Ever Tempted

by Odessa Gillespie Black

  “You know what I meant. And stop that. You’re not supposed to respond to every thought I have. That’s just weird.” I slipped on my boxers and found something to wipe the mirror with while Allie hummed in the shower.

  “Well, stop being such a guy.”

  “I’ve never been accused of that, but guess what? That’s what I am. A guy. And guys have guy thoughts.”

  “Well, you are blessed enough to have girls around who can’t help but hear you, so you have to be respectful when you’re thinking. Capisce?” Kaitlyn had never sounded more like Shelby.

  “You girls can’t say you don’t have girl thoughts. I’ve heard every one of you when you’ve encountered the opposite sex. ‘Look at his butt. Oh my gosh. Why doesn’t he smile more? It makes me hot in the nether regions.’ I cleaned that part up so I wouldn’t sound so much like a guy, but you get my point.”

  Kaitlyn didn’t respond.

  “I love you, nonetheless.” I grinned as silence finally gave me some peace.

  “I’m starving. I’m going to catch a bite of breakfast while you shower.” Allie stepped out of the bathroom. She dropped her towel and slipped on her underwear as I stood at the end of the bed with my mouth dropped open like a fool.

  “So you’re just going to saunter around the room naked.” I gripped the footboard to hold me where I was. It took all I had not to attack her.

  She turned to me and giggled as she pulled her shirt over a hot pink bra that accentuated the tanned artwork God had made when he created her upper torso. “If you could see the look on your face right now.”

  I shook my head. “You make it hard to focus.”

  “Good. Then I haven’t lost my touch.” She jerked her jeans up and tossed a towel at me. “I worry sometimes that after a hundred or so years you’d grow immune to my charms.”

  “We really don’t have to go back to the house so soon.” I started toward her and scooped her into my arms.

  Her mouth tasted of its familiar vanilla with a splash of toothpaste.

  She shoved me back, slipped out of my grasp, and scurried to the door. “I’m still sort of upset with you, so think of ways to make it up to me when we get rid of your stalker ex-girlfriend.”

  “She wasn’t my girlfriend,” I said.

  She snickered. The screen door slammed behind her.

  At least she didn’t hate me.

  I didn’t know how well I’d have taken the news of her being naked in the bed with another man. I was still clueless why she bothered with me. Then or now.

  * * * *

  The girls sat around the service table in the kitchen where the staff normally took their meals. Half-finished plates of food sat before them as they sipped coffee.

  “You shower longer than a girl,” Shelby said.

  Allie grinned and cupped her steaming coffee in both hands. She took another sip to hide a smile, but her thoughts came through loud and clear. “He’s so sexy when his hair is wet.”

  I shot her a look and tried to hide my detection by going to the double stove.

  Pots and pans of food were covered and waiting.

  My appetite hadn’t plunged since my ability to shift had disappeared. Now I just wanted whatever smelled like breakfast meats and maple syrup on the stove. I unmasked the food and took a helping of everything. “So, from the way you locked the doors on us last night and that cute little show this morning, I take it you’ve gotten a bit stronger over the last few weeks.”

  Shelby stared at her coffee mug. Absently, she spun it around and around on the table with her hand, not her mind. “Um, yeah. About that.”

  “All jokes aside, we need to talk.” Kaitlyn regarded Allie and me as I took a seat beside my new wife. Kaitlyn paused and then shook her head. She looked beside her to Shelby. “You tell it. I’m too nervous.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake. What are they gonna do? Fire us? We’re the only chance they have at being rid of Grace for good,” Shelby said.

  Kaitlyn had trouble making eye contact with us.

  Shelby turned to me. “We may be able to do better than just imprison Grace.”

  “How do you figure?” I took a bite of maple syrup-covered pancakes.

  “We’re not just witches,” Shelby said.

  “Just shush and let me tell them. We don’t need shock value at a time like this.” Kaitlyn leaned closer. “We’ve always sort of joked about the fact that Ava Rollins never made an uninformed decision. And honestly, I’ve heard it so much that I can’t believe I didn’t put two and two together. Probably because I would have come up with two hundred and sixty-seven. Which begs the point, did you ever wonder why Ava chose my sister and me to help you two? I mean, she could have hired older, more experienced clairvoyants.”

  “She could have, but they wouldn’t have been nearly as smart as you, and face it, nowhere near as sexy as me.” Shelby considered her nails as if we were talking over the weather.

  Irritated, Kaitlyn turned to her sister and crossed her arms. “We look just alike.”

  “Yeah, but there’s always an uglier twin. Just sayin’.”

  “And she probably could have hired more mature people to help. Just sayin’.” Kaitlyn turned from her sister and rolled her eyes. “Anyway, just when Shelby and I thought we’d found one newspaper clipping that didn’t have Colby’s dad’s name in it, there was one that gave Eliza’s last name as it detailed her family’s social standing and how much her father’s money would help the community when he built a new church. The new church was going to be bigger and more majestic than any around because Eliza’s father was building it to house his daughter’s wedding to your dad. And after its construction, it was dedicated to him. Zebidiah Moss. We share the same last name. We’re related.”

  Allie dropped her fork.

  I almost choked.

  Allie handed me a glass of milk, then turned back to the girls. She slipped to the edge of her wooden seat, her eyes wide and a giddy expression on her face. “Have you researched to see if you’re from the same Moss family?”

  The twins’ chins bobbed off their chests.

  “Zeb was a great, great, great something or another to us,” Kaitlyn said with unveiled pride.

  Almost too soon to talk after being strangled, I added, “This explains so much.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Shelby shot me a look.

  “You two are not to be within a hundred feet of Allie until you’ve undergone a full psychological evaluation.” I slapped the table. This was too much. I couldn’t subject Allie to any more variables. “I’ve loved Allie for over a hundred years and lost her to death more times than I could count. I’ll be damned if you two end up flipping out and going all American Horror Story Asylum on us just when we need you most.”

  “Like she said and you’ve heard a gazillion times, Ava never made an uninformed decision. I’ve never answered so many questions and seen so many different kinds of therapists in my life as when Ava hired us. Not that we needed them before.” Shelby pointed at me. “I see that look. Our parents thought since we were gifted and different from other children that we needed to see specialists to work through our issues, so we’re very familiar with Freud, penis envy, and all that Oprah soul-cleansing group therapy.”

  I leaned back in my chair and regarded both the girls with their sandy blond hair, green eyes, and their so-help-me-God-if-you-call-me-crazy threatening stares. “You’d better be glad I still trust Ava.”

  “You’re missing the point.” Allie touched my arm. “They might be able to kill Grace. Or at least put her malicious soul to rest.”

  “She’s right Mr. National Security.” Shelby did a little sassy head bob.

  “So have you made any sense out of those spell books and journals she kept?” Allie said.

  “Some. It’s going to take some help from outside sources. Most of the spells are written in another language. And the one I think she used on you guys is going
to be a mess to figure out. I only know of one person who’s familiar with magic. Anna Marie might be able to translate it or tell us who could. I’ve already called her, and she’s on her way.” Kaitlyn gathered her dishes.

  “What. Are we trying to form a coven? The only experience I have with witches are bad ones. Now you want to bring in another on? Nobody told me she was a witch. I thought she was just a chick that liked stones.” I was losing it.

  “Really? Cole. We’ve been practicing witchcraft for quite a while. We just didn’t realize it. Now you’re freaking out because we put a name on it? It’s not witches you’re uncomfortable with. It’s the uncertainty that comes with losing control of a situation. Now stop being bitchy. It’s insulting,” Shelby said.

  I hadn’t figured out Eliza had been the one that had made the curse until I’d seen Allie’s flashbacks. Her cloaked figure in the vision was the stalker who’d traumatized my first mother and father for most of their lives. Now her ancestors were sitting in the same room with me, sharing coffee and war stories.

  “It’s just extremely hard to swallow when your great aunt or whatever she was helped kill Allie.”

  “Yes, but we’ve saved her life more than once. I’m pretty sure we’ve earned our keep.” Shelby’s nostrils flared. “How dare you accuse us of anything less than being honorable.”

  “That’s not what…” I stared at the floor, then caught her gaze. “That’s exactly what I’m scared of. I’m not saying you would ever mean to put Allie in danger, but who knows what that crazy witch is still capable of. What if she had some way of coming back and using you?”

  “Then why don’t we find out? Let’s get Anna Marie here, get these spell books analyzed and translated, and then we can go from there. You only have a few days. You don’t have time to waste being unsure of the people who’ve saved your ass more than you know or care to thank us for.” Shelby got up from the table, slapped her plate into the dishwasher, and shoved the swinging service door half open. She turned back and flashed a tear-filled look at my wife. “Allie, I hope you aren’t scared of us now. We’d never hurt you.”

  Allie said, “I know you wouldn’t.”

  Shelby let the door swing behind her.

  Great. Nothing like being the bad guy for the millionth time.

  Chapter 11

  Kaitlyn pushed her chair out and picked up her plate. “We moved all the journals and spell books to the basement. It wouldn’t be a good idea for any of the staff to have access to them now. We can’t lose a single document. I’m going to smooth things over with Shelby.”

  For lack of words to make the situation any better, I kept my mouth shut. If I’d tried, I probably would have screwed things up even more than they already were. As usual. That was one part about me that hadn’t changed for a hundred years. I never could get my point across with any member of the opposite sex without making a complete ass out of myself. I always ended up apologizing to someone at least once a day for my lack of people skills. “I don’t deserve any of their help.”

  Allie leaned close and nudged me with her shoulder. “I know you mean well, but this is one of those times you have to get over your fear.”

  “That and think my impulses through.” I slumped.

  Allie slid her hand down my arm, then took it in hers. “Then they wouldn’t be impulses. That’s another of the reasons I love you. Your impulsive personality. Though it does tend to get you into lots of trouble.”

  The thought of me flopping all over the bed with another faceless woman in a motel room played through Allie’s mind. She kissed my cheek. “I swear I’ve never met someone who attracts as much trouble as you. It must be the Kinsley good looks.”

  She sounded just like my mom. I didn’t know whether it would be a good idea to tell her that their similarities in personality was another thing that made me love her so much. So I clamped my mouth shut and smiled.

  “Rule number two: No girl wants to know that she reminds you of your mother.” Kaitlyn’s thoughts slipped into the room as Allie gathered her dishes and slid out her chair.

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever get the hang of this whole filter thing. I might need some help,” I thought back. “I’m sorry if I hurt you or Shelby’s feelings. I value your friendship. A lot.”

  “And I thought you were a hopeless case.” Kaitlyn giggled wherever she was in the house. “We love you too.”

  “Y’all are thought talking again, aren’t you?” Allie shook her head as she started to the dishwasher with her plate and cup.

  “Yeah. I know you hate that.” I picked up my plate.

  Allie took it before I could shove the rest of my food into the disposal. “I don’t necessarily hate it. It just sucks that I can’t know what’s being communicated. I’m glad you’re making up with them. They are nothing like the woman I saw in my vision. A world of difference.”

  I slipped close to Allie as she stood over the sink and caught her waist. What I wouldn’t give for a normal day with her. I would have blocked the kitchen doors with the heavy, antique table, flipped off the lights so no one could see in, and spent at least another hour alone with my wife. “You smell so good.”

  Allie turned in the circle of my arms. “And you need to quit diverting the subject.”

  “I got distracted.” I nibbled her ear.

  Allie shoved me back and wagged her finger. “We have no time for distractions. It’s time to get serious.”

  “When this is all over, we’re going to have a real honeymoon. One you won’t forget.” I planted my hands on the counter as she wiped stray water droplets off the marble countertop.

  Her cheeks flushed. “We have eavesdroppers. Or did you forget?”

  “They’re like the sisters I never had. It’s fun grossing them out.” I followed Allie out the kitchen doors.

  “And apparently pissing them off,” she said with an eye roll.

  “Well, if they’re good sisters, they’ll forgive me without too much groveling.” I slapped Allie’s backside just as she grabbed the basement doorknob.

  “Flirting is nauseating. You’ve already got the girl. Stop fondling her,” Shelby called from the basement so Allie could hear too. She didn’t hold a grudge as long as I did. Another of my scintillating personality traits.

  “Where I come from, that’s when it’s okay to start the fondling. With the social constraints of the 1800s, we were barely allowed to glance at each other.” I led Allie down the steps to the basement.

  “Well, with the witchy twins growing increasingly nauseated in the 21st century, you’ll have to stop the distractions.” Shelby slapped one book shut and opened another.

  “Easy. These things are a hundred years old.” Kaitlyn ran her hand over one of the leather-bound books in front of her. “I can’t believe we are actually reading one of our ancestor’s spell books. This is crazy.”

  The girls had transformed the basement from a storage vault for boxes, old coat racks, wardrobes, dust cloth covered furniture, and creepy looking antique artifacts to a dark, mysterious-looking witches den.

  Chairs and long antique couches had been placed in a U on one side of the room for their coven gatherings and the rest of the room had been transformed into a dark library with candlelit tables placed all over the room.

  The basement had been updated with electricity, but the lighting was barely useful for reading, especially small handwritten texts or texts in other languages.

  Books of all sizes were splayed open, some old, some new, all over the room.

  “Are any of the writings in English?” Allie sat down beside Kaitlyn.

  “Where’s your steaming cauldron and broomsticks?” Those were the only things missing in the room.

  “You’ve known less than an hour, and I’m already so over your witch jokes,” Shelby said.

  “Just trying to lighten the mood.”

  “More reading. Less talking,” Kaitlyn said.

  I didn’
t enjoy making her mad as much as Shelby. She wasn’t as easy to get a rise out of.

  On the table near the door to the catacombs, a black leather-bound book with yellow pages tugged at me. It looked like it would fall apart if I opened it. It was thicker than the others. I enjoyed reading in my previous lives and never let the length of a book scare me off.

  My mood darkened a bit. I gingerly flipped the thick, yellowed layers of paper. Endless pages of dark magic complete with illustrations flashed by.

  Allie turned the book to the left a little so she could better see one of the pictures. “Whoa. A man with two penises. That’s got to be a curse. With the help of these very detailed illustrations, surely it wouldn’t be too difficult to figure out what the spells are good for other than that last one, obviously.”

  Kaitlyn and Shelby giggled.

  Shelby flipped one book shut and went to another. “Yeah, we’ve run across a few doozies too.”

  “Try a woman with a baby coming out of her mouth.” Kaitlyn flipped a page on the one she had previously been absorbed in. “But honestly, until Anna Marie gets here, I can’t make hide nor hair out of this mumbo jumbo.”

  “Here’s one in English, but there’s only a few spells.” Allie sighed.

  I looked over an ingredient list and shuddered with disgust. “Half a toad’s eye, one ounce of pig’s blood, and the first two teeth of an infant. This is gory. Is it worth going through all that trouble to gain someone’s undying devotion?”

  “Grace Rollins and Eliza Moss thought so. As well as countless others. Dark magic has been practiced as long as people have roamed the earth,” Anna Marie said from the bottom of the stairs. She rushed to the girls and hugged them all. “I’m so glad to see all of you. I’m sorry it’s under such terrible circumstances.”

  “Where’s T.D.?” Kaitlyn asked, taking Anna Marie to the book she’d been studying.

  “He stayed back to keep the shop open and to keep our boys from killing each other or burning the shop down. They’re rambunctious at this age. Oh, this one is an old one.” Anna Marie lifted a book and looked at its binding.