Cut to the Crone (A Spell's Angels Cozy Mystery Book 4) Read online

  “That’s because I’m all kinds of smart,” Zoe teased.

  “My little genius,” Aric agreed, turning so he could study the other side of the clearing. “They want to draw us in here. If I had to guess, I’d say they’re hiding very close.”

  “They are.” I’d already found them. Well, at least some of them. “The vampires are over there. I can sense them.”

  Zoe’s gaze moved in the direction I indicated, and she nodded. “The vampires are definitely over there.”

  “And the shifters are over here.” Aric was staring into a clump of trees about twenty feet away. His nostrils flared as he lifted his chin. “It’s the females who were at the speakeasy ... and more. There are a lot more than we were expecting.”

  “All females?” Zoe asked, all business. She was clearly ready to rumble.

  Aric tilted his head to the side and then frowned. “No. There are also males in there.”

  “So basically you’re saying we have a group of vampires and shifters working together, and the factions are bigger than we expected,” Zoe murmured. “Okay. I’ve got this.” She moved in the direction of the hill and gestured for us to flank her. “Don’t move when I first drop the dome. I’m going to fry some of them just because I can and then we’ll move on to negotiations.”

  “What makes you think they’re going to negotiate?” Gunner queried.

  “Because they don’t want to die. Now hold tight.”

  I wasn’t used to standing at the sidelines for a fight but I was too entranced by Zoe’s attitude to do anything but watch her. Her movements were fast, a blur really, and she’d dropped the dome and unleashed a torrent of magic in the direction of the vampires before I could even register what she was doing.

  A cry rang out from that direction, but Zoe didn’t watch to see what sort of damage she’d wrought. She was already focused on the incoming shifters, who called out in alarm when we appeared and put their heads down as they charged forward.

  Since I knew Zoe had the shifters under control, I focused on the vampires. I blasted two quickly as they barreled through the foliage cover, causing them to burst into flames and fall to the wayside. Another two took their places and aimed themselves at me but Aric and Gunner had already shifted and were moving to engage. Behind me, the smell of burnt fur caused my stomach to give a small heave — especially because I knew that fur was associated with the sort of animal who looked human most of the time — but I didn’t allow myself to dwell on that. I repeatedly blasted the incoming vampires. I’d taken out six of them before a commanding voice reverberated through the clearing.

  “Stop!”

  Zoe never looked away from the attacking shifters. “You stop.” She unloaded a huge barrage of fire, catching three at the same time and causing them to yelp before they exploded into flames. “I’m having too much fun to stop.”

  “I said to stop!” The voice was female and there was a high-pitched edge to it. Even though I knew it was dangerous, I looked because I had to see if I was right. It turned out I was.

  Emma, her skin white and her eyes lit with rage, emerged from the trees we’d walked through upon entering the clearing. I had no idea if she’d been there the entire time, but it was likely, which meant we’d strolled directly past her and not seen her.

  Zoe lowered her hands and glared at the furious woman. “Who are you?”

  Emma’s hands balled into fists at her sides. “I’m the harbinger of your doom.”

  Zoe burst into laughter. “Oh, you’re so cute. Do you know how many times I’ve heard that? No, I’m being serious. I’ve actually heard someone use the word harbinger before when threatening to kill me. Who was that again?” She glanced at Aric.

  “It might’ve been one of the sphinxes,” he replied. Obviously, he was used to playing his wife’s witty banter game. “It also might’ve been one of the idiots running the Academy.”

  “I think it was one of the Academy idiots.” Zoe’s smile was a little too “Cheshire Cat” for my liking. “Do you want to know what happened to that individual?”

  Emma’s expression was incredulous. “Why do you think I would care about that?”

  “Because I’m going to do the same thing to you.” Zoe’s hands moved so fast I thought for certain she’d managed to turn herself into a superhero. I realized what she was going to do when it was too late to call her off.

  The magic she called lit the ends of her fingertips with purple fire and she aimed it directly at Emma. Rather than absorb the blow, or throw up a shield, Emma merely waved her hand and caused the magic to dissipate before it reached her. She didn’t look upset by what almost happened. In fact, she appeared calm.

  “If you do that again, you won’t get your vampire back,” Emma seethed. “I’ll kill him before I ever let you see him again.”

  Zoe clearly wasn’t used to people arguing with her after a magical display because she was practically frothing at the mouth. “Not if I kill you right here.”

  Emma turned haughty. “You don’t have the power to kill me.”

  “Let’s see, shall we?” Zoe’s hands flew up again but I reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could unleash her power.

  “Wait,” I said when her eyes darted to me.

  “Are you kidding?” Fury radiated off of her but I maintained my calm demeanor.

  “What do you want, Emma?” I kept my voice even, although it took effort. “You’re involved in this, even though you pretended otherwise. I should’ve seen it when you visited. This is going nowhere if you don’t tell me what you want.”

  She held Zoe’s gaze for a moment longer and then flicked it to me. “I want the child.”

  “You’re not getting her,” Zoe hissed. “Don’t even think about touching her.”

  Emma pretended she didn’t hear the warning. That was unwise but she was all ego and bluster. Apparently now that she was no longer under the thumb of vampires, she wanted to test boundaries. I couldn’t help feeling that pushing a powerful mage as part of that experiment was a very bad idea.

  “If you think we’re handing over the girl, then you’re stupid,” I offered blandly. “You’re not stupid. That means you know better than to believe we would hand her over. So what’s the deal?”

  “I’ve already told you my demands.” Emma was firm. “Either give us the girl or the vampire dies.”

  “Those are you demands?” Zoe queried.

  Emma nodded.

  “Great. Here’s my response.” Rather than unload her magic on Emma, as I expected, Zoe fired her magic at Blair, one of the female shifters we’d met in the woods days before. She’d been creeping up behind Zoe, using the underbrush as cover. Obviously Zoe had sensed her when I didn’t.

  Caught off guard, Blair’s initial response was a howl. It was cut off as soon as it started, because Zoe’s magic raged hot and burned her from skin to soul within seconds.

  Emma was good at hiding her emotions, but she couldn’t hold back. “Don’t do that again!”

  Zoe responded by haphazardly tossing a green bomb of ... something ... at the vampires. Several saw it coming and scattered but one was caught unaware, a female with brown hair and eyes. She froze in place, terror momentarily taking over her features. She didn’t move for so long I realized she’d been rendered rigid.

  “Let her go,” Emma ordered.

  Zoe cocked her head. “No.”

  Aric, who had been standing at his wife’s side to offer support throughout the entire conversation, picked up a rock from the ground and lobbed it at the vampire. I was curious why he would choose to do that since it seemed unnecessarily antagonistic, but the instant the rock collided with the vampire, the creature shattered into a million pieces, all of them cascading to the ground like broken glass.

  My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t believe she’d pulled it off. Before I could utter a single word, Emma lashed out with her magic.

  I saw it coming and threw up a shield. Zoe did the same thing, her eyes narr
owing as she watched Emma’s magic collide with what we had to offer, and then helplessly fall by the wayside.

  “It seems we’re at a stalemate,” Emma said, fury turning her cheeks pink. “That’s ... unfortunate.”

  “It is,” Zoe agreed. “It totally sucks.”

  “You’ve heard my demands. Give us the child or we’ll kill the vampire.”

  “If you kill that vampire, I’ll hunt down every member of your packs,” Zoe hissed, shooting the cowering wolves a pointed look. “I’ll go after your clans, too,” she said, whipping her head to the vampires. “I don’t happen to believe we’re at a stalemate.”

  A restless murmur went through the two factions, and for the first time I sensed a ripple of fear going through Emma. She thought the vampires and wolves loyal to her, or at least fearful enough not to stray, but Zoe was more than she could handle.

  “Fine.” Emma threw up her hands. “If you don’t want to give me the child, then we’ll settle for the Archimage.”

  There it was, the demand we were expecting. I braced myself for Zoe’s laugh but she simply nodded.

  “Sure. Give me the vampire and I’ll give you the Archimage.”

  Emma was instantly suspicious. “Just like that?”

  Zoe nodded. “I’ve had the book for fifteen years. I don’t need it any longer. If you want it, you can have it.”

  Emma tilted her head and looked Zoe up and down. “You don’t have it on you, unless I’m mistaken.”

  “I can get it. I can get it tonight. I want to see Rafael first.”

  Emma straightened. “Oh, right. You think I’ll bring the vampire out so you can wage war on my soldiers the second you catch sight of him. I don’t think I’ll allow that to happen. I’m going to want to see the book first.”

  Zoe shook her head, firm. “Vampire first.”

  “Book.”

  “Vampire.”

  “Book!”

  Zoe zipped a cloud of fire toward the shifters. A cry broke out and they scattered, feet pounding as they disappeared into the night. I wasn’t surprised, even after the fire dissipated, when they didn’t reappear. They’d had enough.

  “Getting rid of my forces won’t help you,” Emma warned. “The vampire isn’t here. I have him elsewhere. Before you decide to grab my minions and force them to talk, you should be aware that they don’t know where I’ve taken him either. If you want him, you’ll have to deal with me.”

  “I believe I’ve told you how things have to go.” Zoe’s stubbornness was firmly on display. “I want my vampire. And he’d better not have a scratch on him if you want that book to be intact.”

  A muscle worked in Emma’s jaw. “Fine. We’ll do the trade tomorrow. I will be in contact with you as to time and place.”

  “Fine.” Zoe offered up a sweet smile that didn’t match the ferocity in her eyes. “If you go after my kid again, you won’t believe the beheadings and fiery deaths I’m going to rain down on you. As for my vampire, he taught me a few things about torturing people over the years. I’ve gotten really good at it. He’d approve of me taking you out, even if it means he’ll die.”

  Emma kept her shoulders squared but swallowed hard. “I’ll be in contact tomorrow to make the trade.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  Twenty-Four

  Zoe was quiet for the duration of the trip to the Cauldron. Her expression was dark, her fingers busy as she constantly swiped them through her hair. She seemed agitated and I wanted to ask her about her plans, but the look Aric shot me quelled that urge. He was obviously worried, which meant I had to take a step back.

  The bar was empty of outsiders when we entered, only members of our group were hanging around. That was for the best, and I flashed a smile for Raisin’s benefit when her questioning eyes met mine.

  “Did you get him?” she asked.

  I shook my head, hating the way her expression fell. “No. He wasn’t there. We did ... have a discussion with the individual who has him.”

  “What does that mean?” The vulnerability on Raisin’s face made her look impossibly young.

  “It means we’re working on it.” I forced a smile because I thought it was best for her. “We’re going to get him, but it probably won’t be until tomorrow.”

  Aric glanced around the bar. “Where is Sami?”

  “In the bathroom,” Bonnie replied. “She was playing pool with Raisin. By the way, that competitive streak she has is delightful. Anyway, I could tell she was a little upset and she went in for a bit of alone time. It’s only been a few minutes.”

  Aric nodded, letting out a sigh. He sat on one of the stools in front of the bar. Whistler slid a beer in front of him before Aric placed an order and the harried father smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”

  “She gets the competitive thing from her father,” Zoe said, sliding onto the stool next to her husband.

  “Yes, because you’re great when it comes to losing,” Aric cracked.

  “I don’t lose.”

  Whistler arched an eyebrow, waiting for Zoe’s order.

  “Just an iced tea, please.” Her smile was wan. “I think I’ll be a good girl this evening.”

  “Have a drink,” Aric countered. “You need to relax.”

  Zoe shook her head. “I want to be in control of all my faculties in case ... well, just in case.” She rested her elbows on the bar and rubbed her forehead, weariness permeating her being. “Iced tea is fine. I’ll drink until I fall over when this is finished.”

  “No problem.” Whistler grinned at her as he filled a glass. “I’m betting you’re fun when you’re drunk.”

  “I’m fun regardless.” Zoe winked at him and then swiveled so she could meet my gaze. “You have questions. You might as well ask them.”

  I hesitated and then barreled forward. “How are you going to give them a book that doesn’t exist?”

  “Wait. Hold up.” Rooster raised his hand. “What book are we talking about?”

  “The Archimage,” Aric replied, his hand moving to his wife’s back so he could rub his hands over what were probably some very tense muscles. “It’s an old book, a magic book.”

  “It’s what Emma wanted all along,” Zoe said. “She never wanted Sami. She simply wanted us to believe Sami was her target.”

  “Then why ask for Sami in the first place?” Gunner queried.

  “Because she figured I would turn her down from the start and asking for the book instead of Sami sounds like a reasonable compromise.”

  “But?”

  “But that book is long gone,” Aric replied. “It hasn’t existed in fifteen years. It’s toast.”

  “You destroyed it?” Rooster asked. “Why would you destroy a magic book if it’s as powerful as you claim?”

  Aric cut his eyes to his wife. “Well ...”

  “It’s okay.” Zoe waved off his concern. “There’s no sense trying to hide it. We’re all in this together at this point. That means trust is a necessity.” Her eyes were challenging when they met Rooster’s studied gaze. “I absorbed the book.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, and even though I was already aware of the information, I sucked in a breath.

  Rooster’s looked surprised. “You absorbed it? How?”

  “It’s just something I did. At the time, we were fighting people who wanted the book. There were a lot of them. I needed a power boost. I got it from the book.”

  Doc, one of the more recent additions to our group, cleared his throat. “I’ve read about this book. It’s one of the most sought-after tomes out there. How many people know it no longer exists?”

  Zoe shrugged. “We’ve never hidden what I did. We haven’t exactly advertised it either.”

  “Zoe has a certain reputation,” said Aric. “People are frightened of her. We encouraged that reputation, especially when we found out we were going to have Sami. Given the way certain factions tried to recruit Zoe to their side when we were at Covenant College, we figured it was best to let the rumors and myst
ique grow. However, the book part of the equation never became common knowledge.”

  “The information was there if people looked hard enough,” Zoe added. “Most didn’t bother because that ruined their plans to claim dominion over the book. It’s always served as an easy answer for the megalomaniacs of the world.”

  I thought about the way her eyes had momentarily flashed black. “How much of your power is derived from the book?”

  “I don’t know. Not all of it, that’s for certain. It’s more that the book enhanced my powers.”

  “When it first fell into our laps — and how is a long and convoluted story that has no bearing on what we’re dealing with today — we knew the book was ... different,” Aric explained. “From the moment she first touched it, the book reacted to Zoe. I don’t know how else to explain it.

  “Basically, I left her at home with a friend that day and when I was coming back, from miles away, I could see lightning. It looked like it was hitting our house. When I got there, I found that it was hitting my wife.”

  “What?” Gunner’s eyebrows flew up his forehead. “You’ve been struck by lightning?”

  Zoe smirked, clearly amused at his over-the-top reaction. “Several times.”

  “It’s not funny.” Aric poked her side, his lips quirking. “For some reason, when Zoe held the book, she could draw lightning ... and magic ... and it whispered to her.”

  “It whispered to you?” Bonnie frowned. “I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure that whispering books aren’t a good thing.”

  “I didn’t have much time to think about it,” Zoe admitted. “When all of this was going down, I was worried about my parents. They’d been taken prisoner in an effort to force us to hand over the book. Since we knew that could mean bad things for a lot of people, we had to come up with a different solution.”

  “And you thought absorbing the book was the best way to go?” Marissa, who still looked ridiculous with one drawn-on eyebrow, spoke for the first time. “No offense, but have you ever considered seeking professional help?”

  Zoe ignored the question. “We didn’t have a lot of options. I did what I had to do. The thing is, afterwards, the book still whispered to me. Now it’s in my head, and it’s one of those things I have to keep contained. If I let the whispers take control, bad things happen.”