“Should we buy him kibble or something?” Wyn asked.
Ciar bared his teeth at the thought.
“Surely we can undo this before it gets to that point,” Tamsyn replied. “I don’t particularly enjoy the thought of house training a demon poodle.”
“He’s going to rip me to shreds,” Mikayla groaned, banging her head against the wooden table.
Ciar eyed the guilt-stricken woman. If he had the little magic worker at his mercy he could think of far more pleasurable ways of exacting his vengeance.
“Why is nothing working?” Tamsyn mused, flipping through a book.
Mikayla banged her head against the table again.
“Stop that,” Wyn said, swatting her. “We need your brain in working order. Tell us exactly what spell you used.”
“It was simple,” she groaned. “A sentence or two at the most. I was angry at the way he’d treated me and I just…snapped.”
“Wait, what?” Wyn demanded. “What did he do to you?”
Ciar padded around the table, walking off his agitation. He knew he’d hurt her. She’d stood in his arms, looking up at him with guileless eyes that begged him to do all the wicked things he craved. Instead of taking her up on her offer, he’d walked away. Perhaps the first noble act of his life. He’d put her safety above his lusts and where had it gotten him?
Cursed.
Last time he ever tried to do a good deed.
“Nothing deserving of a fate like this,” Mikayla replied. “He simply made it clear I will never be a woman he wants.”
If only, Ciar thought with a mental snort. Mikayla could tempt a saint. Something he most assuredly was not. But he knew better than to yield to the lure she offered. Last time he had cared for a woman he’d ended up exiled and alone in the mortal world. No way was he risking such affection again.
“The man has no taste,” Wyn sniffed.
Mikayla rolled her eyes.
“Focus,” Tamsyn said, striding over to the table. “Mikayla, you said something about him changing his view of you in your spell, right?”
“Right.”
“I bet that’s where the transfiguration came in,” Wyn cut in, frowning. “I mean, physically, his view has definitely changed. You’ve got to be a freakish giant to him now.”
“Thanks, Wyn. So helpful,” Mikayla retorted.
“And it would explain why the anti-transfiguration spell was a bust,” Tamsyn said. “Technically, you didn’t cast a purely transfiguration spell. There must have been another part to it. A condition on Ciar regaining his true form.”
“That I can’t remember.”
“I’ve got to hand it to you, sis, this is a spectacular mess,” Wyn said with a sigh. “I’d be proud if I wasn’t so worried.”
Though Ciar might personally agree, he still fought the urge to bite Wyn. Couldn’t she see her sister was already berating herself as much as was humanly possible? They didn’t need to lay the guilt on any thicker.
“Enough, Wyn,” Tamsyn said, speaking the words Ciar couldn’t. “Focus on the matter at hand.”
Sighing, Ciar lay down on the table and waited for the brush of their magic. Here’s hoping one of the damned incantations works.
* * * * *
“No more rhymes. I can’t take it,” Wyn groaned, sprawling across her chair. “I’ve never respected Dr. Seuss more.”
“Who accidentally transfigured the kettle into a flowerpot? Because I’d love a cup of tea,” Tamsyn replied.
“It was one stupid impulsive moment of weakness,” Mikayla muttered. “And now the man of my dreams has the IQ of a dishrag and fits in my purse.”
The dog lifted his head and looked at her questioningly. Mikayla reached out to stroke his fur. Over the course of the night it had become a familiar gesture.
“Look, there’s nothing more we can try tonight. Halloween is still interfering with our magic. We’ll reconvene tomorrow,” Tamsyn decided.
“What do we do with him?” Wyn asked, pointing toward Ciar. “Puppy pound?”
“I’ll take him,” Mikayla cut in. “I mean, the least I can do is make him comfortable.”
“Not quite how you pictured your first night with demon boy, eh?” Wyn asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Tamsyn whacked her over the head as she walked by.
“Come on, Ciar,” Mikayla said, holding out her hands to the dog.
The poodle obediently trotted into her waiting arms and buried his head against her breasts.
“See you guys in the morning,” Mikayla said as she walked from the room.
She could barely keep her eyes open as she navigated the stairs. Hours of trying to change Ciar back had sapped her of all her energy. Not a single thing they’d tried had made the slightest bit of difference. She had to remember the incantation. Without it, they didn’t have a hope.