“The council will approve our punishment or amend it, but it’ll be quieter than if we had a judge come and hear the evidence or we go there. Then, news will spread.”
“Witch gossip?” I teased.
“Exactly. Just what my family doesn’t want. Serena is smart when manipulating her family, but she’s not brilliant with magic. She probably panicked and killed whoever that was at the mall when she meant to freeze them. I just want to make sure that’s all she did.” Bran nodded.
“I think we need some tea or wine. Too bad I don’t have a liquor license here,” I said.
He grabbed my hand and held it tight. “Thank you for your help.”
I looked into his dark and caring eyes. “Thank you for yours. Crazy night.”
“Fate tends to do that to us.” He leaned over and kissed me.
I froze for a second, completely thrown off guard. But he was a good kisser…
Chapter 22
I called a coven meeting for the next evening. I told Esme to bring Serena, and Bran would make sure she came. The members assembled. It’d been hard not to quiz my cousin and aunt about the secret in my life. That was selfish and crazy. I’d lived this long without details. Right now, I had to make sure two murderers didn’t escape justice.
Bran would slip into the café right when the coven meeting began. If he attended the meeting, Serena would know something was wrong. But if she tried to flee or take Ryan, he’d stop them.
When everyone was there, I stood, and the room got quiet. Serena stood next to Esme with the cousins on her other side. Serena looked around, but mainly, she was looking down her nose at the mix of people.
“I wanted to apologize to you guys. The police confirmed that it was natural causes. I’m not sure if my spell was wrong. The spell said it was unnatural causes, but there might have been other issues we don’t know about. Mr. O’Conner is done with the protesting. The humans have a resolution, and I don’t want to upset anyone by dragging it out to prove anything. But we would still like to find out who threatened Mrs. O’Conner. We don’t want to be attacking humans for their ignorance or fear. The point of the café and this coven is to reach out and have good relations with humans. If anyone knows anything about who made those threats, I want to hear about it now,” I said.
Serena scoffed.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“Why do you care what humans think? They shouldn’t be threatening what they don’t understand. All their wars are out of ignorance and arrogance,” Serena said.
“That doesn’t mean we threaten them. We must set an example of order,” Esme said.
“What do you even know about this, Serena? You’re new here,” I said.
“Who is she?” Ellen asked.
“Serena Murray. Of the Carolina Murrays.” Serena flipped her hair.
I nearly laughed, but she was a lot more dangerous than she was spoiled. “She’s a cousin of the Killeans, staying with them. Very recently. Have you meddled with anything, Serena?” I asked.
“Meddled? That old lady threatened your café and coven. I heard that through the witch network. What’s wrong with a little warning that karma might get them? She threatened us. I threatened them,” Serena said.
“You what?” Iris asked.
“I made a phone call. I had a friend make one, too, and leave a note. No big deal. The spell was just to bug her.”
“Spell?” Bran asked from the door.
“You’re supposed to wait downstairs,” I said.
“I couldn’t help listening in. What spell?” he demanded.
She jerked her chin. “Doesn’t matter. She died too soon. The spell didn’t work.”
I cleared my throat. “We already know about the mall and the hunter. Tell us what spell you cast on Mrs. O’Conner.”
“It doesn’t matter. It was a joke. The mall was self-defense. A mistake. It went wrong.” She waved it off.
“Repeat the spell,” Bran said.
Serena flinched. “Teach this bitter old woman karma is real. Give her a mega dose of her own medicine so she knows how it feels.”
“Mega dose of her own medicine?” I wanted to curse her out. The girl made a rookie mistake. Spells couldn’t be ambiguous or the worst results always happened.
“What? She was a bitter old grouch. She deserved it. She wished bad things on you guys. She was mean to you, so she deserved people being mean to her for a bit. Karma.” Serena shrugged.
“That woman died of an overdose of insulin.” I pulled up the text on my phone from Detective Shelley. “They ran a glucose test, and she had no measurable sugar in her body. She took a mega dose of insulin and went to bed. Your spell worked and was taken literally,” I said.
“No. That’s crazy. I didn’t know she was on medicine.” Serena gasped.
“Bind her,” someone called.
Esme waved a hand.
Serena tried to walk away and found herself frozen.
“Let me go. I demand you let me go. It was natural causes. My spell was a flop. I didn’t mean to kill her. I didn’t kill her.” Serena shrieked.
“What about the humans in the mall that you killed to save your hunter boyfriend?” I played the video of Ryan confessing.
She stared at the screen, and her face went red.
“That idiot!” she shouted.
“He was under a powerful truth potion,” Bran said.
“He betrayed me. That bastard!” she screamed. Then, she took a deep breath and seemed to regroup. “It was all self-defense in the mall.”
“You followed him here. You must care about him,” I said.
“He pissed off my dad. Dad threatened him if he didn’t stay away from me. I couldn’t handle being separated from Ryan. Especially when he went on a dangerous hunt. It was late, and he was going to take out the werewolf and be done. I went for backup. We didn’t know there were humans in there doing late inventory. They surprised us. It was an accident.” She bounced.
I laughed. She’d tried to stomp her foot but was frozen from the elbows down.
“Accident or not, you killed two humans that night. He did, as well. You both have to pay. Plus Mrs. O’Conner, goofed spell or not. We can call in a rep from the witch’s council or handle it ourselves,” Esme said.
“She is young,” my aunt added.
“We will handle it and inform the council, but the punishment will be severe. You’re all invited to the Killean mansion tonight at midnight. We will set down punishment at that point. For her and the hunter. She’s my cousin and my responsibility. The hunter came here because Serena knew she could get here and had a place to stay. She thought she could rescue him from hiding. They’re my problem,” Bran said.
“They became our problem, big time. Thanks,” my aunt said.
“I’m sorry. I had no idea any of this was going on. I’ll be talking to Serena’s parents before we pass judgment. I’m sorry you ladies had to deal with this.” He glared at his cousin.
“We? Who is we?” Serena asked.
“Claudia’s business was almost ruined because of you. She had to babysit your boyfriend. They patched him up. You’ve been trying to get in here since you arrived in town, and now, I know why. A human hunter with no self-control. Claudia and I will decide what the consequences are. Esme, Claudia and I will collectively cast the spells needed so we can’t undo it unless we all agree. Fair enough?” he asked.
I nodded. Esme and my aunt nodded, as well.
“No! That’s crap. You can’t touch Ryan!” she shouted.
“Oh, yes, we can. Or I could hand him over the South Carolina police, along with his confession. Would you like that better?” I asked.
“We could turn you over to the police for that, too,” Iris said. “Murderer.”
“Like I’d stay in jail. If I can kill someone with a remote spell, I’m obviously really strong. So, I’ll overcome whatever you do to me.” She struggled against Esme’s binding spell.
I stepped up to the bra
tty little witch. “I really thought you were interesting. Your major. Your focus. It was all a lie to get into my café and my coven. To get your boyfriend back. What was the plan once you got him out of my basement? Run off and go on a killing spree?”
“No, I never wanted to kill anyone. Our plans were none of your business.” She sneered at me. “He’d do anything for me. You have no idea what that’s like. Poor single witch and her coffee shop with her hippie aunt and her friend who lives life like a cat more than a human. And those twins. How do you stand it? Surrounded by so many dull, boring humans. You have real powers, Claudia.” She shook her head at me.
“I’ll take good humans over murderous witches any day.” I looked at Bran. “Can you contain her at home? I don’t want to put her downstairs with Ryan.”
“She won’t get away from me. See you at midnight.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek.
I tried not to blush. In a flash, he and his cousin were gone.
“What was that?” Violet asked.
“Nothing. He’s forward. We had one date,” I said.
“Looks like a good one,” my aunt said.
“It was nice enough until we had to interrogate Ryan with a truth potion. Not exactly normal,” I said.
“But you’re a good team,” Esme said.
I shot her a look but shook off the scrutiny. If Bran and I worked out, we worked out. If not, we could still be good allies.
“Can we watch?” Ellen asked.
“No, Esme and I can handle Ryan. We’ll have enough witnesses and send the punishment to the council. They will no doubt approve it, but any alterations can be made quickly. Thank you, everyone, thanks for being here. It is good to know I wasn’t crazy,” I said.
“You were right, but that hunter… Vinny will want to kill him,” my aunt said.
“Well, he can’t. Even if we hand him in to the police, he wouldn’t get a death penalty. At most, it’d be manslaughter. We’ll give him a better lesson our way.” I flopped into a big chair as the coven meeting broke up.
“Your silence and support is appreciated, ladies,” Esme said.
Iris and Violet stood in front of me. “That girl is crazy,” they said.
“I don’t want you spending too much time with her.” I rubbed my forehead.
“Is she going to be free to roam around?” my aunt asked.
“Bran and I have to finalize the punishment. Now, we know she killed Mrs. O’Conner, as well. How could she be so reckless with her spells?” I sighed.
“I’m glad to see you’re working with Bran.” Esme smiled.
The twins grinned. My aunt nodded. So much for my private life staying private until I figured out if there was any future in it.
Chapter 23
Esme and I arrived around nine p.m. with Belle as another witness. She was a gypsy witch but a powered witch nonetheless and independent of my coven. Ryan was less cooperative, but he couldn’t do much against our magic bindings. A young handsome man answered the door. A butler? Really?
“We’re here to discuss the sentences of the criminals,” I said.
“Miss Crestwood, please. Esmeralda.” The butler bowed.
“This is Belle Andrews,” I informed him.
“The master is in his library. The other criminal is being held in the solarium.” He led the way.
We all followed and found ourselves in the solarium. Serena was still immobilized and shouted against her invisible bonds. Esme moved Ryan next to her so they could see each other, but both were bound in their own spells so they couldn’t touch or even hear each other.
Ryan’s anguish was clear, but they needed to understand what they had done was wrong. There were consequences, even if the human world couldn’t prove it or understand what happened. They called Mrs. O’Conner’s death natural. That gave them peace. But we couldn’t let these two get away with their crimes.
I turned and the butler was gone.
“I feel underdressed,” Belle said.
“Don’t worry about it.” I was in jeans and a sweater. Nothing fancy about me.
“Ladies, welcome,” Bran said as he walked in.
The guy was still in a suit and looked at ease. Dark hair, dark eyes, and handsome features—I could do worse. He was definitely worth spending time with. Friends or more, who knew, right now
“We need to talk about what punishment we’ll hand down,” Esme said.
“Agreed. Well, my cousin’s parents are very concerned that she deceived them. They won’t be back until next year but have trusted me to hand down whatever sentence I see fit and to oversee her custody. I’d like to hear your thoughts on punishment first,” he said.
I studied the cocky girl. “Bind her powers for three years. No magic. Restrict her to school, your home, and a charity place to volunteer and other acceptable close-by places only. Make her volunteer. Make her go to school. Coven meetings should be mandatory. Continue her work with Esme so she understands spells before she can use them, again. All of that for a year and then assess if she is ready for more freedom to see if she can be trusted and has learned.”
“Three years without magic?” an older man asked as he walked up.
“Ladies, my cousin Vern—a vampire,” Bran introduced.
“Hello,” I said. “Yes, three years. One for every human she killed. In the third year, maybe we could restore some basic powers to see if she uses them responsibly. But she’d need to be closely monitored. Like parole.”
“Magical parole.” Belle smirked.
“She has to be held accountable,” Esme said.
“Did I miss anything?” a handsome young man asked as he entered.
“My other cousin, Harry. He’s a werewolf,” Bran said.
“Claudia, Esme, and Belle. All witches,” I said.
Harry bowed and smiled. He locked eyes with me for a split second, and I felt an odd tingle but then Harry stared at Belle.
“I’m a gypsy witch,” Belle said.
“What about the hunter? He killed the werewolf. That’s okay. But two humans?” Vern shook his head at the trapped man.
“Killing werewolves isn’t okay,” Harry said. “There are wolf runs and natural packs where wolves can run free from humans and hunters. He could’ve captured the werewolf and relocated him to a sanctuary,” Harry said.
“As long as they don’t attack humans, witches, or wizards—that’s fine,” I agreed.
Esme cleared her throat to keep us on track. “I think Ryan needs at least two years of imprisonment. He knew his job, and that it wasn’t a free pass to accidentally kill anyone. Even if it was involuntary manslaughter, there have to be consequences. But he and his girlfriend were on a spree of some sort. He was impressing her with his werewolf hunting skills.”
“Imprison him where? Not in my basement,” I said.
“We have a dungeon,” Bran replied.
“A legit, guarded dungeon?” I asked.
“Would you like the tour? We have time before midnight,” Bran offered.
“I would,” Belle said.
“I’ll go on faith, for now. I prefer to keep an eye on them,” Esme said.
“I’ll stay,” Vern said.
Harry offered his arm to Belle. She blushed and stuck near me.
“I’ll go, too,” I said.
We followed the men.
“I’m sorry,” Belle said and looked at me.
“No need,” Harry said.
“Harry, I’m not sure how much you know about the gypsy culture. Belle is a Romanichal Gypsy, and unmarried women aren’t allowed socialize with single men. Certainly not touch them. Most girls marry very young, but Belle is a rebel. She pursued a career and helps people, but her reputation is still important,” I said.
“How fascinating. How are you two related?” Harry asked.
“My aunt married a gypsy man. Belle is his second cousin. We became friends as kids. I’m a bad influence.” I grinned.
“No, you saved me. I would’ve run off
rather than marry young. You showed some of the gypsies that Gorger girls could be good and close to the family and have a job.” She loosened her grip on my arm and walked a bit faster.
“Gorger?” Harry asked.
“Non-gypsy,” I filled in.
“I can’t wait to see this gypsy wedding,” Bran said.
“You’re bringing him?” Belle asked.
“Why not? He’s never been to one. It’ll be a cultural experience,” I said.
“He’ll think we’re trash,” Belle whispered.
“No, he won’t. He’ll ask a lot of questions. Don’t be ashamed of where you came from. You don’t have to marry a gypsy, but you are one.” I patted her arm and walked ahead with Bran.
The dungeon lived up to its name. Dark and cold, the walls were rock, and there were no windows. Bran conjured a light ball, and I did the same as we wound through the corridors. Finally, a large room opened. There were cells separated by rock walls. A man stood taller when he saw Bran.
“A guard, even,” I said.
“I employ a few vampires myself. My family is old and reclusive. We aren’t perfect or sweet. Humans fear us. But we are generally good. The few exceptions who are disturbed or evil are housed here,” Bran said.
Belle and Harry walked along. I hung back.
“You don’t want to see?” Bran asked.
“Your family isn’t a freak show. I’m sorry you have to do this to any of them,” I said.
“At least look at an empty cell to be sure you’re okay with Ryan staying here for two years. We don’t deny quality food, clean water, or health care. Entertainment and luxuries are restricted,” Bran said.
I walked by a full cell to an empty one.
“I see it. I see the animal. Get it out!” the old man shrieked from the occupied cell.
Harry waved it off. “He doesn’t like werewolves. He has the sight, but no control over his mind or mouth.”
I nodded and looked in an empty cell. It was dark and gloomy, but the bed looked fairly comfortable. There was a small desk along with a sink and toilet in one corner. It wasn’t overly cramped.
“What do they do for showers? What do they do all day?” I asked.
Myths & Magic: A Science Fiction and Fantasy Collection Page 230