“Ran off on you, didn’t she? I may be old, but I’m not deaf. I heard them arguing out here, her and your husband. They can whisper all they want, but I know arguing when I hear it.”

“Good for you. But Lucas went back inside and then—”

“Then the girl went back inside and someone screamed. I heard that. Don’t think I didn’t.”

I gritted my teeth and wished those slits in the fence were a little wider, just wide enough to get my hand through and grab the old bugger by the throat.

“You saw her go back inside? And then she came out again?”

“Nope. Probably ran out the front door. You kids can’t control that girl. And now she’s run off, hasn’t she? Good riddance, I say.”

I flicked a knock-back spell at him. He hit the ground with a yelp.

“Hope you broke a hip,” I mumbled as I ran back toward the house.

I threw open the door to the lean-to and crossed the darkened shed, gaze fixed on the still-open back door. Something fell on my back. I went down, slamming face-first into the concrete floor. Knees jabbed into my back and fingers dug into my shoulders.

I tried to flip over, but the hands went to my neck and squeezed so hard I barely had time to register pain before everything went dark.

I came to on my back. Savannah stared down at me, face twisted in hate and rage. For a second, my gut went ice-cold. She thought I’d killed Jaime, maybe even Paige. Then I looked into her eyes, and knew my daughter wasn’t in there.

The Nix leaned down, her hands still locked around my throat.

“How does it feel, witch? I could snap your neck right now. Could have done it the moment I grabbed you. But this is more poetic, don’t you think? Kill you the same way you tried to kill me.”

I squirmed, but her demonic strength pinned me to the cold floor.

“I suppose I should thank you. Had I known I could leap bodies, I wouldn’t have wasted my time in that silly necromancer.” She closed her eyes and shivered. “This is a body truly worthy of a demon. So young and so powerful.”

I opened my mouth to cast, but could only gasp.

“Now it’ll be no trouble pinning the blame on your daughter, when it really is her hands choking the life from her guardian.”

Her grip tightened and the world dipped into blackness. I fought to stay conscious, writhing beneath her, trying to get an arm or leg free.

“Why do you struggle?” she said. “You aren’t going to die. You already did. You’ll just return to where you were. It’s the little witch who will suffer for your failure. Her and her husband, killed by their dear—”