Charmed & Ready

by Candace Havens

  "Hey, that goes two ways, girlfriend. Have you ever in your life seen a straight man who loved shopping so much?" I tried on a pair of sassy light blue pumps with a tiny strap around the ankle.

  She laughed. "No. Did you see how much money he spent at Armani? My God, if he didn't raise so much for starving children, I'd have a serious problem with the guy."

  Checked myself in the mirror. My sunburn had faded to a light honey color and no longer hurt. "That's what makes him so interesting. I'm not the best psychoanalyst, but I think he uses shopping as a way of taking control. Like if he can buy things and have whatever he wants, then the world is a better place. I don't know." I pulled on a pair of yellow sandals. "I need a pedicure."

  Simone thumped herself on the head. "Oh shit, I'm so sorry. I forgot all about our beauty day."

  I put a hand on her arm. "Hey, you were busy saving the world. Besides, we can do it some other time."

  "I'll call the great almighty stylist. God, David will be so pissed. It takes forever to get in. But he loves and adores me, and I think he might even be a little afraid of me. I'll get us another appointment."

  She pulled out her cell and walked around the corner.

  Zane came back and he and his assistant were loaded down with bags. Two of the security guards from Zane's entourage hauled everything out to the car.

  "So, luv, fancy anything from my beloved Prada?" He was dressed in jeans today. They were faded, striped, ragged on the end and probably cost five hundred bucks. His white shirt had sheer stripes through it, and his sunglasses were balanced on his head.

  "Not today. It looks like you didn't have any trouble." I pointed to the bags as they went out on the bulky shoulders of the guards.

  "All in a day's work, love, all in day's work." He grabbed a champagne flute from the silver tray on the table beside a shoe display.

  Zane frowned and I wondered what could be bothering him. "For a man who has been in his element the last three hours, you don't look happy."

  "Maybe it's from all the drinking the other night, but I feel strange." He touched a hand to his head.

  I moved to him and felt his forehead. I don't know why people check for a fever first when someone doesn't feel well, but it's automatic. His temperature was normal.

  I pushed him into the chair, and looked him over. Sent my mind through his body looking for any kind of illness. All his vital organs were strong and there was no trace of anything unusual.

  Simone walked in. "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you doing mojo on Zane?" She turned to survey the store. "Did I miss something?"

  Zane shook his head. "All I said was that I felt strange, and the witch shoved me in a chair. I think she's X-raying me or something."

  I shushed them both, as I did a final read. Nothing.

  "I don't see anything." I opened my eyes to find them both staring.

  "I told you I only felt strange, not bad—weird. Maybe anxious is a better word." Zane threw up his hands.

  "Should we go home?" Simone took his pulse, I think more to annoy him than anything. "Maybe you're worried about the concert."

  He rolled his eyes. "I think we need a change of venue. Let's head to Melrose and see what we can find."

  Back in the limo, I continued to watch him. I noticed a sign of anxiousness, if he was at all precognitive and most people are, it meant trouble was on the way.

  We hit Fred Segal, Alan K and the vintage shop Wasteland. It was outside of the sexy lingerie store Agent Provocateur, don't ask why we were there, that I noticed a tinge of magic.

  Simone sensed something too. We both cased the store, and as she went one way, I went the other. I did a quick mind sweep but didn't see anything. But when I stepped outside, a pile of black sludge came swinging toward me. I moved and volleyed it back to the perpetrator.

  He was dressed in a black cloak, not at all appropriate for the eighty-degree weather we were enjoying.

  "Show yourself, warlock." I used the voice. My mother has the same one. When I was a kid she'd yell, "Bronwyn," in that voice and it made me cry. Didn't work on the warlock.

  "Die, witch." His voice reverberated, the same kind of trick I'd used. Why couldn't just one of these guys come up with something more original than "Die, witch"?

  He turned and lobbed another ball of ick toward me. God, were we going to play this game all day?

  I sent my mind to his and tried to read it. His brain shut down like a metal door on steroids. Fine. This was something new for me, usually I just burn the bad guys from the inside out, and asked questions later.

  Starting with his feet, I sent heat, but he was unaffected.

  Chanting, he raised his arms above his head, then he disappeared.

  "Behind you." Simone yelled. Some time during the battle she'd moved to the other side of the street, waiting I'm sure for the right moment to strike.

  I turned just in time to miss his attack.

  When she yelled, he threw sludge at her and she ducked and rolled out of the way. He threw another ball and it missed her by inches.

  As much as I needed information from this idiot, I wasn't about to let him hurt her. The sludge wouldn't kill her, but it might incapacitate her for a few days.

  I couldn't use my new power of shaking the earth to knock him down. It was too unstable, but I could throw fire at him.

  With my mind, I built the energy from my solar plexus into small fireballs, one for each hand. I tossed one and then another. He dodged them both and began his chant again.

  The thing is, he wasn't that powerful and it made me angry that he could move through space the way he did. That's something I've wanted to do for a very long time. But, no. I can shake the earth. Woo hoo.

  I stomped my foot in a childish fit of envy, and the asphalt road shook. Oops. I hadn't meant to do that. The warlock fell down and I threw another ball of fire at him. It caught his pants leg and he moved around violently. Before he could make it to his knees I threw another. That's when I saw his eyes. They weren't just orange contacts. They were fiery demon eyes from hell.

  "My master will kill you, witch," he screamed just before he became a pile of ash.

  I felt them before I heard the sirens. The spook squad arrived with a paddy wagon. Unfortunately, there was nothing to paddy. Brooms would have been more helpful.

  "She didn't leave much." Simone's so good with the obvious.

  "Inspector Cole said to expect this." One of the officers squatted to get a closer look at the ashes.

  "Is he here?" I looked past him at the three others. I didn't see Cole's blond hair among them.

  "No, ma'am, he's flying in from New York. He just radioed and said to tell you he'll be stopping by this evening."

  Well if Cole wanted to be involved, that was good. He's a much better detective than me. Though I out-magic him about a hundred to one. I hadn't seen him since he saved my life a few months ago, but we had e-mailed. I also knew he was involved in Garnout's coven troubles in New York.

  "Is that the Cole, who helped you kill Blackstock?" Simone looked down the street and then motioned the limo to come around the corner.

  "Yes, I think you met him at the hospital, but it was so crazy I can't remember."

  She shrugged as if it didn't matter to her one way or another. Then she ushered Zane into the car.

  "Well, if you guys can take care of this," I pointed to the dust, "I'll be going."

  "Yes, ma'am. As I said, Inspector Cole will be by later."

  "Thanks." When I first met Cole I hadn't trusted him, but that had changed when he laid his hand on me and healed me enough to destroy our mutual enemy Blackstock.

  In the limo, Zane and Georgette were going back and forth. "Can you believe she did it again? She saved my life. We're three for three."

  I smiled and tuned them out.

  Simone shook her head and I nodded.

  The black sludge and "Die, witch" meant something.

  We both knew that warlock hadn't been after Zane, he'd been
waiting for me.

  * * *

  Chapter Twenty

  Wednesday, 11 P. M.

  Malibu, California

  Witches following the whims of a crazy rock star: 1

  When Monsieur Zane wants a change of venue, he means it. After the mini-battle on Melrose we went back to the house in Beverly Hills. We walked in and Zane announced, "We're moving, my loves. I can't stand this place a moment longer. We need the beach and a clean ocean breeze."

  I didn't have the heart to mention that there wasn't any clean air left in the greater Los Angeles area.

  He turned to Georgette. "Tell them to get the house ready in Malibu, doll. Make sure we have extra security for the beach."

  She raised a pierced eyebrow, but flipped on her cell phone and went to work. Her clipped British tone barked orders.

  Whirling in a circle, Zane clapped his hands. "Let's pack it up."

  Then he left with a flourish. Simone shrugged and I did the same.

  I love the beach.

  In less than an hour we were out the door. It's amazing what you can do when you have unlimited funds.

  So now we are happily ensconced in a beachfront property that must cost at least a zillion dollars. The house is bigger than his castle in England. It sits up in a cliff and there's a steep path down to a private beach.

  Everything is white, off-white and pale blue. Very serene.

  It's much cooler here and feels more like the September weather one would expect in California.

  We had dinner out on one of the huge decks. There's an endless pool on that one that makes it look like you could swim right off the edge and over the cliff. I'm not afraid of heights, but did feel a bit of vertigo when I reached the edge.

  Cole showed up midway through dinner and Zane invited him to join us. Here's the thing about Cole. I like him, but I always feel like he's looking beyond. He's listening to what you say, but at the same time he's getting more out of it than you might mean.

  That cop instinct is so strong in him. I watched as he talked with Zane tonight. Interesting.

  We were at a large Moroccan-tiled table loaded down with everything from crab to lobster and shrimp. Absolutely one of my favorite meals since I've been here.

  The ocean breeze had turned chilly and I pulled my sweater over my arms.

  "So how does one become one of the leading officers of the International Magical Inspectors?" Zane's question surprised me because I was equally curious about the answer.

  Simone sat on Cole's left, but she didn't seem very interested. She kept looking out at the horizon, as if she was waiting for something.

  Cole leaned forward, elbows on the table. His expression turned serious. "Well, let's see. My mother was a witch, my father a warlock. He worked as an inspector, as did my grandfather."

  Zane nodded. "So you had little choice?"

  "Oh, I had a choice. In fact I was in college studying biophysics and had planned to work in the sciences."

  Simone turned back and stared at him. She is a biophysicist and also has a Ph.D. in statistics. Of course, she prefers slaying demons for a living, but her education gives her a one-up like nobody's business.

  Cole, who was dressed casual in jeans and light green shirt, continued. "I knew so much about magic, but I wanted to learn why we, being magical folks, are different from ordinary humans. I had my future all planned out."

  He frowned. "Making a long story short, I got a call that my father had been killed in the line of duty. I applied for my inspector's license that day. Went home for the funeral and then began my criminology studies. Been in the field almost ten years now."

  Leaning back in the chair, he faced me.

  "We have a real problem with this one." His sudden change of subject threw me.

  "You mean the warlocks?" I scooted my chair so I could see him better in the waning light.

  "The whole thing. It's all connected. The warlocks in New York, London, here. And the demon. Even Simone's nest. They're related."

  Simone held up a hand. "That wasn't mine, I destroyed it, but those evil bastards had nothing to do with me."

  He touched her shoulder and she stared at him. An evil Simone stare. She's not usually like that with men. Honestly, Simone will jump in bed with anything male. Well, human male, no demons. She's a huge flirt and men fall over themselves to touch her.

  I'd never seen a man as disinterested in her as Cole, and she detested him too, I could tell. But why? They'd met months ago when Blackstock attacked, but I'd never heard her say anything about him.

  "Didn't mean to offend, Simone," he said. "You know what I meant."

  She shrugged. "Whatever."

  He shifted his attention back to me. "The warlocks and wannabes are a part of a cult. They're all over the world. They worship the demon Blaseus. Not a lot is known about him, except that he has great power and uses his minions to do his bidding, while he plays it safe in hell.

  "We've got some dimension jumpers doing research, but so far we haven't had a lot of luck."

  I bit my lip. Didn't want to bring it up in front of everyone but I wanted to know if he knew why the warlocks and demons had been after both Zane and me.

  "So, why would they come after one of the world's leading rock stars? Usually Blaseus types don't call attention to themselves until they're ready to take over the world." I played with the crystal salt and pepper shakers. The atmosphere at the beach house was casual, but the table setting was something you'd see at the Ritz. A low flower arrangement sat in the middle surrounded by crystal and pale vanilla china.

  "That's what's strange—" Cole stopped when Simone suddenly turned in her chair.

  Her eyes cut to him. "It isn't Blaseus; someone's using him." She frowned. "I'd put money on it. Think about it. That strong of a demon is too smart to pull these stupid stunts against a witch like Bronwyn. And he wouldn't advertise his demon minions. So he's made a deal with someone."

  I could see the wheels click in Cole's head. "Yes, but who?"

  Simone turned away again to stare at the water. The waves were huge as they crashed against the rocks and the sound was louder than it had been when we came out. "I don't have a clue," she whispered.

  Zane had been quiet through all this. "Do you know why they're after me?" He had no expression on his face. He wanted an answer so bad I could feel it, but he wouldn't let Cole know that.

  Cole sighed. "I'm sorry, no. Until we find out what's behind all of this, it's impossible to know. But I do know that you aren't the only one singled out."

  He faced me and I knew what he meant. He'd known the same as Simone and me that I'd become a target at some point. That didn't narrow the field of bad guys. Just about anyone on the side of evil wanted me dead. If they didn't, I hadn't met them yet.

  "Well, Cole, you're a cheery one." Zane laughed. "I don't know about you, but I could use a cup of tea. Too much doom and gloom. Why don't we move our little gathering inside?"

  "I should be going." Cole stood. "I've got to look over the evidence from this afternoon."

  Simone snorted. "There's nothing left."

  Cole smiled. "There usually isn't after Bronwyn gets done with them, but there's enough for us to start tracing."

  "Bron." Simone grabbed her bags from our shopping excursion. "I'm heading out. I want to run by the lab. You can catch me on the cell if you need me." She paused mid-step and looked out the windows. The view of the ocean was visible from the entire back of the house.

  "Not telling you how to do your job, but put some more wards on the back of the house. Something's out there. I can feel it, but it isn't ready to attack yet."

  I never like to delve into Simone's life too far. She doesn't like it, but I had to know. "Wait, what's your deal with Cole?"

  Frowning she shook her head. "He saved your life."

  "And that's a bad thing?"

  "No, idiot, it makes me feel like I owe him something. And I don't like debts of any kind with men."

  She t
urned and walked out the door.

  Well, okay.

  I'd sensed the same thing she did about the evil, but in a different way. I didn't think it was actually out in the ocean. It was just out there, in the universe somewhere.

  After Cole left, I wanted to console Zane, but I didn't know how. He was much more upset than he let on outside. I knew exactly how he felt. When Blackstock had come after me, I didn't even know the warlock had existed. I always have hits on me, but usually it's because I've killed someone they love, or I've thrown a wrench in their dastardly plans to take over the world.

  I found Zane in the kitchen. He leaned back against the counter and shook his head. "I don't get it. I always thought the world of magic sounded so exotic. I was jealous that my family seemed sadly lacking. Now I wish I could get as far away from it as possible."

  I laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound. "There are times when I wish I could escape it too." I touched his hand and he grabbed hold of mine.

  I had a sudden inspiration. "Here, hold on tight, I know something that will make you smile." I zoned in on little Zoë. Said a small chant and opened my eyes.

  "Look into my eyes, Zane. This is the good part of magic."

  He pulled a little on my hand as if he wanted to get away.

  "No, Zane, look."

  He must have seen Zoë. "Oh, it's my girl. Look at her, sleeping so peacefully."

  I tried not to blink so that he could see her clearly.

  Sighing, he squeezed my hand. I closed my eyes.

  "Thank you, Bronwyn. I needed to see her. She's safe isn't she?"

  "Yes, she's well protected." I moved to the back of the house. "Come on, you can watch me put out the wards. If you're really nice, I'll make you a new amulet for protection. A gorgeous one that matches Zoë's. That way, if either one of you finds yourself in danger your amulets will both glow."

  He shook his head and laughed. "I'm glad I have you as my guardian witch, luv."

  "Damn right you are."

  I threw my hands up and created a small ball of fire in the center of the room. Began the chant to place the wards.

  Door to door