Free The Seventh Witch by Shirley Damsgaard Page A

face lost its amusement. “I’m not kidding around, Jensen—the Dorans aren’t nice people—”
    “So I’ve heard,” I said, breaking in.
    “You need to stay away from them,” he continued.
    I thought about Cousin Lydia’s warning. “I’ve been told that one, too.”
    A look of exasperation crossed his face. “Then for once in your life…listen.”
    “I’d like to,” I replied, scrubbing my face with my hands. “This trip was supposed to be a pleasant little family vacation, but then I run into a stranger—Sharon—and she starts threatening my family.” Squaring my shoulders, I dropped my hands and looked at Ethan with determination. “I have to protect them.”
    With a sigh, he sank down on the boulder next to me. “Do you know why Sharon hates your family?”
    “It seems there’s bad blood between her family and mine…a feud that’s lasted fifty years or so,” I said wearily.
    “Do you know what started it?” he asked.
    “No. The only ones who know are Great-Aunt Mary—”
    “I’ve heard about her,” he interrupted. “Is she really as scary as they say?”
    “She can be.” I turned my head to look at him. “She’s a medium, you know, and she has this habit of looking past you. Like she sees something you don’t.” I sighed. “It can be very disconcerting.”
    He chuckled again. “I can imagine.”
    “But back to this feud…Abby and Aunt Dot—” I broke off as a thought popped into my head. “Aunt Dot? What ifyou run into her? I wouldn’t trust her not to give you away…she wouldn’t mean to, but—”
    A sudden brush of his hand on my knee stopped me. “Don’t worry about it, Jensen. I spotted her one day coming out of the beauty shop.” He kicked a small stone by his foot. “I couldn’t believe it. Running into your relatives in a backwater like this.” He smiled. “Who’da thunk it?”
    “I know,” I said with a nod.
    A spark of fear ignited. “I didn’t give you away, did I?”
    “No, they were too busy cutting a deal to notice you.” Ethan rubbed his thighs against the cold seeping from the rough walls of the cave. “But to be on the safe side, I’m staying away from Abernathy’s. I don’t want to run into Tink or Abby.”
    Leaning sideways, I nudged him with my shoulder. “I take it the Dorans are into selling drugs.”
    Another grin tugged at the corner of his lips. “You know I can’t tell you that.”
    “Are you in a lot of danger?” I asked in a hushed voice.
    “Well, there are a lot of places in these mountains to stuff a body, and—”
    “That’s not funny,” I exclaimed, not letting him finish.
    Ethan faced me and his cool gray eyes warmed. “If I didn’t know better, Jensen, I’d think you cared.”
    I dropped my chin, breaking his stare. “I owe you, you helped me find Tink—” The words came out in a rush. “—and even though your humor leaves something to be desired, you’re not a bad sort of a fellow.”
    His strong fingers gently squeezed my knee, but there was nothing gentle in my reaction. A charge shot through me, and the chill in the cave disappeared.
    Not wanting him to see my reaction, I scooted over a bit to put some space between us.
    Ethan dropped his hand and the temperature in the cave fell.
    “I’ll be okay,” he said, slapping his thighs and standing. Holding out a hand, he helped me to my feet. “You’d betterhead back. It’s going to be dark soon, and these trails can be tricky at night.”
    Together we walked to the cave’s entrance, and after blowing out the lantern, Ethan moved the brush aside. We stepped out into the gathering twilight.
    “Can you find your way back?” he asked. “If not, I’ll—”
    Knowing what he was going to say, I held up a hand to stop him. “No, I don’t want to take the chance of someone seeing us together.” I gave him a big smile. “I’m psychic, remember? I ought to be able to find my way home.”
    I turned and took one step. His hand shot out, stopping