by Rose Pressey
I pulled the napkin from my pocket. “She drew these directions for me.”
Ginny looked over at the napkin. “Wait a minute. I heard about this place.” She took the napkin and studied it. “There was rumor that a group of witches were performing black magic there.”
“That would explain the drawings on the walls,” Liam said.
I took the napkin back. “Do you know who these people are?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t remember. It’s a while back.”
Annabelle stepped forward and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “So you can’t tell us who this person was who gave us this address?”
“I’m sorry. I just don’t know,” Ginny offered with a frown.
“It must have been another glamor spell,” Liam said.
I didn’t know who was real any more. I couldn’t trust anyone. I looked at Liam, Annabelle and Catherin. Were they real or someone else pretending to be them? Catherin smiled sweetly as if she’d read my mind. Where had she come from? I knew who she claimed to be, but could I really trust her?
I focused my attention back to Ginny. “Thank you again for your help.”
“It’s not a problem. Let me know if you need anything else.” Ginny waved.
We made our way back to the front door, but this time no mysterious woman stopped us.
“We need to get to the New Orleans Coven right away. I’m going to demand answers,” I said.
Liam held the door for us as we ushered out and back toward the car. We all piled in and pulled out onto the street.
“What do you think is going on, Hallie?” Annabelle asked from the back seat.
“I think someone sent us to that location for a reason, but I don’t know why. Was it to find Nicolas’ wallet? That doesn’t make sense,” I said.
“Maybe they thought we’d find Nicolas?” Annabelle said.
Liam navigated the busy street. “I don’t think that’s it. Nicolas wouldn’t go there. He would have no reason to be there.”
“Then why was his wallet there?” I asked.
He shook his head. “That I can’t answer.”
After making our way through the busy streets and around the traffic we made it to the outskirts of town. We pulled into the tree-lined driveway of the plantation. It looked different in the daylight. Not quite as spooky, but still haunting. Day or night, the place was beautiful.
My apprehension mounted. I wasn’t sure I was ready for a battle with Jacobson again. I knew he could be volatile by the way he’d grabbed Annabelle and I didn’t want a repeat of that situation. No cars were in front of the place just as the last time, but that did little to ease my nerves. After Liam came to a stop in front of the plantation, we sat in silence for a moment and soaked in its beauty.
“Let’s go,” I said, trying to sound brave.
Maybe if I played the part I could convince myself.
We walked up the grand stairs of the massive porch and approached the front door. I knocked, then realized there was a doorbell, so I pushed the button. A loud ring echoed on the other side for a ridiculously long time. We waited and I listened for any sound of movement. When no one came to the door, I rang the annoying doorbell again. After a few more seconds and still no answer, I placed my hand on the doorknob. The door inched open.
“It’s open,” I said, looking at Liam. “Just like the other place.”
He frowned. “That’s odd. Let me go first.”
I stepped to the side and allowed him to enter the house. Once he was inside, we followed closely behind. The place was quiet. The only sound was our footsteps across the polished hardwood floor.
“Hello?” Liam called out.
No one answered. We stepped into the parlor and looked around. A few half-full wine glasses dotted the top of the table in the parlor. A couple of the glasses had lipstick rings. It looked as if someone had stepped out in the middle of a party.
Annabelle rubbed her arms. “This place gives me the creeps.”
I couldn’t disagree with that assessment. It gave me the creeps too. Even the paintings of what I assumed were Jacobson’s ancestors seemed to watch our every move. It was as if the eyes followed us.
“Where do you think everyone went?” I asked Liam.
Liam shook his head. “I don’t know. But something isn’t right.”
“Why don’t we just go back to LaVeau Manor so that I can consult the book and figure out what the heck I should be doing? We’re getting nowhere like this.” I made my way toward the door.
“I like the sound of that,” Annabelle answered as she stared at one of the paintings.
“Yeah, I guess that’s the best idea,” Liam said as he looked out the side window, distracted.
We hurried out into the hall and Annabelle paused by the entrance to the other parlor.
“I think there’s something you might want to see in here.” She pointed toward the room.
We hurried toward the room. “Excuse me,” Catherin said in a sweet voice as she grabbed my arm.
I frowned. “Yes?”
“You don’t want to go in there. This place is spooky. Let’s get out of here.” She rubbed her arms as if fending off a chill.
I quirked an eyebrow. “I think we’ll just check out the room real quick, okay?”
She scowled, but didn’t argue.
On the farthest wall was another large mural. It took up most of the space, and it had the same writing and depictions that we’d seen at the little house by the swamp. My stomach flipped and it felt like the air had been sucked out of my lungs.
“How did you find this?” I asked Annabelle.
“I just walked over here and saw it,” she said.
“Why do you keep finding things?” I stared at her.
She looked at me and shrugged. “Well, I keep my eyes open and look for things.”
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I knew I needed the Book of Mystics to help me. I had to get back to LaVeau Manor as soon as possible.
“Never mind that now. Let’s just get out of here.” I gestured.
“I’m right behind you,” Catherin said with that same overly sweet voice.
Where were these clues leading us? In the right direction, I hoped.
Chapter Thirteen
As soon as we returned to LaVeau Manor I headed straight for the Book of Mystics. If it didn’t contain some kind of directions on how to fix this mess, I was totally screwed. I’d have to call for some kind of special meeting with the members of the surrounding covens. I supposed I would have to include the Enchantment Pointe Coven members, even though they’d snubbed me for years. I wouldn’t stoop to their level though. I’d show them I was a bigger person than that.
After grabbing the book, I rushed back downstairs. Annabelle had said she’d wait for me in the kitchen. I couldn’t keep her hostage forever. Sure, she said she wanted to stay and help me, but I had no idea how long this thing was going to drag out. It could take days, weeks, or heaven forbid, months. She couldn’t put her life on hold because I’d dragged her into this. And then there was the little matter of Catherin. I knew that Annabelle had taken an instant liking to Catherin’s sweet grandmotherly ways, but she just couldn’t stay forever. I didn’t want to be the witch who messed with bringing back the dead. I might have done it a couple times, but that didn’t mean I wanted to continue to do it forever.
From almost the first moment Nicolas and Liam had arrived at LaVeau Manor, I’d hidden the book. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust them now, but I didn’t trust other people within the Underworld. If one person had wanted it, then that meant there had to be other people who wanted it as well. Why other people wanted to be the leader was beyond me. It wasn’t all that it had cracked up to be. Over and over in my mind I contemplated why I’d accepted the job as leader. The only answer I came up with was only because I felt Nicolas’ mother would have wanted me to. Even though I didn’t know her, she had been friends with my Great-Aunt Maddy and t
hat meant something. Plus, my mother was thrilled with my new status as leader. I’d disappointed her in the witchcraft department for so long. I felt like I owed her this one. So I’d continue to hide the book. Maybe I needed to look into getting a safe.
When I reached the kitchen, Annabelle wasn’t there. With the book clutched to my chest, I ran down the little hallway and into the dining room. To my relief, Annabelle and Liam were sitting at the table eating sandwiches.
“Whew. I was worried that Jacobson had returned,” I said.
Annabelle chewed, then finally said, “Nope. Peanut butter sandwiches.”
Liam laughed. “She’ll be okay as long as I’m here.” He held up a plate with a sandwich. “I made you a peanut butter sandwich too. You didn’t have a wide selection of options.”
How sweet was that? He’d thought to make me a sandwich too. So what if it was only peanut butter on bread. He’d cut it down the middle just like I liked it.
“Yeah, I’m a little behind on my grocery shopping.” I smiled.
Liam winked at me and my stomach flipped. I loved Liam’s crooked smile. The way his lip twisted to one side made my insides flutter.
Liam patted the seat beside him. “Come and eat.”
If only I didn’t need to do the spell first. “I’ll be back in just a minute, okay?”
He smiled softly. “Don’t keep us waiting too long.”
Forcing myself out of the room, I headed back to the kitchen to collect the ingredients for the spell that would send Catherin back to where she came from. Sending her back would be the first step, then I could figure out what the mysterious writing and paintings meant.
I placed the spell book on the counter and ran down the list with my index finger. Luckily, everything I needed was right there on the shelves where my Great-Aunt Maddy had left it. She had an extensive collection of spell-casting ingredients.
With any luck, Liam wouldn’t hear the magic in progress. I didn’t want to tell him that Catherin had been a ghost. If I got rid of her, I could just say that she’d checked out and gone home. That wouldn’t be a lie. Well, not completely a lie. I’d been a screw-up with magic for so long. Now that I was the leader, I wanted to try my best to do the job right. Bringing back random ghosts was not the way to achieve that goal.
Since I was in a hurry, I didn’t have time to wait for the water in the cauldron to reach a boil. So I helped it along with a little spell that I’d read up on in the book.
“Bring heat my way, but without harm. The water will bubble like a charm.”
With a wave of my hand the water began to boil. This spell was only to be used in emergencies, but I felt this was one of those occasions.
Once the water was boiling, I placed the spices and herbs into the cauldron. Then I recited the words from the book that would with any luck take Catherin back.
“Element of Earth, I call to you to allow the spirit to enter earth again. Element of Air, I call to you to push the spirit away from to the living. Element of Fire, I call to you for knowledge and protection. Element of Water, I call to you for force and tranquility. Give the spirit the power to move to the next dimension.”
The wind whipped my hair wildly and the air around me was full of electricity. Dazzling lights flickered through the air and sparkled up from the water. After a minute, the wind died down and the lights flickered away. I released a deep breath. A weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I really felt as if I’d done things right this time.
Before returning to the dining room, I thought I’d try Nicolas’ cell phone. It was probably pointless, but I had to give it a shot. After ringing many times, I figured it would go to his voice mail. When he answered, it caught me off guard.
“Um, I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” I said.
“I’m in New Orleans.” His voice was barely audible.
Uh-oh.
“I hope you’re not thinking of doing something stupid. Don’t try to confront Jacobson,” I said.
“What makes you think I’d do something stupid?” he asked.
The reception on the phone was spotty and his voice was going in and out, so I assumed that was what he had said.
“You need to let me take care of this without violence.” My voice probably showcased my insecurity.
There was no answer.
“Hello?” I said.
Still there was silence on his end. I looked at the phone and saw that the call had been dropped. It figured that he’d lost service just when I needed the cell phone coverage the most.
I dialed his phone again, but this time it went straight to voicemail. What could I do? I left a message warning him again not to confront Jacobson. My warning would probably fall on deaf ears though. I hadn’t even gotten a chance to ask him about the wallet or if he’d really bitten that woman’s neck.
After the call, I turned around and spotted a single red rose on top of the counter. It hadn’t been there a second ago. There was no way I would have missed it. I picked up the beautiful fragrant flower and sniffed. It reminded me of the red roses Nicolas had sent to me when he’d first come to LaVeau Manor. I pulled a vase from the shelf, filled it with water, and placed the rose inside. Had I somehow conjured a rose while casting the spell? Maybe my subconscious had made it appear.
After staring at the rose for a few seconds, I returned to the dining room. I hoped I didn’t have guilt written all over my face. Liam and Annabelle had finished their sandwiches, but were discussing the various restaurants and shops in Enchantment Pointe. Liam scrunched his brow together when he looked up at me. I was so busted. He knew I’d been performing magic. What had made me think I could hide it from him? I was just surprised that he hadn’t figured out that Catherin was a spell gone wrong. I tried to avoid his stare and slipped into the chair at the end of the table.
He placed my sandwich in front of me. “You’d better eat. You must be starving after all that work.”
Ugh. He was just taunting me now. I took a bite from my sandwich, but still didn’t look up at him.
“Is everything okay?” Annabelle frowned.
I smiled. “Yes, everything is fine.”
After a couple seconds of my chewing in silence, Annabelle asked, “Where is Catherin, by the way? I haven’t seen her since we returned to the manor.”
Now that she mentioned it, I hadn’t seen or heard from Catherin even before I’d performed the spell to get rid of her. That was a bit strange. She had wanted to be involved in all the conversations before. But I wasn’t going to complain. She was gone now and I could focus on finding Nicolas. Getting rid of Catherin had been for the best. She would just cause more problems and I didn’t need that at the moment.
“Maybe she went to bed for a nap,” I said.
Why did I feel so guilty for lying? It had been the right thing to do.
Annabelle jumped up from the table. “I’ll go check on her.”
She bounced out of the room. Oh great. She wouldn’t find her. Plus, that would leave me alone with Liam. He would want to know what magic I had been performing. Not that I had to tell him, but with that sexy stare, it was hard to say no to anything he asked. Extremely hard.
I felt Liam’s eyes focused on me, but I continued to look down at my plate.
“You want to tell me what’s going on and why you’re being so secretive?” He fixed his eyes on me.
I placed my half-eaten sandwich down. “Do I want to? No.”
“Come on. You know you’ll tell me eventually. You might as well save the energy and tell me now.” He winked.
Why did he have to look at me like that? I bit my lip, stifling a smile. He was right though. Eventually I wouldn’t be able to stand it and I’d tell him about what I’d done. But right now was not that time. I figured I should take this opportunity to tell Liam about my recent conversation with Nicolas.
Finally, I admitted, “I dialed Nicolas’ number.”
Liam froze. “What happened?”
“He answer
ed.” I studied his face for a reaction.
“You’re kidding. What did he say?”
I sighed. “He said he was in New Orleans.”
“What did he say about the wallet or the attack?” Liam asked.
“I didn’t get a chance to ask. The phone went dead. But I have to say, he didn’t sound like Nicolas.” Uneasiness sounded in my voice.
“I’ll try to call him again.” Liam pulled out his cell phone and looked down at the screen. “I guess I’ll have to wait. There’s no service here.”
Annabelle returned with a frown splashed across her face. She stood with her hands on her hips.
“I can’t find Catherin anywhere,” she said with her brow scrunched up.
Would I be able to continue to lie? Oh, what a tangled web we weave. I should have just told everyone the truth about Catherin from the beginning. But once you tell one lie, you have to tell another, then another. I hated lying to Annabelle.
“Maybe she checked out and went home. Would you blame her?” I asked.
“No, I guess not. But she seemed as if she wanted to help,” Annabelle said.
“I think she was just being polite. We probably scared her to death.” I took a bite of my sandwich and chewed.
Oh, that was a bad pun. Good thing no one knew how bad it truly was.
After taking another bite, I said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t call the police on me. At the very least, she will give me the worst bed-and-breakfast review ever.”
Annabelle shook her head. “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe I almost forgot. You have another guest outside in the foyer. I was so distracted by looking for Catherin that I forgot to tell you.”
I jumped up. “What? I have a guest?”
Annabelle nodded. “Yeah. A man is standing out in the foyer. I asked him if he wanted a room and he said yes.”
Annabelle seemed awfully calm about this. After what had happened with Jacobson, I figured Annabelle wanted to keep her distance from strangers when at LaVeau Manor. I brushed past her and out the door and down the hallway. Liam rushed past me, stopping me from walking into the library.