Entangled (25 page)

He flipped through his mother’s copy of
The Art of Healing the Misplaced Soul
. He’d nabbed it off her bookshelf on his way out. It was a long shot, but worth a try. At seven thirty a woman jogged past, the wires of her earbuds hanging past her neck. Raj could finally drink his coffee without scalding his tongue.

By nine forty, Raj had read halfway through his mother’s book and, as he’d suspected, it contained nothing of use in regards to Gray. He drank down the last of the coffee, cold now, and looked up in time to see Charlene walking out to her car. Raj tossed the book on the passenger seat.

He had to be careful to follow Charlene at a safe distance, especially as there wasn’t much traffic at this time. It would have been a lot easier if he made the car invisible, but that was asking for bad karma. Wouldn’t it be swell if someone rear-ended him?

Raj expected Charlene to make for Ryan Phillips’s house. What he didn’t expect was for Charlene to drive up to the blue brick building where Gatherings were held. Gray had told him Charlene was no longer an active member of the coven.

Raj parked in the farthest corner then proceeded to pace in front of his car.

Shay, if you’re in there, please meet me outside in the parking lot.

Raj watched as more cars arrived and parked in front of the building. As soon as Shay came out the front doors, Raj started toward her.

“Raj? What are you doing here?” They stopped a foot apart. Shay’s lips turned down. “Oh, no.”

“What?”

“You have a favor to ask me.”

“Please, just take a quick peek inside her head.”

“Raj…”

Raj stepped closer. “She’s already responsible for one girl’s death.”

“Stacey isn’t dead.”

“She’s worse than dead.”

Shay glanced over her shoulder. “I need to get back inside.”

Raj put a hand on her shoulder as Shay turned to go. “You don’t have to tell me anything—just make sure she doesn’t plan on hurting Gray.”

Shay’s face was unreadable. “If Charlene truly wishes another witch harm then it is my duty to report her.” Before Raj could thank her, Shay’s face tightened. “Then again, Gray is supposed to be dead. No one on the council knows she’s alive. On the other hand, Gray didn’t do anything wrong—her mother did.” Shay looked into the distance then glanced at Raj. “I’m not making any promises.”

Raj thanked her even though there might not be reason to. He waited two hours in the parking lot for her reemergence. In that time he finished the rest of
The Art of Healing the Misplaced Soul
. While the text offered nothing in the way of instruction on body transfers, the information could come in handy should someone ever require his assistance banishing unwanted spirits or performing a full-on exorcism.

When the first members of the coven began exiting the building, Raj made himself invisible. He moved to the walkway just outside the building. There was no reason to hang back when no one could see him.  Shay, no doubt, would be one of the last to leave. She always held back to help with chair-stacking spells and other clean-up.

Raj flicked his lighter open and closed. A man passing by glanced his way, an expression of perplexity appearing over his features when he saw nothing. Raj quickly replaced the lighter in his jeans pocket.

Why wait? It wasn’t like anyone would see him if he went inside, though it was easy to imagine Shay’s ire if he were to try consulting with her in the Gathering’s sacred space. It wasn’t as though Raj had been banned or anything. He’d just elected not to attend. He didn’t exactly feel welcome any longer.

And speaking of those who chose not to attend, Charlene stepped out of the building… arm around Nolan Knapp. Finally, activity of the interesting variety. Raj followed the pair around the building.

“You are so sweet wanting to help me and my sister out,” Charlene cooed. “Mom always said you were one of Kent’s most gifted warlocks… not to mention one of the cutest.”

Nolan’s chest lifted. The dolt was grinning like a fool. Couldn’t he tell Charlene was playing him? Of course not; Nolan Knapp was an idiot. Raj wondered what Gray could possibly see in him.

He’s not the one she kissed, he reminded himself.

“So you want to go now?” Nolan asked.

Charlene batted her lashes. “Are you game?”

Nolan’s voice lifted an octave. “I’ll tell my parents I’m spending the afternoon at the library.”

Charlene giggled. “You’re so bad. I’ll be waiting for you in my car.”

Road trip it was then.

Raj’s initial guess, that Charlene was on her way to the city, hadn’t panned out. She hadn’t taken any of the Seattle exits and now she’d even passed Everett. Cityscapes had turned to open fields and farmland. They were roughly fifty miles into the I-5 headed north.

Canada
.

Charlene was making a run for the border.

Raj squeezed his steering wheel. At least the witch was making good time. That hadn’t been as helpful when Raj had to pull off for gas and scream back up the highway to catch up to the speeding vehicle.

It looked as though they were going to buzz through Bellingham until Charlene suddenly cranked over and barreled down an exit—no blinker. Raj was following far enough behind to have time to trail after her down the off-ramp.

They ended up in a residential neighborhood, parking on the street outside a small ranch home with hedges and rose bushes lining the walkway up to the front door. Roses shouldn’t be in bloom yet, nor lilies, freesias, or dahlias. If Charlene and Nolan were soliciting aid, Raj shouldn’t be surprised that they’d gone to a witch.

Nolan was the one who knocked. A large, burly man filled the doorframe. Words were exchanged and then the pair was invited in. Raj didn’t have time to hear the exchange. He’d been parking several houses down as Charlene and Nolan made their way up to the house.

Raj was once more invisible. He peeked through the windows. The figures inside looked ghostlike through the sheer gauzy lace curtains. Great, probably another warlock with granny issues.

Raj put his ear up to the front door. No sound. He couldn’t risk coming in with the entrance leading directly into the living space.

“Thank you for seeing us, Brock,” Nolan said after the door opened and he stepped outside with Charlene. Her smile was tight. Maybe that was a good sign?

“Crap!” Charlene said the moment the door closed on them.

Nolan’s lips turned down. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out.”

“Figure something out—she’s trapped inside my body! God, it’s like having a Siamese twin stuck to my brain.”

Stop walking
, Raj silently commanded them. Once they got inside Charlene’s car he’d be cut off from their communication. Oh, to have Shay’s mind-reading abilities.

“Something needs to be done,” Nolan said. “It is your body, after all.”

Charlene suddenly stopped and turned slowly toward Nolan. “You’re right. It is my body, and if she can be put inside it, she can be taken out.”

Raj pounded on the door of the warlock’s home. He nearly fell inside when it flew open.

“Yes?” A burly figure straight out of a fairy tale stood in the doorframe. His facial hair and long mane gave him the appearance of a yeti.

Raj cleared his throat. “I need to know what you just told that couple.”

“And why should I tell you?”

Raj straightened. “Because a girl’s life depends on it.”

The warlock glanced over Raj’s shoulder. He jutted his chin toward the door. “Hers?”

“No, her sister’s.”

“The sister anything like that one?”

“Nothing alike… except in appearance.”

The warlock rolled his head from one shoulder to the next then turned. “Follow me to my living room. Have a seat there.”

Raj looked at the antique rocking chair in front of the window. “I’d rather stand.”

“Have a seat.”

Fine, what choice did he have?

“Name?” the warlock asked.

“Raj.”

“Last?”

“McKenna.”

“Coven and status?”

What was this? An interview? Interrogation?

“Kent. Inactive.” Raj rocked forward. “What is
your
name?”

The warlock settled onto the middle cushion of the couch in front of him. “Brock.”

“Mind telling me what Charlene and Nolan were doing here, Brock?”

Brock folded his hands over his lap and studied Raj a moment. “You’re a healer.”

Raj suppressed a sigh. “That’s right.”

“I was never good at the healing arts. I hope you appreciate having the skill.”

Brock continued to stare at him so Raj answered, “I do.”

“It’s a lonely calling—always helping others. One’s in danger of neglecting themselves.”

Raj just stared back.

Brock leaned forward. “Like I told your friends, it’s too late for the sister to get her body back. Can’t transfer a soul into a decomposed body.” He thought a moment. “Well, could in theory, but I doubt she’d want to go around looking like a flesh-eating zombie.”

Raj’s feet hit the floor. “Now what?”

“You can’t stuff two souls inside a body. One of them has to go.”

On Monday morning Gray went straight to the bathroom mirror. Her hair had been trimmed and now landed just above the shoulders. It looked pretty cute, not that she’d get to sport the new look to school.

For once, the communications notebook was blank, but Mom had firm instructions in regards to lengthening her hair before stepping foot in McKinley. Add hair growth, right alongside tanning, to the daily spell regiment.

“I told Charlene the two of you are going to have to learn to get along,” Mom said as she walked Gray through the spell.

They’d blessed a bowl of water, snipped a small lock of Gray’s hair, and placed it inside the bowl.

Gray had never messed with her hair length so the whole thing was taking a while. Okay, maybe she was taking long on purpose. She was in no rush to get to school any earlier than she had to. Extra time meant possible encounters with Raj, Nolan, Blake, Ryan, or all four.

Mom had one of her spell books open to the page on hair growth. “Repeat after me: Long and flowing like a river. Make my hair grow quicker and quicker.”

Gray turned her head side to side in front of the mirror. “I like my hair the way it is.”

“I like it, too, and you can cut it any way you want once you get your body back, but for now you need to keep it the way Charlene likes.”

Ah, yes, the daily reminder that Gray had no rights over the body she was borrowing.

By the time Gray got her hair flowing down her back, she was running seriously late for school. Again, teleportation would have come in handy that morning. The school parking lot was full of cars, vacant of students. Except for Raj McKenna.

He sat waiting on the hood of his car. Raj slipped off as soon as he saw her. “Gray, we need to talk.”

Sooner or later Gray was going to have to own up to her part in their kiss, but right now she had graver concerns to contend with, not to mention more immediate ones—like getting to class on time. “Can we talk about this later?” she said as she rushed past Raj. He fell into step beside her. “I’m running late for biology.”

“We have bigger problems than biology.”

Gray craned her head to look at Raj.

“Come on,” he said. “This can’t wait.”

Fifteen minutes later they were seated at their usual table at The Daily Grind. The barista raised her brows when they ordered, but Gray hardly noticed.

“Charlene went to Gathering yesterday.”

“Charlene? Gathering?”

Raj pushed his finger into the table. “I followed her there and waited. She came out with Nolan Knapp.” Gray was just reaching for her mocha when her hand stilled. Raj looked at the surface of the table as he spoke. “He got into her car and I followed them.”

“Where did they go?”

“They visited a warlock named Brock in Bellingham.”

Gray forgot to breathe. She nearly gasped for breath a moment later. “That motherfucker!”

A man glanced up from his newspaper one table over and frowned.

“Nolan was supposed to pick me up Saturday to see that same warlock. The weasel stood me up.”

Before Gray could grumble further, Raj cut in. “Is that why you sent me packing Saturday morning? You were meeting up with Nolan later?”

Oops.

He didn’t have to give her the face. Gray had real problems on her hands. She straightened in her chair. “Well, he offered to actually introduce me to a warlock who does body transfers, which is more than I can say for you.”

Raj’s jaw tightened. “I’m trying to protect you.”