Spells

by Kristen Proby

  “None of your business.” Cash kisses her squarely on the lips.

  Lucien leans over and kisses me on my temple.

  “What was that for?”

  “I have hardly touched you all day,” he says. “Do I need another reason?”

  “I suppose not.”

  “I wonder if they’re having sex back there,” Brielle questions.

  “Ew. Not in my courtyard.”

  “That could be fun,” Lucien says as if he’s giving it some thought. It makes me laugh.

  “I’m not having sex in the courtyard. There could be bugs, or people watching.”

  “Maybe we should give it a try,” Cash adds, glancing in Brielle’s direction, just as Jackson and Daphne return, both looking miserable and angry.

  “So, that didn’t go well,” I say.

  Suddenly, the room goes dark, as if a huge cloud has covered the sun. We look around the room in confusion as the wind picks up, and lightning flashes against the windows.

  “What’s going on?” Brielle asks.

  Lucien reaches for my hand as thunder roars. He snaps his fingers, lighting the candles I have set around the space, giving us some light. They flicker under the force of the breeze but don’t extinguish.

  “Something doesn’t like that we’re all together,” Cash says as he reaches for Brielle’s hand.

  Once more, lightning and thunder flash and crash, the concussion shaking the building.

  Jackson instinctively wraps his arm around Daphne’s shoulders.

  The wind howls, and thunder booms again, then suddenly stops as if a switch were flipped.

  We stare at each other, everyone breathing hard and looking confused.

  “Well, that was new,” Daphne says. I see she’s leaning into Jack, his hand rubbing up and down her arm in a soothing gesture.

  I wish they could figure their shit out. It’s obvious they belong together.

  “Does this mean our fun Halloween staging party is over?” I ask.

  “No,” Lucien replies. “He can throw all the temper tantrums he wants, but we’re going to live our lives and enjoy each other. After we set a little protection spell before Jackson leaves.”

  I look over at the man my baby sister still loves. He doesn’t seem to be shocked by what just happened in the least.

  “I don’t need the spell,” he says.

  “You’ll get one all the same,” I reply, my voice leaving no room for argument. “Your magic is stronger with ours rather than alone.”

  “My magic is lost to me,” he replies.

  “All the more reason for the spell, then.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “They bothered me, so I decided to kill them.”

  --Della Sorenson

  * * *

  He’s quite pleased with tonight’s search. It was time for a new toy. At first, no one in the bar interested him. Most were too fat or didn’t wear glasses. But just when he was about to call it a night, the perfect specimen walked through the door.

  Already a little drunk, this toy was having a good time with his friends. In town for a bachelor party, he’d said.

  Slipping the belladonna into the toy’s beer hadn’t been a problem at all. And suggesting that they leave the bar together was met with lusty delight.

  For both of them.

  Of course, for different reasons, but it’s always easier to take the toy when they’re willing, especially now that Horace is in this new, weaker body. If the toy can walk under his own power, all the better.

  This one is strong. More muscles than he usually looks for, but the right height, with brown hair, and even wearing the right glasses. Yes, he’s absolutely perfect.

  “We’re going to have so much fun,” he assures the toy as he unlocks the door of his new playhouse and leads him inside. “Just back here.”

  “You know, I’m not feeling so good.”

  Horace grins as he watches the toy press his hand to his head in confusion.

  “Come on now, Lucien, you just need to rest.” Horace leads the toy to his playroom and helps him lie down on the mattress he has on the floor, across from the other toys’ beds.

  This one is going to be special.

  The toy passes out in just the knick of time, and Horace smiles gleefully.

  Yes, everything is going just as planned. He’s feeling more and more like himself, stronger every day—certainly, more confident.

  Suddenly, pain sears through him, sending him to his knees. He holds his head and tries to cast a healing spell, but the pain is too incessant to concentrate on the words.

  He rests his forehead against the floor, and suddenly, images of the six race through his mind. Together. Holding hands.

  They’re together, is his only thought as the pain racks his body from head to toe.

  It’s too soon. It’s too fucking soon.

  Suddenly, the pain leaves as quickly as it came, and Horace is able to sit back on his haunches and take a deep breath.

  The new toy moans.

  As Horace turns his head to look at him, the toy swings his leg out and kicks Horace in the chest, sending him back on his ass.

  Horace reaches for his workbench, and as the still-disoriented toy writhes on the floor, trying to get to his feet, Horace retrieves a knife, grabs the toy by the hair, and slices his throat, from ear to ear.

  “Damn it,” Horace growls. “This isn’t how it was supposed to be, Lucien.”

  He hurries to grab a bucket and tucks it under the toy’s neck, trying to catch every drop of blood.

  “I had such fun things in store for you. And now you’ve ruined it.”

  They’ve all ruined it.

  As the body bleeds out into the bucket, Horace stomps to the bathroom and stares at himself in the mirror.

  “You’re so fucking weak. Just a woman. I knew better than to take a fucking woman. You can’t be trusted, just like the rest. And now, you’re going to ruin everything because you’re not strong enough.”

  His lip curls as he snarls at his own reflection.

  “I took you because you were always strong. Always so sure and ready for a fight. And now look at you. Well, you won’t get away with this. You’ll need to be punished for your weakness, just like my girls need to be punished for theirs.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Lucien

  I’ve just finished stripping the last molecule of blood off the bloodstone collected from the body Millie found in front of her shop, and the test result is in.

  The blood is from the same person as the others.

  All four stones are lined up on my table, side by side. They’re roughly the same size. Green in color—jasper—with veins of red hematite running through the smooth surface.

  Hence why they’re called bloodstones.

  I sent samples off from each one for DNA testing, but those results still aren’t in. So, while I know the blood came from the same person, I won’t be able to say who that person is until those results come back.

  And even then, unless the owner of the DNA is in the system for some reason, we may not be able to figure it out.

  It’s fucking frustrating as Hades.

  I strip off my latex gloves and toss them into the trash, then pace my lab. Why the bloodstones? These are new. I don’t remember Horace using them in any previous lifetime.

  What is the significance? I know that for Wiccans, a bloodstone can be used for protection, courage, and even as an aphrodisiac.

  The thought of that son of a bitch leaving a stone as an aphrodisiac for any of the sisters makes me sick.

  But the protection idea might not be far off.

  Without thinking, I reach out and pick up one of the stones. It’s cool beneath my fingers. Smooth. And suddenly, I feel sick to my stomach. Nausea rolls over me in waves so badly, I have to set the stone down and run for the trashcan, barely making it in time to heave my guts out.

  When I’m able to catch my breath, I rinse out my mouth and eye the stones. />
  I choose another stone to pick up, and almost immediately feel the nausea return. I set the stone down, take a step back, suck in a deep breath, and instantly feel better.

  What in the actual fuck?

  I pull my phone out of my pocket and call the one person who might have answers.

  “Hello, Lucien.”

  “Miss Sophia, I have some questions for you.”

  “And I’m happy to answer them, as always. I’m actually in the city today. Why don’t I stop by your lab and we can talk in person?”

  “That’s even better.” I’d love for Miss Sophia to see the stones for herself. “When should I expect you?”

  “I’ll be there shortly.”

  “Thank you.” I hang up and leave the lab area for my office and quickly call Millie.

  “Well, hello there, handsome.”

  She never fails to make me smile. “How are you today?”

  “I’m just fine, thanks for asking. We’re filling orders, and I’m getting ready to go out and prepare for tomorrow’s Halloween street party. We have tables and tents to set up, along with lights to string and all kinds of other chores. I could use another pair of strong hands.”

  “I’m happy to come help,” I reply. “I’ll be here at the lab for another few hours and then I can sneak out for the rest of the weekend.”

  “Fantastic. I’ll see you soon then. Be safe. Love you.”

  “Love you.”

  I hang up and blow out a gusty breath. With the Halloween street party happening tomorrow, that means All Hallows’ Eve is the day after, and we’ll be preparing for our Samhain ritual in the bayou, in a field not far from Miss Sophia’s cottage. Something tells me that that ritual won’t go as planned. I’m not a fortune teller, and I can’t see the future, but as the days progress, I’ve felt an urgency slowly building, as if I can sense that something is about to happen. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that it’s something to do with Horace.

  He’s escalating. We know now that he’s been ramping up for decades, killing dozens of people over the course of his adult life—and even now that he’s dead. His spirit is strong. To my knowledge, he’s never been able to continue killing past death, though.

  But in this lifetime, he was somehow able to learn and hone the dark magic that runs through his lineage. It shouldn’t surprise me that he’d figure out how to carry on past the death of his physical body.

  It’s not long before the door of my office opens, and Miss Sophia walks in. She grins when she sees me and offers me her hand.

  “It’s lovely to see you, child,” she says. “How can I help?”

  “I want to show you the bloodstones from the murders and run some theories by you.”

  She nods once and then follows me into the lab, where the stones sit untouched on my bench.

  “What have you learned?” she asks.

  “That each one was covered in the blood of the same person,” I reply. “And just today, before I called you, I learned that when I hold one with my bare hands, I get physically ill.”

  Her sharp eyes whip over to mine. “Fascinating. Have you not touched them with your bare hands before?”

  “Only once, and I felt a little nauseated then, but I always wear gloves. I took the gloves off and was pacing around the lab, trying to think. Then, I picked one up without realizing what I was doing and got violently ill from it. Once I settled down, I reached for another to test the theory, and had to set it down immediately because I felt like I was going to be sick again.”

  She blinks as she studies the stones. “I’m going to pick one up.”

  “I don’t want it to hurt you.”

  She smiles softly. “I’m safe.”

  She picks up a stone and holds it in the palm of her hand, covering it with the other hand. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. A moment later, she sets it down again.

  “It didn’t shock you,” I say. “And you don’t look like you’re about to be sick.”

  “No, I feel fine, but I did learn quite a bit.”

  “Tell me.”

  “The stones are a gift for Millicent.”

  “A gift she can’t touch.”

  Miss Sophia nods. “Absolutely. As you know, a bloodstone is mainly for cleansing and protection. He’s cast a strong spell on the stones, covering them in magic for Millicent. He doesn’t want her to touch it because he doesn’t want her to diminish the strength of the spell.”

  “He cast a spell on me to throw up?”

  “Not exactly. He’s determined to keep Millie safe from you. He wants you gone, Lucien. The spell is to keep Millie safe and to cast you aside.”

  “Yeah, well, good luck with that.” I drag my hand down my face in agitation. “He should know after a millennia that I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I don’t know how much he remembers,” she says, thinking it over. “I know you remember, and that Millie is beginning to. But, Lucien, for all we know, Horace is a tortured soul, reborn over and over again with the desire to kill. To taunt. To hurt. He feels a driving need to do it. But maybe he’s not even aware of the why of it all.”

  “If you expect me to feel sorry for him—”

  “Not at all. I’m simply pointing out that you may be expecting too much from him. He knows that, in the here and now, you’re standing in the way of something he wants with Millie. And he wants you gone. He’s also using you as a tool to hurt her.”

  “Which only pisses me off more. What else did you see when you held the stone?”

  “Only the spell,” she says. “I can’t see where he cast it. Whether he remembers previous encounters or not, he’s incredibly strong and gifted at his sick craft, Lucien.”

  “I know. And I feel as if something’s coming soon.”

  She smiles like a proud mother. “Because you’re strong and gifted, as well.”

  “I’ve done nothing but study for this since I was old enough to read,” I remind her. “And yet, I still don’t feel ready.”

  “You will be, when the time is right. But if the six aren’t together in the end, it will all be for nothing.”

  Another reason to feel frustrated. “I know. We’re working on that. Daphne is a stubborn woman.”

  “Like her sisters. She has to come to terms with her feelings on her own. She can’t be forced. If the six aren’t assembled of their own free will, coming together with pure love and peace, it won’t work.”

  I nod and then pull the small woman in for a hug. Miss Sophia has always made me feel loved, as if I’m a member of her family. “For being so little, you sure are a powerful thing.”

  “What a lovely thing to say.” She laughs and pats my chest. “I have other things to tell you, things you need to know, but I can’t share them until I have you and Millie together. Come to my cottage tomorrow for lunch?”

  “We would love to, but she’s preparing for a Halloween street party in front of the café tomorrow night. I don’t mind that this is taking all of her attention right now. She needs something happy, and this street fair is the perfect distraction. She goes all out, and it’s her favorite day of the year. She’s like a kid on Christmas morning. She’s always loved Halloween.”

  “Even before?” Miss Sophia asks.

  “Always.”

  “You’re going to wear this tomorrow night.”

  Millie’s holding a red devil costume on a hanger.

  “Uh, no. I’m not.”

  “You have to,” she says. “Brielle, Daphne, and I are going as the Sanderson Sisters. You know, from the movie Hocus Pocus? And we need you to be Master. It’s hilarious. You remember that movie, right?”

  “I don’t know that I’ve had the pleasure.”

  “Oh, we’re watching it tonight then. Gary Marshall plays this guy just dressed up as the devil for Halloween, and the sisters think he’s the real devil, so they call him Master. It’s a hoot and a half.”

  “Did you just say hoot and a half?” I tap her nose wi
th my finger, delighted with her.

  “Seriously, you have to do it. Or, I guess Cash can wear it, and we’ll call him Master.”

  I narrow my eyes on her and lean in to whisper in her ear so those around us, who are currently helping us set up for tomorrow night, don’t overhear. “You’ll call no one Master in this, or any other life, a stór mo chroí.”

  “It’s just for fun.”

  I blow out a breath. “Fine. I’ll wear the damn thing.”

  “Awesome.” She smacks a kiss on my cheek and then hurries off to see to the lights being strung over the street.

  “You’re good for her,” Brielle says as she joins me. “And you make her happy.”

  “That’s my only goal.” I glance down at her. “Is this where you do the big sister thing and threaten to kill me if I hurt her feelings?”

  “No, that goes without saying.” She waves me off. “This is where I do the big sister thing and ask you to not only make her happy, but also keep her safe.”

  She holds my hand in hers and looks up at me with intense blue eyes.

  “I’ve seen what he’s capable of. I’ve felt his wrath. And for a moment, I thought I’d be lost to him. I couldn’t bear it if—”

  “I’ll keep her safe,” I promise. “Our strength grows every day.”

  “Something’s coming,” she says and swallows hard as she looks over to where Millie’s laughing with Dahlia as they make flower arrangements together. “I feel it in the air. And early this morning, there was blood on the moon.”

  A shiver runs down my spine. “It’s just a haze in the sky, Brielle.”

  “You and I both know that’s not true.” She pulls her hand out of mine just as Cash approaches.

  “Dude, you have your own girl. Stop trying to flirt with mine.”

  “I swear, it was innocent.”

  “Sure.” He winks at me and then smiles down at his wife. “How are you today?”

  “Just fine. I’m glad you’re here to help. We need to move the Jack-o-lanterns out onto the sidewalks.”

  “You do realize they’ll be vandalized and ruined by tomorrow morning.”