nodded.
Kady pushed open the conference room door. “I heard . . .” She looked around the room, saw the pile of clothes on the floor, and registered the looks on Meaghan’s and Natalie’s faces.
“Oh. Crap,” she said. She slammed the door shut behind her. Jamie zipped over. Her face crinkled into a smile. “Ooh, he’s so cute!”
The tiny winged Jamie hovered right in front of her face.
“He’s waving his itty bitty middle finger at me.” He pulled open the tissue he was wearing. Kady’s smile evaporated. “The little fucker is flashing me!” She peered closer. “Damn. He’s hung like a tiny little horse. No wonder Patrice is so happy.”
“Kady. Not helping.” Natalie snuck up behind Jamie, muttered something, and waved her hand. His wings sputtered and he fell through the air. Kady caught him before he hit the ground. Natalie scooped up his shirt and threw it around him like a net. “We need to get him back across the hall. He’ll only be out for a minute or two.”
Kady gathered up the rest of his clothing and they hurried across the hall into the office suite. Meaghan locked the door behind her and leaned on it. Kady dumped out a cardboard file box and they placed the stunned Jamie inside it.
“Take him back to the file room. Weight the lid with something. It won’t hold him for long so get out of there fast and lock the door,” Natalie said.
Kady nodded, grabbed the box, and ran.
“He’s still all muddled from the change,” Natalie said, “but he’s going to get crazy strong real soon. She had to do it up here, the bitch. It makes it so much worse. Let’s hope his head clears first. There are no windows in there and both doors are steel, so he should be okay for now.”
Meaghan was still leaning against the door. “Why couldn’t Emily get me? She tried right before she bolted.”
Natalie sat down in her desk chair and rubbed her temples. “This isn’t how we wanted you to find out about your . . . about what Matthew really did around here.” She looked up and met Meaghan’s eyes. Natalie’s eyes were red and puffy, but she’d stopped crying. “You truly are your father’s daughter.”
“Why couldn’t she get me?”
“Because magic doesn’t work on you. You’re impervious,” Natalie answered.
Believe what’s in front of you.
Meaghan nodded. “That means I’m the one who has to go get Jamie’s necklace back.”
“Amulet,” Natalie corrected.
“Amulet. Will she go back to her office?”
Natalie nodded. “Yeah. I think so. She’s got it rigged with some big magic to keep her safe. From me.” Natalie looked down. Her voice thickened like she was choking back tears. “Like she needs to worry about me right now.”
Meaghan needed her to stay on track. “Magic that won’t work on me?”
“Yeah. I think. It didn’t work on Matthew.” She raised her gaze again. “But please be careful. Even if she can’t hex you, she can hex everything around you.”
Meaghan raised an eyebrow. “What, like drop a piano on my head?”
Natalie flashed a weak smile. “I don’t think she has that much imagination. She was crazy strong back there, but she’ll need time to recharge.”
Meaghan gave her a grim smile in return. “I’ll be careful. She was scared back there. Of me. That gives me something to work with.”
“You’re taking this surprisingly well,” Natalie said.
“No, I’m not, but I don’t have time to fall apart right now. I need my deputy back. Lock the door behind me. If there’s anything you can do from here to back me up—spells, voodoo dolls, whatever—get on it.”
Meaghan strode out the door. Time to tour the council offices.
Chapter 15
M eaghan took the stairs. As she neared the second floor landing, she felt the hair on her arms stand on end and a slight stab of nausea for a moment and then it passed.
She felt her anger rise, her typical response to fear. But still she felt detached, like she was watching someone
Kady pushed open the conference room door. “I heard . . .” She looked around the room, saw the pile of clothes on the floor, and registered the looks on Meaghan’s and Natalie’s faces.
“Oh. Crap,” she said. She slammed the door shut behind her. Jamie zipped over. Her face crinkled into a smile. “Ooh, he’s so cute!”
The tiny winged Jamie hovered right in front of her face.
“He’s waving his itty bitty middle finger at me.” He pulled open the tissue he was wearing. Kady’s smile evaporated. “The little fucker is flashing me!” She peered closer. “Damn. He’s hung like a tiny little horse. No wonder Patrice is so happy.”
“Kady. Not helping.” Natalie snuck up behind Jamie, muttered something, and waved her hand. His wings sputtered and he fell through the air. Kady caught him before he hit the ground. Natalie scooped up his shirt and threw it around him like a net. “We need to get him back across the hall. He’ll only be out for a minute or two.”
Kady gathered up the rest of his clothing and they hurried across the hall into the office suite. Meaghan locked the door behind her and leaned on it. Kady dumped out a cardboard file box and they placed the stunned Jamie inside it.
“Take him back to the file room. Weight the lid with something. It won’t hold him for long so get out of there fast and lock the door,” Natalie said.
Kady nodded, grabbed the box, and ran.
“He’s still all muddled from the change,” Natalie said, “but he’s going to get crazy strong real soon. She had to do it up here, the bitch. It makes it so much worse. Let’s hope his head clears first. There are no windows in there and both doors are steel, so he should be okay for now.”
Meaghan was still leaning against the door. “Why couldn’t Emily get me? She tried right before she bolted.”
Natalie sat down in her desk chair and rubbed her temples. “This isn’t how we wanted you to find out about your . . . about what Matthew really did around here.” She looked up and met Meaghan’s eyes. Natalie’s eyes were red and puffy, but she’d stopped crying. “You truly are your father’s daughter.”
“Why couldn’t she get me?”
“Because magic doesn’t work on you. You’re impervious,” Natalie answered.
Believe what’s in front of you.
Meaghan nodded. “That means I’m the one who has to go get Jamie’s necklace back.”
“Amulet,” Natalie corrected.
“Amulet. Will she go back to her office?”
Natalie nodded. “Yeah. I think so. She’s got it rigged with some big magic to keep her safe. From me.” Natalie looked down. Her voice thickened like she was choking back tears. “Like she needs to worry about me right now.”
Meaghan needed her to stay on track. “Magic that won’t work on me?”
“Yeah. I think. It didn’t work on Matthew.” She raised her gaze again. “But please be careful. Even if she can’t hex you, she can hex everything around you.”
Meaghan raised an eyebrow. “What, like drop a piano on my head?”
Natalie flashed a weak smile. “I don’t think she has that much imagination. She was crazy strong back there, but she’ll need time to recharge.”
Meaghan gave her a grim smile in return. “I’ll be careful. She was scared back there. Of me. That gives me something to work with.”
“You’re taking this surprisingly well,” Natalie said.
“No, I’m not, but I don’t have time to fall apart right now. I need my deputy back. Lock the door behind me. If there’s anything you can do from here to back me up—spells, voodoo dolls, whatever—get on it.”
Meaghan strode out the door. Time to tour the council offices.
Chapter 15
M eaghan took the stairs. As she neared the second floor landing, she felt the hair on her arms stand on end and a slight stab of nausea for a moment and then it passed.
She felt her anger rise, her typical response to fear. But still she felt detached, like she was watching someone
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