Which meant Lila knew Cole would be alone in the house until then.

And so the waiting began.

Cole knew she’d show. It was just a matter of when.

Sheriff Merrow, Corette, Marigold and Charisma were all in the backyard where they could see into the house through the windows. The sliders onto the porch were unlocked. He just hoped they made it into the house before Lila cast whatever spell she was planning to use on him. Fake feather or not, he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Lila’s magic.

He glanced toward the backyard. It was still light out, but he couldn’t see any of them in the obscene overgrowth. Or maybe they were using magic to conceal themselves. But wouldn’t Lila sense that?

If only he’d been raised to understand more about witches and magic and familiars. Corette had assured him that their magic would work no matter the distance and that they could immobilize Lila from their hiding spots. Marigold had added that he would be perfectly safe.

But he felt like a fish in a bowl with a cat on the prowl. He glanced skyward. For a second, he wished Gertrude could access any part of the house, but that would be more of a curse than a blessing.

He passed the time by working. Another day of clearing junk out and the remodeling could begin. There were floors to refinish, walls to paint, light fixtures to change. The stairway to refurbish with wrought iron. Bathrooms to gut and rebuild. The kitchen cabinets and countertops needed to be ordered, too, since he and Pandora still hadn’t gotten around to that. Maybe tomorrow.

And there was the outside. Painting, repairs, landscaping… He chuckled at how much remained to be done. But it was work worth doing.

The house would be something special when it was complete. Hell, it was something special now. He stood in the foyer and looked around at the grand space with a pang of regret that he wouldn’t get to enjoy it after the work was complete. It was the most amazing place he’d ever lived.

Seemed fitting that he’d met Pandora here, seeing as how she was the most amazing woman he’d ever known.

And she loved him.

His smile was unstoppable. Thinking about her did that to him. With a lightness in his heart that overrode the worry about the events yet to come, he dug into the task of sorting through the last remaining boxes.

He lost himself in the work—and thoughts of Pandora—until a knock on the door brought him back to reality. The sound was a jolt to his system, reminding him of what the real task was: facing down Lila and eliminating the threat she posed to his and Kaley’s life once and for all.

Prepared for whatever happened next, he steeled himself and opened the door.

Corette and Sheriff Merrow stood on the other side. Merrow made a face. “We would have come up to the sliders, but it’s a jungle back there. Didn’t want to drag Corette through the thicket just to reach the back porch steps.”

“I understand. Did you need something then?”

“Just wanted to let you know I sent my girls home.” Corette looked at her watch. “It’s ten to eight. I don’t think Lila is coming tonight. She believes Kaley’s supposed to be home at eight. Lila won’t want to do this with her daughter around.”

Cole looked at his watch just be sure. “I didn’t know it was that late already.”

Merrow nodded. “Call me when you set this up again. Corette, I’ll wait for you in the car.”

“Thank you, Sheriff.” Cole sighed.

Merrow left with a short wave.

“Disappointed?” Corette asked.

“Yes. I wanted to get this over and done with.”

“Us too.”

“What do you think it means that she didn’t show?” He’d been so sure of it. Could he and Pandora have been that wrong?

Corette thought for a moment. “Maybe she couldn’t get everything together that she needed for the spell.”

“Or maybe she really is making an amulet for Kaley.”

Corette’s impeccable brows lifted. “My darling boy, there is no feather amulet that is of particular use or power to a witch who can read auras. That’s rubbish. Whatever your ex is up to, I can assure you it’s no good.”

“I know. I just…I don’t know.”

“You were hoping that Lila wasn’t who she was. But she is. I’m sorry.”

He nodded. “Me too.”

Corette patted his arm. “You want me to have the sheriff take me by Pandora’s so I can collect Kaley? I can give her an update on the no-show.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll text Pandora. And Kaley’s sleeping over. It was part of the deal. She’s been dying to spend the night ever since she met Pandora.” He smiled. “I made her promise not to be cranky about getting up in the morning.”

Corette nodded. “It’ll be good practice for Pandora too.”

“Practice? For what?”

Corette’s smile turned sly. “Motherhood.”

“Concentrate on the air around the pencil, not on the pencil itself.” Pandora stood a few feet away from Kaley so the kid didn’t feel crowded. Learning to control your gifts was hard work. Pandora had had the added pressure of having gifts that had never worked right. She understood the frustration.

Kaley sighed. “I can’t do it.”

Pandora gave her a reassuring smile. “You absolutely can. Don’t get discouraged. You did it once.”

“That was a fluke.”

“No, it wasn’t. Look how easily you grasped calling fire. Now try again.” Pandora moved closer to Kaley. “With focus this time. If you want to master your powers, this is what it takes. Practice and patience.”