Entangled (Spellbound #1)

Chapter 23

Raj's initial guess, that Charlene was on her way to the city, hadn't panned out. She hadn't taken any of the Seattle exits and now she'd even passed Everett. Cityscapes had turned to open fields and farmland. They were roughly fifty miles into the I-5 headed north.

Canada.

Charlene was making a run for the border.

Raj squeezed his steering wheel. At least the witch was making good time. That hadn't been as helpful when Raj had to pull off for gas and scream back up the highway to catch up to the speeding vehicle.

It looked as though they were going to buzz through Bellingham until Charlene suddenly cranked over and barreled down an exit—no blinker. Raj was following far enough behind to have time to trail after her down the off-ramp.

They ended up in a residential neighborhood, parking on the street outside a small ranch home with hedges and rose bushes lining the walkway up to the front door. Roses shouldn't be in bloom yet, nor lilies, freesias, or dahlias. If Charlene and Nolan were soliciting aid, Raj shouldn't be surprised that they'd gone to a witch.

Nolan was the one who knocked. A large, burly man filled the doorframe. Words were exchanged and then the pair was invited in. Raj didn't have time to hear the exchange. He'd been parking several houses down as Charlene and Nolan made their way up to the house.

Raj was once more invisible. He peeked through the windows. The figures inside looked ghostlike through the sheer gauzy lace curtains. Great, probably another warlock with granny issues.

Raj put his ear up to the front door. No sound. He couldn't risk coming in with the entrance leading directly into the living space.

"Thank you for seeing us, Brock," Nolan said after the door opened and he stepped outside with Charlene. Her smile was tight. Maybe that was a good sign?

"Crap!" Charlene said the moment the door closed on them.

Nolan's lips turned down. "Don't worry. We'll figure something out."

"Figure something out—she's trapped inside my body! God, it's like having a Siamese twin stuck to my brain."

Stop walking, Raj silently commanded them. Once they got inside Charlene's car he'd be cut off from their communication. Oh, to have Shay's mind-reading abilities.

"Something needs to be done," Nolan said. "It is your body, after all."

Charlene suddenly stopped and turned slowly toward Nolan. "You're right. It is my body, and if she can be put inside it, she can be taken out."

* * *

Raj pounded on the door of the warlock's home. He nearly fell inside when it flew open.

"Yes?" A burly figure straight out of a fairy tale stood in the doorframe. With his facial hair and long mane he bore a striking resemblance to Gimli the dwarf warrior in the Lord of the Rings.

Raj cleared his throat. "I need to know what you just told that couple."

"And why should I tell you?"

Raj straightened. "Because a girl's life depends on it."

The warlock glanced over Raj's shoulder. He jutted his chin toward the door. "Hers?"

"No, her sister's."

"The sister anything like that one?"

"Nothing alike... except in appearance."

The warlock rolled his head from one shoulder to the next then turned. "Follow me to my living room. Have a seat there."

Raj looked at the antique rocking chair in front of the window. "I'd rather stand."