‘Nothing terrifies you,’ she said. ‘What is it you want from me? You’ve done your job, Xan’s coming. Why are you still here?’

He shoved his dark blond hair away from his face, the silver earring gleaming against his skin, and his smoky eyes were troubled. Odd, he didn’t seem to be the kind of man who troubled easily. ‘I’m not sure I know.’

‘Then go away and don’t come back.’

He stared at her. ‘That’s what you really want?’

‘That’s what I really want,’ she said. Because if he stayed he’d kiss her again, and she couldn’t afford to let that happen.

It was that simple. One moment he was lounging in her doorway, all golden beauty and shimmering colors, and the next moment he was gone. She put out her hand, knowing she would feel him if he’d simply altered her perceptions, but nothing was there. He’d really, truly gone. Forever, as she’d asked him to.

And she burst into tears.


Lizzie worked on transformations, deliberately messing with the fabric of the universe, until finally she had to admit that he wasn’t coming back. When the full realization hit, she ran. She shoved her bare feet into the first shoes she could find, a pair of feathered mules that Mare had drooled over, grabbed her purse and dashed out of the house, slamming the door behind her. The day was dark and overcast, unseasonably warm, and she could feel the storm brewing, the one that had been dancing over their heads since yesterday. The wind had died down, replaced by a sullen torpor that did nothing for Lizzie’s state of mind. She needed cool, crisp spring air to clear her mind, and instead she was assaulted with the onset of a storm that was almost tropical in intensity.

She hadn’t even planned where she was heading, and the shoes had been a bad choice. High-heeled mules weren’t exactly boots made for walking, and she stopped to look down at them in frustration. If she tried to change them they might turn into ferrets, and she couldn’t very well walk into town with livestock attached to her feet. But high-heeled, feather-bedecked slides weren’t doing her much good, either.

She could feel his arms around her, encircling her, bringing her own arms into a circle as his low voice breathed in her ear, filled her head and her body with shivery hot feelings. She needed an array, he’d said, but she couldn’t very well stop and draw one on the sidewalk. It wasn’t going to work, but she had to try. She wrapped her arms around her body, envisioning a circle, trying not to think about Elric’s body pressed up against hers, his heat melting into her bones. She closed her eyes and thought about sneakers.

They were purple, but at least they were easier to move in. She stared down at them in both triumph and bewilderment. Had it become that easy?

‘That’s wonderful, Lizzie,’ a soft voice said, and when Lizzie looked up, Xan was there in all her fanged glory.

Not that she was really fanged, of course. She looked far younger than her years, which had to be somewhere in her fifties, her raven hair tied up with bejeweled chopsticks stuck in it, her beautiful, pale skin glowing, and she wore a bright red kimono jacket and black silk pants that Lizzie immediately craved. She looked as exotic and out of place as Lizzie had always secretly felt.

‘Darling Lizzie,’ Xan said, holding out her arms.

Lizzie looked at her doubtfully. If Dee had been there, she would have told her to run the other way. If Mare had been there, she would have flung herself into Xan’s arms. As it was, Lizzie was stuck in the middle, unsure which way to go, only knowing instinctively that she didn’t want to piss this woman off. She could feel the amethyst humming against her heart. It was tucked inside her shirt, out of sight, and yet she had the odd sense that Xan could see it quite clearly through the layers of cloth.

She gave Xan a dutiful hug and a polite peck on her perfect cheek. She smelled of cinnamon and sulfur – an odd combination. ‘I didn’t realize you were in town,’ Lizzie said in a neutral voice.

‘It’s not really my kind of place, is it?’ Xan said, looking around. ‘But then, it’s not really your kind of place, cither.’ She smiled at Lizzie. ‘You’d do so much better in Toledo.’

Lizzie said nothing.

‘And what do you think of Elric?’ She ducked her head a little to peer at Lizzie. ‘I sent him, you know.’

‘I know.’

‘He’s quite extraordinary, isn’t he? And I sent him to you. I’m feeling quite pleased with myself for that.’ She made a little comic flourish with her hands. ‘The perfect aunt.’

‘Why?’ Lizzie said, suspicious.

‘Because he’s your destiny, darling. He’s the most powerful sorcerer I’ve ever known, but he’s always been beyond my reach. I thought it was just because he doesn’t like powerful women – he doesn’t, you know, positively loathes them, and I was so besotted with him I was even willing to give up my powers for him – but when I cast a spell to see if I was his true love, I found out… you are.’

‘Yeah, right,’ Lizzie said, ignoring the sudden surge inside her. Xan wasn’t telling her something she didn’t already know. She’d taken one look at Elric and known they were mated, bonded, forever.

She just didn’t have to like it.

‘I’d give anything to be you,’ Xan said, and the ring of truth in her voice was undeniable. ‘Give up my powers, anything. He’s worth any sacrifice. It’s hopeless for me, he’ll never love me, but if I were you…’ She leaned close to Lizzie, cinnamon and sulfur again. ‘Let passion take you, Lizzie. To be Elric’s one true love is a destiny worth any gift.’

And all I ever wanted was to get rid of my gift, Lizzie thought, looking at Xan’s beautiful, ageless face.

So why was she suddenly feeling manipulated when her long-lost aunt was telling her to reach for everything she ever wanted, true love and no inconvenient powers?

But Dee’s decade of warnings still stuck in her brain, and while she might have been spacey, she was never stupid. ‘What’s in it for you?’

‘For me, darling?’ Xan echoed, pulling back. ‘What could be in it for me? Except your happiness. Happiness and true love.’

Yeah, right, she thought, but this time she didn’t say it out loud.

‘Go to him, Lizzie. He’s everything you ever wanted.’ There was the faint glint of a tear in Xan’s eyes, a real tear, and her voice was true. She took Lizzie’s hand in hers, her fingers twining, and the amethyst went wild. Hot and sparking against her skin, a fiery warning that Xan didn’t seem to notice. ‘Don’t let your sisters tell you power is more important than love. Nothing is more important than love.’

She held on for a moment, and then released Lizzie’s hand, turning and walking away, graceful in those beautiful silk pants, the red kimono lifting gently in the wind. Lizzie stared after her, dizzy and confused. That was sincere; she really meant that. But that was also Xan.

The day had grown suddenly cold, and the amethyst against her skin seemed lifeless, as if, after giving off that major electrical charge, it had burned out. Lizzie pushed her hair out of her face and realized her hand was shaking. On top of everything else, she must be coming down with some kind of flu. It only needed that to make her life complete.

She needed to get to her sisters, to see if she could reclaim some kind of sanity. Mare had said Mother’s Tattoo Parlor for lunch, and that was as a good a place as any to figure out exactly what was going on, and whether Aunt Xan really was the she-devil of the western world. The cold began to seep into Lizzie’s bones and she hugged herself and turned toward Mother’s, feeling sicker with each step. With luck she wouldn’t have to think about Elric for a very long time.


Mare got to Value Video!! at ten wearing her work clothes which, since Saturday was Corpse Bride, consisted of a wedding dress and veil she’d found at Goodwill, ripped up, and dyed blue. Dreama met her at the front counter. ‘That’s a great dress,’ Dreama said.

Mare got a box of Junior Mints out of the case and gave it to her.

‘Thank you.’ Dreama opened the box. ‘The leak in the beanbag chair got worse last night. I think we really gotta just move it outta here.’

‘I’ll do it,’ Mare said. ‘Where’s Jude?’

‘In the office discussing sales with William.’ Dreama shook her head. ‘Jude is cute, but he doesn’t have much sensitivity.’

‘You are a keen judge of character,’ Mare said.

Dreama nodded, serious. ‘When William took his dinner break last night, I got all the sharp objects out of there.’

Mare looked at her, surprised. ‘Very good, Dreama.’

Jude came out of the office and smiled when he saw Mare, his green eyes glassy with delight, his tie still vile.

‘Ciao, Mare! I’m so glad you’re here.’ Then he looked at her dress. ‘Oh. That’s interesting.’

‘Well, we all become the remains of the day,’ Mare said.

‘Huh?’ Jude said.

‘Emily,’ Dreama said helpfully. ‘Corpse Bride. It’s in her song. Mare’s wearing her dress.’

‘Right, right,’ Jude said. ‘Great marketing. But in New York, you’re going to have to give up anything that’s out of the normal.’

I’m not going to New York,’ Mare said, and ignored Dreama’s fallen face. That was life. One crushing disappointment after another.

‘But it’s a tremendous opportunity,’ Jude said, and then turned when Crash knocked on the plate-glass door.

‘We don’t open until ten-thirty,’ Jude said through the glass, but Mare reached around him and unlocked the latch. ‘No personal conversations on Value Video!! time!’ he told her, his voice rising, and she opened the door.