Wait a second. “Kade isn’t going to get tired of my crap. I mean … I don’t have any crap.”
“Calm down, tiger.” Luke’s lips quirked, amusement evident. “Of course Kade isn’t going to get tired of your crap. That would’ve happened long ago if it was going to be an issue.”
“I don’t have any crap,” I repeated.
He snorted. “Right. You’re perfectly normal and not at all obsessive or bossy.”
I was fairly certain I’d just been insulted. “I’m done talking to you.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He made a dismissive hand motion. “Let’s go back to talking about me.”
“Let’s not talk about any of you,” Nellie shot back. “You’re not important here. I want to find the lead witch. She’s why we’re here.”
His obsession with Tillie was starting to get out of hand. “What is it with you and her?” I asked. “You know there’s no hope of a romance, right?”
“I don’t know that.” Nellie wore a simple cotton skirt that fell to his ankles and a flannel shirt this evening. It was an odd combination … even for him. “She might take one look at me and fall head over heels.”
“Right,” Raven drawled. “She’s going to instantly fall in love with you and abandon her family. That makes perfect sense.”
Nellie extended a warning finger. “I’ve had about enough of you.”
“Oh, I’m shaking with fear,” she taunted.
“Okay, we need to stop this.” I stepped between them and held up my hands. “We’re close, which means we can’t be loud if we hope to escape discovery. You two need to call a truce, perhaps agree to disagree.”
“Or we can simply make a date to argue when we get back to the fairgrounds,” Raven suggested.
Nellie bobbed his head. “Sounds good to me, sister. I’ve got my ax back there anyway.”
“Ugh.” I tossed derisive looks in both their directions before pointing toward a well-worn pathway on the other side of the guesthouse. “I’m betting that leads to where we need to go.”
Raven glared a bit longer at Nellie before nodding. “Let’s get this over with. I’m warning you right now, though, if those witches aren’t doing anything entertaining I’m totally blaming you.”
WE STUCK TO THE PATH for the rest of the trip, ceasing all conversation. This was hardly the first covert mission we’d been on together. We knew what we were doing.
We didn’t have to wait long. The sound of voices assailed our ears before we saw a hint of movement. Sure enough, there were multiple bodies on the bluff, and I pressed a finger to my lips as a form of warning as I crouched behind a patch of bushes.
“Oh, do you think we should be quiet?” Raven hissed, her eyes flashing.
I ignored the sarcasm and focused on the scene in front of us.
A large bonfire crackled in the center of a circle, illuminating a set of huge rocks. I saw runes carved into the rocks, but I was too far away to make out the symbols.
The bluff was filled with bodies, three middle-aged witches sitting on a blanket and drinking wine as they cackled about something they found entertaining. Closest to us, I recognized Bay’s blond head as she sat on another blanket. I wasn’t surprised to see her. The man who sat next to her, though, absolutely stunned me.
Landon was dressed in simple cargo shorts and a T-shirt. He reclined on his elbows as he watched Tillie skip around the circle. He seemed relaxed, his smile easy and always accessible for Bay as she kept up a steady stream of conversation. At first, I thought she was admonishing him. It became obvious relatively quickly, however, that she was merely telling him about her day.
“I think the runes are important,” she finished. “I don’t know how to track who made them. I need time to think.”
Landon absently nodded as he watched Tillie (who was thankfully dressed). I saw sparks darting off her fingertips, but I wasn’t sure he could. He was a normal human, after all. Magic should’ve been a mystery to him.
“You’ll figure it out, sweetie,” he said, grinning when Tillie almost tripped over an exposed tree root and had to struggle to maintain her footing. “Don’t trip, Aunt Tillie,” he admonished. “It will make the dancing harder if you have a head injury affecting your balance.”
The look Tillie shot him was withering. “Why are you even here? You’ve never celebrated the full moon with us.”
“That’s not true. I love celebrating the full moon.”
“You just like looking at your future mother-in-law naked,” Tillie shot back.
Landon blanched but held strong. “I don’t care what you say, you’re not getting rid of me. I’m here to spend time with Bay. You can keep doing whatever it is that you’re doing. I won’t interfere.”
“You always interfere,” Tillie snapped.
“Aunt Tillie, focus on your circle,” Bay ordered, weariness weaving through her voice. “If you spend all your time worrying about Landon, your tribute to the four corners will be weak.”
“You could always help instead of telling me what I’m doing wrong,” Tillie suggested.
Instead of answering, Bay rolled so she could rest her head on Landon’s shoulder. “This was your cockamamie idea. I’m here to serve as babysitter for the evening to make sure the four of you don’t get out of control. The last time we did this, Twila got lost in the woods and we didn’t find her for two days.”
One of the middle-aged witches, the one with flame-red hair and an indignant expression, lifted her chin and glared. “I was not lost. I was communing with nature.”
“You were naked and grinding against a tree,” Bay muttered, causing Landon’s chest to shake with silent laughter. “You called the tree Sid and said you were going to marry it. You wanted to know if you would have trouble securing a marriage license.”
“I still maintain that was a good idea,” Twila argued. “A tree can’t leave the toilet seat up or refuse to stop shaking you until you supply bacon for a midnight snack.”
“I did that once,” Landon complained. “I’d just finished saving Bay’s life from a murderous poltergeist, if I remember correctly. I earned that bacon.”
Bay rolled her eyes. “Who saved whose life?”
Landon grinned as he kissed her cheek. “I think we saved each other. That’s the way I remember it anyway.”
“You’re lucky you’re cute,” she muttered, shaking her head.
“That’s what I say about you at least once a month.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
They sank into a kiss, completely wrapped up in each other. It was so sweet it nudged a sigh from my right. When I looked, I thought I would find Melissa making the noise. Instead, I realized it was Raven.
“What?” she whispered, annoyed at being caught. “They’re straight out of a Disney cartoon. What do you want from me?”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing as I turned back to Tillie. The magic sparking from her fingertips was interesting. She sang out the occasional spell as she uncorked her powers, and it became clear relatively quickly that she was warding the area. It wasn’t completely different from the ceremony we participated in whenever we erected the dreamcatcher, but it wasn’t the same either.
“That’s an interesting protection ward,” I murmured as a green arc lit the sky. “I didn’t even know it was possible to conjure something like that.”
“She’s good,” Raven agreed, pursing her lips. “She’s giving me ideas for things we can do with the dreamcatcher.”
We watched for a good ten minutes, absorbing the atmosphere and trying to get a feel for the players. In short order, we managed to identify Winnie and Marnie on the blanket. They seemed to be happy for the time being with their wine – which I assumed would help contribute to the naked dancing at some point – and they laughed as they told stories.
Across the way, Bay and Landon focused on each other. They seemed to be present in a supervisory capacity, but they had their own bottle of wine as they stared into each
other’s eyes and murmured.
Only Tillie was in constant motion. She was almost a blur at times, despite her age. Her fingers danced, the magic fired, and her bare feet deftly hopped a circle around the bonfire. Her movements were mesmerizing, until they suddenly stopped and she turned her eyes in our direction.
I froze when I realized she was staring directly at us, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.
“Uh-oh,” Luke muttered under his breath.
“There really is no reason to keep hiding over there,” Tillie called out. “I’ve known you were visiting for quite some time.”
Apparently she was the only one, because Landon and Bay scrambled to their feet and stared into the darkness. They didn’t look directly at us, but it was clear they believed Tillie’s assertion. They were ready for a fight if it became necessary.
“Where?” Landon asked, his hand automatically moving toward Bay so he could shove her behind him. I found the move interesting, because she clearly had power to call on should it become necessary.
“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” Tillie admonished, her eyes narrowing as she stared directly at me. It was something of a dare.
I risked a glance at Raven. She looked amused more than worried and held her hands palms out. “I don’t see the harm,” she said, keeping her voice low. “I think we’ll be okay.”
“It would be rude not to show ourselves,” Nellie added.
I knew what he was suggesting … and why. I didn’t want to encourage him, but I didn’t see where we had much choice. “Ah, well.” I slowly stood, taking the time to dust off the knees of my capris as I forced a wan smile. “So … we were just looking around the property and didn’t want to bother you.”
Tillie snorted. “Please. I knew you would come this afternoon. I sensed you on the bus.”
“I wondered about that.” I opted for honesty. “We were curious.”
“And that’s why I invited you.”
“I don’t really remember getting an invitation,” I said. “I simply invited myself … and a few friends.”
Tillie tilted her head to the side. “What do you think the wink was?”
“I told you she knew we were on the bus,” Luke said as he stood. “They want us here.”
Landon’s expression said otherwise. “May I ask why you’re skulking around?”
“They’re curious,” Bay answered for me, her stance relaxing as she rested her hand on Landon’s forearm. “They’re mostly curious about Aunt Tillie, but they’re willing to hang with all of us.”
Landon arched an eyebrow as he slid her a sidelong look. “And you’re okay with this?”
She nodded. “I think it might be fun.”
“Fine.” Landon held up his hands in defeat. “Don’t do anything weird. That will make it easier for me to pretend I didn’t see anything if you decide to strip down and dance later.”
It wasn’t the friendliest of invitations, but I laughed all the same. “I don’t think you have to worry about us getting naked.”
“Speak for yourself.” Nellie pushed past me, his gaze eager as it locked with Tillie’s amused orbs. “What kind of wine is that?”
Tillie held up a bottle. “I make it myself. It has some kick.”
“It definitely does,” Landon agreed, leading Bay back to their blanket. “I don’t want to see any men naked,” he warned. “I’ll get out the cuffs if I do.”
Nellie made a face. “That’s sexist.”
“I don’t care. Keep your underwear on. It’s not that difficult.”
Nellie rolled his eyes. “What if I don’t wear underwear?”
“You’re wearing a skirt,” Landon reminded him.
“Because I like to feel the breeze on my bits.”
“Oh, geez.” Landon slapped his hand to his forehead as Bay laughed. “I don’t want to see you naked. You’d better wait until I’m drunk enough to see double to unveil any of your … bits.”
“Sure.” Nellie flashed him a saucy salute. “I’ll make sure you’re completely tanked before stripping. You have my promise on that.”
“Ugh. Why can’t anything ever be normal around here?”
16
Sixteen
Tillie’s wine did indeed have some kick, so much so that we were all drunk within an hour. Those used to the kick managed to pace themselves, but the rest of us were goners from the start. Only Melissa didn’t imbibe, because she was underage. I didn’t think that would stop Tillie from offering, but Melissa wasn’t keen on losing control after her previous experience, so she happily watched the rest of us engage in what turned out to be a regular occurrence for the Winchesters.
“You’re so cute,” Luke chortled as he poked Landon’s side. “Have you ever considered playing for the other team?”
Landon, who surprisingly didn’t seem freaked out by the question, merely smiled. “I am playing for the other team. The witch team.”
Luke laughed so hard I thought he might throw up. “Witch team. Do they throw curves or curses?”
“Both.” Landon idly played with the ends of Bay’s hair, making sure to keep his eyes from the circle around the fire. Naked dancing was indeed part of the festivities, and Landon clearly knew better than to look. He was a master at keeping his focus elsewhere.
Me? I was having more trouble.
“Is it difficult for you to participate in stuff like this?” I asked him, genuinely curious. “I mean … your girlfriend’s mother is drunk … and naked … and dancing with our bearded lady, who is also drunk … and occasionally doing lewd somersaults.”
Landon’s lips curved as Bay began to giggle. “It was difficult when I first realized what was going on,” he replied, rubbing his cheek against Bay’s and making me wonder if he was drunker than I initially realized. He had a plan to finish out his evening, and it was obvious by the way he kept cuddling closer with his girlfriend. The shuttering he seemed so adept at before was completely eradicated, and I saw glimpses of his plans on his surface thoughts. “I’m kind of used to it now.”
“What about you?” I asked Bay. “Was it hard for you to show him this?”
“I didn’t technically show him,” she replied. “He stumbled upon us … like you did.”
“Technically we spied,” Luke pointed out, rolling to his back when he heard Nellie chanting with Tillie. “Are they casting real curses?”
Bay followed his gaze. “I believe Aunt Tillie is calling for yellow rain to fall on Mrs. Little’s house. Nellie thinks it’s a great idea.”
Melissa blinked several times in rapid succession. “Do you think it will happen?”
Bay shrugged, unbothered either way. “It wouldn’t be the first time Aunt Tillie has controlled the weather.”
Naida could also control the weather – which meant she mostly caused tornados and thunderstorms when she was in a bad mood – so I understood the look of consternation that briefly flitted across Bay’s face.
“I know she’s probably a pain, but I bet she was fun when you were growing up,” I offered. “I mean … she’s dancing with a dwarf.”
“I thought it was politically incorrect to use that word,” Bay noted.
“Except he really is a dwarf from another dimension.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“I mean … .” Crap! I realized my mistake too late. “I … um … .”
“I can’t deal with whatever you just said,” Landon said, shaking his head as he slipped his arm around Bay’s back. “Sweetie, we need to go to bed. We both have full days tomorrow, and if we have even one more drink we’ll regret it.”
Bay’s eyes stayed on me for a long time before she finally smiled at him and nodded. “I’m with you. I set water and aspirin on the counter before I left, just to be on the safe side.”
“That’s my girl. Always thinking.” He gave her a long kiss that was hot enough to cause Melissa to break out in a sweat. She clearly had a crush on the FBI agent, which he was thankfully obli
vious to. “Come on.” He pulled her to her feet, taking a moment to make sure his footing was sound before slinging an arm over her shoulders.
“I’m glad you guys decided to stop by,” Bay offered, her arm around Landon’s waist. “Be careful going home. If you’ve had too much to drink you might want to sleep it off out here. We’ve done it before. It’s not so bad.”
“Melissa hasn’t had anything to drink.” I pointed toward her. “We’ll be fine.”
Bay nodded, momentarily sobering. “We need to put our heads together on the runes.”
“Because of the festival set-up, we’re not opening until the day after tomorrow. It’s different from our usual gig, but that gives us a full day to help. Stop by when you’re up and about.”
“I have a feeling that’s going to happen before you’re up and about.”
I snickered. “I’ll be fine. I can hold my liquor.”
“Yes, she’s a world-class drinker,” Luke agreed, his head coming to rest on my shoulder. “I am, too. Although … I think I might throw up.”
I scowled. “We should probably finish up, too. Even though the circus isn’t open tomorrow there’s plenty for us to do.”
“I’m definitely going to throw up,” Luke complained. “Ugh … how much do you want to bet this wine is worse coming up than going down?”
There was no way I would throw money at that wager. “You can ride in the flatbed of the truck.”
“Good idea.”
I’D SOBERED UP A BIT by the time we returned to the fairgrounds, but I almost tripped hopping out of the truck. I was hopeful I would be able to stave off a hangover, but nothing was certain given the potency of Tillie’s wine.
Kade exited the door to our trailer when he heard us, worry etched across his face. His grimace dissolved into a smile when he saw me. “I take it things went okay.”
I instinctively threw my arms around his neck as Luke tumbled from the bed of the truck and immediately started throwing up. “We might’ve drunk some wine,” I admitted.
Freaky Witches (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 7) Page 15