Free Spell For Sophia by Ariella Moon Page B

you trapped a whole lot of angry mojo in the bag?"
    "Did you tell her?" Evie asked Aidan.
    "No. It's like I said. She sees things."
    "Speaking of which…" Yemaya leaned forward and sketched a serpentine movement in the air from Aidan's heart to the top of his head. "Glad to see you are demon-less."
    Aidan exhaled a long breath. "Yeah. Me, too."
    Salem narrowed her eyes at Yemaya. "You know anything about voodoo?"
    Yemaya pushed down on the armrests and eased herself back in the chair. Her gaze dropped to the tote and then darted from one side of the room to the other. "Yeah. Maybe. Why?"
    I swiveled my chair toward her. "Can you keep a secret?"
    One of Yemaya's eyebrows twitched above her striking blue-gray eyes. She sat up straighter. "Of course I can. Unless you broke the law, in which case count me out."
    "We didn't break any laws," Evie assured her.
    "At least not regarding this," Aidan amended.
    "Then we're cool." Yemaya stroked one of her long, wheat-colored dreadlocks.
    "Promise whatever we tell you won't leave this room," I insisted.
    "I promise. So what's up?"
    "Inside the tote is an ancient grimoire. Its appearance and magical content keeps changing."
    "It can be rather volatile," Salem added. "But until now, it seemed—"
    "To kind of be on our side," Evie finished when she hesitated.
    "But now?" Yemaya asked.
    I shook my head. "Not so much. The grimoire emits swamp smells and the cover now resembles alligator hide. The only magic we could think of associated with bayous was voodoo."
    Aidan leaned forward, his tone soothing. "Evie has no magic. Salem knows Wicca one-oh-one —"
    "Hey!" Salem knocked against him, an offended dragonfly trying to topple a stallion.
    "I'm not sure my magic is strong enough either," Aidan continued. "But you bristle with power."
    "Thank you." Yemaya's expression brightened. The muscles in her face relaxed. She's like Salem, I realized. Once you stripped away her defensive demeanor, her beauty shined through. She squared her shoulders. Her mesmerizing eyes did a slow roll toward the dragon and me. "But you forgot Ainslie."
    "I'm new to the group," I explained. "But the spell book morphed under my watch, and I think its latest incarnation has something to do with my friend's disappearance."
    "It's complicated," Evie added.
    A pained expression flitted over Yemaya's face, then vanished. She clasped her hands together. Almost every finger bore two rings, some linked together by a short chain. "What happened to your friend?"
    "Sophia was in foster care." I stopped and cleared my throat. "I think her meth-head parents kidnapped her."
    "If her parents are into methamphetamine, chances are…" Yemaya's voice trailed off.
    Anxiety corseted the air from my chest. "I know she is still alive. Sophia appeared in a crystal ball when the spell book transformed."
    "Okay. I believe you." Yemaya glanced down at the tote. "Do you think the grimoire will lead you to her?"
    "I hope so. All the conventional means I have tried failed." I dug my nails into my palm. Stirring up old memories triggered my anxiety. Panic eddied around my legs. Soon it would spiral up and clog my throat. I'd start gasping for air. In their eyes, I'll become Crazy Girl again.
    Yemaya frowned up at the space above my head, raised her hands, and signed an upside-down U with her forefingers. The dragon energy shifted behind me. Warmth cascaded over my head. My shoulders and hands relaxed. The anxiety drifted away.
    "Will you help us?" Evie asked.
    Yemaya sank back in her chair. "I'm a shaman. I work with spirit guides, plants, candles, and stones. White magic. I swore when I left New Orleans I'd put as much pavement as possible between voodoo and me."
    "But you could help us if you wanted to?" I pressed.
    "Probably." Yemaya pushed away from the table and stood. "Look, I'm sorry about your friend. I hope you find her soon." She shouldered her seventies-era hippie bag, mouthed sorry to Aidan, and headed for the door.
    My heart sped up