“Watch your language!” Aunt Hillen warns as she hops out of the passenger side of the car. “I swear if I have to tell you that one more time, Thaddeus Tristan Osseus, I’m going to wash that filthy mouth out with soap!”
I snicker at Tad getting three-named, and Rogan turns to me, confused.
“Thank you, king caveman, for your protection against my cousin and aunt. Whatever would I have done without you?” I deadpan, rubbing at my chest where he just arm barred me.
“I practically save your life, and sarcastic barbs are all the thanks I get?” he deadpans back.
“Saved my life?” I gesture toward Tad and Hillen. “We’re not in danger, Will Robinson. I mean, it’s a Prius, for heaven’s sake, what kind of menace are you really expecting to pour out ofthosefour doors?”
“With witches being taken, you can’t be too careful,” he argues, pulling his switchblade out and slicing a small line in his finger, all in one deft motion. He touches the barrier with a drop of his blood, and the claret wall dissolves like it was made of nothing more than vapor. I step out from behind my unsolicited bodyguard and wave at Tad and Hillen.
“I know I just met you, Rogan Kendrick, but I can already see that you have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later,” I point out.
He scoffs indignantly, clearly not possessing even a single ounce of self-awareness.
“Oh, you don’t believeme, the girl you sneak attacked and forced to become a familiar? Or maybe we should ask the two innocent people you just tried to magically turn into bacon?” This only earns me an eye roll from him.
“Excuse me, hi,” Tad coos as he waves at us frantically until Rogan and I both look over. “As much as I could watch this tête-à-tête that’s just oozing all kinds of raw sexual tension all day, we have an ass kicking to get to.”
“As if,” I counter, apparently going full Valley girl with my denial even though I live on the wrong coast.
“Riiight,” Tad snarks back and then points at the front door of Magda and Gwen’s house in alet’s get on with itkind of way. His mahogany-colored gaze is filled with such excitement I almost feel bad that I didn’t wait for them.
I adopt an apologetic mien. “You’re too late. The smackdown already occurred. In fact, there’s probably an ambulance and some cops headed this way as we speak, so we should get the hell out of here.”
“Dammit, I knew it!” Tad huffs out. “Stupid school bus, making us miss this. I’m going to track down that driver and fight her if it’s the last thing I do,” he declares, stomping back toward his car, and I laugh.
“She was like eighty. Give the old lady a break,” his mom scolds, and I laugh even harder.
“Oh don’t you start, Ma, you were just as excited as I was,” Tad volleys.
“You called her a ninny when you finally passed her, isn’t that enough?” Aunt Hillen asks as she opens up her car door.
I shoot an amused yet judgmental look at my cousin and mouth,ninny?
“She was,” he defends. “And when your mother is the swearword-police, sometimes you need to get creative with shit.”
“Language!” Hillen snaps.
Exasperated, Tad gestures to his mother while staring at me, his movements declaring,See! I rest my case.
I crack up and, with an amused head shake, move to my car. “Don’t worry, I got some pictures. Meet at my house, and we can all laugh about them until our faces and stomachs hurt. I promise to tell you every single detail.”
Tad presses his palms together and tilts his head back to declarethank youto the heavens. “Good, and when we’re done laughing at their expense, you can tell me who the hell tall, dark, and dreamy is and why he’s out here instead of chained to your bed.”
I can’t even get a word in before he’s closing his door and quietly starting his car.
Rogan shakes his head, but there’s a hint of a smile on his face, and it’s clear he’s not opposed to a good compliment being thrown his way. With a roll of my eyes, I round my car, placing the grimoire and the other items that Theresa rescued in the back seat, then I jump into my rust bucket of a vehicle and fire her up. Rogan and Hoot slide in next to me, and Hoot’s peeing on the boxwood gives me an idea. While Rogan buckles up and gets Hoot situated on his lap, I reach out with my newfound ability and see if there’s enough ancestor essence in the hedges and trees around here to do what I’m hoping I can do. Sure enough, I find what I need, and with a snap, I add a little magical cherry on today’s sundae of events.
Sirens sound in the distance, and adrenaline spikes through me as I hit the gas a little too hard and pull away. I giggle, and Rogan looks over, his brow crinkling with puzzlement for a moment before he finally sees my handiwork. “Did you just make all her hedges look like dicks?” Rogan asks me, and I can’t tell if he’s judging me or impressed.
I shrug. “Just a little something to remember me by.”
He barks out a laugh, and Hoot lies down across his thighs. Instead of perving out over how muscular they look in the jeans he’s wearing, I focus my thoughts on what the heck I’m going to do with Hoot.
He’s not my familiar anymore, but I can’t just take him back to the shelter. He was on death row there. Aside from the ass napalm, he’s not so bad. I know I can’t keep him right now, not when we’re about to go searching for missing witches and the people or person who’s taking them. It’s not like I can strap him into a baby carrier and take him along for the ride, even if his gas can be weaponized. When things settle down, he’s got a home with me, but what am I going to do with him for now?
A horn blares, making me jump. My thoughts are yanked from Hoot’s plight to Tad’s tan Prius as he pulls alongside me. He rolls down his passenger window, and I’m forced to crank the old handle that allows my window to descend.
