“And if it fails?”
She shrugged. “You will not be here to pay the debt.”
With that cheerful thought, he left the witch’s house and headed home.
~ * ~
Kadie ran her fingers over the copper band, which was similar to hers and yet different. Glancing at Rylan, she said, “Are you sure we can trust Izabela? I mean, sheisa black witch. Who knows what kind of power she’s magicked into these things.”
“Getting suspicious in your old age, darlin’?”
“It was just a thought.”
“I trusted her with your life,” Saintcrow reminded her. “And mine.”
Kadie nodded. They had both put their lives in Izabela’s hands not long ago. Still, she wasn’t as comfortable around magic as Rylan appeared to be. And these days, there seemed to be witches everywhere – Izabela, Alara, who she still hadn’t met, and Elowynne, who was the scariest one of all.
Lifting his right hand, Saintcrow regarded Izabela’s handiwork. Even if it helped, it wasn’t a cure. He didn’t like knowing Elowynne’s magic was affecting him in ways he didn’t understand, and perhaps in other ways not yet manifested. His first instinct was to destroy her and only Izabela’s warning that killing the witch might very well destroy him, as well, kept him from pursuing it.
So where did he go from here?
~ * ~
The next new few days passed without incident. There was no word from Alara or Izabela. As far as Saintcrow could tell, Izabela’s magic cuff was working. When he hunted, he didn’t have the urge to kill his prey. His temper didn’t seem any worse than usual. Kadie, who had been hunting with him each night, was no longer on edge. Everything seemed fine. And yet...he was filled with a restless urge to be doing something.
He considered reopening the town, thinking it would give his days some purpose. There had always been something to do – disputes to settle, food and drink to be ordered, repairs to be made, bills to pay, staff to be hired. Or fired. Opening the town would keep Kadie busy, too. She was the perfect liaison when a customer had a complaint. Unlike him, Kadie liked people and found it easy to mingle with them. Being able to read their minds was an added advantage when deciding who was in the right and who was wrong.
He thought about it another day and then decided to talk it over with her.
~ * ~
Kadie frowned when Saintcrow finished telling her about his idea to reopen the town. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? It’ll take a lot of work and there’s no guarantee that Izabela’s charm is effective. Just because you’re feeling all right now doesn’t prove it’s working. Maybe Elowynne is just plotting her next move.”
Saintcrow grunted. “You could be right. But we’ve got to do something. Sitting around waiting for that damn witch to strike is driving me crazy.”
“I know.” She laid her hand on his arm, sighed as he pulled her into his embrace. “Maybe we could take a trip.”
“Where would you like to go?”
“When I was a little girl, we used to go up to Northern California to Lake Almanor. It’s beautiful there. We took hikes, swam in the lake, shopped in the nearby towns.” She smiled at the memory. “We hiked up to the volcano, fished in the streams. We went to the Copper Kettle for breakfast and sometimes for dinner, and then to Pine Shack Frosty for ice cream ....” Her voice trailed off. “I guess none of that appeals to you, does it?”
“Not really,” he admitted. “But if you want to go, we’ll go.”
~ * ~
They left the following afternoon. Saintcrow had made arrangements for a cabin and a rental car. The lake was as big and beautiful as Kadie recalled. the air crisp and clean, the sky a bright, bold blue.
The next couple of days were idyllic. They went for long walks, occasionally seeing a deer. There were squirrels and chipmunks everywhere. They went to see the volcano and the mud pots, and pools of water that were fiery hot and deadly if you fell in. There were rivers and waterfalls and lakes. And trees everywhere you looked.
They spent one afternoon at the lake. With their vampire strength, they easily swam across to the other side and back.
Later, they wandered through the shops in the town. Rylan shook his head when she bought a sweatshirt, a hat, a jacket, and a tee shirt, all with the Lake Almanor logo.
“Who knows when we’ll be here again,” Kadie said as she picked up a pair of salt and pepper shakers and a couple of post cards on the way to the cash register.
“Come back soon,” the proprietor said. smiling as he handed her the bag with her purchases.
They were on their way back to their cabin when Saintcrow’s grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles went white.