Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(124)

He was going to hate her.

“And if they find us, it’s over. I won’t be able to stop this. I’m gonna need your help. And fast.” She peered back at Miranda for the

first time and frowned. “Oh, your hair.”

Considering Zander’s hair looked as if it hadn’t been combed since the last blue moon, Miranda found that quite insulting.

“But first thing’s first.” Zander faced forward, dipped her head down and gazed up through the windshield. “Ask the trees to help us,” she

ordered.

“Huh?” Miranda asked.

“Jeremiah,” the witch yelled.

The armadillo materialized in the backseat.

“What?” he asked.

“I thought you told her about the trees,” Zander snapped.

“I did.”

“Then tell her to ask the trees for help. I’ve spotted three vampires flying and sooner or later they’re gonna spot us.”

Jeremiah looked at Miranda. “Ask the trees for help.”

Miranda sat there, feeling pretty dumb. “How?”

“Just ask. That’s all it takes.”

Miranda swallowed. “They aren’t going to hurt the vampires, are they?”

“No,” Zander said. “Ask them to hide us.”

Miranda looked out at the trees. “Can you hide us? Please.”

The trees lining the street started folding in on them. “Whoa.” Miranda looked back at Jeremiah. “Where are we going? What’s the plan?”

Before Jeremiah could answer, Zander bit out, “Have her change her hair. I didn’t realize hers was a different color from Tabitha’s. And get

rid of the cast.” The witch tossed a box in the backseat. “Put that on.” Glaring at Miranda in the rearview mirror, the witch stomped on the

gas. The car hit a bump in the road and almost knocked Miranda into Jeremiah. “Now! We’re already three minutes late.”

Miranda flinched at her tone. “I might be a lot more cooperative if you’d explain what’s going on. And say ‘please,’ it’s polite.”

Zander’s faded gray eyes zapped to the rearview mirror and turned red. Blood red. “Do you want to save your sister or not?”

Throwing modesty to the wind, Miranda started disrobing. She tossed her shirt on the seat and her jean skirt on the floorboard. Jeremiah

knocked the top of the box, and light baby blue silk almost spilled out.

“The hair,” Zander screeched. “Don’t forget the hair.”

The car came to a sudden stop. Jeremiah pushed the box closer. Miranda lifted her butt off the seat to slide into the layers of soft silk. She

started trying to think of a spell for her hair and her cast. When the dress fell softly to her shoulders, she saw her hair against the blue

material. Red like her sister’s. And the cast was gone.

Had she done all that without a spell?

She puffed out a breath. Zander was already out of the front seat and opening Miranda’s car door. She offered her hand.

“We must run or we won’t make it.”

Zander didn’t run like an old witch. She moved quickly, deftly, one bare foot in front of the other. Miranda held her dress up and ran beside

her. Her heart rocked in her chest.

All of a sudden Miranda realized the woman running beside her was not so old anymore. Her wrinkles were gone, her dark hair showed only a few

silver strands flowing behind her.

“How much farther?” Miranda asked.

“Don’t think about it. Just run. We are late. We have to hurry.”

Miranda kept going and going.

Just when she didn’t think she could go any farther, Zander stopped suddenly. “No,” she moaned and turned in a circle.

“What?” Miranda said, barely able to breathe.

“We’re too late.” She collapsed on the ground.





Chapter Thirty-six

“We can’t be too late!” Miranda said. “We have to get Tabitha!”

Jeremiah appeared at Miranda’s side. “Zander, you can open it. You can do it.”

Zander shook her head, but when she looked up she was old again. Ragged, defeated, lost. “How many times have I told you they’ve taken my

power? I have none.”

“They haven’t taken it all. Believe in yourself.”

“What do you need?” Miranda asked. “Maybe I can help you.”

Zander shook her head. “Only those who’ve been there can open it.”

“Then get up off your ass and open whatever needs to open. Now!” Miranda yelled.

Tears filled Zander’s eyes. “You are so much like my sister. They took her, too.”

“Then help save my sister,” Miranda pleaded. “Please.”

Zander looked at Jeremiah. “You think I can do this?”

The armadillo moved closer. “I’ve been telling you all along that they haven’t taken it all away.”

She stood up, and before Miranda’s eyes she became beautiful again. Not young. But beautiful. Miranda realized how important one’s belief in

oneself was. It not only changed how they saw themselves, but how others saw them.