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

it as I’ll be a substitute witch whenever you need one.”

“Deal,” said the twins together.

Hunter caught her sister’s gaze and smiled—really smiled—at her for the first time since the night before and a little more of the grief that had cocooned around Mercy’s heart loosened.

“I’m hungry!” Mercy said. “Em, do you think we have time to order pizza before your dad gets here?”

“How ’bout I text him and tell him I’m staying the night? Mom’s still home until midweek and since Dad’s leaving for his conference tomorrow they’re spending every second getting their fight on.” She paused and shuddered. “I’d way rather stay here. Can I borrow something to wear to school tomorrow?” Em froze mid-text. “Wait, are you going to school tomorrow?”

Mercy met Hunter’s gaze. “What do you think, H?”

“I think people will probably treat us like freaks whenever we go back.”

Mercy nodded. “Then let’s do it like a Band-Aid, just get it over with.” She turned to her bestie. “Yeah, we’re going to school tomorrow. Text your dad and then we’ll order that pizza and—”

The sheriff’s car pulled into their driveway, cutting off Mercy’s words. She sighed and her shoulders slumped. “Not again. Do we have to keep going over and over this with them?”

Hunter sat straight up. She snapped her grimoire shut and put it aside. “No. No, we do not. They need to leave us alone.”

“Maybe you should wake up your aunt,” said Emily. “She can tell them to get lost.”

“Good idea,” said Hunter as she stood. “Mag, I’ll go get Auntie. Tell them that she’ll be out in a sec.”

The car door closed and Deputy Carter slowly headed up the driveway, gravel crunching under his steel-toed boots.

“At least it’s just the deputy.” Mercy kept her voice low. “The sheriff was kinda creepy this morning.”

“Seriously,” said Hunter as she hurried inside the house.

Mercy thought Deputy Carter looked unusually pale as he climbed the porch steps and took off his hat. Dark circles made his otherwise puppyish eyes look bruised and old.

“Evening, Miss Goode.” He nodded at Mercy.

“I’m Mercy.” She was used to supplying her name to people who couldn’t seem to ever tell the two of them apart.

But the deputy had already turned his attention to Emily. “Emily, I’m going to need you to come with me.”

Emily put her teacup down on the table, but she didn’t move to get off the swing. “Why? Dad’s supposed to be here in a little while. Actually, I was just texting him. I’m gonna stay the night with Mercy and Hunter.” Then she paused and shook her head. “Wait, I don’t get it. Dad sent you here? He said he had stuff to do in town. Was he at the police station? But why would he send you here?”

The deputy swallowed so hard that his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Your father didn’t send me, but you need to come with me.”

As Emily started to stand Mercy covered her hand and kept her in place on the swing. “Why? What’s going on?” she asked the deputy.

His eyes flicked between Mercy and Emily, coming to rest on Em. He cleared his throat again and picked at the brim of his hat with nervous fingers. “There’s been an accident. Sorry, this is…” He paused, swallowed again, and started over. “Emily, your father is dead.”

Through their joined hands Mercy felt the jolt that rocked her friend. Emily’s breath rushed from her body in a terrible gasp and she began shaking her head back and forth, back and forth.

“Dead? What are you talking about? How? It has to be some kind of mix-up or mistake.” Mercy gripped Em’s hand.

The deputy turned his somber gray eyes to her. “There was an accident.”

“No. No. That’s impossible.” Em spoke softly.

Mercy squeezed her hand tightly. “Like a car accident?”

Deputy Carter’s gaze flitted away as he said, “Um. Not exactly. Emily, let’s get you home to your mom. She’ll explain everything to you.”

“No!” The word burst from Emily.

“If it wasn’t a car accident, what kind of accident was it?” Mercy felt like her brain was on fire. First Abigail and now Em’s dad? How? Why?

“Emily, let’s get you home,” he repeated as he shifted from foot to foot, not meeting the gaze of either girl.

“No.” Emily stood, abruptly letting go of Mercy’s hand. She faced the deputy and wrapped her arms around herself. “No! No! NO!” Her voice grew louder and more hysterical as she continued.

Mercy stood and put her arm around her friend. Emily’s body was trembling like she might fly apart into a million little pieces—a feeling Mercy understood all too well. She held on to Em tightly as she shouted into the house. “Hunter! Xena! We need you!”

The deputy started forward, like he was going to help Emily from the porch. Em cringed back.

“Get away!” she screamed between soul-wracking sobs. “Don’t—touch—me!”

Hunter and Xena spilled from the doorway. “What is happening out here?” Xena asked.

“There’s been an, um, accident,” the deputy said quickly. “Emily’s father has been killed. I came to take her home to her mother.”

Xena gasped. “Oh, kitten!” She brushed past the deputy imperiously to enfold Emily within her arms as the girl clung to her and wept.

Hunter joined Mercy. They faced the deputy—blocking Emily with a wall of their love. Mercy and Hunter joined hands.

“You said, ‘um, accident,’ and then used the word killed,” said Hunter. “Which was it—an accident or a murder?”

Mercy’s stomach roiled and she swallowed down bile. She knew what the deputy was going to say before he spoke.

“It, um, was a murder. Look, I am truly sorry, but Emily’s mother needs her, and I have to get her home.”

Emily suddenly sneezed—once, twice, three times. From the deep pocket of Abigail Goode’s soft bathrobe Xena pulled out a handful of old tissues, which Em took and tried to wipe her face, but her hands were shaking too hard.

Carefully, Xena took the tissues from her and dabbed at her cheeks, though it was impossible to stop Emily’s tide of tears. “Oh, kitten … poor