by Rose Pressey
Nevertheless, I raised my arms and prepared to cast a spell on him. I recited the words and waved my arm through the air in a sweeping and swirling motion. This spell required more than usual. I wanted to make sure that it worked. This could be a life or death situation and I couldn’t chance it. I needed to call to the elements. This would allow my magic to be stronger. No way would he break out of this spell until I was ready for him to get out of it.
“Element of air, I call to you.” I looked to the sky as I recited the words. A rumble of thunder echoed from above.
As I spook the words the wind whipped outside. I called out part of the spell, but now I would have to continue calling to the elements. The branches whipped like crazy as the air grew stronger. I rushed my words so he wouldn’t have time to get away.
“Element of fire, I call to you.”
Adrenaline coursed through my veins and my cheeks flushed from the heat of my anger.
“Element of water, I call to you.” A buzzing sound rang in my ears. The energy grew with my anxiety.
“Element of earth, I call to you.” The door rattled. It wasn’t Thomas making it happen. No, that was my magic at work. Just as I had planned it. He had no idea who he was messing with. I’d known the elements would aid me when I needed it the most.
Sparks zinged through the window. The glass was no barrier for this spell. Thomas wouldn’t know what hit him. Luckily, I managed to hit the creep. He collapsed onto the porch floor just as he had on the side of the road. He didn’t move. Could he be faking it just to get me to come outside? That was certainly possible. I trusted my magic… but there was always a chance of something going wrong. He seemed out of it though. If he was acting then he deserved an Academy Award.
I snickered. “This never gets old.”
This guy was too easy. I mean, he’d come to my front door asking for it, for Pete’s sake. Now I had to decide what I was going to do with him. The spell wouldn’t work forever. I could cast something more powerful at him. In the meantime, I should call the Enchantment Pointe Police Department and have them press charges against him. He’d tried to attack and kidnap me. He obviously had some kind of nefarious plans for me. Well, I had just thrown a kink into his scheme.
Just as I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and started to push 911, I saw the car coming up the driveway. Liam and Nicolas had returned. Now they could take care of this guy for me. Wait until I told them what he had been up to. He had been caught red-handed right on my front step.
I shoved the phone back into my pocket and hurried over to the front door. I swung it open and stepped outside, right next to this guy. He was still on the floor. He didn’t reach out to grab me, so I knew that the spell had worked. Yeah, I was good at the magic stuff now. “Don’t get too cocky,” my mother always said. Yeah, like that could happen. After years of sucking at this I would never forget and become overconfident. Liam pulled his black BMW up behind Nicolas’ car. I hurried down the steps to meet them.
Nicolas and Liam practically jumped out of the car. Obviously they’d seen the body lying on the porch’s floor.
“What’s going on?” Nicolas rushed over and grabbed me in an embrace.
“This guy…” I pointed. “I don’t know where he came from, but he attacked me in the car, and then a few minutes later he showed up here at the front door.”
Liam and Nicolas raced over to Thomas. I hoped they didn’t do anything too harsh. I just wanted him locked up. I really didn’t want them to beat him up or anything. No punches were thrown. No kicking or roughing the guy up. Liam and Nicolas knelt down beside the guy.
“Are you okay?” Nicolas asked Thomas.
Liam tried to help Thomas sit up. “What did you do to him?”
The brothers looked at me as if I was some kind of bully. Was I in the Twilight Zone? What was going on here?
I frowned. “What difference does it make?”
Thomas finally was starting to come around. He sat up and looked around. Why were they being so nice to him?
Nicolas looked at me. “This is my cousin.”
“Why is your cousin attacking me?” I asked.
“What did you do to him?” Liam asked.
My eyes widened. “Have you all lost your minds? I didn’t attack him.”
Liam and Nicolas helped Thomas to his feet like he was some kind of wounded animal.
Thomas flashed his dazzling smile. “It’s my fault. I was in her car. I thought it was your car.” He looked at Nicolas. “I was just goofing around.”
“Just goofing around? I didn’t find it funny,” I said, crossing my arms in front of me.
I supposed his explanation did make a little bit of sense though. However, if that was the case, then why hadn’t he just said something to begin with? And how had he found out where I was now?
“I want to know how you found me,” I said.
“I was just looking for Nicolas. He gave me the address.”
Something about his penetrating blue eyes made me suspicious of him. Like there was something dubious in his thoughts. Nonetheless, his answer this time made sense too. It was looking more and more likely that it had been an accident. I’d cast a spell against this guy not once, but twice.
Nicolas and Liam helped Thomas to the front door. So now we were inviting him in? Maybe he was innocent, but I wasn’t completely convinced just yet. Perhaps we could talk on the front porch. Nevertheless,they continued inside. No one asked me if I thought this was a good idea. I moved up the steps cautiously. I was still a little on edge about this whole incident. Once inside the foyer, Thomas turned to me. At least Liam and Nicolas had stopped helping him walk. The way they’d acted he would have needed crutches or a full-body cast.
Thomas stretched his hand forward. “We should start over. Thomas Marcos. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Now I saw the family resemblance. All these guys were smooth talkers. I eyed him suspiciously again, but then finally shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Hey, why don’t you come on to the parlor and have a seat.” Nicolas motioned.
“Are you feeling all right?” Liam asked.
They put their arms under his shoulders again and helped him inside, as if he was completely incapacitated. My spell hadn’t been that bad on him. I was good, but not that good.
“I think he’ll live,” I said, walking behind the guys.
Thomas peered around as he walked through the manor. Was he checking out the place with evil motivations? Once inside the parlor, Liam and Nicolas lowered Thomas onto the sofa like he was a baby. I rolled my eyes.
“Can I get you something to drink?” I asked.
I figured I should be somewhat hospitable after what I’d done. If his story was true, then I guessed he’d just been trying to find Nicolas. I still blamed him though for not letting me know right away. Communication was the key. If he’d just told me what he was doing I wouldn’t have had to embarrass him like that.
Thomas nodded. “Actually, I could use something to drink.”
“How about some water?” I asked.
My tone sounded less than hospitable. He probably wondered if I always treated my guests this way. Not as long as they didn’t pop up in the back seat of my car and scare me.
Nicolas mouthed, Water?
I shrugged. He was lucky I’d offered anything. I sure wasn’t serving tea and scones.
“Why don’t you give him something a little bit stiffer than that? After what he’s been through, how about a bourbon?” Liam asked.
After what he’d been through? How about what I’d been through? I’d thought this man was here to kill me. What was wrong with them? They’d never acted this way in the past. I was quickly growing not to like Thomas much. I should be eating rocky road ice cream and chocolate cake to recover from the traumatization.
“Bourbon sounds good.” Thomas winked.
“Of course it does. One bourbon coming up.” Sarcasm dripped from my words.
The last thing I needed to deal with was a drunk stranger. Yes, in my eyes he was still a stranger. Leaving the guys to chat, I went over to the bar area and poured the straight Jim Beam into the glass. The whole time it felt as if I was in an alternate world, where up was down and left was right. What was happening? I dropped ice cubes into the glass. The ice jungled against the glass as I carried it.
I carried the drink back to Thomas and handed it to him. He had leaned back on the sofa with his long legs stretched out in front of him. Obviously, he was making himself at home. Pluto had jumped up on the sofa beside Thomas. The cat rubbed his head against Thomas, begging to be petted. Pluto never did that with me. I had to bribe him with treats if I wanted to show him affection. Now suddenly the cat was in love with Thomas. Nicolas and Liam stared at him as if they were in awe of every word that came out of his mouth.
“That’s the second time today she whacked me with a spell,” Thomas said as he rubbed his head.
“Well, that’s the second time today I thought that you were some sort of psycho.” I glared at him.
Liam laughed under his breath. I looked over at him and he held his hands up. “What? I didn’t say anything.”
“This isn’t funny. I thought my life was in jeopardy,” I said.
“Again, I’m really sorry about that. Let me make it up to you. I’ll take everyone out to dinner tonight.” Thomas tossed back the drink and handed the glass back to me.
I stared at him for a moment, then looked over at Nicolas and Liam. “I suppose if it’s okay with them. You are family.”
I knew I didn’t sound thrilled about the prospect of dining with this man. It would take me more than a minute to wrap my head around the guy not being bad.
“Well, all right then. So what’s good to eat around here?” Thomas asked as he pushed to his feet.
“There are a couple places in town that aren’t too bad,” Liam said.
Liam and Thomas walked toward the door. Nicolas came over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close.
“I’m really sorry about all of this. If I’d known he was coming I would’ve made sure to tell you, but he never mentioned it,” Nicolas said.
“He acts as if you invited him. I don’t remember you talking about this guy.”
“Oh, well, we’re not in touch that much.”
“It seems kind of odd that he would come all this way when you don’t talk to each other often, don’t you think?” I peeked over at the guys standing in the foyer.
Why were they laughing?
“Don’t worry about anything,” Nicolas said.
“I’m really starting to sound suspicious,” I said.
He pushed the hair from my face. “It’s only natural after what you’ve been through.”
At least he was finally acknowledging my struggles.
“No, no. I should really try to do better,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. We’ll go to dinner and have a great time.” Nicolas smiled and the tips of his fangs became visible.
That was odd, as usually I didn’t even notice them.
“Okay, just let me put the things away that I got out to start dinner and I’ll be ready.”
I headed for the kitchen, still thinking about Thomas. I would try to hide my suspicion because I’d told Nicolas I would, but the thoughts were there no matter how hard I tried to push them out of my mind. I knew they wouldn’t go away. This guy was up to something and I was determined to figure out what. If he proved me wrong it would be a pleasant surprise.
I put the things away, gave the cat more water, and grabbed my purse. The guys were all waiting for me on the front porch when I stepped outside.
“You have a beautiful place here,” Thomas said, peering around. “I’ve heard a lot about LaVeau Manor.”
So he was interested in LaVeau Manor. I should have known. Maybe it wasn’t just the manor. He would probably ask about the Book of Mystics soon.
“Thank you,” I said, eyeing Thomas up and down.
Nicolas knew I was suspicious. The look I gave Thomas revealed my feelings. Nicolas had probably read my mind. I couldn’t help it. Any mention of LaVeau Manor and I instantly became suspicious.
Thomas peered up at the sky and around at the trees. “The cat must love chasing all the birds.”
That was an odd observation. “Sure, he has fun, I guess.” I looked around for a car. “How did you get here? I know you didn’t ride with me because I kicked you out.”
“I called an Uber.”
He stated that so matter-of-factly I wondered if he’d been waiting for me to ask. There was no way I was buying that. He couldn’t possibly have called for a ride and made it to the manor in that amount of time.
Chapter 4
A short time later we arrived at the restaurant. It was probably the nicest place in Enchantment Pointe. I always enjoyed coming here. With a table by the front entrance we had a great view of the entire room, which I liked because I could keep an eye on any suspicious activity. Yes, I had become that paranoid now. As the Underworld leader I had to keep my eyes open all the time.
White tablecloths covered the tables and grand chandeliers dangled from the tall ceilings. The food was always delicious too. After the waiter took our orders, I happened to glance up and see that I was sitting with three gorgeous men. I supposed it just hit me that this was kind of awkward. They were all staring at me.
“So how long do you plan on staying in town?” I tried to sound casual, but it probably wasn’t convincing.
Thomas’ wide smile spread again and he leaned back in his chair. “Well, probably not long. I have business in New Orleans.”
What kind of business? Maybe that was being a little bit too nosy. I glanced over at Liam.
He knew I wanted to ask, so he said, “I’m the leader of the New Orleans Coven, you know.”
“Yes, I heard. That’s great, man. Congratulations.” Thomas held his glass up in a salute.
“Thanks. So I suppose you’ll be staying with me when you come to town?” Liam took a drink of his water.
“Um, yeah, sure.” Thomas looked down at his glass.
He didn’t sound so sure.
“It’s a beautiful place,” I said.
Thomas took another drink and then said, “Nicolas tells me you had a meeting with the vampires today. How did that go?”
I was shocked that he asked about such a meeting. Was he just trying to change the subject? “It was okay.”
I didn’t even know if he was a vampire. No fangs were visible when he smiled. Was he a witch? Nicolas hadn’t mentioned it.
“What did they say at the meeting?” Nicolas asked.
I was more than a little reluctant to talk to him about vampires in front of his long-lost cousin. But I supposed it wouldn’t hurt if he didn’t know any of them. After the waiter brought our food I told the men about the murders and why the vampires were concerned.
“So you don’t know why they are suspicious of this?” Thomas asked and then speared the food with his fork.
“Well no, I haven’t had time to look into it because I ran into some crazy guy in my car right after the meeting.” I forced a smile.
That reminded me. Why had he been at that building? He had popped up in the car right after I left the building, so did that mean he’d been there? Or had he followed me there and waited until I came out? This was as good a time as any to ask him if he was a vampire or knew the vampires.
“So are you a vampire?” I asked, looking him straight in the eyes. “I assumed since you were at the building…”
He chuckled. “No, I’m not a vampire.”
“Then why were you at that building today?” I quirked an eyebrow.
Liam and Nicolas exchanged a look. They seemed uncomfortable with the whole conversation. Thomas looked a little surprised that I’d asked and I felt like he was trying to come up with an answer in his mind. He hadn’t been honest with me since the moment
I met him.
Thomas’ mouth twisted up on one side. “The airport is right by there and just as luck would have it, I was walking by and spotted Nicolas’ car. I’d recognize it anywhere.”
“Really? His car is kind of nothing special. If you’ve seen one Mustang, you’ve seen them all.”
Nicolas narrowed his sexy eyes. “Yeah, thanks.”
“No offense,” I said.
“None taken,” Nicolas said after taking a sip of water.
Thomas switched the conversation back to the vampire murders. “So what would happen if these murders were related?”
“I suppose we would have to figure out why and find who’s doing it.” I twisted pasta around my fork.
“Aren’t you looking for the people who killed the vampires anyway?”
“Since they’re not related, it’s really not my position. That would be the Underworld Detectives and Enchantment Pointe Police Department, which I’m not a part of. I’m only the leader of the Underworld. I just take care of things and make sure that everything stays calm.”
Why was he so interested in all of this? I supposed he was just making conversation again. I was being too paranoid, right?
“And a great job you’re doing, I might add,” Thomas said.
“Thank you,” I said.
Was he just trying to butter me up? It was kind of working too. After all, he was family. Maybe I was being too rough on him.
So Liam changed the subject and we talked about the upcoming festival and I told him all about working at my mother’s booth.
“That’s fascinating. So she puts the spells in the skin care?” He gestured.
“Yes, that’s correct. Right in the beauty products.”
“Wow, I need to get some of that.”
I didn’t even go there. I wasn’t going to answer that he was already gorgeous enough.
“So are you a witch?” I asked Thomas.