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“Oh, shit,” I muttered.
“We better go before they call the cops, or worse, the angels.” Levi shot up.
I grabbed the rest of my fries, Lacey grabbed her drink, and we all bolted out of the diner.
“Wait!” the young waitress called out, racing after us.
We didn’t stop. She grabbed her phone from her apron pocket and started calling someone.
We piled into the SUV and Levi peeled out of the parking lot, going as fast as the car could go.
10
Levi didn’t ease off the gas pedal for a long time.
Meanwhile, we talked about possible scenarios for what happened and the one that made the most sense was that after bumping into us at the gas station outside of Houston, the angels fanned out to search for us—for me. They stopped wherever they could, asking about me, and to not look like weirdos, they created this story about their missing friend.
“When we get to Heidi, she and I can create a ward around the house, something to mute our auras,” Lacey suggested. “It won’t have the same effect as the potion, but it could buy us some time while she makes it.”
Because of Levi’s heavy foot, we cut the trip by almost thirty minutes and arrived in Durango a little after four. There was a thin layer of snow accumulated on lawns, but the road was clean, as if it hadn’t snowed in a few days.
Levi steered the car into a rural neighborhood, and after a few minutes, pulled the SUV into a short driveway. I glanced at the house, bathed in sunlight, and could see a witch living in there—maybe even a Halliwell from Charmed. It was a narrow three-story Victorian, with brown siding and white accents. The snow-covered front garden had a thick tree in the center and a few shrubs that acted like a fence.
As we exited the car, the front door opened, and a woman in a bright pink sweaterdress walked out.
“Lacey! Levi!” the woman exclaimed, opening her arms.
“It’s so good to see you.” Lacey raced to her and gave her a bear hug, while Levi raised his hand and greeted her from afar.
She let him be and then looked at me.
I tensed a bit. Heidi was a short woman in her sixties (or so, I thought. Nowadays, it was too hard to guess people’s ages, especially a witch, who lived a lot longer than humans) with luscious brown hair, plump arms, and a warm smile. Her hazel eyes shone with contentment, even though we had brought trouble to her doorstep.
“Hi, there, I’m Heidi.” She offered me her hand.
“Ariella.” I slipped my hand in hers. “Nice to meet you.”
She gripped my hand tight, and I could feel her magic around me. Her smile widened and she let go of my hand. “You have a good heart.” She gestured to Lacey and Levi. “Just like those two.”
Levi shook his head and walked into the house.
Lacey gave her a "really?" look. “You know he doesn’t like it when you say that. Or that you tell others. He’s supposed to be an evil higher demon.”
“Well, he certainly acts like one most of the time,” Heidi said. “And yes, his heart is darker, but ultimately, it’s still a good one.”
I frowned, considering this information. That, added to the fact that Levi had protected Lacey from their wicked father, I didn’t know what to do with it.
I let it slip from my mind. It was better if I believed Levi was the evil demon he wanted to be.
“Let’s get out of the cold, Ariella.” Heidi guided us to the door. “Tell me what you need.”
“First, we need to do something,” Lacey said. She explained about the ward to mute auras.
“We can do that.” Heidi pointed to the door. “Go in, Ariella, feel at home. The restroom is under the stairs and there’s food in the kitchen.”
I nodded and disappeared past the door, rubbing my cold hands together, while the two witches walked to the road in front of the house.
The door opened to a small foyer with stairs to the second floor, and beside it a hallway that led to the back. On one side was the living room and the other the dining room—all heavily decorated but comfortable looking, showing that someone really lived here. I stopped by the bathroom, then headed to the back, where the kitchen was.
