The foal was tucked in with his mother when we stopped in to say goodbye. He remained ridiculously cute.
“Isn’t he awesome?”
Galen chuckled at my enthusiasm. “He seems a nice enough chap.” He hunkered down and extended his hand so the mother horse could sniff him. When she didn’t put up a fuss, he reached over and petted the colt. “You need to make sure he has an awesome name.”
“That’s the plan. I’m going to put together a list.”
“A list?” His expression reflected amusement. “You’re nothing if not diligent.”
“I can hear the derision in your voice when you say stuff like that,” I warned. “It doesn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.”
“I’ll handle that when we get home.” He straightened and slipped his arm around my waist. “We should get going. I want to make it back before dark, just to be on the safe side.”
“Do you really think the incubus will come back?” I had my doubts. “I think I might have hurt him.”
“You definitely hurt him. Too bad we can’t figure out what you did.”
“I didn’t consciously do anything,” I admitted. “It just sort of happened. Sometimes ... .” I broke off and chewed my bottom lip, lost in thought.
“Sometimes what?” he prodded.
“Sometimes I wonder if the magic has a mind of its own.” I felt foolish saying it. Magic wasn’t a sentient entity, after all. I’d had the thought more than once, though. “Do you think that’s possible?”
“I think that you’re so strong that you inherently know how to protect yourself, even if you don’t realize it yet. You might not understand about directing it or anything, but that doesn’t mean you’re not doing it.”
“I’m not consciously doing it.” I was firm on that. “I just react sometimes and it happens.”
“As you become more sure of yourself you’ll be able to be more proactive.”
“I hope you’re right. In fact, well, Booker had an idea of something I could do as a job.” I felt stupid bringing it up now. But we were in a good place and I wanted to get it out of the way. “He thinks I should read tarot cards and tell fortunes. He suggested inviting people into the lighthouse, which I’m not comfortable with, or taking up a corner in Lilac’s bar. I think that’s sort of weird. I had a different idea ... but I want to know what you think.”
“You want to tell fortunes?”
“I want to be good at something.”
“And you think you’re not?”
“I think ... I’ve never really taken pride in a job. That’s on me. I realize that. You have a lot of pride in your job. You know you’re good at it. Lilac is very proud of her bar even though she complains nonstop. Booker hops around but he has a good reputation and he seems to like when people clamor for his services. I want to be like that.”
“I see you’ve given this some thought.” He moved his hand to my back and tilted his head to the side, considering. “May could probably teach you to read fortunes. It might be a good bonding exercise.”
“I thought that, too.”
“I don’t think you should invite people into the lighthouse. That’s your private sanctum, where you go when you need to get away and feel safe. I think you should find a different location. Maybe there’s a building being vacated soon that you can rent or something.”
“Oh, I have an idea for that, too,” I admitted. “I was thinking I would use the cart.”
His face was blank. “Use the cart for what?”
“To go to people’s houses ... or set up sessions on the beach. I bet I could rent booths at the festivals if I get good enough. That’s not for a while, though. I have to put work into studying before this comes to fruition.”
“I actually think that sounds like a good idea, although I want you to run names by me before you visit houses. I don’t want my girlfriend — the woman I love — going to some old pervert’s house because she’s not aware of his history.”
I laughed. It was so like him to immediately jump to that conclusion. “I think we can work something out.”
“Compromise?”
“Yeah.”
He leaned over and gave me a kiss. “You seem excited about this. I think it’s a good idea. You’ll be able to set your own hours and still work with me on cases when you want.”
“You’re inviting me to work on cases with you?” I was understandably dubious.
“You said it yourself. We make a good team.”
“We do.” I squeezed his hand. “Let’s go home. It’s still early enough that we can stop at Lilac’s bar and have a drink.”
He balked. “I don’t think we should get drunk when you have a late-night suitor possibly making a visit.”
“I didn’t say ‘get drunk.’ One drink won’t hurt us. We’ll still be a team at the bar. I don’t want to hide for the duration of the cupid convention. I still want to live my life.”
“Even if I can arrange it so we spend all our time hiding in bed?”
“Ha, ha.” I poked his side. “I want to be able to live my life. That means going to the bar with you ... and seeing my friends ... and walking on the beach without fear. I’d also like to visit the cemetery again. I haven’t seen my mother in a while.”
He opened his mouth to say something. Apparently he thought better of it, because I recognized the moment he decided to switch gears. “We can stop at Lilac’s place. I want to check in at the lighthouse and drop your bag off first. Can you live with that?”
“Sure. We can walk from the lighthouse. It’s a nice night.”
“This is more of that compromise you were talking about, right?”
“Yup.”
“I think it’s going to take a bit to get used to.” He dropped a kiss on my upturned mouth. “For now, let’s let little No Name here and his mother get some rest. I look forward to seeing your list of names tomorrow.”
“Oh, you jest, but I’m totally making a list.”
“I expect nothing less.”
THE INCUBUS WASN’T AT THE lighthouse when we arrived — not that I expected him — but three female cupids I didn’t recognize were waiting in the driveway when Galen parked. They didn’t look happy.
“Now what?” He growled as he hopped out of the truck. “Can we help you?”
“We’re looking for Hadley Hunter,” one of the women replied. She was a short blonde with curly hair, stacked to the point I was surprised her shirt could contain her ample assets. “We have a bone to pick with her.”
“Oh, well, good,” I muttered, slamming shut the passenger-side door of Galen’s truck. “Who doesn’t love a picked bone?”
Galen shot me a quelling look, his message clear. He wanted to handle this one. I was fine with that. The last thing I wanted was to squabble with a bunch of women I didn’t know.
“And what bone is that?” Galen feigned patience, but I could tell he wasn’t in the mood for nonsense.
“She’s stealing all our men.”
“And how is she doing that?”
“I have no idea, but we’re sick of it.”
Galen slid his eyes to me, his expression unreadable. I couldn’t tell if he was amused or annoyed, but it annoyed me because normally he could hide very little with his facial expressions. “Have you been stealing their men?”
Three heads snapped in my direction at the same time.
“Are you Hadley?” the blonde asked.
“I haven’t decided yet,” I said. “I think I might want to be someone else for the day.”
“It doesn’t matter who she is,” Galen challenged. “This is her property and you’re trespassing.”
“And who are you to tell us what to do?” one of the other women asked. She was a willowy redhead, long hair hanging to her waist and a smattering of freckles broadcast across her nose. “We don’t have to do what you say.”
He reached into his pocket and retrieved his badge. “Actually, you do. I’m Sheriff Blackwood. If you have any questio
ns, you can direct them to me.”
The news that they were dealing with a law enforcement representative didn’t slow the women down … at all.
“Well, then that’s timely,” the redhead noted. “We want her arrested for illegally casting spells.”
“She’s a witch,” the blonde added in a conspiratorial whisper. “Everyone is talking about it. She can make people do things.”
Oh, well, I’d had just about enough of this. “That’s rich coming from folks who can actually influence people’s moods and make them fall in love or act out of character if they push hard enough,” I shot back. “I don’t know what you three are going on about, but I haven’t done anything to your men. I don’t even know who they are.”
“Booker,” the third girl piped up. She had short brown hair and a ski-slope nose that gave her an adventurous look. “You’ve been sucking up all his time. Someone said he spent the entire day with you yesterday ... and most of today.”
That was news to me. “He wasn’t with me today,” I offered, full of faux sweetness. “I can’t take credit for that. Sorry. I was with my grandfather.”
“Booker was with me today,” Galen offered. “Perhaps I cast a spell to get his attention.”
The blonde’s mouth dropped open. “Did you?”
“No.” Galen made a face. “Hadley didn’t either. If Booker isn’t paying you the attention you feel you deserve, take it up with him. It’s not Hadley’s fault.”
“What about the other men?” the redhead challenged. “All the other cupids are fixated on her, too. We’re supposed to have a meet-and-greet tonight, just for cupids, but none of the men want to go because all they want to talk about is her.” She pointed an accusatory finger in my direction. “She’s practicing witchcraft on our people. You need to lock her up before she does irreparable damage.”
“Oh, geez.” Galen rolled his eyes. “Listen, Hadley hasn’t been casting spells. If the guys you’re interested in are chasing her, that’s on them. Now ... get out of here.” He made a sweeping gesture with his hand. “As I’ve already mentioned, this is private property and you’re not welcome.”
“And what will you do if we don’t leave?” the brunette challenged. “I don’t think you’re strong enough to take all of us.”
“Think again.” Galen’s voice dropped lower and was full of warning.
“Besides, he wouldn’t be alone,” I offered, moving to his side. “If I’m as strong as you seem to believe, taking out you guys should be easy.”
The women exchanged looks, uneasiness permeating the air.
“Maybe you can only cast spells on men,” the blonde said finally. “Maybe we have nothing to worry about.”
“Do you want to find out?” I shot back. “If so, stick around.”
The women looked from one to the other uneasily. Ultimately, they decided they didn’t want to risk a fight and stomped off.
“I’m watching you,” the redhead warned, extending two fingers and pointing them at her eyes before shifting their trajectory toward me. “Be afraid.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I slid my eyes to Galen and found his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. I couldn’t hide my surprise. “Don’t tell me you think this is funny.”
“I think it’s pretty funny,” he admitted. “You’re suddenly the wickedest witch on the island. Your reputation is growing.”
“How is that a good thing?”
“If people are afraid of you they won’t approach you. In fact ... .” He trailed off, the key to the front door in his hands. His gaze was on the back patio. Thanks to the setting sun, I had trouble figuring out what he was staring at.
“Is it the incubus?” I kept my voice low, preparing for battle.
“No. It’s Aurora. I was just checking if she was naked.” He must have read the dour look on my face because he quickly covered. “Because I would’ve sent you back there to talk to her alone if she was. Nobody wants to see that. I mean ... blech.”
“You’re not fooling anybody.” I headed for the patio. “You’re buying drinks at Lilac’s to make up for that comment.”
“I can live with that.”
Aurora was stretched out on one of the loungers watching the sun set. She appeared lost in thought.
“Hey.” I dropped into the chair next to her, barely paying Galen any mind when he slid into the spot next to me instead of grabbing his own seat. “What’s up?”
“I wasn’t sure if you guys would be back,” she said, her eyes cloudy when they locked with mine. “I heard Galen forced you out to Wesley’s place for the day.”
“I did,” Galen confirmed. “We had a long talk, and now we’re back.”
“In other words, you caved.” Her lips curved. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought — the scent outside the window — and something has been bothering me about it. I can’t get it out of my head. I think I recognize it.”
“It’s an incubus,” Galen volunteered.
Aurora’s eyebrows migrated up her forehead. “You figured it out. How?”
“He attacked again last night and we got in a fight. I got a good look at him. It’s not hard to identify an incubus once you know what you’re looking for.”
“That’s true.” Aurora tugged on her lower lip. “How did you fight him off?”
“Hadley did something with her magic. I’m not even sure what it was. All I can say is that it was effective and he dove out of a second-story window to get away from us. When I find him again I’m going to rip his head off.”
“He’s a little upset about his sleeping pattern being interrupted,” I said, patting his knee. “We’re going to Lilac’s bar to talk about it. Do you want to come?”
“I don’t think so. On any other night I’d join you. That place will be thick with cupids. They give me the heebie-jeebies.”
I thought about questioning her regarding the elementals mythology, but now didn’t seem the time. I filed it away for later. “We won’t be there long. Just long enough for one drink and to maybe get a look at the people who are there. We’d recognize the incubus if we saw it again.”
“That’s assuming he hasn’t changed his looks,” Aurora pointed out. “Incubi survive because they’re malleable and change it up often. They would die out otherwise.”
“I would recognize him regardless.” Galen sounded certain of himself if the growl in his throat was to be believed. “Trust me. I’ll never forget that face.”
“I trust you. I only stopped by to tell you my idea. I should get going. I can’t wait until these cupids are out of here.”
“I’m just glad Hadley managed to protect herself last night,” Galen noted. “Her magic is growing fast. I’m impressed ... and thankful.”
“That’s probably because her mother died giving birth.”
I stilled, surprised. Aurora delivered the line bluntly, but she appeared not to realize what she’d said. “Why would that matter?” I asked finally.
“Blood magic,” Aurora replied simply. “Your mother died giving birth to you. You took on some of her essence at the time. At least, that’s the way it usually works. Her sacrifice fortifies your strength. It’s a common belief in magical circles.”
I looked to Galen for confirmation. “Is that true?”
He looked lost. “I don’t know,” he admitted after a beat. “It seems to make sense on the surface when you think about it.”
“Can we find out?”
“You have a whole room full of books for research,” he reminded me.
“Right. I guess I know what I’m doing tomorrow. Or maybe the day after, because finding the incubus is more important than skipping down memory lane. I’ll make a mental note to research as soon as this is over.”
“We definitely need to focus on the incubus. We’ll leave the rest of the research for when this is behind us.”
“Another compromise?”
“It’s not a compromise if we already both agree.”
“I guess you have a point.” I heaved out a dramatic sigh. “I might be tapping you for information later, Aurora,” I warned. “Be prepared.”
“That’s fine.” She headed toward the water. “Just get rid of the cupids. I hate them.”
“I’m starting to hate them, too,” Galen admitted. “They’ll be gone after the weekend.”
“That’s not soon enough.”
That seemed to be the general consensus.
20
Twenty
I took a quick shower (pouting all day made me smell bad) and changed into a simple skirt and top. Galen spent the entire time I was getting ready jerry-rigging the windows and doors. By the time I tracked him down to leave, I found every window in the place tied shut. Tight. The concentration on his face made me laugh.
“You’re determined to keep him out.”
“Are you saying you don’t want him to stay out?”
“No. But perhaps we should stop trying to keep him out and invite him inside.”
The face Galen made was absolutely hilarious. “Do you want to serve him tea while you’re at it?”
“No, I want to kill him ... or at least give him a stern talking to. I don’t know how I feel about killing yet. I know it’s necessary, but ... you know ... ick.”
He belted out a gregarious guffaw that took me by surprise. “Ick, huh? I don’t want him near you. If I could find him myself he’d already be dead. I don’t have your qualms about killing.”
I believed him. “Do you really think all incubi need to die? You don’t believe in rehabilitation?”
“Not even a little.” His tone was no-nonsense. “Even in the human world, sexual predators are almost always the ones that can’t be rehabilitated. Even murderers have a better shot of being reintroduced to society. Incubi are simply rapists in a prettier package.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I already told you about incubi.”
“I mean the ‘prettier package’ thing.”
“Oh, most incubi are ridiculously good looking. Didn’t you get a good look at the guy last night? He looked like a GQ model.”
“Were you checking him out?”
To Spell With It Page 18