“Thanks.”
“I’ll be in touch,” the witch said.
Saintcrow nodded “Yeah.”
Kincaid followed him out the door. Moments later, they were in the hotel bar in Morgan Creek.
“Well, hell,” Jake muttered. “No good deed goes unpunished.”
Saintcrow grunted as he filled two glasses with dark red wine, then, abruptly, hurled the bottle across the room where it shattered against a wall, dripping onto the floor like drops of blood.
“That won’t help,” Jake said, dryly.
“I know. But it sure felt good.”
“So, where do we go from here?”
“Izabela’s.”
“Tonight?”
“No. It’s too late. I want to see if she can make a talisman that will protect Kadie from Elowynne.” He took a deep breath and exhaled it in a long, slow sigh. “And from me.”
~ * ~
The next evening, Rosa stopped by and coaxed Kadie into going to the movies in Casper. As soon as the girls left, Saintcrow transported himself to Izabela’s house.
Clad in her favorite broomstick skirt and a white shirt, she was waiting for him at the front door when he arrived. “Do you mean me any harm, Rylan Saintcrow?”
“No,” he muttered irritably. “Not you or anyone in your house.”
“Then come in and welcome,” she said, her voice softer than usual.
Saintcrow stared at her as he crossed the threshold. “Awfully pleasant today, aren’t you?”
Izabela shrugged one shoulder. “I know you are under a lot of stress. No sense adding to it.” She gestured at the sofa. “Sit down and tell me how I can help?”
“I need you to make a talisman for Kadie, similar to the one you made for her once before, so that any spell cast at her by a witch will backfire and strike the witch instead.”
“Ah.”
“Can you do it?”
“Of course. Simple spells are often the most effective.”
“I also need it to be strong enough to protect her from me if I...from me.”
The witch stared at him a long moment, and then nodded.
“What’s it gonna cost me? My blood’s not much good to you anymore.”
A thoughtful frown furrowed Izabela’s brow. “I will have to think on it. I will have your own talisman ready in the next day or two.”
Saintcrow nodded. “Make is strong.”
“Of course. The fact that Elowynne’s poison is already inside of you doesn’t help. Trying to subdue her spell with my own has complicated things.” Izabela smiled as the black cat strolled into the room, followed by her five equally black kittens.
“Not having much luck giving them away, are you?” Saintcrow asked.