Undrea introduced her. “This is Mattie, one of my very best friends and one of the witches who’s been helping with the spells.”
He stuck his hand out. “Very nice to meet you, Mattie. Thank you for your assistance in all of this.”
She smiled, but Undrea could tell she was sizing him up. She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, too, Ethan.” She handed him a towel and his backup glasses. “How are you feeling?”
“Not bad, all things considered.” He put his glasses on first since his other pair had fallen off as soon as he’d hit the water. Undrea had promised Aaron would try to retrieve them.
Mattie nodded. “You mean now that you’re Undrea’s slave for the rest of your life?”
He stared at her. “What’s that now?”
Undrea poked her friend in the shoulder. “Quit spinning him up. He’s had enough of being enthralled to a supernatural. He’s not going to think that’s funny.”
Mattie laughed. “Yeah, all right.” She looked past them at the lake. “Is Aaron coming out this way too?”
“Not sure,” Undrea said. “And we don’t have time to wait. I need to get Ethan into hiding as soon as possible. Then the waiting begins.”
He dried his hair, then pulled the towel down around his shoulders. “I’m ready. I just want this over with.”
“We’re almost there. And since you technically died, she should have no connection to you any longer.”
He tugged on the ends of the towel. “But what’s stopping her from coming after me again?”
“For one thing,” Undrea said, “there’s going to be werewolves guarding my house tonight. No one will get through. Right, Mattie?”
“Right. The sheriff, Hank Merrow, and his brother who’s the fire chief, Titus, will be patrolling Undrea’s house tonight. For another thing,” Mattie went on, “an edax succubus can’t attach to the same human twice. For a third, we’re already working on a spell to banish her from the town. While you two were having your swim, Pandora let herself into Ethan’s house and snagged a few strands of Nina’s hair from her brush. We have everything we need to complete the spell now.”
Ethan shook his head. “It’s a good thing I never got around to changing those locks.”
“Wouldn’t have mattered,” Undrea said. “Pandora’s a witch too. She would have just opened the door with magic.”
His mouth came open. “My Realtor is a witch? I only ever dealt with her online but— Hey, are there any humans in this town?”
“Most of the tourists,” Mattie said with a grin. “Let’s go. I should get back to work on that banishing spell.”
Undrea nodded. “The sooner that’s done, the better. Then you’ll really be free.” She gave him a wink. “Now get in the car and lie down with the towel over you. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to get up.”
That wasn’t until Mattie had backed toward Undrea’s garage. Undrea got out and opened the door, then jumped back in the car. “Okay, you can get out, but you’re going to have to make a run for it. Mattie couldn’t pull in because your Maserati is already filling the space.”
He sat up, pulling the towel off. “I really hope this all works.”
“It will,” Mattie said. “Just give us time to finish that banishing spell. Be patient. And stay out of sight.”
“I will, no worries there.” He slid out of the car and hurried into the garage. He stood by the side of his car. “Thanks again, Mattie. I owe you. I owe all of you.”
“I’ll make a note of that.” She laughed.
Undrea could already smell something delicious cooking upstairs as she got out of the car, too. “I think your mom’s been busy. I smell dinner.”
“Me, too. See you up there.” He headed toward the first floor.
“And stay away from the windows.”
“Will do.” He gave her a thumbs-up as he toed off his wet shoes before going up the steps.
Undrea ducked down to see Mattie. “Thanks again.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll let you know how the banishing goes.”
As Mattie pulled away, Undrea closed the garage door and followed after Ethan, leaving her shoes behind too. She was happy to see the blinds and curtains were all still shut, the same way she’d left them.
Connie and Sarah Jane hadn’t opened a single one. Not that Undrea thought they would. Obviously, Connie wanted to protect her son more than anyone did. Still, it was strange not to be able to look out. They just couldn’t risk Nina seeing Ethan.
Undrea found him in the kitchen, hugging his mom.
She was laughing but hugging him back. “You’re getting me all wet!”
Undrea grinned. “We both need to change.”
Sarah Jane was making a salad. “Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes, so good timing.”
Connie let go of Ethan and pulled Undrea into a hug next. “Thank you for all that you did.”
Undrea hadn’t expected the hug, but it was nice all the same. “You’re welcome. We’re not quite done yet.”
Connie nodded as she released Undrea. “I know. But we will be, soon. And without you, none of this would have happened.” She sniffed, clearly emotional.
“I was happy to do it.”
Connie gave them both a little smile. “Off with you now. Get your showers or whatever and get changed for dinner.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Undrea said.
Connie made shooing motions at Ethan. “You too.”
“I’m going.” He walked down the hall with Undrea. “Sorry my mom is treating you like she’s your mom too.”
Undrea shook her head, amused. “No need to apologize. It’s sweet.”
He stopped at the guest bedroom door. “She’s right, though. Without you, none of this would have happened.” He took her hand, his expression serious. “This feels like a debt that can’t ever be repaid.”
“You don’t owe me anything. If the situation was reversed, you would have done the same thing.”
“You’re right. I would have. If I knew how to rescue a mermaid. Which I don’t.” He glanced down.
She thought he was looking at their hands, then she realized he was looking at her feet. “Checking for webbed toes?”
He shook his head and pointed. “You must have cut yourself on a rock.”
She looked. The top of her foot bore a small, fresh wound. “No, that’s from where I pulled the scale off.”
He frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I wouldn’t change a thing.” She wasn’t going to tell him that it would leave a permanent scar. It didn’t matter to her. And it would only make him feel worse. “That dinner smells good, and I’m hungry. We should really get moving before your mom yells at us.”
He laughed. “You’re not wrong.”
“And I want to shower too.”
“Same here.” He gave her a quick kiss. “See you in the kitchen.”
She left him and got straight into the shower, happy to stand under the hot water and soak for a minute. She was a little tired. She hadn’t used so much magic in a long time, but she couldn’t rest just yet.