Charmed & Deadly

by Havens, Candace

  Last night, before I packed for Fiji, I met her up at the library. That’s where I made copies and I left a set for her, too. In addition to being a rockin’ lawyer and Queen of the Books, she has a love for the history of magic.

  “There’s an archive in Budapest. It’s too bad you didn’t know about all of this while you were there.” She flipped on the lights in the front part of the building. The fluorescent bulbs hummed to life like a hive of bees. “The archive at the library there has more magical texts than anywhere else in the world. Next time you go, I’m traveling with you. I think that’s where we can find some real answers. But I have some other sources, too.”

  Suddenly there was a chill and it wasn’t from the air conditioning. “Um, Kira…who else is here?” The temperature had dropped another twenty degrees. Now I knew why she always wore sweaters even when it was one hundred degrees outside.

  She looked around the room. “Arnie’s here. He always hangs out in the section for gardening books. It’s kind of sad because he hasn’t quite mastered picking up the books, but he’s working on it. Rosalee is here, she always shows up when you are around. She likes your spunk.” She waved. “Mr. Carmichael’s over in the World War Two books again, and Jerry is in the romance section. That man can’t get enough of romance authors Nora Roberts and Jodi Thomas. He cracks me up.”

  I watched her as she talked about the dead and she looked more at ease than she had in a long time. “So it doesn’t bother you that you are never alone anymore?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve learned to tell them to get lost when I need my space and for the most part they give it to me. Here.” She handed me a book. “This is a journal from a J. K. Stone. He was a wizard in the eighteenth century. Take it with you on your trip. I’ve ordered another copy for the library. He doesn’t have much to say about sorceresses, but he did have to fight some pretty nasty wizards who turned to the dark side. No specific spells, but some definite strategy in there. Also,” she said as she opened a drawer in her desk, “I ordered this one off the Internet for you a couple of weeks ago. It’s the Black Magic Handbook for Ghouls. Though I can’t imagine any ghoul being bright enough to read.”

  I laughed. She really was into all of this and had come a long way over the last year. When I first met her she was just getting used to the idea that witches and warlocks were real. She’d known about witches, but she’d never worked with a high witch until she met me. She’s become one of my dearest friends and it made my heart happy that she was so determined to find a way to help.

  Like I said, I have great friends. If Calinda ever showed up again, we would be ready.

  I’m not sure where Sam and I stand right now. Things are still kind of weird. There’s no anger or anything. In fact, he’s being overly nice. It’s like we experienced this big thing that neither of us was really ready for, and now we don’t know how to deal with it.

  It’s weird when you think about it, because he’s died a couple of times and so have I, and it would seem that would be a much bigger deal.

  Maybe it’s just one of those things that takes time. I hope so. We’d hit a really good place in our relationship and it’s pissy we have to go through something like this right now.

  Oh, well, whining about it isn’t helping anything. Time to get back to work.

  Fiji

  9 p.m.

  Charms: 5

  Spells: 3

  We’re in a private residence on the Coral Coast and it’s gorgeous. The house belongs to one of Dr. Zocando’s friends. Everyone is here to talk about human rights.

  They couldn’t have picked a more beautiful site. It’s more like a compound with one large home and then several smaller ones around it. I’m in a small house that has a thatched roof and opens right onto the beach overlooking the beautiful blue-green water.

  It’s all very isolated so security isn’t as big a concern as we usually have. Still, I made some new protection charms for the prime minister, one to keep in his pocket at all times, the other for under his pillow.

  Azir is here, too. I saw him walking on the beach about an hour ago. It was a surprise since he wasn’t in my file folder of politicos. I hadn’t seen him since Africa.

  I was perched on the edge of a beach chair watching the waves, but I sensed his presence before he even came into view.

  Dressed in his suit pants with his white shirt unbuttoned at the neck and rolled at the sleeves, he had the total casual GQ vibe going. He wasn’t wearing shoes and the legs of his pants had also been rolled. Very yummy.

  “Did the prime minister call you in?” I leaned back in the chair so I could look up at him.

  “Yes. They are discussing the trouble in the Philippines and he wanted some firsthand accounts. How are you, Bronwyn?” He smiled.

  “Good. It’s hard not to be, in a place like this.” I waved a hand toward the ocean.

  The sun had just gone down and lanterns had been lit around the beach. Azir stood beside the chair for a minute and then plopped down by me on the ground, never worrying about what the sand might do to his pants. He lives in a desert, so I guess sand is a part of life for him.

  We sat in silence for a few moments, both of us staring out at the waves.

  “How are your mom and sister? Did Shera go back to school?” Azir’s sister, Shera, is a total brain and she’s also beautiful. I’d met his family when I had to protect him from some evil dudes a few months back. His family changed the way I viewed the incredibly wealthy. Oh, they have their problems, but for the most part they are loving.

  “Both of them are well. Shera’s heading to California and in fact, she will be doing her dissertation at the same university where your friend Simone runs her research project. It was Simone who convinced her to go out there.”

  Well, Simone and I were going to have a talk. I had no idea she was conversing with the Sheik and his sister. She hadn’t said a word when I spoke with her last week. “Well, at least she’ll know someone, even if it is a demon slayer.”

  Azir laughed. “I know she’ll be safe if Simone is around. There isn’t much that gets past her.”

  “True. Is your mom running the foundation?” I was wearing a long, slinky skirt and a white tank, which had been fine when the sun was still up. Now my arms were a little chilly, and I rubbed them.

  “Yes. She’s traveling a great deal. We’re working on an initiative to open one hundred new safehouses for women and children around the world in the next four years. It’s a big project, but so far she’s doing well.”

  I whistled. “Wow! That is impressive.”

  He clasped his hands over his knees. “It’s never enough.” I couldn’t see his face, but he sounded sad.

  I touched his shoulder. I always forget about the chemistry between us and I was startled by the tiny spark of energy that sizzled in my hand. “You don’t get to feel bad about what you do, Azir. You help so many. Countless women and children owe their lives to you.”

  “How are things at your home?” He crossed his legs in the sand.

  I had a feeling he was asking about Sam. Azir always seems to sense when my emotional state isn’t perfect. But I wasn’t about to tell him about the miscarriage and my worry that Sam and I weren’t as close as we had been.

  “Well, everything’s just peachy back home.” I threw in a little southern drawl for fun. “We did have a run-in with a sorceress, who tried to kill me and Garnout.”

  Azir’s head snapped around. “Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?”

  The sheik is such a caring man. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders. If he’s your friend, and even though we have our differences, he’s mine. The man will do anything for a friend.

  “That’s sweet of you. I’ve had the misfortune to meet her up-close and personal. I’m fine, and so is the wizard.”

  I stopped talking. Something made my skin tingle. I stood up and looked around.

  “What is it?” Azir jumped up and moved next to me.

&n
bsp; “Someone protected by black magic is near.” As fast as the feeling came, it evaporated. I sent my mind out to see who it was, but didn’t see anything. They must have spotted me and immediately masked their power. “Huh. That’s interesting.”

  “Did you find them?”

  “No, but I will. The island isn’t that big and there are less than thirty people at the compound. I’ll find them.” I stretched my arms out and tried to see if I sensed anything else, but there was nothing.

  I moved toward the little house where I’d been staying. “Hold on a minute. I want to get something for you.” I went to my room and picked up a couple of the protection charms I’d made.

  When I came back out, Azir was standing in the doorway.

  “Here.” I handed him the charms. “Put one of these in your pocket at all times, and don’t forget to switch out when you change. And put this one under your pillow.”

  He sniffed it and wrinkled his nose. “It’s very feminine.”

  I laughed. “Well, a big macho man like you can handle it.”

  “Thank you.” He put the charms in his pocket. He started to walk down the path and then he stopped, still facing away from me. “I miss talking to you.” Then he continued on his way.

  I missed talking to him, too, but I didn’t have a chance to tell him. He was halfway down the beach before I found my tongue.

  I don’t really have much time to think about what it all might mean. I need to find who it was with all that black magic.

  Twenty-six

  Fiji

  Wednesday

  10 a.m.

  Slightly tanned witches: 1 (Okay, so it’s not a real tan. It’s pink, but it counts.)

  Spells: 7

  Charms: 2

  L ucky for me, no one around here seems to be in a hurry to do business. Some guy from Greece and another from Moscow aren’t here yet, so the meetings have been postponed until tomorrow.

  That’s all good with me because I was up all night trying to figure out who my magical visitor was. After several spells and a trek around the compound, I came up with absolutely nothing.

  I’ve put wards on the prime minister’s quarters and insisted he carry a charm with him at all times.

  The PM and I had breakfast this morning out on his veranda. We’d been planning our strategy and I’d discovered there were several people he wanted me to read, including Dr. Zocando. This surprised me since I thought they were the best of friends.

  I’d just swallowed some juice when he mentioned the African diplomat, and I almost choked. “I thought you two were close.”

  The PM has a distinct tell when he has to discuss something unpleasant. He always looks down at his fingers and then away. “We are friends, but I witnessed some things in Africa that made me uncomfortable. I don’t know if he had anything to do with it, but I can’t be sure. I just want you to check him out.”

  I’d met the doctor a few months ago and tried to read him with no luck. And I tried again at his camp in Africa. Then it dawned on me: he might be my black magic dude. Of course, I had no proof, so it wouldn’t do any good to mention that to the prime minister. But at least I had a target.

  “Could you at least give me some idea of what kinds of things made you suspicious?”

  The PM looked down at his files. “I thought I saw the plans for a diamond mine. The one where your family was taken, but I can’t be certain. He gathered the papers too quickly for me to see.”

  Of all the ignorant…Okay, the PM’s not ignorant. Quite the opposite, and he’s never been one to jump to conclusions. “Sir, don’t you think it might have been a good idea to share your thoughts while we were still in Africa?”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “You’d already left when I saw the papers, and as I said, it was brief.” His tone was biting. “Had I any real proof, I would have contacted you.”

  “I apologize, sir. But if he did have anything to do with my brother and father being kidnapped, I’m going to have to kill him.”

  The PM studied me for a moment. “Hence the reason I waited to tell you. Please don’t do anything rash until we are certain.”

  I nodded in agreement.

  We were finishing up our chat and preparing to leave for the meeting when Miles came in.

  He was dressed in a ridiculous pinstriped suit and tie that was absurd on the island. Even the PM had gone without his requisite tie. Miles was mopping tiny beads of sweat on his brow as he came out onto the porch. It was hard for me to believe that he’d almost died a few weeks ago.

  “They’ve delayed the meetings until tomorrow morning.” He sneered when he saw me.

  I smiled sweetly.

  “Several of the guests were caught in bad weather. The earliest they can be here is eleven tomorrow.” He said the words a tad bit snarkily and his head sort of bobbled like it was too big for his neck.

  I’m not sure I’ve ever met a more annoying man, and I keep saving his life. I have to stop doing that.

  “Make certain the rest of our guests are comfortable. Check with Dr. Zocando, perhaps we could take a boat out and do some diving.” The prime minister turned to me. “Would you like to join us?”

  I didn’t answer his question, but the answer was hell, no! I don’t know why the idea of plummeting to the bottom of the ocean with a tiny mask and tank scares the hell out of me, but it does. “You said that you need to check with Dr. Zocando. Why?”

  “Did you read the bloody files?” Miles was thumbing through the papers in his hand. “This is Dr. Zocando’s property. He was kind enough to let us use it for the conference.”

  I did read the file several times last night but didn’t see anything about that. I thought it belonged to one of the doctor’s friends.

  Turning away from Miles, I faced the prime minister. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I sensed dark magic last night when I was out on the beach. I searched for hours but couldn’t find who it was. I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to be out in the middle of the ocean with a bunch of people you don’t know.”

  There were a few seconds of silence. He frowned. “You felt it here?”

  “Yes, but only for a few seconds. Whoever it was spotted me and quickly masked their magic.”

  He handed some files to Miles. “Perhaps our guests would enjoy some snorkeling. Does that meet with your approval, Bronwyn?”

  I walked toward the doorway where Miles stood. “Yes, but don’t go out too far and keep your charm with you at all times.”

  I took another charm out of my pocket. “You, too.” I handed it to Miles. “And get out of that ridiculous suit. You look like a moron.”

  When I left the PM’s room, I went in search of Dr. Zocando. I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d do when I found him. It didn’t matter. His assistant said he’d be out for the rest of the afternoon. I went back to my room and sent my mind out for the doctor magically, but I couldn’t get a sense of him. It doesn’t happen often. I mean, most times I can pinpoint an ordinary person across the world and shove my way into their brain, but occasionally I get stumped.

  The few times I’d been around him, I never sensed any magic. Very strange.

  I’ve been skulking around the island trying to see if I can find a secret hideout or something, but no luck. I did get some color on my pasty skin, so it wasn’t all bad. I’m calling Cole to see if he can do a little digging on Dr. Zocando for me.

  I wonder if he ever made it off that mountain.

  4 p.m.

  I fell asleep. Right in the big middle of trying to find Zocando, I zonked out on the bed. Probably has something to do with the fact that I hadn’t slept since I arrived. Anyway, I feel loads better.

  I left a message for Cole, but I haven’t heard back from him. My cell service is a little iffy here, but I also left a message for Sam, to let him know all is well.

  When I woke up from my nap I had this sudden urge to talk to him, to make certain that everything was right between the two of us. I’d had the most
luscious dream about him giving me a massage. He’d made me strip and lay on the bed. Then he rubbed hot jasmine-scented oil on my shoulders. Pure heaven. His hands were sliding down my back when something woke me up.

  I was very disappointed.

  This part of the beach is pretty isolated, but some of the guests were outside snorkeling around the reef.

  I sent a quick mental nudge out to see if I could find Dr. Zocando, but I didn’t see anything. I’d just about decided to go out and get some sun when my cell rang.

  “Bron, it’s Kira.”

  “Hey. Is everything okay?” I was searching through my things for something to wear.

  “Oh, yeah. Well, um, Margie and Billy eloped.”

  I dropped the pair of shorts I had in my hand. “Whoa. That’s so cool. When?”

  “Last night. She called me from Vegas. They hopped on a plane and did it. We didn’t have time for details. They were going to eat lobster, but she wanted me to call you. She said, ‘Tell Bron that love always finds a way.’ Which, if you ask me, is a little corny, but it’s sweet. She sounded so happy.” Kira’s tone was wistful. She might be a barracuda of a lawyer and a stern librarian, but she was a romantic all the way.

  “Oh, I’m so happy for her.” I really was. I’d been worried that our little argument at the picnic had done a lot of harm. “I guess she finally convinced him to give her the ring.”

  Kira giggled. “Yep. I had a feeling when I saw them at Lulu’s the other night. He’d walked her out to the car and you couldn’t fit a penny between them while he was kissing her good-bye.”

  I smiled. “When they come back we should throw them a party.” I picked up the shorts I’d dropped and threw them back in the drawer. Thirsty, I grabbed a bottle of water and twisted off the top.

  “I’m already on it. They both took off for a few days but will be back on Saturday. Margie said sooner, if their money didn’t hold out.”

  That wasn’t likely to happen. While Billy acted the good old boy routine with his beat-up pickup truck and cowboy hat, he owned one of the larger ranches in Sweet. He had an enormous house all to himself. It would be a big change for Margie, who, up until a year ago, had shared a double-wide trailer with her sister. When her sister married, Margie had moved into a small apartment in town, right on the square.