Twisted Magic (24 page)

“You’re a young woman. I’m sure he
trusts
you.” Hutch went back to the spells, so many spells and things to know. “She wrote it down, so when you get home take this
paper and read over it carefully. And then I want you to do it and do it right.
You have to do it
exactly,
or it’s not going to work.”

I folded the piece of paper and slipped it into my shorts without reading it. I was nervous to see what I had to do, what I could possibly mess up. What if it was like on television and something else happened unwanted and unexpected.

Hutch touch
ed
my hand. “I have faith in your ability. Now you just need to have a little faith.”

I sighed. “I hope your right.”

“I am.”

“What if it works, what does that mean for me going up against Audrey?” I
didn't think
that far. A binding spell was supposed to protect me. And to keep Audrey from harming anyone else, but if it worked
what,
then, if I was the winner that meant Audrey was the loser.

Audrey wanted Slade. I looked at Hutch deeply concerned. “I’m not sure why I am even doing this anymore.” I was losing my way, my meaning.

Now that I met
Hutch,
I wasn’t sure Slade was the right guy for me. Or why I was struggling so hard to hold onto
someone
who
didn’t want me as much as I wanted him. I thought Slade was the best thing that ever happened to me. I thought the world of him, but suddenly sitting on the beach next to
Hutch. He
paled in comparison. And that was nobody’s fault but his. Hutch took what he wanted, he had fight in him. Slade didn’t do much to hold onto the things he cared about—or maybe he just didn’t care about me.

Hutch tugged me by the
chin;
he looked me in the eye
s
. “The only thing you should be concentrating on is getting away from something that will ruin you.
This
will ruin you.”

I
nodded. I
was sure it could. I wasn’t as strong as Slade or Kidd. I wasn’t Lucy. I also didn’t know the first thing about surviving and keeping a dark coven happy
at the same time
. They would eat me alive. And Audrey would be the first one to take the bite.

“If you care about your
friends,
then you do whatever you see fit. But I am going to tell you like it is, Hope. You are going to find out they are a lot more loyal then you might have thought.
”

I thought about the time Slade went to great
lengths to rid himself of Ezra, s
o we
could have
a chance, a
nd how he saved me from Tucker and his dad, the image of Slade driving a knife into my chest sent a chill through
me. I
saw his dark side that night.

“Do you think he made the right choice?” I asked Hutch. He had no clue what I was talking about. So I explained.
“That night, when Slade changed
me.
He
also saved me from something horrible. I probably wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for what he did.”

Hutch shrugged. “I’m not the one to answer that. Maybe he didn’t want to be alone.”

“Yeah, but Slade could have anybody. He didn’t have to pick me.” Did he?

Hutch grinned, shaking his head incredulously. “It’s always funny watching something so beautiful not know how beautiful it really is. It’s sad even.”

I looked
away;
some flattering comments were overwhelming to hear from another person. I could never believe such a thing, even if he was being sincere. I didn’t see myself that way.

“Don’t you see
it,”
Hutch asked. H
e pushed my hair from my shoulders, forcing me to smile. “He’s a lucky guy.”

This made me frown, and shot me back into reality. “Just when I think you couldn’t get any more charming you take it up a couple more notches.”

He traced my bottom lip. “And what
about that is sad?
”

“I don’t know,” I sighed,
laying
my head against his shoulder.

“Because I’m not the one you want to hear it from.” He
laughed
to himself, maybe he realized I was still hanging on to hope or lord knows what. I wasn’t sure.

“Hutch, I’
m sorry,
” I said suddenly
,
pulling away from him. “I’m saying and doing all the wrong things. This probably would be considered leading someone on.” I had no
idea. I
had no prior experience other
than
Slade. I stood
up. I
had to get home. It was suddenly very clear I was growing
too
fond of Hutch. And I wasn’t in the position to take advantage of his good will.

Hutch nodded, okay with letting me
leave
. “You take care of the things you have to take
care of.
And if you need anything you know where to find me.”

I squeezed him
tightly;
he wrapped his arms around me. “Be very careful, Doll. Promise me that?”

“
I promise,
” I agreed.

He produced ano
ther scrap of paper. “My number, I kno
w Karsen stole your phone last night so the
old-fashioned way
will just have to work.”

I smiled, tucking the paper in my pocket. “I’ll guard it with my life. See you later, Hutch.”

He smirked, lingering for a couple more seconds. “Fight the good fight, rah
rah
rah
and all that good stuff right?”

I laughed, heading back to my house alone.

A little part of me
was
sad that it had to end, that I couldn’t have spent more time with him before I went back to my miserable life. And all the people that were going to let me have it when I showed myself, but suddenly I didn’t care, none of that mattered because I had one goal in mind. And that was crafting my special
abilities,
so I could defend myself and whatever it was I wanted from Audrey and the coven.

I turned the knob slowly, trying hard to keep my noise to a min
im
um as I snuck into my own house. Dad’s van was parked outside which meant he was probably home.

But all that was for nothing when I saw Nona hovering over the stove stirring a pot of chili, her worry lines—or anger
was
very prominent.

“Hey, Hope,” she said, using my given name
that
was always a bad sign.

“Hi Nona.”
I dropped my gaze to the door already feeling like a criminal for showing up after such a wild night.

Nona ground pepper over the pot of chili and returned the pepper to the counter.
The pungent smells of fresh herbs and spicy meats made my mouth water.

“How’s work going?” She eyed me suspiciously as I tried to get to my bedroom.

“Good
,
things are
decent."
I smiled quickly before she dissected my strange behavior. “Look, Nona. I am sorry. Is Dad upset with me?” I looked into the
living room
for signs of him, but he wasn’t there.

Nona stirred the chili and let out a long sigh. “Why would he be upset with you
,
sweet pea?
You’re
not the evil bitch running around on him.”

My heart sank. This had nothing to do with
me;
Nona was in our house making food for Dad because of a breakup.

“When did this happen?” I pulled up a chair, covering my neck with my hair so Nona didn’t go on a rant about letting
boy’s
mouths do such horrid things.

“Well
at one of the school committee meetings
it was the big
scandal
circling around. You would think she knew better
than
to run around
Cherry. Everything
gets back to me.” Nona pulled up a seat and pulled out a pack of her skinny cigarettes. She lit one with a match, shaking the flame out. I hated when she smoked in our house.

“Did you punch her?” I smirked.

Nona shook her head, shooting a look at the hallway before she answered me
.
“No, I have more class then that. But I did tell her to think twice if she ever thought about coming around my son again.”

I frowned. Nona waved a hand in the air. “We are not going to let this get us down. I am making your dad his favorite food. And we are going to keep him in good spirits.”

“He said Lynette was the only good thing in his life,” I told her, and if she was gone then I knew what was going to happen next. I could tell by the look in Nona’s eyes that she felt the same way.

“
The boys are still young. T
hey need a good parent in their lives. Lord knows your mother doesn’t care.” Nona rolled her eyes, snuffing out her cigarette and going back to
the
chili
.
“And your dad is full of shit. He has three very good things in his
life, y
ou,
Elliot and Easton.”

I got up
,
lingering in the doorway, wanting to ask Nona what I could do to help keep Dad away from Jack Daniels. But I wasn’t sure she would give me a straight answer. She didn’t like to discuss Dad’s crutch with anyone. She liked to ignore it.

“Nona, what makes one person care so much and others care so little?”

Nona whirled around, her eyebrows high on her head. “I am not quite sure what you mean.
However,
I think whoever gave you that love bite cared enough in that moment.”

I pulled my hair over my neck my cheeks on fire. She leaned against the counter crossing her expensive red heels. “I think everyone
cares,
to
some extent. Some
people are just better at showing it.”

I nodded. It made sense.

“Is this about Slade and the blonde?” She asked.

My jaw fell open. How had she figured that out? Was he running all over
the town
with Audrey?

“Like I told you
,
I know everything that goes on in Cherry. And if I
was
you,
I would keep away from that girl. She looks like a bowl full of trouble.” Nona nodded her head.

***

I plopped down on my bed after a long shower
,
glad to be home. I was tired, but now was the perfect time to do the spell that Hutch told me about. I pulled the rope from the drawer and sat down on the bed.

I unfolded the paper.

Cast the circle in your normal manner.

Kneel at your altar, and bless all Items.

Write the person’s name on a scrap of paper
unless you have a photograph
, and hold it at eye level.

Envision a big black X over their
name
.

Now pick up the rope
, and begin wrapping the
paper
while saying:
''I bind you (
persons
name) from doing
harm, harm
against other people, and harm against yourself.''

Repeat until you have wrapped the entire ribbon around the picture. Drip some of the black
candle wax
over the
ribbon's
ends,
draw an equal armed cross over the
whole
thing and say:
''it
is done''

I
laid
the paper on the bed and quickly tore a piece of paper from my journal. I wrote the name Audrey on it, hoping the magic worked without a last name. But it was
magic,
and I trusted whatever the
higher
being was it knew who the spell was intended for.

I dropped t
o
my knees pulling out the wooden hope chest Nona had given me years ago. It would have to do as
an
altar.

I made sure the door was locked before I started. I kneeled as the directions stated.

“A
blessing,”
I asked
out loud.
I thought back to the many witch movies and televisions shows I watched and settled on touching each item
as I thought positive thoughts
.