Page 68 of Boss Witch

“I didn’t wear the right shoes for this,” Danica said.

Clem wasn’t in boots or sneakers either, though Priya and Kerry had dressed for potential trouble. Kerry opened the bag of supplies she’d gotten from Ethel, and they set up for the cleansing ritual. Urgency rang in Clem’s head, but she locked it down. No matter how dire the situation, it could always get worse if she miscast because of tumultuous emotions. Centering herself, she took a deep breath and forced out all thoughts of terrible consequences and the fact that Gavin already knew she was a witch.

He probably knows about Danica too. If I’m one, the rest of my family will be targeted. Mom, Barnabas—­fuck. No. Stop it.

It took longer than she’d like for calm to encompass her. Priya, Kerry, and Danica were already waiting, seeming much steadier than she felt. Kerry lit the candles, and they assumed their places at cardinal positions, setting near enough to hold hands, with the candles burning in front of them. Danica held Clem’s right hand with Kerry gripping her left. For a flawless spell, two technomancers worked best with two vivimancers, energies in balance, which was why she and Danica usually did their group spell work with Kerry and Priya. Sometimes the whole coven cooperated on a spell that needed a lot of power. Hopefully, the four of them could manage this since it needed to be fast and covert.

“Ready?” Priya asked.

Their power twined together in seamless strands, wending outward. Clem envisioned it carrying residual energies with it like a lint brush. The glow brightened around them, soft colors that reflected their auras—­magenta for Danica, red for Clem, gold for Priya, and orange for Kerry. It created a prismatic wave that flowed outward, visible only to those with the ability to cast, but the spectacle was breathtaking, like the aurora borealis sweeping through the field. Since they were cleansing a much larger area than their house this time, the energy outlay nearly made Clem black out.

She swayed as the spell finished with a soft pop. Kerry squeezed her hand, turning to check on Priya, who was rubbing her temples. Danica was pale, trembling slightly. In the aftermath, Clem felt shaken and drained, but she didn’t detect any remaining traces here. With the last of her strength, she pulled to her feet and helped everyone else up. She and Danica leaned on each other, hiking back to the car at a snail’s pace.

When they finally piled on, Clem let out a long, relieved breath. “We did it, but Allegra and Gram aren’t safe. Neither are you, Danica. He might suspect everyone who was at the party too, but if Gavin meant to hurt me, he would’ve done it earlier.”

“You can’t be sure of that,” Priya said gently. “I’m aware that you like him, but a good person couldn’t persecute others in the first place.”

Really, she had no counter argument, and that made her feel miserable and guilty. In silence, she drove them back to Ethel’s house so they could collect their cars, still parked in front of the house. All the lights were out, so everyone must’ve left and let the older witch go to bed. Clem hugged her coven sisters and waved as they drove off. She was tempted to follow them home, but attention from her would make Kerry and Priya less safe, not more.

Danica didn’t say a word until they were nearly home. “I don’t have the mojo tonight, but we have to put the wards back up.”

“It’s on my list,” Clem said tiredly. “I’m really sorry.”

“Hey, I’m the one who suggested the party without realizing what we’d have to do to make it happen, and I left all of that on you.I’mthe one who’s sorry. Lately I haven’t been much of a friend, let alone a sister. I’ll do better, I promise. And you’re not alone in this. I’ve got your back, no matter how it all shakes out.”

She choked up, unable to say more than, “This isn’t how I wanted things to go.”

Her cousin smiled. “Was it John Lennon who said, ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans’?”

“How do you even know that quote?”

“Mom had a Beatles phase.”

“If you tell me ‘all you need is love,’ I’m making you walk home.”

Danica pretended to cry. “Please don’t. You left me alone with Gram and Uncle Barney, and I had to listen to her complain for half an hour after you left. Isn’t that punishment enough?”

“Just block her calls and don’t respond to her. That should get the message across. I don’t know why you find it so hard to set boundaries. Being family doesn’t give her license to treat you however she wants. You’ve been patient and tolerant long enough.”

“I hear you.”

Her cousin didn’t respond other than those three terse words, and Clem lacked the energy to persist. Frankly, Gram was the least of their problems. When she pulled into the drive, the headlights illuminated the lanky ginger tabby lounging on their front porch.

“Oh, look, your fan club is here.”

Danica sighed. “The more things change, the more they stay the same. I don’t have the energy to deal with Hazel. Think Goliath will cry if we ignore him and go to bed?”

“Without a doubt.” Clem didn’t feel like doing it either, but she got out her phone anyway. Somebody had to pick up the slack and—­

To her surprise, Danica was already calling. “Get some rest, coz. I’ll take it from here.”

***

My flat is full of arseholes.

Gavin had fed the louts, much against his will, and he’d called his old man, who wasn’t currently picking up his calls. But Ted knew the passcode Gavin had been given most recently, so he had no reason to doubt the validity of this assignment. He ground his teeth as they made free with his belongings, though thankfully he’d been using the netbook in the bedroom, and he had a chance to stash it before they uncovered it.

I’d really be in it if they had confirmation that I’ve broken protocol.

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