Read Online Midnight Magic by Ann Gimpel - Free Book Online Page B

we could carry him out of here between the two of us...”
    “Cassionetta.” He spoke low, his voice vibrating with suppressed emotion. “The difficulty will be trapping him. Demons don’t stick around once they’ve been exorcised. Neither do the fae. Remember, it’s him...or you and your mother.”

Chapter Seven
    “I sort of asked you before, but why the sudden escalation?” Cassie trained her gaze on him.
    Jeremy creased his high forehead in thought and brushed strands of hair out of his eyes. “I suspect Tyler’s finding it harder to keep all his balls in the air. There’s you, your mother, the ongoing sabotage of e-Ouija... Each of those things would drain his magic over time. If he’s aligned with the Irichna demons, they’ll be making demands on him too. He’s smart enough to deduce his life would be a lot simpler if you were out of the equation.”
    “Makes sense. I sort of came up with the same explanation, other than the Irichna demon angle and the draining magic part that I don’t understand.”
    “Does he ever drink anything?”
    “Sure. He loves wine and brandy too, especially Calvados. Mom has a cellar full of the stuff, but I won’t let him touch it.”
    “That’s perfect. It has a strong enough taste to mask almost anything. Run and get a bottle.”
    “On my way.”
    She glanced at the grandfather clock leaned against the wall as she strode from the library. It was closing on one in the morning. Tyler was bound to be back soon. Anxiety soured her stomach. Part of her wanted to shut herself in her room and forget Jeremy and his bloodthirsty plan. She trotted down the steps to the basement, her hard-soled slippers clattering on the risers. She pulled the chain to illuminate the perpetually damp subterranean space and realized she hadn’t brought the key to unlock the wine cellar. Her mother had never locked it, but Cassie installed the deadbolt to deter Tyler, once she discovered his bottomless taste for hundred dollar bottles of wine.
    “Heh, let’s see if I need a key.” Her voice echoed off the basement walls and bounced back at her.
    She rattled the knob, not surprised when it opened easily. Her anger heated when she glanced around the mostly empty wine cellar. Tyler had apparently helped himself to what he wanted. As far as he was concerned, the house—and everything in it—was already his. She stomped into the temperature and humidity-controlled room.
    Thank God he left a few bottles of Calvados .
    Snatching one, she raced up the stairs. Her misgivings about hurting Tyler dissipated like shards of glass shattering under every step she took.
    “Here.” She thrust the bottle into Jeremy’s hands and watched while he cut the wax seal and dispatched the cork. He took a paper bindle out of a pocket and emptied white powder into the bottle. Replacing the stopper, he shook it gently.
    “Do not drink any of this.” He handed her back the bottle. “Don’t even swish it around in your mouth.”
    Her eyes widened; she understood perfectly. “Will it—?”
    He shook his head. “No, but if Tyler takes even one swallow it’ll help me.”
    Jeremy stiffened. His nostrils flared as if he were a hunting dog scenting the air. “Show time,” he murmured.
    Cassie opened her mouth to beg for last minute reassurances, but he laid a hand over her lips. With a speed she wouldn’t have believed him capable of, he was up and sliding past the carved double doors leading to the downstairs hall.
    Moments later, Tyler’s sneering voice rumbled down the hallway calling her name. All too soon, his chiseled features were framed in the library doorway. “I figured you’d still be up,” he smirked. “Waiting to collect your reward, you little harlot?”
    Murietta cawed angrily, flapping her wings.
    “How about if you come out here?” he suggested silkily. “That bird never has warmed to me.”
    “Guess she has better sense than I did,” Cassie muttered. She pushed up from her soft seat and