“That’s it?”
“I abbreviated. We have bigger problems. The circle is closed for all intents and purposes.”
“A witch!” Rafe hissed and floated around to stare down at Luna. She straightened her back and looked up at him. I moved to her side, ready to do battle but not sure how.
“I am, at that,” Luna said, never breaking eye contact with Rafe.
“In my day, you would have been burned,” Rafe observed.
“Then I guess it’s a good thing it isn’t ‘your day’ anymore,” Luna said. Her words were met with silence as Rafe considered her carefully.
“Fair enough, pretty witch. I will be watching youclosely, though. Now, introduce me to your lovely companion.”
I groaned as Rafe winked and smiled at me.
“I am Luna, a white witch and one of great power,” Luna warned, before throwing me a glance. “And this is Althea, a great sorceress who can see the future.”
“A sorceress,” Rafe breathed, floating over to hover right in front me, his dark eyes searching mine.
“Bang,” I said, clapping my hands suddenly in front of his face.
“She-devil!” Rafe screamed and flitted across the beach.
Luna and I looked at each other and tried to contain our laughter. It was a wasted effort, though, and we were soon both doubled over, struggling for breath.
“God, Thea. Sometimes I just can’t with you,” Luna gasped.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what is wrong with me,” I gasped back.
“You’re going to get us in real trouble one of these days,” Luna said, packing the candles and incense back into the velvet bag, since she was already bent over.
“Think he’s gone?”
“I most certainly am not, daft wenches,” Rafe said from across the beach, and I shook my head.
“So does he stay with us for the whole month or what?”
“I suspect he does.”
The thought of Rafe hanging out with me for a month instantly sobered me.
“You take him.”
“I will not. This is an excellent learning opportunity for you,” Luna sniffed, and turned to me.
The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I grabbed Luna’s arm, yanking her to me.
“Don’t speak,” I ordered, closing my eyes and using my other senses to scan the beach.
A wave of malice rushed across the beach and hit me like a freight train, and I knew we had to get out of there. Something bad was about to go down.
“Run, now,” I said out of the corner of my mouth.
And so we ran, the evil wave pulsing at me as we scrambled and gasped our way down the lane, trying desperately to be quiet. I bit down on my lip as the gravel dug into my feet and belatedly realized that I’d forgotten my flip-flops on the beach.
“My shoes,” I whispered to Luna as we reached the car.
“Screw your shoes,” Luna said, and I had to agree. They were just flip-flops. The passenger door wasn’t even closed when Luna gunned the Bug down the lane, keeping the lights on her car off, bumping and careening recklessly around the curves.
