To Spell With It

by Amanda M. Lee

  “You can’t have it!” The first woman, a brunette, practically shrieked as she grappled with the smaller blonde and tried to dislodge her from the front of the case. “I saw it first.”

  “Your fingers are too fat for it,” the blonde shot back.

  I slid my eyes to Booker and found him watching the scene with equal parts curiosity and wariness. “Do you know them?”

  “Yeah. They’re locals, not cupids.”

  That didn’t make me feel any better. “Should we go over there?”

  Booker took a moment to look around, as if debating the answer to my question. Finally, he nodded and pressed his hand to my back. “Stick close. I don’t want anything to happen to you because I was distracted.”

  “Yes, that would suck.”

  He smiled but remained focused on the women as we crossed to them. They were sweating and red-faced when we closed the distance. The fight for the ring continued.

  “It’s mine.” The blonde dug her fingernails into the brunette’s wrist, causing the other woman to shriek with rage.

  Booker made up his mind on the spot. “Knock that off.” He put his hand over the ring and used his hips to box out the two women as he took possession. “You’re acting like children. Is a ring really worth acting like this?”

  “It’s my ring.” The brunette’s nostrils flared. “I saw it first.”

  Booker pinned each woman with a warning look before lifting the ring for a better look. His expression was incredulous when he handed it to me.

  “That’s mine!” The blonde looked as if she was about to jump me.

  “Shut up,” Booker ordered. “Hadley, tell me if there’s something special about that ring that I’m missing.”

  I dutifully stared at the item in question, frowning when I realized how cheap it was. “Um ... I don’t even think this is real silver.”

  Booker agreed. “That’s, like, a ten-dollar ring. Why are you fighting over it?”

  “Because it’s mine!” The blonde practically dripped venom as she took a threatening step closer toward the brunette. “She tried to steal it.”

  Something sizzled in the back of my mind as the women locked gazes. “They’re going to throw down,” I warned Booker, wrinkling my nose when a familiar scent wafted past. It was sickly sweet, so sweet that I felt I would vomit. “I ... .” I broke off and turned around, frantically searching the crowd. As far as I could tell, no one was watching the show. The attending cupids appeared to be bored more than anything else.

  “What’s wrong?” Booker took a step in my direction and then slowed when the two women made as if they were going to jump on each other and start clawing out eyes. “I said to stop that!” His voice boomed, but the women paid him little heed.

  “I’ll make you wish you were never born,” the brunette hissed.

  “I already wish you were never born,” the blonde tossed back. “Isn’t that enough?”

  Booker instinctively shot out his hands to keep the women at bay. “Enough is enough.” His eyes landed on me. “Call Galen. I think these ladies need to cool off in a cell for a bit.”

  I had other things on my mind. “Do you smell that?”

  “What?”

  “That ... rancid honey smell. It’s the same thing I smelled the day David Fox jumped to his death.”

  Booker immediately dropped his hands and stepped in my direction. “Do you sense something? Do you feel danger? Do that force field thing right now. Protect yourself.”

  His tone told me he meant business. I couldn’t focus on him, though, because the women stormed toward each other like rampaging bulls.

  “Hey!” I tried to draw their attention to me but it was already too late.

  They collided with snarls and flailing fists. Neither looked to be much of a fighter, but they grabbed hair and tugged for all they were worth, all the time screaming profanities at each other.

  Booker appeared confused as I ran past him. Something inside was ticking ... and I had a feeling it was my temper.

  “Knock it off!” I commanded, planting myself directly next to the women and putting a hand on each of their shoulders. “I’m not kidding. You need to stop this right now!”

  With the last word a bit of magic escaped. I had no control over it. The sparkling burst of energy smacked directly into the nearest woman. After rushing through her, it rammed itself down the blonde’s open mouth.

  The two women stopped fighting and sagged to the ground. They looked utterly defeated ... and completely bewildered.

  The burst of magic zipped back to me and disappeared into my chest, causing me to gape in shock.

  “What was that?”

  Booker rapidly moved his gaze from the subdued women to me. “I have no idea, but it was cool.”

  I wasn’t quite as thrilled as him at the outcome. “I think I need to sit down.”

  He grabbed my elbow before I could sink to the ground next to the women. “Good idea. There’s a table over here. We have a few things to talk about.”

  13

  Thirteen

  If Booker expected me to be able to explain what had happened, he was in for a rude awakening. Instead of peppering me with questions, though, he positioned me at a table that was cut off on two sides and then sat across from me as he curiously watched the women rouse themselves.

  They appeared confused more than anything else but shame colored their features as they slowly came back to reality.

  “Beth?” The blonde fixed her gaze on the brunette and frowned. “I ... um ... were we just fighting?”

  Beth looked equally sheepish. “I think so, Brenda. I just don’t know why.”

  “It was over this ring,” I offered helpfully, holding up the item in question. “Do either of you want it now?”

  Brenda furrowed her brow. “Um ... I think I’ll pass. In fact, I’m not feeling so well — a little queasy really — and want to get home.”

  “Me, too.” Beth avoided the other woman’s gaze. “I don’t know what just happened, but ... um ... I didn’t mean any of it.”

  “Me either.”

  The women acted as if they were strangers, which I found interesting. The man running the flea market booth finally poked his head from behind the table and inclined his chin in my direction. “I’ll be needing that ring back.”

  Booker collected it from me and tossed it to him. “Way to step in there, Doug. You really helped the situation.”

  Doug was having none of it. “My mother taught me at a young age that the last thing I wanted to do was step between two squabbling hens. That’s one lesson of hers I’ll take to the grave.”

  Booker rolled his eyes. “Yeah. You’re a real prince, buddy.” He was more sympathetic when he focused on Brenda and Beth. They appeared to be lost ... and yet they were in no hurry to scurry away despite their words. “I don’t suppose you two could answer a few questions before you go?”

  Beth was the first to raise her eyes. They were akin to brown death rays when they locked with Booker’s more curious look. “And what questions would you like us to answer?” she spat.

  “Look, you’re obviously embarrassed.” He had a pragmatic way about him and refused to back down. “I get it. If it’s any consolation, I don’t think you ladies were acting out because you had a deep desire for a cheap ring.”

  “This ring is an heirloom,” Doug shot back.

  “That ring will turn someone’s finger green,” Booker argued. “That’s not the point, though. The point is that Beth and Brenda are friends. I know because I see them walking the beach together several times a week. They’re always laughing and having a good time. What happened today was out of character.”

  “And you think something was done to us?” Brenda straightened her shoulders and then, to my surprise, glared at me. “I wonder who could’ve done it.”

  I was taken aback. “I didn’t do it. In case you didn’t notice, I’m the one who stopped you.”

  “Maybe you knew how to stop us becau
se you’re the one who caused it,” Beth suggested. She was obviously warming to the idea, because she lobbed a threatening look in my direction as she dusted off the seat of her pants. “We were perfectly fine until you guys showed up.”

  “And how do you know when we showed up?” Booker challenged. He seemed to be taking umbrage with the insinuations. “You were already arguing when we saw you. Hadley didn’t do this.”

  “How do you know?” Brenda folded her arms over her chest and glared at Moonstone Bay’s resident jack-of-all-trades. “You don’t know her any better than we do. The grapevine is thick with gossip about her. People say she’s more than just a normal witch. How else do you think she got Galen?”

  “By being cute,” Galen announced, joining the cluster. He looked out of breath, as if he’d run the entire way to the festival. It was obvious someone had contacted him. I’d forgotten about making the call two seconds after Booker suggested it. “What’s going on?”

  Brenda and Beth had the grace to look abashed, but that didn’t stop them from casting hateful glares at me. Booker answered the question. He kept the story short, was careful to keep talk of my magical intervention to a minimum, and when he was finished Galen merely shook his head.

  “So ... more people acting out of sorts?” He rubbed his chin as he shifted his eyes to me. Something heavy passed between us, but he made sure to keep his distance. I had a feeling that was because he didn’t want the two women later claiming he’d played favorites. “May I see the ring?”

  Doug held it out for Galen’s inspection. “It’s a valuable piece.”

  “It’s tin and a glass stone,” Galen shot back, returning the ring to Doug’s open palm. “I don’t think the ring is bewitched.”

  “No,” Booker agreed. “Someone managed to make them act like middle-schoolers fighting over the last boy at the homecoming dance, though.”

  Beth’s cheeks flooded with color. “It was her.” She pointed directly at me. “There’s no other explanation. She was at the beach yesterday when that cupid walked into the surf. She’s been present for both instances.”

  My heart dropped. I should’ve seen this coming. “I didn’t do anything.”

  “Of course you didn’t.” Galen cast me a silencing look. He clearly didn’t want me wallowing in the mud with my accuser. “Beth is just embarrassed because she made a fool of herself in public. Three different people called to tell me what was going on. And guess what? Not one of them mentioned Hadley’s involvement.”

  “That doesn’t mean she’s not to blame,” Beth sputtered. “Everything was fine on this island until she showed up. Now weird things happen all the time.”

  “Yes, everything was normal on the island that has zombies wandering the cemetery every night. I’m the one who made things weird.”

  Booker snorted. “She has a point, Beth. Besides, I was with her the entire time. She didn’t do anything. We were talking about how garish the red and pink decorations were before we heard you guys arguing.”

  “Do you hear that, sheriff?” Beth’s tone had teeth. “Booker spent the afternoon with your girlfriend and now he’s serving as her alibi. How does that make you feel?”

  “As if you’re trying to make yourself feel better at Hadley’s expense,” Galen replied without hesitation. “She didn’t do this and I’m not going to sit around and listen to you spout nonsense. For now, I want you to head home and cool off. I’ll be around tomorrow to talk to you again. You might want to change your attitude.”

  “Oh, so basically you’re saying that as long as someone is sleeping with you she can hex the entire town to do whatever amuses her and nothing will happen?” Beth jerked her head in a manner that reminded me of an angry chicken. “Well, that’s just great. Where can I sign up for that treatment? I don’t know if I’m looking forward to the sex or special treatment more.”

  Galen’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits and I recognized the fury rolling off him. “How far do you want to push me, Beth? I could arrest you right now for disturbing the peace. You’re also throwing around false accusations. I’d be very careful how far you take this.”

  “Come on.” Brenda tentatively reached over and grabbed her friend’s wrist. “We should get out of here. We’re just making things worse by hanging around this long.”

  “You’ve got that right,” Galen muttered, dragging a hand through his inky black hair. “Just ... go. I’ll talk to you again tomorrow.”

  “We’re going, sheriff.” Brenda appeared nervous. “She didn’t mean any disrespect.”

  “I know what she meant.” Galen wet his lips as he waited for them to leave and then focused his full attention on me. Most of the festival guests had already gone back to their normal activities, so no one was paying attention to us. “I see your bag of tricks keeps growing.”

  I didn’t know what to say. “It just happened.”

  “Whatever it was, she did a good job,” Booker offered. “It was as if she managed to un-curse both of them with one shot. It was pretty interesting.”

  “And I’m dying to hear about it.” He extended his hand. “Come on. Let’s get some lunch — somewhere else — and we’ll talk about it.”

  That was a nice offer and I was all for it. I remained worried, though. “I swear I didn’t make them act that way,” I offered as I took his hand.

  “Of course you didn’t.” He gave me a reassuring squeeze as he looked to his left to make sure Booker was sticking with us. “Let’s head to Lilac’s. They have her famous shrimp boil on special today.”

  Booker brightened considerably. “That sounds right up my alley.”

  “Then we’ll talk.” His smile was thin-lipped when he aimed it at me. “I know you didn’t curse anyone, Hadley. You don’t have to keep reassuring me. I know you and what you’re capable of. That’s not in your wheelhouse.”

  “You seem to be the only one who thinks so,” I muttered.

  Galen and Booker exchanged unreadable looks. “Not the only one,” he said after a beat. “People who know you are on your side. As for the rest ... it doesn’t matter. I don’t care about their opinions. I only care about figuring out the truth. On that front, I have some information to share.”

  My interest was officially piqued. “What? Do you know what’s happening?”

  “Not here. Wait until we’re at the restaurant.”

  I sighed. “Okay. But I want a big bucket of shrimp.”

  He smiled. “You’ve worked up quite the appetite, huh? You’ve had two big showings of magic in less than sixteen hours. That has to be a new record.”

  I hadn’t considered that. “I want cheesecake, too.”

  “I think you’ve earned it.”

  GALEN PICKED THE QUIETEST CORNER of Lilac’s bar to settle in. He sat on one side of the booth with me, our backs to the wall, and Booker sat across from us.

  “You guys look like you’re in plotting mode,” Lilac announced as she delivered glasses of water. “Do I even want to know what’s going on? Check that. If it’s anything like the gossip I’m hearing, I think I’ll take a pass.”

  “What gossip are you hearing?” Galen asked. “And how did the gossip beat us here? It just happened.”

  “Yes, well, Brenda and Beth have big mouths and they were apparently stopping anyone they could find on the street to tell them Hadley is doling out curses.”

  My stomach sank. “This is the worst.”

  Galen patted my knee under the table. “It’s going to be okay. I promise. You don’t need to get worked up or anything. This will die down ... and fast.”

  I wasn’t so sure. “People are afraid of me.” The realization hit like two trains colliding. “Ever since I found out what I was, I thought it would be cool to learn certain things, magical stuff and the like. But I don’t want people to be afraid of me.”

  Galen slid me a sidelong look. “People aren’t afraid of you.”

  “I don’t know what festival you were just at, but people are definitely afraid o
f me.”

  “Fear isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Booker pointed out. “Once word of what she did today spreads, that might stop whoever is trying to go after her. Would you mess with the woman who magically managed to bring two women to their knees in three seconds flat?”

  “Wait ... I think I’m missing part of the story.” Lilac’s nose wrinkled. “Catch me up.”

  Booker and Galen did, with zest, while I stared at the table and contemplated my lot in life. Fear was a funny thing. I always wanted to be the woman in control, the sort of person who awed everyone she came in contact with, but I never wanted people to feel fear simply because of my presence.

  Once the men were finished with the story, Lilac took our orders and then disappeared into the kitchen without saying another word. I figured she wanted to put as much distance between us as possible – until she returned with a slice of cheesecake and slid it in front of me.

  “I think you need that.” Her gaze was kind as I flashed a sheepish smile. “I can already tell you’ve had a long day.”

  “And that’s on top of the protective bubble she conjured last night to protect herself from whoever was following her on the highway,” Galen added. “She’s definitely had a full few hours.”

  “Don’t forget the sleepwalking,” Booker added. “That’s actually our biggest concern right now. We know she’s not cursing people to drown themselves or fight. But the sleepwalking, that’s something we should definitely be worried about.”

  “You have been busy.” Lilac slid into the booth next to Booker and rested her hands on the table as she considered the conundrum. “It has to be the cupids,” she said finally. “A lot of paranormals can influence humans and other paranormals, make them do things, but the timing seems to suggest we’re looking at a cupid.”

  “That’s what I think,” Booker agreed. “But I’m wondering if it’s not a full cupid. Perhaps someone is overcompensating for something.”