8

Adam paced for awhile as he watched Rob and Jane take several turns around the garden. He wanted to get in the guy's face and demand answers, like what he planned on doing to help Jane. "I'm not convinced."

Karin smiled. "Good. Your skepticism may save your life one day."

What the hell?

Cassie made a face. "If you know something, you'd better tell us."

"You know what they say..." Karin started.

Adam rolled his eyes. "Be careful what you wish for. Yeah, I get it."

Cassie tapped her foot impatiently. "So, are you going to tell us or not?"

Karin's smirk fell away as she dug in her purse and produced a notebook. "It's all in here."

She handed it to them and Cassie flipped it open. After going through a few pages, she said, "It's just a bunch of scribbled letters."

Karin tossed back her thick, golden curls. "Is it? Look again."

Adam leaned in and saw it right away. He blinked a few times, hoping what he saw was an illusion. "That can't be right."

Cassie threw him a puzzled glance. "I don't get it."

Without thinking, he took her hand and traced the letters. "Now do you see it?"

Ignoring the zap of energy that coursed through him, he withdrew and watched her face patiently. Her mouth opened and closed and she swallowed hard. "Yes."

He felt the dark rush of anger that always arrived when his emotions ran high. His voice cracked as he said, "Who put you up to this?"

"Nobody." Karin took the notebook from them and flipped a few pages. She held up an expertly drawn sketch and asked, "These two are in it up to their necks."

Cassie's eyes went wide and he could feel power building between them. "Don't." He tried to rein it in but it was too late.

Karin's head jerked up and her eyes narrowed. With a flick of her fingers, she sent it back at them, singing their eyebrows and the ends of their hair. "Seriously? You have no idea who you're dealing with."

Adam had always respected his elders, but Karin was pushing her luck. "You lied to us. You're as much of a witch as the rest of us."

The door suddenly opened and Rob said, "She has more power than you'll ever have. The difference is, she only uses it to defend herself."

Cassie looked over at Adam with a 'who is he kidding' face. "And that makes it better?"

Karin twisted her cross between her fingers. "Deep down, you know I'm telling the truth."

"And what are we supposed to do with this information?" Adam looked back at the sketch and knew nothing good would come from this.

"Keep it close to you."

Cassie got right in Karen's personal space. "Anything else we should know?"

"All in good time."

With that deliberate nod to The Wizard of Oz, Karin stepped back and waited for Rob to settle Jane down in the living room. He turned up the TV and came back to where they were standing. Rob looked at Cassie and said, "You were right. She's been hexed."

Adam looked at Rob's deadly serious face. "Why?"

Rob shrugged. "Ask my sister."

They all looked at Karin. "They are running scared."

Cassie said, "That's insane. How can anyone be scared of my grandmother? She wouldn't hurt a soul."

"It's what she knows that scares them." Karin yawned and stretched her arms over her head.

"And what is that, exactly?" Adam's quiet voice seemed to wake Karin up.

"The truth about what happened 16 years ago."

"Is that it? That's not a reason to attack someone." Cassie's blue eyes filled with unshed tears. "I've been here for months, and she never said a word."

"And she wouldn't, Cassie. She's an elder, and they're the real power in this town," Adam explained gently.

Cassie looked over at Karin and something seemed to pass between them. "Their power was stripped from them, and now they want it back."

"Is that right?" It sounded plausible, and he knew it was true even before Karin nodded.

"It is." Rob's interruption brought their focus back to Jane. "And we're here to help, but first you need to bring me Diana's Book of Shadows."

Karin nodded once. "And quickly, before her father gets to it."

Adam said, "Why would he want it?"

Cassie moved between them with a knowing gaze. "To reverse the spell."

Karin added, "Only, he's bound to fuck it up. So you need to move fast."

Adam decided it was better not to tell the others. "C'mon, Cassie. I'll drive us over."

Rob moved to stop his forward movement. "And what if you run into them? Think you can take them on?"

He wasn't sure of anything. "Good point. Why don't you follow us there?"

Karin put her arm through Rob's. "No need. I know the way."