by Rose Pressey
“Tell me about when you were turned?” I asked.
“My father died from tuberculosis. The vampires showed up one day and tried to take over our farm. We put up a good fight. My mother was turned, along with her sister too. Mara went with the vampires. She took the wrong path.”
“It must be so hard for you,” I said softly.
“Mara sold her soul to the devil years ago for reasons unknown to all of us. You know my mother was killed for the book. Thankfully she was able to hide the book with your aunt so that Mara couldn’t get hold of it. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.” His expression became saddened.
My heart sank. “What makes you think the same thing would happen to me? I mean, can’t someone stop her?”
“So far they haven’t been able to stop her. There is no proof that she did this, but I know she did and I intend to prove it somehow.”
It all made sense now. Why had he been acting so secretive?
“I wish you’d shared this with me sooner. Maybe I can help you get Mara.” A hint of frustration sounded in my voice.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“There might be a way to get the proof you need to show that she did something to your mother,” I said.
There was a slight hesitation in his eyes, then he touched my cheek again. “You’d do that for me?”
“You wanted to help me, right?”
He gave me a smile that sent my pulse racing.
“Then why wouldn’t I want to help you?” I asked.
Nicolas kissed me again and I was instantly lost in his arms. I felt his fangs against my lips, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to be lost in his arms. We continued to sway back and forth to the music.
“So when are you going to tell me how we can get the proof we need?” he asked.
The doorbell rang and I looked at the grandfather clock. It was already time for the party to start. I looked out the window and saw that there were several groups of people waiting on the veranda.
“The guests are arriving,” I said. “I’ll have to talk with you about this later.”
He nodded and held my hand for a moment before finally releasing it. Butterflies danced in my stomach. I hoped the Coven didn’t find out that I’d lost all my powers.
Candles flickered from every corner of every room. Tables with long white tablecloths and black gauzy material had been set up for refreshments. Black and white pumpkins had been placed around the room while faux black ravens kept sentinel over the crowd.
The Coven members were the first to enter. The women looked beautiful in their dresses and the men handsome in their tuxedos. People munched on the food and enjoyed the cocktails as I moved around the room like a good hostess should. Annabelle arrived and she was gorgeous in her green dress and matching mask.
“That is you behind there, right?” I laughed.
“It’s me.” She giggled. “How’s it going?”
I grabbed her arm and pulled her to the corner of the room. “You’re not going to believe what Nicolas told me before the party started.”
I filled her in on what Nicolas had told me.
“You’re kidding. Well, that explains a lot.” She grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing tray and took a drink. “So what are you going to do?”
“Well, I haven’t exactly thought of that yet.” I nervously smoothed down my dress.
Annabelle took a sip, then said, “But I thought you told him there was a way to prove she did it.”
I shook my head. “I told him that, but that doesn’t mean I really have a plan yet.”
“Of course not.” She took another drink.
My mother entered the room, waving frantically at me from across the room. Her black silk dress reached to the floor with a small matching jacket. Her beauty products worked because she looked more like my sister than my mother.
“There’s my mother. I’d better go say hi.” I gestured at the foyer.
“I’m getting a snack,” Annabelle said and walked off.
After assuring my mother that there would be no catastrophes, I scanned the crowd for Nicolas. He was nowhere in sight. Liam had been mysteriously absent as well. Where were they? Why hadn’t I seen them? I was just thankful that the party had gotten off to a successful start. If I could just get through the rest of the night without any major disasters, then I could put this all behind me.
Annabelle was standing on the other side of the room, but with her hands placed squarely on her hips. I knew that stance meant that something was wrong. This could be the disaster just waiting to happen that I’d been trying to avoid. I wondered what was wrong. She was obviously pissed off at someone or something.
Chapter Forty-Six
I hurried over to her and touched her arm. “Is everything okay? What’s wrong?”
She glanced over at me. Her face was completely red. That was not a good sign. I hadn’t seen her that mad since someone ate her box of Thin Mints at work. She should have known better than to leave those things lying around.
She pointed at the group of women in the corner near to us. “Them. They were talking about you and I’m going to give them a piece of my mind.”
She took off for the women and I grabbed her arm. I didn’t get a good grip though and she got away. There was no stopping her at this point.
“Annabelle, it doesn’t matter. Just ignore them.”
She was mad enough that I knew she’d want to stomp on their witches’ hats. The women looked over with shocked expressions when Annabelle approached.
“I heard what you said about my friend.” Annabelle pointed at them.
She did realize they were witches, right? Had she temporarily forgotten? Stress had really gotten to her.
The woman with the stark blonde hair and black feather mask looked Annabelle up and down, then said, “What exactly do you think we said about your friend?”
“You said she was an embarrassment to the Coven. That her witchcraft had always been terrible and it would never change, no matter what house she lived in or who her great-aunt was.” Annabelle clenched her fists at her side, ready to punch.
I looked at the women and then to Annabelle. “They said that? Well, now that is just plain old rude.”
They were just lucky that I hadn’t overheard their comments. Right now I had to worry about calming Annabelle down rather than being angry at these women.
“Annabelle, don’t listen to what any of them have to say. They’re insignificant.” I glared at them.
Their mouths gaped open, obviously shocked at what I’d just said. The Coven could take a flying leap off a cliff with their ratty brooms.
The dark-haired woman glared back at me. “I’ll just come out and say it to your face. It’s the truth. You are an embarrassment. I can’t believe they asked you to host this party. It was just because they thought you had some kind of special powers. We should have known that was all a lie.”
So they knew about my diminished powers? I didn’t care what they thought at this point. I didn’t need them judging me.
Annabelle lunged forward and grabbed one of the women’s dresses. She pulled on the satin sash around the woman’s waist. She would have pulled it until it ripped right off if I hadn’t stopped her. This was officially the disaster that I had worried about.
“Annabelle, please,” I said, grabbing her arm.
She must have realized that everyone was watching us because she stopped resisting and ran out of the room. People had stopped dancing, drinking and eating all to stare at us. My mother had entered at that point. I didn’t even want to have to answer her right now. If she wanted to be a part of this Coven then that was all on her. I wanted nothing to do with these women.
I stepped out onto the veranda after Annabelle. “Are you okay?” I asked when I grew near.
“I’m sorry, Hallie. I don’t know what came over me. I just got so mad at those women judging you.” She placed her head in her hands.
I touc
hed her arm. Her whole body was trembling. “I’ve learned to ignore them by now. They are insignificant in my world.”
She gave a half smile. “You’re right. What difference does it make what they think.”
I gestured toward the manor. “Exactly. I don’t need people like that in my life. I’ve decided to just ignore them. They can think whatever they want, but I know what kind of her person I am.”
“You’re a kickass fun person,” she said wiping away a tear.
I laughed. “Yeah, well, so are you. I’m sorry for even having the party here.”
“You didn’t know.” Annabelle adjusted her dress, trying to regain her composure.
“Yeah, just the same. I should have never wanted the attention or acceptance of those women. I have all the friends I need… true friends like you.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s enjoy the rest of the evening.”
Annabelle had just given the Coven members a verbal tongue-lashing like they’d never had before. Obviously, she didn’t care what kind of animal they could turn her into. At least she wasn’t afraid of going back into the party.
When I stepped back inside, I searched the crowd for Nicolas or Liam. Neither of them were in sight. My mother was chatting with a group of women, probably telling them how my friend was crazy. I avoided them and turned the opposite direction.
“Where are your mysterious guests?” Annabelle asked when she caught up with me.
She had another glass of champagne in her hand. The flowing bubbly had probably contributed to her confrontation with the witches.
“I don’t know where they are. I haven’t seen them since the party started. It’s very odd. I’m getting a strange vibe. It’s not a good feeling.”
I glanced at Annabelle and noticed that her eyes had widened and her mouth had dropped open. I looked in the direction that she was staring and I almost collapsed when I saw Isabeau.
Chapter Forty-Seven
I couldn’t believe this demon had crashed my party. She must have figured out how to break the spell that had banished her from the manor.
“How did she get back here?” I asked Annabelle.
I knew she wouldn’t be able to answer, but I asked anyway. She just shook her head in response and continued to stare. Isabeau was arm-in-arm with Nicolas.
“What is going on? Why is she so cozy with Nicolas?” Annabelle stood beside me as we watched them.
He knew that she was a demon. He knew that she had partnered with the woman who had killed his mother. Had he lost his mind or had I been lied to? They didn’t notice that Annabelle and I were watching them. They were engrossed in their private conversation. Nicolas’ back was to me, so I couldn’t see his expression. They walked out of the house and onto the veranda were other guests were mingling under the moonlight.
Lights had been strung up and twinkled in the dark sky. It would have been a romantic scene if I hadn’t been following a demon witch.
I grabbed Annabelle’s hand. “Let’s follow them. I want to confront both of them and find out what’s going on.”
This party got worse by the minute.
Just as I was about to confront Isabeau and Nicolas, the Coven leader Misty Middleton appeared out of the darkness. She stared straight at me as she walked across the lawn.
Annabelle noticed her too. “Is she staring at us?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, I think so. And she doesn’t look happy.”
“Do you think it has something to do with what I said to those women?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but if she doesn’t like it then that’s just tough,” I said, swallowing the bleakness in my throat.
Misty could be mad at me for not telling her my powers had been taken away before the party. It honestly was none of her business though. And I didn’t care to tell her that either.
Misty walked right up to me and shot a cold look my way. “I want the books and I want them now.”
Wow. She hadn’t wasted any time letting me know what she wanted.
“I don’t have the books,” I said.
It was the same lie I’d told Nicolas and I was sticking to it. There was something weird about Misty’s appearance. Her eyes kept changing colors, from blue to green, and then to a pitch black.
Annabelle looked at me with fear in her eyes. I was pretty sure she was ready to run away at any moment. I couldn’t say that I blamed her.
“Misty, what is wrong with you? Why do you want the books? They are of no use to you. I am the leader of the Underworld now.”
I didn’t know if that was true, but it sure sounded good. It sounded like I knew what I was talking about and that was all I needed. Misty’s face started to change. Her nose started growing out and her cheeks were higher. This wasn’t right.
“Who are you?” I managed to choke out.
I felt Annabelle’s tension beside me. I knew she was freaking out and so was I.
“I think you know who I am,” she said with an evil grin.
Fear ran through my body. As soon as she said that I knew exactly who she was. Mara Abney.
She’d used her powers to take on a new image. This was not good. I was frozen. I didn’t know what to do next.
“You didn’t think you would get away with hiding the books from me forever, did you?” Her lips twisted into a cynical smile.
I didn’t know what to say to her. I was never giving those books to her though. She’d have to kill me first. With the thought, I looked over to find Nicolas. He wasn’t outside and neither was Isabeau.
“Now be a good little witch and go get the books for me.” Mara cackled.
She really had that witch laugh down pat.
“What do we do now?” Annabelle whispered.
If I acted like I was scared Annabelle would freak out even more. I had to keep it together for Annabelle’s sake. I knew this was going to turn into something that I wasn’t sure I was prepared for. How did I fight a powerful witch like Mara? A witch who had already killed the last Underworld leader. Not that I was the leader anymore. I was sure the leader had to have powers to lead, and I had none.
I stood a little straighter and tried to come up with a plan. “The books aren’t here.”
Wind began to blow in the trees around the manor. Mara’s eyes glowed a red hue. “I know you are lying to me.”
“What are you going to do about it? Without me you can’t get the books. I demand that you leave my property immediately.” I pointed toward the gate at the end of the driveway.
The wind blew even harder. Annabelle stepped closer to me.
“Annabelle, why don’t you go inside and get the other Coven members for me, okay?”
Annabelle didn’t answer. She just turned and ran away toward the house.
Some of the Coven members had started a bonfire at the back of the property near the river to perform the annual ritual to their loved ones in the spirit world. The clouds had rifted enough to allow the moon to poke through. I kicked off my heels and ran in my bare feet around the manor toward the fire. I hoped someone could offer help for my fight with Mara.
The flames flickered high toward the sky as I rounded the manor. I glanced over my shoulder as I ran, but saw nothing. I found it odd that Mara wasn’t running after me. I knew she was up to something though. She wasn’t going to let me get away that easily.
Where was Nicolas? As I looked through the crowd of people gathered around the fire, I spotted a familiar face. I’d never been happier to see Liam.
He looked up and saw me. As I rushed toward Liam, he looked up, then ran over to me as I neared.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Mara is here,” I said in a panic.
He looked over my shoulder. “Where is she?”
“She was on the veranda, then I took off running around here. She didn’t follow me.” I looked behind me. “But I know she didn’t go away.”
Liam held my arms. “You have to get rid of her, Hallie.”
I stared him in the eyes. “What do you mean I have to get rid of her? I’d love to, but how do you propose I do that?”
“You have to fight her for the power.” He lifted my chin with his index finger to meet his gaze.
Looking down, I shook my head. “She took my power, remember?”
“She can’t keep it forever. The spell she cast can only last so long. You can be stronger than her now. You’ve got the books, remember?” There was defiance and challenge in his words.
How could I forget? It was all that I’d thought about since the moment I found the first one.
“You have the power of the earth, air, water and fire,” Liam stated.
That did sound quite impressive, but I had no idea what to do with these powers.
“You must destroy Mara once and for all and take over her power.” His voice was firm.
“Nicolas said I need to destroy the books. That I shouldn’t be the leader.” I searched his eyes for a reaction.
Liam scoffed. “Of course he would say that. He has other motives for wanting you to do that.”
My stomach was twisted into a knot. “Why do you say that? You two have done nothing but pull me to each side and I don’t know who to believe.”
“You can believe me. Nicolas is only there to steal your blood.” Liam touched my arm.
My eyes widened. “What? What are you talking about? Why would he want my blood?”
“He wants your blood because it holds special powers for him,” Liam said. “Vampires seek out witches’ blood. I told you how the Underworld is in chaos. Stay away from him, Hallie. He is not good for you.” He touched my chin.
My world was spinning. Liam’s handsome face stared down at me.
The wind started to whip again. The tree branches swayed back and forth as if a huge storm was brewing. I knew that it was.
Liam pulled me close and held my chin in his hands. “You can do this, Hallie. I am here to help you.”
“Get your hands off her,” Nicolas yelled from across the lawn.
Chapter Forty-Eight