Gypsy Witch Read Online Free Page B

melted with contact from her energized fingers. A thin, chill rain began to fall.
    “Spirit of Darkness, hear my plea!” As Elena threw several chicken bones on the ground and into the knights’ alcoves, she heard a steady clumping on the sidewalk approaching the Masonic Temple. The rattle and scrape of metal increased in volume as her spell gathered strength.
    “Spirit of Sleep, guide my purpose!” She flung inky ashes from her cauldron, covering all. Sir Dexter slumbered in his niche.
    Sinister approached.
    In appearance he did not differ greatly from Dexter, except that his mailed hands were covered with a sticky red substance. Blood, she guessed, but she didn’t allow fear to overtake her. A terrified cat was crouching on his shoulder.
    She faced Sinister. She gripped her topaz in one hand and raised her other palm high. Yowling, the cat leapt from its perch and fled into the night.
    A phalanx of five police cars screeched to a halt and a flood of black-clad officers spilled out. One of them was Ben, who took in the scene with an expression of disbelief that shifted rapidly into anger when he saw Gina and Tom cowering behind Elena.
    Tom had seen that look on his father’s face before. Dad was royally pissed off… Who would be his target? He shrank behind Elena’s commanding figure.
    “What the fuck is going on here?” Ben snarled.
    “I’m cleaning up my daughter’s mess,” Elena said crisply. “Stay out of the way, Ben.”
    “You know this broad, McCulloch?” one of the other cops asked.
    Ben squirmed. “Yeah, she, uh, takes care of my son.”
    Tom winced with embarrassment and the other cops laughed derisively as Elena speared Ben with a glance that could have cut steel.
    Sinister turned and swept one mailed arm across the nearest cop’s throat, lifting the officer off his feet. Flung across the sidewalk, he hit the hood of a car with a sickening crunch. Ben drew his gun and fired. Shots pinged off Sinister’s breastplate and ricocheted dangerously.
    Elena’s free hand shot out and the gun dropped out of Ben’s hand. Bullets fell to the ground as the shots dissipated. “I said stay out of my way, Ben McCulloch!”
    “The hell you say!”
    Elena stepped between the rogue knight and Tom’s father. “Get thee gone.” Her voice was a low growl as she confronted Sinister. She tossed one last substance onto him, then ripped the topaz from around her neck, breaking the chain. She thrust it at Sinister. Power flowed from the gem. Golden rays spurted from between her fingers and arced toward him. He was thrown violently backward and up into his niche. He melted into the stone.
    The night was suddenly still. The rain and lightning stopped. The wind died down. Elena unclenched her fingers and dropped the topaz into her pocket. Tom could see the gem’s residual glow through her skirt’s thin cloth. She sighed and said, “Okay, kids, show’s over. Into the car with you.” She seemed diminished, tired. She ignored Tom’s dad as though he were just another blank spot on the sidewalk.
    Dad stepped between them and Elena’s car. “I’m taking Tom home.”
    “Suit yourself,” Elena said, sounding indifferent. “Aren’t you on duty?”
    “Er, yes, but I’m not sure that you’re a suitable monitor for my son.”
    Her mouth firmed. “I told you what I am. Nothing has changed.”
    After a tense pause, Elena turned and ushered Gina into the Caddy. Doors slammed. Elena and Gina drove off into the night and, Tom felt, out of their lives.
     
    “What’s gonna happen now?” Gina asked nervously.
    Elena sighed again and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. This was one of those difficult parental moments. She wished that Gina’s father were still around and that Ben McCullough hadn’t broken her heart. She collected her wits, reminding herself of what—and who—was truly important in her life. Gina.
    “I can’t decide whether to ground you until you’re eighteen or teach you the