Pandora grabbed her phone and checked the message. “It’s not Kaley, it’s my mom.”
She tapped the screen to bring up the text.
Dug deeper into Lila’s file. Call me.
Pandora glanced at Cole. “I need to talk to my mother. It’s about Lila.”
He nodded. “You want to go somewhere for lunch? I could stand to get out of this house for an hour.”
“Sure.”
“Good. I’m going to grab a quick shower and change while you talk to your mom.”
“Okay.” She started to call Corette back, then hesitated. “Why didn’t you call and tell me about this feather business this morning?”
He put his hand on the stair railing. “I knew you were going to talk to your mom and that you had that showing. I didn’t want you to be preoccupied with my problems while you were trying to work.”
“Our problems.” She smiled. “You’re my familiar, after all.” Just saying the words caused a little charge to zip through her. “Now get showered so we can work this out over lunch.”
He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.” He saluted and jogged upstairs.
She shook her head as she tapped the button to call her mother, then put the phone to her ear.
“Pandora?”
“Yep. What did you find out?”
Corette sighed. “I looked into the last six years of Lila’s records, all the way back to when she was listed as Lila Van Zant. I called the ACW headquarters and spoke to…someone I know there. Someone in charge of the records that aren’t computerized because of security reasons.”
Top-secret stuff. “And?” Pandora held her breath.
“She’s been married and divorced two more times in those six years.” Corette’s voice held an angry edge. “Both of her ex-husbands were listed on the registry of human familiars.”
Pandora let the breath out, but it did nothing to quell the rockslide of emotions sluicing through her. “She’s after Cole, not Kaley.”
Cole threw on a clean T-shirt and jeans and headed downstairs. Pandora was pacing in the foyer.
“Everything okay?”
“No.” She turned to him, her emerald eyes lit with anger and purpose. “Lila’s been married and divorced twice in the last six years.”
“She should be pretty good at it by now with all that practice,” he joked.
Pandora’s expression didn’t waver. “Both times the guy was a human familiar.”
His smile faded. “You know that for sure?”
“Yes, we know it for sure. My mother is the coven secretary. She has access to information most people don’t.” A muscle in her jaw ticked. “Lila’s after you, not Kaley. Or maybe it’s both of you. Either way, she’s not here to make up for being a lousy mother. I’d say you’re on her radar again.”
“We need a plan.”
“Agreed. But I need to check something first.”
“Sure. What?”
“That book in the attic. You mind if I grab it?”
“Be my guest.”
Pandora closed her eyes, held her hands out, palms up, in front of her. The air above them wavered, and a second later, the book appeared in her hands.
“Wow. That was impressive.” And kind of hot.
“For me, too. But strong emotion can strengthen a witch’s magic, and I’m definitely feeling some right now.” She opened the book and ran her finger down the table of contents, found what she was looking for and flipped to that page.
Cole came around to stand next to her so he could see what she was looking at. He took the opportunity to enjoy how good she smelled before focusing on the book. The top of the page read “Cautions.”
“There,” she said. She pointed to a line about halfway down and read out loud. “The hair, skin, feathers or fur of a human familiar’s animal form can be used to create a bonding spell.”
She looked at him. “Now you know why she wants one of your feathers.”
“She’s going to force a bond with me. Or try to.” It bothered him more that Lila might come between him and Pandora, than that his ex was about to try to force herself on him. “I am sure as hell not going to let that happen.”
Pandora nodded. Then she closed the book. “Look, nothing’s going to happen until she gets that feather. We have time to figure this out. Let’s go have lunch, and tonight, I’ll talk with my mom and sisters, and we’ll come up with something.” She smiled. “I don’t want her getting in the way of our time together. Not right now.”
“Okay. We can do that.” He kissed her forehead, willing to take a breather if she was. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
Her smile widened. “Thanks. You’re not so bad yourself. Let’s go eat.”
Twenty minutes later, they were seated in a booth at Howler’s. Pandora introduced Cole to Bridget, then when they were alone at the table, she quietly explained that the owner of the establishment was also a werewolf.
“You’re kidding me.”
“Nope.”
He looked at Bridget, who was now behind the bar, and shook his head. Hard to believe werewolves existed, let alone that they could look so…normal. “Get out.”
Pandora laughed. “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”
He turned back to Pandora and let his gaze wander her face. “She’s no Pandora Williams.”
Pandora blushed. “Bridget is considered one of the great beauties of this town.”
“Was that before you moved here?”
She giggled, and the sound pleased him. “Seriously, she is.”
“If you say so.” He looked at Bridget one more time. “Werewolves, huh? This town is…”
“Nuts?”
“Incredible.”
The server came to take their orders. Pandora ordered a salad. He ordered the lunch special, a prime rib sandwich with fries.
As soon as the server left, Pandora pulled out her phone. “I don’t want to be rude, but I need to send a quick text to my mom and sisters about meeting tonight.”
“Go ahead. I’ll just admire the view.”
She looked up at him through her lashes. “You’re awfully full of compliments all of a sudden.”
“Seeing my ex has brought into full focus just how lucky I am that you want to keep company with me. So I’m trying to up my boyfriend game.”
She stuck her tongue into the corner of her mouth. “Is that what you are now? My boyfriend?”
“Too soon?”
She smiled coyly, then went back to her phone. “No.”
By the time they were done eating, she’d exchanged a dozen texts with her family and the meeting was confirmed. They drove back to Cole’s house in his truck. He threw it into park, hopped out and went around to get her door.
She dug her keys out of her purse. “I have to go back to work.”
“I know.”
“Listen, there’s something you should know…whatever we come up with tonight, it’s going to be tricky to execute. We know Lila can read auras, and sometimes, witches who can read auras can tell when people are lying.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t tell me what you decide to do, then.”
She frowned. “We have to. You’re an integral part. You’re just going to have to be very careful when you speak to Lila.”
“I will be.” He kissed her. “Whatever you decide, I trust you. So do what you have to do.”
She kissed him back. “Oh, I plan to.”
When Pandora got to Marigold’s cottage, Corette was already there, which made sense since they lived so close. Charisma showed up a few minutes later. Saffie said hi to them all, then went back to playing Minecraft on her tablet.
Marigold watched her daughter go down the hall to her room. “She still needs to study for her spelling test, but I figure she’s less likely to come out here and overhear something she shouldn’t if she’s playing that game.”
“I appreciate you bending your rules for me.” Pandora took a seat at the kitchen table with the rest of her family. Marigold
had made coffee and tea and set out a plate of shortbread cookies. “You all know that Cole is a familiar.”
“And that his ex is in town,” Charisma said. “And that she came to see Cole, then you.”
Okay. “How did you know all that?” She reached for a cookie to dunk in her decaf.
Charisma pointed at Marigold. “She told me.”
Marigold pointed at Corette. “And Mom told me. She also told me Lila really likes marrying and divorcing human familiars.”
Pandora looked at her mother. “Really?”
Corette didn’t look the least bit abashed. “Darling, your sisters need to know when one of their own might be facing this sort of dark magic. You don’t expect me to keep that a secret, do you?”
“No, you’re right. Saves me some time in the explanation too. Here’s the latest. Lila, the ex, took Kaley out for a walk. In the course of that walk, she asked Kaley if she’d found any feathers, because one could be used to make a protection amulet for witches who can see auras.”
“That’s a big fat lie,” Charisma said.
Marigold nodded. “I’ve never heard that.”
“Me, either,” Corette agreed.
Pandora snorted. “That’s what I thought. Especially since I don’t think truth matters that much to Lila.”
Charisma’s brows lifted. “Why do I think this has something to do with Cole’s animal form being a raven?”
“Because it does.” Pandora took a breath. “Even though I told Kaley not to say anything to anyone about her father being a familiar, she didn’t think her mother was included in that. Kaley doesn’t know what Cole’s animal form is, but the night we were at the coven meeting, Cole practiced shifting, and Kaley found a feather in the house later. I tried to get it from her, but she thought it was cool and insisted on keeping it.”
Marigold leaned back, a cookie in one hand. “Do we have any idea what Lila really wants this feather for?”
“Yes.” Pandora pulled Gerty’s book from her purse, laid it on the table and opened it to the chapter titled “Cautions.” Then she turned it so her mother and sisters could read it and pointed out the line about the bonding spell. “I’m sure she plans on using it to force a bond with Cole.”
Charisma tapped her delicately manicured index finger on the table. “The ACW needs to know about this.”
Corette cleared her throat softly. “I talked to one of my friends there, and they said they need some kind of proof. All we have right now are suspicions and hunches.”
Marigold threw her hands up, sending cookie crumbs flying. “We’re witches! We’re all about suspicions and hunches.”
Corette nodded. “I understand that, dear, but the ACW isn’t going to strip a witch of her magic just because we say she’s up to no good. Let’s not forget how the Salem trials began.”
“Yeah, I get it.” Marigold ate the last half of her cookie. “But we have to do something. We can’t let this trollop steal Cole away from Pandy.”
“Or,” Charisma added, “turn Cole into her personal slave.”
“That too,” Marigold agreed.
“Exactly.” Pandora held up a finger. “Which is why I have a plan.”
Marigold smirked. “Is it to sleep with him and get the bonding over with before Lila has a crack at it?”
“Elizabeth Marigold Williams,” Corette said.
“Just kidding, Mom,” Marigold said as she shook her head to say she really wasn’t.
“My immediate plan does not include that,” Pandora said. “But if you can hold your comments for a moment, I’ll tell you.”
Charisma and Marigold leaned in, while Corette smiled like she already knew what it was.
Pandora waited a beat for effect. “We’re going to set up a sting.”
“Ooo,” Marigold cooed. “I love it.”
“What parts do we play?” Charisma asked.
“Well, about that…” Pandora shrugged. “You guys don’t play that big of a part in the actual sting. I was thinking I’d get Sheriff Merrow to do the takedown and—”
“Why can’t we help?” Marigold looked miffed.
“Dear,” Corette started. “The three of us are not exactly impartial. We need someone to act as a witness who the ACW will have no reason to question. Sheriff Merrow is perfect. Witches and shifters have always dealt very well with one another.”
“What Mom said.” Pandora flattened her hand on the table. “But I will need you guys at Cole’s. You’ll have to be ready with a containment spell, because I’m sure she’ll try to use magic to get away. You just can’t be seen until everything goes down.”
Charisma glanced at Marigold, both of their expressions deadly serious but slightly excited. It wasn’t often witches got to bring out the big spells. “We can do that.”
Corette sipped her tea. “I think I can guess, but what sort of sting do you have in mind, dear?”
“If Kaley agrees to this, because this is her mother we’re talking about and I need her to be cool with this, then…” Pandora smiled. “I’m going to give Kaley a safe feather and have her give it to Lila with the story that she found it in the house. Then Cole will tell Lila that she can’t visit Kaley that night because she’s working on a school project at a friend’s house. Which is totally true, by the way. Speaking of what’s true and what’s not, Charisma, you see auras some. Can you tell if someone’s lying?”
Charisma pursed her lips. “Not lying, exactly, but I can tell when something’s off with them. How well can Lila see them? Are you concerned that Cole’s aura will tip her off?”
“I don’t know. And yes.”
Charisma wound a strand of brunette hair around one finger, then quickly let it go like she’d forgotten herself. “Putting a stabilizing spell on his aura probably wouldn’t work, either, because Lila could pick up on the magic. I think the best bet is for him to play it as cool as he can.”
“Okay, I’ll tell him.”
Marigold helped herself to another cookie. “When do you think this will all go down?”
“As soon as possible. The longer we wait, the more danger Cole and Kaley are in. Tomorrow, I’m going to talk to the sheriff, then I’m going to Cole’s to get the feather—”
“Wait a moment,” Corette said. “I thought you weren’t using one of his.”
“I’m not, but that attic is chock full of Gertrude’s supplies. I’m sure there’s a substitute feather up there. I just have to find it. Or ask her.”
Marigold put her cookie down. “Ask her?”
Pandora laughed. “Didn’t I mention Gertrude’s ghost is still hanging around in the attic?”
“No,” her sisters said in unison.
Pandora looked at her mother. “I guess you don’t tell them everything.”
Cole met Pandora outside the sheriff station at nine sharp the next morning. She looked gorgeous and dressed for business, as usual, but this morning there was something intoxicatingly powerful about seeing the woman he was crazy about dressed in a sleek black suit, crisp white shirt and glossy black heels. She was clearly here to get something accomplished. The fact that it was on his behalf was not lost on him.
He smiled and wished he could kiss her, but he wasn’t sure how’d she feel about it being in public. Further proof they still had a ways to go to get to know each other. “Morning, beautiful.”
She smiled back as she came to a stop in front of him. She waited for a moment, then her smile bent into a frown. “No kiss?”
“I wasn’t sure how you feel about public displays of affection.”
“Tongue is a no-no.”
“Got it.” He leaned in and planted one on her, brief but definite. “How was that?”
“Perfect. You nervous?”
“It’s not every day you meet the big bad wolf.”
“Hush,” she said. “You can’t say that to his face.”
“I won’t.”
“Good. We’d better go in.”
He reached for the door, but she
put her hand on his arm, stopping him.
“Did I mention his aunt is the receptionist?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Okay, well, she is. And she’s a werewolf too.”
“Excellent.” This town never stopped being strange. “Ready?”
She nodded, so he opened the door, then followed her in.
The woman behind the reception desk turned from her computer as they walked into the foyer. “Pandora Williams, as I live and breathe. How are you? How’s your lovely mother?” Then she leaned to the side to ogle Cole behind Pandora. “And who’s that with you?”
Nothing about the woman said werewolf. More like regular bingo player and cruise-aholic.
“We’re all good,” Pandora answered. “And this is Cole Van Zant. He’s meeting the sheriff with me today. Cole, this is Birdie Caruthers.” She gave him a pointed look. “The sheriff’s wonderful aunt.”
Cole stuck his hand out. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
She shook his hand with both of hers sandwiched around it. “Birdie, please. You are a handsome thing, aren’t you?” She narrowed her eyes. “Avian shifter, am I right?”
“Uh…” He hadn’t been expecting that.
Birdie laughed, let his hand go and tapped her nose. “Better than a bloodhound.”
Pandora looked around like she was checking to see if anyone else had heard. “That’s confidential, Birdie.” She lowered her voice. “He’s a familiar.”
Birdie made a face. “I’m no witch but aren’t those usually animals?”
“Yes. But sometimes, they’re not.”
Birdie’s eyes widened, and she whistled. “And rare as hen’s teeth, am I right?” She mimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key, then winked at Cole. “I won’t say a word.”
Somehow he doubted that.
The office door adjacent to her desk opened and a man leaned out. “Birdie, have you heard from—” The dark, gruff man in the sheriff’s uniform looked at them, then at Birdie and sighed. “Never mind. I can see my nine o’clock appointment is here.”
Pandora tipped her head in greeting. “Sheriff.”
“Pandora.”
“Sheriff Hank Merrow, this is Cole Van Zant.”
The Professor Woos The Witch (Nocturne Falls Book 4) Page 19