Spencer’s eyes grew round. “Totally. Like it was the most amazing experience of his life. Bruce wanted to try it, but he couldn’t do it alone.”
Inwardly, I cringed. “So he got Jordy to help?”
“She’s just as intense as her dad,” Spencer said. “It’s the epitome of living on the edge. He took small vials of vamp blood from the office so no one noticed it missing.” And Sierra gave him a space to use for coding, as well as the nightshade and wolfsbane in exchange for his silence. Quite the arrangement.
“And somehow the rest of you got roped in?” I queried.
Spencer got a faraway look in his eyes. “Jordy was so psyched about their first trip. She said it was like nothing she’d ever experienced. She begged her dad to let us try.”
“And you all got hooked.” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Big time.”
“So the night Grover died, you pumped him full of nightshade and wolfsbane to bring him to death’s door, but then ran out of vampire blood and couldn’t revive him?”
“We used what was left of our stash, but it wasn’t enough,” Spencer said. “We’d all taken our turns that night. Grover was last.” Spencer’s gaze drifted to the floor. “We weren’t in our right minds when we realized we couldn’t bring him back. Someone started yelling about unicorn horns, so we all took off to find one.”
“All except Bruce,” I said.
“Yeah. Bruce stayed with Grover, but, by the time we came back, he was gone.”
“Because he’d taken Grover to Balefire Beach.”
Spencer pressed his fingers against the crystals. “Bruce had already been to see the sculptures. He knew if he buried him in the casket, he’d buy us time to work out our stories.”
My thoughts turned to Cindy. “And who returned the phone to Grover’s house? Was it you?”
He shook his head. “Jordy. Her dad was furious when he found out, but she said she wiped it clean.”
“She did,” I said. “But the gesture was enough to suggest that Grover’s killer knew him and cared about him.”
Spencer sniffed. “We did. Nobody meant for him to die. There’s an insane amount of trust involved in coding. We brought each other close to death all the time, but we always brought each other back.”
“Except the one time you didn’t,” I said.
Spencer’s expression crumpled. “Yeah. I guess.” He met my sorrowful gaze. “What will happen to us? Will we go to prison?”
“Not if I can help it,” a rumbling voice said. A voice that made my skin crawl.
I clutched my wand and spun around. “What are you doing here, Bruce?”
“I had a talk with Sierra earlier tonight,” Bruce said. “She mentioned running into you at the Whitethorn last night. That you and she were very chatty.”
“What can I say? I’m easy to talk to.”
“She may be a tough valkyrie, but she’s not very smart,” Bruce said.
“And you are?” I queried.
“Smart enough to put magical trackers on all the kids after the accident,” Bruce said. “I had to be sure everyone stuck to the plan. Couldn’t afford to have someone sneak off to the sheriff’s office out of guilt.”
“That’s how you knew about Grover’s phone, isn’t it?” I asked. “You knew Jordy had been to Grover’s house.”
“I warned her to stay away from the family,” Bruce said. “Let the dust settle. I don’t like to be disobeyed.” His nostrils flared as he looked at Spencer. “Go home, Spencer, and don’t tell anyone you saw us here.”
Spencer glanced wildly from Bruce to me. “What are you going to do?”
“Protect our interests, boy,” Bruce growled. “What do you think? Now do as you’re told.”
Spencer ran from the room as fast as his satyr legs could carry him.
I took the momentary distraction as an opportunity to duck behind a row of gnomes. The room was dark enough that Bruce wouldn’t easily spot me.
“There’s no point in hiding. Come out and show yourself,” he demanded. Based on his angry tone, that did not seem like a wise thing to do. I remained hidden behind the gnomes, weighing my options.
The centaur clip-clopped toward the ceramic army. "Come out now. You’re going to lose, so you may as well stop wasting our time.”
I was going to have to defend myself. My fingers gripped my wand. What kind of spell could I use on the powerful centaur? Whatever it was, I’d need to act quickly.
As I moved to extend my wand, my elbow knocked into one of the gnomes. I squeezed my eyes shut as the ceramic figure wobbled on the edge of the table. Thanks to my useless reflexes, I couldn't grab it in time. The gnome plunged to the floor and cracked. As the sound echoed through the room, Bruce halted in his tracks. A slow, menacing smile flattened his features and I shivered.
Think, Ember, I told myself. I could start chucking gnomes at him, but that would only slow him down, not stop him. An idea occurred to me. Would it work? Only one way to find out.
I focused my will, pointed my wand, and said, “Anima.”
The garden gnome sprang to life. Gnomes alive—it worked! I aimed my wand again and again, invoking the same spell. The gnomes didn't hesitate to jump to my defense, leaping off the tables with gusto. They charged the centaur like they were in a Lord of the Rings-style battle. I couldn’t decide whether Ian would be proud or horrified.
"You think you can defeat me with minions?" Bruce’s booming laugh reverberated in the cavernous room. "Do you have any idea who I am? I was the colony champion. I'm a winner.”
The gnomes continued to charge him, grabbing his legs and launching themselves onto his back. They were vicious warriors. Eventually, it became clear that their valiant efforts wouldn't be enough to bring him down. I racked my brain for another spell—something that would subdue the powerful centaur.
Of course. The opposite spell! That would do the trick. Bruce was so intense and angry, that teasing out the opposite qualities could only help me.
I aimed my wand at the hulking centaur and fired. “Contrarium.”
His massive body immediately relaxed and he regarded me with a mellow expression. “Hasn’t there been enough violence? Maybe we can talk about this like two reasonable paranormals. Call off your totems. I’m sure we can come to an arrangement that satisfies us both.”
The only arrangement that would satisfy me would be to see his hairy butt hauled off to prison. Still, I waved my wand like Ian did at the coven meeting, making an ’S’ motion, and the gnomes returned to their lifeless ceramic forms.
“You killed Grover and permanently scarred three innocent kids,” I said. “And for what?”
“Jordy’s a champion, like her old man. She’ll be just fine.” He made a sailing motion with his hand.
“Let’s see how much of a champion you are in prison, big guy.” I retrieved my cell phone to call for help.
“Rose! Where are you?”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “Sheriff?”
He appeared behind a trail of gnome carcasses, gaping at the unusual scene. “Great Goddess of the Moon! What happened in here?” He stooped to examine a pool of liquid on the floor. “Is that glue or blood?”
Please let it be glue.
“I’ll explain later,” I said, gesturing to the easygoing centaur. “First, get a pair of cuffs on this guy. How did you know I was here?” I patted myself down and prayed he didn’t have a magical tracking device placed on me. I didn’t need him to know exactly how many times I used the bathroom in a day. The size of my bladder was embarrassing.
“Spencer came to my house,” he said. “Told me it was an emergency.”
“Well done, Spencer,” I whispered.
The sheriff shifted his focus to the centaur. “He didn’t tell me the whole story, but he told me enough.” The sheriff twirled a pair of large handcuffs in the air. “Bruce Hoskins, you’re under arrest for the murder of Grover Maitland.”
The centaur said nothing
as he was hauled to his hooves.
“What about Sierra?” I asked. “She has a kiln full of illegal substances.”
“I’ve already sent Deputy Bolan to her house with an arrest warrant,” the sheriff said. “I’ll take care of the building tomorrow.”
“What about Jordy?” Bruce asked. “Will she lose her chance at a scholarship?”
“Let’s focus on you for now,” the sheriff said, and nudged the centaur toward the door. “You okay getting home, Rose, or do you want a ride?”
“I’m good. I need to clean up these gnomes. I made quite the mess.”
He grinned. “Your specialty, isn’t it? Anyway, it’s a crime scene now. You need to leave it as is.”
Right. “You go ahead and do your job,” I told him. “I’ll drive myself home. No need to worry about me.”
He offered me a small smile. “I’ll always worry about you, Rose. That’s what happens when you care about somebody.”
My throat tightened as the sheriff left with the guilty centaur in tow. Even after the night at Strange Brew with Alec, the sheriff still wanted me to know he cared. Talk about opposites.
I took one last look at the ceramic carnage before I went home. The only thing in the world I wanted to do right now was hug my daughter and thank the universe for keeping her safe.
Chapter 19
The next morning I grabbed a latte from the Caffeinated Cauldron and went straight to the office to type up my story and deal with a certain vampire I knew would be there alone at this hour.
A lump formed in my throat as I stood in the doorway of his office. The thought of reverting to our routine of suppression filled me with angst. Still, I knew it had to be done. I’d let the spell continue far longer than I should have and it was wrong. The moment I realized what had happened, I should’ve fixed it. The question was whether Alec would have any awareness of what had transpired or whether his memory would be wiped. I wasn’t sure which I wanted more.
“Ember, what a wonderful surprise,” he said, noticing my presence. “I’m so pleased to see you. How are you feeling? You left my place so abruptly the other night. I wasn’t sure whether I’d done something to upset you.”
“No, of course not,” I said, and moved to sit in front of his desk so the furniture obscured his view.
“I heard about the arrests,” he said. “I’m so glad you’re safe. You really ought to consider staying out of harm’s way for a change.”
“Yes, you’re absolutely right.” I retrieved my wand from my back pocket and focused my will, blinking back tears as I did so. I didn’t realize the true extent of my feelings for him until this moment. I was letting him go and it hurt. I aimed the wand at his legs under the desk.
“You and the sheriff make an excellent team,” he said. “I must admit to a bit of jealousy.”
“Novis,” I whispered. Why did doing the right thing feel so horribly wrong?
His green eyes glazed over as the magic left him. He blinked and glanced around the office before his gaze settled on me.
“Miss Rose?” he queried.
Miss Rose.
My heart plummeted. Alec Hale was back.
“What time is it?” he asked.
“Morning,” I said. “Everything okay?”
He paused, considering the question. “I…think so. A story was relayed to me recently.”
“A good one?”
“I’m not entirely certain. It was about an evening I spent with you.” He immediately regretted his turn of phrase. “I mean, a dinner…” His expression slowly shifted as he appeared to remember the events of that evening. “We went to dinner, the two of us.”
“We did. It was very nice. You told me your favorite dessert is crème brûlée and that you order it anytime you see it on a menu. You seemed very eager for me to know that.” Tears stung my eyes as I remembered his delight in sharing such personal information. Alec—the vampire that refused to reveal his favorite type of coffee because he considered it an intimate detail—would be horrified when he remembered all that he’d shared with me that night.
“Crème brûlée,” he repeated absently. “Yes, it was delicious.”
“You said it was the best one you’d ever had.” And that I was the best kisser you’d ever had. I made sure to cloak my thoughts so as not to trigger the memory.
“After dinner there was…” His brow furrowed. “No, I couldn’t possibly have done…”
“Karaoke,” I finished for him. Sheesh. He couldn’t even say the word.
“Sheriff Nash was there. He and I participated in some sort of sing-off?” He seemed unclear about the details.
“You participated in more than that,” I said vaguely. If he didn’t mention our make-out session back at his place, then neither would I.
“And I won?” he queried.
I thought of the sheriff’s sullen expression when I left with Alec. “You did, Alec. You won.” And now we were both about to lose. I felt it in my bones and it sucked.
He went to adjust the knot of his tie before realizing he wasn’t wearing one. “Miss Rose, I have no idea what possessed me to behave in such a manner. I simply would like to apologize if I misled you in any way.”
Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief. So he didn’t know it was my spell. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him the truth. I worried that he’d never speak to me again and I couldn’t bear the thought of it.
“Misled me? Into thinking you were an amazing singer?” Which he was. Damn vampire and his endless talents.
His green eyes fixed on me. “Into thinking there can ever be more between us.”
Ouch. That comment cut straight through my heart. “You’ve been very clear about that, Alec. For what it’s worth, we had a really nice time, and you were a natural performer.”
“I have a vague recollection.” He rubbed the back of his head. “It seems more like a dream.”
To you and me both. “You showed me your manuscript. Filthy Witch.”
He winced. “A temporary diversion, nothing more.”
“I enjoyed the parts you read to me,” I said. “I hope you publish it.”
He looked deeply uncomfortable. “I should never have written it. I merely wanted to try my hand at a different kind of fantasy. Turns out it didn’t suit me.”
My chest began to ache. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I understand the sheriff was quite put out after seeing us together,” he said. “You should set him straight. He’s one of the good ones, you know.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Since when?”
He reached across the desk for me, but then quickly withdrew, thinking better of the gesture. “You deserve to be happy, Miss Rose. I have no business interfering with that.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. I didn’t know what to say. As much as I liked Sheriff Nash, I liked Alec, too. A lot. Sweet baby Twilight. When did life get so complicated?
“Don’t feel like you need to apologize to me,” I said. “You were a lot of fun. I’m sorry if the whole experience makes you uncomfortable. You don’t ever need to feel that way with me, you know. I’m pretty laid-back.”
“You have been…the easiest paranormal to talk to,” he admitted. “And I enjoy your company immensely, but I promise you, it cannot lead to anywhere good.”
I didn’t want to argue with him. If his worldview was so skewed that a future with me was a foregone disaster, how on earth could I convince him otherwise?
“I wish you saw it differently,” I said quietly.
“I’ll have your story on Grover today, yes?”
Nausea rolled over me. This was it. Back to business as usual. “Yes, of course,” I said.
“Anything I can help with?”
“No, I can handle it on my own.” Why should Starry Hollow be any different from New Jersey?
“Of course you can. Good day, Miss Rose.”
“See you around, Alec.” I’d have to finish Gro
ver’s story at the cottage. There was no way I could stay in the office with him right now. I hurried from the building before my cloaking abilities collapsed under the strain of emotional weight. I didn’t want him to know how deeply he’d hurt me. I deserved it, after all. If my punishment was to suffer in guilty silence, then so be it.
Florian took center stage, practically vibrating with powerful energy. It was no surprise he was a celebrity in Starry Hollow.
“Thank you all for coming today,” he said. There was no microphone required. A little magic amplified the sound so the entire assembled crowd could hear his smooth voice. “Welcome to the first annual Starry Hollow sand sculpture competition.”
Applause erupted, along with wolf whistles and cheers. I spotted Wyatt in the crowd, murmuring in a young nymph’s ear. I’d managed to quietly reverse the spell on him without anyone noticing. I still felt guilty over the whole incident. It was only meant to be a joke on Hazel and I took it too far. Lesson learned. Even though Opposite Wyatt was preferable to Actual Wyatt in everyone’s book, it didn’t matter. Any real change had to come from Wyatt himself.
“As I’m sure you’re aware, the town suffered a great loss recently,” Florian continued. “We’d like to dedicate the competition to the memory of Grover Maitland.”
Heads turned toward Grover’s parents standing with Cindy at the bottom of the stage.
“I’d also like to announce that the Rose Foundation is establishing a Grover Maitland Memorial Fund to support non-athletic extracurricular activities for local high school students.”
It had been an easy decision for the family. Even Aunt Hyacinth voted in favor of the fund, and I thought for sure she’d be the lone voice of dissent.
“Now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” Florian said. “We’re pleased to announce the top three winners for their incredible craftsmanship. Third place goes to Thomas Enders.”
I clapped loudly for the vampire undertaker. Thomas appeared onstage with a ninja-like quality I usually attributed to my vampire boss. My gut twisted at the thought of Alec. I knew he wasn’t here today. Tanya said he’d taken an unexpected trip out of town and she didn’t know when he’d return. I blamed myself, of course. He’d been fine in his comfort zone, and I’d ruined it with my stupid spell.
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