Page 107 of Her Dreadful Will
“Too bad we found nothing at Achan’s apartment,” she said softly, channeling more magic through the ring. She sensed the words spiraling out of her, seeping into Tarek’s consciousness, imprinting on the empty spaces where his memories had been. Reassured, she kept talking. “Achan wasn’t up to anything shady. There’s no reason to wonder about him any more, or to think about him at all. The extra magic I’m using is from all the lovely, strong sun here in the South, so you’re not concerned about that, either. As for La Voisin’s ring, I mailed it to the address you gave me. It must have gone lost in the mail. You should hurry home to Devon.”
Her heart was pounding so hard it scared her. She took a moment to breathe, slowly and methodically, before returning La Voisin’s ring to her pocket and ordering the paralysis magic to dissipate.
Tarek stayed frozen for a terrifying moment. Then he relaxed and leaned against the counter. “Well, that was a bust. Too bad we wasted all that time,” he said jovially. “I should head to the airport and see if I can’t get a flight back to London. I’ll drop you off at home first.”
It was all Soleil could do to manage pleasant small talk during the drive back to her house. She thought she might cry with relief when she saw her beautiful green front door. Leaping out of the car, she waved to Tarek. “Good luck with your wedding preparations!”
“And good luck with your thesis, chickadee. I’m glad the Southern sun agrees with you so well!”
The instant his car disappeared around the bend, Soleil’s stomach lurched, and she dry-heaved into the bushes.
Once inside, she locked the door and walked straight through the living room, past Carebear and Florence who were dozing together on the couch.
She sat down in her workroom chair, pulled out her phone, and texted Achan.
“Are you alive?”
His answer was immediate. “Like you care. Heading back soon.”
“Meet me at Hatter’s Fall. The moonlight meadow. We need to talk.”
36
Rick was closing the gates to the parking lot of Hatter’s Fall when Soleil arrived. She rolled down her car window, and they looked at each other.
“I’m meeting Achan,” she said. “Should I park somewhere else? Or could you maybe leave the gate open, just for tonight?”
His frown deepened, his beard drooping with the expression. “If I say no, are you gonna make me do it? With your magic?”
“No,” she said. “I don’t mind-flex members of my coven.”
He hesitated, weighing the chain in his hands. “What are you two doing out here?”
“Probably arguing a lot,” she said truthfully. “And then maybe some training. To be honest I’m not sure if I’m going to fight him or fuck him. Maybe both.”
Rick’s beard twitched up a little. “Well, don’t kill him. He owes me money from last poker night.”
“Achan plays poker?”
“Not very well.”
“And he doesn’t cheat?”
“If he does, it hasn’t worked so far.” Rick coiled up the chain again. “I’ll leave the gate unlocked. Just hop out and push it shut behind you when you’re done, okay?”
“Thank you.” Soleil rolled up her window and drove past him into the parking area.
She walked the gloomy trail fast, sidled through the Rabbit Hole, and hurried along the narrow path to the hidden meadow. The grass there was still scarred in places from when Achan had torn up chunks of turf during their last moonlight meeting. The sky, a hazy ombré expanse of peach and pink, was quickly losing its remaining light. Soon it would deepen to purple and indigo, pierced with stars.
Soleil paced the meadow, flexing her ring-laden fingers. She had armed herself with the most powerful rings she owned—except for La Voisin’s ring. It lay in its new hiding place back home.
When Achan arrived, she would paralyze him with her wolverine ring. Then she would transfer all her anxiety into him using the hematite ring. After that, she’d activate her ten minutes of super-strength with the Viking ring and give him a good thrashing.
A little harsh, maybe, but no more than he deserved for what he had done. He’d tricked her into actuallylikinghim. More than liking him, in fact. He had lured her in, playing her for a sappy little fool, so he could ruin her chances at becoming a Highwitch and take the spot for himself.
She wanted to choke him, to feel his pulse stutter under her fingertips, to see his eyes widen the way they did when he was frightened or aroused—
A whispering, chittering sound made her spin, peering across the meadow toward the head of the path—but no one appeared. Instead, a tide of gleaming black beetles flowed over the ground toward her, jostling and climbing each other in their haste. Soleil squeaked in alarm and then cursed loudly to balance out the girlie sound. She considered running, but she was in the center of the field, and at the rate they were coming, they’d catch up to her before she made it to a tree. Not that she could climb any of these trees if she got that far—not enough low branches.
