“You’re right,” I said. “We just know you’re selling unlicensed magic, and because of that magic, one shifter’s dead and others have been injured.”
“I didn’t know they’d become monsters.”
“You’ve said that,” Theo said. “But you knew they were angry, that they wanted to be stronger, that they wanted to hurt someone. And you sold them the weapon they used.”
“It was just a potion.”
“It was a weaponized potion,” I said. “You knew exactly what they were going to use it for. You might not have known the mechanism—that they’d become monsters—but you knew they wanted to punish someone.”
Tears welled, and she looked away, face tight with anger. “A few years ago,” she said, “I had a friend in the compound. We’d have dinner every couple of weeks, maybe play cards or fish. I was walking back to my car one night, and Loren found me. He said he saw me across the yard, wanted to make sure I got back to my car safely. And when I did and tried to unlock it, he cornered me against the door. Said I was beautiful, and I deserved better than someone who made me walk around by myself after dark. ‘There are wolves in the woods,’ he said.”
She nibbled at the edge of her lip, as if working over the words, then looked back at us. This time, a tear tracked down her cheek. “He put his hands on me, moved in to kiss me. Slid a hand up my skirt and . . .” She cleared her throat. “He assaulted me. I managed to get the door unlocked, told him to get his hands off me or I’d scream. He raised his hands and stepped away, smiling the whole time. I left the resort, had to stop on the old main road to be sick.”
She swiped beneath both eyes. “I made it home, lost it. And I haven’t been back to the resort since.”
Theo leaned forward. “I’m very sorry that happened to you. He had no right to do it, and he should have been punished for his behavior.”
“Yeah, well. I told the sheriff. He said he’d talk to Loren, and did, and Loren told him it was just a misunderstanding. He told the sheriff he’d been worried about me and had a witness who’d confirm he’d walked me back to the car, said good night, and that was it. The sheriff recommended I let it drop.”
“I’m sorry for that, too,” Theo said.
“People looked at me funny for a good month afterward. I just said I’d had a nightmare and got confused, and it wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t talk to him again after that. But I heard rumors that I wasn’t the only one he approached. Zane told me what he’d done to Paisley. That he’d killed her. So I gave him what he asked for.”
“And you didn’t tell us about that last time because you didn’t want them to get into trouble?” I guessed.
She blew out a breath, took in another, then squared her shoulders and looked at me. “I’m not licensed to make the magic, and I wasn’t exactly sad to hear Loren was dead. Is that what you want me to confess?”
“We don’t hand out absolution, Paloma. We’re just trying to find the truth.” And a solution to the problem, I thought. “Is there some kind of antidote?”
She just looked at me, expression blank. “An antidote?”
“Isn’t there usually some way to reverse the effect? To get the shifters back to their normal condition, normal state?”
“Maybe theoretically. But like I said, I’m not a practitioner. Not really. I just dabble now and again. I don’t keep grimoires or spell books in here. I just pick up things here and there—a charm on a message board online or whatever—and work from that.”
“Do you have any of the potion left?” I asked. If there was any chance to correct the magic, we’d probably need it.
“No,” she said, and again seemed confused by the question. “Why would I have kept any? I made it for them.”
That was as much bafflement as I could stand.
Anger rode heavy in my blood, pushing the monster to the surface and sending its anger spilling over mine. But mine was stronger, hotter, more bitter.
I was out of my chair and heading for the door in seconds.
“You know how to reach us if you think of anything else,” I heard Theo say behind me. “Here’s my card. If they come back, lock yourself in back here and call me, okay?”
I didn’t hear her response, and I walked outside, the bell ringing on the door as I let it shut behind me.
Once outside, I closed my eyes and gulped in fresh air. Even the whisper of broken magic that remained out here was better than the sad miasma inside.
I belatedly realized that I stood alone, that there were no more humans on the street, no law enforcement. If the sheriff had bothered to investigate the incident, he’d already packed up and moved on.
The bell on the door rang again. “You okay?” Theo asked when he reached me.
“I will be,” I said, and opened my eyes. “Sorry I bailed. I reached my limit, and it was stifling in there. There’s magic,” I added, given his confused look. “She’s lying about only dabbling in it. There were layers upon layers of old magic. I didn’t sense it until we were in the back room, so I assume that’s where she’s working.”
Theo whistled. “Any of it dark?”
“I don’t think so, but that’s not really my expertise. Either way, the Order will have plenty to discuss with her. She was victimized, and Loren should have been punished. But not this way. And not by building lies upon lies. Are you going to turn her in?”
“Oh yeah,” he said slowly, as if savoring the words. “I don’t generally like to be a narc, but in this particular case, I’m going to look forward to that contact. In fact . . . ,” he began, then pulled out his screen, tapped out a message. “And done,” he said after a moment, putting his screen away again. “I imagine she’ll be hearing from the Order very soon.”
“She may run for it.”
“She may,” he said. “But that kind of magic can be traced, at least according to the Order. She won’t be able to pretend anymore.”
“Good,” I said. “And I forgot to ask. Did you win the auction for the comic book?”
“I did,” he said. “All in all, a pretty interesting week.”
A vehicle pulled up, and we both turned, ready to respond to an attack. But it was Connor in the SUV. We climbed inside.
“Any luck in the search of the environs?” I asked.
“Not according to Georgia,” Connor said, then pointed to the go-cups tucked into the drink holders. “I got you both a coffee. Figured you could use a boost. There’s also muffins.”