“When I ran into you at Homecoming . . . was that about Gwen? Had she done something then?”
Scarlett shook her head. “That was about my boyfriend dumping me.”
He let out a low whistle. “At Homecoming?”
“Obviously, that’s not important in the scheme of what’s happening now,” she said defensively, feeling hurt and embarrassed all at once.
“I think we really are in the Upside Down if someone dumped you.”
“A few days ago you would have thought I deserved it,” she countered.
“No one deserves to get dumped like that at a dance in front of her family and friends.”
“Not even a sorority witch?” she said lightly.
“Well, maybe some sorority witches do. But you’re different than I thought you were.”
“Don’t say that. It’s insulting. I’m not like the other girls, right? Not like the rest of my sorority?” she said, getting her back up again at the thought of him putting other girls down in order to lift her up.
He raised an eyebrow. “Given that we just saw Gwen making a Ratatouille sacrifice, I’d say that it’s a compliment. But that’s not what I meant. When I first met you in class I didn’t know you were a Kappa. I just knew that you were smart and untouchable. You kept people at a distance. It feels good to be on the inside.”
“Even though the inside is filled with witches and witch killers?”
“Nobody’s perfect,” he said with a smile.
“You’re different than I thought you were too,” she admitted.
“Handsomer up close, wittier, more intelligent . . .” he quipped.
“Not a complete and total asshole,” she said. But in her head she added, Funnier, kinder, more forgiving. “And sort of brave,” she added aloud. She didn’t know many other guys—any other guys—who would take finding out about the existence of witches in stride, let alone sign up to bring one down. “How come you aren’t totally freaking out about all of this?”
Jackson thought for a moment. “For the record, I am kind of freaking out. But I also think a part of me always knew. I just didn’t allow myself to realize it.”
“What do you mean?” Scarlett asked.
“Believe it or not, when Harper and I were kids and she first came to live with us, I wasn’t exactly the confident male specimen you see in front of you. I was a bit of a nerd.”
Scarlett gasped for effect and found herself smiling for the first time in days.
“There were a couple of kids who made it their business to turn my life into a living hell, and one day Harper cornered them after school. A few minutes later, they emerged with black eyes. Harper swore she didn’t touch them, but I remember how terrified they looked. When I asked how she’d managed to scare them so badly, she told me it was magic.” He let out a low laugh. “Now I realize it was. And it wasn’t just that. There were a lot of little things. Doors that opened and closed on their own. Sudden rainstorms. Other, smaller things, some that were more of a feeling than anything in particular. When I was younger, I half believed her. And now I know I should have believed her all along.”
Scarlett took a deep breath. She’d already betrayed her coven, her sorority, when she’d shared their secret. It was wrong to go further down that path. But looking at him, seeing how much he loved Harper, how much he wanted to understand, and knowing she was the only person who could do that for him . . .
“She was a Cups like me. Her powers stemmed from water. But she could do other things, too. We all can. We are just stronger together. Or at least I thought we were . . .” She trailed off, thinking of what Dahlia had said, what Vivi had done.
“Gwen’s on her own and she seems pretty damn strong,” he countered.
“Yeah, because she’s tapped into wicked magic. We Ravens never, ever do that. It’s why we kicked her out and bound her powers in the first place.”
“And now she has them back—and then some.”
“Indeed,” Scarlett said grimly.
Jackson paused to let it all sink in. “Thank you,” he said. “Thank you for telling me.”
“Not sure if you’ll be thanking me after this is over,” Scarlett said.
“On that note,” he said, grabbing his keys and holding the door open for her, “witches first. I may be brave, but I’m not an idiot.”
* * *
The front of Gwen’s building looked dark when they pulled up. Blinds shut, lights off. Then again, the cabin had looked abandoned at first.
Scarlett cut the engine. “Do you see any signs of life?” she asked, unsure what kind of answer she was hoping for.
He shook his head. “Not even the upstairs neighbor or the yappy dog that lives in the shop next door. It’s a complete dead zone here.”
“Maybe she’s still out at the cabin,” Scarlett said uncertainly. The last thing she wanted was to return to that house of horror, but she’d go in a heartbeat if it’d lead her to Tiffany.
“Her car is here.” He pointed to a beat-up old sedan parked by the curb.
Scarlett frowned. “I didn’t see it by the cabin.”
“Maybe she parked somewhere up the road, like we did.”
Scarlett hunched lower in her seat, one eye on the building. “Something about this feels off. Doesn’t it? I mean, she gets her powers back, which is huge. Then she just . . . comes home to go to bed?”
“Maybe all that wicked magic tired her out.” Jackson held up his hands in response to Scarlett’s withering glare. “Hey, I don’t know how any of this works. That’s your department. I’m just saying, it’s been, what, three or four hours since we saw her out on Skidaway? Plenty of time for her to come back here, at least.”
Or plenty of time to go off to wherever she’s keeping Tiffany and torture her, Scarlett thought as a chilling mixture of horror and disgust seeped through her veins. It’d been more than two days already. How much more would Tiffany be able to endure? Scarlett winced as she imagined her best friend’s face twisted in anguish, eyes wide with fear as she watched Gwen approach with a dagger in her hand or a cruel spell on her lips. There were spells that could make you feel like your spine was snapping. Charms that made every breath feel like inhaling fire. Chants that snapped joints and severed limbs. Was Gwen deranged enough to use one of these to get what she wanted from Tiff?
“Are you okay?” Jackson asked, watching her with concern.
She shifted in her seat. “Yes, fine. Maybe I should go inside and look around. Just to make sure.”
“Because that went so well last time.”
“Hey, last time I wasn’t expecting an ambush. Now I’m ready.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “Far be it from me to question your witchiness. I’m just spit-balling. Maybe we don’t want the evil witch to find out we’re here and fry us both where we stand.”
“She won’t fry you,” Scarlett muttered. “I’m going in alone.”
“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” Jackson replied. “Wouldn’t be very chivalrous.”
“Didn’t anybody ever tell you chivalry is just misogyny in a nicer outfit? Besides, only one of us is capable of cursing an attacker.”