Chapter 14
Everything went wrong.
From the dragon shifter whose wife was threatening to leave him unless he got his hoarding tendencies under control to the troll with imposter syndrome, I maneuvered through my sessions trying to gracefully accept the supernatural I hadn’t known existed weirdly melded with modern problems.
I encouraged patients to use the chair, and most of them did. That should have been a good sign that there was a willingness to progress. But all they wanted to do was talk. And they didn’t want to talk to me.
Any attempt at alternative tools, or for them to see past their issues, ended in frustration and doubt.
The dragon even set the couch on fire.
I stumbled through each session, trying to use my alleged word power to make breakthroughs and reach to the core of their issues. If I could get one of my new clients to see their time with me as a positive, I figured that would be a start.
I had to admit, though, that the challenge was nice. It was the first time in a hot minute that I’d actually enjoyed my work.
Even though, as I closed the door on my first day, I felt like a complete failure.
“Why the sour puss?” Brianne slung her purse over her shoulder and turned off the light over the reception desk. “Rough day?”
“I never in a million years would have planned a day like this.” I followed her out the front door. “I can’t seem to connect to any of my patients.”
“Well, I’m not one to counsel the counselor but Agatha always said the most crucial component to a good therapy practice was trust.” Brianne gave my forearm a reassuring squeeze. “That takes time.”
“I suppose.” I leaned against the porch as she descended the stairs.
This close, the dilapidated facade of the house still held, and I couldn’t quite believe it was the same beautiful estate I’d just walked out of.
Why did the house maintain such a pristine interior but look so shoddy on the outside?
“It’s not just that my methodologies are different from Agatha’s. There’s a wall between me and my patients. It’s the supernatural thing.”
“You’re a witch, Simone.” She turned to face me from the bottom of the stairs. “You’re supernatural, too. You’re just not used to it yet.”
“I don’t know that I’ll ever be.” There was a whiny petulance in my tone I couldn’t quite lose. “It’s not normal.” Her body tensed, and with a fidget she checked her watch. “Sorry, you’re on a timetable. Gotta pick the kids up?”
“My youngest ones are about to get out of school.” She beamed like a proud momma. “I like to walk home with them on Mondays. It’s a nice way to start the week.”
“I totally understand.” My heart jolted in my chest. “I used to pick up my son on Fridays for bubble tea.”
Well, at least the petulance was gone from my tone. Outright sorrow took its place. I tried to swallow down the surge of pain. To breathe through the rush of guilt that settled in my stomach, poisoning me as if I’d bitten into a thermometer and swallowed the mercury within.
“Simone?” Brianne rushed to me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. No, I’m fine. I just … it’s been a long day.” I was trembling and sweaty, like a virus engulfed me. But Brianne had kids to get to, and I didn’t want to talk about Gabe. I’d had enough failure for one day.
“House, could I trouble you for a glass of water?” It arrived in my hand, cool and crisp. Brianne lifted an eyebrow in shock, but didn’t say anything further. I drank it down, motioning her away. “Go pick up your kiddos. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’m looking forward to our dinner Friday night, Simone.” Brianne gave me what I now considered her patented compassionate smile. “I think it might do you some good to see what a normal family looks like in Treater’s Way.”
Female friendships were a difficult thing to maneuver once you reached a certain age.
I’d had college friends, my old roommate and a girl who’d been my lab partner senior year, but they were surface-level relationships at best. Jeff and I had couple-friends as well, but I never saw the partners outside of group outings.
Having someone to talk to would be really, really nice. And she was right, like always. It would do me good to enjoy something mundane, even if I hated that word.
“I’d really like that.”
As she hurried off, I scraped at a bit of chipped wood on the banister. The house looked so different on the outside. I didn’t understand if that was by choice, or if that had to do with its dwindling magic supplies while it held two Ephemeral Supremes in place.
“House, do you supply my magic, or do I give you some of my own?” I don’t know why I expected an answer.
I sat at the aged rocker, taking a sip from the water glass that was now full again.
“I love the lack of humidity you’ve created.
I guess, when I think about it, we all feel different on the inside, don’t we?
Some folks are better at masking it, but ultimately, it’s still a mask.
I let my eyes drift closed, enjoying the calm of a small town. No cars sped past. No horns honked. Occasionally, a gaggle of mothers with their children passed by. They’d wave and smile, then continue on their way.
It was peaceful. Not that I could hold onto that peace. Grabbing my phone, I scrolled to my text messages with Gabe. He wasn’t answering them. I couldn’t blame him.
I’d been so distraught when I caught Jeff cheating. And alone. Without a friend to rely on, I’d called the last person I should have reached out to. That conversation did not go well.
“I really want to repair what I broke with you, son.” I murmured the words aloud as I typed and sent them, tears dripping onto my screen. With a hasty wipe, I set it aside, hoping to latch onto the peace in the air surrounding me.
“THIMONE! WHERE THE THUCK ARE YOU?”
I bolted out of my chair at the rusty creak of the front gate opening.
Jeff stumbled into the yard, barely taking two steps before he yelped in pain. Locking eyes wilder than his hair with me, he jabbed a swollen hand in my direction.
“YOU CRAZY BITH!”
Jeff looked like he hadn’t slept in a week, which I had to admit gave me a little bit of glee. He wasn’t wearing shoes. Crusted mud and something I couldn’t identify caked his toes. His feet were red and puffy, as if he walked around barefoot all the time.
He bared his teeth when our eyes met. In the gape of his mouth, his tongue shone silver. Droplets of dried blood coated his chin.
“UNDO THITH THIMONE! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME? THOODOO?”
Thoodoo? I didn’t even know what that was.
Force of habit had me rushing down the steps to tend to him. But there was something in his expression, an untamed rage I’d never seen before, that held me back. I stopped at the base and held out one hand.
“Jeff, what’s happened to you?” He marched forward, tripping and landing on his knees with a loud oof. “I didn’t do this. How could I?”
There was an odd sense of doubt in my voice. I hadn’t done this, had I? The memory of Gumbo and me at my mother’s grave flitted back. Be careful, Simone. Your words have power.
Was thoodoo … voodoo? Jeff thought I’d cursed him. I took in his disheveled appearance and filthy clothes. I’d wished his clothes would stay dirty forever. I’d wished he’d bite his silver tongue every time he spoke.
He was on his feet again, struggling to reach me. A foul stench, sour bile days old, wafted toward me with each step. Oh, no. I’d hoped he would step in vomit every time he tried to wear shoes.
I had cursed him. A bubble of laughter popped on my lips, the sound so hysterical I was surprised it was mine. I clamped my hand over my mouth, hoping he hadn’t heard. His glare told me he had.
“YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, THIMONE!”
Jeff attempted to lunge at me, his hands outstretched like claws. I didn’t have time to feel bad for what I’d done. My pulse leapt into my throat, and instinct took over. I turned and bolted up the stairs, running for the front door.
“House, do not let him in!”
My hand froze on the doorknob when I heard the growl. It was the most terrifying sound I’d ever encountered. My hair stood on end. A chill covered my body. I turned in slow motion.
The wolf from the graveyard stood at the stairs between Jeff and me. It flicked one glance in my direction, meeting my eyes. Once again, I had the sense I was looking at eyes I’d seen before. A shocking pool of lust landed in my belly. Its salt and pepper fur bristled, as if it felt it too.
“H-hi.” Let it never be said that I’m cool under pressure.
The wolf dipped its head, almost like a greeting, then turned away from me. Planting all fours, it faced Jeff squarely and growled again. When I say I felt that growl down to my roots, it’s not an exaggeration. It was most definitely the kind of warning meant to strike fear.
And it worked. I was terrified.
So was Jeff. He went completely still. The front of his filthy slacks darkened with urine.
I couldn’t blame him. I wanted to pee my pants, too.
He backed up, which seemed like a terrible idea.
With a stumble, he landed on his ass. The wolf descended the stairs with deliberate slowness. Jeff was being stalked.
There was a lot going on. I couldn’t pull many clear thoughts from my brain. I opened my mouth to speak, and a weird kind of squeak came out. I pinched the space between my thumb and forefinger, willing my brain to focus. Somehow, I knew I was safe with the wolf.
But Jeff wasn’t. No matter how angry I was, I couldn’t allow him to be hurt.
“Jeff, you should leave. And you are not invited back here.”
Jeff’s near-delirious eyes lifted to mine. His lip raised in a snarl. Was he actually snarling at me with a giant wolf ready to eat him?
“This will all be gone in the morning.” I waved my hand to encompass the mess that was my husband. “Just go.”
He backed his way to the gate, using it as leverage to stand.
“This ithn’t over, Thimone.”
Once he was on the other side, he ran, his yelps of pain fading with the distance.
“No, this isn’t over, Jeff. But we are.” My throat was almost too tight to swallow. Fresh tears drenched my cheeks.
The wolf turned to face me, whimpering in my direction.
The bristles of his fur softened. I don’t know why, but my fingers itched to stroke him.
Everything inside me was black and unsettled.
Burying myself in this creature felt like the safest place in the world.
The wolf’s eyes turned down, as if my sadness had become his.
“Thank you for not hurting him,” I said. “And, uh, for protecting me.” He held my eyes a moment longer. In a single leap, he was over the gate and headed in the direction Jeff had run. Without asking, I knew he’d make sure Jeff left town.
I didn’t want to walk through the house in case someone was in the lobby, not that I’d ever seen anyone entering or leaving. Instead, I followed the side path to the curved stairs. Gumbo sat at the top, a charcoal gray bow on his neck.
I reached down to scratch under his chin, only then realizing how badly I was shaking.
“We have excellent security at the Magnolia,” Gumbo said, threading his way around my legs.
Once I was inside the house, my knees gave out. I sank to the floor, head against the door for support, as if it might hold me up while I figured things out.
Which might have been true. After what I’d just seen, there was no way I could question magic.
Or my abilities.
After all, I’d managed to hex my ex without even realizing it.
What other damage had I done?