“What did you have in mind?” she asked Wanda, her voice very close to conversational, like they were discussing where to meet for lunch.

  Wanda gave a rolling shrug with one shoulder, lifting up her hand to examine her long and narrow nails. Tonight they were painted black—almost as dark as the curtain of hair that fell down to her waist. “There are spells I can use, to trace power back to its original source.”

  “Okay,” Taliyah said, obviously wanting more information.

  Wanda nodded as she leaned in closer to Hob until only a few inches of air separated their noses. “I can use it on one of our merry little prankster’s works, and my magic will show us if he’s the one responsible.”

  “And you’re just thinking to mention this now,” Taliyah asked, her voice almost a growl.

  Wanda’s eyes flashed warningly at the soon to be fae queen. “I wasn’t personally annoyed before.” Then she looked back at Hob with that predator’s smile of hers. “Now I am.”

  That was when I realized what was going on. Wanda was bluffing. The reason she’d never brought that particular plan of attack up wasn’t disinterest, it was because, even if she could have done it, she didn’t think it would work—though I wasn’t sure of the reason why she didn’t think it would work. All I did know was that right now, Wanda was trying to squeeze a confession out of Hob, and trying to urge Taliyah to go along with it so Hob didn’t figure her out.

  It looked like the little fae was made of sturdier stuff than I’d originally thought, because he’d managed to draw himself up like it was taking every ounce of will he had. Then he managed something approaching an apologetic smile, though it was still pretty queasy around the edges.

  “Oh, but the spells you mentioned, they tend to fade rather quickly, don’t they?”

  “No,” Wanda started but there was a moment of doubt in her eyes.

  Hob’s smile grew. “There wouldn’t really be any power left to trace back to whoever could be doing the wretched things you mentioned. Not so long after the fact.”

  Taliyah rounded on him. “And how do you know how long it’s been?”

  While Hob was still gaping in the face of Taliyah’s anger and Wanda’s pinched irritation, I saw my chance and stepped forward. Finn might be the card player in the family, but I could still bluff like a champ when the situation called for it.

  “Normally, that would be true.” I tilted my chin up, and tried for an imitation of Wanda’s confident smile but probably failed. When it came to Wanda’s femme-fatale abilities, I was just happy she was my best friend, because I hadn’t been blessed with any of her gumption. Except for this exact moment. “I actually kept some of the spoiled milk and used a preservation potion on it in order to keep the magic polluting it fresh. Just in case we needed it.”

  I actually hadn’t done anything of the sort, but that didn’t matter. All that did matter was that Hob believed me. Hob lost all the color he’d regained, and his shoulders hunched forward as he stammered. Andre, meanwhile, stepped up at my shoulder, almost like he didn’t like the fact that I was standing so close to the little faerie.

  I did my best not to shiver at the warm press of his breath on the sensitive skin of my ear. To cover the shiver, I turned just far enough to flash him a smile and, in response, I felt his hand on my shoulder, as if to say he was here for me and had my back.

  The look Andre gave me then was one that said he was impressed, like I’d done something pretty awesome. It brought heat into my cheeks, and I had to turn away. I was in my forties, for Pete’s sake. I shouldn’t have been blushing like I was twelve years old.

  Wanda set her hand on her cocked hip and gave Hob a very toothy smile. “So? Would you like Poppy and me to do the spell?” She didn’t wait for Hob to respond but then cocked her weight to the other hip. “Once your guilt is confirmed, it will be up to Prince Reynard and the heir of Winter to determine your punishment. Of course, if you simply confessed, and told us what you know, I suppose they might show leniency.” She glanced at her fingernails with supposed ennui again. “I know I’d be in a much better mood if I didn’t have to do another spell tonight. I’m quite… exhausted.”

  Hob’s tongue flicked over his lips, and his eyes darted around again, like he was looking for an escape route. But he was still pinned by Fox’s power, and there were a whole lot of ticked off supernaturals between him and freedom. Eventually, he slumped.

  “Fine,” he grumbled.

  “Fine?” Wanda asked.

  He looked up at her and frowned as he blew out a sigh. “It was me.”

  “A-ha,” Fox started as Hob turned his attention to the prince.

  “But you don’t understand! I had to!” He turned his beady, beseeching eyes to Taliyah. “I didn’t have any choice.”

  Taliyah gave him an unimpressed look. “Explain.”

  Hob twisted his fingers together until his hands looked more like a ball of knotted twine. “I… accidentally got myself into debt with Lady Evergreen.”

  Taliyah’s brows drew together. “Who’s that?”

  It was Fox who stepped forward then, his golden eyes hard. “Lady Evergreen is another name for Lady Larch.”

  “And that does absolutely nothing to answer my question,” Taliyah spat the words at Fox.

  He gave her a look before taking a step closer. “She’s a staunch supporter of Janara, and would stop at nothing to see Janara take the throne as the Queen of Winter.”

  “Terrific,” Taliyah muttered as she pulled her attention away from the annoyance in Fox’s face and returned it to Hob. Then she rolled her hand in a gesture at Hob, beckoning him to continue.

  “Lady Evergreen bid me come here,” Hob explained, growing more and more nervous as the words just sort of dropped out of his mouth. “She said my debt would be forgiven if I just played a few harmless pranks on the inhabitants of this town! I didn’t know why but I also didn’t question her because it seemed a pretty good way to pay off my debts! And she lent me her power to do all the things I did. But it was all in jest! It was just trickery! No one was harmed!”

  I remembered all the people I’d had to patch up when the dancing spells had caused them extreme exhaustion, the people who’d gotten sick from drinking milk gone rancid, the misery on that family’s faces at Imani’s shop. It made me wonder just what faeries considered ‘harm.’

  Wanda’s eyes narrowed. “And while you’ve been distracting us all with your little pranks…”

  “Lady Evergreen has been using you as cover,” Fox continued as Hob looked up at him with a series of nods. “So we wouldn’t notice she was here, where she’s been attempting to break the circle in order to free Janara and her company,” Fox finished grimly.

  My gut went cold, hands shaking at the thought of the people who’d taken Finn, kept him away from me. I couldn’t stomach the thought of them being free again. Of course, I knew the circle wasn’t a permanent solution, but I’d thought we’d have more time. Time at least for Taliyah to regain her memories and her power, to take her throne and then Janara’s threat wouldn’t be a threat at all.

  But it appeared that we were out of time.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “What are we waiting for, then?” Roy bellowed. “We need to go after them.”

  He turned, striding towards the woods without bothering to wait for anyone. But we were already moving forward, after him.

  Some of the lesser fae looked frightened at the concept of facing Janara, and I couldn’t blame them even a little. My knees were shaking, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me. Whatever I had to do to keep Finn safe, to keep everyone I cared about safe from a vicious despot who didn’t care about hurting people as long as she got what she wanted—well, the short answer was that I’d do it.

  “Stay with me, Poppy,” Andre whispered as he appeared beside me. “I don’t want you out of my sight.”

  I looked over at him and nodded.

  We hadn’t even made it to the treeline when the wind picked up.

  ‘Picked up’ maybe wasn’t the right way to describe it. There was a distant, howling roar that grew louder, and louder still as the frigid wind tore through the trees. It was so strong, for a second I thought it would flatten the whole forest like the trees were simply dominoes standing on end. The trunks and branches creaked, groaning at the force of the gale, but managed to stay standing.

  Then came the snow.

  A howling, bitter blizzard slammed down, sending stinging snow, and biting little pellets of ice everywhere. I clutched my arms around my chest, trying to breathe, but it felt like I’d jumped into icy water, the shock of it locking my lungs up tight. My hair whipped around my face, stinging my eyes. I had to blink almost constantly, to keep the tears from freezing my lids shut. The air had turned from mild autumn to deepest winter in a single instant.

  “Take this,” Andre said as he reached over and handed me an Ace of Spades card. I looked up at him in question, even as I accepted it. “Put it in your pocket, somewhere close to you,” he continued, and I did as instructed, immediately feeling a blast of warmth flowing through me. “It’s a protection card,” he finished.

  The wind felt like it was doubling down on us—strong enough to stagger me, as though trying to strip every hint of warmth from my body but that little card in my pocket burned against it and I felt my warmth remain. My skin burned against the bitter cold wind, and I bit the inside of my cheek as another gust slammed into me from my right side.

  Andre caught me before I could tip over, angling his body into mine to try to shield me from the gale. There was snow in his hair, and it was caked to the side of his sweater where he turned into the wind, holding up his arm as though to shield me from it. Behind us, I heard screams, frightened cries, and people shouting as they tried to find each other through the terrible storm which was becoming impossible even to see in—it was so blinding white.

  Out of the whiteness, Fox emerged. The wind tossed his hair, and pulled at his clothes, but if the cold bothered him at all, he didn’t give any sign of it. He reached out and snagged my other arm. His grip was strong, but not painful. It felt almost grounding, in a way. Like he could keep me from being blown into the sky with just that hold on my arm. Andre took up my other side.

  “I need you with me,” Fox said, and somehow, I could hear him over everything else going on. “If we’re going to defeat Lady Evergreen, we’ll need magic to do it.”

  “You also have me,” Andre shouted over the wailing of the wind.

  Fox turned to Andre. “There will be shock troops coming, Janara’s minions,” he yelled over the blizzard. “She’ll want to make a statement. We’ll go to confront her and her lackeys, but we’ll need people to stay here and stop her soldiers from reaching the town. Or who knows what kind of damage they can cause.”

  I clenched my jaw to keep my teeth from chattering. Winter fae, rampaging through town. It was unthinkable. The mundane part of Haven Hollow wouldn’t even have a chance to defend themselves. Not to mention, Janara’s soldiers could come from behind us while we were trying to deal with Lady Evergreen. They could end up surrounding us and that was exactly what Fox was planning against.

  “I don’t want to leave her,” Andre said as he motioned to me.

  “You have my word that Poppy will remain unharmed,” Fox responded, his lips tight. “I will personally make sure of it.” Then he took a breath. “But I need you and your magic here, Andre.”

  I looked up at Andre and reached out, squeezing his hand. “I trust Fox.”

  Andre gave me a sharp nod, his lips pressed into a hard line as he glanced back up at Fox again. “I am holding you to your word, Prince Reynard.” Then he turned to me, and his hand moved like he was going to rest his palm on my cheek before he thought better of it. Instead, he squeezed my hand. “Be careful.”

  “You too,” I managed to squeeze out around my heart where it was lodged up in my throat.

  Fox turned then, towing me behind him. He used his body and his power to block the worst of the storm, but I was still frost covered, with snow clinging in clumps to my hair by the time he found Wanda and Taliyah. Yet, the little card in my pocket continued to burn, continued to fight against the freezing conditions surrounding me. And it felt like I had a little piece of Andre with me—a little piece helping to keep me safe.

  “You three,” Fox said, tugging me forward. “We’ll need your power to stop Janara and Lady Evergreen. Taliyah’s magic will be the most effective against Lady Evergreen, but she won’t know exactly how to use it. She’ll need magical backup.”

  “And now you have more magical backup.”

  I heard Maverick’s voice and turned to face him, having never felt happier to see him. Standing beside him were Betanya, Olga, and Imani.

  “I want to help,” Imani said with a quick nod.

  “And we won’t turn you down,” Wanda responded with a quick smile.

  I could only imagine that the bond that connected everyone within Scapegrace Coven must have acted like a beacon, broadcasting Wanda’s and my fear and need. So, our sisters and brother in arms came to heed our call. I’d never been happier or prouder to be among their ranks.

  Wanda nodded at the lot of us, and the deep red lightning of her power crackled around her fingertips for an instant. She shot Fox her razor-edged smile. “Let’s do this, then. I’ll show that bitch why it’s not smart to invade a town claimed by a coven.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to see Roy and Andre breaking apart from a conversation, and a moment later, they were moving through the people who hadn’t run when the storm hit, organizing them in order to face whatever might be coming. And just like that, a figure all in black materialized in front of me, a stark contrast against the white of the storm.

  “Lorcan?” Wanda said, frowning.

  “If you thought I would allow you to brave such a battle without me, you thought wrong… wife,” Lorcan said and his Irish brogue was a little stronger than usual. I could only imagine he’d learned the truth about this fight from someone in our coven.

  I was worried for Finn and Astrid and turned to face Lorcan but he shushed me with a shake of his head. “I was able to catch one of the fae and put her on child and Marty duty.”

  I wasn’t sure what to think of that but just became further determined to keep Janara’s minions as far away from my son and Astrid as it was possible to be.

  “They’re safe in the coven house,” Wanda said as she faced me and I nodded, knowing she was right. Besides, Janara wasn’t after Finn and Astrid. She was after Taliyah.

  Feeling a new fire burning in my veins, that was, no doubt, fueled in part by my connection to the coven, I faced Wanda and gave her a nod that said: let’s do this.

  A High Witch against a noble fae. It wasn’t a fight I’d ever thought I’d get a chance to witness, and I definitely wasn’t looking forward to it now.

  Taliyah turned to face the rest of us, her jaw tight, and we hurried into the snow choked shadows of the forest.

  I stumbled through the dark woods, trying to keep up with beings that weren’t human and didn’t move like they were, and Wanda, who would never ever allow herself to be shown up by anyone. I was pretty sure she was using magic to keep herself from face planting in the snow—her boots were that ridiculous. True to Fox’s word, he never left my side. And Lorcan never left Wanda’s.

  In a matter of seconds, the forest in my backyard had gone from autumn wonderland to freezing nightmare, and if that little Ace of Spades in my pocket wasn’t doing so much to keep me warm, I was pretty sure I would have frozen solid within seconds. It stung to take a breath, as though the air was full of tiny needles of ice that bit at my lungs as I inhaled. I had to keep blinking, to keep my eyelashes from freezing together. Any tears brought on by the stinging wind turned to little drops of ice as soon as they hit my cheeks.

  In between sliding steps, I patted myself over, trying to take stock of what I had on me. Before the circle had been cast, I’d loaded myself up with potions in case there was trouble. But I’d kind of planned more for ‘sneaky prankster’ trouble, and not ‘vengeful snow queen breaking free’ trouble. I wasn’t sure how useful anything I’d packed would be in a fight against the winter fae, unless I managed to give one of them a splinter.

  I did have the clarity potion I’d messed up earlier, but I wasn’t entirely sure what it would do and wasn’t convinced it was a good idea to use it. I wasn’t even sure why I’d brought it. With any luck, this situation wouldn’t erupt into some huge battle. Or if it did, I could only imagine Wanda, Taliyah and Fox would unleash their magic, and I’d just be there as backup in case the fae got in a lucky shot.

  My breath came out in a ragged burst.

  Please, don’t let the fae get a lucky shot.

  Power sparked to life behind my ribs, that same dark churning feeling from earlier. I might have felt better about it if I actually knew how to wield it with purpose, instead of accidentally hexing a woman who’d made a snotty comment about Marty. It sure would have been useful to be able to hex someone intentionally. Something to consider asking Wanda about when we weren’t hip-deep in angry fairies, maybe.

  It was hard to do breathing exercises when the air burned your lungs, and you were wheezing like an asthmatic water buffalo, trying to keep up with people who were literally magic, but I gave it my best shot, trying to coax the power back down somewhere safer.

  My feet had grown numb pretty rapidly while slogging through the trees, and my thighs burned with the effort. It was like trying to run through sand, constantly slipping, with wet leaves and dead branches waiting underneath just itching for the chance to trip you up.

  Taliyah all but flowed over the snow. I was pretty sure she wasn’t even leaving footprints, much less messy craters like I was, in her wake. Fortunately, I was focusing too hard on not breaking a leg to be jealous.