“I’m sorry.” It’s all I can say. I’m not good with words, especially not at times like this.
“It’s not your fault.” She says it crisply, almost viciously. “You’re going to help me get these guys back into the stable. Then we’re going to do the chores and make some calls.”
“I made you breakfast and coffee,” I venture. “It’s in your room. You should eat something.”
“I’ve got bigger things to worry about than my own hunger,” she snaps.
“Respectfully, no. You don’t.” I take her by the shoulders and turn her to face me. “You told me that negative emotions are dangerous for you, especially when you’re repressing instead of releasing them. Add hunger to that, and it’s all going to be worse. The last thing you want to do is transform and kill me because you’re out of control. I won’t go out like that. I don’t want to be the person who makes you hate yourself for the rest of your life. So you’re gonna sit on that porch where you can keep an eye on your babies, and I’m gonna bring the tray out to you. You’re gonna eat your eggs and drink your coffee. Then we’ll do everything else.”
To my surprise, Marlowe listens. She sits on the porch and forces herself to eat some breakfast and swallow some coffee. We take care of the surviving horses, and she makes the call to Art Stanwick.
Once she’s finished talking to him, I pull out my phone. “I’ll help you call stables around here, but before that, I need to call my cook, Tae. He’ll need to either close the diner or find some extra help.”
“Oh my god.” She grabs my arm. “It’s the start of the festival. Your busiest weekend—or at least it was for Lou when he ran the place.”
“It’s fine. We can close for the day. There are other places to eat in Crescent Cove—snack shacks, cafes, the restaurant—”
“No.” Marlowe shakes her head. “You have to go. You’re needed. Without the diner, those other eating places will be overwhelmed by all the visitors. Everything will be crowded and no one will be happy.”
Much as I hate to leave her, she’s right. I have a responsibility to Tae and to the servers I hired for this weekend. More than that, I have a responsibility to the whole town, especially the council members who were kind to me after Lou’s death and made it so easy for me to step in and take over his business.
“Fine, I’ll go to work. But I’m not leaving you here alone today. I’ll call Jareth, the witch who made your bracelet. He can stay with you and help out. Maybe he can put some protective charms around this place to keep your sister away.”
“Does Jareth know about me?”
“No. Although I won’t lie, he might put two and two together at some point. The witches talk among themselves, and between the ban on kelpies and my request for the exception charm, along with this situation, he’ll probably figure it out.”
She sighs. “I’d rather just handle things alone.”
“That’s out of the question.”
“Fine, I guess you can call him. If he can help protect this place, maybe I won’t have to board the horses elsewhere.”
“I’ll call Jareth on the way into town. And I’ll come back as soon as the diner closes tonight. Text me, okay? Let me know how things are going.”
She doesn’t answer, but when I wrap my arms around her, she relaxes against me. With her face pressed to my chest, she mutters words I can barely hear. “I really do need to kill her, Rick. She’s going to keep harming others unless I agree to do what she wants.”
I tighten the hug. “Promise you won’t do anything until we can talk it through tonight.”
She pulls back a little, eyeing me rebelliously. “You don’t have any say in the decision.”
“I know. I just think if you can talk about it with someone, you might see another way to handle things.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then that’s your choice. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Rick.” Her eyes meet mine, liquid and mournful. “I’m already hurt.”
Kissing her tastes like a goodbye. I don’t want to get into the truck and head back toward Crescent Cove, but Iforce myself to do it. The second I hit the coastal road, I call Jareth.
“Hey bro,” he says cheerfully. “I thought you’d be at work already.”
“I should be, but something came up. Listen, I can’t give you a lot of details, but I need you to go out to Spyglass Stables and stay there today. And bring all the protective spell crap you’ve got.”
“I’m gonna need more info,” he replies.
“Marlowe Reilly runs the stables. She’ll explain when you get there. Two of her horses were killed by a supernatural last night.”
