Page 40 of The Mating Claim
Lacey sighed. Tara only meant well, but she was right. “I’m not such a great businesswoman. Not like my mom was. She always made aprofit.”
“And you don’t because you’re generous. You need to find your balance,love.”
“Don’t worry about me.” Forcing a cheerful smile, she waved a hand around. “I always land on myfeet.”
Tara glanced around, her merry expression slipping. “Have you heard the latest? My business partner found a mutilated bat in the alley near the dumpster. There were symbols written in blood near the body. Black magick. It’s the real reason I didn’t want the Skin children in the shop today. Shifter and Otherworlder children know about the dark arts from their parents and how to avoid darkmagick.”
“What kind ofsymbols?”
Tara took a register receipt and scribbled them, showing them to Lacey. “I’d never seen them before. Should I pour salt around our back doors and concoct a protective counterspell?”
But Lacey had, and the symbols worried her. Still, she felt the need to reassure her friend. “Oh, it’s not a big deal. They’re only runes talking about dragons like me, not witches. It’sfine.”
The words failed to reassure Tara, who knew better. Her friend’s eyes widened. “Oh dear, do you think someone wants you gone? Or worse, wishes youharm?”
It didn’t make sense, for at the rate she was going with business, she’d have to close soon. A shiver skated down her spine. She and Tara were the only Others operating stores in this area and for years, had co-existed peacefully with the Skins, never botheringanyone.
“It might be a witch who came in for the sale and wasdisappointed.”
Tara shook her head. “You’ve always had quality products, Lacey. This was something far more ominous than a disappointed customer. Maurice said the bat had been… disemboweled. Almost like a warning... as if the culprit wants this to happen toyou.”
Gorge rose in her throat. It was exactly what the runes had said, but she did not wish to worry Tara. So she covered her fears with a grin and a joke. “Maybe Maurice interrupted a Lupine having a meal of fresh bat. I’m sure it is fine and has nothing to do withme.”
Although she knew it directlydid.
“If you say so.” Tara looked uncertain and then thanked her and squeezed her hand. “If you need help, love, I’m next door. Not now, because I have to run home. But I’ll be back later to open up around11.”
Lacey thanked her and watched her friend headoutside.
Mutilated bats, black magick spells. She needed to act quickly if there was bad juju in the area. Because her life always had enough badjuju.
Leaving would be best. She could close up the shop and take Lucky and split. Lacey had a bad feeling that if she stuck around, much worse would happen. No way would she risk endangering her friend Tara or the innocents at the coffeeshop.
Yesterday’s loss leader of the free spell she’d offered to witches had resulted in $200 in cash for the day. The amount was a drop in the ocean compared to what she owed the bank. Owed the bank? Hell, she didn’t even have enough cash in her drawer to open the shoptoday.
In the delicate parchment pages of the Book of Shadows, she’d found a spell to increase what one presently had. Not the scary, dark spells at the book’s back that made her spine crawl, but a whimsical, fun one that seemedharmless.
Surely Drust’s warning was intended for the dark spells, not thisone.
This spell, written in runes she found easy to translate, as if she’d studied them before, had glowed when she’d opened the book. Scary, but desperatetimes…
It called for use of a magicwand…
Looking around, she spotted a cup holder on the counter containing pens for customers to sign credit card slips. A simple ink pen shouldsuffice.
From her purse, she withdrew the index card with the spell she’d copied from the Book of Shadows. The Percent Spell, it wascalled.
Lacey took all the cash out of her register and spread it on the counter. No, not good. A clear space, away from anything else, in case itbackfired.
The back room had plenty of room so she laid out the cash on the floor. “I sure hope this works,” she told thepen.
Clearing her throat, she pointed the pen at the stack of money and recited the words on the card, her voice low andclear.
“Power of shadow, power of light, turn this object of my delight into fifty percent more of what it appears at night,” she sangout.
The pen trembled in her hand, then bounced up and down like a water diving rod. It glowed dark gray and then purewhite.
Lacey flicked the pen at the cash on the floor. A line of pure energy engulfed the money with such blinding light, it made her eyes water. Lacey squeezed themshut.
