in my house." She tucked her useless keys back into her pocket.
I pulled on Cain's sleeve. "Is there something you can do? Can you reverse it?"
He grunted a curse, and said, "Hell if I know. I don't know what she gave you. What'd it taste like?"
I thought about that for a moment and shrugged. "Coffee?"
"Great," he breathed, annoyed, and started back toward the house, me following close behind. "Next time a conjurer gives you something to drink, pass."
"Davina said that normal people with magic ... she said it hurts them. Should I be worried?"
He climbed up the steps to the front door. "No."
I grabbed his arm, and turned him to face me. "Cain, these are my friends. If they're going to be hurt because of me..."
His expression changed to something approaching sympathy, then he quickly shook his head. "The magic Davina stole hurts her because she took all of it. If your friends just got a little bit, they're probably gonna be fine. Might even wear off after a while. She probably did it to make you freak out, turn to her for help." He shot a quick look at Stacy, then looked back at me. "You'd need to deliberately dose someone before they'd be in serious trouble, and you're not there yet."
Then he went inside. I stood on the porch with Stacy for a moment, absorbing the information, and then she touched me on the arm and said, "Did he say magic?"
I opened the door for her and let her in first.
It was going to be a long afternoon.
* * *
An hour later, Stacy sat back on my couch, turning the coaster turtle around in her hand.
"Magic," she said finally, and set it back on the coffee table, where it slowly started moving. It tended to favor its right back leg, and moved in slow, aimless circles across the surface of the coffee table. "All right. I think my mind's wrapped around it now."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Then you're doing better than I am."
The front door opened and Cain - who'd been sitting guard on the porch, although I think that was as much about not having to listen to me and Stacy as it was about security - came in with Tobias behind him. Tobias had a large army-navy duffel bag over his shoulder, which he dumped on the floor by the stairwell, and they both walked over to us in silence.
"Hey, Tobias," Stacy said casually, putting her feet up on the coffee table.
Tobias looked at Stacy, then at me.
"Stacy's lighting things on fire," I said awkwardly.
"Again?" Tobias asked.
Stacy waved one hand at him in a dramatic flourish. "Without matches this time." She angled her head at me. "Courtesy of magical Typhoid Mary over here." She stood up. "Anyone want a Diet Coke?"
Both Tobias and Cain just looked at her, then I said, "No, thanks, we're fine." Stacy shrugged and went into the kitchen.
"Get rid of her," Cain said, stepping into the living room. "We've got stuff to do."
"I think she's part of the team," I said.
"Yeah?" Cain narrowed his eyes at me. "And who decided that?"
I sat back in my chair. "She did."
"Well, tell her she's wrong and kick her out."
I shared an amused look with Tobias. "Spoken like a man who's never tried to tell Stacy Easter what to do."
Cain gave me an annoyed stare for a minute, and then cursed, and stalked off to the kitchen. Tobias, a small smile on his face, settled down across from me on the couch.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Good," I said. "You know, considering."
We held eye contact for a little longer than absolutely necessary, but didn't speak again. From the kitchen I could hear Stacy's defiant tones overwhelming Cain's annoyed ones, and Tobias and I shared a grin. A few moments later, both Stacy and Cain came back into the living room. Stacy settled on the couch next to Tobias, sipping her Diet Coke.
"So," she said, "I guess we're having a meeting?" She looked from me to Tobias to Cain. "About how to take down the magical bitch?"
Cain ignored her, focusing on me. "Where's Betty?"
"Taking a nap," I said. "Want me to get her?"
"I'll do it." Stacy hopped up and headed up the stairs.
After she was out of earshot, I raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Cain. He shot me an annoyed look and grumbled, "Fire could come in handy."
"I didn't say anything." I got up to go sit on the couch, and Tobias put his arm around