I could still hear Max’s soft chanting,and suddenly it stopped.
As it did, the vision around me gave way.Not before I finally caught hold of that name. McCane.
Reluctantly, I opened my eyes.
There was Max, staring down at me, hislips pressed into half a smile. “You’re awake, then?”
I managed a muffled laugh. “Shouldn’t yoube asking me if I’m alive?”
We made eye contact. The kind of eyecontact that sucked you in. Being hugged by this man was one thing,but staring into his eyes? Oh, that was something else entirely. Ifelt something igniting in my heart. Something that told me Max wasway, way more than an irritating good for nothing fairy.
He leaned back and crossed his arms. Themove wasn’t defensive. Anything but. “That was amazing, Chi,” hesaid. There wasn’t a hint of dismissiveness in his tone. He wasn’tjoking. He meant it. “Did you use your powers?” headded.
I shook my head, a grin spreading across myface. “A little. But in the end, I just… kind of did it on my own,”I said, and I couldn’t be prouder of myself. A grin split me fromear-to-ear, which was a heck of a lot nicer than a knife doing thesame.
Max’s smile stiffened, and for the briefestflash of a second, I swore I saw his shadow shift, convulsealmost.
I frowned. “Max?”
It took him awhile, but he shook hishead.
“How did you manage to dispatch all thosedarklings, anyway?”
“What?”
I blinked. I pointed behindhim at the darklings crumpled on the floor.“The darklings, youmust have defeated them all, unless they ran away?”
Max shook his head. “I don’t really…remember,” he conceded.
My stomach sunk and my shoulders fell. “Doyou… do you remember who I am?” I asked tentatively.
Though Max had been looking fragile and weakseconds before, now he crossed his arms and shot me a witheringlook. “Do you think I could forget?”
“But you—”
“I may have forgotten how I defeated thedarklings, Chi, but you’re another matter.”
I blushed. It was only subtle and hopefully wasn’t visible under this dim light. But itwas still there.
We descended into silence.
I felt myself smile. Then my smile froze. “What… what happensnow?”
Max nodded to the prone form of Farley. “Prison. Forlife.”
“But,” I stuttered as I suddenly remembered the interaction I’dhad in the bar, “there’s more. I came across a man calledFagan.”
Max stiffened. “What happened?” The words blasted out ofhim.
“Nothing. I was taken to somekind of bar. Farley wasworking for Fagan. I overheard Fagan on the phone to somebody –they were talking about some kind of deal that would go down at thedocks.” I spoke so quickly I could barely breathe.
Max drew up a hand and spread his fingers wide. “The detailscan wait.”
“They can?” I stuttered. “But this Fagan, he has to bestopped. Farley was working for him, taking,” my lips stiffened asI tried to force my words out, “hearts from witches. They wereeating them,” my voice dropped to a harsh, huskywhisper.
Max paled, his gaze darkening. “They were consuming theirmagic,” he explained. “When you eat the heart of a practitioner,you gain access to their magic for a time and the usualconsequences for practicing magic are removed.”
I managed to control my neck long enoughto nod. “I know. But Fagan was talking to someone on the phone –and whoever it was, he needed more hearts. God, Max….” I shoved ahand over my mouth, incapable of finishing the thought.
Max nodded. “I know. But that can wait. Fagan won’t move againanytime soon – not now we’ve got Farley. He will go underground. Wehave time.”
I looked up at Max. “Time forwhat?”
“Time to get you home. Time to fix your wounds.”
I winced as I remembered what had happenedto the house. But then I remembered something else. I paled,dropping my gaze to my hands.
I watched him narrow his eyes.
“What is it, Chi McLane? You did goodtonight. Great, in fact,” his voice shook with unmistakable pride.
I paused. I felt like I was on aprecipice, squeezed between two choices. Should I tell the truth,or should I turn from it?
… The truth won out.
I tipped my head back and looked him in the eye. “I caused this.I ignored my power. Did exactly what you told me not to do. Then…those darklings,” I cut my gaze to the left and locked it on one ofthose crumpled forms, “they attacked. I caused this,” my voiceshook as tears streamed down my cheeks.
At first, Maxdidn’t say anything. Atfirst, he was nothingmore than a looming shadow beside me. It took a heck of a lot ofcourage to shift my gaze up and stare into his eyes.
I did not, however, see hatred flickeringwithin.
Just resignation. And that resignation? Itquickly spread into a smile. “I know. But it doesn’tmatter.”
“It… doesn’t?”
He shook his head with some finality. “No,Chi McLane. It doesn’t.” He reached a hand out to me.
“Why? Why doesn’t it matter?”
“Because you’re finally starting to tellthe truth.”
With that, I accepted Max’s hand. Yet, when it became alltoo clear that I could hardly stand considering the night I’d had,he stepped in and picked me up.
My heart soared as his arms wrapped aroundme.
I felt reassured, and yet I knew this wasn’tthe end.
For now, though? For now, I felt safe and secure.
Tomorrow?
We’d just have to wait and see.
I was now a future witch, and who knewwhat would happen tomorrow?
Epilogue
So this was it, ha? I was a future witch.A lying future witch.
I was up in the attic, pressed over one ofmy grandmother’s journals as Chi the cat sat purring in my lap. The little thing hadkept insisting I come up here, had kept pawing at the piles of mygrandma’s journals until I’d plucked them up.
I was taking this world seriously now, wasn’t I? I’dlearned my lesson at the hands of Farley and thedarklings. I had now turned over the proverbial leaf.
I frowned as I leafed over a page.
It was torn in half.
In fact, there was a lot missing from herjournals. Either she’d been ashamed of what she’d written, orsomeone had come along and redacted them afterward.
I scratched my head, leaning forward
