We did it.
“Hazel, you were terrifying and magnificent.”
The raccoon at her feet tugs on her pants. “Ya did good, boss,” it says. “Now give me a snack.”
“Do not give him anymore food,” Hazel tells everyone. “You are a menace.”
“Gunner,” I call, remembering. I drop my face in my hands. “Caleb. It was too much for him. I knew it.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Posey says softly.
“Goddamnit,” Caleb swears softly, his warm hand landing on my shoulder.
“I didn’t get back in time,” he says, holding up two different knives, one a pocketknife I recognize, his uncle’s scrimshaw handle giving it away, and the other the huge chef’s knife from his kitchen.
“You finished it up so fast.” His eyes are huge, but he doesn’t look terrified. He’s touching me. He’s not… gone. He’s not even scared. “Hazel, don’t do that again. Seriously, that was freaky. Is that something that happens a lot?”
“I thought you left?” My shoulders heave, and too late I realize I’m sobbing.
“I really want to hug you right now, but I’m holding two knives,” he says slowly.
“Give me the goddamn knives,” Posey says, taking them from him. “Now hug my damn sister,” she says, pushing me into his arms.
Caleb doesn’t waste any time. He wraps me up in his huge, warm arms.
“I can’t believe I missed it,” he continues, patting me while I cry and chatting with my sisters like this happens all the time. “I go for one minute to get a knife, which I didn’t know was needed, or I would’ve had it on me, so next time don’t even worry. I’m gonna have the pocketknife. Heck, I might get a fancy special knife just to be ready if you forget that you have to do part of the spell.”
He’s rambling a little, and I can tell that he’s is slightly panicked, but it’s not because he’s afraid of me.
He’s afraid for me. For Hazel.
“It’s gonna be okay,” he tells me. “And my God, did you guys fix the light, too? I was going to automate it. Shoot, what am I going tell work?”
“You know what?” Posey steps closer, a gleam in her eye I know all too well. “I can do it with you. I can create a mechanism that will trap whatever magic is in the ward that’s firing it, and we can meld it with your automated system.”
“Can we not do this right now?” Rose says. “Posey, seriously, they’re having a moment. Shrimp crackers,” she swears. “Hazel, Posey, let’s go inside. Maybe we need lasagna and maybe we need an exorcism, but we definitely need lasagna before the exorcism.”
“Don’t forget the cannoli,” Hazel says weakly.
“I’ll eat your lasagna,” the raccoon says.
“You are awful,” Rose tells him. “I would like to register a complaint with whatever sent this raccoon to you.”
Fig chitters her agreement from where she sits on Rose’s shoulder.
“Did you turn into an albatross?” Rose asks.
“Oh yeah, I think that is what happened,” Posey says. “So freaking weird. Ferretsarekind of snakey though.” Oatmeal bares her teeth in protest.
Their voices trail off as they head for the lighthouse, holding each other up, the familiars all talking at once.
I hold onto Caleb.
“You’re not mad?” I ask.
“Why the hell would I be mad?” Caleb says, pulling back to look at me. “Not at all.” He stares at me. “The hell was that thing at the end?”
I shake my head. “I have no idea. I feel like I’ve said this to you a hundred times, and I will say it again, but that is not my expertise. I do candy and food magic. Whatever is going on with Hazel is so far out of my wheelhouse it might as well be another state.”
