Gypsy Magic - J.R. Rain Page 0,74

with my imminent demise, I’d probably have guessed it earlier. “Vampire.”

Ophelia’s smile ticked up a centimeter. “Very good.”

“And what was he doing riding around in Marty’s hearse?” Bailey demanded.

Ophelia shrugged and looked like she was already bored with the conversation. “Lorcan is what you might call paranoid.”

“Which doesn’t answer my question at all,” Bailey retorted.

“Lorcan’s always afraid someone is going to stake him in the day, so once he realized Mr. Zach was in need of an automobile, he saw the opportunity for two birds with one stone, I suppose you could say. He figured no one would ever look for him… there,” Ophelia finished.

“So Marty’s been driving around a vampire all this time?” I asked.

“Yes,” Janet answered with an embarrassed smile.

The roaring and wailing outside abruptly ceased. It was so abrupt, I actually jumped. The motion jarred the back of my head and I nearly retched into someone’s plastic tumbler. Judging from the plates of leftover food and half-finished drinks, we’d probably stumbled into a meeting of the mysterious council.

Janet stood up and walked outside, apparently to check on the situation.

“Have they been successful?” Ophelia called out.

“Um… not exactly,” Janet responded.

“What’s going on?” Bailey demanded as she stood up and joined Janet at the doorway. “Oh my gosh,” she whispered.

It was all I could do to push myself to my feet, but I managed. Then I hobbled over to join the two of them and I gazed out into the dark street, only to see Roy, in his sasquatch form, go hurtling when the wendigo ran full bore at him. She pushed him hard enough that he lost his footing and hit the ground hard, but didn’t seem the worse for wear because he shook his head and stood up, opening his mouth as he bellowed his anger.

Stanley was riding around the wendigo, trying to divert her attention, which didn’t seem to be working. And Marty was standing off to the side, apparently because there wasn’t anything he could do against a shadow monster.

Lorcan materialized out of nowhere and rushed the creature, disappearing and then reappearing behind her. It looked like he was trying to grab hold of her, something that was proving difficult since she wasn’t exactly corporeal. She was shadow.

“I can help,” I muttered and took a step forward.

Bailey reached out and grabbed my shoulder. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I still have enough energy left to make the Fiery Command Oil help us,” I answered, even as I doubted my own words. I was exhausted and I couldn’t demand much more of my body. I’d have to be very careful about how much more of my life essence I exerted. There was a point of no return. “Now, let me go before I get pissed off.”

Bailey dropped her hold on me and I motioned for her to help me walk forward. She put an arm around me as Janet did the same, and together we moved closer to the… situation.

Marty was the first to see us.

“Get back!” he yelled.

“I can help!” I yelled back. Then I faced the others. “I just need you to keep me upright. This is going to take all… my strength.”

Not that I had much strength left.

But, I focused what strength I had and held my hands out before me, feeling dizzy as I closed my eyes and focused, pulling the energy of the oil from my body and driving it into the air. I imagined it circling Barbra.

“Barbra, assume your human form!” I yelled out, feeling my heart beating hard and fast. I felt so weak, so incredibly exhausted that I wondered if I had the strength left to pull this off.

I didn’t open my eyes because I found my concentration was always better with my eyes closed. Instead, I gritted my teeth and continued to release whatever power I still had left. I could feel the heat of the potion as it left my body and took my intentions with it.

“It’s working, Poppy,” Bailey whispered.

“Don’t break your concentration,” Janet continued.

I nodded and continued to send out my power, imagining it encircling the wendigo, imagining it forcing Barbra to take her human form.

“It’s…” Bailey started, her voice waning.

“It doesn’t look like it’s working anymore…” Janet finished for her.

I opened my eyes and watched as the wendigo broke from my hold and bellowed its anger into the dark night sky.

I didn’t have enough energy left to do this. Not when I was in this currently weakened state. And that