The man set his sights on Mississippi. “You all right, darlin’?”
“I’m okay. Shirley didn’t survive. I was pushing her across the street, heading back to my shop, when Mr. Flashy ran the stop sign,” said Mississippi. “Good thing I wasn’t on her or I’d be mangled too.”
Petey smiled. “Mr. Flashy is going to take her to dinner. She’s gonna make him pay up front in the event of ninjas.”
The man didn’t bat an eye at Petey’s oddness. He did, however, level a hard gaze on Curt. “You ran the stop sign and nearly killed my baby girl?”
His baby girl?
The blood drained from Curt’s face.
The man came at him quickly.
The next Curt knew Mississippi was in front of him. She put her arms out. “Daddy, no killing Curt.”
Her father paused. “Curt Warrick?”
Wilber’s laugh could be heard with ease even though he was still in the van. “Your reputation precedes you, Warrick. Hey, Walden, can you lend me a hand? Got a doomsday issue in here.”
Walden peered into the van. “Wilber Messing, that you in there?”
“Yep, Peugeot, it’s me. If my rock-for-brains grandson-in-law could get out of the way, that would be great. I could come out and greet you. We hunters have to stick together.”
With a grunt Hugh stepped out of the van.
Curt glanced at Mississippi. Her father was a hunter? That meant she was one too. She certainly didn’t look like a lethal weapon. She looked more like hugging trees was her favorite thing to do.
Walden walked around to the side of the van and peered in at Wilber. “That a Destiny Vase?”
“It was until Warrick got near it,” snapped Wilber. “Luc can help contain the power if we get it to him.”
Walden lifted the radio on his hip. “Daisy, track down Louis. Tell him to meet me at the antiques shop, code red. Put a call into Hells Gate and see if Luc is in town. If so, have him meet us at the antiques shop.”
“Can do, Sherriff,” said a woman from the other end of the radio.
He then looked at Wilber. “You have enough control over it to move to my squad car? I’ll get us to the safe room at the shop. I think I have something on hand that can contain it.”
Wilber eased out of the van, pushing past Hugh before giving Curt a hard look.
Walden followed behind the hunter and paused in front of Curt. His gaze went to the flask that had apparently fallen out of the van in the commotion and was now lying on the ground near the driver’s side.
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” said Curt.
“I think there is a flask that had lemonade in it and that you’re standing in the middle of cursed pirate treasure.”
“Told ya it looked like pirate treasure,” said Petey.
Curt glanced down at the coins and then to Petey. “It didn’t have whiskey in it?”
Petey shook his head. “Promised Kelsey I’d go easier on the stuff.”
With a slight shrug, Curt stared up at Walden. “Never mind. It’s exactly what it looks like.”
“You could have killed my baby girl,” said the man sternly.
“I know. And I’m sorry. I’ll replace Laverne.”
“Laverne?” asked Walden.
Wilber sighed. “He means Shirley, but the boy’s head is on sideways since he saw your daughter. If I’m not mistaken, your baby laid another curse on him. Not that Warrick didn’t have enough as it was.”
“She’s a hunter,” said Curt, stiffening at the words. “Her words can’t curse me. That could only happen if she was a magic of some sort.”
“About that,” said Mississippi, her face turning pink.
Walden whipped around and looked at his daughter. “Missi?”
She closed her eyes and then nodded.
“Tell me you didn’t, darlin’,” said the sheriff.
She blinked up at him. “It flew out. I didn’t mean it.”
Petey nodded. “Same thing happened to her grandmother once. She was angry with me over a misunderstanding and she cursed me a good one. I was in Warrick’s spot.”
Walden stiffened. “You Captain Petey?”
Petey’s chest puffed out. “Hear that, Warrick? I’m well-known here too.”
Curt played everything that had been said over again in his head. His eyes widened. “Hold on, you’re a hunter with magic?”
“Yes,” Mississippi said, her voice barely there.
Walden let out a long breath. “Wilber, hop in my car, I’ll get you and the vase to the shop. Missi, take Warrick with you to your shop. Stay close to him. If what I smell is right, he ain’t got a lick of magic in him. He’s some sort of cat-shifter, but a non-magic. And if he has a curse from you on him, in addition to whatever other curse he came with, he’s gonna need all the magical help he can get. I’ll have Daisy track down your mother, grandmother, and sister to help.”
“Take him with me?” asked Mississippi, her eyes wide. “To my magic shop?”
A woman with blonde hair and yellow glasses came walking towards them. She smiled. “Oh, Mississippi, you found him! Good.”
Walden inclined his head. “Ms. Cherry.”
Mississippi shook her head. “No. Tell me one of the other guys is the one. Not that one. Not Mr. Flashy.”
Confused, Curt simply stared between the women.
Ms. Cherry eyed him up and down slowly as if he were a slab of meat. “Oh, sugar, he’s a fine-lookin’ male. Very fine. Take him down to the docks and have him take his shirt off. The ladies will love it. Gonna make some good-lookin’ babies with you.”
Walden spun around and had Curt shoved against the van in the flash of an eye. “Touch my baby girl or try any baby makin’ and cursed coins will be the least of your worries. I’ll take you out to the swamps and ain’t no one gonna find your body again, boy.”
Curt put his hands up slowly to signal surrender.
Jake was suddenly there, prying the man back from him. “Sheriff Peugeot, take it easy. Wilber is annoyed with Curt right now, but he’ll vouch for him. Warrick is a good guy.”
“That don’t mean he’s allowed to mate with my daughter,” said the man.
Curt gasped. “Mate? What? No!”
He was going to add more about how he was not mating to anyone when his gaze flickered to Mississippi. The harder he looked at her, the more he could see himself with her for the long haul.
“Tell him that his daughter isn’t your mate,” stressed Jake.
Curt’s entire body tightened, and he strained to get the words out that Jake wanted to hear. When it became obvious they weren’t coming out of Curt’s mouth, he sighed. “I can’t tell him that.”
Walden made a go at him again.
Hugh pushed in and helped Jake keep the man back.
Leo was out of the van now too and walking closer to Curt. “Warrick, the chaos spell is at work. Do your best not to help it along.”
Mississippi came closer, looking at him like he might bite. “Tell my father you’re not my mate. No way is my mate some loaded guy who sneezes gold coins while driving a hippie van.”
Curt soaked in the sight of her. She had to be the sexiest woman he’d ever seen in all his life. The fact that she’d cursed him should have really turned him off. It didn’t. Strangely, it kind of turned him on. He raked his gaze over her slowly.
“Pretty sure Warrick is mentally undressing her,” said Petey, which made Walden growl.
“Missi, I heard you were nearly run over by a semi,” said a woman with long, dark, curly hair.
“Jasmine? A semi?” asked Mississippi. “No. Sorry, the grapevine already has it blown out of proportion. I was nearly run over by that flowered nightmare behind me.”
Jasmine glanced at Curt and then gasped. “I know you. You’re the out-of-towner who is trying to buy Missi’s other lot! I had a vision of you!”
“He’s the rich big shot who is trying to buy my land?” asked Mississippi.
Jasmine nodded
and then looked as if she was about to attack him. “He sure is. My spirit guides showed him to me plain as day. That’s him all right.”
Mississippi bent, and the next Curt knew, the woman had a handful of cursed coins and was throwing them at him, shouting additional curses at him as she did—these curses were a little more colorful than the last. It took Ms. Cherry, Jasmine, Walden, and Jake to get her back from him.
Her father grunted. “Mississippi, stop havin’ a dyin’ duck fit!”
Hugh laughed. “Oh yeah. She is totally your mate. Fate would hand you a woman who can’t stand you or your money. I really hope she’s allergic to you or shoots rainbows out of her fingertips.”
Petey moved closer. “She’s much prettier than the women you normally pick, Warrick. They look like women I once knew when I was on shore leave.”
Mississippi’s eyes widened, and she tried to get to Curt again, threatening his man parts as she did.
He stepped back.
Walden shook his head. “Tell me we’re all wrong. Tell me my baby girl’s fated mate is not him.”
“Hey. I’m a catch,” said Curt.
Wilber snorted. “Says you. I already told you that you’re making the heathen look good.”
Hugh grinned and waggled his brows.
Mississippi shook her head. “No. He’s not my…he can’t be my…no way he’s my…oh fiddlesticks. Tell me he’s not my mate!”
“I’d love to, darlin’,” said her father. “But my gut is screamin’ at me that he is, and you cursed him. Your momma is gonna want to hear about this. Between you and me, she cursed me too when I first met her. She, like her momma, was not a fan of hunters back then. I grew on her. Just like this fool will grow on you.”
Curt huffed.
Jake sighed. “Someone cursed Warrick on our way here too.”
Petey nodded. “He’s very cursable. Can’t drive worth a darn but he’s super cursable. Everyone has to be good at something. Warrick is good at getting cursed and charming the ladies. He’s real good at buying up property too. He’s into real estate investments. Bet if he gets your land he’ll make a ton of money off it. That’ll make you a rich woman, being mated to him and all.”
Mississippi tried to come at Curt again and her expression didn’t look friendly.
Walden caught his daughter around the waist. “Darlin’, stop.”
“He wants to take my property, Daddy. And he nearly killed me while actually murdering Shirley,” she protested.
Curt moved towards her, pushing through the crowd of people. He touched Walden’s arm lightly. “Sir, please. She’s fine. You can put her down.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Son, I’m not sure how they do things up North where y’all are from, but down here when one of our women are this riled up, you do not set them free to finish what they started. Well, not unless you’re like Deathwish Dexter or Apocalypse Arnold.”
Petey slapped his upper thigh and then looked at the men around him. “Told you I knew them and that they were real!”
Chapter Nine
Missi stopped struggling against her father’s hold. He released her but remained close, knowing her well. She glanced at Curt. As angry as she was with him for breaking Shirley and for being the big shot who was trying to acquire her property, it was hard to deny the fact the man was incredibly good looking.
As if reading Missi’s mind, Ms. Cherry grinned and winked. “Congrats! I’m so happy for you two. I’m gonna have to help your momma and grandmother plan a weddin’ celebration. It will be so much fun. We haven’t had one since your momma and daddy got hitched. That celebration didn’t go over as planned. I had to try to keep your grandmother from hexin’ your daddy.”
Missi groaned. “I already told you that I’m not dating anyone. There is no wedding. No celebration is needed. But anyone who wants to can hex him. Apparently, he’s very curseable.”
Ms. Cherry looked between them. “But you will be married very soon. Come on, everyone. This nice young man is gonna take Missi and what’s left of Shirley back to her shop. Hopefully, he’ll be able to sweet talk his way into her good graces.”
A large man with dark brown hair clamped his hands down on Curt’s shoulders and rubbed them. “If you could refrain from having your mate curse you more than she already has, that would be great. Like Petey said, you’re already making change. I’d hate to see what else you start doing.”
“Hugh?” asked Curt, looking a bit green around the edges. Apparently, he was as on board with the idea they were something more to each other as Missi was.
That should have given her comfort. Oddly, it didn’t.
Hugh smiled. “I was in your position not that long ago, Curt. Don’t fight it. Just let Fate do with you what it may. Resistance is futile. You’ll be happy in the end. You may or may not have to curse using baked goods, but whatever.”
Curt faced her fully before looking to where Shirley lay, bent beyond repair. Missi had loved the bike since she’d first gotten her when she was fourteen. It had once been her grandmother’s.
Curt went to the mangled bicycle and lifted it with one hand. He then reached up with his other and began to bend Shirley back into something that marginally resembled her original shape. She had a long way to go before she’d be fixed, if she even could be. Seeing Curt bend metal with no effort reminded her of what Mr. Flanks had said. Curt was a shifter. They tended to be very strong. Some types of supernaturals were. Others had the same strength as a human—such was the case with Missi.
Curt tried to bend Shirley back into shape more and her smashed basket broke off and fell to the street. “I’ll buy you a new one.”
Jasmine snorted. “That will never work to get her to calm down. That bike was special to her. You can’t just ride in here in the Peace Mobile and think you can buy anything you want. She’s not for sale. And while I’m at it, I like the van. Not you.”
Petey rubbed the van’s side. “Hear that, Sunshine? She likes you. I told you that you’re cherry. Don’t listen to what Hugh and Curt say about you. You’re a beautiful peace wagon.”
“What a shocker,” said Jasmine, eyeing Curt as if she might go for the jugular. It’s what best friends did for one another. “He doesn’t even like the van.”
Missi nudged her friend lightly and shook her head, wanting Jasmine to stop. “Jas.”
They shared a look and Jasmine nodded, looking less than pleased.
Missi offered a warm smile. “Can you come back to the shop with Curt and me? I’m going to need your help with a spell to counter what I did to him.”
“What did you do to him?” asked Jasmine.
Missi tugged at her lower lip. “I might have sort of cursed him when I was in a fit of anger.”
Jasmine’s eyes widened a second before she burst into laughter.
Curt bemoaned, “It’s not that funny.”
“No. It is that funny,” said Hugh. “Unless you end up dead, then it runs out of funny fast. No one but me gets to kill my best buddy.”
Curt grinned at his friend. “Thanks, man. That means a lot to me.”
Petey looked between the men. “Do I sense a hug coming on? I’m in!”
Missi’s father rubbed his temple. “Darlin’, didn’t Mémé Marie-Claire have a long talk with you about mindin’ what you say when you’re upset?”
She had. And Missi had never had an issue with it in the past. It was just a precautionary thing her grandmother told each of her grandchildren. Or it had been.
Missi closed her eyes a moment, ashamed of her lack of control on her magic. She was better than that. She was the one who normally schooled others on magic’s proper use and the need to exercise extreme caution when wielding it. There was only one silver lining she could find to the ordeal. “In my defense, he already came cursed.”
“Fair point,” said Curt, coming to her aid while he propped Shirley against the van with great care, as if she could possibly be damaged more. He then eased closer to Missi and t
he coins on the street. He reached into his pockets and pulled out more, letting them fall to the ground as well. “As my friends keep pointing out, I’m making change. I’m like a walking quarter machine, if the machine spit out cursed gold pieces with weird symbols on them.”
Weird symbols? In her stretch of irritation, she’d not stopped to notice any markings on the coins. She’d pretty much just seen them as something to throw at Curt. Not one of her finest moments by any means. It was also one her brothers wouldn’t let her live down when they caught wind of it. York would claim she was just like him. Louis would tell her she was unrefined. She was kind of surprised they weren’t already there.
News traveled fast in a small town.
Missi glanced down at the coins on the ground, taking a moment to actually look at them as more than objects to be thrown. On one side was the head of a lion. On the other was a symbol she’d seen before. “What are you doing with Blackbeard’s treasure?”
“Blackbeard?” asked Curt. “Like the pirate?”
Petey nodded so hard his knit cap needed adjusted. “You never believe me. I swear you people think all I do is make stuff up. I don’t. It’s all true.”
Curt’s head whipped around as he stared at Petey. “He’s real?”
Petey rolled his eyes. “Of course he is, Warrick. Why would anyone make up knowing a pirate? This is like the time you all thought I was making up seeing a walking squid wearing a wristwatch. I wasn’t. That turned out to be Sigmund.”
“Blackbeard got put in a bottle once,” said Missi’s father. “One of my sons’ more noteworthy stunts.”
“Shiver Me Timbers isn’t open yet today. Or at least it wasn’t not that long ago,” said Missi to her father.
Her father lifted a brow. “Hmm. Strange. He’s normally open today. There wasn’t a notice on the town bulletin board about him bein’ closed extra this week. Anyone talk to him lately? I haven’t seen him in a few days but that’s not out of the ordinary.”
Don’t Stop Bewitching_A Happily Everlasting Series World Novel Page 10