by Amy Boyles
Had I done that? Pushed it back?
No time to think because it dropped to the ground. Shook itself off and came at me again.
So I did the only thing I could think.
I ran.
The trees were closer than the street, and I’d only just met my cousins. I couldn’t put them in danger. So the trees it was.
I hurled through the brush. Branches slapped my face, tore at my pants, barbed into my side. Behind me, the crunch and snap of twigs and wood loudened. It pumped adrenaline through my body at an accelerated rate.
The trees cleared up ahead. I would be out, away from my cousins but completely alone. I was almost there when my foot caught a root. I plunged forward.
I flipped onto my back and raised a hand. The blur landed on me. I could feel it flutter and pick at me as if it was trying to yank the life force from my body. I couldn’t get ahold of it; it was like trying to fight against fog. It could hurt me, but I couldn’t do anything to it.
The strain was getting to be too much. I could feel the drain.
The blur grew, blooming into a blot that blocked out the nearly full moon. My breath waned. It covered me, and then the world went black.
THIRTEEN
The headache was the first thing I noticed. The next was the fact that I didn’t feel like I was lying on a bed of pine needles and sticks—meaning, still stuck in the forest.
Something soft was underneath me. Like, really soft.
My eyes fluttered open.
I was on top of a sofa. Straight across from me a fire cracked and hissed. A massive TV sat in one corner. Massive as in man-sized, the kind that swallowed an entire room. A favorite of men. Also two Chippendale chairs sat squarely in the room.
Where the heck was I?
Had that black thing brought me here?
I rose as a body shuffled through a door at the far end of the room.
“Axel,” I said, relieved.
A wave of suspicion shot through me. Why was I at his house? He hadn’t been anywhere near the forest where I’d been attacked.
Or had he been?
He held out a plate of cheese and crackers. “Hungry?”
“No,” I said as my stomach growled.
Traitor.
I glanced around the room. “What am I doing here?”
He nodded deeply, in a knowing sort of way. “I heard something coming out of the forest. You were tangled with a wraith. The thing knocked you out. I got rid of it, but you were unconscious, so I brought you here.” He set the plate on the coffee table. “Those are nasty beasts, those wraiths. They don’t come around here too often, but sometimes they do. Anyway, that’s what you’re doing here.”
He cocked his head, and a sloppy grin, the kind that made his eyes twinkle and my stomach knot, cracked on his face. “Looks like you’ve got a knack for getting yourself in trouble.”
“And you’ve got a knack for being at the right place at the right time.”
“Only when it comes to you.”
Silence permeated the room. It annoyed me that he’d shown up twice now. It made me feel very damsel in distress, and I was absolutely nothing like that.
I was not in distress, and I was definitely not a damsel. Damsels were weak, sad princesses who couldn’t survive without a man.
I could survive without a man.
He plopped on the couch. “I got your car up and running. Drove it back to Betty’s house.”
My heart shifted in my chest. The cold outer layer defrosted a tad. My knees wavered a bit, and I sank down beside him.
“You did?”
He kicked his feet up on the table. “I did.” He slanted his head toward me. “Don’t rush to thank me.”
I bristled. “Listen, I didn’t ask you to do that, and I didn’t ask you to save me.”
“Oh, did you just want me to leave you in the forest and let the wraith suck the life from you?”
A cold chill swept over my body. “Is that what they do?”
He nodded. “Sometimes. Most of the time.”
I raked my fingers over my scalp. “I could’ve died? What about my cousins? Did you see them?”
Axel touched my arm. A bolt of energy snaked up my flesh and pierced my heart. When I caught his gaze, my throat constricted. I swallowed a knot in my mouth and forced myself to keep eye contact, but the power of his glance made my lower lip tremble.
So I bit it. And watched as his eyes flickered to my mouth.
“Your cousins were nowhere around. The wraith vanished when I scared it off.”
I sank back onto the couch.
“Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
I grimaced. “My cousins and I went to snoop on Gilda to see if we could find out anything about the will. Some woman named Idie Claire came into the store today and told me that Gilda was going to be cut out of Ebenezer’s will, which makes her a huge suspect. Anyway, we went over there and I found a piece of paper in a wishing well—”
“Witching well,” he corrected.
“What?”
“That’s what we call them here. Witching wells, not wishing wells.”
I waved my hand. “Whatever. Anyway, I’d just gotten hold of the paper when that thing attacked. I didn’t want to run toward my cousins because I didn’t want to put them in danger. So I ran in the opposite direction.”
I suddenly remembered about my power. I clutched his arm, and Axel’s eyebrows shot up. I released him as quickly as I’d grabbed hold of him. “I think I used my magic. I don’t know. I was so scared. Fear was running through me. I thought about getting rid of the thing, and it seemed to slow down.”
“How do you feel now?”
I rubbed my temples. “Like I have the worst hangover ever.”
He chuckled. “You, Pepper Dunn, are what we call a head witch.”
I frowned. “What?”
He nodded. “Your magic is focused more in your head. You know, since you can talk to animals and throw a little bit of telekinesis around, that makes you a head witch.”
“A head witch,” I said slowly. “Never heard of such a thing.”
“You’d also never heard of Magnolia Cove before yesterday.”
I clicked my tongue. “That is true.” My thoughts shifted to the will, and I plunged a hand in my pocket. “It’s gone. The paper. What I found in the well.”
Axel scrubbed a hand down his cheek. The side with the dimple. Not that I was staring or anything.
“The wraith probably took it.”
“Why would a wraith want a paper?”
Axel frowned. “That I don’t know.”
We sat and munched on cheese and crackers in silence until the plate was gone. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s make more.”
What, we?
I followed him to his kitchen, which was all clean lines, white cupboards, chrome and dark counters—very masculine.
Axel grabbed a handful of crackers and plated them. “It’s possible that the wraith is someone in town. I haven’t heard of anything like that before, but it is possible.”
“What is a wraith, exactly?”
Axel pulled cheese out of the fridge. I watched as he worked quickly, smoothly to build a snack. “A wraith is an apparition, a ghost. Usually a harbinger of death.”
“A harbinger?”
He winked at me. “Too big a word?”
“Shut up.”
He shook his head. “I’m making fun of myself, not you. You want a beer?”
I nodded. “Yes. I would die for one.”
He unscrewed the cap. “Watch out; Magnolia Cove can make you want to drink. The strangeness of it.”
I rolled my eyes as I took a bottle from him. “Don’t worry, Mom. I think I can handle it.” I glanced at the label. “Witch’s Brew?”
He nodded. “It’s local.”
I took a pull and said, “Never would’ve figured that out.”
“Ouch. Who’s got attitude now?”
I winked at him. �
��Just wait. I’ve got a whole suitcase of badass attitude I can unleash at any time.”
He laughed. It was deep, throaty and sent a chill sweeping down my back. Our gazes met again. He stared at me from underneath thick, rich lashes. It was the sort of look that sent a shock wave straight to the stomach.
At least it did mine.
Feeling heat blaze in my cheeks, I glanced away and focused back on the cheese. “So a wraith?” I said, reminding him.
“Yes,” he said, “a wraith is a ghostlike entity. Usually dead, but I suppose you work the right magic and a person could have some of the same powers.”
I frowned. “Other than the mysterious and weird Rufus, who would be after me?” I realized it as quickly as I said it. “You don’t think someone really poisoned my uncle, do you?”
Axel shook his head. “No poison was ever confirmed. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about until there’s something to worry about.”
I picked at the beer label. “What are you talking about? I was attacked. Don’t you think that’s something to worry about?”
He sighed. “That could be coincidence. You might’ve been in the thing’s territory. I don’t know.”
“The paper I stuffed in my pants is gone.” My eyes flared. “Unless you took it?”
Axel raised both palms in surrender. “I do not go digging in women’s pants without consent.”
I sniffed. “Then what happened to it?”
He shrugged. “You think it fell out when the wraith chased you?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
Axel smiled at me. “Listen, why don’t we go back tomorrow, together, and search? You can show me exactly what happened.”
“Okay. That sounds like a decent plan.”
Axel sipped his own beer and settled it down on the counter. “Any luck with the cat yet?”
I shook my head. “None. Thing’s not talking. Yet. But I took it to the shop today and let it run around. It’s warming up to us. I just think it’s going to take some time before it opens up. I mean, hey, it might be mute. The animal might not talk at all.”
“That’s true. Your uncle used to say that he couldn’t talk to every animal. Not all of them have that sort of magical ability.” He drummed his fingers on the counter. “But we’ve got to keep trying on it. It’s the best lead we’ve got.”
“And it seems like the police don’t have any leads at all,” I murmured. “Oh yeah, I ran into Todd today. He tried to get a glimpse of the cat. I hid her from him.”
Axel’s eyebrows rose. “You think he recognized her?”
I grimaced. “He might’ve. But I don’t want her to be taken from me. Like you said, she’s the best lead we’ve got.” I snapped my fingers. “You know, I totally forgot, but Gilda was on the phone saying both of Ebenezer’s kids were pretty ticked at her. And, did you know they only have a week to find the newest will? If not, everything reverts to the old will.”
Axel nodded. “I did know that. Ebenezer’s kids hired me before the will came up missing, but they may have had a sixth sense about the situation.”
“You don’t think they had anything to do with it, do you?”
He shrugged. “Anybody could’ve had something to do with it. I’ll go by and ask them some questions tomorrow.”
“Great, I’ll come with you.”
“You sure do like to invite yourself places, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “It’s my neck on the line, remember?”
Axel straightened. He crossed to me and lifted a hand. He plucked something from my hair. “Pine needle,” he murmured.
He was so close I could sense the rise and fall of his chest. Body heat wafted off him and seeped into my skin. A hair’s breadth apart, I wondered for the briefest of moments what his lips would feel like on mine.
I bit down on my lip and felt his gaze, hot as blazing coals, flicker to my mouth yet again. I swallowed and thought about the last guy I kissed and how much he cared about fantasy football more than me.
I did not need to get involved with anyone.
I eased back, feeling the spell between us dissolve. “My cousins. I need to make sure they’re okay. I should be getting home.”
Axel inhaled a deep shot of air. His chest rose and he nodded. “Yeah, I should be getting you back.”
“What time is it, anyway?” I said.
Axel glanced down at his watch. “Ten.”
My blood froze stiff in my veins. Holy crap, but I was in it deep.
I grabbed Axel’s arm and ran from the kitchen. “Come on,” I said. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“What’s the rush?” he said.
“Don’t you remember?” I said. “I’ve got a ten o’clock curfew.”
He grabbed a set of keys from a side table. “Oh no, I completely forgot. Great. Betty’s going to be waiting for us.”
“I know,” I said, yanking his front door open. “And I’m pretty sure that can only mean one thing.”
“What’s that?”
I swallowed hard before turning back to him. Dread replaced the marrow in my bones as I said, “We’re going to be greeted by the business end of her shotgun.”
FOURTEEN
Which is exactly what happened.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” I said, gasping as I threw myself into the house.
Betty sat in the same position as the night before. Her eyes were narrow, and I swear the corncob pipe was twice as big, which if I had to guess, meant she was twice as angry.
“Your cousins came back hours ago,” she spat.
Literally she spat. A wad of tobacco into the hearth. The fire hissed and crackled, burning purple for half a second.
Axel pushed himself in front of me. “Your granddaughter was attacked by a wraith.”
Betty nearly tumbled from the chair. “A wraith? Here in Magnolia Cove?”
Axel nodded. “I saw it. Scared the thing off. But not before it knocked her out.”
Betty settled the shotgun on the wall. She pushed a quilt from her legs and rose. She crossed to me and placed a hand to my forehead. “You feel okay. Not too hot. Not too cold.”
“Can wraiths make you hot?” I said.
She tilted her head from side to side. “They can do either. Too cold means you’re dead. Too hot means you’re feverish.”
Things I could’ve figured out if I’d thought about it.
Amelia and Cordelia rushed down the stairs. Amelia nearly pushed Cordelia out of her way as she spoke.
“Pepper, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m so sorry I left.”
“We heard a crash,” Cordelia said. “Then you were gone.”
“Your cousin was attacked by a wraith,” Betty said. Before anyone could say something, Betty snapped. “And yes, we’ve got one here.”
I explained about the will and that I’d found a sheet in Betty’s witching well, but it had disappeared when the wraith knocked me out.
“We’ve got the cat,” I said. “But the cat’s not talking.”
Axel cocked a brow. “Betty, do you know anything about how a cat can walk through walls? We followed the cat’s tracks from Ebenezer’s shop to the familiar store.”
Betty waived her hand, and five glasses of sweet tea apparated in front of each of us. “Y’all sit down. Let me tell you about that.”
Betty settled into the chair, tapped out her pipe and filled it again. The scent of pipe smoke trickled through the house. It gave my sweet tea a smoky, earthy flavor.
I kinda liked it.
In fact, I liked sweet tea so much I wanted to disagree with Axel about me being a head witch. I thought I would be a sweet tea witch instead, if there was such a thing.
“When I was young,” Betty started, rocking back and forth, “I knew a witch who could shape-shift. This is different from a glamour; this is pure shifting. Some of the power involved in it can be dark. For you, Pepper, that means the witch would’ve used evil spirits to help her change.”<
br />
“And did you sell her the herbs at the chemist store you owned?” Amelia asked.
Betty scowled. “Little miss, my job was to supply people with what they needed, not to ask questions.”
“That’s a yes,” Cordelia said.
Betty snapped her fingers and Cordelia’s tea vanished.
“Ah,” Cordelia said.
Amelia gripped her glass hard. “I’m not saying anything bad.”
“Good.” Betty cleared her throat. “Thing was, the shape-shifter got into something bad one night, something so bad it killed her. When they found her familiar, which was a cat, the animal had tracked through the mess and wound up in the attic of a neighbor three houses down. Same thing. The cat had appeared to walk through walls.”
“But how?” I said.
Amelia pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t interrupt if you want to live.”
Betty shook her head. “I’ve never killed anyone.”
“You’ve never not killed anyone, either,” Amelia added.
Cordelia smacked her head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Amelia smiled pertly. “But it was a good rebuke.”
Cordelia rolled her eyes. “So how did the cat do it?”
Betty sucked hard on the pipe. “Simple. A surge of power from the witch’s death gave the cat the ability to walk through walls. At least for a little while. That’s the same thing with your calico upstairs. The animal may have witnessed the murder. When Ebenezer died, a magical surge allowed the animal to be able to do things it wouldn’t normally be able to.”
“Hmm,” I said, “that only answers the question. It doesn’t get us any closer to solving the murder.”
Axel rubbed his hands down his thighs. “Right. But at least it’s good to know. Thank you for the tea.”
We all rose. Axel stared at me and for a moment I felt like I was supposed to walk him out. I guess since I’d invited him in, that was the only way to go about it.
“I’ll see you to the door.”
He nodded. “Yeah, and I can show you where your car is.”
“Oh, thanks. I need to find a mechanic, I guess, get the whole thing looked over. Get all her parts fixed.”