Seeing Witchy Things

by Leigh Raventhorne

  With that, the cat sauntered off, tail high, and disappeared into the shadows around the potted plants. Rand and I just looked at each other, shell-shocked. Had that really just happened?

  Chapter 14

  Running my fingers through my hair, I blew out a shaky breath. At this rate, I wasn’t sure if I should just call out ‘next’ or not. The cat said they couldn’t hurt us—or me, anyway—so I guessed I would trust her. And how was it she could See Rand? She hadn’t even given me her name.

  I am Zara. Why wouldn’t I be able to see him? The question to ask here is how can you see him?

  What? This was just one more insane thing to chalk up to my crazy life. I hoped I could get the information I needed and get out of here as fast as possible. Though I would miss these terrace gardens.

  Harris and Lawrence marched out of a service door on the other side of the terrace. The woman must have decided to wait inside to see what would happen. Harris had a cell phone in his hand, brandishing it triumphantly.

  As soon as they reached us, Harris thrust the phone at me. “The Madam would like to speak to you.”

  Well, now I knew why the woman didn’t come out with them. I took the phone and put it on speaker. “Hi there. To whom am I speaking?”

  There was a pause on the other end. “Who is this? I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but I don’t have any nieces or nephews. If you don’t leave right this minute, I will call the authorities.” The voice sounded like I would if I were trying to sound old. Well, older.

  I couldn’t help it—I laughed. “Seriously, if you are going to try to impersonate an old woman, you really need to do better than that. I have it on good authority,” I hoped, “that my aunt is nearly here. She should be pulling up to the house in minutes, so I don’t know what it is that you are trying to pull, but whatever it is, you really suck at it. Maybe you should have gone back further than forty years in your background search, huh?”

  I ended the call and handed the phone back to Harris. “Weren’t you supposed to be bringing me a sweet tea?” Not that I would drink it. The odious man would probably spit in it.

  The two men looked at each other and hightailed it back to the house, probably in a panic if they weren’t expecting Stella back, yet. What could they possibly be looking for in her house?

  Bravo! Nicely done. They are certainly panicked, yes. Stella is pulling up to the house now, so let’s go greet her, shall we? Zara strolled out from her hiding spot, regal as the queen of England, and went up the stairs.

  Rand smirked and held his arm out, indicating the stairs. “After you.”

  We followed the walk back the way we’d come, rounding the front of the house just as Harris rushed down the steps to open the car door for the woman I assumed was my Aunt Stella. I don’t know which sight surprised me more—the woman or what she was driving.

  The woman that stepped out of the lime green Dodge Charger was not even close to the picture in my head. My mother had been nearly eighty years old when she passed and had looked good for her age, I’d always believed. Aunt Stella—who my mother had referred to as her older sister on the rare occasions she mentioned her—didn’t even look like she had hit seventy yet. She looked so much like my mother, it almost brought tears to my eyes. She was dressed in a smart pant suit, looking cool and comfortable despite the heavy humidity. I had been sweating bullets from the moment I had gotten out of my air conditioned Jeep.

  The look she gave Harris as she dropped the keys into his waiting hand could only be described as withering. He cringed as she passed him and briskly made her way up the stairs. Lawrence stood at attention up near the door, practically bowing before she even reached the top steps of the second terrace. She paused at the walk where I waited, considering me, before giving what I hoped was an approving nod.

  “Hey, Aunt Stella.” Out of my periphery, I could see Harris glaring daggers at me as he got into the car to play valet. Briefly, I wondered where the mystery woman was. Perhaps scrambling to put everything in the house to right before Stella noticed?

  “It’s about time you got here, Roxanne. Are you coming in or are you just going to stand out in this heat for the rest of the day?” With that she continued on up the stairs and into the house, Zara at her heel. It sounded as though she had been expecting me. And how did she know I was who I said I was, for that matter?

  You are her only niece and you bear a marked resemblance to your mother. The rest will be revealed in time. Come along now.

  I started to follow Stella in but hesitated, not sure what to do about Rand. Lawrence held the door, looking flustered.

  If your ghost touches you as you pass, he may cross the ward. This only works if you are willing, however. Wait, did she just call Rand my ghost?

  I did. Either bring him or don’t, but do not just stand there.

  Right. I definitely wanted him in the house with me. Repressing a shudder at both her bossy voice in my head and the thought of how cold my hand was going to be momentarily, I stuck my hand out toward Rand. I tried to make it look like a casual movement, so as not to draw Lawrence’s attention, but if anyone was watching from the house, I’m sure it still looked odd. He could have just touched my shoulder, I supposed, but I would have had to communicate that to him, which would have looked even more odd.

  Here goes. Rand’s hand brushed mine lightly as we stepped through together. He must have expended a little extra energy to solidify slightly, as I could feel his hand and it wasn’t cold. We both let go after a couple steps, and he . . . did whatever he did to become not solid again. He looked down, patting himself as if to make sure all of him made it through okay and it was all I could do not to snicker. If he touched his junk, there was no way I’d be able to hold back.

  Looking up, I saw Lawrence staring at me, eyes narrowed suspiciously, waiting—for me, I realized.

  “Thanks, Larry.” Smiling, I breezed past him. Whatever he muttered after I passed must not have been very nice, because I heard him exclaim in either surprise or pain. Rand had apparently decided not to let the comment pass.

  Isn’t he a handy one to have around! And so easy on the eyes, too. Join us in the parlor, please. It’s the large doorway to your right, you can’t miss it. Zara’s disembodied voice saved me from standing in the huge, elegantly appointed foyer, gawking. Aware that Lawrence was still watching, I followed Zara’s directions, doing my best to look as if I knew where I was going. There was a large open archway leading to the room on the right. The doorway on the left had a similar archway and double doors that were closed, at the moment.

  Stella had left her handbag on the small entry table in the foyer. Pausing, I wondered if she knew that her house staff were going through her things. Should I bring her bag with me?

  Leave it. She is perfectly aware of what is going on. They can’t do anything with it, anyway. All will be explained if you ever join us. Are you always this slow?

  Yeah, I was a dog person, for sure, because there was no way I would want to deal with cat attitude like this all the time. Toby was getting extra treats when we got back, even if I had to stop and buy them on the way home.

  I’m not going to bother explaining all of the ways you are wrong there. You may be more of a cat person than you think. And you do know how processed and unhealthy all of those treats are, surely?

  How the heck was she reading my every thought? As I walked into the parlor, the impertinent feline greeted my stare with one of her own from her seat next to my aunt. And then she winked at me.

  “Ah, I see you’ve already met Zara. Good, good, that saves me the trouble of introducing you.” Her southern accent was much lighter than the New Orleans drawl that most of the resort residents had, but it was still there. There was a touch of something else as well, maybe a slight French accent. She waved at the matching loveseat directly across from the one she sat in. “Please sit. Would you like anything to drink? I can have Paulette bring you something.”

  Perching on the edge
of the loveseat she had indicated, I considered the question. “No, thank you.” After everything that had happened earlier, there was no way I would trust anything served by any of the staff here.

  If you would like something, I will make sure it is not tampered with. Zara’s offer surprised me.

  “No, I’m okay, Zara. But, um, thank you.”

  “You don’t have to answer her out loud, you know. She’ll pick it up from your surface thoughts.”

  Surface thoughts? Weren’t thoughts just . . . thoughts? Zara sneezed. Was that a cat’s way of laughing?

  It’s one of them, yes. And you will soon learn the difference, as well as how to mask those thoughts that might be easily plucked from your mind.

  That sounded positively delightful. Not. The cat made a choking sound, another form of laughter, I figured, remembering the fit she’d had earlier on the terrace. She didn’t deign to respond to that surface thought.

  “At least you two are hitting it off well, from the sound of things.” My aunt stroked Zara’s back, to which the cat responded by purring loudly, her eyes partly closed.

  “I guess so. She has been very . . . helpful. I’m just not used to being able to communicate with animals like this.” Zara hissed at me, showing off her teeth. Her impressively big, sharp teeth.

  “Oh, you’ve done it now.” Stella’s delighted chortle echoed through the room. “Zara isn’t an animal, or perhaps I should say, not just an animal. She’s a familiar. Our family’s familiar, to be specific.”

  Okay. “And that means . . . ?” I left the question hanging. Zara looked like any other cat to me. Well, except for the whole telepathy thing. That thought earned me a low growl this time, the feisty cat’s tail lashing in irritation.

  “We’ll get into all of that later, dear. For now, I believe we have bigger issues to deal with. Zara tells me you handled this morning admirably. Those three buffoons are starting to become desperate and it’s showing.”

  “Then why are they employed here? Can’t you just fire them and replace them with employees that aren’t trying to rob you or whatever it is they’re doing?”

  “It’s more complicated than that, Roxanne. There’s a bit of a long story there.”

  It’s not that long nor is it that complicated. Zara’s chiding accompanied her reproachful look at my aunt.

  Stella nodded sadly. “You’re right, of course.” She patted the cat’s, er, familiar’s head, gently. “But we’ll get into that later. Would your young man like to have a seat? He doesn’t have to stand there, hovering.”

  “What? H-How can you See him?” Rand’s face mirrored my surprise, but he still came around and sat on the other side of the loveseat.

  “Zara allows me to See and communicate with him, but only if I’m touching her. It’s one of the primary benefits of having a familiar.”

  This is something you should already know.

  Maybe I should let the cat know I was still new to all of this and I would appreciate it if she went easier on me.

  The cat can hear you and decent manners should be observed no matter how new you are. Going ‘easy’ on you won’t help any of us.

  Ignoring that remark, I addressed my aunt. “This is Rand. He’s, well, a friend, I guess you could say. He’s come to my rescue more than a couple of times now. It’s kind of a long story, too.”

  She inclined her head politely to acknowledge him. “Then you have my gratitude, young man.”

  “Thank you, ma’am, but I was just doing what was right. And Roxanne has helped me just as much as I have her.”

  “I see. Perhaps you’ll be able to tell me all about that soon.” She turned back to me. “So where are you staying, dear? And for how long?”

  “At an RV park in town, for about a month. It’s Jeremy Crow’s place. I believe you know him, seeing as you collect money from him every month.”

  She nodded approvingly, my accusation not fazing her in the least.

  “Fine. I have a lot of questions for you, but I honestly don’t know where to start, so I’m just going to throw them out there. Why weren’t you at my mother’s funeral? Why didn’t my mom ever tell me about any of this? Why are you extorting protection money from the Others in the area? How are you able to do all this magick stuff?” Once the questions started, I just kept firing them off. I dumped my bag out on the loveseat, catching Elmer’s box and setting it on my lap. I realized I had forgotten to put the pendant Grandmam had told me to wear for this meeting on. Too late now. “How is it that I have the Sight and all these Items, but you’re a witch?

  “What is curious here is how is it that you have the Sight and you’re able to wear that ring.” She gestured at my Power Ring. “Tell me, have you been able to use the ring?”

  With all the questions I had just asked her, the ring was what got her attention?

  “Yes. Can we circle back to the important questions, please? Starting with the ones about my mom?” Raising my brow at her expectantly, I sat back, arms crossed.

  Zara looked over at the doorway and the person standing just outside of it. Harris cleared his throat nervously as all our gazes landed on him. Stella sighed, made a little motion with her hand, and the air shifted around us.

  She warded the room so we wouldn’t be overheard.

  Huh. Neat trick.

  Isn’t it, though? Almost as neat as a telepathic familiar, hmm?

  I raised my brow at her this time. That might be pushing things. But I do appreciate all of your help earlier. I just realized I never properly thanked you.

  There might be hope for you yet, child. Twitching her tail, her amused green eyes met mine.

  Child? I was forty-one years old. That was pretty far removed from child. Forty-one was nearly middle aged.

  You have much to learn.

  Talking to the cat had distracted me from the conversation Harris and Aunt Stella were having. Tuning back in, I whispered to Rand, “What did I miss?”

  He gave me an odd look. “Where have you been?”

  “Talking to the—to Zara.” I tapped my head.

  “Harris is just asking your aunt about the dinner arrangements, is all. Wondering if you’re staying. Are you staying?”

  “If she asks me to, yes. Probably. Wait—how are you doing away from Toby?” With all of the excitement, I had completely forgotten this was supposed to be a test, of sorts.

  He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. “I’m fine. I don’t think it’s going to be an issue.”

  “Are you sure? How will you know if it is a problem?” I had been curious about this before but hadn’t asked. Somehow I thought he would simply be pulled away if the distance became too great or the length of time too much. “Maybe we shouldn’t stay. It’s been several hours now, so we really should get back to Toby.”

  “He’ll be fine. The shifter chick knows to feed him if we’re late, and she said she would take him out for walks. If he were in real distress, I think I would know. I’ve never really tested the boundaries before because I usually needed to stay close when Cruella was around for Toby’s sake. And when she wasn’t, I stayed so that Toby wasn’t alone, cooped up in that tiny van.” He looked as angry as I felt over that unpleasant memory. “Hey, heads up.”

  It was a good thing he was paying attention, because Stella was now standing just a couple feet away, head tilted as she watched me. Harris was gone.

  “Er, did I miss something?” My face grew hot, so I knew I was blushing fiercely.

  “I asked if you would like to stay for dinner. I would ask if you talked to yourself like this often, but Zara explained you were having a private conversation with your ghost.” Her tone was amused, so I relaxed. And why was he my ghost?

  So very much to learn . . . I gave the familiar a dirty look. She sneezed delicately.

  “That’s actually what we were just discussing. I would love to stay, but we need to get back to my dog. Could I take a raincheck? Maybe come back tomorrow?” As much as I hated leaving without answers, Toby
and Jake were my responsibility now. Gloria was probably perfectly trustworthy, but I didn’t want to just assume. Plus, I would make sure I was wearing the pendant when we spoke again, though I had a feeling I wouldn’t need it. My aunt seemed pretty open to my questioning.

  “Of course, dear. I’ll clear my schedule. Why don’t you plan on staying the day and you can bring your dog with you.” This wasn’t posed as a question.

  “Sure, um, that sounds great.” If she could deal with cat hair, what was a little dog hair, too? She had people to take care of things like that anyway, when they weren’t busy ransacking her house. Which reminded me . . .

  “Zara said you knew about what was going on with your house staff, but are you sure you’ll be okay? It sounds like they’re not working alone.” Having only just met my last living relative, my worry felt justified.

  “Oh, they’re not. But I’m fine. It helps to keep me on my toes, so to speak.” Her expression darkened. “Good help is extremely difficult to find. For now they serve as a reminder as to what happens when I let myself become lax and too trusting. Besides, the rooms are getting a more thorough cleaning than they’ve had in ages.” She shrugged. “Zara always keeps me apprised as to the goings on when I’m not around. I have my own ways of keeping an eye on them, too. We’ll discuss it more tomorrow.”

  That sounded like it was my cue to leave, so I stood, tucking Elmer’s jewelry box back in my bag.

  “Bring that box back with you, as well. I can sense what’s in there and I’m sure you’ll have many questions about all of it.”

  She led the way to the front door, Lawrence appearing out of nowhere to open it. She waved him away. “I’ll see my niece out, Lawrence. Go see if Paulette needs assistance in the kitchen.” Just as he started walking away, she added, “Please inform Paulette that there will be a guest for tomorrow’s meals and to prepare accordingly for lunch and dinner.” She looked at me inquiringly. I nodded. “Yes. Tell her to prepare something special for dessert, as well, Lawrence. That will be all.” He gave a little bow at her dismissal and headed down the hall toward the back of the house, back stiff.