was right that people are backing up behind me, but not one person honks. They’re all watching the outsiders as they walk away. A couple of folks shake their heads, but everyone has the same brand of satisfied smirk on their faces.
They all heard Sally Laveau. It wasn’t exactly a curse, but it’s not a thing you’d want a witch to say to you, if you knew what was good for your health.
When I slide back into the truck, Fallon is complimenting Alice’s strategy with the open-hand slap, rather than a nose-breaking punch.
I shake my head, waving thanks to the line of folks behind us as I take the turn toward Cade’s. Alice leans around Fallon, who has Fern on her lap like a child, to say, “I really do get it now, Wyatt. The two of them can be the first to go.”
Fallon smiles and bumps me in the shoulder. “Don’t worry, baby,” she says to Alice. “I’ll be the first to push ’em straight into the Hunt’s path.”
Alice nods once, appearing confident in her evaluation of the situation, I suppose, and leans back.
“Guess we got that solved,” I mutter under my breath. “Can we get through the rest of this day without incident,please?”
The two of them will be the death of me, and I know it because they devolve into giggles as I drive deep into the forest.
Chapter 15
Alice
The woods are dark and deep. We’re only a few minutes up the road, but it feels like we’ve left all the sunlight back in the downtown area, towering trees swallowing up the brightness of high noon. Mist creeps along the ground, reaching toward the truck with pale gray fingers.
“I’m dropping you off at the house, Fallon,” Wyatt says, flipping on the fog lights. “We’re running over to Cade’s and I’m not taking the chance you get him all riled up this close to the full moon.”
“The full moon?” I echo, lurching forward to peer at the siblings. “What’sthatgot to do with anything?”
“You’re gonna find out real soon,” Fallon tells me with a wild grin, patting my shoulder. Then she turns to Wyatt and asks, “What would make you think I’d get our dear little brother wound up?”
