“I can’t talk now. You need to stop calling.” Nolan said into his phone, keeping his voice low. He stood in the mudroom by the back door and considered taking his call into the basement as not to be overheard. “It’s not a good time.”

“Don’t speak, just listen.” Councilman Rana’s tone held authority. He’d been in a position of power in Lucky Valley since Nolan was a kid. “The evacuation plan is not coming along as quickly as we had hoped. Do I need to remind you that we are on a time limit? If they stay in that house for too long, they city will not be able to consider it abandoned property. The countdown clock will reset, and we’ll have to wait another five years before we can legally seize it and knock it down. It’s time the city of Lucky Valley moved past its tragic history with the Goode and Crawford families.”

Nolan glanced into the kitchen to see if anyone was coming.

“There is some concern that you’ve been compromised by the witches,” Rana said.

“I have not,” Nolan stated.

“Them prove it. Stop playing house and get—”

“I have to go,” Nolan interrupted in a rush before he disconnected the call. His sense of duty to the town warred with how he felt about Lily Goode. Was he under her spell? He had a hard time believing she was such a great actress that she hid evilness from him. Then again, a siren could make someone do whatever they wanted by invoking feelings of love and security.

Nolan gripped his hammer as he moved to look out the back window at the fallen barn. Someone had taken the gnomes and lined them up to spell the word “ours.” He’d about had it with those stupid statues, always popping up when he was trying to work, tripping him, staring at him with those beady eyes and forever happy smiles.

“I’ve thought about doing the same thing,” Lily said, joining him, “but trust me, you don’t want to bring down Aunt Polly’s wrath if you smash her gnome friends with a hammer. She loves playing with those things. They’re like her dolls.”

Lily wore an eighties rock band t-shirt and was in the process of pulling her hair back into a bun.

“I never see her move them. Do you think she’s using magic?” Nolan wasn’t completely familiar with the rules of magic, but after seeing the unscientifically large picnic come out of a small basket, he wouldn’t be surprised by Polly’s abilities.

“You’re asking the wrong Goode. Apparently, I couldn’t find my powers if they jumped up and bit me in the hindquarters.” She gave a small laugh.

“Do you want to find them?” He tapped the end of the hammer against the wood frame of the windowsill without causing any damage. It was more of a nervous tick.

“I feel like there’s a piece of me just out of my reach. It’s like a word on the tip of my tongue, or a melody I can start but not finish, someone’s name I can’t remember but should.” She patted her hair, checking to see if all the strands were pulled back. “Is Colt really taking a break from medical school?”

Nolan frowned, not liking the question. “Sure.”

“Have you known him long?”

“He’s a siren. You should stay away from him until you’re married,” Nolan warned. “His voice lures unattached women.”

“But he’s a he,” Lily debated.

“Not all sirens are girls.” Nolan wanted to change the subject. “Where’s your new friend?”

“I sent her up to the third floor to pick an empty room.” Lily’s hand glided over his and she gently tried to pry the hammer from his grip. “You don’t like her very much.”

It wasn’t a question.

A splash sounded, and they both glanced to Polly’s pet lobster. Herman rested in a cake pan filled with water on the kitchen counter. A small beret sat on his head. If lobsters had chins, it would be resting on the side of the pan. It appeared as if the crustacean was watching them.

Nolan let her take the tool from him. “You are aware that your household is weird, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but it’s kind of a cool-weird, isn’t it?” She placed the hammer on the counter and smiled at Herman. “You look very dapper today, sir.”

“I don’t trust Mara.” Nolan couldn’t keep the opinion to himself. He liked Lily—and not just her bizarre family and crazy life. He liked her. She was stubborn and hard-headed and guarded with her emotions. She was frustrating and contrary and sometimes made jokes when she shouldn’t. But she would do anything for those she cared about. For all her flaws, she had great strengths. She was kind, and loyal, and he liked her. A lot. More than a lot.

“You don’t know her.”

“Neither do you—”

A sharp scream sounded from upstairs.

Lily grabbed his arm. “We didn’t tell her about the ghosts.”

Nolan ran across the house and up the stairs.

Mara came around the corner, saw them and instantly backed away. She held up her fists, ready to fight as her eyes darted around. Finding an antique candlestick, she grabbed it and wielded it like a bat. “Stay away from me!”

“Mara, I’m sorry, it’s just Stan. He’s ornery, but he doesn’t mean harm, I don’t think,” Lily tried to explain. “I think he just wants his shoe.”

“What kind of place is this? Why do you have a man tied up in the attic? Is that what you do? Find drifters off the road and lure us here and…” She swung the candlestick in warning, even though no one approached her.

“What are you talking about? What man?” Lily asked.

“The dead guy tied up in the attic. I saw... I saw…” Mara shook, unable to finish her sentence.

“Dead guy?” Lily pushed past Nolan before he could grab her. “Dante? Dante, answer me!”

The panic in her voice was clear, and Nolan ignored Mara as he chased after Lily. He caught up to her by a third-story bedroom door. “Lily—”

“Where’s Dante? Polly said my brother was tied up and couldn’t go with us today, but I thought that was a figure of speech.” Lily frantically moved to the next bedroom, and then the next. Finding all four empty, she said, “Attic.” Lily looked at the ceiling. “She said attic. There has to be an access panel somewhere.”

Then Lily looked at the small door at the top of the stairs.

Nolan was closer and beat her to it. He pulled the door open only to find Dante bound to a wooden chair. His ankles were tied to the legs, and his hands were pinned at his sides by the thick rope holding him against the back of the seat. He was surrounded by lit candles. Herbs were sprinkled on the floor. The smell was pungent, even without his shifter senses.

“Dante!” Lily tried to move past Nolan, but he blocked her.

Dante wasn’t moving, and his skin had a blue cast. Nolan didn’t want her to see this. “Lily, I don’t think you should—”

“He’s my brother,” she cried as she pushed past him. She grabbed Dante’s face. “He’s cold. We need to warm him up. He’s got something on his skin. It’s sticky.”

“Don’t move him,” Polly called from below. “He’s like a half-baked cookie. He needs more time.”

“What did you do to him, Polly?” Lily’s eyes begged him for help and Nolan couldn’t refuse. “Don’t let her hurt him. We need to get him to the hospital. His body temperature is too cold.”

“You can’t move him.” Polly tried to push her way into the crowded room. “He’s not done.”

“Listen, witch, we’re not putting my brother into your oven after you fatten him up with cookies.” Lily tugged at Dante’s ropes. “I’ve read that fairytale and that’s not how this story ends, so you go find some other cookies because you can’t have my brother.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” Polly protested. She tried to grab Nolan’s arm, but he shrugged her off.

“Nolan, give me a knife. We need to get him out of here,” Lily insisted, digging her fingers in a knot with little progress.

He didn’t carry a knife, but he didn’t really need one. He let his hand shift. Sharp claws extended from his fingertips, and he began swiping them against the rope to fray it apart.

“I’m calling his powers. Marigold never should have separated you from your magic.” Polly went around the edge of the room and patted Dante on the head. “He’s not dead. He’s only half dead. It’s the only way to spark them into coming to help him. He knew what we were doing. I only tied him up so he couldn’t wander off and hurt himself. These things can be disorientating. I know his magic is here somewhere. We just need to force it to come out from hiding.”

“Why would you tell Dante about this and not me?” Lily pushed Polly’s hand off her brother’s head. “It’s too dangerous. Look at him. I can’t lose him. Nolan, please, I can’t lose him.”

“You’re unlucky right now. If I gave you this potion, bad luck says it would kill you before you received your powers. It’s the same reason you shouldn’t be in here.”

A chattering sound interrupted them, followed by scratching in the wall.

“What is that?” Lily asked.

Nolan focused his hearing to listen to what sounded like a large rodent.

“Don’t stop.” Lily hit his shoulder. He clawed harder. The ropes were thick, and he could only snag a few of the tough strands at a time.

“Stop,” Polly whispered, holding up her hand. He paused long enough to see the rope healing itself as if he’d never frayed it. “It’s coming.”

Lily grabbed his arm and squeezed tightly. Nolan automatically pulled her against him as they listened to the sound move along the wall, only to drop toward the floor. A floorboard lifted and fell in a steady tapping rhythm, tap, tap, tap, held in place by old nails. With each beat, Lily’s grip tightened, and the board pushed higher.

Lily reached for her brother’s chair and tried to drag it toward the door. The legs scraped and caught on the old planks.

“I’ll carry him,” he decided, reaching to lift the man and chair to get Dante out of there. The chair wouldn’t leave the floor, no matter how hard he tried to move it.

The board finally snapped free. Nolan grabbed Dante by the arms, unable to keep his eyes off the new hole in the floor. The chittering started from within.

Suddenly, a furry head poked up. Lily gasped and shook, making a strangled noise of fright. A fat raccoon pulled itself out of the hole and sat up, rubbing his hands together.

“That’s the same pest that was living in the old trunk,” Lily said.

“This is good,” Polly said. “It’s meant to happen. It’s working.”

“That thing probably has rabies,” Lily answered, tugging harder. “Nolan, help me!”

The raccoon hissed at Lily as if he understood her. A yellow flash of light came out of the animal.

Nolan tried to pull Lily out of the way as the beam was aimed at her chest. The light followed her, striking her in the back and causing her to fall against him hard. Her eyes widened in pain as they met his. His foot slid back, hitting the wall seconds before the rest of his body. Nolan’s head hit a beam in the slanted ceiling and he felt a sharp jab in the back of his arm. Pain raced down his body and he couldn’t immediately push away. He held Lily against him.

The raccoon leapt onto Dante’s lap and grabbed the man’s face. The animal screeched, and another yellow light shot out of its mouth. It hit Dante between the eyes.

Lily’s brother inhaled sharply and strained against his ties. The chair tipped but then righted itself. Dante gasped, his mouth stretching wide as he breathed hard. His blue coloring corrected itself and his skin darkened.

“There he is. There’s my fully baked cookie,” Polly said. “All this time, the naughty raccoon had stolen your magic. No wonder I couldn’t locate it.” She faced the raccoon who stood on Dante’s lap. The animal tapped its paws against Dante’s cheeks, chattering. “You’ve been carrying it all over the house, you sneaky thief, leaving magic in the walls.”

Lily shivered in his arms. Nolan tried to release her, but she slumped, and he had to hold her upright. Each movement made him aware of a sharp object in his shoulder. In order to see to the wound, he’d have to let her go. He couldn’t.

“What’s happening?” Nolan asked. “What’s wrong with Lily?”

“The potion I gave her to spread out the bad luck is still affecting her. The fact she came in here at the moment she did, and the way her powers were returned to her like a flying raccoon loogie, well... all clearly bad luck. Hopefully not fatal, but definitely not good.” Polly pet the raccoon who in turn hissed at her. She snatched her hand back. “Well, aren’t you the temperamental one?” She laughed. “It looks like Dante’s familiar has found him.”

“Polly, I need you to help Lily,” Nolan said. When she didn’t move fast enough, he added louder, “Polly, take her.”

His arm fell to his side. Lily swung away from him at an odd angle as he tried to prop her up. Polly braced Lily under the arm and took the weight off him. As Polly eased Lily to the floor, Nolan grit his teeth and pried himself from the wall. He turned to find an exposed nail sticking out from the wood. The thick metal had been hammered through the wall, and when he’d fallen against it, he’d impaled his shoulder.

His arm tingled, and something trickled down his back and leg. When he examined the wall, he found it wasn’t just one nail, but a line of them, spaced evenly apart. They’d also stabbed his back and thigh. Awareness made the wounds throb in pain.

“Someone get this thing off me before it gives me rabies,” Dante said through gritted teeth. His legs jerked, but the restraints kept him locked in the chair. The raccoon had his face a few inches from Dante’s and the man couldn’t move away.

Nolan grabbed his side. It became hard to breathe. He dropped to his knees. A gnome statue stood in the doorway, watching them.

Polly left Lily on the floor. She grabbed the raccoon around the waist from behind and lifted him from Dante’s lap. The animal hissed and flailed his arms and legs, trying desperately to go back.

Before he knew what was happening, he was on the floor next to Lily, still clutching his side. She was unconscious, but her chest lifted with breath. He tried to wake her by touching her cheek. She was warm against his fingers as they slid over her skin. A smear of blood was left behind.

Lily’s closed eyes faced him. His hand slid to rest on her neck, and he felt her pulse beat against his fingertips. With each beat, his vision dimmed. He vaguely saw movement behind her. The raccoon clung to Dante’s leg as the man thrashed violently against the restraints. The chair lifted off the ground, levitating.

“An overbaked cookie, a burnt cookie, and a broken one. This batch is not coming out well at all,” Polly said.