Mystic Caravan 11 - Freaky Mage Read online

  Sadie worked her jaw. “So, you’re saying he has to go.”

  “Definitely.”

  “Done.” She brushed her palms together. “I’ll give him the heave-ho tonight.”

  I smiled and flipped another card. “How do you plan to keep the fact that this is your grandmother’s recipe from your mother and aunts?”

  The shift threw her. “I don’t think it will be a problem.”

  “Oh, it’s going to be a problem.”

  “I ... um ... .” She dragged a hand through her platinum blond hair and then leaned forward. “How big a problem are we talking?”

  “Seven figures in court fees ... and the judge will side with your mother and aunts. Once he decides that you stole the recipe, your house and cars will be seized and you’ll have to move into a one-bedroom apartment in the bad part of town.”

  “Savannah doesn’t have a bad part of town.”

  “By then you’ll be living in Atlanta because you’ll be on a reality show.”

  Sadie brightened. “I’ve always wanted to be on a reality show.”

  “You’ll be fired when they learn that you stole the recipe. Then you’ll be the laughingstock of the country and someone else will take over as queen bee on the show.”

  “But ... at least I’ll be on television.”

  “Exactly two episodes before you lose everything.”

  “Well, darn it! You’re a real Debbie Downer. Has anybody ever told you that?”

  “You just did.”

  “I don’t want to lose everything. Maybe, if I know going in, I can hide all my assets in offshore accounts. I’ve heard that’s a thing.”

  I nodded. “It is, but if you try that you’ll end up in prison ... and not federal prison. You’ll have the misfortune of going to jail right when there’s pushback about celebrities getting a free ride compared to the poor in this country. You’ll go to a state prison, and it won’t be pretty.”

  “Ugh. Those social justice warriors have to ruin it for everybody. What if I tell Momma about it and we work together? Will it work out then?”

  I followed the potential thread and shook my head. “She’ll smoke too much pot one night and convince herself that you’re trying to cut her out of the business. She’ll spit in a vat of jam, which will be eaten by a young child and make her sick. You’ll get sued.”

  “Good grief. I’ve told her a million times that she’s too attached to her pot.”

  That made me smile.

  “What about if I tell them all now?” Sadie asked. “I don’t want to work with my aunts, but they’ve always had a way of keeping Momma under control.”

  “You won’t even get the business off the ground if you go that route,” I replied. “The fighting will be too much for you to overcome at the start.”

  “There has to be a way for this to work. I won’t let my dreams wither and die. I want what I want. I already have to give up my boyfriend — you have no idea how long I’ve been trying to train him. I have no intention of giving up everything else. There has to be a way.”

  I followed multiple threads and came up empty. Then I saw a flicker of something and backtracked, chuckling when I realized what I saw.

  “You found the way,” Sadie surmised, gripping her hand into a triumphant fist. “I knew you would. Tell me.”

  “There is no way,” I replied.

  “There must be.”

  “There isn’t, because your grandmother made it so anybody who tries to use that recipe for financial gain is doomed to personal ruin.”

  Sadie’s face was blank. “I don’t get it.”

  I wasn’t surprised. Sadie wanted what she wanted. Anything else was unacceptable. “Your grandmother was a witch.”

  Sadie sat in silence for a long time. “I believe you’re mistaken,” she said primly when she finally found her voice.

  “She was part of a local coven.” I counted the faces I saw passing through my head. “Seven women. That’s a nice number. She believed in white magic, but she wasn’t afraid to cast the odd curse if she thought people were being difficult.”

  “But ... .” Sadie licked her lips and I could practically hear the gears in her mind working. “Seven women?”

  “Total.”

  “That’s her gardening group. She swore all those herbs she was growing were medicinal.”

  “They were ... to a certain extent.”

  “Son of a ... !” Sadie viciously swore. “Grammy warned Momma that something bad would happen if they ever found the recipe. No wonder she didn’t destroy it. She left it behind as a warning.”

  “I think that’s exactly what she did.”

  “Well ... that’s simply unacceptable.” Sadie straightened. “I need to get the curse taken off that recipe. How do I do it?”

  “You need to find a stronger witch.”

  “Where?”

  “That’s on you. I don’t have answers for you there.”

  “Well, this truly sucks.” Sadie slowly got to her feet. “Are you absolutely certain about Teddy?”

  “You might want to check with Willa. You’ll find your answers there.”

  “Right. I always knew that stupid whore was going to cause me problems. This is all because I had sex with her daddy. I guess this is what she meant when she said karma was going to bite me.”

  “Probably.” I managed to contain my smile until she left the tent, and then turned to Sami. “What do you think?”

  “She’s still going to make the jam.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  “Will all those bad things really happen to her?”

  “It all depends on the choices she makes. The future is rarely set in stone.”

  Sami moved to the chair Sadie had just vacated and grabbed the cards. “Tell me my fortune.”

  That sounded like a worrisome endeavor. “Why? Are you going to be a jam maven too?”

  Sami shook her head. “I just want to know.” She cut the cards and handed them to me. “I’ll make my dad pay you later for the reading.”

  “That’s not necessary.” I studied her face. “What do you think I’m going to find here?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s why I want to see.”

  It could be dangerous. She wasn’t a normal child. The things I might see in her future were bound to be fantastical. “You know that your future isn’t a straight line? It’s not guaranteed. You could make a last-second choice that completely unravels one thread and creates another.”

  “Is anybody’s future set in stone?”

  I hesitated and then nodded. “Sometimes people are their own worst enemies. They can’t make any decision but the wrong one, which means they can never escape their future. You’re not that sort of person. Your future will never be set because you’re an open individual.”

  “That’s good to know. I still want you to read me.”

  I sighed. I kept wondering, if she was my child would I want her to know? The only answer I could manage was that I had no idea.

  “Fine.” I flipped over the first card and stared at it. “You are your mother’s daughter.”

  Sami made a face. “There’s no reason to lead with insults.”

  I laughed. “I don’t mean it in a bad way. I simply mean that you’re always going to find the need to rescue those who you think need rescuing.”

  Sami tugged on her bottom lip as she considered the statement. “Is that bad?”

  “No.”

  “Will I die because of it?”

  “That’s not something that is anchored in any thread, Sami. Your future is fluid. A lot of different things can happen.”

  “Do you know how I die?”

  “No.”

  “Would you tell me if you did?”

  “No, but I don’t know, so that’s not even up for debate.”

  “Okay.” She twirled a strand of dark hair around her finger. “Do you know how my parents die?”

  “Old age.”

  She la
ughed and then sobered. “Really? Because I would really like it if that were true.”

  “That’s not set either,” I said in a soft voice. “Nothing in your world is ever going to be guaranteed. Your parents could die tomorrow if they make the wrong choice. Given their track record, I’m not inclined to believe that they’re ever going to make the wrong choice when it counts.”

  Sami nodded, seemingly happy with the answer. “Will I marry Rafael?”

  I flipped another card and started gauging the threads. “Rafael is the tan vampire,” I noted, trying to remember if I’d already been provided with his name. It hardly mattered. “He will always love you.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “He will always love you,” I repeated. “But he’s not your match.”

  The disappointment shone through Sami’s features. “Seriously?”

  I nodded.

  “Do you believe there’s one match for everybody?”

  That was one of those questions I hated answering. “I believe that you can have more than one match, however, I also believe that an entire life can shift into place when you do meet the right person and it feels as if nobody else could ever fit.”

  “Is that how you feel with Kade?”

  “Yes. I also believe that’s how your parents feel about each other.”

  “And you’re saying Rafael will never feel that way about me.”

  My heart hurt for her. She looked so despondent. Part of me wanted to lie to her but I knew it wasn’t okay to fill her heart full of fanciful thoughts that might ultimately make things worse ... for her and the vampire.

  “He’ll always be there for you, but he won’t be able to give you what you want,” I replied. “Someone else will.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “I see a face in your future, and he’s all over the place.” I grinned as I leaned forward. “He’s handsome ... and funny ... and he is good in a fight.”

  “That’s always important. How hot is hot?”

  I laughed. “He’s hot enough that you’ll never rate men again.”

  “I don’t know. That’s fun.”

  “You’ll love him so much that you’ll forget that pastime.”

  She was quiet for a beat. “Who is he?”

  “I can’t tell you that.”

  “Because it will screw things up?”

  “Because I don’t know his name and I refuse to dig for it. If I tell you, you might be so fixated on him that you’ll mess up another thread in your life. It’s best to let things happen naturally.”

  “Will my dad like him?”

  I smirked. “Not at first, but he’ll come around.”

  “Okay. If you say he’s hot, I’ll believe you.”

  I reached for the cards but she stopped me with a hand on my wrist. “What’s wrong?” I asked, instantly worried.

  “Will I have to do what my mom did?”

  I wasn’t certain what she was asking. “What do you mean?”

  “Will I have to sacrifice myself for those I love? She had to do it. She gave up her life to save me and my dad. I’m not saying I won’t do it, I just want to know if I should be living my life to the fullest now.”

  Tears pricked the back of my eyes at her earnest expression. “You’re going to be fighting for a long time, Sami. It won’t always be easy, but it will come naturally to you.

  “I can’t give you all the answers because it’s not fair or right, but I can say that you’ll have a lot of laughter in your life,” I continued. “There will be endless love, too. There will be games ... and fights with your parents ... and even more fights with the people you love. More than that, there will be true contentment and joy.

  “Your life will not be one thing, good or bad. It will be many things, both good and bad. The bad is how you’ll know how to recognize the good. You’ll come to appreciate both.”

  Sami held my gaze for a moment longer and then stood. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

  “Not at all,” I agreed as I watched her depart through the tent.

  The sound of a man clearing his throat made me look to the right, to the side flap where Sami had stood and watched me work. Kade was staring at me.

  “How much of that did you hear?” I asked.

  “Enough.” He rested his hand on my shoulder. “She’s an interesting girl.”

  “She is.”

  “She’s mouthy, opinionated and full of herself.”

  “She’s all that.”

  “She’s also sweet, has a smile that will cause more than one man to worship her, and she’s fun.”

  “She’s all that, too.”

  “She’s a little boy crazy.”

  That made me laugh. “It’s the age. She’ll grow out of it. At least I hope she does.”

  He rubbed his hand over my shoulder for a few seconds and then lowered his voice. “I want one just like her one day.”

  I nodded. “I kind of do too.”

  18

  Eighteen

  “I’m in love with your daughter,” I told Zoe a few hours later when she stopped in to deliver a bottle of water. “Also, when I texted Kade that I needed a drink, I didn’t expect you to deliver it.”

  “I was with him in the animal tent,” she replied.

  Surprise washed over me. “He didn’t grab your butt again, did he?” I was going for levity but there was a small, dark part of me — something I wasn’t proud of — that was jealous ... and I hated myself for it.

  “No, we were talking about magic. I helped him with a few things.”

  “You did? Why?”

  “He had questions.” She cocked her head as she regarded me. “Why are you in love with Sami?”

  “Because she’s beyond mouthy and has a pure heart.”

  “Her heart isn’t that pure. I found her reading a spell book a month ago because she wanted to hex one of her classmates with a never-ending period. I told her that was dangerous and mean. I also told her she wasn’t a witch.”

  “That’s just teenager stuff.” I waved off the comment. “What did you teach Kade?”

  “Focus. He’s scattered. He can’t help himself. He never realized magic was real until he joined us, but now he’s constantly second-guessing himself. When it comes to security issues, he’s always on his game. When it comes to other stuff, he struggles.”

  “He needs to find some self-confidence.”

  “I taught him how to channel his energy. It’s different for me because I have a bit more going on. If he gets out of his own way, he’ll be a powerful addition to your group. I’m pretty sure he can heal. Much like Sami, though, he’s afraid to try.”

  “Why do you think that is?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. I didn’t realize I could heal when I first started. It just happened one night. Aric was injured and before I realized what was happening my fingers ignited and I was making him better. That’s what I remember most about that night even though a million other things were going on. I desperately needed for him to stop hurting, and somehow I made it happen.”

  “And Sami did the same thing for you,” I said. “Love caused the ability to kick in.”

  “Don’t get worked up,” Zoe advised. “Kade loves you beyond reason. He probably hasn’t had occasion to heal you yet.”

  “I’ve been hurt a few times,” I countered. “The thing is, here, others can do things to heal. Not the same thing you guys can do, but Nixie and Naida have effective potions and ointments.”

  “They’re interesting.” Zoe rolled her neck. “Pemberley hasn’t told us much about them.”

  “You haven’t been spending much time with him,” I noted. “I thought you were close.”

  “I don’t know that I would call us close,” she hedged. “He was our wedding coordinator. He helped us with the Candyman thing. We fell out of touch for a time. I ran into him when we were in trouble a few months ago. We were in Michigan, but away from home. He provided us with information.


  “After that, he stopped by the house because he wanted to see Sami,” she continued. “He has a soft spot for her.”

  “I think he has a soft spot for you, too.”

  She chuckled. “Yeah, I’m one of those people who garners a very specific response from people. You either love or hate me.”

  “I bet more people love you than hate you.”

  “There are quite a few people out there who hate me.”

  “There are probably quite a few who fear you, too.”

  “There is that,” she agreed. “It will be the same with Sami. Everybody loves Aric. She has a lot of him in her.”

  “She’s the best of both worlds.”

  “She will be a force to be reckoned with. That’s what we want. Even if we didn’t, she has a personality that simply cannot be contained. It’s kind of cute.”

  “You encourage her even when it might not be the polite thing to do.”

  “I don’t care about her being polite.” Zoe backtracked almost immediately. “That’s not entirely true. I don’t want her being purposely rude for no reason. I’ve always thought that girls were taught some very dangerous things when it came to placating the populace.

  “Like ... we never made Sami hug anyone,” she continued. “I think that’s a dangerous precedent. Sami can read people on her own. If she’s comfortable with them, it’s up to her if she wants to hug them. If she’s not, we won’t force her.

  “I also refused to assign gender roles to her,” she continued. “She was allowed to decide what she wanted to play with. Sometimes it was dolls — though I believe that’s because all her friends had dolls — but more often she loved stuffed animals. She also liked Legos. Her father took her into the woods to build forts. I took her to the river. She was allowed to be who she was whenever she wanted. I think that’s made her well-rounded.”

  “You’ve done an absolutely fabulous job,” I said. “She’s fearless.”

  “That’s not always a good thing.” Zoe sent me a rueful smile. “When I see Kade struggling, though, I think there are worse things. Sami’s mistakes will come from self-confidence. Kade’s will come from fear. He’ll find his strength. I’m certain of it.”

  I hoped that was true. “Can I ask you something?”