Malice: A Barrington County Novel

by Stacy Charasidis

  She’d been home only an hour when he showed up at her door, requesting entrance. He had travelled a long and difficult path to discover Danner’s full name, but he didn’t want to give it to Sean, only to her. For a price. After a long, hot kiss he whispered the demon’s name in her ear and disappeared.

  Moments later Sean arrived and scooped her into his arms. They kissed frantically, his familiar smell and the feeling of his body against hers drove her wild, especially after Valentine’s kiss.

  “Is Hiram in the field?”

  “The far field.” She pulled off his pants and lifted her skirt.

  “Good, then we have at least an hour,” he said, kissing her neck.

  “Did anyone see you coming?” she asked, wiggling out of her underclothes as they stumbled into her bedroom and fell on the bed.

  “I don’t care if they did,” he said breathlessly, sliding into her with a groan.

  Elanah moaned at the feel of him inside her. He was hot and hard. She’d missed him desperately.

  Sean thrust his hips and kissed her passionately. She held onto his shirt tails as he moved up and down and they both peaked with pleasure within minutes, Sean grinding his groin against hers. Then he lay there and just kissed her, smelling her skin and running his fingers through her hair.

  “I love you Elanah,” he said between kisses. “You are so brave. After we do this for Limerick, I’m done living a lie. I’m leaving Hester, and we’re getting married. We can move anywhere you want. I’ve saved enough money that we won’t be poor.”

  Elanah started to cry. That was all she ever wanted; Sean, a life together, home, family, and in that order.

  “Will you marry me?”

  “Yes.”

  Chapter 27 – Revelation

  Barrington County, Present Day

  “Max, wake up!” Sadie hissed impatiently, smacking him lightly on the cheek. She hoped his girlish scream hadn’t alerted the household. The last thing she needed was to have to put down a group of spelled family members, including her husband.

  Rage burned inside Sadie. Nobody, and she meant nobody, messed with her husband. Heads were going to roll.

  Max’s eyes flew open and he took a breath to shout when Sadie clamped her hand over his mouth to shut him up. “Shhh! Max, shut up, for God’s sake. Do you want everyone in here?”

  “Sadie?” he asked fearfully. The last time he’d seen her she had looked possessed. Sadie was scary when she was normal!

  “I’m fine,” Sadie told him. “Can I let go, now?”

  Max nodded. He sat up and she sat down beside him on the floor and stared. He stared back.

  “What do you mean, you’re fine?”

  “I kind of cured myself, but I am probably an aberration.”

  “Caaaan you actually do that?” he asked carefully. He didn’t want to get her mad.

  Sadie smiled. She was breathtaking when she smiled, even though she looked the worse for wear. Her clothes were ripped and dirty, and her hair snarled, but her eyes and skin were clear and healthy looking.

  Sadie snorted. “I’m more powerful than the poison,” she said, standing up. “Well, almost. It’s still there but suppressed, and needs to be removed, but I can control it. The rest of the girls are still sick and getting worse now that they’re back in town. I don’t think distance helped much. Sick is sick, but I do think proximity to Elanah exacerbates things.”

  She pulled Max to his feet. He asked the question he was dying for an answer to. “How’s Ella?”

  “Sick, sad. What happened? We saw you two practically inhaling each other at our wedding,” Sadie said, creeping to the door and listening. “We’d been waiting for that to happen for years.”

  “She was so stubborn…she was sick and wouldn’t leave. So I drove her away.”

  “Luke did something similar when I was possessed,” she said thoughtfully. “Played on the power of jealousy in a teen girl. Seems to be a typical Barrington move.”

  “He did?”

  “Yes, when I was fighting Willow for control of my body. He insinuated that he and Willow were sleeping together while she was possessing me, tricking him. I was so jealous I pretty much incinerated her right on the spot. Never mess with a jealous, angry female with strong magic. Their hormones can be deadly.”

  “Good advice,” he said, a bit despondently.

  “Don’t worry. I think it’s better right now that Ella focus on healing rather than restarting her romance with you. Vail wants to speak with you. She’s on her way.”

  “Okay. Why are you and Vail here?”

  “We’re all here, Max, but nobody knows at this point. Nobody. Horace is dead and I accidentally blew up the second floor of your cabin, and maybe blew out a wall on the first floor. I don’t remember, I was losing my mind at the time. So we can’t stay there, it’s not safe anymore.”

  “You blew up our cabin?” Max asked faintly.

  “That’s not important right now. If Elanah finds out we’re here she’ll come after us. It’s important you don’t tell anyone we’re back. I didn’t want to drag you into this, but we need help. However, we need to take some precautions, which is why I have to do this.”

  Sadie touched his forehead. It didn’t feel as if she’d done anything, but when she instructed him to tell her the witches had returned to town, he couldn’t. She seemed satisfied. “Sorry. Loose tongues are causing a lot of problems lately, be it talking or kissing,” she said pointedly.

  Max blushed. “I didn’t make out with Katie, I swear. She took me by surprise a couple of times, but—”

  Sadie sighed and shook her head. “I wasn’t talking about you. I was referring to Dean and Gabriel.”

  Ugh. Yeah, that sucked. Max felt his spirits plummet.

  “I can’t tell you where we’re staying. Your point of contact will be Vail until this is over. She’s part Fae and has stealth.”

  “Soooo, I can’t see Ella?”

  Vail chose that exact moment to climb into Max’s room. “No,” she said. “Ella is off limits for now. We have work to do.”

  Sadie crept back to his door, opening it a crack.

  “Where are you going?” Max asked. “The house is full of crazy people!”

  “To rescue my husband from that hussy, of course,” she said before slipping out into the darkened hallway.

  Vail stared at Max. “Elanah has designed a two-part spell that will pull the poison from every piece of infected earth, tree, flower, and witch. But once it’s removed, she plans to take everyone’s magic.”

  Max was shocked. “What? Are you serious?”

  “Unfortunately.” She looked sad.

  “Why Vail? Why would your mother do that?”

  “I’m just as shocked as you, Max, but I’ve given it a lot of thought. Her first mortal life was very tough. She told me bits and pieces. Looking at her behavior and her obsession with Dean…she’s planning to build the life she’s always wanted, and plans on doing it unopposed.”

  Max started to feel overwhelmed.

  “Look Max, I know this isn’t easy, but to fight her, Sadie needs Willow’s spell book. We also need Hester’s Book of the Dead. We need to call her. There is another witch out there who knows about this, and if she called Hester, then Hester must know who she is. We need to find her. We need all the help we can get.”

  “Vail, Sadie cured herself. Will Ella be able to do the same?” he left the question hanging.

  She shook her head in the negative. “Sadie is in a class of her own, but even she’s not completely cured. Ella’s powerful, but she can’t fight magic like Elanah’s.”

  Max looked bleak. “Can Ella be separated from her power anymore?”

  “No, and that’s what we’re afraid of. No witch can. They’re all going to die.”

  Luke snored loudly as he lay sprawled on the bed. Sadie slipped in and stared at the face of her beloved. She was irked that he had been tricked. Genius, was he? Didn’t he pay attention? His sight should have wa
rned him. She closed her eyes and could immediately sense Elanah’s hex. She scanned her sleeping husband and saw his wedding ring was glowing a bright green, a sign of Elanah’s power.

  She had tampered with his wedding ring! Sadie seethed with anger but strove to control herself before she destroyed anything. Looking more closely she realized Luke’s ring had been switched. This wasn’t the one she’d given him. With a burst of power, the ring was gone, charred to ash. The heat woke Luke who gasped in dismay when he saw his ring was missing. He searched the bed frantically for a few moments before he realized he was not alone in the room.

  “Sadie!” he cried, launching himself out of bed and pulling her into his arms. He kissed her hungrily as she melted into his warm embrace. “My love, I was so scared. I missed you so much. Are you cured?”

  “Mostly,” she whispered, kissing him back and loving the feel of his arms around her. She’d missed him so much.

  “I couldn’t bypass her spell. I could see it, but there was nothing I could do about it once I put the ring on. I didn’t even think before putting it on. My dad must have switched it. He took advantage of my love for you!”

  “This is serious, Luke. Elanah not only plans to get rid of the poison, she plans to strip us of our magic too. I’m afraid most of us will die in the process.”

  “You’re safe, aren’t you? You’re cured.”

  “I was able to master it, but while the symptoms are gone the poison is still inside. All I’ve done is taken cold medication for my cold. It needs to be cured. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “Luke, you have to pretend you’re still spelled. You’re a part of the inner circle. Elanah trusts you, and more importantly, so does your father.” She told him about Horace, the cabin, and what they needed him to do.

  “Okay, but who is going to help you?”

  “Max. Tell everything to Max, and he’ll communicate with us.”

  Realization dawned. “You can’t stay.”

  Sadie frowned. “No. Our life can only start after the summer solstice. Until then, we have to be apart. I just came to destroy that hex and give you your will back.”

  Luke closed his eyes and told her about Dean and Elanah, and Gabriel and Tess. Sadie sighed. “It’s such sad news, but they are going to have to figure it out themselves. I can’t fix those hexes right now. Gabriel has made his bed, and Dean’s too important to Elanah. If we interfere, God knows what she’d do to Nathalie.”

  Luke hugged her tightly. “Poor Dean. They’ll both be devastated by this.”

  Both sad, they kissed fiercely before Sadie pulled herself away. Luke groaned and flopped back on the bed. His pajama pants were tented. “Can’t you stay ten minutes?” he asked pleadingly.

  Sadie stared at her tousled hubby, desire burning in her eyes.

  “Ten minutes,” she said as she drifted toward him. She slipped off his pants, and pulled off her clothes, giving him a hot, wet kiss, before letting him have his way with her.

  Chapter 28 – Book Hunting

  Barrington County, Present Day: Three Weeks Before Litha

  Max’s trip to the library was interesting. Liz Austin, Barrington’s librarian, was way too curious about why he wanted Hester’s séance book. It was now in the rare book collection, and while Luke had special borrowing privileges for the rare collection, Max did not.

  She looked at Max suspiciously as he brought the book to the checkout desk. “Calling the Dead,” she said out loud, looking it over. You know you can’t take this out of the library,” she said, staring at him. “Are you planning on using this? I hope you teens aren’t going to do something stupid and pull a prank. You never know what could happen when you mess with stuff like this.”

  Max looked indignant. “I would never waste my time on a stupid prank. It’s for…research,” he said lamely. He didn’t sound convincing, and by the look on Liz’s face, she wasn’t convinced.

  “This book is priceless…”

  “You’d lend it to Luke!”

  “Yes, because he’s an employee.”

  “Volunteer.”

  “With what I get paid, aren’t we all?”

  “You can trust me! Ella and I have been loyal and responsible patrons!”

  She looked unconvinced. “True, still, I’ll need your dad’s permission.”

  Max panicked. “You can’t tell my dad, Liz,” he said seriously, suddenly afraid of failing Vail if his parents took the book and hid it. “Why don’t I give you something precious that you can hold in good faith until I bring it back?” He undid the bracelet Ella had given him. “This was a gift from Ella. It means everything to me. I’ll be back for it, and I’ll take very good care of the book, I promise.”

  Liz frowned as she took his bracelet and looked at the inscription. “Rumour has it that you’re a dirty cheater, that you dumped Ella and are now going out with that Fairchild girl. Her friends were all giggling about it. I had to shush them, frequently.”

  “Things are not always as they seem,” he said, eyes pleading.

  Liz pocketed his bracelet. “I knew they were full of crap. Fine. This is proof enough for your dad if that book gets ruined and you have to pay for it.”

  “Done,” he said, and signed all the papers Liz needed to release the book.

  She looked up. “Fairchild at six o’clock,” she said softly, discreetly sliding the book into a plastic bag.

  Katie smiled when she saw him. Before he could react, she’d kissed him in front of everyone.

  “Stop doing that,” he hissed.

  She just smirked. “I’m just looking for a book to read while I man the cash at the candy store, which I do as a favour for you, I might remind you.”

  They moved away from Liz’s interested ears. Max nodded. “Any news?”

  “Nah, it’s quiet. She visits with me until Dean gets there after work, and then they disappear.”

  Max’s heart hurt. “So they’re definitely together.”

  “Well, usually you only put your tongue in your girlfriend’s mouth, so I’d say so.”

  “Ugh,” Liz said, disgusted. “Poor Nat.” Liz had magical hearing.

  “Yeah, we’re all adjusting to this sudden turn of events,” Max said with some heat, looking at Katie’s “new” necklace. She covered it protectively.

  “What are you here for, Max?” Katie asked curiously.

  “I needed a book to do some research. It’s too bad you and Elanah weren’t closer. She has a book I’m desperate to read.”

  Katie bristled. “Elanah trusts me completely. I can get whatever book you need, Max. Don’t forget, I am the daughter of a company president. I have ways.”

  “Really?” he challenged, pulling her further away from the circulation desk, which now had a line. “I need a spell book, and not just any spell book,” he said softly. “I need Willow Kellar’s grimoire, and Elanah has it. There’s no way she’d give it to you.”

  Katie laughed. “A book? No problem. Keep your phone on you,” she said as she left.

  He said goodbye to Liz and headed to The Rotunda. It was busy with people having coffee and enjoying the warm weather. Now that it was nice, the restaurants around Town Circle set up outdoor tables so you could eat. There would be a band playing later on. For now it was quiet.

  He headed to Joe’s Coffee House, took a booth at the back and called Vail. Ella was in town. He wanted to see her so badly it hurt. He yearned for her. He wanted to kiss her, and to be honest, do more than that. It had taken him a long time to overcome his fear of letting her know he liked her. Now he could kick himself for being such a chicken shit for so long.

  Vail appeared suddenly and sat down. She was strangely difficult to see at first. She called the phenomenon shielding, something Fae do to pass unseen around mortals. She didn’t want word to get to her mother that she was here.

  “Maybe we should have met at a more private place next time,” he said sheepishly as he handed her the book. She looked at him appro
vingly and smiled.

  “You can if it’ll make you feel better, but it doesn’t really matter. No one is paying any attention to us.”

  Max studied Vail. She didn’t look like Elanah’s daughter. She had the majestic stance and otherworldly colouring of the Fae.

  “It’s my eyes and my feet,” she said.

  Max was startled. “What?”

  “You’re trying to see a resemblance to Elanah. I know that look. I have her eyes, feet, and humanity.” Vail laughed.

  Max realized that Vail was working against her own mother. “I’m sorry, Vail.”

  Vail shrugged. “I have a Fae being for a father and a mortal witch for a mother, both have done…horrible things from a mortal’s perspective. They’re different. They’re not really human, and my mother changed a lot after living with the Fae for so long. I have to manage my parents the best I can.”

  Max put his hand over hers. “I see, but it still must be tough.”

  Vail nodded and stood up, tucking the book into her light jacket. “I won’t allow anyone to hurt her. I just want to stop her from doing wrong. If she won’t see reason, then I’ll take matters into my own hands. You’re a good boy, Max. When this is over, I’ll stand by you when you explain to Ella what you had to do.”

  Max smiled sadly. “If she lets me talk to her.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I’m working on getting Willow’s book. Katie claims she can get it for me.”

  “Katie is wearing one of my mother’s hex dolls, Max. She can’t be trusted.”

  “I know. I’ll be careful.”

  A few minutes after Vail left Max got a call from Katie. She was at Baby Sweetes. “You know, I just told Elanah how cool it would be to see a real spell book. Guess what she said, Einstein.”

  Uh oh. Name calling. That wasn’t good. “I don’t know...what?” Max was mystified.

  “She told me to ask my boyfriend to show me one. Apparently she gave Willow’s grimoire back to your father. It’s at your house, you ding-a-ling! Go look for it. Some genius...” she mumbled as she hung up.

  He’d had no idea. His parents didn’t tell him anything.