“What’s in your heart,” Danielle replied simply. “You seem to have a really good heart.”
“I hope I do,” Maddie said.
“You do,” Hannah insisted as she slid into the lone remaining chair. “Trust me. I’ve seen enough bad hearts over the past few weeks to recognize a good one. Yours is pretty much pristine.”
Jackie smiled as Maddie’s cheeks turned pink. “I happen to agree with Hannah. It’s obvious you’re on our side.”
“Well, I guess that’s good,” Maddie said finally, taking a moment to glance around the shop. “Not to stick my nose in it or anything, but aren’t covens usually bigger? Is it just the three of you?”
Hannah exchanged a heavy look with Jackie and then held out her hands. “Up until a few weeks ago we had another member. Becky.”
Maddie waited for Hannah to continue. When she didn’t, she prodded the conversation along. “Did she leave or something?”
“She died,” Jackie volunteered in a matter-of-fact tone, making Maddie want to slouch lower in her chair. “It’s a long story and I don’t think anybody is in the mood to discuss it. Suffice it to say, she made a bad choice and suffered the consequences for it. Before her, though, another woman was a member of our coven ... and she was a whole other level of bad.”
“She’s the reason we want to know what’s in your heart,” Danielle volunteered. “She turned out to be a bad witch, and not because she was flubbing spells, but because she was evil.”
Maddie was taken aback. “Oh, well ... I’m almost afraid to ask, but what happened to her?”
“She’s still alive and kicking.” Jackie made a disgusted face. “She’s close, too.”
“She owns a magic store in town,” Hannah explained. “Her name is Astra, and she’s all kinds of awful ... except when she helps us fight off evil. Then she’s not so bad.”
Jackie let loose a disdainful snorting sound. “When has she ever helped us fight off evil?”
“I remember a certain demon in a cave,” Hannah argued. “She helped that day.”
“No.” Jackie fervently shook her head. “She was out here because she wanted to cause problems and got captured by a demon. You saved her. She didn’t do anything to help.”
Hannah wanted to argue the statement but she couldn’t. Jackie spoke the truth, no matter how Hannah wanted to sugarcoat things. “Well, she’s given me information a time or two,” she said finally. “She’s pointed me in the right direction.”
“Probably only because she thought you might get yourself in so much trouble there would be no way for you to dig yourself out,” Jackie argued. “She thought you might die trying to do right by the town. Stop making excuses for her.”
Maddie watched the interplay in dumbfounded disbelief. It took her a few beats to realize her mouth was gaping open. She was going to snap it shut but instead asked the obvious question. “Demons?”
Hannah patted her knee and smiled. “It’s been a busy few weeks. Do you want to hear a story?”
Maddie wasn’t certain she did. She could hardly turn back now, though. “Sure.” She swallowed hard. “Lay it on me.”
NICK THOUGHT HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH magic stores — his wife used to run one out of what now was their living room after all — but nothing could prepare him for the eclectic building Cooper parked in front of.
“I ... don’t know what to say.” Nick shook his head. “I just ... is that a shrunken head in the window?”
Even though they were there for a serious reason, Cooper found amusement in the other man’s obvious discomfort. “They’re all over the place inside. Don’t worry because they’re fake. At least I think they are.”
Nick cast him a dark sidelong look. “Don’t put nightmares in my head. Maddie will see them.”
Cooper’s surprise was evident. “Maddie can see inside your head?”
“Not really, but she knows when I have a bad dream.” Nick slapped his hands to his cheeks and shook his head. “Don’t put that sort of stuff in my head.”
“I’ll try to refrain,” Cooper said dryly, pocketing his keys. “Now, listen, it’s important I do the talking. Don’t react. She’s going to try to get under my skin. I’m used to it. She’s good at what she does, but I can take it.”
“I’ll let you lead,” Nick reassured him. “I won’t say anything if I can help it.”
“That would be great. Also, don’t mention you’re a cop. Astra might pick it up, but I don’t want you to confirm it if she does. It’s best to leave her questioning who you are.”
“No problem.”
Cooper was familiar with the store so he led the way. Once inside, it took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the dreary indoor lighting. The woman behind the counter boasted dark hair so she was clearly not their intended target, but she appeared to recognize Cooper, and she looked almost gleeful when she realized who was darkening her doorstep.
“Well, well, well,” she drawled in a sing-song voice. “Look who it is. Have you finally come to your senses and decided you need a real woman?”
A muscle worked in Cooper’s jaw but he held it together. “I have a real woman. I’m here to talk to Astra. Is she on the patio?”
The woman’s expression didn’t change. “Why go to Astra when I’m right here, sugar?”
“Stormy, I wouldn’t consider dating you if you were the last woman on Earth,” Cooper replied. “I mean that, too.” He motioned for Nick to follow him, not waiting for permission to enter Astra’s private patio area. He wasn’t surprised to find the white-haired witch sitting at her bistro table flipping through a catalog. “Why is Stormy still here?” he blurted out before she could even look up.
Astra appeared surprised by the interruption, but she masked her feelings quickly. “I like her,” she replied. “She has spunk.”
“She’s going to cause you a million headaches,” Cooper argued, grabbing a chair from the other side of the table and sliding into it.
