When we noticed Drake was looking uncomfortable around all the women feelings around the table, Shelley quickly changed the conversation.
“So, Drake. What about your mum? Do you think she’d be able to talk to your father if we somehow found her?”
“Well, I’ve not seen her my entire life, so I doubt it’s possible.”
“I’ll phone Frankie. He can meet us at the coffee shop tomorrow and we’ll look into the history of Siren’s further, and Nereids while we're at it. Let’s get armed with knowledge and take things from there.”
“Okay. Thank you, Shelley.” We waited while she called Frankie on her mobile.
“Okay. Four pm at the coffee shop tomorrow afternoon. He needs time to get his research together and of course being a vampire he can’t meet us any earlier.” She reached over and squeezed my hand. “One way or another we will sort this.”
“Is it okay if I go have a shower? I’m feeling a bit dry.” Drake stretched out his limbs.
“Of course.”
We watched as he left the room, blowing me a kiss.
“You completely sure about this, Polly? Have you thought it all through? He’s hardly been on land and he’s already complaining he feels dry.”
“Do you know, Shelley. Just off the top of my head without deep thought—I love the water. It’s where I’ve always felt most at home, and with the exception of a few friends who I’m not even that close to, and you, Charlie, and Theo, well, I wouldn’t really miss anyone. I’d miss who I wanted my parents to be, the glimpse we’ve seen occasionally, but not who they currently are.” I picked up my plate and began washing it in the sink. “So other than that, it’s only a fear of the unknown that’s holding me back, and you could fear any day if you let yourself, couldn’t you? You just have to live life. So,” I took a deep breath. “I think I’m going to be moving to live under the sea.”
“Where me, Theo, and Charlie, can visit you at any time anyway.”
“Yes!”
“You’re going to be super healthy with a fish and plant-based diet.”
“I’ll be coming ashore lots for Jax’s coffee and doughnuts. I won’t be that healthy.”
“Okay, that’s decided then. The next step is to see what Frankie can reveal, and then it’s time to fight for your love.”
The door banged, and Charlie passed the kitchen door, backtracking and coming in. “Hey, Mum. Aunt Polly.”
“You had a good time?”
“Yeah, it’s been cool. Anyway, Dad’s back and he insists you go upstairs to meet him.”
“Dad can go swivel.” My sister was still unimpressed.
“Mum. He’s brought you chocolates and is all apologetic.”
“Chocolate! Why didn’t you start with that?” My sister whizzed out of the room.
“We ought to move things to the living room and turn some music up high. My dad’s decided he’s the Milk Tray man and is going to ‘perform with the box’. I sincerely hope he meant the chocolates, and it wasn’t some reference to my mum’s—”
“And let’s go. You can tell me what you’ve been up to tonight.” I told her. Some things we didn’t need to think about.
Shelley
I walked upstairs and into my bedroom to find no sign of either my husband or chocolate. My shoulders tensed. He had three seconds to appear before I did a location spell, grabbed him with my webs and gave him a piece of my mind.
A weird humming noise started, and I realised that our window was slightly ajar. I vaguely recollected the tune. What the hell was he doing?
I walked over and opened the curtains wider. Theo was floating outside the window, dressed in his usual suited and booted attire and clutching a box of Milk Tray. Oh my god!
He opened the window with his free, non-chocolates-holding hand, and passed the chocolates to me.
“Thanks.” I said, and I closed the window and the curtains.
The window burst open, the curtains blasting out as if powered by hurricane and Theo appeared in the room. He’d stolen the chocolates from my hand and laid on the bed with them in front of him. He was on his side, his chin resting in his hand, propped up.
“Maiden. I am a secret admirer. I hear you are mad with your husband. Why not spend the night with me instead, your mystery man? I will begin by feeding you chocolate and then your every wish is my desire.”
“So, you are not Theo Landry, the husband I am annoyed with for not taking me out this evening?”
“No.” Theo adopted an Italian accent which was surprisingly authentic. “I am Gino. Here to pleasure this neglected and scorned woman before me.”
Role-play, huh? Role-play and chocolates.
I slid onto the bed next to him.
“Hmm, let’s start with the nuts.”
Theo looked startled.
“A chocolate-covered one, my Italian Stallion.”
I couldn’t help the grin on my face at breakfast the next morning. Charlie took one look at me, declared she’d gone off the idea of breakfast and she went off to the shop. For once, I decided to take my time, having a leisurely shower and arriving at the agency at nine-thirty, an hour later than usual.
Lucy burst in through the door.
“Finally. Frankie says he’s found a few things out and he’ll see you this afternoon. I can also report a successful mission of research, but as I don’t know if it will help the cause, I’ll just continue my plan in private for now.”
“Lucy, I really would feel more reassured if I knew what you were doing.”
“I swear it’s nothing that could go wrong and cause harm. You know I’m not allowed to do that now I’m an earth angel, so take a leap of faith that I have yours and your daughter’s back.”
I studied Lucy’s face. “I’m honoured that you’re making this effort, but why? Why is it so important to you?”
She took a seat in front of my desk.
“If I can help with keeping peace under the sea then maybe it can go some way towards my dealing with my past. Let’s face it, the reason the Duke is there and trying to call the shots, is because I kept your father from his place as King under the sea. I feel responsible that Polly isn’t getting her happy ever after. My actions gave Brishon his power.”
I’d never thought of it that way.
“We don’t know that. Maybe my dad would have left Brishon to it and it would have turned out exactly the same. He would have put my mother before the sea.”
“Well, it’s something we’ll never know, but I’m going to do all I can to assist you with this, Shelley. I owe you.”
“Thank you, Lucy. You’re becoming an amazing friend given that when we first met you tried to set me on fire.”
“Occupational hazard. Now I’m much fluffier.”
She didn’t notice that the smile I gave her was more of an attempt to stop a guffaw. Lucy and fluffy did not belong in the same sentence unless we were comparing her to a gremlin.
“So, anything to report? Have we heard how Jax’s date with Tristan went?” I crossed my fingers as Lucy opened her mouth.
“Amazing, apparently. He took her for fish and chips, they walked the seafront, and then he’d prepared a table at Withernsea Waffles with candlelight and served her a waffle with ice cream and chocolate sauce. They’re going out again at the weekend.
“Wow. Maybe for once, one of Ebony’s predictions is going to come through without any drama?”
I really should learn to shut my mouth.
I met up with Frankie, Polly, and Drake, at the coffee shop at four pm as planned. The place was a lot emptier than usual and Bartholomew had been put to use giving the place a clean and tidy. The pumping of those biceps as he moved a cloth up and down did not escape mine and Polly’s gaze. Drake coughed.
“Okay, so you’ve not met Frankie before, other than the fact he did visit the house to place wards up against me, at Mark and Debbie’s insistence, but you were only a baby then.” I explained. “Though you might have seen him at the wedding a
nd around.”
Frankie had been a friend of my mother’s and had vowed to keep me safe while she’d had to go into exile. I’d only learned all this after opening the dating agency. Frankie had then become my mentor, teaching me spells before the student had surpassed the teacher. Unfortunately, he had then been smote by Satan, died, and had to be brought back as a vampire by Theo in the thirty minutes ‘magic time’ available before he completely succumbed to death. His turning had not gone well, but that was a whole other story. Now he was a researcher into the history of supernaturals, kept a database, and was the person you needed to see about all things supernatural. I gave Drake and Polly a potted history and then Frankie opened his papers.
Jax came over to take our order.
“Hey, I heard your date went well.”
She smiled and nodded. “Really good. We had an amazing time and I’m seeing him again at the weekend. Now what would you like? Have any baked goods you like on the house, only today has been painfully slow. Do you know if there’s been a gas leak causing a curfew or anything? I can’t understand it. I’ve not been this slow even just after Christmas when everyone goes on a diet.” She took our order and went to make our drinks.
Frankie gave us a history lesson on sirens and about their ability to sing and charm men to sleep after which they could kill them.
“And they have wings like birds, so your mother could have left the seas and flown anywhere. Have you had any contact from your mother whatsoever? Do we even know if she’s alive?” Frankie asked.
“The only contact I’ve had—and this may just be my imagination—is that when I was younger I heard her sing lullabies in my sleep. But I guess that could have been from any of the sirens who were just trying to make me feel better or coax me to sleep.”
“How about I speak with Shelley and we try to come up with some kind of spell, like a hypnosis, to reach through your sleep state? We can induce it and try to contact your mother? If she’s there, and alive, she should hear it. Although whether she’d respond I couldn’t guarantee.”
Drake shrugged his shoulders. “It’s worth a try, I guess.”
Frankie folded his papers. “Okay then. Shelley and I will stay here and talk spells and we’ll see you at the farmhouse as soon as we’re able, okay?”
“Thank you so much, Frankie.” Drake said. “I will not forget this kindness. Nor that of anyone who has helped us.”
My phone rang and picking it up off the table I frowned. “It’s Ebony.” Ebony calling me from her honeymoon? That could not be good.
I pressed answer.
“Hey, E-”
“Potential torment like you’ve never known is about to appear. Send Charlie to save everyone from dehydration, starvation, and destruction.”
“What do you mean, Ebs? Is this the war? Is it starting?”
“That’s all I’m getting. I can just feel the pain of innocents. Charlie is the key. She will need to form a male army.”
She hung up.
I could feel my face pale. Danger was coming, and my daughter had to assemble an army?
“What’s the matter, Shelley?” My sister clutched my arm. I told her what Ebony had just said.
“And it’s about to appear? Like very soon?”
“That’s what she said. God, I need to get to my daughter.” I dashed to the coffee shop entrance but found myself knocked to the side by an over-exuberant youth who called out to his friend who had been sat quietly in the shop at an empty table waiting.
“Froggy, come on.” The youth bellowed, making us all startle, and Jax almost drop a coffee she was carrying to the one customer in here beside us and the youths.
“Mate, where’ve ya been? I thought you’d mugged me off.” The youth replied.
“We’re all down at Withernsea Waffles. They’re doing chocolate doughnuts and cos it’s new it’s get-two-free with a drink. Ziggy’s holding us a place in the queue because it’s insane. It’s like every resident of Withernsea is down there.”
“What did you just say?” Jax had moved closer to the mouthy youth at the door and got right into his personal space. “They are doing chocolate doughnuts? At the waffle shop?”
“Yeah and it’s half price if we visit again tomorrow. Sorry, Jax, we love you but we’re teenagers, and well, it’s free and cheap innit?”
With that he and his mate departed the shop.
“That piece of sly pixie shit. Dated me just to get the secrets of my shop, did he? I’ll crucify him.” Unfortunately, that was as feisty as our sensitive little flower went and she promptly burst into tears. “That’s it. I’m shutting the shop.”
Polly put an arm around Jax. “Yeah, you go and have a nice bath or something while it’s quiet and then think of a revenge plan.”
“No. I mean, I’m done. The residents of Withernsea have shown me that they have no loyalty whatsoever to my coffee shop. They’re anybody’s for a free doughnut. Well, that’s it, I quit. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Bartholomew will see you out. I’m closing. For good.”
I recalled Ebony’s words: ‘Potential torment like you’ve never known is about to appear. Send Charlie to save everyone from dehydration, starvation, and destruction’.
A cup and saucer went flying at the wall.
I ran around to Ebony’s shop and burst through the door. “Charlie, we need you, there’s an emergency.”
Charlie
“What’s the matter, Mum?”
I turned to Alyssa. “Can you take over with this customer and keep an eye on the store?” Then I dashed to my mum’s side.
“Tristan has started selling chocolate doughnuts at his waffle shop. Jax has declared she’s never opening up again. Just before it happened, Ebony called saying that there was about to be a massive crisis that could cause dehydration and destruction and that I had to get you on the job.”
“Me?”
“That’s what she said, and she called from her honeymoon to tell us, so here you go, Charlie. Save us all because a life without Jax’s is not worth living.”
“This is not the prophecy is it?” I checked. “To ensure the people of Withernsea get the best coffee in town. Not that I’d mind if it was; I’d take that over mortal danger any day, but it’s not is it?”
“No. Serious proper war-type stuff ahead, sweetheart.”
“Right.” Only my warped mind could decide that I really wanted to be the baddest badass ever and getting coffee stocks replenished was not how I wanted to be remembered. “Did Ebony say anything else?”
“Erm, oh yes. You had to assemble a male army.”
“What?”
“That’s what she said. Anyway, I’m off home with Frankie, Polly, and Drake. Only we’ve to come up with a spell to hypnotise Drake so we can try to communicate with his Siren mother.”
I pouted. “Your mission is more badass than mine.”
My mum grabbed my arm. “Seriously? Imagine all the people who you know, all your family and friends, without their daily caffeine and doughnuts.” She pointed at Alyssa. “Imagine your best friend’s face if Bartholomew loses his job and she can no longer perve after him every day. Your. Job. Is. The. Most. Badass.”
“Leave it with me, Mum.” I stood up straighter. “I got this.”
Once the customer had gone Alyssa, and I closed up the shop. I stood staring at the CLOSED sign hanging in the glass window of Jax’s coffee shop door.
“That will be back open tomorrow, do not doubt it.” I vowed.
“I can change to a wolf and rip him to pieces if that would help?” Alyssa offered.
“Bestie, you’re adorable, but somehow Jax and Tristan still end up together, so maybe it’s best we don’t deliver him to her in shreds.”
“How is she ever going to forgive him?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, but if Ebony saw it, that’s how it’s going down.”
My dad was up when I got home and was hanging around like a spare part seeing as mum was busy. “I need you, Dad.” I sai
d. “We have a mission.”
His face lit up like the sun he rarely got to see. “Let me gather a few things together. I popped to the shops when I got up and bought some spy kit style stuff. I didn’t think I’d need it this soon though.”
“What like cameras and stuff? Well, I guess you are the technological whizz.”
My father looked sheepish.
I placed my hands on my hips. “What did you buy?”
“Well, I may have got a little overexcited and bought a Secret Mission case because it was a steal at twenty pounds.
“It’s a children’s spy kit, isn’t it?” I covered my mouth to hide my smile.
“Yes. But, it has a secret code de-coder. That could come in very handy, and a fake passport. I figured it will do until I get my real kit together.”
“Dad. You are a badass vampire, you do not need to dress up as a spy. A spy would give their right arm to be able to be a vampire.”
“Not true. I met one in 1923, and he begged for his life and to not be turned. He wanted his body to remain whole I assure you.”
“Anyway, the mission.” I went along with the charade for my dad’s sake, “should you choose to accept it.” Yep, he grinned when I uttered the words. “We have to get a small group together because Jax has closed down the coffee shop. We have to go visit Tristan.” I filled him in on what had gone down.
My dad almost froze in place. “This is very, very, bad. Let me make a couple of calls.” I stood while he took his cell phone from his pocket.
“Darius. Can you imagine a world where your lovely wife could not visit Jax’s coffee shop because it was closed? Indeed. I’ll meet you outside the waffle place in ten.”
We whizzed there, and Darius had run with his wolf speed. We met outside as agreed. It wasn’t much of an army I’d assembled, but with a vampire and a werewolf, I figured they could cover most bases. What we weren’t expecting was that a riot was taking place outside the waffle shop.
“What’s going on?” I said moving closer to read a sign at the front.
NO DOUGHNUTS LEFT.
Waffles still available at £2.50 each.
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