She snorted at that. "Not really. I just can't afford the really cool spell books. Do you have any idea what they cost?"
"No idea."
"Some are a few thousand bucks. Those are the cheap ones. The really good ones are paid for with little bits of your soul. That's too expensive for me. Then again, you can always kill a more powerful witch and steal her library. That's an option, but then there's the risk of her vengeful spirit coming back to kick your ass."
"I can't believe anyone would want to live like this." I closed my eyes and thought about the nightwalkers who had roamed the earth many years ago. "And it seems to be getting worse by the minute. I can't live like this. I don't want to hurt anybody."
"You won't," Thierry said, his words firm.
I looked at Claire. "Did the location spell work? Do you know where to find Stacy?"
She shook her head. "There wasn't enough time. But we'll…" she swallowed hard. "We'll try it again."
"Are you well enough to move?" Thierry asked.
I nodded and struggled to sit up. Neither Claire nor George made a move to help me, but
Thierry was there to grasp my hand in his and help me to my feet. He smiled at me when I didn't resist.
"What?" I asked.
"I'm surprised you would wish to touch me after what I had to do."
I raised an eyebrow. "You mean zapping me with the stun gun?"
"Yes."
"Wasn't a romantic moment I'll cherish always on this, the day before Valentine's Day, but it's not exactly like I gave you a choice."
"I'll make it up to you."
"Oh, yeah?" I raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"I'll think of something appropriate." He leaned over and kissed me briefly. I sighed against his lips.
"Hey!" George said. "Watch it!"
"It's fine," Thierry said, and looked at me. "It is, isn't it?"
I nodded. "At the moment, it seems to be."
The kiss helped me to clear my head and focus on what really mattered. Getting better so
Thierry and I could be together. Getting better so my friends didn't have to be afraid of me anymore. More than anything, that was what was important to me. I didn't want to hurt anyone I loved. Hell, I didn't even want to hurt anyone I didn't love.
Well, maybe I'd make an exception for Stacy.
I seriously needed to be cured of this ASAP, but this wasn't exactly just a couple of germs to deal with.
What I wouldn't have given to only have a really bad head cold.
The phone rang and Thierry moved toward his desk to answer it. I wondered if it was
Veronique again, but no, I could tell by his expression it was somebody else. Somebody worse.
He cupped his hand over the mouthpiece and looked over at me. "Are you feeling well enough to take a call?"
"From who?"
"Stacy," he said simply.
My eyes widened and I held my hand out for the phone. He brought it over to me, although his expression was tense and worried.
"Hello?" My voice was a whisper.
"Sarah," Stacy said. "I've been thinking."
"About what?"
"I know you tried to find me just now. I could feel the other witch at work—she's fairly powerful, actually. You're very determined to get rid of this curse, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am. Stacy, listen to me, you need to think rationally. I know you've been hurt in the past, but that's the past. You need to put it behind you and move on to the future."
"Oh, I know that now."
I was surprised. "You do?"
"Yes, it's… it's so crazy how life works out, Sarah. I've never felt like this before." She paused. "I'm in love."
"You're in love?" That was the last thing I'd expected her to say.
"I finally see the error of my ways and I want to atone for what I've done to you. The curse won't be permanent until tomorrow night. I want you to come to my house right away and I can easily take care of it. Then we can both move on with our wonderful new lives with the men we've fallen in love with."
Skeptical didn't even begin to cover what I was feeling at the moment. "And let me guess.
You want me to come alone? Forget it. I'm not falling for that one again."
"No, no, bring whoever you want. Even bring Thierry if you like. I have nothing to hide anymore. After tonight I'm not going to do any more black magic. I'm going to be a healer. I want to help people instead of hurt them now. It's so crazy how finding the right man after all of these years has changed my attitude about everything. I feel more alive than I have in years."
I listened for the sound of my heartbeat and heard only silence. "Wish I could say the same."
"So are you coming or what?"
I hesitated and looked at Thierry, who studied me with a steady, concerned expression.
There wasn't even a question of whether I was going to see Stacy. I could only hope that she was serious this time. If she was, if she'd really found a man who would love the crazy witch for who she was, then more power to her. It didn't exactly excuse the terrible things she'd done in the past, though. She was still responsible for, as far as I knew from what she'd told me, the deaths of six people.