“And why should I?” I asked.
“I’ll help you. What do you want to know about the curse?” The desperation in her voice made me smile. Just like her, I showed too many teeth. The threat evident on my face. Her gaze flicked between the four of us, trying to figure out who was going to ask the next question. Like it needed to happen before something else broke.
“How do we stop it?” Beth asked as she slammed her hand down on the table in a surprising display of frustration. “If we don’t reverse it, Cliff is going to kill me. And if you think your karma is bad now, think about how bad it’ll be if that happens.”
“We need to do it in that ugly office house thing of theirs,” Catrin said in a voice that indicated that she’d really given up. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. “It’ll work better there. I turned Cliff into a wolf there. But I need some time to gather the ingredients. Meet me there at dusk.” Her defeat was undoubtable, but in all the movies I’d watched and books I’d read, the dark witch was always crafty. They always had something else tucked up their sleeve. Or a go bag.
I stood and walked over to her. “If you don’t meet us, nothing will be able to hide you from Karma. I am everywhere.” I wasn’t. Not really. But she didn’t know that.
Her face which had been red with anger and shame a moment ago paled and her eyes widened. “I’ll be there,” she whispered.
21
Emma
“I can’t believe she came,” Beth said. We sat on the steps of Roger’s office, waiting for Catrin. It was a half-hour after dark and we really didn’t like being out here, but we’d gone inside, and it had felt ominous and uncomfortable. I couldn’t help but remember the reaction of the ghosts the last time I was in there. Thus, the four of us were huddled on the concrete steps outside the front door to the office.
Catrin had pulled up a few seconds ago. She got out, carrying a black bag that appeared to be loaded down with stuff. What on earth she needed that much stuff for I wasn’t sure, but it made my stomach twist with dread. She’d dressed for the occasion in all black.
Her skinny jeans were more than just skinny, they were skintight and had holes in the knees and thighs, while her black t-shirt had the name of a band I didn’t recognize plastered across the front, and she topped the outfit off with a long black duster cardigan. A large silver pendant gleamed at the base of her throat, drawing the eye. Oh, and don’t forget the black combat boots, or maybe they were Doc Martens, it was hard to tell in the dark, though Doc Martens seemed like they were probably too old for her, or not cool enough. Either way they were heeled and ankle height, and… was that an honest to goodness witch’s hat hooked to the side of the duffle bag? Was there a reason to have a witch’s hat? Surely, they didn’t have to wear one when practicing magic, I mean I’d never seen any of my friends in one. What other reason could it have though?
“Okay,” she called as she walked across the gravel of the parking area. “Let’s do this.” She pushed her glasses up on her nose as she came closer, studying me warily. Part of me wondered if she’d done some checking after we’d left earlier and found out that Karma was real and inhabited a person. Whatever had happened, I was glad for the change in her demeanor. If she hadn’t stopped with the snarky teenager routine, even though she was at least in her late twenties, I would have had to smack her upside the head. Someone would have needed to teach her some respect.
We stood as a group and as I was about to turn and open the door something… huge… appeared out of nowhere. This thing towered over us and was walking on two legs, but they were distorted, backward almost. Large arms hung loosely at its sides and it had hands with claws that were more like blades at the end of each fingertip, each one curving outward and ending in a vicious looking point.
Black fur covered most of its body, which I was grateful for as it also appeared to be naked, and it was only when I looked at its head that I realized this must be Cliff. His face was distorted as though he was stuck halfway between changing from a wolf to a man or vice versa. He had an elongated jaw, but it wasn’t full canine, more like an incredibly severe underbite, and the slope of his face made it look like his eyes should be sitting further back than they were.
“No,” I cried. Whirling, I tried to yank the door open, but it had automatically relocked after a certain period and I knew Beth wouldn’t be able to get it open again before he attacked us.
Cliff lunged forward, coming after Beth. She darted across the parking lot and around our car, her eyes wide with fear as she tried to keep something between herself and Cliff. He paced toward her, unhurried in his attack, as though he already knew the outcome and it was inevitable.
And I swear, in that moment. I felt like her fate was sealed.
22
Emma
“Hex bags!” Carol screamed.
My hands trembled as I reached inside my pocket, and I threw the bag. It hit the side of the thing’s head, and he whirled toward me and hissed. Smoke and sparks flew all over his face for a minute, and he snarled and smacked himself, trying to put the sparks out.
“Ignis!” Deva shouted and threw her bag at his feet.
His feet caught fire, and he howled
