Captivating Magic (The Thorne Witches #14)

Chapter 23

23

D enied her reaping, Death looked fit to be tied and turned accusing eyes Laszlo’s way.

His spirit self was on borrowed time!

In a move to make conquering heroes everywhere proud, he swept Ebba’s spirit into his arms and gave her a kiss that promised forever.

Her eyes were dazed as she stared up at him, and Lo grinned when she touched her fingertips to her lips.

“What is happening right now? Am I dreaming?” she asked.

“Nope. This is all too real, Sweet.” He cupped her face. “Five months from now, we fall madly in love.”

She snorted. “I’m definitely dreaming.”

“Ebba, I’m out of time and need you to listen. Magic exists, and things are about to get extremely weird and hard for you to comprehend. But trust me, and trust the process.”

Turning her head, she watched his physical self stumble toward their group. “This isn’t real.”

“It is ,” he insisted. “You were driving and impulsively thought to teach Spencer a lesson. You wanted to break up with him, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“That’s not right.” She shook her head. “I mean, it is, partially. But there was a dog in the road— Ohmygod! The dog! I think I hit it!”

Tears gathered in her large chocolaty eyes as her head pivoted back and forth, seeking the injured animal.

“Laszlo, help me save it,” she cried.

“Ebba, please! Listen to me. Don’t follow Death. She’ll want to take you with her.” He gave her a gentle shake. “Stay with me until I find a way to save you. Can you do that?”

She spoke, but the words were indistinguishable and sounded far away as if they were at opposite ends of a tunnel. Dizziness caused him to sway on his feet, but from the corner of his eye, he caught movement.

Clutch stalked toward him, regret in every line of his face.

Predictably, Death went for Ebba.

Lo’s building anxiety turned to outright panic, and he shoved Ebba behind him, continuously shifting to block them both.

“I’ll fuck you up, Clutch. I swear I will,” he warned his friend, while keeping one eye on Death.

“Lo, it’s her time.”

“I don’t give a shit. Make an exception. Please! ”

“It doesn’t work like that. You’ve done this long enough to know that.” Clutch’s scold was filled with compassion. “Hand her over before Death decides to take you, too,” he said in a low voice.

The wind kicked up again, shoving Clutch back.

“Fuck off,” Lo snarled.

A whimper came from the ditch beside them, and it was all Ebba needed to remind her of the injured dog. She ran before he could stop her.

“Enough!” Isis’s voice rang out, halting everyone except Ebba, who was determined to save the animal. “That goes for you, too, Ebba James.”

Standing at the lip of the ditch, she cast an anxious glance down and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

“Please help it,” she called to the Goddess. “I’ll do whatever you ask. Just help it.”

“No!” Laszlo and his physical self hollered simultaneously.

A smile curled Isis’s lips, and Death bore a smugness Lo wanted to slap clean off her face.

“She doesn’t know what she’s promising, Exalted One,” Castor argued, standing guard over the body. “It’s not fair to hold her to it.”

“When did you become the defender of mortals, Traveler?” Death sneered. “As I recall, you couldn’t be bothered to protect your own son .”

The fury in her voice brought Castor’s head around, and he peered through the darkness at her. She eased back the hood of her black cloak, and his harsh expletive echoed off the trees when he recognized her.

“Divina. How the hell did you get this gig?”

“I had no choice!”

Isis cleared her throat. “You always have a choice.”

“It didn’t feel like it after my passing,” Divina said with a sour look. “It was the only way to protect my son from the constant evil the Thornes send his way.”

“Whoa! Wait a fucking minute!” Laszlo snarled. “My family isn’t evil, lady. If anything, they’ve tried their damnedest to prevent evil fuckers from hurting others.”

“Quentin has repeatedly stood in the line of fire to save that silly girl!” Divina argued. “As has anyone who loves a Thorne. You have no respect for human life.”

“Holly?” Castor scoffed. “He loves her. And she loves him equally as well. They have a daughter. Francesca,” he added, his voice softening on their granddaughter’s name. “She’s beautiful, love. You should see her.”

“I have.” Her tone was haughty, but the wary glance toward the Goddess indicated she’d done something wrong. When she received no rebuke, she allowed a soft smile. “She’s beautiful and looks just like Quentin at that age.”

“She does.”

“I have a job to do, Alex,” she said tiredly. “This game of jumping through time or binding souls to Earth has to stop. They are to be collected when their bodies die.”

“But her body isn’t dead,” Castor countered.

“The Tyet amulet has suspended her transition.” Isis shrugged a delicate shoulder. “It was necessary while we resolve this dispute.”

Hope tried to gain a foothold inside Lo, but resolving disputes meant compromise, and he didn’t know what sacrifice would be required. Another wave of dizziness assailed him, and rather than expend the energy to argue, he knelt at the Goddess’s feet.

“If you know anything about my family, you know we only truly love once. But this isn’t about my happiness. It’s about hers .” He gestured to Ebba’s body, still unable to look at her broken form. “She doesn’t deserve an end like this. She deserves the freedom to choose.”

“You’re correct. And I’ll give her the choice.”

“Wait—” Death’s objection was cut off by Isis.

“All those present answer to me, with the exception of the girl and you, Divina. You receive your orders from the Fates.”

“Yes, Exalted One. So you must see why I need to do my job properly. Balance must be maintained in all things.”

“I agree.” Isis produced a scroll. “These are your new orders.”

Death’s perfectly arched brows shot up as she read the parchment. After handing it off to Clutch, she strode to the vehicle and gestured to Spencer. “He’s all yours.”

“You’ll need to wait until his powers are confiscated, my dear,” Isis said, adding a smile to soften the command.

As Laszlo had said, things were getting extremely weird, but Ebba paid no attention to the Goddess or Death, not caring about their silly games. Instead, she focused on the poor animal suffering in the ditch, hoping to find a way to ease its pain. With a fleeting glance toward the others, she scrambled to comfort the beast.

It wasn’t a dog, as she’d initially suspected, but a wolf with a beautiful shiny, black coat. The wary golden eyes watching her approach reminded Ebba of Laszlo. Throughout their lives, he’d worn that same look as if he were weighing the trustworthiness of others.

The beast growled low in its throat as she inched closer.

“It’s all right, sweet baby. I intend to help you.” But she wasn’t sure how she could with no physical form. And that particular thought was difficult to wrap her mind around.

“And how would you help this poor creature, child?”

Ebba gasped at the Goddess, who hovered on the ledge, and she quickly dipped her head as she’d witnessed the others do.

Think fast, Ebba! Think fast!

But her brain cells abandoned her right when she needed them most.

“I’ll ask you again, Ebba James. How would you help this creature?”

“I’d heal her if I could.”

“You cannot. She’s dying.”

Ebba met the wolf’s pain-glazed eyes.

“Then you do it,” she cried. “Please, don’t let her suffer because I’m a shitty driver.”

“She darted in front of you, and there was nothing you were able to do.” Isis gestured behind her. “The accident should tell you as much.”

“Please,” Ebba begged.

Kohl-lined eyes narrowed, and the Goddess stepped off the edge, heedless of the drop. The breeze kicked up, and it was as if a set of invisible stairs existed beneath her feet as she descended into the ditch.

“This creature cannot be healed, child. Her soul is transitioning.”

“But you can save her. I know you can. You’re a goddess, for fuck’s sake! What good are you?—”

“Ebba!” Laszlo’s warning came too late.

The freezing wind bit into her flesh, and Ebba was surprised she felt anything at all. But it was nothing in comparison to the icy tones of the pissed-off Goddess.

“You dare speak to me in such a manner?”

Well, no. She wouldn’t have been brave enough if she hadn’t been worked up over tonight’s events. She’d quite literally screwed the pooch on this one—right along with herself.

The spirit of the wolf sidled up to her and rubbed its head along Ebba’s hip before bounding up the dirt wall to stand beside Laszlo. They looked perfect together—the beast and the man. Dark-haired and dangerous-looking, yet worried for her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, unsure if it was meant for him, the wolf, or the Goddess.

“I’ll allow your outburst this once because you fear for this poor creature. But mind your tone. Disrespect will not be tolerated.”

Ebba nodded, but inside, she was miserable. Her foolishness had cost at least one life. How many more needed to die?

“Step aside,” Isis said.

After she complied, the Goddess bent and placed a necklace around the wolf’s throat.

“It will suspend her death,” she said in an aside to Ebba. “All will be well, child.”

“Will it go to heaven or wherever souls go?” she asked, struggling against tears.

“I’ve another plan. For both of you.” With a pat on Ebba’s cheek, she drifted back up the hill. Once at the top, she tilted her head back and spread her arms wide.

“Aether!”

The air around them crackled, and the invisible dome lit up, highlighting its honeycomb design an instant before dissolving into millions of sparkling lights. A golden fissure appeared beside the Goddess, and a black-haired man stepped through the veil. Behind him, Ebba caught a glimpse of a country estate with a house older than America.

The man was divine, perfect in every way, and it was a wonder any one person could be so beautiful. His eyes, nearly as black as his hair, summed up the scene in a single glance.

Bowing his head, he said, “Exalted One.”

His voice was deep, smooth, and seductive, a symphony to the ears. He had the barest hint of a British accent, and Ebba could’ve listened to him speak all day.

“The man in the vehicle is Spencer Barlowe, and he’s been ungovernable,” Isis said.

Laszlo’s physical self approached Ebba, ignoring the byplay between the Goddess and the beautiful man she’d called Aether.

“I got the call too late,” he said achingly. “But I’ll fix this.”

Ebba frowned, turning to seek out his spirit self, only to find him fading.

“What’s happening?” she cried.

“He cannot exist in two places without causing a ripple effect,” the Aether said, and with a wave of his hand, he sent Spirit Laszlo away.