Page 35 of Cheater Slicks

Had Carter told her to pack her bags? Or that her bags had been packed?

“Everything is great.” She injected cheer into her voice. “Just peachy.”

The call ended with me convinced everything wasnotgreat, and I was staring down the barrel of an ugly breakup that I never should have taken part in. “Sistering is hard.”

“I can only imagine.” Kierce hesitated, proceeding with caution. “Their relationship, or however they want to label it, is theirs to fix or end. You can’t do either for them.”

“You’re right.” I smushed my face into his chest, breathing him in. “I just wish I could help.”

“Just being there helps.” He kissed the top of my head. “Don’t underestimate the small things.”

With those words of wisdom ringing in my ears, and time to kill until midnight, I tipped my head back and savored the not-so-small thing of being able to kiss a man who supported me—goddess-possessed alligators and all.

* * *

“Maringouin.”

Never had I been so grateful to hear the hated nickname as I cut through strutting spirits to reach Rollo. Two women twirled around him, reminding me of the men who had restrained Vi, but they didn’t touch him. Whether the women were other souls chosen for this role or only a manifestation of the enchantment, they had no reason to get handsy with him.

The magic glazing his eyes, forcing him to blink free of its hold, told me he was struggling. But I had anticipated this. Which was why Kierce and I had split up, him seeking out Vi while I tackled Rollo.

That Matty had sunk from our first priority to third made me want to vomit, but I had to be smart. Even if it made me sick. I had to park my heart on the bench and let my brain take the wheel.

A glimpse of him to reassure myself he was still here would have to suffice for now.

“Mamaw is here,” he shouted over the heads of everyone between us. “I saw her.”

“Kierce is helping Vi,” I promised him, “but first you need to tell me what happened to you.”

“I was in my office.” He didn’t put up a fight, which further proved his will was degrading. “I had the…” I waited for him to continue, but he frowned. “I had it in my hand. Something. A glass.” A slur smudged his words, and a silly grin wreathed his mouth. “You’re beautiful, Frankie-boo. Ever told you that?”

With him losing his faculties, I had no time to waste. I had to attempt an extraction.Now.To do that, I needed him alert. “Vi always said you were mean to me because you have a crush on me.”

“Mean to you ’cause I don’t like you.” His voice turned syrupy. “Doesn’t mean I don’t got eyes.”

“Okay, Romeo, hold that thought.” I walked backward, shifting my palms to his chest, funneling my powers into him the same as I would any spirit I wanted to solidify. “These are starting to sound like deathbed confessions, and now’s not the time for that. Or for finishing your thought.”

A faint resistance when I pressed against him proved I was making headway, but I couldn’t quite get him to a point where I could grip him. Like me, Kierce hadn’t been able to put hands on Matty that first time. I was willing to bet that meant he wouldn’t have much luck with Rollo either.

That left me with one last option, and I prayed she would hear my call for help.

Diving into my consciousness, to the place where her voice rang in my head, I shouted with everything in me.“Anunit.”

For a few seconds, I feared she couldn’t show, that I would have to wait another night for action.

We had so little time before the parade was over, and I hadn’t put eyes on Vi or Matty yet.

Aside from instructing me in my duties, Anunit had shown zero interest in other aspects of my life. Honestly? I had a hunch that she had been chained to her role for so long, she was enjoying an excuse to stretch her legs in the real world. I don’t think she minded putting off my education one bit.

A warm presence brushed against my side, the swish of her feathered tail tickling my calves.

“Help me pull him free.” I slumped with relief to see her. “He’s stuck, and I can’t get a grip on him.”

“This enchantment is divine.”She hummed to herself.“I am not sure we can succeed alone.”

Risking a glance over my shoulder, I spotted the head of the parade dissolving into the night air.

“Just try, okay? Hurry. Please.” I was already losing my tenuous hold. “He won’t last much longer.”

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