Malice: A Barrington County Novel

by Stacy Charasidis

  Elanah was instantly alert. Like Sean, she was also unhappily married and shared a marriage bed with her husband very reluctantly, and as infrequently as possible. Sean and Hester understood that theirs was a marriage of convenience, but Hiram had no idea Elanah’s heart belonged to another. “What is it?” she asked, hope lighting her face.

  Sean was smiling, a look of wild excitement in his eyes, and a touch of fear. “I found a book. A special book. It belongs to a witch,” he whispered, his voice low as if someone might be listening.

  Elanah gasped and made the sign to ward off evil.

  Sean laughed and stroked her lips with his thumb. “So superstitious, foolish girl. I read it. I couldn’t help myself. It called to me. It was utterly fascinating.”

  “Sean, you have to be careful. You could have been soiled by the book’s foulness.”

  “Most of the spells were healing remedies, but some were for love potions, hexes, and…” he paused for effect, “there was a spell called Prominence,” he whispered.

  Elanah frowned in confusion, and Sean kissed the small wrinkles it made on her pretty brow. “The spell is one of influence. Don’t you see? If we use that spell, and I become mayor, the most powerful man in Limerick, then I can do whatever I want, including marrying you.”

  Elanah got up and sorted through their jumbled clothes on the floor and pulled out her shawl, wrapping it around her. The cabin was cold despite the afternoon sun, but her shivering wasn’t only due to the cabin’s temperature. She was also trembling with fear.

  “Sean, do you know what they do to people accused of witchcraft? They murder them in horrible, painful ways. If we were found out we’d be hung, or burned at the stake, and where will our life together be then? We can’t use witchcraft. To spell a town would mean certain death if we’re caught, and…it’s wrong. VERY wrong.” Elanah turned her back to him and walked to the cold hearth, wishing there was a fire to take off the chill that had wrapped around her. Agitated, she decided to dress and went to collect the rest of her clothes, but Sean hopped off the bed and stopped her.

  “Relax, Elanah,” he said soothingly, pulling her to him, her back to his front, and wrapping them both in a slightly smelly but warm wool blanket that had been folded at the end of the bed. “It’s just a potion, and the ingredients are harmless. A few plants, water, and a moonlight ritual to produce three enchanted charms. That’s it.”

  “So, how does it work? You poison the town’s wells?”

  “Not poison, Elanah, enchant, and the wells wouldn’t work. There are too many of them and it would be too much work. Think smaller. Only the influential people need to be spelled. Everyone else will follow.”

  “The spring ball,” she whispered.

  “The spring ball,” he agreed. “It is the event of the year. Anyone of importance will be there. They come even if they’re on their death beds. After that night, everyone will be behind me if I stand for mayor.”

  Elanah was confused. “But Mayor Billings is still alive.” She stared at Sean. “You not planning to kill an old man, are you?”

  Sean looked shocked. “Does this look like the face of a killer? Of course not…but his consumption is so bad now he hasn’t made the last two council meetings. Word is that he’s having such difficulty breathing, and his coughing is so severe that his family doesn’t think he’ll survive much longer. The man’s ancient. He has to be at least sixty. The timing is perfect. Now is the time to strike, while the iron is hot.”

  Elanah frowned. “Did Hester agree to help you?” The words were bitter. She hated Hester.

  Sean frowned. “No, and I don’t want her to know I’ve been snooping through her book. She has a terrible secret, and that makes her dangerous. I don’t trust her, and I don’t want her to know my plan. I only trust you. I want you to do it.”

  Elanah was shocked. “Me?” she squeaked, squirming in his embrace. “I’m no witch!”

  Sean laughed as he held her close. The movements of her warm, soft flesh were exciting him as she squirmed, and his body was responding. He couldn’t get enough of her. “I’m not saying you’re a witch…but Karl said that in the past your family had witches in it. Wasn’t it one of the reasons your family fled Europe to come here? To remove the stain on your family name?”

  Elanah huffed. “He’s such a fool, telling his tall tales. It was all rumours. Do you know what it was like living there? Terrifying. Always whisper whisper…you never knew if an angry mob would arrive at your door one night and drag you away. It was a constant concern. I am pretty and there were many envious girls in our village. Now you want to risk the rumours about my family starting again, with us living in fear that we could possibly swing or burn at the stake? You are a foolish man.”

  “No one would ever know it was us. It would be our secret…to the grave. I promise, Elanah, nothing bad will happen. I only trust you to do this for me. We will run the town together. Don’t you understand? I want you to be my wife more than anything.” Sean’s voice was soft and persuasive in her ear as he pleaded with her. He was a great orator, she knew this. His voice had magic in it when he spoke, and he could sway a crowd easily with his charismatic personality. She knew he wanted the same things she did. Each other. Control.

  He was running his hands softly over her breasts and hips, and the hardness of his body pressed into her back. Desire for him swept through her, wetting her core and readying her body to receive him again. She was so in love. She didn’t feel like this for any other man, and she was still angry at both their fathers for keeping them apart. Her life was with Sean, not Hiram.

  She would do it.

  “Teach me the spell,” she said breathlessly. Sean’s fingers were stroking the juncture of her thighs. He whispered it to her as he slipped his fingers in and out of her body. When her cries of pleasure began to drive him mad, and she had agreed to do anything for him, he tossed her onto the bed and entered her so deeply they both came together immediately.

  There was no stopping them now. They would be together, forever.

  Miles away, Hester entered the cabin at the edge of the Kirkman estate. When she picked up her book she knew immediately that someone had touched it. She also knew it was probably her husband as she was still alive and not shackled in a witch’s prison. Lost in thought, she tucked her hair behind her ears, and with a word the book disappeared. She wondered what her husband had planned. She shrugged. She’d just have to wait and see.

  Chapter 18 – Alliance with the Enemy

  Barrington County, Present Day

  After Ella was taken to the cabin, Max worked through different scenarios in his head on how to help. He felt a bit helpless. Like his brother Luke, Max was blessed with above average intelligence. He looked at Ella’s sickness like a scientific riddle that needed solving. The only factor new in the equation was Elanah. Before she arrived, everyone may have been ill, but the symptoms were mild to non-existent. Since her arrival, many had become desperately ill very quickly. Sadie had only been home for a few hours before going…insane.

  To Max, all roads led to Elanah. Their “savior.”

  He needed to solve this puzzle fast. Ella thought he was in love with another girl, although if she got his letters, she’d know he’d lied. If she refused to read them she could end up so bitter at the stunt he’d pulled there would be no repairing their relationship.

  He knew Ella was crazy about him, and had been for years. He returned her feelings, but it had taken him a long time to reach her level of emotional maturity. He had been a book geek, a nerd, but very confident in his intelligence. Where he lacked confidence was physically, because he had been extremely short. Taking the next step with a girl was frightening, and he’d never had the courage. Back then he just didn’t believe Ella could actually be interested in him. But something had changed in him this year. His confidence had grown with his height and the camaraderie of the school jocks. They’d shown him the other side of life—sports, partying, girls—while he’d taugh
t them about the importance of applying their brains, writing, studying, and how being smart made them even cooler. He’d always sniffed at the dumb jocks, and they’d always sneered at the nerds, but they’d all gotten something out of this year, passing grades, and most importantly, friendship.

  Then there was Queen Katie, the beauty who ruled the school. She may have always been nasty to Ella, but she had always been nice to Max. Now that he paid more attention to what was going on around him, he realized that Katie liked him a lot, and that she was jealous of Ella. She called his devotion to Ella “slavish,” and if he were being objective, he would have to agree. But their relationship had always been like that. It drove Katie crazy. She couldn’t imagine being a slave for anyone.

  She’d obviously never been hopelessly in love.

  He looked at Katie nervously. She was standing with a group of her friends, holding court at the lunch tables out near the border of the woods. He’d used Katie to trick Ella into believing he liked another girl. He had been very friendly that week, laughing and willing to pose for the pictures Katie loved to post on the internet. She had become suspicious of Max’s motives after a while. He’d never been quite so affable before. To mollify her, he’d agreed to accompany her to the ball, and she seemed satisfied. Now he needed a really big favour, and this time he’d have to explain himself first. He didn’t think she’d be happy, and an unhappy Katie was a nightmare.

  But he was desperate.

  Since the grand opening ball, Elanah seemed to be in charge. Everyone deferred to her, and solving the town’s problem had become a big secret. The council listened to her exclusively, and for some reason she had banned Max from their meetings. Nothing he said or did could convince his parents what a valuable asset he could be.

  “The adults will handle this, Max,” was all his father would say.

  So, every day he went to school, wrote Ella a love letter, and tried to puzzle out what was happening by sneaking around, spying, and eavesdropping, but without any luck. To top it all off, Ella hadn’t responded to any of his letters. She might still be too sick, but he suspected she was still really freaking mad. He hoped she hadn’t destroyed them.

  He wanted to go up to the cabin and visit, but his father had forbidden anyone from going up there. The sick witches were unstable and dangerous. Vail e-mailed news, but it was just “she’s doing fine” or “she was lucid for a few hours today,” but nowhere near the detail he craved.

  Ella had been gone for over a week and Max was already tired of waiting until the summer solstice to fix this. He understood that it was a day of immense power, but was waiting for that day absolutely crucial? The spell Elanah needed to perform was a ritual cleansing of poisoned magical residue, which could be performed effectively any day. He believed waiting until the solstice was equivalent to using a fire hose to douse a match. The longer they waited the worse the situation became. What was she waiting for?

  He had tried broaching the topic with his parents, explaining his point-of-view, but his father had brushed him off. “You aren’t the witch, Max. Only Elanah can judge the power and particular day needed for the spell to succeed. Don’t make a nuisance of yourself. You’re a smart kid, but you don’t know everything. Not about this.”

  Max didn’t understand Elanah’s logic and it frustrated him. Suspicious, he’d started watching Elanah covertly. From what he understood, she had all the ingredients she needed, if not more. She was supposed to be “testing” spells, but instead she spent her days shopping or flirting with Dean Croft. What was she up to? Why was she stalling?

  Max couldn’t get close to her. There was no reason to.

  Katie, on the other hand, could. Elanah had made a few friends, Tess in particular. She seemed to like to gather them around her. Katie loved glamorous girls and being in the “in” crowd, and he needed a spy. So he’d spoken to his father about getting Katie a job at the candy store in the hotel after school, and his father had agreed to hire her.

  Of course, he hadn’t asked Katie yet.

  Now he had to get Katie to take the job. It was rare he put the cart before the horse and did things in reverse order. He just hoped he wasn’t about to get trampled then run over at the same time.

  As he approached she turned to look at him, a slight smile on her face. She’d taken him by surprise with her kiss and subsequent photo shoot a few weeks ago, but in the end it had been the tipping point for Ella, so he didn’t regret it. She’d even gotten in a few kisses at the gala. However, in his depressed state he hadn’t paid much attention to her since then, and even he knew that wasn’t a smart move. Katie could be incredibly spiteful and vengeful. Surprisingly, she appeared to be in a good mood.

  “Hey Katie,” he said casually. All the girls were watching him. One giggled and he started to feel very uncomfortable. What was she giggling about? This was a mistake. What could he have been thinking?

  Before he could back away and run he felt many presences behind him and smelled a lot of cologne. The football team had arrived. They had his back.

  “Hey girls,” the quarterback called.

  The girls dispersed within seconds. Max looked back and the quarterback winked at him as the gigglers surrounded him and his team.

  Katie smiled wryly. “That didn’t go as I expected.”

  “Help often comes from the most unexpected places.” Max laughed with relief, and Katie laughed too. Sincere mirth shone from her face, and Max told her how pretty she was when she was sweet.

  She coloured slightly. “Okay, shut up now. Just tell me what you want.”

  “Can we talk at Joe’s? I really need your help, Katie.”

  She assessed him for a moment before turning to cut through the small wood separating the school grounds from the restaurants in Town Circle. “Fine, you’re buying.”

  Chapter 19 – A New Friend

  Barrington County, Present Day

  Katie stood behind the counter of Baby Sweetes and wondered what the hell she was doing there. Damn Max Barrington and his darling eyes. She’d been shocked when he’d told her about Barrington’s past, his sister-in-law’s ancestry as a Kellar, hexes, magic, and the truth about Elanah Von Vixen. At first she’d been disbelieving, calling him crazy. She was the daughter of the president of a candy factory. You can’t get more real than that.

  But he’d shown her the faded hex markings on the barns.

  And the spelled windmill that turned in the presence of evil, and was turning in its field without a hint of wind.

  Then he’d explained to her what he wanted her to do, and she’d been terrified.

  At first she’d said no and hidden her fear from Max.

  But Katie Fairchild didn’t back down from a challenge.

  In the end, she’d accepted. She’d help. She didn’t want Ella back, but she wanted Max.

  “Greeeeat!” Max had said, hugging her. “Er…you start tomorrow after school.”

  So here she was, selling candy to travelers and hoping she wouldn’t gain ten pounds herself.

  Then she saw her. Elanah. It had to be.

  The late afternoon sun shone on the girl’s long blond hair. Katie had never seen anyone so beautiful before in her life, not even in her own mirror. Max said that Willow had been prettier, but she couldn’t see how. Katie actually felt dowdy, and she was the hottest girl at Barrington High.

  It was her demeanor. Confidence shone from her.

  Elanah walked into the candy store and looked around with delight, a smile lighting up her face.

  Accompanying her was a tall, dark-haired young man with the palest skin, and Katie caught her breath at how handsome he was. He was Ella’s brother. She had met him at the grand opening gala, but hadn’t noticed his good looks. He stood with Elanah nonchalantly, looking around. Katie watched as Elanah placed a possessive hand on his arm and pointed to different candies. He smiled at her delight, and then winked at Katie. She thought she was going to faint.

  “Are these new?” Elanah excla
imed, picking up a box of candied fruit slices.

  “Brought them in today,” he replied, looking at her indulgently.

  “I just stacked them,” Katie croaked from the cash, then blushed in horror. “Sorry, I’ve been alone for a while. My voice is rusty.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” the young man said, coming toward her while Elanah looked through the store. “She loves candy,” he said in his beautiful, deep voice. “Didn’t have this kind of variety where she came from.”

  “Oh, really?” Katie asked. He was close to her and his appeal was overwhelming. His crisp white shirt was open at the neck and she could see curls of dark hair peeking through. He smelled wonderful, his cologne like nothing she’d ever smelled on her father or any other boy, like fresh mown grass held in a cool wind. He leaned against the counter and she could feel the heat of his body reach her. He had such…presence.

  She blushed again when she realized he was talking to her, but she was only staring at him and not responding. What on earth was wrong with her? She stammered. “I’m so sorry…”

  He smiled easily with his chiseled, kissable lips and beautiful white teeth. “I was just introducing myself. My name is Dean Croft. I think we met at the gala.” He handed her a business card. He worked at the candy factory with her father! “If you run out of anything, just let me know and I’ll restock it for you, same day.”

  “I will,” she said a trifle breathlessly.

  Elanah smiled at Katie warmly, her arms full of candy. Katie was awestruck. “You have the most beautiful hair,” she said honestly.

  Elanah laughed, delighted. “And what is your name, pretty girl? I haven’t seen you here before.”

  “I started today. My name’s Katie.” She didn’t provide her last name. She didn’t want Dean to treat her any differently when he figured out who her father was.

  “Nice to meet you, Katie.”

  “You can put all that stuff on my account,” Dean said, handing Katie a credit card. “Really, Elanah. You’re going to gain a hundred pounds,” Dean teased as he signed the slip.