I wanted to cry but instead I took a sip of my steaming mug of hot cocoa instead, grateful for the hot mug that warmed my cold hands.
“Okay,” Avery said carefully. “And what magic did you do, Emmers? Tell us everything—word-for-word.”
“Avery is right—the words you spoke when your magic manifested are important,” Lachlan agreed. “That much is true for both Fae and Sister magic.”
I closed my eyes, trying to think.
“He…he was dragging me towards his…towards his bedroom…” I swallowed hard, hearing a dry click in my throat.
Bran’s arm tightened almost painfully around my shoulders and Lachlan scowled fiercely. Somehow, I went on.
“He was dragging me and I just started shouting at him,” I told them. “I shouted that he was old and gross and I didn’t want anything to do with him. And then I shouted…” I frowned, trying to remember. “I shouted something like—‘I wish everyone could see how ugly you are—I wish it was as plain as the nose on your face.’ Which I know is kind of weird but I was panicking.” I shrugged.
“That’s understandable,” Avery said evenly. “And then what happened?”
“Then he started groping around in his boxer shorts and shouting, ‘Where is it? Where is it?’” I told them. “And he pulled down his shorts and I saw his…” I cleared my throat. “I saw his nose between his legs.”
“Uh, you mean where his boy parts should have been?” Jalli asked, wide-eyed.
“Exactly.” I nodded.
“Well, then, to borrow Jalli’s term, where did his ‘boy parts’ end up?” Avery asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Where…where his nose used to be,” I told them.
“Oh my Goddess!” Avery’s eyes got wide and he stared at me in disbelief. “You mean to tell us you switched them?”
“I…I guess so.” I shrugged again. “Like I said, I don’t know how I did it but it’s done now and I don’t know how to undo it.”
“Why should you undo it?” Bran demanded fiercely. He got up and started pacing, running his hands through his dark blond hair. “He deserves what you did to him and worse, Emma!”
“I agree with you, completely,” Lachlan’s voice was low and measured but I could see the rage dancing far back in his emerald eyes. “But we have to consider how this is going to affect Emma’s mother’s living arrangement.”
“That’s true! Groperson will probably kick my mom out on the street.” I almost started crying again. “And it’s all my fault! I started it all with the stupid magic coin I made out of cigarette butts.”
“You what?” Lachlan frowned at me.
“You did more magic you didn’t tell us about?” Bran asked.
So then I had to admit to the other magic I had done by accident—which I had only told Avery and Kaitlyn and Megan about.
“And that’s what started it all and the reason Groperson demanded double rent in the first place,” I finished. “So like I said, this is all my fault.”
“The only thing you’re at fault for is not telling us, little one,” Lachlan said, frowning. “How can we help you with your magic if you don’t tell us when you do it?”
“And why didn’t you tell us you needed rent money?” Avery demanded. “We could have scraped something together—I’m sure we could.”
“I didn’t want to tell you because I was embarrassed,” I told him, feeling my cheeks heat with a shameful blush. “I didn’t want to have to ask anyone for money! I wanted to earn it on my own.”
“No wonder you were working so hard this week,” Kaitlyn murmured.
“You should have told us, Emma.” Megan looked at me reproachfully.
“Well now you know everything,” I pointed out. “And I’m sorry I was keeping secrets. I just…it’s hard being poor, you know?”
“Believe me, we know,” Kaitlyn and Megan said together. Neither of them had much money either. Avery was a different story. His family was downright wealthy but he never talked about it much or flaunted it, except when he drove us around in the new Tesla his dad had bought for him.
“Keeping secrets invites trouble,” Lachlan said, frowning. “But I think Emma knows that now.”
“Tell us next time you need something,” Avery told me.
“And tell Lachlan and me before you go someplace dangerous,” Bran added, frowning.
“I will. I promise.” I sighed and looked around the room. “So…can we put Groperson back the way he was?”
“I don’t think he deserves to be fixed,” Megan stated, frowning angrily. “He’s a horrible person and he got exactly what was coming to him!”
“Yes, but again, we must think of Emma’s mother,” Griffin reminded her.
“Can you fix him, Lachlan?” I asked, turning to him. “Do you think you can undo my magic?”
He frowned.
“Honestly, it depends on how much power you put into it and how focused—or unfocused—it was. What I felt from you last night when you worked the binding was extremely focused, but you weren’t in fear for your life at that time.”
“Will you try though?” I begged. “For my mom?”
He sighed and nodded reluctantly.
“I’ll try, but I must have you there beside me to help because it was your magic that worked the switch in the first place.”
“If Emma is going, I’m coming to make sure that bastard doesn’t try anything else,” growled Bran.
“We’re coming to support Emma,” Megan said, and Kaitlyn and Avery nodded.
“Well, I am coming with you because I really can’t wait to see the effects of Emma’s nose-switching magic,” Griffin said dryly. “It should be a unique sight, to say the least.”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing that myself,” Ari said, grinning. He and Griffin shared a fist bump.
“I want to see, too!” Jalli exclaimed.
“No, I don’t think so.” Ari frowned at his little sister. “You’re staying here, Jalli. “There are some things you’re too young to see.”
“I’m fourteen!” she protested. “I don’t want to stay here all by myself!”
“You won’t be.” Saint frowned at her. “I will be staying as well. I do not trust my Drake around this human male. He sounds very likely to rouse my other half to anger. Unless…” He frowned and looked at Avery. “Will there be any danger to you, roommate?”
Avery frowned.
“I don’t see how there could be.” He grinned. “Unless I somehow get on Emmers’ bad side and she pastes my ‘boy parts’ to my forehead or something.”
“Ha-ha—very funny, Avery,” I said, but I couldn’t help smiling, just a little.
“Very well—I will stay with Jalli then.” Saint nodded. “Please let us know if you need us.”
“We will,” Avery nodded. “And uh, thanks for being concerned for me, roomie,” he added, a bit awkwardly.