“Can you come home with us and show me some more tricks?” Finn asked, his eyes shining.

  Andre shook his head regretfully as he breathed out. “I’m afraid not, my boy. A magician’s journey tends to be a solitary one. It takes a great deal of introspection and growth to come into your power. It’s not something that can be taught, only learned.”

  “Oh,” Finn said, and sounded disappointed.

  “Every magician is different, Finn.” Andre dropped his hand to rest lightly on Ouire. The book’s cover rose and fell gently, like it was sleeping. “For example, dream-walking, my talent, is a rather unique ability. You’ll no doubt find your own once you’re a fully-fledged magician.”

  Something snapped inside my chest at that, and I stood hastily from the table. “No. No, I don’t want Finn getting mixed up in any of this!”

  I stepped clear of the booth, but the extra space didn’t make it any easier to breathe. There was a nameless dread humming along my veins, warning me that this was dangerous. There were always risks in magic, and I didn’t want Finn anywhere near it.

  Everything started to feel off then, just too much all happening at once. Ouire, Finn having the magic of the magician, my strange reaction to Andre. It was just overwhelming and I needed to get away from it, get some distance, and think it all through rationally.

  “Finn, we need to, uh, we need to get going.”

  His jaw dropped, expression mutinous. “But Mom—”

  “Now, Finn.”

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d snapped at my son, but fear was pulsing in my chest like a second heartbeat. I wanted to get out of there, get my son back home where he was safe, where magicians named Andre couldn’t entice him into magic he had no business being involved with.

  I dropped some money on the table for the ice cream, grabbed Finn’s wrist and all but dragged him towards the door. Andre didn’t say anything to try to change my mind and he made no motion to get up from the table. He just sat there and gave me a quick nod, as if to say he didn’t fault me for freaking out. It was as if he understood it.

  I could feel Andre’s gaze on my back as I made my way out of the creamery, but I didn’t care.

  Who the heck was he, anyway? Even though he’d been the one to help pull me back into the land of the living after the Roscoe ordeal, why hadn’t he told me that from the beginning? From the exact moment he laid eyes on me, he’d been dishonest. I was sure of it, based on the fact that when I’d finally put the pieces together, his response had been: yes, that was me.

  No surprise. No shock.

  He’d known all along and yet he’d allowed me to suffer with this strange feeling of déjà vu.

  It just… it wasn’t right.

  And furthermore, how in the world had he managed to get into my mind to begin with? It wasn’t like we knew each other or were close. He’d said something about our souls possibly knowing one another, but what did that mean, anyway?

  What game was Andre playing?

  I didn’t know, and I was getting more and more convinced that I didn’t want to find out.

  ***

  Finn wouldn’t talk to me for the rest of the night.

  In the time-honored tradition of teenagers everywhere, the moment we got home, he stormed up to his bedroom and slammed the door and I hadn’t seen him since.

  I knew he’d be upset, but his safety was the most important thing to me. I didn’t want him caught up in something that might end up getting him hurt. Especially not something that had already started marking him physically.

  But it killed me to take away something he obviously wanted so badly. He’d been so excited, so happy at the show, and when Andre had told him he could be a magician too, I hadn’t seen that fire in his eyes for a long time. And now here I was, with a son who had barricaded himself in his room again, with no sign of his usual sunny, cheerful self.

  He didn’t have to like it, but it was my job to keep him out of trouble.

  I was doing the right thing, I argued to myself. Wasn’t I?

  What I really needed was a third opinion. Someone who cared about Finn, but didn’t have a stake in the magic game.

  So, I fished out my phone and gave Marty a call.

  He answered on the second ring. “Hey, Pops! How was the magic show?”

  Just hearing his voice helped to lift some of the weight from my shoulders at the same time that the intense guilt I felt where Marty’s and my relationship was concerned dropped them back down again.

  “It was good,” I answered quickly, too quickly because I didn’t want to think about Andre when I was talking to Marty, when I was talking to my boyfriend.

  Marty sounded a little bit out of breath, and I could hear other voices in the background. “Is this a bad time? I’m not catching you in the middle of something, am I?”

  “Nah.” I heard his clothing rustle as he moved away, the other voices growing less distinct. “We were just working this case, but Henner’s pretty sure this lady’s ‘cold spot problem’ is just because she keeps putting her furniture over her heating vents.”

  I had to laugh at that, a little bit of tension easing out of my shoulders and back. Marty always had that effect on me. He was always so comforting to be around.

  “So, no ghost busting tonight?”

  “Doesn’t look like it,” he said, voice cheerful. Marty might have been thrilled when he learned about the supernatural side of Haven Hollow, but ultimately, he’d started his ghost busting business to help people, so he wasn’t disappointed when all they needed was a couch or an armoire moved around instead of a ghost banished.

  “What about you? Is everything okay? You sound a little down.”

  I caught my breath. Marty was so thoughtful, always catching onto my moods. He was the best boyfriend I could ask for. Sure, there wasn’t a lightning attraction like with certain magicians who need not be mentioned, but attraction could grow with time. Compatibility was more important. I’d take thoughtful over mysterious and potentially dangerous any day.

  Marty was also smart, and he cared about Finn. He was exactly the kind of opinion I needed.

  So, I laid it all out for him. Well, maybe not all of it. I left out the part about my intense attraction to Andre and the feeling that I’d known him from someplace before. I also left out the part about Andre showing up as a vision and a voice while I’d been dying in the ER. Instead, I told him how Ouire had randomly shown up at my store, how I’d then met Andre (I skipped through that part pretty quickly), how we’d been invited to the show, and, finally, the revelation that Finn had the potential to be a magician. I told him about how Finn had responded to Ouire, how proud he’d been when he mastered his first trick, and how he’d lit up at Stomper’s Creamery when he’d realized he had the potential to be a magician too.

  “I just…” I sighed, raking a hand back through my hair. “I just want to keep him safe, Marty.”

  “I get that.”

  “Magic is dangerous, and this isn’t even something I understand, much less that I can shield him from. It’s not like teaching Astrid how to make potions. This is way outside my wheelhouse.”

  Marty was quiet while I rambled on and on, only adding the occasional sound to indicate he was still actively listening. He didn’t speak until I finally finished talking and then dropped down onto the couch.

  “Everything you just said makes a lot of sense,” he said, voice full of sympathy. “I get it, Pops. He’s your kid, and you want him to be safe. But can I play devil’s advocate here for a second?”

  I let my head fall to the back of the couch, while staring up at the ceiling. “Of course.”

  Marty was quiet for another second. “Have you considered that maybe this will be good for Finn?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, Finn’s been having kind of a hard time since you guys moved to Haven Hollow. And, speaking from experience, it can be really difficult dealing with the feeling that everyone you know is more capable, and more powerful than you are. Finn’s growing into a young man, still figuring things out, but that’s a hard thing to take, Pops. Especially since he’s feeling like he needs to be the man of the house and he obviously wants to be able to protect and take care of his mom.”

  Tears burned the corners of my eyes, and I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat. “I should be the one protecting him. It’s my job.”

  “That’s true. But there comes a time when the tables turn and when Finn will take the place of being your protector.” I heard Marty moving, fabric shifting around across the line. For a moment he was quiet, just soft breathing making its way to my ear. “I understand where he’s coming from, because I want to protect you too, Pops. It can be really hard, knowing that I can’t do as much for you as your friends and neighbors can. I mean, I’m just a normal guy. But if I could have finished off Roscoe, you better believe I would have.”

  “You’re not just a normal guy, Marty.” My voice came out harsh, too full of emotions I wasn’t even sure I could name. “You’re the best guy. You’re kind, and you’re thoughtful, and you’re brave.” My voice choked off, and I had to breathe for a few seconds to try and get control of my emotions back.

  At the thought of Marty facing off with Roscoe, I was filled with something I could only describe as panic. An icy, drowning kind of feeling. Marty was a big guy, sweet and strong. But Roscoe would have ripped through him like a piece of tissue paper. He wouldn’t have even had the miniscule protection of potions on his side. The idea of Marty, of Finn being anywhere near that blood-soaked nightmare made me feel like there was a glacier in my chest, crushing my lungs flat. I couldn’t get any air around it.

  Marty laughed, but it was a shaky thing. “Thanks, Pops. I think you’re the best, too.”

  I clutched at the phone, listening to Marty’s voice. He was fine. I was fine. Finn was fine. Roscoe was dead. He’d never lay a hand on anyone I cared about ever again. I’d been very lucky to walk away with just a bit of anemia.

  And maybe you wouldn’t have walked away if it hadn’t been for Andre, a voice inside my head proclaimed, but I did my best to shut it up.

  “But what about the next danger?” Marty asked. “The next monster that comes poking around? What would happen if something came after Finn and you weren’t there to protect him? And I’m not there to protect him? What if he was alone, and far from anyone who could help?”

  I swallowed hard because I knew where this was going.

  “Maybe… maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing if he had a little magic of his own?” Marty continued. “Maybe this magician stuff could actually protect him?”

  “Okay,” I said quietly.

  “Okay?”

  I breathed in deeply. “I’m willing to admit I might have acted prematurely, before I fully understood what all of this stuff entails.” I exhaled. “I’ll talk to Andre so I can find out exactly what Finn would be getting into before I agree to any of it.”

  “I think that’s a good call.”

  My head dropped back against the couch cushions, and I sighed. Marty’s enthusiasm made me feel better about it all. I just hoped I wasn’t making a big mistake.

  “Thanks again, Marty. I really appreciate it.”

  “Anytime. I mean it.” Someone called something in the background, and Marty must have put his hand over the phone, because his response was too muffled for me to make out. “Sorry, Pops, I have to run. Apparently, this lady has an old school china hutch that’s going to take all three of us to move.”

  I laughed. “You do realize you’re going to be there all night moving stuff, right?”

  “Probably,” he agreed, sounding far too cheerful for someone being strong armed into heavy labor. “But the owner’s in the kitchen right now, so there’s a greater than zero chance that I might be getting cookies out of the deal, so I’m fine with it.”

  Trust Marty to be swayed by the promise of oatmeal raisins.

  “Alright,” I laughed. “I’ll let you go. Good luck with your new furniture moving company.”

  “Good night, Pops.”

  I hung up, but stayed slumped back into the couch, staring up at the ceiling. Sadly, the old stucco didn’t have any answers for me, other than that I needed to dust the upper corners more, judging by the sizable cobwebs.

  Marty was right, and I might have overreacted a little to the idea of Finn getting even more mixed up with magic than he already was. Maybe. A little.

  It was just… I knew, in my head, that Finn was thirteen and he’d arrived there in a literal blink. He was growing up, and part of growing up was making decisions for yourself, to a degree. But it was also dealing with the consequences of those decisions.

  In my heart, Finn was and always would be that baby I’d held in my arms, fragile and helpless and needing me for everything. It was silly, and probably not very helpful, but that didn’t make it less true.

  Regardless, I’d do what I’d told Marty I would. I’d talk to Andre, and I’d find out what was involved with becoming a magician. I was pretty antsy still, especially since it seemed that this ‘personal journey path’ to the arcane seemed to have distressingly little supervision. I knew exactly how fraught teaching magic to a teenager could be. I’d been showing Astrid how to brew potions, and good as she was, I’d also had to keep her from blowing up the place a couple times.

  Still, a few card tricks didn’t seem especially volatile.

  But as regarded getting in touch with Andre—that was a problem in and of itself—namely, because I didn’t have his phone number.

  That just meant I was going to have to play supernatural community phone tag to try and track him down. The Half-Moon Bar and Grill probably had his number, since they’d have needed to talk to him about the show, but that meant calling up Roy and asking him for another man’s phone number, and just the thought of it made me tired.

  A lot of things made me tired. Considering I’d spent most of the night sitting down, I was surprisingly exhausted. To the point where my bones felt like they’d been replaced by lead bars, and I wasn’t entirely sure I’d be able to drag myself up the stairs to bed. It was that dead exhaustion I’d been suffering from before I’d met Andre and he’d seemed to soak all the fatigue right up.

  As I sat there, making no move to get up, I was sure that part of the reason I’d reacted so strongly to the idea of Finn learning magic was because of my absolutely baffling reaction to Andre.

  Our weird familiarity, the fact that I wanted to trust him implicitly, it kind of had the opposite effect. I was second guessing everything, and digging my heels in over things that, in other circumstances, I might not have. Just who was he? I’d never even heard of magicians before, and now suddenly one runs into me at my shop, turning my whole world on its side, after his magical sentient book befriends my son. And on top of that, oh, by the way, your son is a magician, too? Who wouldn’t be a little paranoid?

  And I still couldn’t stop thinking about how it had felt to be standing so close to the man, chests pressed together, feeling his warmth and his heartbeat through the thin fabric of my sweater. The way his arm had looped around me when I’d tripped, brushing over the skin at the small of my back. It hadn’t been inappropriate in any way, but just thinking about it sent a wave of tingles up my spine.

  What would have happened if I’d just tipped my chin up a little when we’d been together in that velvety dark room? Would he have leaned down to meet my lips? Would I have found out if his lips were as soft as they looked? As full?

  I slapped both hands over my face with a frustrated groan. What was wrong with me? I had a boyfriend! A wonderful, sweet, funny, handsome boyfriend who really cared about me, who probably even loved me.

  I decided then and there that there would be no more thinking about things for the rest of the night. I dragged my hands off my face, letting them drop to the couch beside me. All of my problems would be waiting for me after a good night’s sleep, and if I didn’t haul my tired bones up the stairs right then, I was pretty sure I’d be sleeping on the couch and paying for it the next day.

  I’d give Finn the night to cool down. Tomorrow, I’d sit him down and tell him that, so long as I was sure it was safe, we could discuss him learning magic, if that was what he really wanted. And I would try to make him understand I only wanted the best for him.

  I just hoped I was doing the right thing.

  Chapter Twelve

  The kitchen door flew open unexpectedly and scared the heck out of me.

  I fumbled for the bottle I’d almost dropped, clutching it to my chest as Astrid sailed into my kitchen like a red-headed cyclone. Had I forgotten our potion session for the day? I glanced at the clock and realized that no, I hadn’t—it was still midday.

  Maybe this was something more along the lines of Astrid needing an ear? Recently, she’d gone through a lot—what with Wanda creating her own coven, of which Astrid was now a member, as well as her estranged brother, Maverick. Not only was Astrid dealing with trying to resurrect that difficult relationship with her brother, but she was also dealing with mending a relationship with her mother, Tabitha.

  Because Tabitha had aided us in ousting Wanda’s mother, High-Witch Celestine Depraysie, Tabitha was now trying to deal with the fallout of the Crescent Circle Coven. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen after Celestine was stripped of her title and banished from the coven, but it seemed that Tabitha had stepped in so the coven wouldn’t fall apart. Owing to that and no doubt how busy Tabitha was picking up the pieces left by her sister, we hadn’t heard from her much.

  “Hi, Poppy,” Astrid said as she dropped her bag in the corner and acted like she hadn’t nearly just taken my nose off. She draped her long coat over a chair before she tossed her hair back over her shoulder and turned to face me, one hand braced on her hip. “So, hypothetically, what would be a good potion to teach an arrogant jerk a lesson?”