Chapter Twenty-Five-Evie
“You know, we could always call Eric Smith. You know, with the Order of Witches? He can probably sniff out the kids and take out whoever took them, Donny whispered, clearly not wanting to deal with the reality of Grandpa Al’s confession.
“Okay, let's put that on hold. There's just something about Eric Smith's blank eyes that makes me all brrrrrrr,” Maribella said.
“What the heck does that mean?”
But she ignored the question, and she let out a long, slow breath.
“So, we’re cousins. And Seers. And magic slime is probably soaking into my socks.”
Donny nodded. “I want to barf. But also, that was kind of beautiful?”
“Let’s go save those kids before I lose my mind,” I muttered, wiping my cheeks. “And someone remind me to add ‘exorcise Grandpa’s junk ghost’ to the to-do list.”
“Got it,” Maribella chirped. “Right under ‘buy new shoes.’”
“Thanks,” I sighed. “Gaia help us all.”
And together, we turned toward the rot-filled shadows—ready to take on whatever came next.
Of course, that meant the Fates were cooking up a doozy.
But I didn’t know it yet. I just turned to look at my two best friends—scratch that.
My actual, real-life cousins.
Bewildered and stunned were the two words that immediately came to mind, but something deeper clicked into place inside me.
Something ancient. Something true.
Without thinking, I launched myself at them, flinging my arms around both their necks and hugging them like my life depended on it.
“Holy Shitake Mushrooms,” Maribella wheezed, squeezed between my boobs and Donny’s curls.
“Can’t breathe, but like, emotionally? Love this,” Donny gasped.
Our magic responded instantly, pulsing and flaring to life as if it had been waiting for this moment too.
Red. Aqua. Pink. Gold. Silver.
All our signature colors danced like fireworks in the gloomy graveyard, painting the shadows with light.
It felt like a hug from Gaia herself.
“Cousins?” Maribella said, voice wobbling between laughter and shock.
“Yeah,” Donny breathed, swallowing hard.
“Cousins,” I repeated, smiling so wide it hurt.
I couldn’t help it. I’d loved them fiercely as my best friends.
But this? This changed everything.
This was blood and bones and shared legacy.
We were bound tighter than ever before, and the power of it hummed in the air like a symphony of old magic finally being played again.
Something flickered. An object. A shade? Oh—Grandpa Al?
He was back.
I released the girls and turned to face Grandpa Al, suddenly needing to thank him—but his face had changed.
He was staring past us, his translucent body flickering with panic.
“What is it, Grandpa?” I asked, stepping forward.
His eyes locked on mine. “Evelyn! I-I came back to warn you. All of you! There is danger! You must go! Go! Now!”
I didn’t have time to ask what he meant before a low, ominous roar tore through the sky.
We all turned. A massive funnel cloud was barreling toward the cemetery, twisting unnaturally through the trees.
This wasn’t your average weather anomaly.
No way.
This was something else.
The winds shrieked, tearing up earth and tombstones as they spiraled.
The ghost of Grandpa Al let out a cry as the vortex latched onto him—pulling him ghost-feet first toward the howling mouth of the storm.
“Run! Go now! Run, ragazzi! Be saaaaaaaffffe!” he shouted as he was sucked up into the dark spiral and vanished in a swirl of mist and magic.
My heart clenched, but there was no time to mourn.
The Shifters didn’t need another warning.
The Bear roared. The Python hissed. And my Wolf—my glorious, smoldering, pain-in-the-ass-soon-to-be-mate—let out a low yip and bounded to my side.
Get on, Evie. Jaxson’s voice echoed in my mind, calm and fierce. We have to leave. Now.
I blinked. “Oh, fuck,” Donny swore. “You guys heard that, right? The telepathy thing? That’s real?”
Maribella looked equally shocked.
“We’re mentally connected to magical man meat?! This is either the best or worst day of my life!”
I grinned despite the chaos, grabbing both their hands one last time.
“We’ll unpack the brain-sex later, ladies. Ride now. Bonded brainwaves later.”
I threw a leg over my Wolf’s broad, furry back, and he took off like a rocket.
His fur tickled my thighs, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, gripping tight as he zigzagged through the storm-tossed cemetery like he’d been born for this moment.
Maybe he had.
Behind me, I saw Donny clinging to the hulking bear Shifter, her wild curls streaming like a banner of defiance.
Bella was coiled around the snake, her fingers knotted in his smooth, scaly bulk like she was riding a giant magical jungle gym.
“THIS IS FINE!” Bella screamed, clearly not fine.
Then I looked back.
And my stomach dropped.
The funnel cloud was no ordinary weather tantrum. Deep inside the swirling mass, eyes glowed.
Red ones.
Malevolent and alive.
“Oh Gaia,” I breathed. “That’s no storm. That’s a fucking entity.”
And that’s when it hit me—if we fled, what was stopping that thing from following us straight into town? To the children? To the people of Castor’s Corner?
No way.
“STOP!” I shouted, yanking on Jaxson’s fur like it was a parking brake. “Stop, we can’t run from this!”
He skidded to a halt, his body jerking slightly from the force of it. I nearly toppled off, but before I could even curse, there was a shimmer, a shift, and suddenly I was cradled in his arms.
His very naked arms.
“Goddess, really?” I grumbled, waving my hand instinctively.
A shimmer of peach magic clothed him in jeans and a T-shirt just in time.
Because naked Jaxson mid-storm?
That was a dangerous distraction I did not have time for. Plus, I couldn’t say I would be happy if anyone else ogled him.
His lips curved in that cocky way that made me want to kiss and slap him all at once.
“What? I thought you liked the full moon.”
“Not now, Wolf,” I muttered, pressing a palm against his chest. “That thing? It’s not just a storm. It’s sentient.”
“What do we do?” he asked, serious again.
I looked back toward the whirling vortex, its red eyes flashing, hungry and full of wrath.
My magic tingled in my veins, the weight of our Trifecta legacy humming inside me.
“We make a stand,” I said, meeting my mate’s eyes. “Together.”
He nodded once. “Then let’s show this town what its mayor—and her magical mafia of cousins—can do.”
The winds howled louder, as if accepting our challenge.
And I stood tall, heart pounding, magic rising, and whispered, “Let’s give this storm something to fear.”