“Well, that’s disappointing.” Christina pointed at the sweaters. “I’m tired of buying pretty things while you just get basics, so what color do you want?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m buying you and me matching sweaters for the holiday parties. When I get back, Levi and I are going over to talk to Abigail and Thomas about training andthe cloud over our heads. If she thinks we should stay, we’re staying. I’ll talk my job into letting me work from home and fly out to the Portland office every once in a while. They don’t need me on-site except when we’re training staff. Right now, I have to redo their training program from the ground up, which will take months. I can do that from the condo in Magic Springs. And if we’re living there, Mom can’t come to visit at the drop of a hat.” Christina found a powder-blue sweater in her size. “Now, pick a sweater as your adviser fee.”
“Think of more questions to ask. I’d really love a new coat too, but we can wait until after Christmas, when the sales are running. These are going to drop at least twenty-five percent in a few months.” Mia chose a bright red sweater that would scream Christmas without having bells or trees on the front and would go with her black wool pants. Perfect for her upcoming work holiday parties.
After they’d paid and tucked all the packages into the back of Christina’s SUV, they drove to a local steak house nestled in the canyon wall by the golf course. Mia loved this place, and it was her go-to fancy outing with Trent. The hostess sat them at a window table, and Christina excused herself, leaving Mia alone.
She knew what she wanted to eat, so she sipped the wine that the waiter had already brought and scanned the restaurant for anyone she knew.
As a waiter moved away from a table, she saw Trent sitting with Sonja, his hand on hers in the candlelight. The image flickered as she tried to focus. She pulled out her phone, but the call wouldn’t go through. As Christina sat down, Mia whispered, “Call Trent for me.”
“Your phone is right there.” Christina looked at her like she’d lost her mind.
Mia didn’t look at her. “Just please call Trent.”
Christina did but shook her head. “The canyon must be messing with the phone. It’s not ringing through.”
Mia needed to break the spell. She knew the room reeked of magic, and if she didn’t break it, they might be stuck here for who knows how long. “Call Sarah Baldwin. Do you have her cell number?”
“I do have her number. Are you going to tell me what’s going on? You’re scaring me,” Christina said as she called Sarah. “Hold on a second, it’s ringing. Hi, Sarah. Mia wants to talk to you.”
Mia took the phone Christina handed her. “Are Trent and Sonja there with you?”
“Yes, of course. Em just fell asleep, so we’re all cooking dinner in the kitchen. What’s wrong?” Sarah must have heard the emotion in Mia’s question. “Do you need help?”
“Can you ask Buddy to fly to the Feathered Moon in Twin and wait for us by the car? I think we might need an escort home. She has some time. We haven’t ordered yet.” Mia took a breath as the man who had been Trent seconds before transformed back into his true self. She didn’t know the couple who the spell caster had used to focus the spell, but she smelled the cinnamon as the spell burst open and disappeared. “We’re going to eat dinner and should be ready to drive home in about an hour.”
“You’re sure that’s all you need?” Sarah’s intuition was telling her there was more to the story.
“I’ll fill Trent in once we’re back in the academy. I’drather not talk about it now.” Mia thanked Sarah and handed the phone back to Christina. “Did you feel or see anything?”
“The room wiggled a little just now. Like a bad television set.” Christina glanced around the dining room. “And I just smelled cinnamon rolls when you talked to Sarah. What happened?”
“Someone’s been listening in on our conversation and trying to mess with my mind. We’ll talk about it in the car. Buddy’s coming to escort us home after we eat.” Mia signaled to their waiter and opened the menu. “Figure out what you want. We have an hour. Maybe I shouldn’t have left the academy today.”
After a worried glance, Christina focused on the menu, and they got their order in. As they waited, Mia put aside the wine. She wasn’t sure when it had arrived at the table. In fact, she didn’t remember ordering it at all. Christina didn’t have wine. Just her.
“You’re thinking so hard it’s hurting my brain,” Christina said as she ate her salad.
“I’m sorry. I’ve never been attacked like this before. Someone wants me off my game. Is it so I don’t investigate Parker’s death, or is it because of my current level? I need to talk to Grans, and probably Damien. It’s a good thing he came back.” Mia stopped and held up her hand. “I mean, it’s a good thing that Dorian’s brother decided to visit us. He has several lifetimes of information we can draw from.”
“He is knowledgeable. And cute. I’m surprised your grandmother isn’t all over him. He’s a catch.” Christina’s eyes twinkled, and Mia knew she was acting for whoever might be listening.
Mia laughed. “My grandmother has specific tastes in men, and she wants them to be pet friendly. Some in the coven aren’t, which is weird, since we all have familiars.”
“Isn’t Gloria a doll?” Christina frowned as she lowered her voice.
Mia sighed when her plate of seafood fettuccine arrived and the waiter grated Parmesan cheese on top. “Actually I’m beginning to think she’s not a familiar after all. I think she’s an elder.”
Maybe the book she’d been given by the library had information about Gloria, if that was even her name. What if her name was Allegra, or something else, and she’d just started calling her Gloria? No, that wasn’t right. Mia didn’t know how the doll first appeared in her bedroom, but she’d been Gloria from day one. She had to have been given the name from the witch residing inside.
Was she a spirit? An elder? Was she even inside the doll at all? Maybe she just used it to communicate. Too many questions for a Thursday night. Especially when she had a party to manage tomorrow.
“What are your plans tomorrow night?” she asked Christina, who had ordered trout.
“Levi and I are going to Boise for one of Mom’s parties. Isaac got us a room at the Owyhee.” She rolled her eyes as she tore a roll in half. “Mom bought me a dress in New York when she and Jessica went a few weeks ago. I hope it fits. I’ve been eating like crazy. For some reason I’m always starving lately. It must be the cold weather. My body’s ready to hibernate.”
