by Rose Pressey
I wanted to laugh, but that would have just been mean. My mother grabbed my hand and motioned for Annabelle to join us.
“We’ll make a circle around the bowl in the middle of the room,” my mother said.
As I recited the words, the light show began. Blue and red lights swirled up from the floor and began to make a circle around us. But when it was halfway around, it just fizzled out and disappeared. I half-heartedly repeated the words on the pages, but nothing happened. It was no use.
Annabelle stood with us, holding my hand. I knew she had no idea what she was doing, but I gave her credit for trying. That was a lot more than a lot of friends would endure. I owed her for this.
My mother released my hand with a sigh. “At least you gave it a shot. No one can say that you didn’t try.”
I nodded. “You got that right. I think I should go home now. I think the place is calling to me.”
“Are Nicolas and Liam still there?” my mother asked with a wiggle of her eyebrow.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. They said they would stay and help me figure this out, but I just don’t know what to believe.”
“Just go with your heart,” my mother said.
“How am I going to get rid of the demon and Mara?” I asked around a sigh.
“I don’t know, honey, but we’ll think of something.” My mother smoothed down my frazzled hair. “Do you want some of my special conditioner?”
Leave to my mother to be worried about my frizzy hair at the moment.
“I’ll see you later.” I hugged my mother, then waved over my shoulder on the way out the door.
As soon as Annabelle and I jumped into my car, she asked, “What are you going to do now?”
“Well, since the party is in two days, I need to pick up some of the supplies that I ordered. I thought I’d grab dinner and go home after that. Like I said, something is calling me at the manor and I don’t know what it is.” The idea sent a chill down my spine.
I hoped it wasn’t the ghosts. I wanted them to go away just like Isabeau.
“Do you think this Mara person is there?” Apprehension colored Annabelle’s voice.
My stomach twisted into a knot at the thought. “I sure hope not. I think Liam or Nicolas would call me if she was. Well, that’s if they are still there.”
What if they were in on this with Mara? I’d just blindly trusted them. This could all be an act leading up to when she showed up.
“Do you want me to go with you? We could hang out downstairs in the parlor. Maybe watch a movie? We haven’t had a girls’ night in a long time… but no scary movies,” she warned with a wave of her finger.
“I’d really like that,” I said with a smile.
It was a big deal for Annabelle to be inside my house at night. She must really feel sorry for me.
After picking up the supplies for the party, we loaded them into the trunk, then decided to pick up a pizza and a bottle of wine.
On the way to the local pizza shop, Annabelle asked, “So what are you going to wear to the party?”
“Hmm. I hadn’t even thought about that.” I tapped my fingers nervously against the steering wheel.
What would I wear? I didn’t have anything formal other than my prom dress from ten years ago and an ugly teal bridesmaid dress from my cousin’s wedding last year. There was no way I could wear either one of those.
Annabelle clapped her hands together. “Okay. That does it. Before we pick up the food and go home I know where we have to go. There is the perfect dress for you at that boutique in town. I saw it in the window and thought it would look great on you.”
I hesitated. The light turned green and the car behind me honked.
“Do you think I should get a dress?” I asked, biting my lower lip.
“You just said you didn’t have one to wear.” Annabelle pointed at the green light.
The car honked again and I punched the gas.
“What are you going to wear?” I asked as I turned down the street toward the boutique.
“Me? I’m not coming to the party, am I?”
I glanced over at her. “What do you mean? Of course you’re coming to the party. Why wouldn’t you?”
“I thought it was only for witches… you know, members of the Coven.” Annabelle frowned.
“You’re my guest. Other witches bring guests who aren’t paranormals.” I made a right turn.
“I think I would feel out of place.” She chewed on her bottom lip.
“Oh, come on. I can’t have a big party at my place and not have my best friend there.”
She sighed. “Okay. You’ve convinced me. I have a beautiful green evening gown that I wore to my mother’s real estate award banquet last year.”
“Oh yeah, I remember that dress. It’s beautiful and the color looks great on you. So it’s settled. You’re coming to the party,” I said as I pulled the car into the parking space in front of the boutique.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You are going to love this dress,” she said as she got out of the car.
Bubble and Bunny Clothing Boutique always had the latest fashion. Most of the time I window-shopped. But as soon as I saw the dress in the window, I knew I had to have it. It practically called to me.
“How did you know I would love this?” I asked as we walked through the door.
“Hey, we’ve been friends for a long time. I know what you like.” Annabelle waved her freshly-manicured finger.
The interior of the store was just as hip as the clothing they sold. A soft lavender color covered the walls and the light hardwood floor shone under the abundance of track lighting. The red dress in the window was satin and fit tight through the bust and hips, then fanned out at the bottom. At the back was a small train.
After rushing into the dressing room, I slipped into the dress and it fit perfectly. I took that as a sign that it was meant to be. I stepped out from the room and spun around.
“It’s perfect. Nicolas and Liam will love it,” Annabelle said with glee.
“Oh no. I don’t want them to love it,” I said, avoiding her glare.
“Yeah, you don’t want them to love the dress as much as I hate chocolate,” she snorted.
After I paid for the dress, the woman wrapped it up in a box, placed it in the gift bag and I was on my way. I had second thoughts about eating that pizza though. I wanted to still be able to fit into my new dress. Annabelle loved chocolate and I knew she was right; I couldn’t wait to see Nicolas’ reaction when he saw the dress. It was just a coincidence that he said his favorite color was red.
We picked up a large pepperoni pizza and the wine and made our way back to the manor. The golden sunset was waning and the last, faint color of the day faded as we pulled into the driveway. The house was shadowy and inscrutable, appearing especially creepy. Annabelle’s apprehension filled the air.
“It won’t be nearly as spooky-looking when I turn all the lights on,” I said.
I expected her to back out of our plan for movie night at any moment. But so far she was still game. I didn’t see the ghosts and for that small favor I was thankful.
“Where do you think the guys are?” Annabelle scanned the surroundings and shivered.
“I don’t know,” I said as I pulled the dress from the back seat of the car.
Annabelle grabbed the pizza and the wine. I’d get the party supplies later. There was a break in the rain and I wanted to get inside before the downpour started again.
“I was thinking,” I said as I unlocked the front door. “Do you think both men could be lying to me? Do you think they are in on this plan with this Mara woman?”
With any luck she’d tell me I was crazy and that I had nothing to worry about.
“What do you think?” Annabelle asked. “Do you feel like they are doing that to you?”
I glanced over at her. “Honestly? No, I don’t feel like they would do that.”
“Well, then there’s your answer,” Annabelle said.
Chapter Forty-Four
Annabelle and I had just turned on the movie, poured the wine, and plopped down on the oversized white sofa when a loud crash rang out from the front of the house. We both jumped from the sofa.
“What the hell was that?” Annabelle asked.
“I don’t know.” I ran toward the front door.
I prayed it wasn’t Isabeau or Mara. Heck, it could have been the ghosts too. They seemed to grow angrier by the minute.
Nicolas burst through the front door with a wild look in his eyes. His wet hair and soaked clothing clung to his body. I had to admit it wasn’t a bad look on him. His breathing was heavy.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked.
“Hallie, you have to give me the book.” He motioned for me to hand it to him.
“I don’t have it,” I lied.
This was getting way more bizarre than I was comfortable with. And I’d put up with a lot of weird things in my life. This was too much though.
The worried lines on his face deepened. “Where are the books?” he asked with authority.
“I hid them at my mother’s shop,” I said with satisfaction.
It wasn’t the truth, but I couldn’t let him think the books were still at the manor.
“We have to go get them now.” Nicolas motioned for me to follow him.
I shook my head. “No way. And you’re not telling me what to do.”
“But it’s for your own good,” he said in a strained voice.
“Hallie, what’s going on?” Annabelle asked in a panicked tone.
“It’s okay. Nicolas was just leaving.” I studied his face.
I didn’t want him to go, but I wanted him to know that I was serious. Why did he seem so frantic?
“You have to let me destroy it,” he pleaded.
“This is getting too weird, Hallie,” Annabelle said.
She was telling me.
“I told you before that isn’t happening, Nicolas. You have to stop asking me. Now I think it’s best if you leave.” I folded my arms in front of my chest.
He frowned. “You don’t want me to leave.”
“I don’t?” I asked with a frown.
He stared.
“I’ll just leave you two alone,” Annabelle said. “I need to get home and feed my pets anyway. Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Annabelle asked as she looked from me to Nicolas.
I nodded. “Everything will be fine.”
Once I hugged her goodbye, I continued my showdown with Nicolas. I wasn’t going to give in about the books.
“You tell me why you’re here and maybe I’ll consider giving you the books.”
I knew that would get him to stop asking. For some reason he refused to tell me the true reason he was there. More and more I was beginning to think he was there for nefarious reasons. I wanted to trust him, but he’d left me no choice.
“I was sent here to protect you. If that meant not getting rid of the book, fine. But things changed and now I need to get rid of it,” he explained.
As suspicious as I was, he looked like he was telling the truth. Maybe I just wanted to believe that though.
“Please, Hallie.” He stepped closer. “If we destroy it, the book will be gone forever. Your problems will stop and Mara will not come here to harm you.”
Maybe he really was here to protect me. Why would he be so concerned about stopping Mara if he was working with her?
“How would you get rid of the books forever?” I asked with a shaky voice.
“We would burn them.” His voice remained calm.
I guessed that would certainly get rid of them for good.
I sighed. “I’ll think about it, okay?”
“We don’t have much time,” he pushed.
I didn’t respond to his statement. Instead, I said, “Who sent you here to protect me?”
He paused, then said, “Someone who wants to protect the Underworld.”
“But you can’t tell me who this person is, right?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. It’s part of my job.”
“Well, I don’t think I like your job very much.”
Until he could tell me who this person was, I doubted very seriously that I would ever turn the books over for him to destroy. I was just surprised that the books hadn’t been destroyed before now. All these years and the first time I got near them everyone wanted to get rid of them. That sounded about right. What would Liam say?
“What is Liam’s role in all of this?” I asked. “Who sent him?”
“Liam’s job is different from mine and I have nothing to do with that,” he said matter-of-factly.
“But is he here to protect me as well?” I pushed.
“He is here to get the book and that is all. He’s here to protect his ass and he doesn’t care about anyone else. The only reason he is protecting you is to ensure that he keeps his job.” Nicolas’ whole body tensed.
“But that’s not why you’re here?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
He stared at me. “No, it’s not. I must admit I didn’t know what I was getting into when I first came, but now that I know you, I want what’s best for you. The Underworld be damned.”
His proclamation made my stomach dance. It was one of the most romantic things anyone had ever said to me.
“Do you still want me to leave?” he asked with puppy-dog eyes.
I shook my head. “No. I don’t.” After a couple seconds, I asked, “Would you like pizza and wine?”
A smile slipped across his face. “I’d love that. I’ll go change and be right down.”
When Nicolas came downstairs, he was dressed more casually than usual. And it looked good on him. He wore torn jeans and a tight blue T-shirt. His muscles looked delicious under the fabric. I handed him a wine glass after he sat on the sofa, then I slipped beside him. My heart rate increased. Nicolas grabbed a slice of the now cold pizza.
“Sorry it’s cold,” I said.
“That’s okay,” he said, taking the plate.
“Would you like to watch a movie?” I waved the DVD case.
He looked over his shoulder out the window as if he’d heard something. He didn’t exactly seem relaxed, but I wasn’t surprised.
“I’d like that. What are we watching?”
“Pride and Prejudice. Annabelle and I have seen it a million times, but it’s fun to re-watch it.”
It didn’t take long after the movie started until the wine kicked in and I found myself yawning. And I thought Nicolas would be the one falling asleep while watching the movie. My head rested on Nicolas’ hard chest and the next thing I knew, I’d fallen asleep on the sofa in Nicolas’ arms. It felt so right.
Chapter Forty-Five
The next day arrived and it was time for the annual Halloween Ball. Annabelle had helped me set up the candles around the house. We’d draped black gauze around the room and the house positively sparkled. The guests would start arriving soon. The caterers were sitting up the food on tables that had been draped with white cloths.
I slipped off upstairs to get ready. I couldn’t wait to wear the red dress. After sliding into the dress, I added the red feathered mask that Annabelle had found. I’d always wanted to attend a masquerade ball.
Footsteps caught my attention. Someone was going down the stairs. I wasn’t sure if it was Nicolas or Liam. One thing was for sure: I couldn’t wait to see them in their tuxedos. Sliding the red lipstick over my lips, I spritzed on my favorite perfume and then headed downstairs. This was as close to Cinderella that I’d ever get.
When I reached the parlor, I stopped at the entrance. Nicolas was standing in the middle of the room. He looked devastatingly handsome in his black tuxedo.
“You look stunning,” he said.
I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. The caterers made noise in the other room, but it was just the two of us in the parlor, as if we were in our own little world. Nicolas
pulled out his phone and sat it on the table. The music streamed out from the little speakers.
“I wanted to have a dance with you privately before all the chaos starts.” He stepped dangerously close.
I smiled, unable to resist his good looks.