Magic and Mayhem: Witch With An Attitude (Kindle Worlds Novella)

by Jodi Vaughn

  ***

  “So how far are we?” I took a sip of my hot tea and examined his car. It was an obvious rental with a faint whiff of stale cigarettes and coffee. The two things I detested most in life.

  Well, besides betrayal.

  “Ella, we just left.” He chuckled and shoved his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. It was a habit that I found oddly attractive.

  “Did you pick out this car? Or did they have it waiting for you at the car rental?” I kept my hands wrapped around the cup so I wouldn’t be tempted to touch the stained seat. It was clean but had a lot of wear and tear.

  “How’d you know it was a rental? Did you read my mind again?” He narrowed his eyes.

  “Nope.” I took another sip. “I read the license plate.”

  He relaxed his shoulders. Despite our time together last night I knew he didn’t trust me a hundred percent. Smart rabbit. He shouldn’t.

  “According to my map, it should be about a five hour drive to the Missouri state line.”

  “Five hours? Let me see that map.” I grabbed his phone where he had it propped up against the radio. I couldn’t tell a damn thing with the arrow moving and I couldn’t make the map expand out.

  I put the phone back and opened the glove compartment and rummaged around until I found what I was looking for.

  “This is more like it.” I smiled and waved the map in the air. “This is a real map, my friend.”

  “So is the map on the navigation app.” He arched his brow.

  I shook my head and flipped through the map of the United States until I came to West Virginia. “I’ve been around a lot longer than you and I can tell you that the navigation will show you the majority of the roads. Just not all of them.”

  “Short cuts on a dirt road? No thank you. I can’t risk damaging the rental trying to shave off some time.”

  “You know nothing, Roger Rabbit.” I scowled.

  “My last name isn’t Rabbit…

  “Whatever, you know what I mean. “ I found where we were on the map and trailed my finger down an alternate route. A quicker route.

  “Ha! I found it.”

  “Found what?”

  “A quicker way to get to Missouri.”

  “I don’t know, Ella. I think we should stay on the highway. It’s a better road and we know where we’re going.”

  “But I don’t have time to waste.” I glared at him. My stomach churned frantically. I had to get to Missouri. I couldn’t take any more delays. I didn’t want to miss my concert.

  “I’m doing the speed limit.” He looked over at me. “What’s the urgency anyway? Is something going on that you’ve not told me about?”

  “I’ve told you everything you need to know. It’s important that I get to Missouri. I’ve already wasted enough time being hit by a car and the highway being shut down to clear out that accident.”

  “Well, I’m sure whatever is waiting for you in Missouri will still be there when you arrive.” He placated.

  I wanted to scream. I was as hyped up as a squirrel on crack.

  Taillights lit up in front of us as traffic slowed to a crawl. I craned my neck out the window to try to see. There were too many cars in front of us to see anything.

  I plopped back in my seat and groaned.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” I leaned my head back on the headrest and fought the urge to scream.

  Roger frowned. He rolled down his window and stuck his head out.

  “Looks like it’s backed up. Maybe it’s just morning traffic.” He glanced over and tried to give me a reassuring smile

  “Morning traffic? On a highway in West Virginia with no major city close by?” I arched my brow and curled my hands into fists. “It’s probably another wreck, which means we are going to be stuck on this highway for hours.” I groaned.

  “Here let me see that map.” He held out his hand.

  I sat up and handed him the paper map and then looked out the window for a marker.

  “We can take this exit right here and cut down this highway off the interstate.” I traced the journey with my finger along the map.

  He said nothing as he studied the map.

  “Come on, Roger. Please tell me you don’t expect us to sit here and wait.” If that was his plan then I would have to hop out of the car and start hoofing it myself.

  He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Fine. We’ll do it your way. I just hope you’re right.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  We drove for another few hours, me calling out directions to Roger as we followed the map turn by turn. A few hours into our drive, Roger stopped at a diner off the highway for us to grab an early lunch. After eating and gassing up the rental car we continued on our way.

  The road stretched out in front of us, the small towns further apart. Roger seemed unsure of our destination, but I was glad we were putting miles behind.

  “I can’t believe it looks like it’s going to rain again. “ He groused, turning on the windshield wipers when the first fat raindrop plopped on the glass. “Are you sure we’re headed in the right direction? I’m beginning to think we’ve missed our turn.” He made a face and I could tell from the tone in his voice he was getting irritated.

  “Calm down. We’re going the right way. Trust me.” I picked up the map and checked and rechecked the route. “We’re only a few hours from Missouri.” I looked up with a satisfied smile on my lips.

  Bright orange signs and a road crew appeared up ahead. Roger slowed the car.

  “Road Closed.” He read the sign and looked over at me. “Seriously?”

  “You can’t blame that on me!” I was as pissed as he was, but I needed to find a way out of this. “Wait, look there. It’s a detour sign.” I pointed.

  “Detour? Really? You must know how this ends up in the movies.”

  “Yeah. The couple gets stuck in the middle of nowhere and ends up having sex all night until daybreak when someone stumbles upon them.” At least that’s what happened in the movies I watched.

  “Actually I was thinking more along the lines of the couple getting hacked to death by a guy with a pig mask and a chainsaw.

  “You watch the wrong kind of movies. Must wreck your whole aura.” I shook my head.

  He blinked. “Did you realize you referred to us as a couple?” His expression softened and it scared the hell out of me.

  I straightened my back and looked straight ahead. “Because I’m delusional from hunger.”

  “You just ate lunch a few hours ago.” Roger said.

  “Like I said, weak from hunger.” I cut my eyes at him.

  “And you just finished off a bear claw and apple turnover not less than five minutes ago.” A grin played at the corner of his lips. “In fact you still have the icing on your fingertips.” He lifted one of my hands.

  I snatched my hand away and sucked the incriminating icing off my finger and crossed my arms over my chest.

  “Relax Ella. I was just kidding. I know last night doesn’t mean we are a couple.”

  I breathed a little easier. Roger was kind hearted, hot in the sack, and had a gentle soul. I didn’t want to be the bitch to ruin him forever when it came to women.

  “Good. Just so we’re clear.” I narrowed my eyes at him as he looked back at the map and then at the road.

  “I’m not saying it didn’t mean anything…” His voice was soft and gentle and it caught me off guard.

  I jerked my head in his direction and leveled my gaze on him. “Don’t go getting all emotional on me. It was a one-time thing and that’s it.” I pointed my finger in his face for effect.

  “I didn’t want you to feel like I was using you.” He blinked and looked away.

  “Using me? Are you kidding?” He could have knocked me over with a feather. “Dude, I was totally using you for sex.”

  He gave me a grin that had me thinking he didn’t believe me at all.

  “Okay, whatever you say.” He grinned and looked awa
y.

  “Don’t okay me.” I glared. “Roger, you obviously don’t know who I am.”

  “Oh, I think I have you figured out.” He chuckled and shoved his glasses up on his nose.

  “Men don’t use me for sex.” I shoved my finger in my chest, “I use men for sex.”

  He looked at me and blinked. “This certainly is a topic that has you fired up. Would you like to elaborate?”

  “I knew it.” I sucked in a breath between my teeth and dug my fingers into my palms. “You’re doing it again.”

  “Doing what?” He frowned.

  “You’re fucking analyzing me again. Like I’m one of your patients.” My face heated with anger.

  “Honestly, I’m really not. I’m sorry if it came across that way. I just thought you wanted to talk about it, you know as…”

  “Lovers?” I spat out the words and arched my brow as if daring him to use the word.

  “As friends.” He spoke slowly. He seemed to know he was in dangerous female territory and know he was trying to find a way out before someone got hurt. Mainly him.

  “I don’t have friends.”

  “Everyone has friends.” He said.

  “I’m not everyone and I sure as fuck don’t have friends.” I uncurled my fingers and looked at my palms. Little crescent marks stood out on my palms. I smoothed my palms down on my jeans. “Well, are we taking the detour or what?”

  “Let’s try it. What do we have to lose?” He relented.

  “Certainly not time.” I said in a sing song voice, hoping he’d get the hint and shut up. I didn’t want to have this conversation any more. I just wanted to get to my destination and get out of this car.

  “Detour it is.” Roger eased up to the detour sign and made a right.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “I told you we shouldn’t have taken this detour.” Roger looked at me and scowled.

  I crossed my arms and leaned against the hood of the rental and shot him a look.

  “Actually I believe your exact words were, “let’s give the detour a try.” I shoved off the car and gave the flat tire a kick and then hissed in pain. I grabbed my foot and glared up at him. “This is your fault.”

  “My fault?” he looked at me like I had grown a second head.

  “Yes, your fault. I mean who rents a car with no spare in the trunk?” I grabbed his phone out of his hand.

  “There’s no signal. I’ve already tried calling Triple A.”

  “I’m not calling anyone. I’m checking the time.” I glanced at the screen of the phone.

  It was almost five o’clock. With the time change, it would be dark soon.

  “I’ve not seen one car since we’ve been on the side of the road.” He kept looking down the stretch of highway as if hoping a car would suddenly appear.

  I grabbed the map and tried to gauge where we were. “Look, here.” I pointed to a tiny town marked on the map.

  “I don’t think that’s a town. Looks more like a community.” Roger shook his head and looked back at the road.

  “So what do you suggest, Doc?” I folded my arms and looked at him. “All we are doing is wasting time. No one has been down this road since we pulled over. And I don’t think anyone is going to appear now because you keep staring hard enough. It’s getting dark and we don’t have a phone signal.”

  “I don’t know, Ella, why don’t you tell me what we should do. Since the whole detour was your idea anyway.” Irritation flooded his voice and I could tell that Roger was on edge.

  “I suggest we walk down the road until we spot a house, or hit that town on the map.” I arched my brow. “We can use their phone to call for help.”

  “What if they don’t have a phone?” He crossed his arms and looked at me.

  “Are you kidding me? Everyone has a phone. They might not have a cell phone but they’ll have a land line.” I shook my head. This wasn’t the eighteen hundreds.

  We stood there in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

  “I have an idea.” I stuck the map under my arm and faced him. “You stay with the car and I’ll go find help. I’ll call Triple A for you and tell them where you are.”

  “Are you insane? You can’t go off by yourself.” His eyes glowed with fury.

  “I am a witch.” I arched my brow. “I can take care of myself, you know that right?”

  “You shouldn’t have to Ella.” His eyes softened.

  My guard came up. And I looked away. I wasn’t used to this. I wasn’t used to men being protective. Sure they flirted, and when I wanted, were more than willing to jump in the sack, but they never looked at me like Roger did.

  I pushed away the uncomfortable feelings and looked away.

  “Okay so are you coming with me or not?”I propped my hands on my hips and tilted my head.

  “I’m coming with you. But let me lock up the car first.”

  “Right. Because someone is definitely going to want this jewel of a vehicle.” I smirked.

  I watched Roger as he turned on the hazard lights and made sure the doors were securely locked. I was willing to bet my shifter had a bit of an OCD problem.

  “You ready?” I let out a long suffering sigh.

  “I see that patience is not your strong suit.” He cocked his head at me before we began our journey toward the town ahead of us.

  “You’re right about that bunny man. Never was and never will be.”

  Night was quickly descending as we walked down the deserted highway. I kept straining my ears, and listening for an approaching car but all I heard was frogs groaning and crickets chirping.

  “We need to move it or we’re going to be stranded in the dark and not be able to see a thing.” Roger grabbed my hand and took off at a jog, pulling me behind him.

  “I hate running.” I complained. I had been blessed by the body gods and never had a reason to exercise. Since gaining immortality, I was perpetually stuck in a body that didn’t age, gain weight, or get crow’s feet.

  “And I hate getting stranded without a vehicle.” Roger countered.

  I had to give it to him. He did have a smart-ass streak when he relaxed a bit.

  I glanced to my right and hesitated. Roger stopped and looked back at me.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Look, there.” I pointed back off the road toward a very dim light. “I think it’s a house.”

  “Maybe we should keep going. The town can’t be much further down the road.” Roger insisted.

  “You are the one that said it wasn’t a town. You said it was more of a community.” I looked back at the light. “Plus we don’t know how much further. But this looks like the light from a house. We should try our luck there.”

  “Ella…”

  “Okay fine.” I snatched my hand out of his grip and stuck it in my pocket. “You make the call. Since you’re blaming the flat tire on me.”

  “Ella, I didn’t say the flat tire was your fault.” He insisted. In the dim light I could see the tilt of his head. “I said the detour was your fault.”

  “You’re such a jerk. Do you know that?” I glared at him through the darkness, but was pretty sure he couldn’t see shit.

  “Okay fine. Let’s try the house. Although I’m not sure the light you’re seeing is coming from a house.”

  “What do you think it’s coming from?” I looked back at the glow.

  “It looks like a bonfire.”

  “Even better. Maybe they have S’mores.” I was starving. I grabbed his hand and we headed in the direction of the light.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  “Wait,” I hissed and grabbed Roger’s hand as we got closer. I pulled him behind a large oak tree to hide us from view. The dirt road we walked up was muddy from the rain, and my sneakers and the hem of my jeans had a layer of mud an inch thick. I shivered against the night, the temperature dropping too low for my taste.

  “What are you doing?” He glanced over at me.

  “We can’t just pop up there
without seeing what’s going on.”

  “Well from what I’m seeing it’s a bonfire. Ladies sitting around, and judging from the red plastic cups, I’m betting they’re drinking wine.”

  “We’re in West Virginia.” I arched my brow. “They’re probably drinking moonshine.”

  I studied the group. “Looks like six women dressed in hideous bright colored skirts.” I cringed. “I could go blind from looking at those dresses. Maybe they’re gypsies. That or circus people.”

  They were laughing and drinking while a young girl in her early teens walked around offering the women fixings for campfire S’mores.

  “I knew it.” My stomach growled. I pumped my arm in the air.

  “What?” Roger jerked his head back to me.

  “They have S’mores.” My spirits lifted and I forgot about being cold or having mud on my shoes.

  “God, Ella. How do you eat so much and stay so lean?” He shook his head and turned his attention back to the group.

  “Little bit of good genes, and a whole lot of immortality I suppose.” I wrapped my arms around myself, rubbing my palms against the goose flesh that had popped up on my skin. “Let me go in first. I don’t want to freak them out with a man walking in and crashing their party.”

  “Good idea.” He nodded and let go of my hand.

  I could feel his eyes on me as I made my way toward the backyard. The laughter grew louder and something about these women had my gut twisting.

  It was a scene I had never experienced in life. The giggles and bonding over wine and S’mores was something I’d only dreamed about. True friendship had never been written in the cards for me.

  I shivered as I stepped out from the shroud of trees that surrounded the small white house and into the light of the bonfire.

  Their backs were to me and I didn’t want to frighten them.

  I cleared my throat and then spoke. “Excuse me.”

  Three of the women, all brunettes jumped out of their chairs and spun around to face me. The rest of the women stayed seated but craned their necks to have a look at the stranger invading their party.