“I do see that.” Astra bobbed her head, her mind busy. “She’s totally right, though.”
Cooper scowled. “You’re just saying that because you want to irritate me.”
“Honey, I would rather eat broken glass than agree with Hannah on general principle, but she’s totally right. The nexus is made up of seven strands. I’ve heard of the seven deadly sins furies. They started their own hype and actually enjoy it when television shows and movies base plots on them because it keeps them in the forefront of people’s minds.
“Like the movie Se7en? They totally loved it,” she continued. “Supposedly they come around every hundred years to carry out a big production. It appears they’ve picked Casper Creek as their production location this go-around.”
“Except the gluttony guy was one town over,” Hannah pointed out. “He was at the new restaurant on the lake.”
“And he’s not the same guy who opened the restaurant,” Cooper added. “We’ve seen a photo of that guy, although that reminds me, Boone said he was going to check and make sure that guy was still alive. I haven’t heard from him all day.”
“I’m sure the restaurant owner is fine.” Astra offered up a dismissive wave. “The furies only want to kill through their designated roles.”
“The wrath guy went after Hannah with magic,” Cooper argued.
“Yes, but only as a last resort. He clearly wanted you and Tyler to rip each other apart — and I’m sorry I didn’t get to see that fight because I bet you beat the snot out of him and he’s always such a turd to me, but I digress. He only used magic against Hannah because he had no choice.”
“See!” Hannah wasn’t one to throw around “I told you so” on a regular basis, but she couldn’t stop herself now. “That’s exactly what I said.”
“And I’m guessing that the gluttony guy last night assumed you guys would start eating before you noticed what was going on with the other patrons,” Astra added. “Apparently you’re more observant than he gave you credit for.”
“I am,” Hannah agreed, a half-smile playing across her lips.
“Oh, geez.” Cooper made a face and shook his head. “I would really appreciate it if you two wouldn’t bond. That’s going to make things really difficult. Like ... really difficult.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Hannah offered. “I still hate her.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Astra agreed. “Right now, though, there’s a magical disturbance in the area and it could hurt all of us. That includes me, because once those furies figure out exactly how I fit into your little group, they’re going to try to use me against Hannah.” She paused a beat, an evil gleam lighting her eyes. “Although I’m certain you’ve already figured that out.”
Cooper overtly glared at her. “Don’t even think of using this situation to move on Hannah. I’ll make you pay if you try.”
Astra didn’t appear worried. Instead, she snorted. “That’s bold talk for a guy who needed his girlfriend to swoop in and save him two hours ago because he was more interested in beating up on a gay guy who is supposedly his best friend than protecting his girlfriend from a malevolent force.”
Cooper’s cheeks colored with shame. “I—”
“Don’t.” Hannah’s tone was scolding as she rested her hand on Cooper’s and gave his fingers a solid squeeze before pinning Astra with a dark look. “Upsetting him isn’t going to help you right now. Not even a little. Why waste your time?”
“Maybe I enjoy it.”
“You said yourself that you’re going to be drawn into this,” Hannah argued. “You would think you’d want to help, if only for your own emotional well-being, rather than being a snot. Maybe I’m giving you too much credit, though.”
“Oh, that’s not going to work on me.” Astra’s expression twisted into something dark. “Listen, I don’t like you. I’ve never hidden that fact. You stole what should’ve been mine.”
“No, she inherited what was always meant to be hers,” Cooper countered, recovering. “Casper Creek never belonged to you. It’s Hannah’s birthright.”
“That’s an argument for another time,” Astra countered. “I agree that we don’t have a choice but to work together now, though. If these furies get a foothold, they’re going to be hell to deal with.”
“They’re already hell.”
“They can get worse.” Astra allowed her pragmatic side to take over. “There are five of these creatures left. They won’t attack as single entities again. Two of their ranks have been eliminated. That has to be ... sobering ... considering what they are.
“They’re going to look at Hannah as a legitimate threat now,” she continued. “That means they’ll be looking for weapons to use against her. Where do you think the first place they’ll go is?”
Cooper’s mouth went dry. What Astra was saying made a lot of sense. “They’ll go after magically imbued people because they think it will give them a better shot of taking down Hannah.”
“Exactly.” Astra bobbed her head. “That means me. More importantly, it also means Stormy. She would be more than willing to turn on the two of you and let herself be used like a pawn. You need to be very careful going forward. Like ... very careful.”
“What do we do, though?” Hannah queried. “I mean ... how do we protect ourselves?”
Astra held out her hands and shrugged. “I have no idea. We need to figure it out, though. I guess that means research. I don’t think these furies are going to give you a lot of time to regroup. They’re going to be out for blood.”
That was exactly what Cooper was afraid of.
14
Fourteen
They picked up takeout on their way back to Casper Creek. Hannah was in the mood for Mexican, so that’s what they got, and when they spread out at one of the tables in the saloon, there were tacos as far as the eye could see.
“This was a good idea,” Cooper said,
