Spells Trouble, Kristin Cast [books to read in a lifetime .TXT] 📗

Frank Dearborn’s friendship with Dominic. Friendship, love, created a well of excuses he could use to drown each procedural question. After all, this wasn’t the first time he’d nearly been caught.

Fourteen

“Babe, you already look lots more like yourself!” Kirk’s hand slid from the hollow of the small of Mercy’s back to gently cup her butt.

She sidestepped and caught his hand in hers and squelched a sigh, reminding herself to have another talk with him about how he needed to read the room better. Mercy could feel the frowns Emily and Hunter were skewering Kirk with—not that, this time, she blamed them. It’d only been an hour ago that Hunter’s spell had washed the debilitating grief from her and everyone—except Kirk—was still subdued and still in awe of Hunter’s magic. “Yeah, I am feeling a lot more like me. Thanks to you guys.” Mercy’s smile included Jax, Emily, and Hunter—along with Kirk. “But don’t you and Jax have to get home? Didn’t you tell me you have a chemistry test you have to study for?”

At that moment the huge pendulum clock that had been in the Goode family for generations chimed ten times.

“Oh, crap!” Jax sprang up from the couch. “Mom made me promise to be home by ten. Kirk, we gotta go.”

“You can be a little late,” scoffed Kirk.

Hunter narrowed her eyes and Emily manically cracked her gum. Before they could declare war on Kirk, Mercy said, “Hey, I’m super tired. This has all been a lot. I really do need to sleep.”

“Of course. Sorry.” Kirk put his arm around her as she led him out the front doors and onto the porch. “You know I like spending every second with you.”

“Stalker much?” Emily murmured from behind them.

“Huh?” Kirk asked cluelessly.

Mercy turned Kirk so that he was on the second step facing her while she stood on the porch, which made her almost at his eye level. “Em was just calling you a big talker. But she doesn’t know you as well as I do.” Mercy rested her arms across his shoulders and kissed him softly. “Thanks for coming tonight. See ya tomorrow.” Before he could pull her in for a more intimate kiss, Mercy squeezed his shoulders and then walked quickly to Jax, giving him a hug. “You’re a good friend. Thanks for being here, Jax.”

He patted her back. “No problem. Anything for Hunter and you.”

She was going to hug Emily, too, but her friend had already plopped her butt down on their wide porch swing. She looked up from her phone. “I texted Dad. He said he had some stuff to do downtown and then he’ll be by to get me.”

“Well, hey, I could wait for Emily’s dad and get a ride with him. Right, Em?” Kirk sent her friend a hopeful look, which Emily completely ignored.

Mercy sighed. She really liked Kirk, and he was being a sweetheart, but his persistence could be exhausting. She’d opened her mouth to repeat herself when Xena, in cat form, padded through the open door and across the porch. She arched her long, sleek back, slitted her eyes at Kirk, and let loose a terrifying group of sounds.

“Hiiiiiisss, mEEEwr, hiiiiiisss!”

“Shit! That cat is huge!” Kirk backed down the porch stairs after Jax. “Okay, I’m going.”

“Sorry, Xena doesn’t really like many people,” Mercy said while Hunter covered a laugh with a cough.

“I thought that was your aunt’s name,” said Kirk, still backing down the sidewalk.

“She doesn’t like many people, either,” said Hunter.

Kirk’s forehead wrinkled in confusion.

“Dude, come on! I’m not getting grounded because of you,” Jax called as he opened his car door.

Kirk waved and grinned at Mercy before rounding on Jax. “You’re such a wuss sometimes…” His words faded away as he climbed into the passenger side of Jax’s car, which took off before he’d completely closed the door.

“Don’t say it,” Mercy said as she sat beside Emily.

Em put her phone down and shrugged. “Hey, I’m just happy you feel better.”

“Yeah, me too,” said Hunter. “I’m gonna go get my grimoire. I want to document that grief spell.” She started to walk past Mercy and into the house, but Mercy reached out and snagged her wrist.

“Hey. Thank you. What you did tonight—it was…” She had to pause and swallow back her tears before continuing in a small, soft voice. “Mom would be so proud of you.”

Hunter’s smile was like the stars. “You really think so?”

“I know so. Thanks, H. You’re the best.”

Emily sneezed violently as Xena wound around her legs. “OMG, your cat is trying to kill me again!”

Mercy shared a knowing look with her sister as she said, “Xena, give Em a break. We know you really do like her.”

Emily sniffed and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. “Likes me dead!” Then she cocked her head and studied the big Maine coon as if seeing her for the first time. “Hey, I just noticed she and your Aunt Xena have, like, the same hair.”

“Impossible,” Hunter said as she headed into the house. “Xena has fur. Our aunt has hair. But come on, Xena. There’s a bowl of cream with your name on it in the kitchen. Good watchcat—good watchcat.” Chattering happily, Xena trotted after Hunter, who paused in the doorway and looked back at Mercy. “You’re the best, too. I’m glad you’re back.” Xena yowled and Hunter rolled her eyes. “Okay, I said I’d get you some cream. Sheesh. You’re so demanding…” Her voice trailed off as she marched inside and headed to the kitchen.

“Aww, twin love gives me a big, warm feeling in my cold, dead heart,” said Emily. Then her eyes went huge. “Oh. Shit. Sorry. I—”

Mercy bumped her shoulder. “Stop. You can’t tiptoe around me and worry about everything you say. If you do—if everyone does—we’ll never find our new normal.”

Emily sighed in relief and brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear as she cocked her head and studied Mercy. “You are better, aren’t you?”

She hadn’t phrased it like a question, but