by Hannah Lin
“That was just the latest in a long line of stories of how my mother and sister used magic to interfere with my life. After I made sure everyone was back to normal, I said my goodbyes and left.”
“They were just looking after you.”
“They don’t listen,” Arabella snapped. “And I don’t need to explain my actions to you. I have a killer to find. Right after I have dinner.”
Standing to gather her things, she ignored the way Lukas’ gaze followed her. “I can help.”
“With dinner? Thank you, but I’m meeting someone.”
“No, with the case. I am a private investigator.”
“You already have a case, remember?” she said primly. “Me.”
5
Diana was the heart of Mystic Falls. All the residents adored her, and many of the tourists came back to get another reading from her again and again. For some, it was because they loved her soothing touch when she held their hand, but for most, it was simply because she was sweet and genuine.
It also didn’t hurt that she was an exotic beauty with long thick dark hair, gorgeous bronzed skin, and deep dark eyes. If she wanted to, she could pull off the long flowing skirts and big hoop earrings that were so popular in the town, but she did her readings in jeans and sweatshirts.
Diana didn’t need to put on a front.
“How many accidents have happened at the falls since you’ve been here?” Arabella asked as she polished off her fries and leaned back in her chair.
They were sitting at one of the patio tables and enjoying the low hum of Tibetan throat singers. Just outside the patio barrier, a group of meditators had gathered. A public street was an odd place to meditate unless one was charging people five dollars to grab a cushion and join.
Which Delores was. With her frizzy hair piled high on the top of her head, she waved her arms around so that her bangle bracelets clashed together while she led the group to spiritual enlightenment.
“I’ve been here a year, and this is the first time I’ve heard of anything like this happening. Of course there are injuries. Turned ankles and broken bones, but no deaths.” Sipping on her milkshake, Diana leaned back and sighed. There was a soft smile on her face.
“Long day?” Arabella asked.
“Long week. I can’t explain it, but I’ve had this knot in my back and a terrible feeling following me, but today it’s gone. Maybe it’s the milkshake.”
“It is a good milkshake,” Arabella agreed as she lifted hers in a mock toast.
Diana had been the first person to greet her when she moved in, and while Arabella was determined to keep to herself, Diana proved stubborn. She wanted to be friends, and Arabella finally relented.
It was nice to have someone to share meals with and chat to and invite over for a movie. It was something that she lacked back home. It wasn’t until she was twenty-five that she finally managed to break through her mother’s guilt trips to move out and get her own place, but even then, her mother and sister dropped by constantly, unannounced.
Once Arabella had a co-worker over, and her mother walked in and immediately got naked while announcing that her clothes were still lingering with magical residue. That was the last time Arabella had a movie night with a friend until Mystic Falls.
“Did you talk to Grant?” Diana asked. “I hope his request isn’t too much of an imposition.”
“Oh, in all the excitement, I completely forgot.”
Pulling the list out of her pocket, Arabella studied it. The rosemary and thyme were easy enough. It didn’t seem to require fresh herbs, so she could use the dry stock she ordered in bulk. Orchid petals. She’d have to special order them, but that wouldn’t be hard to arrange. White candle. Easy enough. Yellow Jade bead. She had plenty of those. Black scrying mirror. Another novelty item that was cheap and on hand.
“Strange combination, but easy to do,” she said as she folded the paper back up and put it in her pocket. “I’ll have to review the spell to make sure nothing is missing, but I think it’ll be fun to work with Grant. I hadn’t considered partnering up with anyone before.”
“Good. I think you should branch out more. Get to know the town. Get to know the people.”
“If you tell me to start dating, this friendship is over,” Arabella threatened in a teasing tone. Diana blushed, and Arabella knew that was what was on her mind.
“Have you discovered anything about the mysterious hunk living above you?” Diana asked.
Funny how dating and Lukas seemed to go hand-in-hand until one knew the truth about him. She wanted to tell Diana exactly who Lukas was and what he was doing in Mystic Falls, but that meant coming clean about her strange family, and she wasn’t ready to do that.
“He’s trying to be a little friendlier,” Arabella said vaguely as a shadow fell over the table.
“Talking about me, ladies?” Lukas grinned as he pulled out a chair and sat down.
Diana’s eyes lit up gleefully while Arabella groaned. Did he really need to continue following her around?
“As a matter of fact, we were. You’ve been very mysterious during the past few weeks,” Diana said mischievously before she winked at Arabella.
“I’m not trying to be mysterious. Just getting to know the town. You’re the palm reader, right? Diana Scantilly.”
“That’s me. I’ll give you a free reading right now if you’ll tell me what you’re looking for here at Mystic Falls. A woman, perhaps?”
Sticking out his palm toward Diana, he looked steadily at Arabella. “Something like that. Right now, I’m wondering why you aren’t mourning the loss of your ex-boyfriend.”
Diana blinked. “My ex-boyfriend?”
“Steven. The guy who just died at Mystic Falls.”
Arabella’s heart dropped as she stared at her friend. “Oh, no,” she whispered. There was no way Diana was involved, was there?
“No, that’s not possible.” Shaking her head emphatically, Diana huddled in her chair and wrapped her arms around herself before she started to rock back and forth. It was obvious that the news was hitting her hard, and she wasn’t taking it well. “Steven lives halfway across the country. There’s no way that he’s found me here.”
“If you were trying to hide from him, you’re doing a poor job of it. You didn’t change your name. You’re using the same credit cards and bank account.”
“No, I’m not trying to hide. Our relationship wasn’t that bad. I’m just saying that Steven wouldn’t care. He was the one who broke up with me and kicked me out. He’s crazy jealous and never trusted me. I haven’t heard from him since I left.” Diana looked at Arabella helplessly. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“Diana, Lukas is a private investigator,” Arabella told her gently. She wanted to help her friend but didn’t know how. It didn’t take a witch to see the shadow of depression that had fallen over her. “He’s here for a different matter, but I found the body last night. I asked the police to keep that quiet because I didn’t want to be mobbed.”
Her friend continued to rock as she absorbed the information. “I can’t believe that it’s Steven. I don’t even know what he’d be doing here. He doesn’t believe in this kind of stuff, and he made it very clear that we were over. I can’t imagine him looking for me. Even so, it was an accident, right?”
Arabella wasn’t quite ready to explain things like the cold residue of dark magic, so she glanced at Lukas and shook her head. “What if it wasn’t? You said Steven was jealous. What if he thought you were seeing someone, and they got into a fight at the falls?”
“But I’m not seeing anyone.”
Poor Diana was absolutely clueless about the effect she had on men. Steven could have seen anyone flirting with her. The last thing she wanted was for Diana to feel guilty.
“The police are probably right about it being an accident,” Arabella said soothingly. “You didn't see him at all? He’s been here for a week.”
“That explains the feeling.” Tears filled Dian
a’s eyes. “We weren’t in a great relationship, but I did love him. If he had told me that he was here, I would have talked to him. He didn’t have to spy on me.”
Lukas seemed completely unaffected by Diana, but Arabella leaned over and hugged her friend. “It’s okay. You should go home and call the police. Let them know that you think he followed you out here, but you have to believe that this wasn’t your fault.”
Mutely, she nodded. “Okay. I will. Can I call you later? If I need to.”
“Of course!”
When she walked away from the table, Arabella turned and glared at Lukas. “Did you have to spring the news on her like that?”
“I needed to see her reaction,” Lukas said calmly as he lounged in the chair. “She’s the best suspect. She finds out that her ex is stalking her and…”
Arabella put up her hand. “Let me stop you right there. Diana is one of the gentlest souls I have ever met. She would never hurt anyone, and might I remind you that we’re looking for a witch?” She lowered her voice. “Diana has some talent at palm readings, but she doesn’t have the kind of power to pull off that spell.”
“And how do you know?”
Uncomfortable, Arabella turned her head and looked away. “I just do.”
“You cast some kind of spell on her, didn’t you?”
“I don’t make friends easily, and I have some trust issues. Before, most people only wanted to be my friend to get close to my sister or to use me for my power. I wanted to make sure that Diana wasn’t trying to use me, so yes, I got her to walk across a sigil barrier to test her. She’s no witch.”
“Trust issues, huh? I guess I haven’t won any points by lying to you.”
Arabella didn’t want to talk about that. “We’re back to square one.”
“Nope. We know more than we did before, and between you and me, I think we can narrow down our pool of suspects.”
6
“How does this work again?” Lukas asked as he lifted the paneled curtains that were hiding the sigils painted along the door frame. “Is it going to sound like a car alarm if someone who uses magic walks in?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re going for discretion.” She hung a clear quartz on the hook and let the other curtain panel drop. Normally she didn’t need to hide magic, but a real witch might recognize the work. “If there’s dark magic residue on anyone who enters here, it will warm the crystal by the door.”
He studied the crystal. “How are you going to know it’s warm?”
Arabella pulled out her necklace to show a matching crystal that hung between her breasts. “It’s one thing to set up a sigil ward for one or two people, but I’m expecting quite a bit of traffic today, and I can’t renew the sigil manually. It’s going to have to draw from my magic, so the matching crystal will stay connected to me. If it’s heated, I’ll know.”
They’d advertised a sale just for the other entrepreneurs of Mystic Falls. Thirty percent off candles, charms, and crystals for today only. If they were lucky, the real witch would come in to join, and Arabella could identify them.
“Is it going to hurt you?” Lukas asked sharply.
“Not hurt, exactly, but my power isn’t limitless. It’s draining, and I’ll be tired.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Just how powerful are you?”
Powerful enough that her mother didn’t want her to move out so she could draw on her daughter’s magic, but Arabella didn’t voice that out loud. It wasn’t that her mother was malicious. She just didn’t understand that Arabella didn’t believe in family magic like her mother did.
“Don’t worry. I’m powerful enough to last the day.” She paused. “How is it that you can accept magic so easily?”
“It was hard for me to believe in the beginning,” Lukas admitted. “I did some research and kept my distance. I’m not sure if I read anything that could be considered real or not, but I learned one thing. Magic is only scary if the person using it is scary, and Arabella, you definitely do not scare me.”
“Is that an insult or a compliment?”
He reached out briefly and stroked a finger down her cheek. “I hope you take it as a compliment because that’s how I meant it.”
There were those butterflies again. Rooted to the floor, she stared at him and wondered if he was going to kiss her, but when he leaned closer, it was just to reach behind her and flip the sign around.
“There’s a line already starting. It’s show time.”
Lukas was right. As soon as she unlocked the door people started streaming in.
Diana had agreed to help out at the register and keep an eye out for anyone who might look suspicious. Lukas was posing as a customer to keep track of who was coming in and out of the door, and Arabella was working the floor.
No reason not to take advantage and make money while she tried to find a killer.
There were no warnings, but the steady stream of people coming and going ensured Arabella began to feel the effects of the trap. It was a bit like rising from a long, hot, scented bath. Her muscles felt more like liquid, and her body was starting to flush with the use of the power coursing through her blood.
Several times Arabella had to excuse herself to go to the back for a power bar and a reanimating chant. It boosted her, but tonight she would crash like the dead.
By closing time, she was disappointed. All that power and nothing to show for it.
“Are you all right, Arabella?” Diana asked in concern. “You look exhausted.”
“Just what every woman wants to hear,” Arabella joked weakly. “I’m fine. You’re heading out?”
“Yeah, I want to get some palm readings done for the night crowd. Sorry I couldn’t be more help today. I really can’t see why Steven would come all this way for me.”
Arabella chuckled. Her friend was so blind. “It’s all right. I appreciate you trying.”
“It was nice to look at Lukas all day though.” Diana winked. “Somehow it makes him even more alluring to know that he’s got that dangerous PI edge to him.”
“It’s just a job.” Arabella laughed, but she knew exactly what Diana was talking about. When her friend left, Lukas wandered over to her. “
At least you had a successful day business wise.”
With a groan, Arabella reached out and steadied herself on the counter. “Give me a minute. I need to get one more power boost to last me through the rest of the day. Keep an eye on the store?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just not used to so much magic in one day.”
Escaping to the back, she closed her eyes and sighed. Just a few more hours, and then she could crawl into bed and call it a day. Reaching for the last mojo bag she’d made in advance, she held it to her heart and squeezed it.
“Power of the wind, flow through me and renew the power within. Grant me strength of the oak and currents from the seas so that I too may rise again.”
Just as the air lifted her hair and washed over her, she felt the first icy tendrils of another. Eyelids flying open, she gasped and fell to her knees as she felt the magic take her over.
“No,” she whispered.
It seeped into her bones. The crack of her joints sounded in the small room as her body began to rise unnaturally. This was not the residue of dark magic. This was a direct spell burrowing within her.
Walk to the falls, a voice whispered in her ear. Walk to the falls so you can feel the magic of the mist and feel the cool spray of water on your skin.
Yes. That sounded like exactly what she needed. A walk to the fall to rejuvenate herself.
Turning, she opened the door and walked back out into the store.
“Feeling better?” Lukas asked as he turned to her.
“I am going to walk to the falls so I can feel the magic of the mist and feel the cool spray of water on my skin.” Her voice sounded hollow to her, and she frowned. She couldn’t go to the falls now. Witchy Wonders was still open. She had to find a killer.
; Do not resist, the voice insisted. Walk to the falls.
“Arabella?” Lukas reached out and grabbed her hand. With a hiss, he dropped it and stared at her. “You’re freezing cold. What is going on? Look at me!”
Ignore him.
“Arabella!” He grabbed her hand and squeezed. Pain seared through her arm, and she gasped and stumbled back. It was just enough of a crack in the spell for her to realize what was happening.
“Deflect,” she cried out desperately as she grabbed the crystal around her neck. It was the only conduit she had available, but it was already weak from the spell she’d cast earlier.
“The magic of the Risetta line commands thee. Release me!”
The spell let go, the fierce chill eased out of her, and she grunted and grabbed the display counter. After a few deep breaths, she felt more like herself. “Thank you,” she said hoarsely as she turned her head toward Lukas.
He wasn’t there, and the door was standing wide open. He’d touched her. Made contact with her while the spell had a hold on her. If the residue had transferred to him, there was no telling what he was hallucinating.
“No!” Strength coursed through Arabella as she pushed away and bolted outside. Lukas was right on the edge of the curb and ready to step off in front of a heavy flow of traffic. “Lukas!”
No potion. No charms. She had absolutely no connection to him except an attraction that she couldn’t ignore and the desperate need for him to live.
When Arabella reached Lukas, she grabbed his hand. As soon as she touched him she heard her mother’s voice in her head.
Power of will is always stronger than power of magic, Arabella. If you want it enough, it will come to pass.
Taking a deep breath, she focused on the cars speeding by.
“Time will obey me.”
The world slowed, and she stepped out on the street and put a hand on Lukas’ chest. The remnants from the spell cast on her still shrouded him and pulsed with every beat of his heart. A cold shudder raced down her spine as she focused on taking control of the spell.
“Obey me, Lukas.”