Dime Store Magic (52 page)
enchanting fashion you employed last night. But—"
"Are you seducing me or talking about it?"
He grinned. "I could talk about it, if you like. In terms perhaps more amenable to the situation."
"Tempting," I said. "Very tempting. If I wasn't worried about Savannah waking up—"
"Quite right," he said. "There will be plenty of time for talk later."
His mouth came down to mine as he undid my sash. He slipped his hands inside my kimono, and traced his fingers up my sides, slowly, then moved to cup my breasts. As his thumbs found my nipples, I arched my back and moaned.
Something hit the door, hard enough that we both jumped, me falling into his arms.
"Is someone in there?" Savannah said between pounds.
Cortez looked at me. I motioned for him to answer.
"I am," he said.
"Are you almost done?"
"Umm, no, I'm afraid not, Savannah. I'm just starting."
"Oh, geez," she groaned.
The door creaked, followed by a rasp and a thump as she dropped to the floor. Cortez exhaled and shook his head. We waited another minute.
Not only didn't Savannah leave, but her noises of impatience escalated in frequency and volume.
Cortez leaned down to my ear. "Are you sure you
want
to keep her?"
I smiled, shook my head, and waved him toward the door.
"What about you?" he mouthed.
I slid off the counter, then backed into the corner by the toilet and cast a cover spell. Cortez nodded, then opened the door.
"Finally!" Savannah said. "There's only one bathroom here, you know."
He brushed past her without a word, footsteps echoing down the hall.
"Grouchy this morning, aren't we," she called after him.
Savannah closed the door and proceeded to her urgent business. That business, contrary to what one might expect, had nothing to do with the toilet. First she brushed her hair—with my brush. Then she sampled some new lipstick—my lipstick. Then she rooted around under the cupboard and pulled out my hidden stash of high-priced shampoo and conditioner.
Hair products which, may I point out, were intended for curly hair.
Finally, she grabbed my French perfume and sprayed it around as if it was air freshener. I had to bite my lip to keep from yelping.
Next, a shower. As Savannah began to undress, I averted my eyes, shifting my gaze all the way to the right. After several minutes in that position, my eyes began to water. When I finally had to glance back, she was standing in front of the mirror, just standing there, looking at herself and frowning. I looked away again.
"Well, I'm a woman now," she muttered to her reflection. "Hurry up and do something." She snorted. "What a rip-off."
With that she stamped to the shower and got in. When the water began, I eased from my hiding spot and darted to the door, then stopped, stepped back, did a quick swish with mouthwash, and left.
After dressing, I walked into the kitchen to find Cortez surveying the fridge. He looked up when I entered, glanced behind me for Savannah, then pulled me in for a kiss.
"Last one for today, I presume," he said, then sniffed. "You smell nice."
"Not intentionally," I muttered. "My mom always said never to use the cover spell to spy on someone or you might see something you don't want to. Well, I just learned why my shampoo and perfume disappear so fast.
And now I know why my friends always complained about their siblings using their stuff." I grabbed the fridge door. "Did you get that growing up?"
"No," he said, as I peered into the nearly empty fridge. "I was an only child, like you."
I paused, confused. I knew he had three older brothers—oh, wait. I recalled what Leah said about his parentage, that he was… Words failed me. Oh, I knew a few. Illegitimate, conceived out of wedlock, plus the
"B" word, which I wouldn't mention, even if Cortez had used it himself.
Everything sounded so negative, so archaic. Maybe the terms were archaic because there was no need for such a designation at all. If a child is conceived during an extramarital affair, the burden for any questionable judgment rests with the parents, not the child. In the twenty-first century, we should be enlightened enough to realize that. Yet, by the way Leah had brought it up, such a casually tossed barb, I knew it wasn't something the rest of the Cabal world let Cortez forget.
"Not much in there," he said, looking over my shoulder. "If the eggs are still good, I could make an omelet. Yes, I know I made that yesterday, but my repertoire is exceedingly limited. It's that or, possibly, a hardboiled egg, though I have been known to boil them into golf balls."
"You've done enough. I've got breakfast. Eggs, pancakes, or French toast?" I glanced at the bread, the edges blooming a lovely shade of periwinkle. "Forget the French toast."
"Whatever is easiest."
"Pancakes," Savannah said as she swung into the kitchen.
"You set the table, then, and I'll cook."
The Vote
BY THE TIME BREAKFAST—OR SHOULD I SAY BRUNCH—ended, it was past noon. Cortez insisted on cleaning up and also insisted on Savannah's help. I took my mug of coffee and was heading into the living room when the phone rang. Cortez checked the call display.
"Victoria Alden," he said. "Shall we let the machine pick up?"
"No, I'll get it. After the last few days, Victoria is one problem I can handle."
"Hello, Victoria," I said as I picked up the phone.
Silence.
"Call display, remember?" I said. "Great invention."
"You sound very cheerful this morning, Paige."
"I am. The crowd's gone. The media has stopped calling. Things are definitely looking up."
"So stealing Margaret's car and leading the police through a cemetery last night are things you would consider to be an improvement in your current situation?"
"Oh, that was nothing. We were very careful, Victoria. The police won't know it was me. They haven't even called."
"I'm phoning concerning the future of one of our Coven members."
I paused, then winced, my euphoria fading. "Oh, geez.
It's Kylie, isn't it? She's decided not to stay with the Coven. Look, I've been talking to her and I'll speak to her again when all this is over."
"This isn't about Kylie. It's about you."
"Me?"
"After hearing of your latest escapade, we called an emergency Coven meeting this morning. You've been banished from the Coven, Paige."
"What—you—" Words dried up in my throat.
"The vote was eight to three with two abstaining. The Coven has decided."
"N—no," I said. "Eight to three? That can't be. You rigged it. You must have—"
"Call Abigail, if you wish. I'm sure she is one of the three who voted to allow you to stay. She'll tell you it was a fair and open count. You know the rules of banishment, Paige. You have thirty days to leave East Falls and you are prohibited from taking any of your mother's—"
"No!" I shouted. "No!"
I slammed down the phone. Without turning, I sensed Cortez behind me.
"They banished me," I whispered. "They voted to kick me out of the Coven."
If he replied, I didn't hear it. Blood crashed in my ears. Somehow I managed to cross the three steps to the recliner and drop into it. Cortez sat on the armrest, but I turned away from him. No one could understand what this meant to me and I didn't want anyone to try. As he bent over me, his lips moved, and I braced myself against the inevitable "I'm sorry."
Instead he said, "They're wrong."
I looked up at him. He leaned down and brushed the hair from my face, using the movement to stroke my cheek with his thumb.
"They're wrong, Paige."
I buried my face against his side and began to sob.
I knew the Elders were beyond help. All the older witches were. They were set in their ways and their beliefs, and I could do little to change that. I wouldn't waste my time trying. Instead, I wanted to focus on the younger generation, the ones like Kylie, who was heading off to college this fall and seriously contemplating breaking with the Coven.
Save the younger generation and let the older one wither away. From there, I could reform the Coven, make it a place witches came to, not escaped from. Once the Coven had regained its strength and vitality, we could reach out to other witches, offer training and fellowship and a powerful alternative to those, like Eve, who saw power only in dark magic. I'd make the Coven more flexible, more adaptable, more attractive, better suited to fulfilling the needs of all witches. A grand plan, to be sure.
Maybe not one I could even realize in my lifetime. But I could start it. I could try.
This was more than a vision; it was the embodiment of every hope I'd had since I'd been old enough to form hopes. I couldn't imagine leaving the Coven. Literally could not envision it. Never at any time in my life had I wondered what life would be like outside the Coven. I'd never dreamed of living outside Massachusetts. I'd never dreamed of falling in love and marrying. I'd never even dreamed of children. The Coven was my dream and Id never considered anything that would interfere with that mission.
So what was I to do now? Roll over and cry? Let the Elders drive me away? Never. When the initial pain of being banished subsided, I stepped back for a logical assessment of the situation. So the Coven had kicked me out. They were scared. Reacting to an age-old fear instilled in them by Victoria and her cronies. Terrified of exposure, they took the easiest route—rid themselves of the cause of that threat. The people of East Falls had done the same thing with their petition. Once the danger passed, both would welcome me back. Well, maybe "welcome" is optimistic, but they'd allow me to stay, in the town and in the Coven. With the right amount of will and determination, anything can be fixed.
"Wh—where's Savannah," I said, drying my eyes.
"In the kitchen. Making tea, I believe."
I pulled myself upright. "Seems everyone's been doing a lot of that lately. Taking care of Paige."
"Hardly. You—"
"I appreciate it, but I'm okay," I said, squeezing his hand as I got to my feet. "We've got things to do today. For starters, I should go through Savannah's ceremony with her. I know it's still a week away, but I want to make sure she remembers everything Eve told her and that we have all the ingredients."
