Captivating Magic (The Thorne Witches #14)

Chapter 14

14

W anting nothing more than to fade away into the ether to regenerate, Ebba sighed. No rest for the weary, it seemed. She chased after Laszlo, followed closely by Liz and Rafe.

“I swear she was just sleeping,” Rafe said, apology heavy in his tone.

“It’s okay, babe.” Liz rubbed his arm. “You couldn’t know when she’d wake.”

Oddly enough, Ebba could and did know. Knowledge was coming at her fast and furious the closer she got to Death’s deadline.

“He was pretending,” she said. “He woke about five minutes after we left.”

Spencer’s fierce expression superimposed over her physical body’s features was disconcerting. Initially, he’d been glaring at Lo, but the instant she spoke, he directed his ire her way.

“What the hell is going on, Lo?” he asked in her normal voice. Anyone who wasn’t already aware of his game would believe it was Ebba speaking. Thankfully, those in the room were steps ahead of the lowlife, scum-sucking toad.

She hadn’t realized she’d spoken the insult aloud until Laszlo snorted.

“Nailed it in one,” he murmured beside her.

“Is the spell to remove him relatively easy?” she asked in a low voice for his ears only.

“It is, but we need a few supplies you might not have available. First things first.” Lo held out his hand. The merest hint of blue flashed, followed by a whirlwind of twinkling lights, rising and rotating like a four-inch tornado in the center of his palm. In the blink of an eye, the mini twister flew straight at Ebba’s physical form, wrapping around her wrists and securing her to the iron bedposts. Lo repeated the process for her legs.

Snarling and spitting, Spencer did his damndest to break his bonds, but the smirk on Laszlo’s face assured him escape wasn’t possible. Next, Lo ripped open her shirt with a flick of his finger, tearing it in a way to expose her skin but protect her modesty. The inherent kindness he displayed only added to her love for him. His was the type of thoughtful character easy to fall for.

And she had. Irrevocably.

Sorrow welled within, and the melancholy was too much. In her ghostly state, her will to fight was strong, but the pervading sense of peace became stronger with every passing moment. Welcoming the inevitable would be the final step in her transition. Before that happened, she needed to ensure Laszlo would be all right. Liz had Rafe to ease the loss. Lo was alone. Like Wilder.

His feelings for her were growing with each moment they spent together. Their forming bond resembled threads in varying shades of purple. Emitting from each of them, those threads drifted across the space, attempting to connect. If those strands fused, his grief would be that of a lover or spouse losing their mate, becoming unbearable for him.

This universal knowledge of the metaphysical had grown exponentially since meeting Isis. It seemed being in the Goddess’s presence had flipped a switch in Ebba’s mind, revealing all the possibilities of the beyond.

Should she tell Lo? Did he already know through his previous work with the supernatural? He was a ghost hunter, after all.

Frowning, she observed the sly way Spencer twisted to expose her breasts in a tempting manner, the easy way Laszlo avoided touching her physical self while placing the clay doll on her chest, and the frustration her unwanted parasite experienced at his inability to get his exorcist to engage.

What would happen if Lo accidentally brushed her skin? Would it open the door for Spencer to escape? These were things she intended to ask when the process was finished. Distracting Lo in the middle of a spell was taboo; even a mortal like her understood the ultimate consequences should she do it.

Liz glanced at her.

“Don’t worry,” Ebba mouthed with a loving smile. “All will be well.”

Tears brightened her friend’s warm amber eyes, brimming along her lower lids before she blinked them away. All but one. A single tear, achingly sad in its solitary trek, represented Ebba’s personal journey. She’d felt alone her entire life despite the closeness of the Thornes. A lone wolf of sorts. It wasn’t surprising she’d die without ever having experienced true love’s embrace.

But maybe if the Fates were kind and reincarnation was real, she’d have the whole kit and caboodle in the next life. She hoped so. Her attention drifted to Laszlo, and she prayed it would be with him. That their souls would link up. If she had to wait a thousand years for it to happen, she would.

“Praeservo!” Laszlo secured the doll against Spencer's chest with a simple command, locking him inside Ebba’s body. This way, his soul wouldn’t escape to find another host while Lo and the others located what they needed to complete Clutch’s spell.

To Liz, he said, “I need a few items from Nash. Think you can find them for me?”

“Are you trying to get rid of me, or are they artifacts only Nash has?”

“Artifacts.” He crossed to her and hugged her tightly, resting his cheek against her shiny blonde head. “Our time with Ebba is running out. I wouldn’t deny you the chance to spend it with her if possible.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

An ache settled in his chest and refused to budge. Never in all the time he’d been dabbling in supernatural affairs like these had the final crossing been subverted. All things ended, and as a magical being, he was well versed in the truth of it, yet for Ebba’s life to be cut down this way, this soon , it was nothing short of tragic.

Her ghostly presence behind him emitted a transitioning glow and was a beacon for Death to find her anywhere she cared to hide.

Clutch was correct.

Lo wouldn’t have a choice.

Pressing a kiss to his sister’s temple, he released her to write up a short list of useful tools he was positive could be found in Nash’s ever-expanding vault.

“This should do it,” he said, handing off the sheet with the four items he sought. “Rafe, you can go too if you want. Nothing more can be done here for the night.”

“You’re to sit vigil?” his brother-in-law asked, concern drawing his brows together.

“Something like that.” After offering a handshake and a grateful smile, Lo drew him into a quick hug. “Thank you for always looking out for my sister. She couldn’t have been blessed with a better man as her soulmate.”

“This sounds a bit like goodbye. You wouldn’t be planning anything foolish, perchance?”

Lo laughed. “No. But this incident has taught me life is short. Things need to be said while we can.”

“Fair enough. In that case, you’re my favorite of all her brothers,” Rafe said with a devilish grin.

“Was there ever any doubt?”

“Not as far as you’re concerned,” Liz retorted, tapping Laszlo’s belly with her balled fist.

“Vicious woman!” He pretended the harmless blow had caused untold pain, and gripped his abdomen, bending double.

Laughing at his ridiculousness, she sandwiched his head between her palms and blew a raspberry on his cheek. “Shut it, you tool!”

Lo caught Ebba watching them, and her longing expression was a literal tug at his soul. Was her yearning to have a familial relationship like Liz’s and his, or was it because she loved him and desired his attention?

Charlotte would’ve stopped their hug by demanding he fetch her something or by saying they were late for one appointment or another. The wedges she used to drive space between him and his family were plentiful. But instead of speaking or complaining, Ebba graced them with a tender smile and nodded, appreciating their bond.

A lump formed in his throat. Why hadn’t he approached her first when they were younger? Believing her too innocent and pure at three years younger, he’d gone for the knockout party girl, who became a constant pain in his ass with her complaining and ultimatums. Love should’ve been about compromise, not the one-sided wants and endless demands of a spoiled woman.

“You’re finally seeing what was there all along,” Liz said in a low voice.

“Yeah,” he said roughly. “I was a fucking idiot.”

“Nah. You were human.” She knocked into his shoulder with hers. “Besides, Ebba’s like a fine wine aged to perfection. If you’d have partaken too soon, you probably wouldn’t have appreciated the flavorful notes.”

“We must find a way to reverse all of this, Liz. She’s too important to us.”

“That goes without saying.” With a rub of his arm and a clearing of her throat, she nodded. “We still have time. Not much, but some. Maybe Isis will come around. She’s never let us down before.”

“Al said he had one other source. I’m hoping he’ll pull a rabbit out of his hat.”

Liz laughed. “He will. He always does. The man’s a world-class magician.”

“Truth.”

“Okay, we’re off to disturb Nash’s dinner. It should make him appropriately salty since Ryanne’s expecting and insisting on three-star Michelin dishes for every meal.”

“He’s spoiled,” Rafe added with a deep chuckle that turned evil. “I’m going to enjoy eating his dinner while he searches for the artifacts.”

“This is why you fit in so well with my twisted family, Rafe.” Lo laughed, though he didn’t quite feel like it. They were trying for levity, and he’d allow them their illusions.

Thirty seconds later, it was Lo, the two Ebbas, and Spencer, the hitchhiking pig-fucker. Never had he wished a man had a physical form as badly as he did then, to beat the fucker bloody. As it was, Spencer had selected the perfect vessel to hide in because Lo would never lift one finger against Ebba.

“What’s next?” Spirit Ebba asked.

“We conjure herbs and wait for Liz to return with my magical security blanket.”

She gestured him to the corner of the room away from listening ears and asked, “What do those objects do?”

“The four mirrors are placed in the room’s corners, facing the bed. They’re intended to confuse his spirit and trap it in place.”

“Like a fun-house room?”

He smiled at how fast her mind grasped the concept. “Exactly.”

“And the rest?”

“If she can find it, there’s an enchanted sword. It helps to sever the soul’s link to the Earthly plane.”

Dark eyes wide, she met his. “You intend to stab me?”

His laughter escaped.

“Well?” she demanded.

Lo laughed harder.

“You’re a jerk.”

“So you’ve said.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her close, happy she’d gathered energy to solidify again. His lips brushed hers once, then twice. On the third go, her mouth opened under his, and he tasted heaven.

“Uhhh!!!!!” Spencer screamed from the bed. “Stop! I feel that shit, too, and it’s like tasting shoe leather!”

“That’s news to me,” Lo told Ebba in a hushed voice. “I’ve never known the spirit and body to share an experience when separated.”

“I’ve been feeling everything my physical self does up to now. I assumed it was normal.”

He looked at her sharply. “Even in the cafe this morning?”

“Yes. I’ve been unable to leave the apartment, but I’ve always known what my body was doing when it left.”

“Weird, but good to know.”

Had Castor’s ability altered the norm? What would that mean for her if she crossed? It bore consideration.

“On another note”—he leaned close to whisper into the shell of her ear—“do I really taste like shoe leather?”

She giggled. “You taste like cotton-candy cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles. My favorite.”

“Whew! I was worried my toothpaste wasn’t doing the trick.”

“I’d have stopped you at the first kiss if your breath stunk,” she assured him.

“Good to know.” Biting her earlobe, he chuckled. “How about we drive the pig-fucker over the edge by making out?”

“Mm. I do love the way you think!”