Spells Trouble (Sisters of Salem #1) - P. C. Cast Page 0,42

She motioned toward the large window that looked in on the couch and part of the living room. Sunlight continued to drain into the horizon, giving the group a better view of the bereaved twin. She’d remained on the couch, awash in the gentle golden glow of the setting sun and the antique chandelier.

Emily’s fingertips flew to her lips. “Oh, Mercy.”

Jax’s smoked topaz skin smoothed as he set his jaw. “We’ll do whatever you need.” Rocks clanked against glass as he lifted the jars. “I’m assuming we’re using these?”

Hunter nodded. “They’re moon water. If I do the spell right, they’ll wash away her pain.”

Kirk shoved his hands into the pouch of his hoodie and took a nearly imperceptible step back.

“Kirk, I don’t have time to hold your hand through this. You’re either in or out. Make a decision.” Hunter’s pendant remained hot against her skin as she narrowed her eyes at Mercy’s boyfriend.

He stiffened and lifted his chin toward the darkening sky. “We’re helping Mercy, so I’m in. No question.”

The moon was brighter now, its glow no longer paled by the harsh brilliance of its sister sun. Hunter’s fingers itched to draw down its powers. “Good. Just don’t make a big deal about it.” She swept her gaze along her three friends. “Mercy has to be an active participant, but she doesn’t know that yet,” Hunter said as she adjusted her grip on her cauldron and turned to open the door.

Emily rushed forward and propped open the screen with her foot. “Then how do you know she will be an active participant?”

Jax and Kirk had followed and mirrored Emily’s furrowed brow concern.

Hunter shrugged and gripped the doorknob. “There isn’t a spell Mag has met that she hasn’t wanted to be a part of.”

“Wait.” Kirk cleared his throat and scrubbed his hand down his cheek. “Your aunt isn’t here, is she? I don’t think she likes me very much.”

Hunter bit the inside of her cheeks. She’d laugh again someday, but not today. “She’s napping. She naps a lot. Very … catlike.” She turned the handle and leaned against the heavy wood. “If it helps, she doesn’t really like anyone.”

Like she’d read Hunter’s mind, Mercy popped up off the couch the second her twin pushed open the door. “We’re doing a spell? To talk to Mom? To see her?”

For a moment, Mercy was herself again. But it faded as quickly as it came. She knew just as well as Hunter that the magic needed to lift the veil was its own form of evil.

The quarterback shoved past Jax and Emily into the house. “What’d I tell ya? My girl and I are on the same page.”

Mercy dropped the tassel-rimmed pillow and stepped forward. “Kirk, what are you—”

“Hey, numb nuts,” Emily began before squeezing past Hunter and extinguishing another pink bubble. “Hunter already said that’s not what we’re doing.”

Hunter stepped aside as Jax entered and held up the jars of moon water and gave each a little shake. “We are doing a spell, though.”

Kirk’s long legs quickly carried him to Mercy’s side. “Dude.” He draped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him. “Hunter said not to make a big deal about it.”

Hunter carried her cauldron to the middle of the room and set it on the floor. “Yes, Mag, we’re doing a spell.” She rubbed the bumpy moonstone outlines in her pocket. “All five of us. To help you.”

Emily hooked her arm around Hunter’s. “Because we love you.”

Jax set the jars down next to the cauldron and twined his calloused fingers around his best friend’s. “And care about you.”

Kirk kissed the top of Mercy’s head. “And want you to be okay,” he said and buried his cheek in her dark waves.

Mercy chewed her lip in that dramatic way she did when she wanted to impulsively shout yes but instead added a few moments of silence for effect. Even in the clutches of grief Mercy knew how to command an audience. “I’ll do it.”

The moonstones vibrated in Hunter’s pocket. They’d heard the promise of a spell, sensed Hunter’s energy and the fuel from the rising moon, and were ready to get to work. Hunter dug them out and motioned for her sister and friends to gather around the cauldron.

“Mag, you’re next to me. The rest of you will sit here, here, and here.” She pointed to the floor in three specific areas that surrounded the copper bowl. She used her free hand to gather the jars of moon water as Jax