I didn’t wait for her to finish. I shook Adam’s arm. He grumbled and tried to roll away, but I clenched one hand around his bicep and tugged. “Adam!”
Ripped from sleep, Adam bolted upright, looking around the room, his eyes wide.
“Jewel Molder was here,” I told him, already jumping out of bed. I’d worn a long, oversized T-shirt to bed and scrambled around in the dark to find a pair of recently cast-off jeans or leggings. I found a pair of yoga pants on top of the hamper and hurried to pull them on. Adam wore the opposite—bottoms with no top—but he didn’t bother with finding a shirt before running out the bedroom door.
“What are you going to do?” Harmony asked, following me from the bedroom.
“We have to tell them,” I replied, charging down the steps. “I have no idea what was going on tonight, but if Jewel was here, sneaking around, they need to know.”
We hit the bottom of the stairs and Harmony gulped as the cluster of vampires shifted their eyes to us. The front door was ajar. Adam clearly hadn’t bothered to explain anything before thundering out of the manor.
“Holly?” Lacey said, her voice taut. “What is going on? Has the fleabag started sleepwalking?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but was anyone outside just now?” I asked, doing a quick head count. All of the vampires in Lacey’s party were present. “Harmony saw someone out on the back deck just now, and it looked like they were trying to find a way inside.”
What little color Lacey had in her face quickly drained away. Before she spoke a word, Matthias was out the door. “Go,” she snapped at the others.
Nathaniel, Trisha, and Christian followed in Matthias’s wake, racing out the front door. Julian hung back, looking to his boss, Aretha, for direction like an obedient spaniel. “Who knows we are here?” Aretha asked Lacey. “You told us to keep it a secret, to not even tell our household staff.”
There was something accusatory in the vampire’s question and the energy shifted, a palpable tension swirling between the two women.
“It might not be in relation to your meeting,” I said quickly. The two vampires flicked their intense gazes toward me and I held up a hand. “This past winter we had a nasty run-in with Jewel Molder. Harmony couldn’t be sure, but she thought the person on the back deck might have been her.”
“Jewel Molder?” Aretha repeated, her dark brows knitting together. “What business would a witch have with one of the Molder brats?”
“We hosted a singles event, here in Beechwood, for Valentine’s Day this year. Jewel showed up and was openly glamouring people. The SPA arrested her, but it would appear the charges didn’t stick.”
Lacey swore. “Of course not.”
Aretha shot her a sidelong glance. “Perhaps her freedom came with a price.”
Lacey’s jaw tightened as she kept her eyes trained on me. “Have you seen her since she was released from SPA custody?”
“No.” I shook my head. “As far as I know she hasn’t been back to Beechwood since. Or at least, if she has, she hasn’t made her presence known, and Jewel strikes me as the type who would accost me in the street just to try and egg me into using my magic.”
Lacey nodded. “Come on,” she said to Aretha and Julian. “If she’s out there, we’ll find her.”
Aretha looked ready to object, but Julian touched her elbow, a brief grazing of her skin, and she clenched her teeth, caging whatever she’d been about to say.
The three of them vanished and I closed the front door behind them. “Is it just me, or did those two seem ready to rip each other’s throats out?” Harmony asked. “What’s going on here, Holly?”
“I wish I knew.” I exhaled. “I thought Lacey was just coming to do some kind of retreat, partially as a favor to Adam and me, you know, throw the inn some business and help us fill up our review quota for the Haven Hospitality Committee’s approval. But now … well, I’m not so sure.”
Pausing, I went to the stack of neatly ordered shoes beside the front door. It was normally an overwhelming pile of shoes, boots or sandals, depending on the season, but we tried to keep it pared back now that we had guests in the house on a regular basis. I slid my bare feet into a pair of laceless sneakers and then turned back to Harmony. “You said they were arguing when you got here. Any chance you overheard part of it?”
“Not really,” Harmony said, her hands wringing together as she stared at the closed front door. “Maybe something about a treaty? And then someone shouted ‘why don’t we just hand the SPA a basket of wooden stakes and get it over with’ … and then there was a bit about some kind of vampire council making a list of demands.”
I arched one brow in Harmony’s direction. “Eavesdropping on vampires could prove to be bad for your health, Harmony.”
My apprentice folded her arms and gave me a defiant stare. “You’re the one who said these ones are harmless!”
“I don’t think I said harmless,” I retorted as I reached for the doorknob.
Footsteps sounded behind me and I turned to find Evangeline wrapped in a jade green silk robe that fell to her feet. “What’s going on?” she asked, cinching the sash a little tighter as she glanced around the now-empty living room.
“Harmony saw someone out on the back deck, snooping around,” I explained as I jerked the front door open once more. “We’re going out to help the vampires look.”
Evangeline adjusted the black sleeping mask she’d pushed up to rest against her forehead. It was purple with pink embroidery across it that read do not disturb. “What should I do? Do you want me to call the SPA?”
“No!” I snapped.
Evangeline and Harmony flinched.
Holding up one hand, I softened my voice. “Sorry, but no. Lacey would rip me into confetti if I got the agency involved in this without her permission. She doesn’t want anyone to know any of this is even happening, and I’m pretty sure that extends to the agency, too.”
“Right.” Evangeline nodded. “Well, let me get dressed. I don’t want to be all alone in the house, now. It feels creepy!”
“Okay, but hurry,” I replied.
Evangeline ran up the stairs and I exhaled as my gaze drifted out the front door. The front yard was empty. Everyone must be out back, near the woods. The houses across the street were all darkened but for their various lights on their porches or along their garden walkways. Existing as a supernatural in the human world had its challenges, especially in a small town like Beechwood, but so far we’d managed. However, now with the inn fully operational, I knew we faced tricky challenges ahead if we were going to keep our secrets.
Glancing back at Harmony, I tilted my chin toward the open doorway. “Come on,” I told her, “let’s go set some protective wards in case the neighbors wake up. You remember that shielding spell I used this spring?”
Harmony nodded and followed me outside. We each took one side of the yard and cast our spells in synchronization, moving slowly from the edge of the property toward the manor, each casting particles of nearly transparent magic over the entire thing, like a giant net. We met in the middle of the yard, shoulder-to-shoulder, and cast the last bits. The magic twinkles melded together, shone a twinge brighter, then faded as the spell sealed itself into place.
There were many kinds of wards that witches and other magic-wielders could use. Some harder than others. Some wards could be used as trip wires, meant only to alert the caster if someone—or something—crossed over. Something of a supernatural security system. Others were more proactive and could keep unwanted visitors out entirely, either because they were so solid it was nearly impossible to penetrate, or because they actively worked to fire a spell at anyone attempting to cross. This could be anything from a stunning spell to something more violent, depending on the caster’s intention and skill level—and usually correlated to the value of whatever or whoever they were trying to protect.
The spell Harmony and I cast worked more like a mirage. To anyone walking by or peering out their windows acros
s the street, the manor would look as it always did this time of night, with a few lanterns lit across the front porch, but nothing else. The vampires could hold a duel right there on the front walk and no one would see a thing. Although, I sincerely hoped they didn’t, mainly because the spell wasn’t the best at concealing sounds. It more or less muffled them, rather than blocking them completely.
Evangeline appeared in the doorway, now dressed in a pair of skinny jeans and a dark hooded sweatshirt. “I asked you guys to wait for me!” she huffed as she closed the front door and stomped down the porch steps.
“We were waiting,” I told her, trying not to let my agitation shine through. “We were just setting some wards.”
Evangeline scrubbed her hands over her face. “Sorry. I’m just cranky. I haven’t been sleeping well lately, and tonight was the first time I actually fell asleep right as my head hit the pillow, and now this.” She gestured around the yard.
I frowned. “Sorry, Evangeline. Are you sure you don’t want to go back to bed? I’m not sure how much help we’ll be out here anyway. You know the vamps won’t bother waiting for us to catch up and help.”
“I can wait inside if you want,” Harmony offered. “You know, so you’re not all alone.”
Evangeline dropped her hand from her face and shook her head. “Thank you, but no. I’m afraid it’s a little late for that now. Once I’m awake, I’m awake.”
“What time is it anyway?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t even bothered to check when Harmony first woke me up.
“One thirty,” Evangeline said, her tone more than a little sour.
I glanced at Harmony. “You came over to get a textbook at one in the morning?”
Harmony shrugged. “I might have taken home a few of those new energy boost potions we’re testing out.”
“Harmony, you know we’re still trying to get the dosage right on those.”
My apprentice offered a sheepish smile. “Yeah, about that, I think I can pretty confidently say that three vials are too many.”
I slapped a hand over my face.
Chapter Six
The backyard was empty when we got there. We paused at the edge of the tree line, listening, but didn’t hear any voices either. Adam had likely taken the lead, as he knew the woods better than anyone. He spent a lot of time running the woods in his beast-form, which in his case was a shaggy black dog. His runs usually ended near the commercial dumpster outside McNally’s Pub. Despite my endless teasing, his dog side usually took over the controls once he’d shifted, and after a long night of running the woods, the dog side’s nose would lead him into town looking for a snack. We’d reached a compromise that he would brush his teeth and floss at least three times post-shift if he wanted any kind of smooching before bed. He wasn’t eating anything too disgusting, but the idea of it coming out of a dumpster, cold and half-eaten, just turned my stomach. Still, I supposed there were worse things. He could be some kind of cat and enjoy a raw meat buffet on his weekly romp. Blech!
Evangeline, Harmony, and I all waded into the woods, sticking closely together, and not saying a word. Evangeline had grabbed her wand when she’d gone inside to change, and cast a small beam of light to guide our steps as we traversed the rocks, roots, and stumps. There were well-beaten paths through the woods, but nothing official like a hiking trail. It was all wild and overgrown, a forest perched on a cliff above the Pacific Ocean.
“Why would Jewel come into the woods?” Harmony asked, keeping her voice a low whisper as we walked.
“Jewel?” Evangeline said. “That vampire who tried to ruin our singles week?”
I nodded, though it was dark enough she likely couldn’t see me. “Yes. That’s who Harmony thought she saw at the back window.”
“Oh, great,” Evangeline grumbled.
“If it was Jewel, I think it’s safe to say she wasn’t here to spy on the court,” I continued. “How would she have known about it? It seems more likely she was here to try and get back at us for turning her in to the SPA for glamouring people.”
Evangeline shivered. “Guess we need to step up our ward game around the place.”
“Sounds like it.” I frowned. “I should have set alert wards at the very least. I don’t know what I was thinking. Lacey trusted me to keep her and her guests safe, and I didn’t even take the most basic of steps. I just took for granted that everything would be okay.”
Evangeline touched my shoulder. “You’ve got a lot on your mind, Holly. You have to give yourself some grace.”
“She’s right,” Harmony added. “Between the apothecary and the inn and the wedding, you’re running on fumes.”
I hated that she’d seen me struggling with it all. I was supposed to be the one instructing her, teaching her, and pouring my skills and experience into her. That was the role of a potions master when it came to training an apprentice.
“Think I can tell Adam I need a mental health day and get out of going to dinner with his parents tomorrow?” I asked with a small smile.
Evangeline and Harmony giggled. “You can try,” Evangeline replied, “but the problem is that Adam is just about as stubborn as you are.”
I sighed. She was probably right. “Bat wings.”
Harmony laughed and bumped me with her shoulder as we walked. “You could always slip a dose of that new sleeping potion into their cocktails. They’d have to call it a night before you even had time to order the appetizers.”
“Harmony!” Evangeline squeaked.
“What?” Harmony asked. “Just a half dose. No one would get hurt.”
“Teenage Adam likely would have gone along with it,” a male voice said from somewhere behind us.
We jumped and whipped around to find Adam standing against a tree, his arms folded across his bare chest. He flashed a smile as the three of us tried to gather ourselves together.
“Don’t do that!” I snarled as I clutched my chest.
Harmony smacked his arm. “No kidding! You trying to get your head blown off?”
Adam chuckled. “I thought you’d like to know that it’s safe to go back home now.”
I blinked. “They caught her?”
He pushed away from the tree trunk. “No, but they’re circling the wagons back at the manor. Whoever was out here is long gone.”
Evangeline gestured around with her wand, sending the beam of light bouncing around the woods like she expected a tiger to jump out from behind one of the ferns.
“Lacey wants to talk to us,” Adam continued as he started to lead the way back toward the manor.
“She probably wants to chew me out for not setting wards,” I muttered.
Adam didn’t refute my assumption. Lacey was our friend, but she was also a terrifying vampire princess and when it came down to preserving friendships and protecting her people from threats, I didn’t have any doubt which side she’d choose.
Evangeline and Harmony veered off when we reached a fork in the path, already talking about something else entirely. I was envious of them. They could go inside and head to bed, barely giving the whole thing another thought. It wasn’t their mess to deal with. It was mine.
At least I wasn’t alone.
I sidled up closer to Adam as we walked. “Did you shift?” I asked.
“No,” he answered.
“Why not?”
He hitched one shoulder. “I didn’t figure Lacey needed more ammunition to tease me. And besides, tracking a vampire by scent isn’t that easy. They don’t sweat, so most of them don’t have much of a natural odor to leave behind as a scent trail.”
“Ah.” I bobbed my chin. “You think it was Jewel?”
“Hard to say. She knows where we live, for better or worse, and we know she’s got a grudge against us. Still, according to Meryl, she’s been free for a little while now. Why would she wait until now to come after us? Seems like too big of a coincidence that she waited until the exact time the other vamps arrived in town.”
“Right, but how would she kn
ow? Lacey said they kept the whole thing quiet.”
“Maybe Vampire Court isn’t as secretive and mysterious as they try to be,” Adam said. “Take Jupiter, for instance. She was Lacey’s childhood friend who wound up bonded to House Vaughn for the rest of her life, which could be centuries, and if not for Lacey, she’d probably be making beds and cleaning toilets and waiting on a bunch of self-important rich vampires. She can’t make any of her own choices or leave to go do something else with her life. Now, if that were me, I’d be a little bitter, and if someone came along and offered the right price, I might be willing to share a little insider info with them. Maybe someone wants out and the only way to do it is to undermine the house they work for.”
I frowned at him as we broke through the tree line and stepped onto the thick grass once more. “I think you’ve been watching too many mafia movies.”
He smiled. “Tell me the difference between the mafia and the vampire court. Because from where I’m sitting, it all looks about the same.”
Lacey appeared in the kitchen window, her expression stoic as she scanned the backyard. I didn’t want to think of her as some mob boss. She’d changed since leaving the manor, sure, but she was still Lacey. She wouldn’t put us in danger, and she certainly wasn’t one to give in to the darker side of her vampiric heritage.
Adam didn’t look so convinced.
We entered the manor through the back door. Lacey turned at our entrance. “Where should we go? To the study?”
“Sure,” I replied, glancing down at my shoes. I normally kicked them off as soon as I came inside, but I wasn’t wearing socks and it somehow felt unprofessional to wander into a meeting with a guest in bare feet. Lacey was a friend, but she was also still a lady of the vampire court and a guest at the inn. At least the sneakers weren’t covered in mud.
The back door opened again and Evangeline and Harmony came inside, giggling together. They sobered when they saw us standing there. “No luck?” Evangeline asked, directing her gaze at Lacey.
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