“Lovely, are you okay?” Elodie takes Ellis into her arms, hugs her and kisses her cheek. “I’m so sorry you got caught up in any of this. Are you angry with us?”
Ellis shakes her head, no. “I’m okay. At least I’m not dead.”
“We need to sort a few things out. Like what we’ll do with those three downstairs. I can’t keep them bound forever. We need to inform the council that the spell worked, and the creatures all have their freedom.”
“Mum, Sadie changed the spell so it would kill Ellis. Ellis knew and agreed to it, anyway.”
“What?” Elodie looks horrified.
Ellis nods. “Sadie refused to change the magic. She still wanted everyone to die if anybody tried to change the magic. But then she agreed to change it, but only if I agreed to die instead. So, instead of killing everybody, if somebody changed the magic it would kill only me.”
“Ellis. You are a wonder. You’re not even part of our magical, supernatural community and yet you would have sacrificed yourself for us? Why didn’t you say something?”
“I ran out of time.”
“Because of my sister.”
Thea touches her aunt’s arm. “What are you going to do with her? And Talia?”
“I don’t know. Talia isn’t to blame. But Ember... I don’t know. Forget about Adam, I’m not even bothered about that. But she was ready to kill Ellis.”
“Let’s go.”
“Lincoln is still here. I asked him to stay. He’s ready to make you head witch, Fletcher.”
Fletcher doesn’t answer, and Elodie doesn’t notice his silence.
They head downstairs and into the living room. The candles are all out. Talia is free, unbound, and there’s no sign of Ember or Vann.
“You’re kidding me? Where have they gone?”
Talia shrugs, misery covering her face, and she goes to Thea’s side. “Talia, where are they? Why did you let them go?”
“I didn’t let them go. They escaped. I think Vann did some fairy magic thing; I don’t even know. They told me to tell you that if you leave them alone, they won’t bother you anymore.”
“What does that even mean? They’ve gone off to live happily ever after together. What about you girls?”
Talia is crying. “She told us to stay with you. If it was ever safe, she’d send for us.”
Fletcher snorts. “Charming. So, she’s chosen Vann over you two, chosen herself over everybody else and chosen to swan off without facing what she’s done?”
Talia nods. “I’m sorry, aunty El. I didn’t want to be head witch. Sorry, Ellis, I didn’t want to kill you. It was all my mum.”
Ellis shrugs, but Elodie shakes her head.
“I won’t let her get away with this. We need to get the council together. Straight away before there’s any more unpleasant feeling or drama. But, first thing’s first, Fletcher, we need to get you invested. With no hoo-ha or drama. Lincoln?”
Lincoln sits up, blinking, a confused look on his face. He rubs his eyes. “Elodie – I can’t say I enjoy being dragged into all of this.”
Elodie nods. “Well, I wasn’t exactly the one who dragged you, but I’ll apologise, anyway. One more job. Invest Fletcher and then you can go.”
She puts her hands on her son’s shoulders. “Ready?’
He shakes his head, no, causing her to hesitate, confusion making her nose wrinkle.
“No, mum.”
“What do you mean no? Don’t start Fletcher. I don’t have the time or the patience after the day we’ve all had.”
“I’ve asked John to turn me into a vampire, mum. I won’t be a witch anymore.”
The colour drains from Elodie’s face, and she drops onto a chair. She puts her head in her hands and weeps. Fletcher turns to his cousins or sisters or whatever they are to him. “Girls take Lincoln in the kitchen, make him a sandwich or a cup of coffee. John, will you help them?”
They all shuffle out of the room and leave Fletcher with his mum and Ellis. He takes his mum’s hand. “Mum, you know I have to do this, not just because I want to but because it’s the right thing to do. I can’t abandon Ellis. I have to change with her.”
“And leave me alone? To face everything?”
“No. We’ll still be here. I just won’t be a witch and I won’t be head witch. I love you mum. And I love Ellis.”
Elodie is silent for a long time and then she nods. “I know you do. And it’s the right thing to do, but it’s massive Fletcher. You’ll be a vampire. Are you sure?”
“I have to do it and I am sure mum. I thought about it the whole time I was fetching John, the whole time he was turning Ellis and as soon as I saw her afterwards.”
“Okay.” She takes his face in her hands and kisses his forehead. Her baby boy, all grown up and making his own choices. It’s hard, but she knows she has to accept it. “So, who do we make head witch?”
“Talia? Thea?”
“And give Ember what she wants?”
“Forget Ember. We’ll worry about her later. We’ll find her and kill her if you want us to. Whatever you decide. But we need to make somebody head witch.”
There’s a knock at the door and Lincoln pokes his head in. “Sorry to interrupt but I wondered if this might help. A few hundred years ago in America, we had twin head witches. They were both in charge. It’s allowed.” He raises his cup of coffee in a toast or a salute or an apology for interrupting and closes the door, leaving them alone to decide.
Fletcher grins at his mother. “Mum, with you to guide them the girls would do okay.”
“You think so?”
Ellis speaks up. “The girls can be horrible – they’ve been horrible to me, but I think their mum heavily influenced them. And Sally.”
Elodie huffs. “Yes – we found Sally and her mother and father here with Ember when we came through.”
“Did you kill them?”
Elodie nods, though they can both see regret in her expression. “I hate that I had to, but they chose Ember. They chose to kill
