Damned and Cursed (Book 9): Witch Trial Read online

A slow smile touched her lips.

  "Sure," she said. "But you have to help me."

  "With what?"

  "We have to go out tonight."

  He sighed as he leaned against the couch.

  "Marie—"

  "Not for long. One of the bar's we stopped in last night, I heard one of the owners talking. They're hurting, will probably be closing up soon. I want to go check it out."

  "You want to buy the place?"

  "Maybe," she said, shrugging. "Or maybe I'll just buy their inventory, equipment. I don't know yet. But come with me. We'll check things out, then stay in for the night."

  Kevin realized at that moment, after a week of spending time together, that they were actually friends. Marie was no longer his guardian, or babysitter, as Jack would say.

  "Okay."

  "Alright." Marie was obviously pleased. "Let's go."

  She squatted and lifted her end of the couch easily. Kevin barely kept up as they crossed the alley.

  "Are you strong all the time?" he asked.

  "You mean even when I'm not a werewolf?"

  Wincing, he searched nearby to make sure no one heard. They were alone.

  "Yeah."

  "I am," she said, nodding. "When I change, everything goes up. Strength, speed, senses."

  "Are you stronger than a vampire?"

  She laughed.

  "I have no idea. I never fought one."

  Martha's home had a door leading directly to the basement, making the move much easier. They set the sofa on the cold concrete. Marie lounged on the couch and kicked her legs up while Kevin retrieved his fanny pack from the kitchen. He rifled through potions as he walked down the stairs. He needed to work on organizing his magic. Doubt crept in. His coat had its issues when it came to being a witch's weapon.

  Was a fanny pack much better?

  "So," Marie said. "When are you going to apologize to your girlfriend and put all this behind you?"

  The question surprised him enough to freeze in place on the stairs. He gave Marie his attention, who looked up with a hint of a smile.

  "I don't know."

  She leaned forward.

  "Okay, then when are you heading home? You know you can't stay here forever."

  "You don't have to stay," he said, taking a guess at the reasoning behind the questions. "I'm okay. Just tell Jack I'm fine."

  "I'm not in a hurry to leave. But this place—" She cringed as she looked around the basement. "It's not a great guest house."

  Kevin slid a finger along the cauldron.

  "I like it."

  "What are you going to do with Betty here? There's already a couch."

  He pulled out a picture along with a portal portion.

  "It's not for here."

  Marie's eyes lit up as she stood up.

  "Ah, that magic doorway thing again? I'm an old woman, I've seen a lot. And seeing that still amazes me."

  He created the portal. His fingers and gestures were fast from so much practice. The picture vanished as the portal spread across the basement wall.

  But he had many more.

  Marie poked her head through slowly and let out a few careful sniffs.

  "What is this place?"

  He smiled.

  CHAPTER 18

  Martha's palms were cold and clammy, even with the heat in her car on full blast. She opened the window and turned down the temperature, trying to find that perfect balance. The cool breeze played through her hair. Her hand trembled as she reached for the turn signal. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Her heart pounded in her chest as a wave of nausea attacked her.

  She wanted to believe her sudden sickness was normal. A sign of poor health, of aging. A witch's ability to heal went very far, but it couldn't cure everything.

  But Martha was in perfect health, and she knew why she felt ill.

  The moment she'd somehow avoided for decades was finally here. She knew it would come eventually. For some reason, she always envisioned it would be raining, or possibly snowing. The weather would be off in some way. It was cold, but besides that, the skies were clear. Bright and sunny, not a cloud in sight.

  She parked outside the hotel. The lot was mostly empty, but she chose the furthest spot she could find. She dreaded the walk, but didn't dare make it any shorter. Fear, apprehension, they were both there. But so was hope. People changed in twenty years.

  Martha checked her purse one last time before turning off the engine.

  The walk to the hotel lobby felt like it took an hour. It hadn't changed much since she'd last been inside. A new paint job, and the front desk had been reworked a bit to accommodate modern computers and phones. But everything else was the same. There was still a sitting area near the door, with a coffee pot and TV off to the side. A man in a business suit drank a cup while poking at a tablet.

  She approached the front desk and forced her biggest smile.

  "Hi. I'm looking for—"

  Then she heard her laugh.

  Martha turned toward the cafeteria, off to the right. The doorway obscured her a bit, but Martha recognized the gray hair, pulled into a tight bun. Someone crossed the doorway carrying a plate of complimentary waffles.

  "Never mind," she said. "I think I hear them now."

  Adjusting her purse on her shoulder, she approached the cafeteria. She wanted to run. It took more effort than she would have thought to put one foot in front of the other. But she somehow managed, and stood at the doorway.

  The hotel cafeteria wasn't large. It housed maybe twenty tables. Breakfast was spread out over several counters near the windows, buffet style. A couple sat at one table, with a tiny baby sleeping in a carrier at their feet. A cook passed through, dropping off more waffles.

  The coven sat at the corner table, furthest from the doorway. Martha let out a slight smile as they adhered to the rules, even at breakfast. Always be where you can see everyone.

  A flurry of emotions overwhelmed her as she looked over the familiar faces. Aggie, Caroline, Elizabeth, Darlene, and Ina. The only one missing was Edwin, their only male member. They'd all been through so much together. They'd fought with every creature imaginable, and each other. They'd created guidelines to help witches survive, helped several of them readjust to life after discovering their magical abilities.

  The coven had done so much good. Martha always wanted to believe the good outweighed the bad.

  But she wasn't sure.

  Ina noticed Martha first. She was raising a cup to her lips, and froze. The years had been kind to Ina. Her red hair still hadn't grayed, and her pale skin was smooth and wrinkle-free. Martha used to joke with Ina about creating a beauty potion.

  The rest of the coven followed her stare and turned in their seats.

  Martha noticed the wide range of emotions. She went through them as well. Shock, relief, sadness, regret. Grabbing a chair from a nearby table, she settled in between Caroline and Elizabeth, across from Aggie. She took note of their stones, all in plain view. They were either around the neck, or on a finger. Only Caroline kept hers around her wrist, in the form of a bracelet.

  "Hello, everyone," Martha said. "It's good to see you."

  She didn't know whether she was lying or not. No one said a word, or moved a muscle. Only Aggie sipped her tea.

  "Where's Eddie?" she asked, smiling at memories of him. "I thought he'd have scarfed all the pancakes and sausage by now."

  "Edwin died four years ago," Elizabeth said. "Heart attack."

  "Oh, God."

  Martha felt her chest tighten. All the decisions she'd made, all the mistakes, forced their way to the front of her mind. She couldn't even say goodbye to an old friend, go to his funeral.

  Aggie glanced around the table, eyeing the rest of the coven. Martha knew exactly what she was doing. She was searching for whoever clued Martha in. Martha didn't dare react, didn't indicate Caroline in the slightest.

  "So," Martha said. "Still on the way to hunt some werewolves?"

  It was an att
empt at a joke. No one laughed. Aggie set her cup down and leaned forward on her elbows.

  "I asked you, directly, if they had a child. You looked me straight in the eye, and lied. And you hid him, kept him from us. Do you realize how much that hurts me?"

  Aggie was all business. No stories about werewolves, or excuses as to why the coven gathered. Even as the butterflies danced in her stomach, she summoned strength.

  "Let's not argue about whom hurt whom the most," she said, glaring at each of them. "We've all done our share of hurting and arguing." She looked at the table and let out a sigh. "How did you find him?"

  Aggie gestured to Elizabeth.

  "I found out two years ago," she said. "I saw on the news that two people were miraculously healed in a hospital."

  Martha nearly reacted to the memory, but kept her composure. There was no need to give them more information.

  "I bribed some security guards, pieced together what I could from the cameras," Elizabeth continued. "I was just getting ready to reach out to him, when I saw you already had."

  "Which," Aggie interjected, her tone dripping with condescension. "You're forbidden to do."

  "It wasn't hard to figure the rest out," Elizabeth said. "I saw he was adopted, how old he was. Hell, Martha, he even looks like his father."

  The table went silent. There was a time Martha would be a part of any decision the coven made. That time was long gone, and now she awaited one of their decisions.

  "What do we do now?" Martha asked. "Or, what do you do now?"

  Aggie sighed.

  "Ladies, could the two of us have a moment alone?"

  The coven slowly stood up and left the cafeteria. She locked eyes with each of them, trying to convey with a look how sorry, and disappointed, she was.

  Martha and Aggie were alone. Aggie stood up and went to pour herself another cup of tea, as if she didn't have a care in the world. She even poured a cup for Martha.

  "Some sugar, with a drop of honey," she said as she sat once again. "Just how you like it."

  "Are you sure there isn't anything else in there?"

  "Of course not."

  Martha gently pushed the tea toward the center of the table.

  "Don't take offense, but I think I'll pass."

  "I do take offense. I'm saying I didn't put anything in your tea. There's only one of us sitting here with a history of lying."

  "And there's only one with a history of murder."

  Martha expected Aggie to lash out, get angry. She was surprised when she didn't. All Aggie did was sip her tea and stare at the table. She wiped at an eye. Was she crying?

  "How did we get here?" she asked. "We used to be one of the closest covens. Everyone looked up to us."

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any of this. But what you did, it was wrong."

  "It was necessary. You know that."

  "No, I don't know that."

  "I can't believe we're still arguing about this. Twenty years later."

  "There never was an argument. You decided I was in the wrong, and forced me from the coven."

  "Everyone agreed with me. We voted."

  "Absolutely meaningless—"

  "Stop!"

  Their voices carried through the cafeteria, attracting the attention of the few nearby. The couple with the baby spoke in hushed whispers as they gawked.

  Aggie said something Martha thought she'd never hear.

  "Can we move past this?" she asked. "Just…somehow? We want to move on. We want you back where you belong, with us."

  Martha leaned back in her seat. She didn't do very well hiding her doubts.

  "Back with the coven?"

  "Yes. Some of the magic we've come up with since you've been gone…." Aggie let out the first genuine smile Martha had seen she'd arrived at Sanders. "Absolutely wonderful. You should be a part of it. And all you have to do is nothing. Just…let us do what we must. You don't even have to be involved."

  Martha reached out and placed her hand on Aggie's.

  "You don't have to do this. He's a good kid." She shook her head. "No, not a kid. He's a great young man."

  Aggie's stern expression returned.

  "Martha, you know we can't leave him be."

  "You don't have to kill him!" She had to compose herself, lower her voice. "He shouldn't have to pay for my mistakes."

  "Relax. No one is going to kill him."

  Martha went quiet a moment. She pulled her hand away. Aggie didn't flinch, her eyes didn't stray. The full horror of what she had planned settled on Martha.

  "No…."

  "Martha—"

  "I won't let you do that."

  Martha stood and headed for the doorway. As she passed Aggie, the elder witch reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.

  A tear ran down her cheek.

  "If you leave," she said. "You're rejecting us. You're turning your back on people who love you, and I know you love. Ina saved your life so many times. Elizabeth jumped in the path of that magic arrow, that was meant for you. She lost her powers for nearly a year. Do you remember that?"

  "I do."

  Martha's thoughts were a mess. She knew in her heart there was so much more to say. But the words wouldn't come. She cried as well, because she believed Aggie. If she stepped aside, let them do their terrible things, they would welcome her with open arms back into the coven.

  She said the only thing she could.

  "I'm sorry."

  Pulling her hand free, she went on her way without looking back.

  Martha left the cafeteria and headed for the exit. She was halfway there when movement from the right caught her attention. Ina was sitting in the lounge area. She rose from the chair and walked slowly toward the door, cutting off her escape. Leaning against the glass window, her posture sent a very clear message.

  They wouldn't let her leave. There was nowhere to run.

  Martha turned and walked toward the elevator and stairwell. She didn't dare run, didn't shout for help. She knew her coven well, and while they never wished to hurt anyone, they weren't above killing ten humans if it meant eliminating one dangerous supernatural creature.

  Such as a rogue witch.

  She risked a look over her shoulder as she entered the stairwell. Ina still pursued, but at a leisurely pace. She held her finger up to her lips, talking into her stone.

  Martha shoved the door to the second floor open. She tried to remember the layout of the hotel. It had been so many years, and her memory wasn't what it used to be. She tried to think ahead. They certainly had her car covered by now, possibly even disabled. But she could still escape on foot.

  She grabbed her phone from her purse as she walked briskly down the hallway. There was no signal. She shook her head in disgust. Her lack of signal had nothing to do with the age of her phone, or the structure of the hotel. The coven had already put magic in place. They were two steps ahead of her.

  Looking up, she saw Elizabeth standing at the end of the hallway.

  Martha again reached into her purse and found what she was looking for. The coven outnumbered her, and she hadn't used offensive magic in years. But she still had tricks.

  Clutching the key in her hand, she opened the hotel room door to her left.

  The young woman screamed as Martha bumped into her. She was leaving the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her. A man lying on the bed watching TV jumped to his feet. Martha shut the door behind her.

  "Who the fuck are you!" he shouted.

  The woman pressed against the wall as Martha passed. She quickly studied the room. A window with a terrible view, a dresser, a tiny refrigerator, a microwave.

  "Calm down," Martha said.

  "I think you have the wrong room," the woman said.

  Martha pulled a marker from her purse. Her eyes fell on the white towel the woman wore.

  "I'm very sorry, but I need this."

  She ripped the towel away. The woman shouted as she threw hands over various body parts. The man reached fo
r the phone next to the bed, to call security. Martha aimed her flashlight quickly, careful not to overdo the exposure. The light that struck their eyes made them cry in pain. Too much magical light from her flashlight would blind them for weeks.

  She approached the wall next to the dresser and created a portal, but didn't step through. The adjacent room was empty. She created another portal across from the first. The maid gasped when the hole in the wall appeared.

  Martha pulled a vial from her purse, and she let out a smile. The vial reminded her of Kevin. It had become his container of choice. She typically used tiny jars or flasks, but she could see the appeal.

  She poured it on the towel as she wedged herself in the corner, and covered up to her chin.

  The door opened.

  Elizabeth stepped inside the room. She glanced at the couple, still rubbing their eyes. The man was on his knees with his head pressed into the bedsheets. The woman leaned against the wall, feeling about with her hands.

  The maid from the neighboring room poked her head through the portal, her jaw hanging open. Elizabeth approached her.

  "Where did she go?" she asked. "Did she go that way?"

  The maid said nothing. Elizabeth peered through both portals. She couldn't see Martha in the corner, hiding behind her crude form of invisibility. If she didn't make any sudden movements, Elizabeth would see nothing.

  "Smart," Elizabeth said. "I've missed you."

  She stepped through the portal to the empty hotel room. Martha moved quickly and quietly. She dropped the towel and walked to the door. If she were able, she would have closed the portal behind Elizabeth, trapped her in the room for at least a few seconds. But those types of tricks belonged only to Kevin.

  All she could do was leave Elizabeth behind to her fruitless search.

  Martha jogged down the hall, as fast as her body would allow. If she was right in her memory of the hotel, there was another elevator and stairs around the corner to the right. Going down would lead to a conference room and workout center, as well as another set of exit doors to the back lot.

  Before she could grab the handle, the door flew open. A pair of hands reached out and pulled her inside. Martha pulled her fist back, ready to strike. It wasn't exactly elegant or magical, but she'd beaten her way out of bad situations before.