Better Than Hex (Spellbound Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 5)

by Annabel Chase

  “Markos isn't here,” she said. “Your owl was kind enough to leave a note on Markos’s desk alerting me to your revelation.”

  The office? Inwardly I groaned. Why did Sedgwick deliver the note to the office?

  I smacked my forehead. “Spell’s bells. I told him it was a business matter.”

  Nellie clucked her tongue. “Silly owl.”

  “Why did you lure me here?” I demanded, whirling around. I had no clue where she was.

  “I thought it was time for us to have a little chat.”

  “A little chat or are you planning to kill me the way you killed Ed Doyle?”

  Nellie chuckled from somewhere in the labyrinth. “Yes, I suppose you're right. A little chat will get us nowhere.”

  “So Markos didn’t get the note?” At least he was home safe, even if I wasn’t.

  “Of course not. I’m always in the office before the boss. How else do you think I managed to pull off my financial feats for so long without him noticing?”

  “He noticed,” I said. “He’s been concerned about the numbers for weeks.”

  “Yes. He took an unexpected interest when he went over budget for the new headquarters. I had to play along and do my best to cover my tracks.”

  “But then Ed came along and overheard you talking to yourself about it,” I said.

  “I didn’t realize anyone was in the building,” Nellie said. “I’m usually alone at that hour. He was inspecting the top floor as I was trying to make changes to the numbers. He got an earful.”

  “Why did he go back to work instead of telling Markos?” I asked.

  “He didn’t know that I saw him,” Nellie explained. “When I went downstairs to leave for the evening, I casually mentioned that Markos would be back soon if he wanted to chat about anything.”

  “So you kept him there.”

  “I waited until he took a break and then tampered with the ladder,” Nellie admitted. “I saw the janitor on my way out, but I made sure he didn’t see me.”

  “But Markos wasn’t coming back to the office that night,” I said.

  “Of course not,” she scoffed. “For a lawyer, you’re pretty dim.”

  “Not so dim that I didn't figure out it was you,” I said. “Markos has been stressed about the records. This morning I remembered that you were hard of hearing, but that you talked out loud to yourself. I finally put the pieces together.”

  “Which is why you’re here now,” Nellie said. “I couldn't let you ruin everything, could I? Things have gone too far to turn back now.”

  “How long have you been stealing from Markos?” I asked. I didn't really care about the answer. I only needed to stall her.

  “I believe you'll find it's called embezzlement,” Nellie said. “As a lawyer, I would think you’d know that.”

  “You seem very hung up on the fact that I'm a lawyer,” I said. “Why does it bother you so much?”

  “You think I dreamed of being an office manager as a young nymph? Do you think I wasn't smart enough to be more? Not all of us have been afforded the same opportunities as you, certainly not in Spellbound.”

  “Spellbound has lawyers,” I said. “And accountants and architects and any number of so-called white collar jobs. Trust me, I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in my mouth.” More like a bitter pill.

  “You certainly seem to have one now. A nice house. A respected job. Friends. Males who dote on you.”

  The hedges around me began to grow taller. “What are you doing?”

  “I've been working with Markos for years,” she said. “I know every nook and cranny of this labyrinth. More importantly, I can change it.”

  “How do you think Markos will feel when he finds out that you not only stole from him—excuse me, embezzled from him—but that you also murdered a building inspector and the young woman he hoped to date.”

  “Ah, you seem to forget that the dead cannot speak,” Nellie said.

  “They do in my house,” I said. “You won't get away with this, no matter how lucky you're feeling right now.” I tried to send a mental scream to Sedgwick as I spoke, but I suspected he was too far out of range to hear me. “It's not like you can escape Spellbound. Once they realize you're the culprit, you'll have nowhere to hide.”

  That was one of the downsides to being a criminal in this town. Your getaway car would only get you as far as the border.

  Vines slithered toward my feet and began to wrap around my legs. I tried to remain calm.

  “Scratchy, aren't they?” Nellie remarked. “Some of them might be poisonous too.”

  “Markos would never design a feature that would hurt someone,” I said.

  Nellie laughed softly in the distance. “I’m a nymph, Emma. I can control any plant or shrub in this labyrinth. Markos really should do a better job of monitoring his employees. You have no idea how many pots my fingers have been in. The accounts and the labyrinth don't begin to cover it.”

  “Markos trusts you,” I said. “That's why he doesn't monitor you closely. You’ve been working alongside him for years. He relies on you. Why would you use his trust against him?”

  The vines squeezed my calves and the skin began to burn. Apparently, she wasn't lying about the poison.

  “What's your plan? I asked. “Death by overgrowth?” I pointed my wand at the vines and said, “Read me the signs/get rid of these vines.”

  The vines continue to creep up to my thighs.

  “I told you your witch magic won't work here,” she said.

  “Witch magic,” I repeated softly. What if I didn't use witch magic?

  I had to be careful. I couldn't let Nellie know that I had access to a different type of magic. Under the circumstances, she wouldn't hesitate to reveal my secret.

  “Do me a favor and tell Markos that I really did enjoy spending time with him,” I said.

  “Aw, that’s sweet,” Nellie said, but I heard the note of sarcasm in her voice. “I'll tell him no such thing. In fact, I might make it so that he thought you were meeting another suitor here. Your reputation would be forever tarnished in his eyes. Like that whore Eden.”

  “I doubt that,” I said. “I’ve always been honest with him about the possibility of a romantic relationship with me.”

  “And why is that?” Nellie asked. “Is he not successful enough for you? Not attractive enough?”

  “That's really none of your business,” I said. “The only one who deserves that information is Markos.”

  The vines wrapped around my shoulders and began to squeeze my neck. If the poison didn’t kill me, then the choking certainly would. I needed to dig deep and pull from that special place inside me where the sorceress magic lived. I had only tapped into it once before, to save my life during my escape from Felix, the angry wizard.

  I tried to relax my shoulders and focus inward. Even though sorcery was allegedly steeped in darkness, I’d managed to tap into a positive place and draw strength from that. It was worth another try.

  I breathed in my mother’s scent, remembering the feel of her arms around me. No one in the world gave hugs like my mother. Then I focused my will on the vines and said in my firmest voice, “Release.”

  The vines snapped and dropped to the ground. The cuts on my arms continued to burn. There was likely poison coursing through my veins. I needed to get out of here and get help.

  “You’re awfully quiet in there,” Nellie said. “Are you dead yet?”

  “I'm sorry to disappoint you,” I said. My best bet was to retrace my steps back to the car. The problem was that I had no idea where Nellie was hiding.

  I focused my will on the hedges behind me. “Move,” I commanded. The hedges shifted in response and I began to run, thrashing as vines reached out to grab me.

  “How are you doing this?” Nellie cried. “You’re not a nymph.”

  I saw her in the clearing as I fell to the ground. The poison was working its way through my system, and I realized I was about to lose consciousness. I tried
to crawl across the silky grass, but my legs and arms gave out and I slid into darkness.

  Chapter 19

  My mouth tasted like a container of cotton and my throat burned. I opened my eyes to see Markos hovering next to me. “What…Where am I?”

  “In your room,” he replied. “I carried you here after I found you unconscious at the labyrinth. Boyd’s already been here to administer the antidote to the poison.”

  “And I kept an eye on Markos,” Gareth said from his place in the corner. “Made sure he didn’t try anything funny.”

  I resisted the urge to smile. Gareth knew perfectly well that Markos wasn’t that kind of minotaur.

  “How do you feel?” Markos asked, offering me a glass of water. I drank greedily.

  “My body hurts,” I said, and the events of the morning came rushing back to me. “Did you catch Nellie?”

  Markos nodded gravely. “Unfortunately, she didn’t make it out of the labyrinth alive. When she saw me coming, she tried to run away. She didn’t realize I was more focused on helping you. I found her later tangled in poisonous vines, but it was too late.”

  “She’s a nymph, though,” I said. “Why didn’t she untangle herself?”

  “The vines were a special variety called the Goose’s Noose. The more she tried to untangle herself, the tighter the vines got.”

  She was probably so desperate to escape Markos that she wasn’t thinking clearly.

  Markos pressed his fingers to his temples. “I don’t even know how they got there. I don’t use poisonous plants in my designs.”

  “I’m afraid you actually do.” I told him what Nellie said about her involvement. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too,” Markos said. “What a mess.”

  “How did you know to find us there?” I asked.

  “Your owl,” he said, nodding toward Sedgwick feigning sleep on his perch. “He came to the office and seemed to be expecting something.”

  “A reply,” I said. “He left you a note and came back to see if you had a response.”

  Markos shrugged. “I didn’t know what he wanted because there was no note, but he became agitated and flew around the office in a frenzy. He’s the one who saw your car parked at the labyrinth.”

  “The view from your office,” I said quietly.

  He smirked. “And here I thought it was nice to have bragging rights. Turns out it comes in handy, too.”

  I squeezed his arm. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

  Markos shook his head. “You got yourself out of there. I only carried you home so Boyd could deal with the poison.” He turned to face the wall, his expression clouding over. “Between Eden and Nellie, I’m beginning to think I should develop trust issues.”

  I reached over to cover his hand with mine. “Please don’t, Markos. The world is a much better place when we trust each other.”

  “Are you up for more visitors?” Markos asked. “Sheriff Astrid was around earlier. She said to send Sedgwick when you were able to talk.”

  From his nearby perch, Sedgwick groaned. Now I’m taking orders from the bull and the crazy blonde? I don’t think so.

  You’re taking orders from me, I said. Deal with it.

  I noticed a cup of tea on the bedside table. “Oh, perfect. Thank you, Markos.”

  He glanced at the cup. “That wasn’t me. I only brought the water.”

  Gareth wiggled his fingers from his place in the corner and my face lit up.

  “You made me tea?” I couldn’t hide my excitement.

  “I assume you’re talking to Gareth and not the spider in the corner,” Markos said.

  Gareth whipped around. “There’s a spider?”

  I laughed. “This is the best news I’ve had in a long time.”

  “Don’t get used to it, missy,” Gareth said. “I’m not taking on the role of your butler.”

  “But you said you wanted to be useful,” I reminded him.

  “You might also want to send Sedgwick over to the coven,” Markos said. “Your friends were pestering Boyd for an update.”

  “Okay, thanks.” I hesitated, afraid to ask my next question. “Anyone else?”

  Markos gave me a sorrowful look. “No, Emma. I’m sorry.”

  “Word probably hasn’t gotten around yet,” Gareth offered.

  In Spellbound? Not likely.

  I sat up in bed and tried to stay positive. I was alive and well and surrounded by friends who cared about me. That was enough. It had to be.

  Markos positioned himself on the edge of the bed. “Emma, I apologize for getting you into this mess with Nellie. If it wasn’t for me, this whole thing never would’ve happened.”

  “Don’t be silly,” I said. “It’s not your fault. Nellie took advantage of your kindness.”

  He ran his hands through his thick hair. “I don’t mean to be difficult, especially not when you’re still recovering, but do you think there’s any chance your feelings for me might change? I don’t want to get my hopes up, not after waiting so long to meet someone special.”

  “I understand, Markos,” I said. “The truth is, as long as I have any hope of bringing Daniel back to reality, I can’t consider starting a relationship with anyone else. My heart wouldn’t be in it and that’s not fair to you or me.”

  His expression softened. “That’s what I thought you’d say.” He hesitated. “What do you mean about bringing Daniel back to reality?”

  I wasn’t ready to share my Obsession potion theory with too many people. Word could reach Elsa before I implemented my plan and I couldn’t risk the blowback.

  “Nothing,” I said quickly. “He hasn’t been acting like himself since he got engaged. That’s all.”

  “I hope things work out for you, Emma. I really do. You deserve to be happy.”

  I patted his hand. “We all do, Markos.”

  I heard the thundering footsteps downstairs and knew that the remedial witches had arrived.

  “Emma,” they shouted.

  “It’s like a stampede,” Markos observed, as the girls rushed into the room.

  “I’m fine,” I said. “No need to panic.”

  “Spell’s bells,” Begonia said. “Stop scaring us with your near death experiences.”

  “It would be my pleasure,” I said wryly.

  Markos rubbed his hands on his thighs. “That’s my cue to get out of your hair.”

  “Thanks, Markos,” I said. “For everything. We’ll see each other again soon, right?”

  “I hope so.”

  “I’ll walk him out,” Gareth said, following him through the doorway.

  “You just want to stare at his butt,” I accused, and Gareth turned back to wiggle his eyebrows.

  “It is a nice butt,” Begonia said, craning her neck to catch a glimpse before Markos disappeared from view.

  “We’re so glad you’re okay,” Sophie said, throwing herself on the bed beside me.

  “Thanks,” I said. “Me too. I guess I missed class.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Laurel said. “Ginger taught today and you know how relaxed she is.”

  “And now we can focus on our extracurricular spell,” Millie said. “That is, if you feel up to it.”

  “At least give her a few hours to recuperate first,” Sophie said.

  I took a sip of my tea. “I’ll be ready this afternoon. Believe me, nobody wants this spell to work more than I do.” The closer I was to invisibility, the closer I was to exposing Elsa’s deception and freeing Daniel.

  “You don’t have to go to the office?” Begonia asked.

  I broke into a wide smile. “Not today. My schedule is clear.” And so was the path ahead. I knew exactly what I had to do and how to do it. The thought gave me considerable comfort.

  “You seem awfully happy for a witch who was close to death this morning,” Sophie said.

  I stretched my arms above my head, ready to face the day. “I am happy, Sophie. Things are going to turn around for me soon. I feel it in my bones.”r />
  “I think the poison may have gone to her brain,” Millie said.

  “You’ll see, Millie,” I said. “With your help, we’re going to thwart Elsa’s plan and stop the wedding.”

  “And Emma will finally get her HEA,” Begonia said, clapping her hands.

  “Happily Ever After,” I whispered to myself.

  I certainly wouldn’t object to that.

  Thank you for reading Better Than Hex! If you enjoyed it, please help other readers find this book ~

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