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They got the i out of their containers Car feathers and leaves out of her basket Molly was an earth witch with an unusual affinity to death,that like most earth witches, she could influence plants and sos directly from them, but unlike s Mol took a rosemary plant out of her basket and set the pot at her feet One of the tas a ics tied to the lunar cycles, and would be particularly strong this close to the fullnecklace of huge moonstones around her shoulders over and over Cia was a stone witch-- with a necklace reen, and clear They sparkled in the sunlight

Each of the wo dresses, and in unison, they sat on the ground outside the circle, in half-lotus positions, dresses covering their knees They closed their eyes Molly placed her rosemary in her lap, and I could smell the rich sun-heated scent The one empty place looked like a hole ripped in the reality of their faelina was a water witch; with her the sisters had once been part of a perfect coven Without her they eakened

I sat on the ground, in the shade of a tree, sweat trickling down my spine under my tank top, and waited The wo, and the lack of sleep pulled at ether to keep alert Watching the Everhart sisters was like watching paint dry or grass grow

Ten minutes later, about the time my jaw started to ache, I heard a faint explosion of air, like a va from a roo if I haduntoward had happened and started kicking the stones that co the rocks that rabbed the ends of the scarf to hold it in place over my head, and walked to the circle

Molly cocked her brow in question "That looked easier than I expected," I said

"It was easy We just knocked out the ward that protected the circle and deactivated the circle she used to draer from us Now," Molly started toward house, "is the hard part" I moved in front of her and opened the door with loithcovered with a pink haze, snapping with black sparks The s was getting stronger, even with Evangelina not here Even with the circle outside deactivated and physically displaced Still holding the scarf over my head, I led the way to the basement

With each step down, I felt the pull of the de that knewdown on h my eyes, not happy that I had come back here Jane is foolish kit Silly kit Stupid kit to coht back But I have to be here for Molly Even though there was nothing I could do to help Molly deal hat she would find in the base to lessen the i the way, I turned on lights to dispel the strength of the hedge of thorns’ red, bloody gloas first in the base overon the floor of his cage, nibbling on the s flesh I was pretty sure the as dead, as there wasin the circle than there was inside of him What skin he still wore over hisboth ar What is it about supernatural creatures needing to eat huer olf, the one I called Fire Truck, looked as if he’d lost a third of his considerable body weight His ribs were clearly visible beneath his thin skin and thick body hair, breathing, s blood of his wolf-buddy

The des half spread as if to cover and protect his dinner His si soiven birth to this monstrosity His beak opened and he trilled softly, as if pleased to see me

Molly stopped at the foot of the stairs, her eyes wide Car stor, the other was red-faced with anger The angry one said, "Evangelina should be whipped for this Cast out"

Cia said, "Evangelina should go to jail for this"

I hadn’t told the upstairs But eventually I’d have to report it to the police Even if he’d died of natural causes, I rather doubted he’d rolled himself in the carpet and tucked it behind the couch first So the cops were in Evangelina’s future one way or another

"Come to me," the trapped demon said to Molly "I will show you true freedo," Carmen warned

"Your sister has found freedom and poith me," he said

Molly whispered, to her sisters, not to the demon, "Our sister has been cursed Not freed" To me she said, "Where is the vampire?"

I walked around the rooe of thorns Lincoln Shaddock lay on the black-painted floor--sleeping the sleep of the undead, or ainst the wall that led into the kennel I nudged hiood; he looked true dead, pasty, shriveled, and maybe a little blue I bent over him and took a sniff The usual va But so was the s Part of the room