My eyes snapped open and instant awareness flashed into my brain. I felt Beck’s arm heavy across my waist and I grinned into the pillow when I remembered our lovemaking. Still, the reason for my sudden awakening was something he’d said to me as we were making our way into the house.
Justin had another nightmare.
As easy as I could move, I slipped from under his arm and out of his bed. I was still wearing only my plain white bra, so I felt around on the floor until I found my sweatshirt and pants and got dressed.
I retrieved my purse from the place where it had landed on the couch and opened my cell phone. It was 3:24 in the morning. I clicked through my contact list and found the desired number, dialing it as I made my way into the kitchen for privacy.
My eyes narrowed when the voicemail kicked in and I waited for the beep to leave a message. “Sandy, this is Lynlee. Call me back ASAP.”
Leaning against the counter, I tapped the end of the phone against my lips a few times as I thought. There could be any explanation for Justin’s nightmare. The kid was grounded so maybe he went to bed earlier than Sandy could get here. Maybe Sandy was held up at his day job.
My gut said no. Even if Justin was asleep when Sandy showed, he still would’ve sprinkled him with dust. Something was wrong.
I pressed the third quick-dial number on my phone and waited. Rhiannon answered on the second ring. “Do you know what time it is?”
“I know what time it is. Why are you awake and waiting by the phone?”
“I’m a werevamp. I keep weird hours.”
I shook my head even though she couldn’t see the gesture. “Whatever. Have you heard from Sandy? He was supposed to…” My words trailed off because the sound I heard on the other end of the phone was so foreign I began to wonder if I’d dialed the wrong werevamp. “Are you crying?”
“I’m a were. We don’t cry.”
“Rhiannon Marie Bolling, what the hell is going on here?”
She was wailing now, her breath coming in gasping hiccups. I waited rather impatiently for her to stop. I opened the fridge and peered inside for something to drink. The leftover bottle of wine from a few nights ago beckoned me. Hmmm… is 3 am too early to drink? It’s still night, right?
I was saved from having to make that decision when Rhia finally got herself under control and said my name.
“I’m here, Rhia. Just waiting for you to talk.”
“We didn’t want to tell you. I mean, he used to think he was in love with you so he thought it would be awkward. I mean, who keeps that sort of secret from their best friend? And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lie, but he wanted to make sure we were sure before we told anyone. You know they don’t normally date outside their species.”
“Whoa. Hold it. You’re talking about one hundred miles an hour! Are you saying you and Sandy are dating?”
She sniffed a few times. “I’m in love with him, Lynlee. He’s sweet and kind and beautiful to look at. And let me tell you, weres don’t have anything on sandmen when it comes to bedroom matters.”
“Whoa again. I don’t need sex details. When’s the last time you spoke to him?”
I had to wait through another round of crying before she spoke again. “It’s been days. I thought maybe he was just over me, you know? Maybe it was just a fling. Oh, Lynlee.” And we were back to the crying. If this is what love did to my best werevamp friend, then I wasn’t sure I could handle it.
“Girlfriend, you are going to have to settle down. My head can’t take all this bawling, okay?”
She took some cleansing breaths and said, “Okay,” in a soft shaky voice.
“Listen, I’m at Beck’s and I’ve got a call into Sandy. I’m sure there’s an explanation but I’ll get over to his place as soon as I can. If you hear from him, if he calls you, let me know immediately. Got it?”
“Uh huh.”
“Don’t worry. He’s fine. Okay?”
“Okay.”
When I hung up the phone, I took a deep breath and draped my body over the countertop, enjoying the coldness of the surface biting into my cheeks. I heard bare footsteps coming into the room and knew it was Beck. His hands fell upon my shoulders, kneading my muscles in expert fashion.
“You weren’t going to try to slip away before the kids woke up, were you?”
I laughed and shook my head, moaning when he probed his thumb into a particularly sore muscle. “I wouldn’t do that. But only because I didn’t think of it first.”
The sound of his throaty chuckle kept the smile from slipping from my face. I wasn’t used to smiling so much and I was beginning to worry my facial muscles might give out.
“What’s going on? I heard you talking. Did someone call?”
Grudgingly I turned around to face him, putting an end to the heavenly back rub. “I had a thought that woke me up. It centered around Justin. You said he had a nightmare.”
I watched Beck’s face closely. He shrugged and turned his lips down just before turning to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. “Yeah, he did. You’re very sweet to be worried about him, but he’s fine.”
“But I am worried because I’m the reason he’s having nightmares. I don’t know what I was thinking when I read him that scary story that night. I mean, I clearly knew it wasn’t a kid’s story, but he was enjoying it so… anyway.” I took a deep breath and a few steps closer to Beck.
“Hey, kids have nightmares. When I was a kid, I remember the first time I watched Nightmare on Elm Street. I woke up in hysterics every other night for weeks. Mom could’ve killed Dad for letting me watch that movie, but in the end it was just about growing up. Justin will be okay.”
His gaze was soft and affectionate, his eyes drowsy with sleep and love. One hand reached out to caress my arm while he listened to me speak. I knew that he wasn’t ready to hear what I had been about to tell him. He was all warm and cuddly and lovey-dovey. Maybe it was selfish of me but I just wasn’t ready to alter the mood by telling him about Justin, the Sandman, and magical problems.
I slipped my arms under his and rested my cheek against his chest, listening to his heart thump in his chest. “Let’s go back to bed.”
The next morning I was glad Beck had to start his new job so that I wouldn’t have an excuse to tarry. While he and the kids got ready for their day, I took his vehicle up the road to the local bakery. As I sat in the drive-thru, I punched out a text to Tig, then tossed my phone into my purse.
One bag of donut holes and a half dozen assorted donuts in hand, I returned a bit later to find Justin dressed and stuffing his homework into his bag. Jilly traipsed in a second after, humming to herself. My heart constricted when they both smiled at me as if I belonged there in their home.
Beck joined us and we all scarfed down copious amounts of sugar. The kids drank milk and Beck and I had cups of coffee.
Everyone fueled up for the moment, he ushered the kids into his vehicle then turned and leaned against the driver’s side door, crooking his finger to call me to him.
“Nervous?” I asked, straightening his collar and avoiding his eyes.
He smiled. “Not a bit. You nervous?”
I pinched my brows together in a frown. “Why would I be nervous?”
“No reason at all.” His grin widened. “You coming back tonight?”
I snorted and shook my head before glancing up at him. My cheeks felt hot and I had the urge to giggle like a teenager. I barely managed to quash that reaction and instead turned my frown into a full scowl. “I have some work to do today and I don’t know how late it will keep me. I’ll try to make it for dinner. I’ll call you. Okay?”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
“Yeah.” I knew exactly what he was talking about. He wanted to know if I would spend the night with him again. I was cold and hot at the same time. My mind was spinning with dizzying effect and I told myself that I couldn’t have that conversation with him now. Not yet. “Let’s start with dinner and we’ll see what
happens.”
Before I could react, he put his hand behind my neck and pulled me close for a deep kiss. I could hear the kids making goo-goo noises inside the car, but it was all I could do to breathe in that moment. He released me quicker than I would have liked, but I used the opportunity to put some space between us. I stepped back a few paces and almost stumbled.
“Knock ‘em dead today, Beck.”
“I’ll see you tonight.”
The kids were grinning and waving at me from the car so I waited for them to get down the street before I orbed back to the grotto. I stepped outside the stone and programmed in Sandy’s home address. Once the map had the location, I backed into the cave and waited for the magic to work.
It’s funny how my orbing works sometimes. I was startled when I found myself in a dark, tight space. I reached out and my hands met what felt to be a tweed jacket on a hanger. An accurate guess would be I’d dropped into a fairly small closet. When I took a deep breath I was sure I smelled foot odor, and as I looked down, the light under the door revealed several pairs of shoes.
It also revealed a shadow moving on the other side of the door. I waited, holding my breath as I mentally went through the list of possibilities.
It might just be Sandy. This was his house after all. If it were him, I hoped he wasn’t just getting out of the shower or something. The last thing I needed was a naked Sandy to open his closet door and find me there.
Of more concern was the risk that the dark witch could be there. If she was involved in Sandy’s disappearance, and I was beginning to think she might be, then it was possible she could still be in his apartment.
The most likely option was the one I most hoped would prove to be false. Still, there was no way to find out until I opened the door. I shook my palm, clenching my wand tight with one hand as I reached for the knob with the other.
The closet opened up into a bathroom. A quick look revealed there was no one else in that room, so I padded softly towards the door. My wand was raised in preparation, but when I entered that room and saw Tig thumbing through a diary beside the bed, I released a despondent sigh and lowered my arm.
“Lynlee!” He tossed the book onto the bed. “I thought you were going to ask around at his job first.”
That was what I wanted him to think. I sent him a text saying that I was afraid his dark witch might have Sandy but that before I went to his apartment I would double-check his work.
“I changed my mind. I figured there was no reason not to hurry over here in case he was in trouble.”
Tig nodded his ugly head and grinned. “Good idea! Exactly what I was thinking, so I decided to get over here and be sure. The place is empty though.”
He started for the door to the bedroom and I stopped him with a flick of my wand. A wall appeared in his path, keeping him from reaching the door.
Tig’s mode of transportation was similar to my orbing, only his goblin magic allowed him to travel anywhere through any doorway with a simple thought and a knock. I wasn’t ready to let him leave just yet.
“Well what’s going on, Lynlee? Is there something you need to tell me?”
“I think there’s something you need to tell me, Tig.”
I wasn’t sure why my suspicions about Tig had been aroused. One moment I was going to call him to get more information about Susan Abernathy and the next I was texting him to set up this test.
“There’s more to this story than you told me, Tig. What is this Susan Abernathy really up to?”
He flinched when I said her name. I recalled our first conversation about her and realized he never once said her name, only referred to her as “the dark witch.” Later he emailed me the details such as her name, age and appearance.
“I don’t know what she’s up to. If I did I would have stopped her myself.”
My head was starting to pound. I didn’t like where this was heading at all. Tig was my friend, but more than that, he was my mentor. It wasn’t easy to digest the fact that he was being dishonest with me.
“Then why didn’t you find her yourself? You’re every bit as capable as I am. Hell, you taught me everything you know.”
Emotions raced across his face. Pride. Regret. Sadness. All of those were enough to throw me off so that I didn’t notice the cocky glint in his eyes.
“I didn’t teach you everything I know.”
He snapped his fingers and my magical wall dissolved into nothing; he then tapped on the bedroom door and disappeared by walking straight through it.
“Damn!” I stomped my foot and shook my head.
Believe it or not, I didn’t know where Tig lived. Goblins were usually wanderers. They didn’t have a set home to call their own. Never once did I have any reason to find Tig. He always found me, and since I was usually working for him or at his behest, that satisfied me fine. All that is to say—Tig wasn’t going to be of much use finding Sandy.
I called Rhia over and decided to try scrying for the Sandman. Also another form of witchcraft I wasn’t very good at. Granny had left me a crystal ball, and when I was a teenager I used to make a little money on the side by pretending to read fortunes. Pretending being the operative word. I still don’t know why anyone ever paid me a dime for the crap I spit out.
Rhiannon was fairly calm considering the fact that I still hadn’t located her boyfriend. Although her outward appearance seemed stable, she refused to eat any of the goodies I offered her. Leftover pizza, Chinese, Beck’s lasagna – none of them could whet her appetite. That in and of itself was enough to worry me.
I kept “Henrietta” in a velveteen Crown Royal bag. Most people might not realize this, but crystal balls have names. I didn’t choose that name; Henrietta did when I was about seventeen. Granny told me about the softball-sized crystal when I was fifteen, but it took me all of that time to get the damned thing to talk to me. In addition to telling me her name, she also advised me that her favorite drink was Crown Royal— hence the purple velveteen bag.
Henrietta worked best in darkened rooms so once again Rhia and I found ourselves in my huge cedar closet. I lit an orange candle, placed the ball in front of it, and then sat cross-legged opposite them so that the light from the candle could flicker through the crystal. Without looking, I heard and sensed Rhiannon taking a seat behind me.
The main reason I sucked at some forms of magic was because they require me to meditate. I wasn’t the sort of gal that did that lightly. My mind was always a whirl with miscellaneous contemplations and information.
At that moment, I thought now of how much I wished this whole affair would wrap up so I could go to Beck’s home…which made me think of Justin and my confession to his father about his nightmares…
That, in turn, resulted in thoughts of Sandy and where he might have disappeared to…
When was the last time I’d seen Rhiannon turn down lasagna? And I could vouch for how good Beck’s cooking was…
Damn, I missed him. It had only been a single day apart and my heart ached at missing him…
I couldn’t imagine how the hell Sandy and Rhia ended up together, since a werevamp and a Sandman would not commonly become a couple…
Cupids and werecats didn’t become couples either, but Penelope and Fredward clearly had a strong thing for one another…
And who the hell names their cupid child Fredward. For that matter, who the hell names anyone Fredward?
“Geez…” I grumbled, taking a deep breath and trying to keep my random thought patterns at bay. It took a few moments, but I emptied my brain of as much excess junk as possible and glanced down at Henrietta. I started to tingle and vibrate just before my body began to feel light and displaced.
Something you seek to find? Henrietta spoke in my mind.
“I’m looking for a Sandman.”
Sleep you don’t appear to need.
It took all of my willpower to mentally swallow the smartass comment I was thinking.
“The Sandman is a friend. He’s disappeared. He may b
e in danger.”
She is wrong, she is. It is the wrong thing you seek.
“Granny’s wrong? About what?”
Any time Henrietta spoke of “she,” it meant Granny. The crystal and my ancestor still had some weird bond. I suspected that a crystal ball is similar to a familiar, in that it’s inhabited by what was once a living spirit. If that were the case, it was likely that Granny and Henrietta were acquaintances in the hereafter.
I shook my head to stop my mind from wandering again. “The dark witch. Susan Abernathy. Where can I find her?”
The obvious is not always the answer.
I was just about to give up on the crystal ball when another thought came to me
“A goblin. Tig Durhman. Where is he?”
Too hard you try.
I thought I heard Rhia stifle a sob behind me and I knew I was getting nowhere fast. Who the hell did Henrietta want me to ask about? Granny’s words came back to me. “You don’t need to determine what the spell is. You need to determine what her next step will be.” The two were ends to the same means. Unless I knew what the spell was, I couldn’t figure out Susan’s next step.
“The spell! Where can I find out about the spell?”
Henrietta didn’t speak, but she throbbed in a bright orange blaze. My mind was overtaken with an image of my study, but the view only lasted about two seconds before it disappeared. When I gazed at Henrietta again, she was silent and clear, no longer glowing.
“What happened?” Rhiannon whispered just before her hand touched my shoulder. I reached my arm across my chest and clasped her fingers, squeezing them for support before uncrossing my legs to stand.
Dragging my friend along, I sped through the house to my study. I scanned the room to determine the image Henrietta had fed to me. In the lower corner behind my desk were some old volumes of books about the different species of MAUCs.
All this time I had been looking for a spell of witchcraft. I was looking in the wrong place. Biting my lip, I stooped and took a dusty book called The Rurylichen Manual for Gremlins, Elves, Fairies, Goblins, and Dwarves - 253d Edition.
A Bundle of Trouble (The Lynlee Lincoln Sets Book 1) Page 14