“I know that.”
“I’m just making sure. I think Astra delivering Jinx to you might’ve softened your stance on her.”
Hannah opened her mouth to deny the charge and then thought better of it. “I was relieved to see him. The thing is, I don’t believe Astra would hurt him. She seems to like him. Don’t get me wrong, I know she probably uses other animals in her spells — and I really try not to spend too much time thinking about that — but I don’t think she would kill a dog.”
“I don’t think it would be her first choice,” Cooper agreed. “If she thought it would get her what she wanted, though, I wouldn’t put anything past her. Honestly, though, she’s not the one I’m most worried about. Stormy is the wildcard.”
“I agree with you there. I think Astra is starting to figure that out herself, too. She knows Stormy is a detriment to whatever she has planned.”
“And what do you think she has planned?”
“She wants to tap into the nexus.”
“I think she’s wanted that since she landed in Casper Creek.”
“Me, too. I’m thankful she hasn’t found a way to do it yet. That doesn’t mean she won’t keep trying. The thing is, I don’t think she wants to kill to get what she feels she deserves. Stormy, however, would happily snap my neck if it meant getting one over on Astra and me.”
Cooper didn’t want to consider anything of the sort, even if it was meant as an offhand comment. “She won’t touch you. I’ll kill her if she tries.”
“Let’s not go there right now.” Hannah rested her hand on his chest, smiling when his hand landed on top of hers. “If we’re lucky, Astra will have had her fill with Stormy and she’ll run her out of town herself.”
“What are the odds we’re that lucky?”
Hannah shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s nice to dream about, though.”
“Then dream.” He kissed her forehead. “Try to stay away from those witches tonight. You need a good night’s sleep.”
Hannah couldn’t agree more.
SHE WOKE IN THE CLOUDY DREAMSCAPE again and knew the tranquility she was looking for wasn’t going to be found after all. This time she was on top of the mountain. She could tell by the trees, although all the present-day landmarks she would’ve recognized from Casper Creek were missing.
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” a petulant voice asked from somewhere to her left. “I don’t ask for much. Just that.”
Hannah moved in that direction, curious despite herself. As wretched as she found the dreams, there was also something fascinating about them.
“Oh, don’t be such a baby,” another voice taunted. “I’m not doing anything.”
“If you weren’t doing anything, I wouldn’t care that you were here.”
“Oh, yeah? Tell me what I’m doing.”
“Annoying me.”
Hannah stopped at the edge of a small clearing. Even though there was nothing to differentiate the spot from the rest of the wilderness, there was something familiar about the location. A hint of movement under the full moon caught her attention in the middle of the field and there, standing a good twenty feet apart, were the witches.
The dark one stood with her arms outstretched, gazing adoringly at the moon. The other, the one Hannah was convinced lacked pigmentation, boasted an aggressive stance as she glared at her sister.
“Why don’t you just leave?” the first voice asked. It belonged to the dark witch Hannah realized. Bettina. She was the one with the dark hair, at least that’s what the book said.
“Why don’t you just leave?” Amelia shot back.
“Because I’m not doing anything.”
“Oh, we’re not having this conversation again.” Amelia made a disgusted face. “I know you get off on playing the victim, but it doesn’t work on me. I know what you are.”
“And what’s that?” Bettina asked on a sneer.
“Standing in my way. This property was supposed to be mine when Father passed. He told me himself.”
“That’s funny, because he told me the same thing.”
“He was lying to you.”
“Or perhaps he was lying to you.”
“No.” Amelia vehemently shook her head. “Father wouldn’t lie to me. We had a special relationship.”
“Yes, the entire village knows about your special relationship with him.”
“Don’t be crass.”
“I’ll be whatever I want to be.”
The words weren’t dated, Hannah realized. The conversation was more modern than she would’ve envisioned, which threw her for a loop when recognition bloomed. Shouldn’t the language of the time have been different? Why was it the same?
“Only one of us can rule this land,” Amelia volunteered. “You know that as well as me. As long as the other is here to serve as a dampener, neither one of us will ever get what we truly want.”
“Then leave and I’ll take over the land.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Father left it to me.”
“He left it to both of us. There was a reason he did that. You might not be able to see it right now, but I do. The world needs balance. Actually, both worlds need balance. This is the veil between them, though, and if it’s not balanced, both sides will fail.”
If Hannah thought she was confused before, it was nothing compared to how she felt now. Both sides? Veil? What were they talking about?
“I’ve been doing some thinking,” Bettina said, her voice softer than it had been before. “There’s a reason neither of us can leave.”
“Yeah, because we both want power.”
“I can only see that reality half the time.”
“You always did struggle with the obvious,” Amelia said dryly.
Bettina ignored the dig. “Maybe the master of this domain is the one who can give it up.”
“That’s an interesting theory. Let’s test it. Give the land to me and we’ll see what happens.”
Bettina’s chuckle was hollow. “Such a gracious offer. I’ll have to pass, though.”
Amelia shrugged. “Your loss.” Her eyes moved to the sky. “The witching hour is
