Almost twenty-four hours later I was standing outside my father's old shop, The Keys to Conjuring with gritty eyes and a wicked hangover that had nothing to do with drinking. Sleep hadn't come easily to me the night before. I'd stayed awake until Mama made it back home- she said they wouldn't know until tomorrow if her magic matched. I was up again before eight, and most of my day was spent at my father's side or chasing Remy to help Alma out. 

I worried about my step-mother almost as much as I worried about my father. Her skin, normally clear and bright, was ashen, and though she tried to hide it, I often caught her rubbing her round stomach and wincing. She was only thirty-one weeks into her pregnancy. If she delivered now, the baby would make it, but even with magic, it would be a long road.

Shivering, I wrapped my arms around myself and scuttled back into the shadows. Rain dripped steadily off eaves and awnings, and the temperature was back to unseasonably cool. Under most circumstances, I would be delighted by the weather shift, but most circumstances didn't involve late night breaking and entering.

"Ash, where are you?" I demanded, worrying my lip and looking up and down the street.

The main strip remained deserted because Mabon was still in full swing. But after a week of demons and explosions, I worried more about what I couldn't see. Thinking about that drew my thoughts to Charlie. A quick text earlier in the day confirmed he was okay. Suffering from a headache but in possession of himself.

I hoped.

"Rosie."

"Willow!"

I spun around to see my friend jogging up to me. Most businesses were spelled to keep witches and warlocks from teleporting within ten feet of the entrances. Otherwise, they'd all just pop in and out of the building which wasn't practical from a safety standpoint. Not to mention, it would be hard to keep up with customers who could just appear at will, and Black Brier folks didn't put up with line jumping.

"Where is Ash?" I asked.

"He's coming. Tio Luis got a hold of him just before he could sneak out."

"Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. He suspects us. He has to. We're dead."

Willow shook me. Hard. For a little thing she was awfully strong.

"If my Tio Luis knew what we were doing, we'd all be toads sitting in the county jail waiting for our parents to pick us up. He's the type to do first and ask questions later, comprende?"

"I know. I just... Willow, if Ash is right, and Luis is responsible for the explosion then we're taking a huge risk. Someone doesn't do something like that if they don't have something to hide, and they certainly don't mind doing it again."

"We've got this. I won't let anything happen to you, and I know for sure my cousin won't. That boy has it bad for you."

I rolled my eyes, but my lips curled up in a grin without my permission. "He's just kind."

"Mmhmm," she said, pressing her body close to mine to share warmth, "that's why his eyes go all glassy and he blushes whenever I mention your name."

"Shut up."

"It's true."

"Mmmhmm, I'm sure it is."

"You'll see." Willow dropped her head on my shoulder, the spiky ends of her hair tickling my neck. "How's your papi?"

I wasn't prepared for the shift in conversation, and the simple question went through me like a burning arrow. For a moment, the streets of Black Brier faded away, and my vision filled with the image of my father lying motionless in bed- cheeks sunken, skin wan, and chest rising and falling so slowly I found myself putting my hand on his breast to feel the air swelling and releasing in his lungs.

"Rose?"

Exhaling, I didn't speak until my eyes saw wet, moon glazed streets and dark windows. Blinking back tears, I responded, "He's the same."

"That's good, right?"

"No, because it means he's not responding to anything they're doing. The healers say they're just buying him time. Once they stop, whoever is draining his energy will be able to take his life force."

Her hand found mine, and we twined our fingers together. The simple touch renewed my strength. Not through spells and magic but through love.

"Hey, I'm sorry I'm late."

Ash appeared from the opposite direction Willow had arrived. His hair was disheveled, but in a deliciously purposeful way, and a white dress shirt, unbuttoned at the collar, strained across his broad chest. I pointed at his outfit with a frown.

"That doesn't look very suited to breaking and entering."

His lashes fluttered in confusion before he looked down and groaned. "Crap. One second."

He closed his eyes. Nothing happened. With a muttered curse, he stepped into the street and disappeared with a pop. Two minutes later he was back and clothed in head to toe black.

"Sorry, I was just trying to get away from Papi and forgot. Better?"

"Much, though I'm afraid the clothes are only going to take us so far in our new career as burglars. We actually have to try and be sneaky."

A dimple flashed, and even in the dark, I could see the amusement glittering in Ash's eyes. "You look cute, though."

"See," Willow said in a loud whisper. Her elbow landed between my ribs and sent a burst of pain through my side.

"Crap, that hurt."

"Sorry."

"Okay, okay. We need to focus." Ash stepped in front of the door and put his hands in the air.

I stood behind him, squinting into nothing. "Sure, but what are we focusing on? We don't even know what we're looking for."

"Anything that even hints at dark magic."

Willow threw up her hands. "This store caters to conjuring. It's a branch of magic that toes the line between good and bad. How are we going to know if it's out of the norm?"

"Can y'all be quiet for just a minute? I need to think. Papi's ward is...difficult."

"How so?" Willow asked, making her cousin drop his hands and eye her with irritation. "What? If you tell me, maybe I can help."

"I don't think so. It's a blood ward."

Willow sucked in a breath, and I looked at both of them in confusion. "Why is that bad? Didn't you say before that your house used to be protected by a blood ward?"

"That's different. Ours was just a family ward. It's pretty generic. Same one on your house. It's looking for shared DNA. A blood ward is tied to actual blood. As in you have to give it blood to pass, and if your blood isn't approved..."

She trailed off and chewed on her thumbnail. "Willow? What happens?"

"It's basically weaponized," Ash answered. "What it does depends on the will of the caster. The worst blood wards can kill a weak witch or warlock instantly. But those are usually around super high security buildings. Knowing my papi, he's probably got it set to incapacitate the offender long enough for him to show up and kill the perp himself."

"Fabulous," I said, rocking back on my heels and looking at the little shop with trepidation. What on earth could he be hiding in this quaint little store that would require such a ward? Was Ash right? Was his father dealing in dirty magic? "So what now?"

"What do you mean, what now?" Ash asked. "I give it my blood and pray I'm enough like my father to fool the ward."

"This isn't worth it," I hissed.

"It is to me," he replied, pricking his finger and pressing it in the center of the door.

Willow held her breath while I struggled to draw one in. Stupid, stupid boy. If something happened to him, he was leaving us at the mercy of his father. One young witch and an impoten with an impressive pedigree couldn't stop someone like Luis Goodwin, even if he didn't dabble in dark magic. And that's what I repeated to myself over and over again as I waited for Ash to crumple to the ground.

A soft click sounded, and the door popped open. "It worked!"

I didn't know whether I was relieved or disappointed, but when Willow gave me a shove, I followed Ash into the dark building, wrinkling my nose at the scent of must in the room. All the furniture was dark and heavy. The shelves were filled with books- large tomes with crumbling spines and stained covers.

"Charming," I said, running my finger along a counter top. It came away coated in dust and grime.

"Why has Tio Luis let it go like this? Hindsight doesn't look like this."

"Hindsight is also run by my abuela and madre. Not to mention, the impo-" Ash choked on the word and wouldn't look at me as he struggled to continue. "The tourists like it to look like a gypsy tent. They play that up. Papi doesn't allow them in here. Only true practitioners may enter. Guess they're more interested in the contents than the aesthetic."

Willow huffed. "Tio Luis is an elitist jerk."

Ash didn't argue or look offended in the slightest. He grabbed a leather bound book, muttered a spell to make the pages glow, and started to flip through them. Willow followed suit, leaving me to figure out a way to see the words in the darkness.

I stumbled through the cluttered space until I reached the checkout counter. Unlike the one in our shop, it was near a window. The natural light pouring through the glass would aid me as I searched. Not to mention, with my limited knowledge of spells and magic, the books would be little more than jargon and gibberish. But bookkeeping and sales was a language I spoke fluently.

It would make sense that most of the important files were kept in Luis' office, but if Keys to Conjuring took any special orders or requests, they would need to keep something up front to track them. And the magical community eschewed most technology- not just because they found it lacking but because the magic in the air played havoc on it. Even my cell phone struggled to function in the center of the town, most of my texts didn't send until I made it home.

"Jackpot," I said, wrapping my fingers around a binder similar to the one Mama kept in Southern Charms.

Unlike ours, it wasn't requests for special made items, but a list of inquiries for rare books and artifacts. Most looked like things customers asked for, but a few items had asterisks by them with notes in the margins. Some had question marks, others were crossed out, and four words, printed so tiny they were almost impossible to read, were underscored over and over.

"Aloes. Black cat oil." I tapped my lip and repeated the words.

"You finding anything?" Ash asked, his warm breath across my neck startling me and making me jump.

I pointed. "What's the significance of this?"

A muscle in his jaw flexed. "Nothing good."

"Why?"

He put his arms around my middle and dragged me to the ground. "Willow. Duck!"

The luminescence from Willow's spell winked out, and I heard the thud as her body hit the floor. Ash tugged me tight against his chest and swiveled on his knees to get close enough to peek out over the window sill.

"What the heck, Ash?"

"Shh, just look."

His hands slid up my waist, causing heat to rise to my cheeks. He stopped at my armpits and raised me high enough to look out into the night. There, standing motionless beneath a Magnolia tree, was a woman. The fact that she was out so late- alone- during Mabon was unusual enough, but her silver eyes and eerie stillness made me gasp in terror. As if she could hear me, those demon eyes snapped to the window, and I dropped down so fast I fell back into Ash's solid chest.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"Sh-she saw me. We have to go. Now."

"How, she's out front?" Willow hissed.

"There's a back door. Once we get far enough, we can teleport."

We all nodded at once and jumped to our feet. But any attempt to be quiet was ruined when I let out a shrill scream. The woman stood directly in front of the window, her mouth open in a gaping maw as the silver irises swallowed the white of her eyes. This close, I could make out the vines tattooed across her pale skin and fangs in her mouth. But she was not so far gone in her transformation that I didn't know her human identity.

"Rose," Ash yelled, tugging on my hand until I moved my feet.

We somehow managed to make it through the back without knocking anything over, and Ash paused long enough to whisper a spell that returned the room to its previous state before joining us in the back alley. Another pricked finger. Another offering of blood to seal the ward.

"Was that who I think it was?" Willow asked, the words coming out stilted as we ran away from the store.

"But it's impossible."

Grabbing my stomach, I motioned for them to stop. We'd reached the coffee shop, which was out of sight of Luis' store. The demon didn't appear to be following, and if she did show up, we were far enough away to teleport. My belly churned at the thought. The one time I'd gone along for the ride, I'd spent an entire day clinging to a toilet.

"Is anything impossible anymore?" I asked.

"But Polly died. People saw her body. And that was like Charlie. A demon."

"But who called the time of death? Did anyone else verify it?" Ash paced. His sneakers slapped on the pavement, echoing his frustration.

"Wouldn't it be Betty Pilgrim? She's the town Necromancer."

I straightened up and clenched my fist. "She's also Officer Pilgrim's sister."

"Well," Willow tugged on the end of her hair, "things just complicated."

I shook my head, a smile tugging at my lips despite the rage unfurling in my center. Leave it to Willow to make the understatement of the year.