by Amy Boyles
Pepper straightened. “Are any here? Now?”
Axel nodded. “I can smell them. There’s a charge in the air.”
Pepper’s jaw slackened. “You can smell ghosts? Why didn’t you ever tell me that?”
Axel dragged a roll through beef gravy. “Because I didn’t know until now. I’d picked up that scent before but didn’t know what it was until Roan said something.”
“That’s interesting.” Pepper tapped her chin. “And weird.”
Roan tugged a roll apart. “Well, I for one didn’t know you could smell spirits.”
“Axel can smell everything because he’s part were—”
Axel’s eyes flared.
Pepper shook out her hair. “It’s a joke. We say he’s part werewolf all the time as a joke because he can smell so well.”
Right. And I was Miss America. Which I wasn’t. Pretty sure violet hair would immediately disqualify me.
I thumbed toward Roan. “He’s a demonologist. We’re not exactly sure what that entails, but apparently Roan can command spirits—to a point. Oh, and there’s also a spirit trapped in the cellar floor. If anyone wants to see it, I’m sure Roan would love to give you a tour.”
Roan smirked. “And Blissful catches ghosts in containers and can send them into the light. Somehow I think that trumps my abilities.”
Axel wiped his mouth with his napkin and tossed it on the table. “You’ve got a spirit trapped in the cellar?”
I perked up. Maybe Axel could help Roan. “Yes, and we don’t know anything about the spell that’s binding it.”
He rose. “I’ll see what I can do. If nothing else, I may know a demonologist that can help.”
Roan nodded hesitantly. “Thank you.”
I wanted to punch him and remind Roan that it was me he should be thanking. After all, if it hadn’t been for me, none of those words would’ve left Axel’s mouth.
Roan rose. He pinched my shoulder between his fingers. “We’ll be back. Pepper, you want to come?”
She tossed a long, glossy strand of hair over one shoulder. “No thanks. I’ll keep Blissful company.”
As soon as they slipped down the stairs, Pepper shot me a mischievous grin. “Think if I locked the door, that would keep them down there a while?”
I laughed. “They’re men. They’ll find all sorts of excuses to stay away from us for a while.” I reached for the wine bottle. “More wine?”
She nodded eagerly. “And what about dessert?”
“I almost forgot. All my friends in this town are old women. They eat dessert all day long because they don’t care about their waistlines anymore. I have memory lapse when it comes to how real people treat dessert.”
Pepper laughed. “I have a grandmother who’s sort of like that. If it isn’t fried, has gravy on it or is mixed with cornbread, she’s not eating it.”
I grabbed a tray of chocolate truffles from the counter. “Roan can bake anything.”
She gawked. “He made these?”
I nodded.
“Honey, you need to keep him. Chain him to your feet. Whatever you do, make sure he stays, even if it’s only for the food.” Her teeth pierced the confection. Pepper closed her eyes and moaned.
Not wanting to miss out, I tasted mine. Rich velvety chocolate exploded on my tongue. The taste of raspberries followed in a perfect union.
“Why can’t chicken taste like this?” I complained.
“I don’t know, but it should.” Her eyes sparkled. “If you were a witch, you could make chicken taste like that.”
I laughed. “That’s okay. Talking to spirits is enough weirdness for me.”
Susan eyed the truffles. “Too bad I can’t taste those.”
I nodded toward Susan. “And there’s that.”
Pepper’s head whipped around. “There’s what?”
I sighed. “Just a spirit talking.”
“I think it would be kinda cool to talk to spirits. With as complicated as my life is, that seems like the easiest thing in the world.”
I pushed back my chair and kicked my feet up into one the empty seats the men had left. “Tell me about it. I never get to hear real-girl problems anymore. Most of the problems I deal with have Bengay as the solution.”
Pepper laughed. “Stop. You’re killing me.”
“Not joking.”
She tapped her hands on the table as if looking for a distraction.
“I’m serious,” I said.
She swallowed loudly and pulled a thick twist of hair over her shoulder. Pepper’s neck flushed red.
Poor kid. She was embarrassed. That was one thing an orphanage made you get over—embarrassment. Not too much embarrassed me. Unless it was the idea of Roan seeing me in my panties. That embarrassed me.
Pepper glanced behind us to make sure the door and the men were still gone. “It’s the craziest thing.”
“What is?”
“I barely know you and I’m about to tell you this huge thing in my life.”
“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” I assured her. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ll tell you something weird.”
She hitched a brow. “Sure.”
I rolled my eyes. “Roan thinks we’re moving too fast. He wants me to slow down.”
“You too?”
My eyes flared. “You and Axel have the same problem?”
“Yes! What is it with men? We’re supposed to be the ones telling them to slow down, but it’s the other way around.”
“I know! It makes no sense. What century is this?”
Pepper laughed. “Right?” She took a deep breath. “Here goes. Axel mates for life.”
I pinched my earlobe and tugged it. Had I heard correctly? “I’m sorry?”
“He has mating instincts.”
It took me a second, but eventually I realized what Pepper was saying. “Like a werewolf,” I said slowly.
“Right.”
Hmm. Interesting. “So what does that entail? Aside from the fact that he’ll fight anyone who challenges his claim to you, I mean?”
“It means that once we’re um, together…” She glanced around shyly. This girl was so adorable. I mean, seriously.
Pepper cleared her throat. “It means that our bond will be powerful. He will be at my side ready to fight for me, and anyone who harms me will put him in such a frenzy that he might do them damage.”
Pepper raked her fingers through her hair. “The thing is, my kind accept me because I’m a witch, but since Axel is only half, there are still some who see our union as controversial. In my town it isn’t so bad, but if we ever moved away, things might be different.
“His mom is a witch and his dad is a werewolf. They probably faced prejudice but never mentioned it when I met them.” She stared at the table. “I had other concerns at that time.”
“With dating a werewolf? Impossible.”
She laughed. “Why is it you’re not freaked out by us? When I first discovered what I was, I nearly had a heart attack. I didn’t want to have anything to do with the whole mess. I was scared to death. But you”—her gaze washed over me, touching me with curiosity—“you don’t seem to mind us.”
I folded my arms. “That’s because I’ve heard of your kind before. Never met any but my adopted father worked for a covert government agency. There were all types of rumors as to different types of species—witches, werewolves, there was even a subset that studied vampires.”
Pepper opened her mouth. I raised my palm. “Before you ask, I don’t know any more than that. I don’t know what the government knew or even if it was very much, about your people.” I nodded toward the door. “Or Axel’s. All I know is that there were some officials who realized folks like you existed.”
“That’s one thing my people fear,” Pepper admitted, “is being hunted or hurt by humans or government officials. If the wrong person got one of us in their clutches, they could use our power for all sorts of bad deeds. It’s why we live in seclusion.”
&
nbsp; I clicked my tongue. “So are you going to be mated to Axel?”
Pepper’s teeth snagged her lower lip. “Yes. I will. It was a pretty serious decision, but I don’t want to live without him. My soul and heart belong to him.”
I quirked a brow. “So when will this mating take place?”
“That’s the question. All I know is what will happen when our relationship hits the next level. But when that happens”—she shrugged—“that’s up to Axel.”
Pepper popped another truffle in her mouth. “Seriously. You should marry this guy. In fact, I can’t believe you haven’t married him already.”
I laughed. “We haven’t known each other too long. Besides, I think Roan’s about to be going on his own journey of self-discovery.”
“Oh. You mean the whole demonologist thing.”
I pinched one of the truffles between my fingers and studied it. “Yep. That whole thing. I’m not sure how to help him.”
Pepper patted my arm. “Don’t you worry. Axel will know what to do. I’ve never met another man who always had a solution. Heck, he probably has the numbers for at least three demonologists in his phone. He works a lot of PI cases all around. I’m sure he’s met one or two in his day.”
I smiled weakly at her. “I hope so. Because I have no idea where to even begin when it comes to helping Roan.”
Pepper nodded to the confection between my fingers. “If you don’t eat that, I will.”
My teeth sank into it. I moaned as velvety chocolate spread over my tongue. “It’s bliss.”
“Just like your name.”
Axel’s voice drifted up from the basement. “But anyway, I know a guy. I think he might be able to give you some answers.”
Both men appeared. I smiled at Roan, who crossed to me and squeezed my shoulders.
He whispered in my ear. “How’re you holding up?”
“I thought the cellar had swallowed you.”
“No such luck,” he joked.
But when his dark eyes pinned me, I sucked air. The look he gave me made my heart balloon. My throat dried. I felt myself slipping away, melting into him.
Roan threaded his fingers through mine. “Breathe, Blissful.”
I gasped for breath. “Right.” I needed to change the subject. I had to focus on something else. “Axel?”
“Yes?” He dragged his own lovey-dovey gaze from Pepper to me.
“Did you find out the name of the Hudsons’ niece?”
He shook his head in disappointment. “No, not yet. Still working on it. But I have a plan.”
“Okay, great.”
“The niece?”
I snapped my head in Artie’s direction. “Did you say that?”
“Yes,” he said between bites.
Somehow Artie had managed to find himself some grits. Imagine that.
“What about her?”
“I know her name.”
“Why didn’t you say anything before?” I fumed.
“Because nobody asked me.”
Oh. He may have been right. “Sorry. I’m asking you now. Do you know the name of the Hudsons’ niece?”
He slurped a spoonful into his mouth. “I sure do.”
“What is it?”
He raised his spoon, appearing to contemplate the secrets hidden in the steel before answering, “Brownie. Her name is Brownie.”
SIXTEEN
“How long have you known her name was Brownie?” I fumed.
Artie shrugged. “I don’t know. When you’re dead, it’s hard to keep track of little things like that.”
I was inches away from exploding. I inhaled a deep, calming breath, counted to ten and said, “Well, I just think it’s funny since you can’t remember other little things like how you died and who killed you. But you know the Hudsons had a niece named Brownie. How’s that?”
Artie stirred his grits. “I think she must’ve mentioned it.”
Pepper leaned over to Roan. “Is it just me or is it the strangest thing watching Blissful talk to a wall?”
Roan scrubbed a hand down his face. “Oh, it’s not just you. It’s strange, all right.”
I shot Roan a withering look. I think he shrank three inches. I shot from my chair. “Brownie Jarvis is one of the current owners of the home. She’s also the Hudsons’ granddaughter.”
“What time is it?” Pepper said.
Axel flicked his wrist to see his watch. “It’s a little after eight.” He eyed me. “Do you know where they are?”
“They might’ve returned to the house by now. The police were combing through the place, I’m guessing looking for more bodies.”
Roan grabbed his coat. “Are they done?”
“I don’t know.” He held my jacket for me, and I slipped into it. “But I say we find out.”
We reached the house a short time later. Axel followed us in his old Land Rover. When Roan shot out of his garage in his G-Wagon, I thought Axel would drool on his shoes. The look of absolute appreciation glazed over his face.
I wanted to pat his back and tell him I completely understood. Roan and I were old SUV soul mates.
We reached the house and discovered that Kency Blount and her men were still there. In fact, the team swarmed the front yard.
I spotted Kency on the front porch talking to an officer. “Park the car. Something’s going on.”
“Looks like they’re having a party. I’m hurt we weren’t invited.” Roan steered us onto a strip of asphalt in front of the home.
We didn’t wait for Axel. “This doesn’t look good,” Roan murmured.
“I know.” I wove myself closer to him, hoping that somehow he would protect me from whatever bad thing Kency would say.
“Blissful.” Kency didn’t bother keeping the sneer from her face. “Whatever could bring you here tonight?”
“I thought maybe y’all would be gone.” A police officer whizzed out the front door and nearly knocked into me. I lurched forward to stay out of the line of fire.
Kency rocked back on her heels. “You thought wrong.”
I peered into the front door. A tarp lay over a long mass. “Is that a body? Did you find another one?”
Kency sucked her teeth. “What’s it to you?”
“Is it Artie?”
Her eyes bulged. “Listen, I don’t know who your sources are—”
“With all due respect you know I don’t have sources. I’m clairvoyant. You know that.” I stepped forward. “Was it Artie?”
Kency tossed a long tendril of hair over her shoulder. “Keep it quiet, but yes, it was Artie.” She hitched a brow. “We found a wallet on him. Name was Artie Smith.”
Kency whirled to walk away.
Oh no, the sheriff wasn’t getting off that easily. I stepped around her, blocking Kency’s path.
“And he was killed around the same time as Molly, is that right?”
She crossed her arms. “It’s hard to know without samples, but yes, that’s a possibility.”
“And the Hudsons disappeared.”
“Whose investigation is this? Mine or yours?”
“Can you just tell me? Would it kill you?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, the Hudsons left town. No trace of them was ever found.”
“Brownie Jarvis is their niece.”
Kency’s eyes narrowed. She studied me and did that weird teeth-sucking thing again. “Now how do you know that?”
“Never mind how I know it. She must know something about the Hudsons. What happened to them? What happened to Mrs. Hudson if Mr. Hudson died? That’s the rumor, you know? That he died.”
“I’ve heard it.” She shot me a look so searing I was surprised she left any flesh on my bones. “Stay out of it.”
“Kency.”
Her gaze flickered to Roan. “How do you put up with this all day? Her wanting to lead everything and butt into everyone’s business?”
He shrugged. “I enjoy it.”
“You’re not the man I thought you were.”
I flared my arms. “Whoa. Whoa. Can we put aside these tensions? I’m not interested in being part of that whole thing. Kency, Roan and I are dating now. We are happy. I’m sure you will be happy too when you find the right—”
I wanted to say victim. I mean, dating Kency Blount would be torture. I’d rather wrap twigs in my hair and then be forced to pull them out one by one. I’d rather watch the Yule log fire burning all night on any day other than Christmas Eve. I’d rather be forced to sit and eat a meal with the entire senior center of Haunted Hollow than think of setting Kency Blount up with anyone.
By that, yes, I would never allow anyone I knew to endure that sort of suffering.
But instead of vomiting all my thoughts on Kency, who would probably throw me in jail once they left my mouth, I said, “I’m sure you will be happy too when you find the right thing.”
It was the best I could do. Just to be fair, I dropped my voice on the word thing because I didn’t want her to hear it and have more of a reason to hate me than she already did.
Not that she hated me, but she certainly didn’t like me.
“Thank you,” Kency said.
I had to muffle my grin. “You’re welcome.”
“But to answer your other inquiry, I’ve already spoken to Brownie.”
My eyebrows shot to peaks. I clenched my fists. This was a huge break for us. “And what did you find out?”
“She doesn’t know anything. You’re barking up the wrong tree with her, Blissful.”
With that, Kency walked away, leaving Roan and I alone on the porch.
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “You did your best.”
I tipped my head up to meet his gaze. “Brownie knows more than she’s saying. I know she does.” I gritted my teeth. “And tomorrow I’m going to find out what.”
We walked back toward the car. Fannie Sullivan stood in her yard, staring at the house.
“Wait here.” I dropped Roan’s hand and crossed to her.
“Are you okay, Mrs. Sullivan?”
She shivered, breaking her stare. “Yes, dear. I’m fine. Tell me. What’s going on?”
“They found another body. One Artie Smith. Did you know him?”
Fannie continued to stare longingly at the house. “No. I didn’t know him.” Her gaze cut to me. “Seems you’re here a lot when bodies are discovered.”