CHARMEDIMSUREFINAL_edited_Eleanor

by rose@rosepressey. com

  I looked toward Liam. He was glancing my way through the rear-view mirror. “It’s off Main Street on Mystical Drive. It’s in an old brick building.”

  “Everything is in an old building in Enchantment Pointe,” Annabelle said.

  Liam navigated the streets as we moved through downtown Enchantment Pointe. Only a few vehicles shared the street with us. Mostly people walked the sidewalks, stepping in and out of the shops along the main streets. A few signs in the shops’ windows advertised upcoming sales and I hoped I could make it back for shopping someday. Chrysanthemums in shades ranging from burgundy to buttery gold filled the black decorative iron planters along the sidewalks. Flags with Enchantment Pointe’s moon and stars logo hung at every intersection. Soon Liam turned right onto Mystical Drive.

  “There it is,” I said, pointing toward the building.

  A large black sign with a yellow moon and stars hung above the door. The name of the shop was painted in purple letters: ‘Potions and Such Market.’ Liam parked by the curb and we stared in silence at the storefront.

  Nicolas squeezed my hand and said, “You okay?”

  I nodded. “I’m fine.”

  He stared for a moment to make sure I was being honest, and then opened the car door so we could slip out. The four of us converged on the entrance all at once.

  Nicolas opened the door and said, “Ladies first.”

  Annabelle motioned for me to go first because she wasn’t about to be the first one in. Once inside, the smell of incense tickled my nose. Jars of herbs lined the right wall and books wound their way across the walls of the rest of the space. Light mystical music played overhead from a speaker. A woman’s voice called out from the back of the store.

  “Welcome, witches,” she said.

  The woman emerged from around an aisle of empty potion bottles. The woman had long red hair that reached all the way down her back to her waist. She wore a long black dress with gold bangles on her wrists. Her eyes were bluer than any sky I’d ever seen. Small lines formed at the corners of her eyes when she smiled. “May I help you?”

  She probably found it odd that all of us had stepped inside her shop at the same time and were now staring at her. Did she know we were witches? Or did she greet everyone that way? I decided to ask the question right away.

  “My name is Hallie LaVeau. I’m looking for someone named Charlie. She’s about my size and has dark wavy hair. Was she in here today?”

  The woman moved over to the counter and picked up a book. She didn’t make eye contact with me. “Yes, she was here.”

  I exchanged a look with the others. Now we were getting somewhere. “Do you know what she said or maybe if she purchased anything?”

  She finished stacking several books and then finally looked at me. “I’m sure you can understand that I like to keep my customers’ information private.”

  I sighed. “Yes, I can understand that. But this is important. We believe she may be missing.”

  The woman’s expression didn’t change. She just stared at me. Finally she said, “That is terrible news. Are you friends of hers?”

  Liam stepped forward. “We’re business associates.”

  That was one way of putting it. She didn’t seem impressed because she failed to respond.

  Nicolas moved closer to the counter. “Her co-workers are concerned because she missed a meeting this morning.”

  The woman finally said, “I can see where that would be upsetting. I can tell you that she received a call while she was in here today and then she left.”

  What I wanted to ask next was probably pointless. “Did you happen to overhear any of the conversation?”

  She frowned. “Like I said, I don’t share customer information.”

  Well, she’d already shared that Charlie had been here, what was a little more info?

  I nodded. “Thanks for the information.” I turned toward the door.

  Annabelle was staring at a skull that was on the shelf next to the books. She was practically spellbound by the thing. I tugged and her arm and she snapped her attention back to reality. Liam and Nicolas had already reached the door.

  “Ms. LaVeau,” the woman called out.

  I turned my attention to her again. She motioned for me to come back over. I glanced back at Liam, Nicolas and Annabelle. They waited by the door.

  When I got to the counter, the woman reached underneath and pulled out a bag. “I should give you this.” She pushed the little white bag toward me.

  I frowned. “What is it?”

  She motioned for me to take it. I reluctantly took the bag from her hand.

  “This is a necklace that Charlie bought today. When she received the phone call she took off quickly and left it behind.”

  After checking her out again, I looked down at the bag. I didn’t look inside right then. I figured I would get out of there first. I hoped she hadn’t planted bugs or something equally as gross in there.

  “Thank you. I’ll make sure she gets it,” I said.

  The woman smiled and then went back to stacking books on the counter. I hurried over to the door and we all stepped out onto the sidewalk.

  “What’s in the bag?” Annabelle asked.

  “Apparently it’s a necklace that Charlie bought, but when she got the call she left it behind.”

  “What does it look like?” Annabelle leaned closer.

  I waved my hand with a flick of my wrist. “I didn’t look yet.”

  “Well, take a look.” Annabelle motioned.

  I pulled the strings on the little bag and opened it up. Inside was a black beaded necklace with a series of circles on a silver pendant.

  “Why didn’t you ask her what this pendant was for?” Liam asked, looking into the bag.

  “She probably wouldn’t tell us anyway.”

  “This was probably specially made for Charlie,” Nicolas said.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “It means that Charlie had a special spell created just for someone attached to it. Charlie probably planned to give it to someone. It could be good or it could be bad. The shop owner wouldn’t want to tell what that spell was.”

  I closed the bag. “You’re probably right about that.”

  “There’s one place we should check while we’re in town,” Liam said.

  “Where’s that?” I asked as we walked toward the car.

  Liam marched toward the car with that swagger that was distinctly his. “The Bubbling Cauldron.”

  I nodded. “Let’s go.”

  The Bubbling Cauldron was the popular place to hang out, and not just for witches either, although that was the main clientele. Within a few minutes, we’d pulled up to the club. It was still early, but people were already starting to arrive.

  “I really didn’t dress for a nightclub,” Annabelle said, brushing hair out of her eyes.

  I looked down at my sweater and jeans. “Me either. But at least we’re comfortable.”

  The music was already blasting when we stepped inside the dark space. Blue, red and yellow lights flashed across the dance floor. In the middle was the actual bubbling cauldron. It had a light show of different-colored bubbles that floated toward the ceiling. It was all just for show. As far as I knew no one really used the thing for spells. There was a strict spellcasting ban in the club. Imagine if a bunch of drunk witches started casting spells. That would be dangerous. Most of the time people followed this rule. But gauging the ruckus that was going on at the far corner of the room, I figured someone had just broken the rule.

  We moved closer across the dance floor. I didn’t want to get too close to the commotion though in case a fight broke out. I didn’t want to be in the middle of that. Raised voices could be heard over the loud music so I figured fists would start flying soon. I spotted a woman shaking her fist at someone. When I looked in the direction of her glare I spotted Uncle Fitz. He wore his wrinkled sport coat with it buttoned incorrectly and a drink in one hand.

  Liam and
Nicolas must have noticed him at the same time because in unison they said, “What is he doing here?”

  I took off across the dance floor, weaving around a sea of dancing bodies. Nicolas and Liam sprinted across the floor with me. When they reached Uncle Fitz they pulled him away from the group of people. That didn’t stop the people from yelling at Uncle Fitz though. What had he done to make them so angry? Uncle Fitz had a look of confusion on his face, as if he wasn’t even sure why or how he’d arrived at this place. That was something I wanted to know too. A dark-haired guy had started yelling at Nicolas and Liam now that they had pulled Uncle Fitz away.

  “What is going on here?” I demanded when I reached the group.

  The young man glared at me. “He was dancing with my girlfriend.”

  My eyes widened. “Who was dancing with your girlfriend?”

  Annabelle stood back and watched in horror. I looked from the man to the woman who stood back against the wall. The blonde woman had a grin on her face as if this whole thing was completely amusing.

  “That old dude right there.” The guy pointed at Uncle Fitz.

  I was pretty sure that it was Liam who laughed when Uncle Fitz was pointed out.

  “Just calm down, we’re taking him out of here,” I said.

  I pulled on Uncle Fitz’s arm. When we got a safe distance across the room, I asked, “How did you get here?”

  “I caught a ride,” he said.

  “With who?”

  He shrugged and then held his glass up in the air as if giving a toast. “I decided to hitchhike. Cheers to having fun!”

  “You what? Uncle Fitz, are you crazy? I told you I would get you anything you needed. If you needed a ride why didn’t you call me?”

  “I didn’t want to bother you, dear.” He took a drink from his glass.

  I grabbed the drink from his hand. “I hate to be a party pooper, but you leave me no other choice. It’s more of a bother to find you here almost in a fight with a much younger man. And speaking of younger, why were you dancing with his girlfriend?”

  A smile spread across his face.

  “Way to go, Fitz,” Liam said. I glared at him and he shrugged.

  “She was pretty so I asked her to dance.”

  “You have to give him points for trying,” Nicolas said.

  I bit back a laugh.

  “That still doesn’t tell me why you came,” I said as I guided Uncle Fitz the rest of the way to the exit.

  “I saw the place the other day and I thought it would be fun. Just because I’m old doesn’t mean that I don’t want to have fun,” he said.

  “No, of course not, but some of these people can be a little rough, that’s all,” I said.

  Looping my arm through his, I escorted Uncle Fitz through the crowd and out into the warm night air. Clouds covered the brilliant stars and a few drops of rain dotted the pavement. By the grin on Uncle Fitz’s face it looked as if he didn’t look as if he regretted his adventure in the least.

  “You’ll have to squeeze in the back seat of the car with Nicolas and me.” I pointed toward Liam’s BMW.

  “Nice wheels,” Uncle Fitz said as he walked toward the car.

  We’d almost made it to the car when someone called out to us. “Hey, you, the perky blonde witch.”

  I spun around to see a tall man wearing all black. His skin was pale and his hair as black as coal.

  “Tell the old man he needs to stop messing with my friend’s girlfriend.” The guy flashed his fangs.

  I wasn’t sure what came over me, but this really made me angry. “Oh, get over it. He’s just an old man having fun. Now why don’t you take a hike?” How was that for perky?

  I turned back toward the car and motioned for everyone to get in.

  “Wow, I guess you told him,” Annabelle said.

  “Yeah, I guess I did.”

  Uncle Fitz waved his finger. “She gets that spunk from her father’s side of the family.”

  Now was not the time to go down Memory Lane about my father.

  “Let’s just get Uncle Fitz home, shall we?” I said.

  Liam drove off with the vampire still standing there glaring at us. Uncle Fitz flipped him off as we pulled away.

  Chapter Eight

  Since I’d been distracted by getting Uncle Fitz out of the club, I hadn’t gotten the chance to look for Charlie. Uncle Fitz said he hadn’t seen her.

  Uncle Fitz kept us entertained on the ride home with stories about when he was a young boy in the late eighteen hundreds. Yes, witches lived a lot longer than normal humans, but weren’t immortal like the vampires.

  LaVeau Manor was covered in darkness as Liam pulled down the driveway and parked in front of the door. The sky seemed larger and the night seemed darker than usual. Being out there made me feel vulnerable, as if something evil was out there watching me. I wanted to ignore it, but with my line of work, I knew that it was possible.

  Annabelle stepped out of the car and stretched, covering her yawn with her hand. “It’s late and I’m really tired. I should get home.”

  “The night is young.” Uncle Fitz waved his hands through the air and then stumbled.

  I grabbed him and stopped his fall. “Easy there, Uncle Fitz. I think it’s bedtime for you.”

  Annabelle chuckled.

  “Okay, I’m going inside for milk and cookies,” he said when he spotted the look I gave him.

  I faced Annabelle again. “I wish you wouldn’t drive home alone.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Annabelle said with a wave of her hand.

  Liam had stepped closer to us. “I can follow her home on my way back to New Orleans.”

  I turned to Liam. “You’re driving all that way tonight? It’s getting late. Why don’t you stay here?” I asked.

  I knew Nicolas was staring at me. The feeling of his eyes on me was electric and I always sensed it.

  “It’s not that far,” Liam said.

  “Why don’t you just follow Annabelle home and then come back here,” I said.

  Liam cast a look at Nicolas, but never made eye contact and then said, “Okay, I’ll be back in a bit then.”

  I hugged Annabelle and watched as Liam followed her in his car. Nicolas didn’t say anything about me inviting Liam to stay, but he was probably thinking it.

  Nicolas grabbed my hand. “We should sneak up to bed while Uncle Fitz is enjoying his milk and cookies.”

  I laughed. “Let’s go.”

  It was hard to tiptoe up the staircase and not cause the boards to squeak. I cringed as a board moaned as we stepped across it. Finally we reached my bedroom door. I’d barely unlocked the door when Nicolas swooped me up in his arms. His mouth moved across mine as if he hadn’t kissed me in ages. I wasn’t complaining though. He opened the door behind me and I walked backwards. Nicolas closed the door and we kissed all the way to the bed. I lay back and he lowered his body on top of mine. His hands caressed my skin as he moved his mouth across mine.

  I was completely lost in the moment when a loud noise caught my attention. Nicolas looked up and then eased away from me.

  I sat up on the bed. “Did you hear that?” I whispered.

  He nodded. “It must have been Uncle Fitz.”

  The loud noise could have been him, but it sounded as if the bang had come from outside. I had to know what Uncle Fitz was doing outside. Looking after him was worse than watching after a small child.

  I jumped up from the bed. “I’d better see what he’s doing before he burns the place down.”

  Nicolas didn’t try to stop me because he knew that what I said was true. Uncle Fitz was likely to get into some kind of trouble. I hurried down the stairs, careful not to trip and fall to my death at the bottom. We’d just made it to the bottom and headed in the direction of the kitchen when another thud sounded.

  I looked at Nicolas.

  “That was definitely outside, right?”

  I nodded. “I think it was.”

  We abandoned our trip to the kitch
en and headed for the front door instead. I peeked through the hole in the door. I could have sworn I saw something outside move across the yard. It looked like a dark shadow.

  “What did you see?” Nicolas asked. He’d noticed the expression on my face wasn’t a happy one.

  “It looked like someone was out there,” I said.

  “Uncle Fitz?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “It’s too dark, so I couldn’t tell.”

  Nicolas reached for the doorknob and at that moment the book crossed my mind. Too many times the book had been sought after, and I knew that it still was. Had someone else found me and LaVeau Manor and come to make an attempt at capturing the book? If Uncle Fitz was out there then what was he doing? I hoped he wasn’t trying to hitchhike again.

  Just as Nicolas stepped out the door and down the steps, Uncle Fitz said from behind me, “What is Nicolas doing?”

  I jumped and clutched my chest. “Uncle Fitz, where were you?”

  He showed the cookie in his hand. “In the kitchen eating cookies.”

  Nicolas was now standing in the driveway peering around the dark night. I moved out onto the porch and Uncle Fitz followed me. Movement caught my attention from the corner of my eye. When I looked to my right, the vampire appeared out of the shadows. The same vampire who had confronted us at the Bubbling Cauldron was now headed my way.

  At that moment Nicolas noticed him and rushed our way. By this point the vampire was already in my face.

  “So you’re the leader of the Underworld and you think that gives you the right to do whatever you want.” He made no attempt to hide his fangs. Showing them off made him happy.

  Nicolas rushed the vampire and knocked him to the ground. The vampire released a groan as Nicolas punched him in the stomach. This could get out of hand quickly. How would I stop them? I ran over and tried to pull Nicolas off the vampire. Nicolas was a lot stronger than I realized. Uncle Fitz had run up behind me and was now yanking on the men too. Pulling their shirts would do nothing to get them to stop.

  The vampire staggered backward. His pants had dropped down a little and he was clutching at his belt to pull them up. “She thinks the witches can do whatever they want,” he said breathlessly while looking right at me. “I guess since she’s your girlfriend you don’t care.”