“She was being a nuisance. I needed to keep her away from you lest she warn you of my intentions. It turned out not to matter.”
“So ... maybe you should drop the barrier, huh? I mean, I don’t want to tell you your business or anything, but Casper Creek is still Abigail’s home.”
“She lied to you.” Bettina’s eyes filled with confusion. “She didn’t tell you what was necessary and you were vulnerable.”
“Yes, and we’ll have to talk about that.” Hannah held out her hands. “She’s still my grandmother. I believe she had my best interests at heart, even if she went about things in the worst possible way.”
“Hannah ....” Abigail looked pained.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Hannah warned. “Now is not the time for this conversation.”
Abigail nodded in agreement, her eyes dark when they landed on Bettina. It was obvious she didn’t trust her either.
“As for you ....” Bettina used her magic to release Stormy, her lips curving when Stormy sucked in gasping mouthfuls of oxygen.
“You could’ve killed me!” Stormy railed, rubbing her throat. “I almost died.”
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” Bettina admonished. “You were in no danger ... until now. I want to know where my sister is.”
Stormy was the cagey sort and she was leery as she continued to rub at her vulnerable neck. “I have no idea who your sister is.”
“I rendered you mute, not deaf,” Bettina argued. “You heard everything that was said. Pretending you have no idea what we’re talking about will only anger me.”
“I’m guessing you don’t want that,” Hannah prodded.
“Fine.” Stormy threw up her hands. “I know what you’re talking about … vaguely. I don’t know who your sister is.”
“It’s Astra,” Hannah snapped. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“She has been extra bitchy the last few days,” Stormy admitted. “Maybe this is why. You’re right. If she’s not at her store, though, I don’t know where she is. I haven’t seen her since last night.”
The response troubled Hannah. “You were together when I saw you.”
“Yes, and then she got really angry. I took off and hid because she threatened to kill me. Why else do you think I spent the night out here? I was over that way.” She gestured toward the north. “I slept under a tree and woke up about thirty minutes before you found me. I was trying to make my escape ... but that obviously didn’t happen.”
“Obviously,” Hannah agreed dryly. “Well ... we’ll have to find her.” She was about to suggest to Bettina that they head in the direction of the store when a hint of movement caught her attention across the way. There, the woman in question stood, equally as disheveled as Stormy, and she didn’t look happy.
“Well, well, well. What have we here?”
19
Nineteen
“Astra.” Hannah took a deliberate step toward the woman. The creek separated them, but she had no intention of allowing the white-haired witch to escape. There was a chance, if she worked with Angel — er, Bettina — that they would be able to lock both souls away again and free Angel to resume her life. There was nothing she wanted more than that.
“This is a very odd meeting of the minds,” Astra noted, glancing from face to face. “I wondered if you were working against me, Stormy. Actually, I knew you were. I have to admit that I didn’t imagine you would be working with this one, though. I guess it makes sense in an odd way.”
She didn’t sound any different, Hannah mused. It wasn’t like with Bettina and Angel. The girl’s demeanor was noticeably different when she popped up at the creek. Astra seemed exactly the same.
“We’re not working together,” Hannah supplied. “We’re simply ... having a discussion.”
“About me?”
“Oddly enough, yeah. We’re talking about you ... Amelia.”
Absolute shock registered on Astra’s face – more confusion than surprise – as Bettina moved in her direction. Hannah only had a split second to make a decision. Something felt very wrong about this situation and she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what. “Wait.” She extended her hand in front of Bettina but had it roughly slapped away.
“Waiting is a mistake,” Bettina shot back. “I cannot wait.”
Hannah was determined to stop her and was halfway into the creek, still grappling with Bettina, when a voice rang out.
“Hannah!”
Instinct had Hannah turning toward the hill, to where Cooper was racing in her direction. He looked panicked.
The world moved in slow motion at that point for Hannah. Cooper waved his hands in the air, wildly gesturing toward something she couldn’t quite make out. He wasn’t alone. Tyler flanked him on one side, Boone on the other ... and Boone had his gun raised.
“Don’t!” She shook her head even as she realized she didn’t know what they had planned. “Just ... don’t!” Lindsey was still missing. That’s all Hannah could think about. Somehow, the means to find her were tangled between the witches facing off with one another. If she could just have a few more minutes, she could figure things out.
And then she saw her. Lindsey. The girl wasn’t being held captive somewhere. She wasn’t being tortured or used as leverage. She was trailing behind her father with a morose look on her face, perfectly fine.
“What the ....?”
“Hannah!” Cooper roared her name and pointed again.
Slowly, Hannah turned toward the spot where he was gesturing ... and found Stormy moving toward her with glowing hands and absolute hatred lurking in the depths of her dark eyes. Instinct had Hannah reacting, throwing up her hands and unleashing a torrent of magic.
She didn’t aim so the magic exploded around her, knocking Bettina to her knees in the water and Astra against the tree across the way. Stormy staggered, the magic she’d been gathering errantly flying into the sky. That wasn’t enough to dissuade Stormy, though. She recovered remarkably fast and launched a second attack.
That’s
