‘I think we have to go back to the guys and ask them about it,’ Dee said. ‘Tell them what just happened and ask them. If they really do love us, they’ll tell us the truth.’
‘Elric loves me,’ Lizzie said, sounding stronger. ‘He left me, but he loves me. When he finds out what she did…’
Mare frowned. ‘Jude doesn’t love me, but I bet he knows something.’
‘Can you seduce it out of him?’ Dee said.
‘No, but I can beat it out of him,’ Mare said, looking over her shoulder as Mother filled in her tattoo.
Lizzie watched her finish.
‘What’s it look like, Liz?’ Mare said when she was done.
‘Like you,’ Lizzie said. ‘Like a warrior’ Her color was back, her hands were no longer shaking, and for the first time in her life she looked strong and determined. ‘I want a butterfly,’ she said to Mother. ‘But not a warrior. I want a sorcerer butterfly. I want the magic.’
Mother handed Lizzie a book of flash and then smeared cream on Mare’s back and covered it with plastic wrap, while Lizzie began to look for her sorcerer tat.
‘That one, the sorcerer butterfly,’ Lizzie said a few moments later, handing Mother the book as she took Mare’s place on the chair. ‘But small on my ankle. Something that’ll look great with my shoes. Whatever they turn into.’
Dee put down her cup and got to her feet. ‘I think that’s my cue to leave. We all know about Xan now, we’re all protected because we know, we’ll talk to the guys-’
Mother turned those gray eyes on Dee. ‘Three sisters. Three tattoos. Different but the same.’
‘I am not getting a tattoo,’ Dee said.
Mother nodded, still serene, and handed her a second book of flash.
‘Save yourself a little time,’ Mare said to Mother, ‘don’t bother with Dee and the flash. It’s not going to happen.’
Mother sighed. ‘You’ll be fine, Mare. Stop trying to control the universe. It’s not trying to control you.’ She put a gentle hand on her arm and Mare almost burst into tears. ‘And give my love to Crash when you see him.’
Mare sniffed. ‘Okay,’ she said, and headed for the door.
The last thing she heard was Dee saying, ‘Really, I am not getting a tattoo.’
Xan was lighting the candle under her chafing dish when she saw Maxine in the see glass, huddled next to the Dumpster, looking tense. She frowned and then waved her hand and opened the portal, and Maxine stumbled into the room.
‘What’s wrong?’ Xan said, not unkindly. Maxine looked around, trying to hide her nervousness. ‘Hey, it’s nice in here. I never been in this room before.’
‘It’s my kitchen.’
‘Yeah,’ Maxine said, reaching out to stroke the black granite countertops. ‘Are those cherrywood cabinets? They’re really red. This is something.’
‘Thank you.’ Xan watched her for a moment and then went back to the silver chafing dish.
The cream there was warming beautifully, thick and rich, and Maxine inhaled and sneezed.
Xan sighed.
Maxine moved closer to the bowl. ‘What is that?’
‘Cream,’ Xan said. A few spices. A little coffee. Some dark chocolate.’
Maxine leaned closer and sniffed. ‘What are you making?’
‘A spell.’ Xan picked up three cinnamon sticks from an intricately painted box that held dozens and, for the moment, her see glass. ‘Lean back, Maxine, I do not want you sneezing into this.’
Maxine stepped back. ‘Is it dangerous?’
‘Very.’ Xan broke the three cinnamon sticks into the cream.
The rich spice filled the room, the cloud spiraling up in three curling strands, rust-colored arabesques with tiny red sparks that made Maxine’s mouth drop open. ‘Whoa,’ she said, leaning closer again as the spirals turned and twisted, and Xan watched, smiling, her eyes half shut.
‘What kind of spell is that?’
It’s a libido spell, Maxine,’ Xan said, watching the cinnamon curl. ‘I went to Salem’s Fork today to nudge the plan back into place, and this spell is going to make sure it stays there. Tonight the sisters and their lovers are going to find each other irresistible. Tonight seals the deal.’
‘I’m sorry we couldn’t get the necklace, Xantippe,’ Maxine said, watching the cinnamon, too.
‘It’s all right, Maxine,’ Xan said. ‘You can try again tomorrow.’
‘Jude will help,’ Maxine said eagerly.
‘Jude will not help,’ Xan said. ‘Jude is finished. Mare has chosen Crash. It’s going to make things difficult, but I’ll simply have to adapt.’
‘No.’ Maxine drew closer. ‘That’s what I wanted to tell you, Jude will try harder. Don’t fire him or turn him into something, he’ll do better, really…’
The cream was ready, so Xan tuned Maxine out and picked up three glass beads strung on a silver thread, beads she’d separated temporarily from the see glass. ‘Deirdre, Elizabeth, and Moira,’ she said over the cream and the beads, as Maxine leaned still closer, pleading with her. ‘May your deepest passions be unleashed-’
‘Please, Xantippe,’ Maxine said.
‘- may your wildest fantasies come true-’
‘- he’ll try really hard-’
‘- may this night make you one with your true love-’
‘-Xantippe!’
‘- so I say, so be-’
Maxine moved to grab her arm and knocked the cinnamon box and the see glass into the cream.
‘- it,’ Xan said, and watched as the cream began to turn dark as the entire box of cinnamon sticks and the see glass sank to the bottom of the pan. She sighed and dropped in the Fortune sisters’ beads, too.
Maxine stood frozen as Xan turned to her.